Branch retinal artery occlusion in Susac's syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Evangelista Marrocos de Aragão

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Susac's syndrome is a rare disease attribuited to a microangiopathy involving the arterioles of the cochlea, retina and brain. Encefalopathy, hearing loss, and visual deficits are the hallmarks of the disease. Visual loss is due to multiple, recurrent branch arterial retinal occlusions. We report a case of a 20-year-old women with Susac syndrome presented with peripheral vestibular syndrome, hearing loss, ataxia, vertigo, and vision loss due occlusion of the retinal branch artery.

Surviving at a distant site: The organotropism of metastatic breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Shi; Siegal, Gene P

2018-03-01

Many cancers demonstrate a non-random distribution of sites for distant relapse while others have the propensity to metastasize to multiple organ systems. One of the notable recent findings is that the breast cancer subtypes differ not only in their biological characteristics as primary tumors but also in their capacity for metastatic progression. This information could potentially be utilized in treatment decision making and surveillance strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous synthesis of anatase colloidal and multiple-branched rutile TiO{sub 2} nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen, Trong Tung; Duong, Ngoc Huyen [School of Engineering Physics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Mai, Xuan Dung [Dept. of Chemistry, Hanoi Pedagogical University No2, Vinh Phuc (Viet Nam)

2017-03-15

Facile synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2} ) nanostructures with controllability over their cystallinity, dimensions, and shape is in demand for diverse optoelectronic applications. Anatase colloidal particles and precipitates of rutile bundles were synthesized simultaneously using HCl catalyzed sol–gel process with titanium tetrachloride as Ti precursor. The crystallinity and the morphology of these two separable TiO{sub 2} phases were studied by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that by varying HCl concentration during synthesis, dimensions of colloidal anatase can be tuned from spherical particles with a diameter of 2–5 nm to nanorods of dimension of 4 nm (width) × 14 nm (length). The rutile bundles whose size increased with aging time consisted of multiple branches with elongation along c-axis. Both anatase nanorods and rutile bundles can be applied as highly efficient photocatalysts or electron conduits.

The relationship of local and distant failure from endometrial cancer: defining a clinical paradigm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corn, Benjamin W.; Lanciano, Rachelle; D'Agostino, Ralph; Kiggundu, Edward; Purser, Phillip; Greven, Kathryn M.

1996-01-01

PURPOSE: The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) has recently activated a phase III protocol (no. 156) that randomizes women with intermediate risk endometrial cancer to pelvic irradiation (RT) vs. chemotherapy (cisplatin, doxorubicin). This study design presumes that chemotherapy will be able to control local disease, or that local disease is a minimal problem and that distant metastases arise independent of local failure. Recently, statistical methods have been developed to rigorously assess the relationship between local and distant failures. Such methodology has successfully been applied to a variety of tumors including those arising in the prostate, breast, and cervix. To date, no published data are available to generate an hypothesis to characterize the relationship between local and distant failure for endometrial cancer. The present analysis was undertaken to determine the effect of loco-regional control on subsequent metastatic dissemination among women with pathologically staged endometrial cancer treated by hysterectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. METHODS: The series consisted of 394 patients with FIGO stages I-IVa endometrial cancer who were surgically staged prior to irradiation [median external beam dose 46 Gy +/- brachytherapy (median vaginal surface dose=30 Gy)]. The duration of follow-up ranged from 2 to 80 months, with a median of 50 months. Multiple factors were evaluated to determine the associations with distant relapse including FIGO pathological stage, grade, histopathologic subtype (adeno, vs papillary/papillary-serous/clear cell), depth of myometrial penetration, age, and local disease status. Time dependent survival models were generated to assess the influence of local failure on distant metastases. RESULTS: For the entire series, the 5 year actuarial rates of local and distant failures were 9% and 20%, respectively. Women who failed locally had a >6-fold risk of failing distantly compared to those who remained locally controlled (p=0

SDF1 Reduces Interneuron Leading Process Branching through Dual Regulation of Actin and Microtubules

Science.gov (United States)

Lysko, Daniel E.; Putt, Mary

2014-01-01

Normal cerebral cortical function requires a highly ordered balance between projection neurons and interneurons. During development these two neuronal populations migrate from distinct progenitor zones to form the cerebral cortex, with interneurons originating in the more distant ganglionic eminences. Moreover, deficits in interneurons have been linked to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders underscoring the importance of understanding interneuron development and function. We, and others, have identified SDF1 signaling as one important modulator of interneuron migration speed and leading process branching behavior in mice, although how SDF1 signaling impacts these behaviors remains unknown. We previously found SDF1 inhibited leading process branching while increasing the rate of migration. We have now mechanistically linked SDF1 modulation of leading process branching behavior to a dual regulation of both actin and microtubule organization. We find SDF1 consolidates actin at the leading process tip by de-repressing calpain protease and increasing proteolysis of branched-actin-supporting cortactin. Additionally, SDF1 stabilizes the microtubule array in the leading process through activation of the microtubule-associated protein doublecortin (DCX). DCX stabilizes the microtubule array by bundling microtubules within the leading process, reducing branching. These data provide mechanistic insight into the regulation of interneuron leading process dynamics during neuronal migration in mice and provides insight into how cortactin and DCX, a known human neuronal migration disorder gene, participate in this process. PMID:24695713

SDF1 reduces interneuron leading process branching through dual regulation of actin and microtubules.

Science.gov (United States)

Lysko, Daniel E; Putt, Mary; Golden, Jeffrey A

2014-04-02

Normal cerebral cortical function requires a highly ordered balance between projection neurons and interneurons. During development these two neuronal populations migrate from distinct progenitor zones to form the cerebral cortex, with interneurons originating in the more distant ganglionic eminences. Moreover, deficits in interneurons have been linked to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders underscoring the importance of understanding interneuron development and function. We, and others, have identified SDF1 signaling as one important modulator of interneuron migration speed and leading process branching behavior in mice, although how SDF1 signaling impacts these behaviors remains unknown. We previously found SDF1 inhibited leading process branching while increasing the rate of migration. We have now mechanistically linked SDF1 modulation of leading process branching behavior to a dual regulation of both actin and microtubule organization. We find SDF1 consolidates actin at the leading process tip by de-repressing calpain protease and increasing proteolysis of branched-actin-supporting cortactin. Additionally, SDF1 stabilizes the microtubule array in the leading process through activation of the microtubule-associated protein doublecortin (DCX). DCX stabilizes the microtubule array by bundling microtubules within the leading process, reducing branching. These data provide mechanistic insight into the regulation of interneuron leading process dynamics during neuronal migration in mice and provides insight into how cortactin and DCX, a known human neuronal migration disorder gene, participate in this process.

Investigations in the Spectral Properties of Operators with Distant Perturbations (survey

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A. M. Golovina

2015-01-01

spectral properties of the operators:1 investigations into the eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions of the Laplaceoperator with distant potentials;(a in the case of a simple limit eigenvalue;(b in the case of a multiple limit eigenvalue;2 investigations into the resolvent of the Laplace operator with several distant potentials;3 investigations into asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalues arising from the edge of the essential spectrum of the unperturbed operator.In conclusion, we formulate open problems in this theory:1. What kind of behavior of the eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions arising from the edge of the essential spectrum? Under what conditions do they arise? What is their asymptotic expansion?2. What are the first members of perturbed eigenvalues in the case of an arbitrary finite number of distant perturbations?

A branch-and-cut algorithm for the vehicle routing problem with multiple use of vehicles

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İsmail Karaoğlan

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the vehicle routing problem with multiple use of vehicles (VRPMUV, an important variant of the classic vehicle routing problem (VRP. Unlike the classical VRP, vehicles are allowed to use more than one route in the VRPMUV. We propose a branch-and-cut algorithm for solving the VRPMUV. The proposed algorithm includes several valid inequalities from the literature for the purpose of improving its lower bounds, and a heuristic algorithm based on simulated annealing and a mixed integer programming-based intensification procedure for obtaining the upper bounds. The algorithm is evaluated in terms of the test problems derived from the literature. The computational results which follow show that, if there were 120 customers on the route (in the simulation, the problem would be solved optimally in a reasonable amount of time.

Frequency and Correlates of Distant Visual Impairment in Patients with Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, W; Tang, L R; Correll, C U; Ungvari, G S; Chiu, H F K; Xiang, Y Q; Xiang, Y T

2015-09-01

Distant visual impairment in the severely mentally ill is under-researched. This study aimed to assess the frequency and correlates of distant visual impairment in a cohort of Chinese psychiatric patients, including its effect on their quality of life. Adult psychiatric inpatients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder consecutively admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Beijing, China underwent assessments of psychopathology (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology [Self-Report]), quality of life (12-item Short-Form Medical Outcomes Study [SF-12], 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire [NEI-VFQ25]), adverse effects (Udvalg for Kliniske Undersøgelser Side Effect Rating Scale), and presenting (as opposed to uncorrected) distant visual acuity (Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution [LogMAR] chart with patients wearing spectacles, if they owned them). Distant visual impairment was defined as binocular distant visual acuity of a LogMAR score of ≥ 0.5 (visual impairment was 12.6% (15.2% with schizophrenia, 11.9% with bipolar disorder, 8.8% with major depressive disorder). In multiple logistic regression analysis, distant visual impairment was significantly associated with ocular disease only (p = 0.002, odds ratio = 3.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.5-6.7). Controlling for the confounding effect of ocular disease, patients with distant visual impairment had a lower quality of life in the general vision domain of the NEI-VFQ25 (F[2, 353] = 9.5, p = 0.002) compared with those without. No differences in the physical and mental domains of the SF-12 and in other domains of the NEI-VFQ25 were noted in these 2 groups. One-eighth of middle-aged severely mentally ill patients had distant visual impairment. Considering the impact of distant visual impairment on daily functioning, severely mentally ill patients need to be screened for impaired eyesight as part of their

Gene Transfers Between Distantly Related Organisms

Science.gov (United States)

Doolittle, Russell F.

2003-01-01

With the completion of numerous microbial genome sequences, reports of individual gene transfers between distantly related prokaryotes have become commonplace. On the other hand, transfers between prokaryotes and eukaryotes still excite the imagination. Many of these claims may be premature, but some are certainly valid. In this chapter, the kinds of supporting data needed to propose transfers between distantly related organisms and cite some interesting examples are considered.

Distant asteroids and Chiron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

French, L.M.; Vilas, F.; Hartmann, W.K.; Tholen, D.J.

1989-01-01

Knowledge of the physical properties of distant asteroids (a>3.3 AU) has grown dramatically over the past five years, due to systematic compositional and lightcurve studies. Most of these objects have red, dark surfaces, and their spectra show a reddening in spectral slope with heliocentric distance implying a change in surface composition. Trojans for which near-opposition phase curve information is available appear to show little or no opposition effect, unlike any dark solar system objects. The lightcurve amplitudes of Trojan and Hilda asteroids imply significantly more elongated shapes for these groups than for main-belt asteroids of comparable size. These recent observations are reviewed in the context of their implications for the formation and subsequent evolution of the distant asteroids, and their interrelations with the main belt, Chiron and comets

SlCCD7 controls strigolactone biosynthesis, shoot branching and mycorrhiza-induced apocarotenoid formation in tomato.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vogel, J.T.; Walter, M.H.; Giavalisco, P.; Lytovchenko, A.; Kohlen, W.; Charnikhova, T.; Simkin, A.J.; Goulet, C.; Strack, D.; Bouwmeester, H.J.; Fernie, A.R.; Klee, H.J.

2010-01-01

The regulation of shoot branching is an essential determinant of plant architecture, integrating multiple external and internal signals. One of the signaling pathways regulating branching involves the MAX (more axillary branches) genes. Two of the genes within this pathway, MAX3/CCD7 and MAX4/CCD8,

Distant Metastasis Risk Stratification for Patients Undergoing Curative Resection Followed by Adjuvant Chemoradiation for Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kyubo [Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Chie, Eui Kyu, E-mail: ekchie93@snu.ac.kr [Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Jin-Young; Kim, Sun Whe [Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Han, Sae-Won; Oh, Do-Youn; Im, Seock-Ah; Kim, Tae-You; Bang, Yung-Jue [Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ha, Sung W. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)

2012-09-01

Purpose: To analyze the prognostic factors predicting distant metastasis in patients undergoing adjuvant chemoradiation for extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) cancer. Methods and Materials: Between January 1995 and August 2006, 166 patients with EHBD cancer underwent resection with curative intent, followed by adjuvant chemoradiation. There were 120 males and 46 females, and median age was 61 years (range, 34-86). Postoperative radiotherapy was delivered to tumor bed and regional lymph nodes (median dose, 40 Gy; range, 34-56 Gy). A total of 157 patients also received fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy as a radiosensitizer, and fluoropyrimidine-based maintenance chemotherapy was administered to 127 patients. Median follow-up duration was 29 months. Results: The treatment failed for 97 patients, and the major pattern of failure was distant metastasis (76 patients, 78.4%). The 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rate was 49.4%. The most common site of distant failure was the liver (n = 36). On multivariate analysis, hilar tumor, tumor size {>=}2 cm, involved lymph node, and poorly differentiated tumor were associated with inferior distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.0348, 0.0754, 0.0009, and 0.0078, respectively), whereas T stage was not (p = 0.8081). When patients were divided into four groups based on these risk factors, the 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rates for patients with 0, 1, 2, and 3 risk factors were 86.4%, 59.9%, 32.5%, and 0%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Despite maintenance chemotherapy, distant metastasis was the major pattern of failure in patients undergoing adjuvant chemoradiation for EHBD cancer after resection with curative intent. Intensified chemotherapy is warranted to improve the treatment outcome, especially in those with multiple risk factors.

Branching structure and strain hardening of branched metallocene polyethylenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres, Enrique; Li, Si-Wan; Costeux, Stéphane; Dealy, John M.

2015-01-01

There have been a number of studies of a series of branched metallocene polyethylenes (BMPs) made in a solution, continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) polymerization. The materials studied vary in branching level in a systematic way, and the most highly branched members of the series exhibit mild strain hardening. An outstanding question is which types of branched molecules are responsible for strain hardening in extension. This question is explored here by use of polymerization and rheological models along with new data on the extensional flow behavior of the most highly branched members of the set. After reviewing all that is known about the effects of various branching structures in homogeneous polymers and comparing this with the structures predicted to be present in BMPs, it is concluded that in spite of their very low concentration, treelike molecules with branch-on-branch structure provide a large number of deeply buried inner segments that are essential for strain hardening in these polymers

Branching structure and strain hardening of branched metallocene polyethylenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torres, Enrique; Li, Si-Wan; Costeux, Stéphane; Dealy, John M., E-mail: john.dealy@mcgill.ca [Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C4 (Canada)

2015-09-15

There have been a number of studies of a series of branched metallocene polyethylenes (BMPs) made in a solution, continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) polymerization. The materials studied vary in branching level in a systematic way, and the most highly branched members of the series exhibit mild strain hardening. An outstanding question is which types of branched molecules are responsible for strain hardening in extension. This question is explored here by use of polymerization and rheological models along with new data on the extensional flow behavior of the most highly branched members of the set. After reviewing all that is known about the effects of various branching structures in homogeneous polymers and comparing this with the structures predicted to be present in BMPs, it is concluded that in spite of their very low concentration, treelike molecules with branch-on-branch structure provide a large number of deeply buried inner segments that are essential for strain hardening in these polymers.

Multiple current sheets in a double auroral oval observed from the MAGION-2 and MAGION-3 satellites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Echim

1997-04-01

Full Text Available A case is described of multiple current sheets crossed by the MAGION-2 satellite in the near-midnight quieting auroral oval. The data were obtained by the magnetometer experiment onboard. Results show during a quieting period after a preceding substorm, or during an early growth phase of the next substorm, two double-sheet current bands, POLB and EQUB, located at respectively the polar and equatorial borders of the auroral oval separated by about 500 km in latitude. This is consistent with the double-oval structure during recovery introduced by Elphinstone et al. (1995. Within the POLB, the magnetic field data show simultaneous existence of several narrow parallel bipolar current sheets within the upward current branch (at 69.5–70.3° invariant latitude with an adjacent downward current branch at its polar side at (70.5–71.3°. The EQUB was similarly stratified and located at 61.2–63.5° invariant latitude. The narrow current sheets were separated on average by about 35 km and 15 km, respectively, within the POLB and EQUB. A similar case of double-oval current bands with small-scale structuring of their upward current branches during a quieting period is found in the data from the MAGION-3 satellite. These observations contribute to the double-oval structure of the late recovery phase, and add a small-scale structuring of the upward currents producing the auroral arcs in the double- oval pattern, at least for the cases presented here. Other observations of multiple auroral current sheets and theories of auroral arc multiplicity are briefly discussed. It is suggested that multiple X-lines in the distant tail, and/or leakage of energetic particles and FA currents from a series of plasmoids formed during preceding magnetic activity, could be one cause of highly stratified upward FA currents at the polar edge of the quieting double auroral oval.

Branching innovation, recombinant innovation, and endogenous technological transitions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frenken, K.; Izquierdo, L.; Zeppini, P.

2012-01-01

We propose a model of technological transitions based on two different types of innovations. Branching innovations refer to technological improvements along a particular path, while recombinant innovations represent fusions of multiple paths. Recombinant innovations create "short-cuts" which reduce

Distant education of gifted children in the USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogozhkina I. B.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Distant teaching which helps to realize the main principles of contemporary education: «teaching throughout» and «lifelong teaching» becomes more and more indemand. The possibility to get education for the residents of remote districts, excess to contemporary data bases, scientific libraries and learning materials of high quality, possibility to study at a time convenient for a student and in a tempo acceptable to the one makes distant education one of the most effective form of work with gifted children. System of distant education in the USA which is one of the most sophisticated one involves a big variety of programs and courses for both ordinary and gifted students. The article analyzes the existing in the USA on-line programs for gifted children, reveals their advantages and disadvantages, discusses the distant forms of work applicable to teaching of gifted children in Russia.

Active Tobacco Smoking and Distant Metastasis in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McBride, Sean M. [Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Ali, Nawal N. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Margalit, Danielle N. [Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Chan, Annie W., E-mail: awchan@partners.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States)

2012-09-01

Purpose: Distant metastasis is the site of first relapse in approximately one-third of patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma, irrespective of human papillomavirus status. Yet the risk factors associated with distant metastasis are not well characterized. We sought to characterize the relationship between smoking status and distant metastasis. Methods and Materials: We evaluated the association between tobacco smoking status and distant metastasis in a retrospective cohort study of 132 patients who underwent definitive radiation therapy and chemotherapy for Stage III-IVA/B oropharyngeal cancer. Information on tobacco smoking was prospectively collected by patient questionnaires and physician notes at the time of diagnosis. Thirty-three percent of the patients were nonsmokers, 51% were former smokers, 16% were active smokers. The cumulative lifetime tobacco smoking in pack-years was 20 (range, 0-150). Results: With a median follow-up time of 52 months, the overall rate of distant metastasis at 4 years was 8%. Distant metastasis was the most common first site of relapse, occurring in 56% of the patients with recurrences. Active smokers had higher rates of distant metastasis than non-active smokers (including never- and former smokers; 31% vs. 4%, p < 0.001) and former smokers (31% vs. 3%, p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of distant metastasis for patients with lifetime cumulative pack-years >20 and {<=}20 (10% vs. 4%, p = 0.19). In univariate analysis, active smoking (p = 0.0004) and N category (p = 0.009) were predictive of increased risk of distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, active smoking was the most significant predictive factor for increased risk of distant metastasis (hazard ratio, 12.7, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: This study identified a strong association between active smoking and distant metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal cancer.

Active Tobacco Smoking and Distant Metastasis in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McBride, Sean M.; Ali, Nawal N.; Margalit, Danielle N.; Chan, Annie W.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Distant metastasis is the site of first relapse in approximately one-third of patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma, irrespective of human papillomavirus status. Yet the risk factors associated with distant metastasis are not well characterized. We sought to characterize the relationship between smoking status and distant metastasis. Methods and Materials: We evaluated the association between tobacco smoking status and distant metastasis in a retrospective cohort study of 132 patients who underwent definitive radiation therapy and chemotherapy for Stage III–IVA/B oropharyngeal cancer. Information on tobacco smoking was prospectively collected by patient questionnaires and physician notes at the time of diagnosis. Thirty-three percent of the patients were nonsmokers, 51% were former smokers, 16% were active smokers. The cumulative lifetime tobacco smoking in pack-years was 20 (range, 0–150). Results: With a median follow-up time of 52 months, the overall rate of distant metastasis at 4 years was 8%. Distant metastasis was the most common first site of relapse, occurring in 56% of the patients with recurrences. Active smokers had higher rates of distant metastasis than non-active smokers (including never- and former smokers; 31% vs. 4%, p 20 and ≤20 (10% vs. 4%, p = 0.19). In univariate analysis, active smoking (p = 0.0004) and N category (p = 0.009) were predictive of increased risk of distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, active smoking was the most significant predictive factor for increased risk of distant metastasis (hazard ratio, 12.7, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: This study identified a strong association between active smoking and distant metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal cancer.

Model for Studying Branching Processes, Multiplicity Distributions, and Non-Poissonian Fluctuations in Heavy-Ion Collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mekjian, A. Z.

2001-01-01

A change is made in a statistical framework by introducing a set of variables called ancestral or stochastic. This leads to an underlying dynamics based on branching laws, lines of descent in an hierarchical topology, period doublings, cascades, and clans. Above a certain branching probability, a percolative feature suddenly appears. Power laws emerge and cascade points arise and end at golden mean (5 -1)/2

Precision Distances with the Tip of the Red Giant Branch Method

Science.gov (United States)

Beaton, Rachael Lynn; Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program Team

2018-01-01

The Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program aims to construct a distance ladder that utilizes old stellar populations in the outskirts of galaxies to produce a high precision measurement of the Hubble Constant that is independent of Cepheids. The CCHP uses the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method, which is a statistical measurement technique that utilizes the termination of the red giant branch. Two innovations combine to make the TRGB a competitive route to the Hubble Constant (i) the large-scale measurement of trigonometric parallax by the Gaia mission and (ii) the development of both precise and accurate means of determining the TRGB in both nearby (~1 Mpc) and distant (~20 Mpc) galaxies. Here I will summarize our progress in developing these standardized techniques, focusing on both our edge-detection algorithm and our field selection strategy. Using these methods, the CCHP has determined equally precise (~2%) distances to galaxies in the Local Group (< 1 Mpc) and across the Local Volume (< 20 Mpc). The TRGB is, thus, an incredibly powerful and straightforward means to determine distances to galaxies of any Hubble Type and, thus, has enormous potential for putting any number of astrophyiscal phenomena on absolute units.

Incidence and sites of distant metastases from head and neck cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferlito, A; Shaha, A R; Silver, C E; Rinaldo, A; Mondin, V

2001-01-01

The incidence of distant metastases in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is relatively small in comparison to other malignancies. Distant metastases adversely impact survival and may significantly affect treatment planning. The incidence of distant metastases is influenced by location of the primary tumor, initial T and N stage of the neoplasm, and the presence or absence of regional control above the clavicle. Patients with advanced nodal disease have a high incidence of distant metastases, particularly in the presence of jugular vein invasion or extensive soft tissue disease in the neck. Primary tumors of advanced T stages in the hypopharynx, oropharynx and oral cavity are associated with the highest incidence of distant metastases. Pulmonary metastases are the most frequent in SCC, accounting for 66% of distant metastases. It may be difficult to distinguish pulmonary metastasis from a new primary tumor, particularly if solitary. Other metastatic sites include bone (22%), liver (10%), skin, mediastinum and bone marrow. An important question remains as to how intensely pre- and postoperative screening for distant metastases should be performed. Preoperative chest X-ray is warranted in all cases. If the primary tumor and nodal status place the patient at high risk for pulmonary metastasis, then preoperative computed tomography scan of the chest should be done. Screening for distant metastases at other sites is usually not indicated in SCC of the upper aerodigestive tract. Postoperatively, annual X-rays of the chest are usually sufficient, but in high-risk situations a chest X-ray performed every 3-6 months may be beneficial. Certain histologic types of primary tumor have greater or lesser propensity to metastasize distantly, and have a different natural history. Adenoid cystic carcinoma metastasizes frequently, even in the absence of extensive local or regional disease. Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinomas also metastasize widely

Hyperbolic Discounting of the Far-Distant Future

OpenAIRE

Anchugina, Nina; Ryan, Matthew; Slinko, Arkadii

2017-01-01

We prove an analogue of Weitzman's (1998) famous result that an exponential discounter who is uncertain of the appropriate exponential discount rate should discount the far-distant future using the lowest (i.e., most patient) of the possible discount rates. Our analogous result applies to a hyperbolic discounter who is uncertain about the appropriate hyperbolic discount rate. In this case, the far-distant future should be discounted using the probability-weighted harmonic mean of the possible...

Analysis of the genetic phylogeny of multifocal prostate cancer identifies multiple independent clonal expansions in neoplastic and morphologically normal prostate tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Colin S; Eeles, Rosalind; Wedge, David C; Van Loo, Peter; Gundem, Gunes; Alexandrov, Ludmil B; Kremeyer, Barbara; Butler, Adam; Lynch, Andrew G; Camacho, Niedzica; Massie, Charlie E; Kay, Jonathan; Luxton, Hayley J; Edwards, Sandra; Kote-Jarai, ZSofia; Dennis, Nening; Merson, Sue; Leongamornlert, Daniel; Zamora, Jorge; Corbishley, Cathy; Thomas, Sarah; Nik-Zainal, Serena; O'Meara, Sarah; Matthews, Lucy; Clark, Jeremy; Hurst, Rachel; Mithen, Richard; Bristow, Robert G; Boutros, Paul C; Fraser, Michael; Cooke, Susanna; Raine, Keiran; Jones, David; Menzies, Andrew; Stebbings, Lucy; Hinton, Jon; Teague, Jon; McLaren, Stuart; Mudie, Laura; Hardy, Claire; Anderson, Elizabeth; Joseph, Olivia; Goody, Victoria; Robinson, Ben; Maddison, Mark; Gamble, Stephen; Greenman, Christopher; Berney, Dan; Hazell, Steven; Livni, Naomi; Fisher, Cyril; Ogden, Christopher; Kumar, Pardeep; Thompson, Alan; Woodhouse, Christopher; Nicol, David; Mayer, Erik; Dudderidge, Tim; Shah, Nimish C; Gnanapragasam, Vincent; Voet, Thierry; Campbell, Peter; Futreal, Andrew; Easton, Douglas; Warren, Anne Y; Foster, Christopher S; Stratton, Michael R; Whitaker, Hayley C; McDermott, Ultan; Brewer, Daniel S; Neal, David E

2015-04-01

Genome-wide DNA sequencing was used to decrypt the phylogeny of multiple samples from distinct areas of cancer and morphologically normal tissue taken from the prostates of three men. Mutations were present at high levels in morphologically normal tissue distant from the cancer, reflecting clonal expansions, and the underlying mutational processes at work in morphologically normal tissue were also at work in cancer. Our observations demonstrate the existence of ongoing abnormal mutational processes, consistent with field effects, underlying carcinogenesis. This mechanism gives rise to extensive branching evolution and cancer clone mixing, as exemplified by the coexistence of multiple cancer lineages harboring distinct ERG fusions within a single cancer nodule. Subsets of mutations were shared either by morphologically normal and malignant tissues or between different ERG lineages, indicating earlier or separate clonal cell expansions. Our observations inform on the origin of multifocal disease and have implications for prostate cancer therapy in individual cases.

THE MASSIVE DISTANT CLUSTERS OF WISE SURVEY: THE FIRST DISTANT GALAXY CLUSTER DISCOVERED BY WISE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gettings, Daniel P.; Gonzalez, Anthony H.; Mancone, Conor; Stanford, S. Adam; Eisenhardt, Peter R. M.; Stern, Daniel; Brodwin, Mark; Zeimann, Gregory R.; Masci, Frank J.; Papovich, Casey; Tanaka, Ichi; Wright, Edward L.

2012-01-01

We present spectroscopic confirmation of a z = 0.99 galaxy cluster discovered using data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). This is the first z ∼ 1 cluster candidate from the Massive Distant Clusters of WISE Survey to be confirmed. It was selected as an overdensity of probable z ∼> 1 sources using a combination of WISE and Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR8 photometric catalogs. Deeper follow-up imaging data from Subaru and WIYN reveal the cluster to be a rich system of galaxies, and multi-object spectroscopic observations from Keck confirm five cluster members at z = 0.99. The detection and confirmation of this cluster represents a first step toward constructing a uniformly selected sample of distant, high-mass galaxy clusters over the full extragalactic sky using WISE data.

Developmental Defects of Caenorhabditis elegans Lacking Branched-chain α-Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Are Mainly Caused by Monomethyl Branched-chain Fatty Acid Deficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Fan; Cui, Mingxue; Than, Minh T; Han, Min

2016-02-05

Branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) catalyzes the critical step in the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolic pathway and has been the focus of extensive studies. Mutations in the complex disrupt many fundamental metabolic pathways and cause multiple human diseases including maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), autism, and other related neurological disorders. BCKDH may also be required for the synthesis of monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids (mmBCFAs) from BCAAs. The pathology of MSUD has been attributed mainly to BCAA accumulation, but the role of mmBCFA has not been evaluated. Here we show that disrupting BCKDH in Caenorhabditis elegans causes mmBCFA deficiency, in addition to BCAA accumulation. Worms with deficiency in BCKDH function manifest larval arrest and embryonic lethal phenotypes, and mmBCFA supplementation suppressed both without correcting BCAA levels. The majority of developmental defects caused by BCKDH deficiency may thus be attributed to lacking mmBCFAs in worms. Tissue-specific analysis shows that restoration of BCKDH function in multiple tissues can rescue the defects, but is especially effective in neurons. Taken together, we conclude that mmBCFA deficiency is largely responsible for the developmental defects in the worm and conceivably might also be a critical contributor to the pathology of human MSUD. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

HORIZONTAL BRANCH MORPHOLOGY OF GLOBULAR CLUSTERS: A MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jogesh Babu, G.; Chattopadhyay, Tanuka; Chattopadhyay, Asis Kumar; Mondal, Saptarshi

2009-01-01

The proper interpretation of horizontal branch (HB) morphology is crucial to the understanding of the formation history of stellar populations. In the present study a multivariate analysis is used (principal component analysis) for the selection of appropriate HB morphology parameter, which, in our case, is the logarithm of effective temperature extent of the HB (log T effHB ). Then this parameter is expressed in terms of the most significant observed independent parameters of Galactic globular clusters (GGCs) separately for coherent groups, obtained in a previous work, through a stepwise multiple regression technique. It is found that, metallicity ([Fe/H]), central surface brightness (μ v ), and core radius (r c ) are the significant parameters to explain most of the variations in HB morphology (multiple R 2 ∼ 0.86) for GGC elonging to the bulge/disk while metallicity ([Fe/H]) and absolute magnitude (M v ) are responsible for GGC belonging to the inner halo (multiple R 2 ∼ 0.52). The robustness is tested by taking 1000 bootstrap samples. A cluster analysis is performed for the red giant branch (RGB) stars of the GGC belonging to Galactic inner halo (Cluster 2). A multi-episodic star formation is preferred for RGB stars of GGC belonging to this group. It supports the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) model in three episodes instead of two as suggested by Carretta et al. for halo GGC while AGB model is suggested to be revisited for bulge/disk GGC.

Partial branch and bound algorithm for improved data association in multiframe processing

Science.gov (United States)

Poore, Aubrey B.; Yan, Xin

1999-07-01

A central problem in multitarget, multisensor, and multiplatform tracking remains that of data association. Lagrangian relaxation methods have shown themselves to yield near optimal answers in real-time. The necessary improvement in the quality of these solutions warrants a continuing interest in these methods. These problems are NP-hard; the only known methods for solving them optimally are enumerative in nature with branch-and-bound being most efficient. Thus, the development of methods less than a full branch-and-bound are needed for improving the quality. Such methods as K-best, local search, and randomized search have been proposed to improve the quality of the relaxation solution. Here, a partial branch-and-bound technique along with adequate branching and ordering rules are developed. Lagrangian relaxation is used as a branching method and as a method to calculate the lower bound for subproblems. The result shows that the branch-and-bound framework greatly improves the resolution quality of the Lagrangian relaxation algorithm and yields better multiple solutions in less time than relaxation alone.

Galactic Teamwork Makes Distant Bubbles

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-03-01

During the period of reionization that followed the dark ages of our universe, hydrogen was transformed from a neutral state, which is opaque to radiation, to an ionized one, which is transparent to radiation. But what generated the initial ionizing radiation? The recent discovery of multiple distant galaxies offers evidence for how this process occurred.Two Distant GalaxiesWe believe reionization occurred somewhere between a redshift of z = 6 and 7, because Ly-emitting galaxies drop out at roughly this redshift. Beyond this distance, were generally unable to see the light from these galaxies, because the universe is no longer transparent to their emission. This is not always the case, however: if a bubble of ionized gas exists around a distant galaxy, the radiation can escape, allowing us to see the galaxy.This is true of two recently-discovered Ly-emitting galaxies, confirmed to be at a redshift of z~7 and located near one another in a region known as the Bremer Deep Field. The fact that were able to see the radiation from these galaxies means that they are in an ionized HII region presumably one of the earlier regions to have become reionized in the universe.But on their own, neither of these galaxies is capable of generating an ionized bubble large enough for their light to escape. So what ionized the region around them, and what does this mean for our understanding of how reionization occurred in the universe?A Little Help From FriendsLocation in different filters of the objects in the Hubble Bremer Deep Field catalog. The z~7 selection region is outlined by the grey box. BDF-521 and BDF-3299 were the two originally discovered galaxies; the remaining red markers indicate the additional six galaxies discovered in the same region. [Castellano et al. 2016]A team of scientists led by Marco Castellano (Rome Observatory, INAF) investigated the possibility that there are other, faint galaxies near these two that have helped to ionize the region. Performing a survey

Branches of the Facial Artery.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Kun; Lee, Geun In; Park, Hye Jin

2015-06-01

The aim of this study is to review the name of the branches, to review the classification of the branching pattern, and to clarify a presence percentage of each branch of the facial artery, systematically. In a PubMed search, the search terms "facial," AND "artery," AND "classification OR variant OR pattern" were used. The IBM SPSS Statistics 20 system was used for statistical analysis. Among the 500 titles, 18 articles were selected and reviewed systematically. Most of the articles focused on "classification" according to the "terminal branch." Several authors classified the facial artery according to their terminal branches. Most of them, however, did not describe the definition of "terminal branch." There were confusions within the classifications. When the inferior labial artery was absent, 3 different types were used. The "alar branch" or "nasal branch" was used instead of the "lateral nasal branch." The angular branch was used to refer to several different branches. The presence as a percentage of each branch according to the branches in Gray's Anatomy (premasseteric, inferior labial, superior labial, lateral nasal, and angular) varied. No branch was used with 100% consistency. The superior labial branch was most frequently cited (95.7%, 382 arteries in 399 hemifaces). The angular branch (53.9%, 219 arteries in 406 hemifaces) and the premasseteric branch were least frequently cited (53.8%, 43 arteries in 80 hemifaces). There were significant differences among each of the 5 branches (P < 0.05) except between the angular branch and the premasseteric branch and between the superior labial branch and the inferior labial branch. The authors believe identifying the presence percentage of each branch will be helpful for surgical procedures.

Molecular Composition Analysis of Distant Targets

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose a system capable of probing the molecular composition of cold solar system targets such as asteroids, comets, planets and moons from a distant vantage....

Oxidative stress may be involved in distant organ failure in tourniquet shock model mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishikata, Rie; Kato, Naho; Hiraiwa, Kouichi

2014-03-01

Crush syndrome is characterized by prolonged shock resulting from extensive muscle damage and multiple organ failure. However, the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure has not yet been completely elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the molecular biological and histopathological aspects of distant organ injury in crush syndrome by using tourniquet shock model mice. DNA microarray analysis of the soleus muscle showed an increase in the mRNA levels of Cox-2, Hsp70, c-fos, and IL-6, at 3h after ischemia/reperfusion injury at the lower extremity. In vivo staining with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) showed edema and degeneration in the soleus muscle, but no change in the distant organs. Immunohistological staining of the HSP70 protein revealed nuclear translocation in the soleus muscle, kidney, liver, and lung. The c-fos mRNA levels were elevated in the soleus muscle, kidney, and liver, displaying nuclear translocation of c-FOS protein. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) analysis suggested the involvement of apoptosis in ischemia/reperfusion injury in the soleus muscle. Apoptotic cells were not found in greater quantities in the kidney. Oxidative stress, as determined using a free radical elective evaluator (d-ROM test), markedly increased after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Therefore, examination of immunohistological changes and determination of oxidative stress are proposed to be useful in evaluating the extent of tourniquet shock, even before changes are observed by HE staining. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Alteration of textilfibres by explosion gases expelled distant from the muzzle (author's transl)].

Science.gov (United States)

Bonte, W; Kijewski, H

1976-03-24

This paper presents the reconstruction of an unusual case of suicide. After raiding a branch-bank a robber fled shooting with his Sauer-Western revolver caliber .44 magnum at the pursuing policemen and succeeded in wrestling a pistol Walther caliber 7,65 mm from them. Under the fire of sub-machine guns he destroyed himself by a shot to the neck. Our investigations concerned a textile damage at the front of the sweater of the deceased surrounded by primer residue, showing characteristics of a close-up shot. The damage was identified as effect of explosion gases exhausting far-off the muzzle. The distance between this injury and the bullet hole corresponded with the length of the barrel of the Sauer-Western revolver and could be used for identification; it confirmed the diagnosis of a close-up shot at the neck, too. Collateral experiments with shots from distant ranges developed spadiceous melt figures of textile fibers around the bullet hole, the appearance of which is considered proof for a close-up shot commonly.

Social and Economic Analysis Branch: integrating policy, social, economic, and natural science

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Rudy; Walters, Katie D.

2015-01-01

The Fort Collins Science Center's Social and Economic Analysis Branch provides unique capabilities in the U.S. Geological Survey by leading projects that integrate social, behavioral, economic, and natural science in the context of human–natural resource interactions. Our research provides scientific understanding and support for the management and conservation of our natural resources in support of multiple agency missions. We focus on meeting the scientific needs of the Department of the Interior natural resource management bureaus in addition to fostering partnerships with other Federal and State managers to protect, restore, and enhance our environment. The Social and Economic Analysis Branch has an interdisciplinary group of scientists whose primary functions are to conduct both theoretical and applied social science research, provide technical assistance, and offer training to support the development of skills in natural resource management activities. Management and research issues associated with human-resource interactions typically occur in a unique context and require knowledge of both natural and social sciences, along with the skill to integrate multiple science disciplines. In response to these challenging contexts, Social and Economic Analysis Branch researchers apply a wide variety of social science concepts and methods which complement our rangeland/agricultural, wildlife, ecology, and biology capabilities. The goal of the Social and Economic Analysis Branch's research is to enhance natural-resource management, agency functions, policies, and decisionmaking.

Double streams of protons in the distant geomagnetic tail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villante, U.; Lazarus, A.J.

1975-01-01

Two intermingled streams of protons have been observed in the distant geomagnetic tail. The number densities of the two streams are comparable, and their velocity difference tends to lie along the field direction. The lower-velocity stream is probably composed of magnetosheath protons which have diffused through the boundary of the distant tail. The higher-velocity stream appears to originate in the field reversal region

Double streams of protons in the distant geomagnetic tail

Science.gov (United States)

Villante, U.; Lazarus, A. J.

1975-01-01

Two intermingled streams of protons have been observed in the distant geomagnetic tail. The number densities of the two streams are comparable, and their velocity difference tends to lie along the field direction. The lower-velocity stream is probably composed of magnetosheath protons which have diffused through the boundary of the distant tail. The higher-velocity stream appears to originate in the field reversal region.

Optical appearance of distant galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pritchet, C.; Kline, M.I.

1981-01-01

We have used the recent evolutionary and K-corrections of Bruzual and Kron to predict the optical appearance of galaxies spanning a wide range of magnitudes and redshifts. It is found that nearly all galaxies with J< or approx. =25 are resolved in 1-arcsec seeing. At fixed apparent magnitude, galaxies with large redshifts are more diffuse in appearance than those at small z. This fact causes the most distant galaxies at any magnitude level to be missed, and, depending on the measurement algorithm employed, may cause the luminosities of detected galaxies to be seriously underestimated. Both of these effects deserve consideration when attempting to interpret number counts of faint galaxies. Observations made with the Space Telescope are expected to resolve nearly all galaxies at J< or approx. =27.5; however, several factors conspire to render Space Telescope observations less effective than certain ground-based CCD observations for the optical detection of distant galaxies. Finally, we note that most of our conclusions are unaffected by changes in the assumed cosmology

Stalking the fourth domain in metagenomic data: searching for, discovering, and interpreting novel, deep branches in marker gene phylogenetic trees.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongying Wu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Most of our knowledge about the ancient evolutionary history of organisms has been derived from data associated with specific known organisms (i.e., organisms that we can study directly such as plants, metazoans, and culturable microbes. Recently, however, a new source of data for such studies has arrived: DNA sequence data generated directly from environmental samples. Such metagenomic data has enormous potential in a variety of areas including, as we argue here, in studies of very early events in the evolution of gene families and of species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We designed and implemented new methods for analyzing metagenomic data and used them to search the Global Ocean Sampling (GOS expedition data set for novel lineages in three gene families commonly used in phylogenetic studies of known and unknown organisms: small subunit rRNA and the recA and rpoB superfamilies. Though the methods available could not accurately identify very deeply branched ss-rRNAs (largely due to difficulties in making robust sequence alignments for novel rRNA fragments, our analysis revealed the existence of multiple novel branches in the recA and rpoB gene families. Analysis of available sequence data likely from the same genomes as these novel recA and rpoB homologs was then used to further characterize the possible organismal source of the novel sequences. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Of the novel recA and rpoB homologs identified in the metagenomic data, some likely come from uncharacterized viruses while others may represent ancient paralogs not yet seen in any cultured organism. A third possibility is that some come from novel cellular lineages that are only distantly related to any organisms for which sequence data is currently available. If there exist any major, but so-far-undiscovered, deeply branching lineages in the tree of life, we suggest that methods such as those described herein currently offer the best way to search for them.

The use of electron beams as probes of the distant magnetosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winckler, J.R.

1982-01-01

This chapter reports on experiments in which electron beams have been injected into the magnetosphere in order to diagnose plasma processes at a great distance by measurements made in the ionosphere. Topics considered include the beam injecting rocket system in the ionosphere; beam detection and analysis; echo detection by particle counters; echo analysis; the structure of echoes; the atmosphere as a detector; radio and radar methods; perturbation of the distant magnetosphere by beam injection; changes in the injected beam in the near-rocket region; some observations of the distant magnetosphere by beams; the comparison of distant and local electric fields; electron diffusion; the distant magnetic field; and future possibilities. Conjugate locations, field line lengths, electric and magnetic drifts, field fluctuations, and electron scattering and diffusion are analyzed. Echo detection by particle counters on some of the ECHO rocket series is discussed in detail

Chemoembolization Via Branches from the Splenic Artery in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jin Woo; Kim, Hyo-Cheol; Chung, Jin Wook; Kim, Ji Dae; Kim, Gyoung Min; Lee, In Joon; Jae, Hwan Jun; Park, Jae Hyung

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the radiologic findings and imaging response of chemoembolization via branches of the splenic artery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: From January 2001 to July 2010, we observed tumor staining supplied by branches of the splenic artery in 34 (0.6%) of 5,413 patients with HCC. Computed tomography (CT) scans and digital subtraction angiograms of these patients were retrospectively reviewed in consensus by two investigators. Results: A total of 39 tumor feeding-vessels in 34 patients were identified: omental branches from the left gastroepiploic artery (n = 5), branches from the short gastric artery (n = 9), and omental branches directly from the splenic artery (n = 25). Branches of the splenic artery that supplied tumors were revealed on the celiac angiogram in 29 (85%) of 34 patients and were detected on pre-procedure CT images in 27 (79%) of 34 patients. Selective chemoembolization was achieved in 38 of 39 tumor-feeding vessels. Complete or partial response of the tumor fed by branches of the splenic artery, as depicted on follow-up CT scans, was achieved in 21 (62%) patients. No patient developed severe complications directly related to chemoembolization via branches of the splenic artery. Conclusions: Omental branches directly from the splenic artery are common tumor-feeding vessels of the splenic artery in cases of advanced HCC with multiple previous chemoembolizations. Tumor-feeding vessels of the splenic artery are usually visualized on the celiac angiogram or CT scan, and chemoembolization through them can be safely performed in most patients.

Entanglement branching operator

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Kenji

2018-01-01

We introduce an entanglement branching operator to split a composite entanglement flow in a tensor network which is a promising theoretical tool for many-body systems. We can optimize an entanglement branching operator by solving a minimization problem based on squeezing operators. The entanglement branching is a new useful operation to manipulate a tensor network. For example, finding a particular entanglement structure by an entanglement branching operator, we can improve a higher-order tensor renormalization group method to catch a proper renormalization flow in a tensor network space. This new method yields a new type of tensor network states. The second example is a many-body decomposition of a tensor by using an entanglement branching operator. We can use it for a perfect disentangling among tensors. Applying a many-body decomposition recursively, we conceptually derive projected entangled pair states from quantum states that satisfy the area law of entanglement entropy.

Synthesis and characterization of branched fcc/hcp ruthenium nanostructures and their catalytic activity in ammonia borane hydrolysis

KAUST Repository

AlYami, Noktan

2018-01-30

Several systems have shown the ability to stabilize uncommon crystal structures during the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. By tailoring the nanoparticle crystal structure, the physical and chemical properties of the particles can also be controlled. Herein, we first synthesized branched nanoparticles of mixed hcp/fcc ruthenium, which were formed using tungsten carbonyl [W(CO)6] as both a reducing agent and a source of carbon monoxide. The branched particles were formed from multiple particulates off a central core. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) clearly showed that the branched structures consisted of aligned hcp crystal domains, a mixture of fcc and hcp crystal domains with several defects and misalignments, and particles that contained multiple cores and branches. Branched particles were also formed with molybdenum carbonyl [Mo(CO)6], and faceted particles of hcp and fcc particles were formed with Re2(CO)10 as a carbon monoxide source. Without metal carbonyls, small particles of spherical hcp ruthenium were produced, and their size could be controlled by the selection of the precursor. The ruthenium nanoparticles were tested for ammonia borane hydrolysis; the branched nanoparticles were more reactive for catalytic hydrogen evolution than the faceted hcp/fcc nanoparticles or the spherical hcp nanoparticles. This work showcases the potential of crystal phase engineering of transition metal nanoparticles by different carbon monoxide precursors for tailoring their catalytic reactivity.

Large branched self-assembled DNA complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosch, Paul; Waelti, Christoph; Middelberg, Anton P J; Davies, A Giles

2007-01-01

Many biological molecules have been demonstrated to self-assemble into complex structures and networks by using their very efficient and selective molecular recognition processes. The use of biological molecules as scaffolds for the construction of functional devices by self-assembling nanoscale complexes onto the scaffolds has recently attracted significant attention and many different applications in this field have emerged. In particular DNA, owing to its inherent sophisticated self-organization and molecular recognition properties, has served widely as a scaffold for various nanotechnological self-assembly applications, with metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles, proteins, macromolecular complexes, inter alia, being assembled onto designed DNA scaffolds. Such scaffolds may typically contain multiple branch-points and comprise a number of DNA molecules selfassembled into the desired configuration. Previously, several studies have used synthetic methods to produce the constituent DNA of the scaffolds, but this typically constrains the size of the complexes. For applications that require larger self-assembling DNA complexes, several tens of nanometers or more, other techniques need to be employed. In this article, we discuss a generic technique to generate large branched DNA macromolecular complexes

Photo-acoustic and video-acoustic methods for sensing distant sound sources

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Dan; Kozacik, Stephen; Kelmelis, Eric

2017-05-01

Long range telescopic video imagery of distant terrestrial scenes, aircraft, rockets and other aerospace vehicles can be a powerful observational tool. But what about the associated acoustic activity? A new technology, Remote Acoustic Sensing (RAS), may provide a method to remotely listen to the acoustic activity near these distant objects. Local acoustic activity sometimes weakly modulates the ambient illumination in a way that can be remotely sensed. RAS is a new type of microphone that separates an acoustic transducer into two spatially separated components: 1) a naturally formed in situ acousto-optic modulator (AOM) located within the distant scene and 2) a remote sensing readout device that recovers the distant audio. These two elements are passively coupled over long distances at the speed of light by naturally occurring ambient light energy or other electromagnetic fields. Stereophonic, multichannel and acoustic beam forming are all possible using RAS techniques and when combined with high-definition video imagery it can help to provide a more cinema like immersive viewing experience. A practical implementation of a remote acousto-optic readout device can be a challenging engineering problem. The acoustic influence on the optical signal is generally weak and often with a strong bias term. The optical signal is further degraded by atmospheric seeing turbulence. In this paper, we consider two fundamentally different optical readout approaches: 1) a low pixel count photodiode based RAS photoreceiver and 2) audio extraction directly from a video stream. Most of our RAS experiments to date have used the first method for reasons of performance and simplicity. But there are potential advantages to extracting audio directly from a video stream. These advantages include the straight forward ability to work with multiple AOMs (useful for acoustic beam forming), simpler optical configurations, and a potential ability to use certain preexisting video recordings. However

Detection of cancer before distant metastasis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coumans, F.A.W.; Siesling, Sabine; Terstappen, Leonardus Wendelinus Mathias Marie

2013-01-01

Background To establish a distant metastasis (DM) cells must disseminate from the primary tumor and overcome a series of obstacles, the metastatic cascade. In this study we develop a mathematical model for this cascade to estimate the tumor size and the circulating tumor cell (CTC) load before the

Detection of cancer before distant metastasis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coumans, Frank A. W.; Siesling, Sabine; Terstappen, Leon W. M. M.

2013-01-01

Background: To establish a distant metastasis (DM) cells must disseminate from the primary tumor and overcome a series of obstacles, the metastatic cascade. In this study we develop a mathematical model for this cascade to estimate the tumor size and the circulating tumor cell (CTC) load before the

Distant Supervision for Relation Extraction with Ranking-Based Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Xiang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Relation extraction has benefited from distant supervision in recent years with the development of natural language processing techniques and data explosion. However, distant supervision is still greatly limited by the quality of training data, due to its natural motivation for greatly reducing the heavy cost of data annotation. In this paper, we construct an architecture called MIML-sort (Multi-instance Multi-label Learning with Sorting Strategies, which is built on the famous MIML framework. Based on MIML-sort, we propose three ranking-based methods for sample selection with which we identify relation extractors from a subset of the training data. Experiments are set up on the KBP (Knowledge Base Propagation corpus, one of the benchmark datasets for distant supervision, which is large and noisy. Compared with previous work, the proposed methods produce considerably better results. Furthermore, the three methods together achieve the best F1 on the official testing set, with an optimal enhancement of F1 from 27.3% to 29.98%.

Protoplanetary disc response to distant tidal encounters in stellar clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, A. J.; Clarke, C. J.; Rosotti, G.; Booth, R. A.

2018-04-01

The majority of stars form in a clustered environment. This has an impact on the evolution of surrounding protoplanetary discs (PPDs) due to either photoevaporation or tidal truncation. Consequently, the development of planets depends on formation environment. Here, we present the first thorough investigation of tidally induced angular momentum loss in PPDs in the distant regime, partly motivated by claims in the literature for the importance of distant encounters in disc evolution. We employ both theoretical predictions and dynamical/hydrodynamical simulations in 2D and 3D. Our theoretical analysis is based on that of Ostriker (1994) and leads us to conclude that in the limit that the closest approach distance xmin ≫ r, the radius of a particle ring, the fractional change in angular momentum scales as (xmin/r)-5. This asymptotic limit ensures that the cumulative effect of distant encounters is minor in terms of its influence on disc evolution. The angular momentum transfer is dominated by the m = 2 Lindblad resonance for closer encounters and by the m = 1, ω = 0 Lindblad resonance at large xmin/r. We contextualize these results by comparing expected angular momentum loss for the outer edge of a PPD due to distant and close encounters. Contrary to the suggestions of previous works, we do not find that distant encounters contribute significantly to angular momentum loss in PPDs. We define an upper limit for closest approach distance where interactions are significant as a function of arbitrary host to perturber mass ratio M2/M1.

Non-Chemical Distant Cellular Interactions as a potential confounder of Cell Biology Experiments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashkan eFarhadi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Distant cells can communicate with each other through a variety of methods. Two such methods involve electrical and/or chemical mechanisms. Non-chemical, distant cellular interactions may be another method of communication that cells can use to modify the behavior of other cells that are mechanically separated. Moreover, non-chemical, distant cellular interactions may explain some cases of confounding effects in Cell Biology experiments. In this article, we review non-chemical, distant cellular interactions studies to try to shed light on the mechanisms in this highly unconventional field of cell biology. Despite the existence of several theories that try to explain the mechanism of non-chemical, distant cellular interactions, this phenomenon is still speculative. Among candidate mechanisms, electromagnetic waves appear to have the most experimental support. In this brief article, we try to answer a few key questions that may further clarify this mechanism.

Potential Physiologies of Deep Branches on the Tree of Life with Deep Subsurface Samples from IODP Leg 347: Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, K. G.; Bird, J. T.; Shumaker, A.

2014-12-01

Very little is known about how evolutionary branches that are distantly related to cultured microorganisms make a living in the deep subsurface marine environment. Here, sediments are cut-off from surface inputs of organic substrates for tens of thousands of years; yet somehow support a diverse population of microorganisms. We examined the potential metabolic and ecological roles of uncultured archaea and bacteria in IODP Leg 347: Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment samples, using quantitative PCR holes 60B, 63E, 65C, and 59C and single cell genomic analysis for hole 60B. We quantified changes in total archaea and bacteria, as well as deeply-branching archaeal taxa with depth. These sediment cores alternate between high and low salinities, following a glacial cycle. This allows changes in the quantities of these groups to be placed in the context of potentially vastly different organic matter sources. In addition, single cells were isolated, and their genomes were amplified and sequenced to allow a deeper look into potential physiologies of uncultured deeply-branching organisms found up to 86 meters deep in marine sediments. Together, these data provide deeper insight into the relationship between microorganisms and their organic matter substrates in this extreme environments.

Soft hadronic production by ECCO in the geometrical branching model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, J.; Hwa, R.C.

1993-01-01

Soft production of hadrons in hadronic collisions is described in the geometrical branching model and implemented by the eikonal cascade code (ECCO). It is shown that the major global features of multiparticle production can be reproduced by one essential characterization of the dynamics of branching, namely, a scaling law for the mass distribution of daughter clusters. Without further adjustment of any parameters, the event generator can produce local features of multiplicity fluctuations in agreement with the NA22 intermittency data. The scaling exponent ν is determined to be 1.522 at √s =22 GeV, independent of the dimensionality of the intermittency analysis. It is shown that ν is approximately independent of the collision energy

Neuro-Oncology Branch

Science.gov (United States)

... BTTC are experts in their respective fields. Neuro-Oncology Clinical Fellowship This is a joint program with ... can increase survival rates. Learn more... The Neuro-Oncology Branch welcomes Dr. Mark Gilbert as new Branch ...

Arming and firing system for DISTANT RUNNER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skenandore, L.H.; Johnson, J.P.

1982-01-01

Sandia A and F systems Division 1132 provided arming and firing support for the DISTANT RUNNER Test Program at White Sands Missile Range. This report describes the field support and the firing system that was used

BranchAnalysis2D/3D automates morphometry analyses of branching structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Aditya; Muñoz-Estrada, Jesús; Bourgeois, Justin R; Nalwalk, Julia W; Pumiglia, Kevin M; Sheen, Volney L; Ferland, Russell J

2018-01-15

Morphometric analyses of biological features have become increasingly common in recent years with such analyses being subject to a large degree of observer bias, variability, and time consumption. While commercial software packages exist to perform these analyses, they are expensive, require extensive user training, and are usually dependent on the observer tracing the morphology. To address these issues, we have developed a broadly applicable, no-cost ImageJ plugin we call 'BranchAnalysis2D/3D', to perform morphometric analyses of structures with branching morphologies, such as neuronal dendritic spines, vascular morphology, and primary cilia. Our BranchAnalysis2D/3D algorithm allows for rapid quantification of the length and thickness of branching morphologies, independent of user tracing, in both 2D and 3D data sets. We validated the performance of BranchAnalysis2D/3D against pre-existing software packages using trained human observers and images from brain and retina. We found that the BranchAnalysis2D/3D algorithm outputs results similar to available software (i.e., Metamorph, AngioTool, Neurolucida), while allowing faster analysis times and unbiased quantification. BranchAnalysis2D/3D allows inexperienced observers to output results like a trained observer but more efficiently, thereby increasing the consistency, speed, and reliability of morphometric analyses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bundle Branch Block

Science.gov (United States)

... known cause. Causes can include: Left bundle branch block Heart attacks (myocardial infarction) Thickened, stiffened or weakened ... myocarditis) High blood pressure (hypertension) Right bundle branch block A heart abnormality that's present at birth (congenital) — ...

Risk factors of distant metastasis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix treated with postoperative irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokoyama, Takashi; Beppu, Michiko; Kawakami, Yousuke; Nogawa, Takayoshi; Chiba, Take; Hiura, Masamichi

2000-01-01

This paper reports the results of a study of risk factors for recurrence in non-irradiated sites in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix who received postoperative irradiation. It also discusses clinical experience with such patients, particularly those with a poor prognosis, based on a review of the literature. The study was conducted at the National Shikoku Cancer Center in 62 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (mean age=50.5, range=30-66) who received 10 MeV postoperative irradiation with a Linac between 1981 and 1990. An analysis was performed in terms of sites and times of recurrence, risk factors for distant metastasis, and groups at high risk for distant metastasis. Based on the results of the study as well as the review of the literature, it was concluded that squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is sensitive to radiation therapy and that the clinical outcome of local treatment is satisfactory. However, systemic chemotherapy should be considered for patients who are suspected of having minute distant metastasis at the time of surgical operation, i.e., those with moderate to severe vascular space invasion, multiple lymph node metastasis, parametrium infiltration, and/or endometrial infiltration. (K.H.)

The CfA-Rosat Survey of Distant Clusters of Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

McNamara, Brian

1998-01-01

We (Vikhlinin, McNamara, Forman, Jones, Hornstrup, Quintana) have completed a new survey of distant clusters of galaxies, which we use to to study cluster evolution over cosmological timescales. The clusters were identified as extended X-ray sources in 650 ROSAT PSPC images of high Galactic latitude fields. Our catalog of approximately 230 extended X-ray sources covers 160 square degrees on the sky. Ours is the largest of the several ROSAT serendipitous cluster surveys in progress (e.g. SHARC, Rosati, WARPS etc.). Using V,R,I imagery obtained at several observatories, we find that greater than 90% of the X-ray sources are associated with distant clusters of galaxies. We have obtained spectroscopic redshifts for nearly 80 clusters in our catalog, and we have measured photometric redshifts for the remaining clusters. Our sample contains more than 20 clusters at z > 0.5. I will discuss the logN-logS relationship for our clusters. Because our large survey area, we are able to confirm the evolution of the most luminous distant clusters first seen in the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey. In addition, I will discuss the relationships between optical richness, core radius, and X-ray luminosity for distant, X-ray-selected clusters.

Poisson branching point processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, K.; Teich, M.C.; Saleh, B.E.A.

1984-01-01

We investigate the statistical properties of a special branching point process. The initial process is assumed to be a homogeneous Poisson point process (HPP). The initiating events at each branching stage are carried forward to the following stage. In addition, each initiating event independently contributes a nonstationary Poisson point process (whose rate is a specified function) located at that point. The additional contributions from all points of a given stage constitute a doubly stochastic Poisson point process (DSPP) whose rate is a filtered version of the initiating point process at that stage. The process studied is a generalization of a Poisson branching process in which random time delays are permitted in the generation of events. Particular attention is given to the limit in which the number of branching stages is infinite while the average number of added events per event of the previous stage is infinitesimal. In the special case when the branching is instantaneous this limit of continuous branching corresponds to the well-known Yule--Furry process with an initial Poisson population. The Poisson branching point process provides a useful description for many problems in various scientific disciplines, such as the behavior of electron multipliers, neutron chain reactions, and cosmic ray showers

Association mapping in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) reveals independent control of apical vs. basal branching.

Science.gov (United States)

Nambeesan, Savithri U; Mandel, Jennifer R; Bowers, John E; Marek, Laura F; Ebert, Daniel; Corbi, Jonathan; Rieseberg, Loren H; Knapp, Steven J; Burke, John M

2015-03-11

Shoot branching is an important determinant of plant architecture and influences various aspects of growth and development. Selection on branching has also played an important role in the domestication of crop plants, including sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Here, we describe an investigation of the genetic basis of variation in branching in sunflower via association mapping in a diverse collection of cultivated sunflower lines. Detailed phenotypic analyses revealed extensive variation in the extent and type of branching within the focal population. After correcting for population structure and kinship, association analyses were performed using a genome-wide collection of SNPs to identify genomic regions that influence a variety of branching-related traits. This work resulted in the identification of multiple previously unidentified genomic regions that contribute to variation in branching. Genomic regions that were associated with apical and mid-apical branching were generally distinct from those associated with basal and mid-basal branching. Homologs of known branching genes from other study systems (i.e., Arabidopsis, rice, pea, and petunia) were also identified from the draft assembly of the sunflower genome and their map positions were compared to those of associations identified herein. Numerous candidate branching genes were found to map in close proximity to significant branching associations. In sunflower, variation in branching is genetically complex and overall branching patterns (i.e., apical vs. basal) were found to be influenced by distinct genomic regions. Moreover, numerous candidate branching genes mapped in close proximity to significant branching associations. Although the sunflower genome exhibits localized islands of elevated linkage disequilibrium (LD), these non-random associations are known to decay rapidly elsewhere. The subset of candidate genes that co-localized with significant associations in regions of low LD represents the most

Branches of the landscape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dine, Michael; O'Neil, Deva; Sun Zheng

2005-01-01

With respect to the question of supersymmetry breaking, there are three branches of the flux landscape. On one of these, if one requires small cosmological constant, supersymmetry breaking is predominantly at the fundamental scale; on another, the distribution is roughly flat on a logarithmic scale; on the third, the preponderance of vacua are at very low scale. A priori, as we will explain, one can say little about the first branch. The vast majority of these states are not accessible even to crude, approximate analysis. On the other two branches one can hope to do better. But as a result of the lack of access to branch one, and our poor understanding of cosmology, we can at best conjecture about whether string theory predicts low energy supersymmetry or not. If we hypothesize that are on branch two or three, distinctive predictions may be possible. We comment of the status of naturalness within the landscape, deriving, for example, the statistics of the first branch from simple effective field theory reasoning

Distant Site Effects of Ingested Prebiotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Stephanie; Reid, Gregor

2016-08-26

The gut microbiome is being more widely recognized for its association with positive health outcomes, including those distant to the gastrointestinal system. This has given the ability to maintain and restore microbial homeostasis a new significance. Prebiotic compounds are appealing for this purpose as they are generally food-grade substances only degraded by microbes, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, from which beneficial short-chain fatty acids are produced. Saccharides such as inulin and other fructo-oligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and polydextrose have been widely used to improve gastrointestinal outcomes, but they appear to also influence distant sites. This review examined the effects of prebiotics on bone strength, neural and cognitive processes, immune functioning, skin, and serum lipid profile. The mode of action is in part affected by intestinal permeability and by fermentation products reaching target cells. As the types of prebiotics available diversify, so too will our understanding of the range of microbes able to degrade them, and the extent to which body sites can be impacted by their consumption.

Optimizing transmission from distant wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pattanariyankool, Sompop; Lave, Lester B.

2010-01-01

We explore the optimal size of the transmission line from distant wind farms, modeling the tradeoff between transmission cost and benefit from delivered wind power. We also examine the benefit of connecting a second wind farm, requiring additional transmission, in order to increase output smoothness. Since a wind farm has a low capacity factor, the transmission line would not be heavily loaded, on average; depending on the time profile of generation, for wind farms with capacity factor of 29-34%, profit is maximized for a line that is about 3/4 of the nameplate capacity of the wind farm. Although wind generation is inexpensive at a good site, transmitting wind power over 1600 km (about the distance from Wyoming to Los Angeles) doubles the delivered cost of power. As the price for power rises, the optimal capacity of transmission increases. Connecting wind farms lowers delivered cost when the wind farms are close, despite the high correlation of output over time. Imposing a penalty for failing to deliver minimum contracted supply leads to connecting more distant wind farms.

Distant Site Effects of Ingested Prebiotics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Collins

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The gut microbiome is being more widely recognized for its association with positive health outcomes, including those distant to the gastrointestinal system. This has given the ability to maintain and restore microbial homeostasis a new significance. Prebiotic compounds are appealing for this purpose as they are generally food-grade substances only degraded by microbes, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, from which beneficial short-chain fatty acids are produced. Saccharides such as inulin and other fructo-oligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and polydextrose have been widely used to improve gastrointestinal outcomes, but they appear to also influence distant sites. This review examined the effects of prebiotics on bone strength, neural and cognitive processes, immune functioning, skin, and serum lipid profile. The mode of action is in part affected by intestinal permeability and by fermentation products reaching target cells. As the types of prebiotics available diversify, so too will our understanding of the range of microbes able to degrade them, and the extent to which body sites can be impacted by their consumption.

Module for the organization of a branch of the universal branch driver in the CAMAC standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguen Fuk; Smirnov, V.A.; Khmelevski, E.

1976-01-01

A module is elaborated for the organization of a branch of the universal branch driver in the CAMAC standard for the conjugation of a control crate trunk with a branch trunk. A block diagram of the module is described; its principal specifications are given. The universal branch driver system may accomodate up to 10 branch organization modules with one control source module

Distant metastases in differentiated thyroid carcinoma: diagnosis and treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, A.; Cross, G.; Pitoia, F.

2017-01-01

Distant metastases occur in less than 10% of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. In these patients, overall survival at 10 years is considerably reduced. Whereas cure is the initial goal of treatment, stabilisation of the disease and management of symptoms have become the primary objective in many patients with persistent radio-iodine refractory progressive disease. In the last decade, several targeted therapies have shown encouraging results in patients with advanced disease. The objective of this review is to describe the characteristics, diagnosis, overall survival, and the local and systemic available treatments for patients with distant metastases from differentiated thyroid cancer. (authors) [es

A search for X-ray bright distant clusters of galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Nichol, R. C.; Ulmer, M. P.; Kron, R. G.; Wirth, G. D.; Koo, D. C.

1994-01-01

We present the results of a search for X-ray luminous distant clusters of galaxies. We found extended X-ray emission characteristic of a cluster toward two of our candidate clusters of galaxies. They both have a luminosity in the ROSAT bandpass of approximately equals 10(exp 44) ergs/s and a redshift greater than 0.5; thus making them two of the most distant X-ray clusters ever observed. Furthermore, we show that both clusters are optically rich and have a known radio source associated with them. We compare our result with other recent searches for distant X-ray luminous clusters and present a lower limit of 1.2 x 10(exp -7)/cu Mpc for the number density of such high-redshift clusters. This limit is consistent with the expected abundance of such clusters in a standard (b = 2) cold dark matter universe. Finally, our clusters provide important high-redshift targets for further study into the origin and evolution of massive clusters of galaxies.

Variant Branching Pattern of Dorsalis Pedis Artery Accompanied with Anomalous Presence of Extensor Hallucis Brevis Muscle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashwini Aithal Padur

2017-10-01

Full Text Available During routine dissection, we came across multiple variations in the dorsum of the right foot. Dorsalis pedis artery (DPA presented with an unusual branching pattern. The arcuate artery was completely absent, and hence three tarsal branches arose from lateral side of DPA. The first branch continued as first dorsal metatarsal artery, the second branch continued as the second dorsal metatarsal artery, and the third branch continued as third dorsal metatarsal artery which also provided a small twig to the fourth intermetatarsal space as the fourth dorsal metatarsal artery. We also observed the unique presence of extensor hallucis brevis muscle with the origin from the medial part of superior surface of the calcaneus and inserted to proximal phalanx of great toe. Since the DPA was just beneath this muscle, anomalous presence of the muscle may lead to compression of DPA. Awareness regarding such variations is critical for angiographers, vascular surgeons, reconstructive and plastic surgeons.

Pattern of distant recurrence according to the molecular subtypes in Korean women with breast cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Park Hyung Seok

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Distant recurrence is one of the most important risk factors in overall survival, and distant recurrence is related to a complex biologic interaction of seed and soil factors. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the molecular subtypes and patterns of distant recurrence in patients with breast cancer. Methods In an investigation of 313 women with breast cancer who underwent surgery from 1994 and 2000, the expressions of estrogen and progestrone receptor (ER/PR, and human epithelial receptor-2 (HER2 were evaluated. The subtypes were defined as luminal-A, luminal-HER2, HER2-enriched, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC according to ER, PR, and HER2 status. Results Bone was the most common site of distant recurrence. The incidence of first distant recurrence site was significantly different among the subtypes. Brain metastasis was more frequent in the luminal-HER2 and TNBC subtypes. In subgroup analysis, overall survival in patients with distant recurrence after 24 months after surgery was significantly different among the subtypes. Conclusions Organ-specific metastasis may depend on the molecular subtype of breast cancer. Tailored strategies against distant metastasis concerning the molecular subtypes in breast cancer may be considered.

Dynamics of target recognition by interstitial axon branching along developing cortical axons.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastmeyer, M; O'Leary, D D

1996-02-15

Corticospinal axons innervate their midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal targets by extending collateral branches interstitially along their length. To establish that the axon shaft rather than the axonal growth cone is responsible for target recognition in this system, and to characterize the dynamics of interstitial branch formation, we have studied this process in an in vivo-like setting using slice cultures from neonatal mice containing the entire pathway of corticospinal axons. Corticospinal axons labeled with the dye 1,1'-dioctodecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (or Dil) were imaged using time-lapse video microscopy of their pathway overlying the basilar pons, their major hindbrain target. The axon shaft millimeters behind the growth cone exhibits several dynamic behaviors, including the de novo formation of varicosities and filopodia-like extensions, and a behavior that we term "pulsation," which is characterized by a variable thickening and thining of short segments of the axon. An individual axon can have multiple sites of branching activity, with many of the branches being transient. These dynamic behaviors occur along the portion of the axon shaft overlying the basilar pons, but not just caudal to it. Once the collaterals extend into the pontine neuropil, they branch further in the neuropil, while the parent axon becomes quiescent. Thus, the branching activity is spatially restricted to specific portions of the axon, as well as temporally restricted to a relatively brief time window. These findings provide definitive evidence that collateral branches form de novo along corticospinal axons and establish that the process of target recognition in this system is a property of the axon shaft rather than the leading growth cone.

Beyond KNO multiplicative cascades and novel multiplicity scaling laws

CERN Document Server

Hegyi, S

1999-01-01

The collapse of multiplicity distributions P/sub n/ onto a universal scaling curve arises when P/sub n/ is expressed as a function of the standardized multiplicity (n-c)/ lambda with c and lambda being location and scale parameters governed by leading particle effects and the growth of average multiplicity. It is demonstrated that self- similar multiplicative cascade processes such as QCD parton branching naturally lead to a novel type of scaling behavior of P/sub n/ which manifests itself in Mellin space through a location change controlled by the degree of multifractality and a scale change governed by the depth of the cascade. Applying the new scaling rule it is shown how to restore data collapsing behavior of P/sub n/ measured in hh collisions at ISR and SPS energies. (21 refs).

Quiver Varieties and Branching

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Hiraku Nakajima

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Braverman and Finkelberg recently proposed the geometric Satake correspondence for the affine Kac-Moody group Gaff [Braverman A., Finkelberg M., arXiv:0711.2083]. They conjecture that intersection cohomology sheaves on the Uhlenbeck compactification of the framed moduli space of Gcpt-instantons on $R^4/Z_r$ correspond to weight spaces of representations of the Langlands dual group $G_{aff}^{vee}$ at level $r$. When $G = SL(l$, the Uhlenbeck compactification is the quiver variety of type $sl(r_{aff}$, and their conjecture follows from the author's earlier result and I. Frenkel's level-rank duality. They further introduce a convolution diagram which conjecturally gives the tensor product multiplicity [Braverman A., Finkelberg M., Private communication, 2008]. In this paper, we develop the theory for the branching in quiver varieties and check this conjecture for $G = SL(l$.

[Croatian Medical Association--Branch Zagreb].

Science.gov (United States)

Kaić, Zvonimir; Sain, Snjezana; Gulić, Mirjana; Mahovlić, Vjekoslav; Krznarić, Zeljko

2014-01-01

The available literature shows us that "Druztvo ljeciteljah u Zagrebus (the Society of Healers in Zagreb) was founded as far back as the year 1845 by a total of thirteen members. This data allows us to follow the role of doctors and health workers in Zagreb through their everyday profession, research, organizational and social work as well as management through a period of over one hundred to seventy years. The Branch Zagreb was active before the official establishment of subsidiaries of CMA which is evident from the minutes of the regular annual assembly of the Croatian Medical Association on 21 March 1948. Until the end of 1956, there was no clear division of labor, functions and competencies between the Branch and the Main Board. Their actions were instead consolidated and the Branch operated within and under the name of Croatian Medical Association. In that year the Branch became independent. The Branch Zagreb is the largest and one of the most active branches of the Croatian Medical Association. At the moment, the Branch brings together 3621 members, regular members--doctors of medicine (2497), doctors of dental medicine (384), retired physicians (710), and associate members (30 specialists with higher education who are not doctors). The Branch is especially accomplished in its activities in the area of professional development of its members and therefore organizes a series of scientific conferences in the framework of continuous education of physicians, allowing its members to acquire necessary points for the extension of their operating license. The choir "Zagrebacki lijecnici pjevaci" (Zagreb Physicians' Choir) of the Croatian Medical Music Society of the CMA and its activities are inseparable from the Branch Zagreb. The Branch is firmly linked to the parent body, the CMA, and thus has a visible impact on the strategy and the activities of the Association as a whole. Most professional societies of the CMA have their headquarters in Zagreb and this is

Screening of exciplex formation by distant electron transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

Fedorenko, S G; Khokhlova, S S; Burshtein, A I

2012-01-12

The excitation quenching by reversible exciplex formation, combined with irreversible but distant electron transfer, is considered by means of the integral encounter theory (IET). Assuming that the quenchers are in great excess, the set of IET equations for the excitations, free ions, and exciplexes is derived. Solving these equations gives the Laplace images of all these populations, and these are used to specify the quantum yields of the corresponding reaction products. It appears that diffusion facilitates the exciplex production and the electron transfer. On the other hand the stronger the electron transfer is, the weaker is the exciplex production. At slow diffusion the distant quenching of excitations by ionization prevents their reaching the contact where they can turn into exciplexes. This is a screening effect that is most pronounced when the ionization rate is large.

Spiral branches and star formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zasov, A.V.

1974-01-01

Origin of spiral branches of galaxies and formation of stars in them are considered from the point of view of the theory of the gravitational gas condensation, one of comparatively young theories. Arguments are presented in favour of the stellar condensation theory. The concept of the star formation of gas is no longer a speculative hypothesis. This is a theory which assumes quantitative verification and explains qualitatively many facts observed. And still our knowledge on the nature of spiral branches is very poor. It still remains vague what processes give origin to spiral branches, why some galaxies have spirals and others have none. And shapes of spiral branches are diverse. Some cases are known when spiral branches spread outside boundaries of galaxies themselves. Such spirals arise exclusively in the region where there are two or some interacting galaxies. Only first steps have been made in the explanation of the galaxy spiral branches, and it is necessary to carry out new observations and new theoretical calculations

Studies on the fatigue of branched connections related to the shakedown pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, T.R.

1977-01-01

The concept of shakedown is that regions which plastically deform during initial loading subsequently adopt an elastic mode of deformation. High strain fatigue, i.e. up to 10,000 cycles, will be eliminated. Two branches of different thickness were welded to a common cylindrical vessel and hydraulically tested, simultaneously. The test pressure was the shakedown limit for the stronger branch and about 1.5 x shakedown for the weaker branch. The thinner branch failed by penetration through the weld near the crotch corner at 3,543 cycles. The thicker branch was given 10,000 cycles when, since no cracks were apparent, a starter notch was made in the crotch corner. Leakage occurred after another 10,678 cycles. This crack was also influenced by weld defects. Using fracture mechanics and a reported relationship between crack rate and stress intensity factors, some predictions of endurance at design pressure are derived for these branches. These lives are compared with the British Standard 1515 formula for fatigue avoidance and with the curves given in Section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. The former is considered conservative, while the ASME Code curve requires an additional safety factor as suggested by Jettam; A multiplication factor of 2 on the nominal stress concentration factor for welds is then considered satisfactory. It is tentatively considered that such junctions manufactured to Class 1 standard are satisfactory for daily cycling for 30 years, but are marginal for twice daily cycling for that time. This conclusion is tentative, since it depends critically on the size of weld defects present

Current perspectives on shoot branching regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cunquan YUAN,Lin XI,Yaping KOU,Yu ZHAO,Liangjun ZHAO

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Shoot branching is regulated by the complex interactions among hormones, development, and environmental factors. Recent studies into the regulatory mecha-nisms of shoot branching have focused on strigolactones, which is a new area of investigation in shoot branching regulation. Elucidation of the function of the D53 gene has allowed exploration of detailed mechanisms of action of strigolactones in regulating shoot branching. In addition, the recent discovery that sucrose is key for axillary bud release has challenged the established auxin theory, in which auxin is the principal agent in the control of apical dominance. These developments increase our understan-ding of branching control and indicate that regulation of shoot branching involves a complex network. Here, we first summarize advances in the systematic regulatory network of plant shoot branching based on current information. Then we describe recent developments in the synthesis and signal transduction of strigolactones. Based on these considerations, we further summarize the plant shoot branching regulatory network, including long distance systemic signals and local gene activity mediated by strigolactones following perception of external envi-ronmental signals, such as shading, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of plant shoot branching.

Complexity of chemical graphs in terms of size, branching, and cyclicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Balaban, A T; Mills, D; Kodali, V; Basak, S C

2006-08-01

Chemical graph complexity depends on many factors, but the main ones are size, branching, and cyclicity. Some molecular descriptors embrace together all these three parameters, which cannot then be disentangled. The topological index J (and its refinements that include accounting for bond multiplicity and the presence of heteroatoms) was designed to compensate in a significant measure for graph size and cyclicity, and therefore it contains information mainly on branching. In order to separate these factors, two new indices (F and G) related with J are proposed, which allow to group together graphs with the same size into families of constitutional formulas differing in their branching and cyclicity. A comparison with other topological indices revealed that a few other topological indices vary similarly with index G, notably DN2S4 among the triplet indices, and TOTOP among the indices contained in the Molconn-Z program. This comparison involved all possible chemical graphs (i.e. connected planar graphs with vertex degrees not higher than four) with four through six vertices, and all possible alkanes with four through nine carbon atoms.

Characterization of the Diameter, branch angle and longevity of axial branches of Nothofagusobliqua

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Patricio Corvalán Vera

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The lack of knowledge about grow dynamics of the living tree crown of Nothofagusobliqua secondary growth forests strongly limits the objective formulation of silvicultural schemes oriented to the industrial production of high quality wood. Therefore, in this work, we described basic relationships between tree size, age and angle branches insertion and the crown. Considering a sample data of 59 dominant trees, distributed in different age conditions, we applied a combined analysis technique of stem analysis, steam taper analysis and thickest branch measurement in each decile of the total height. This approach allowed us to determine that there is a significant relationship between the steam diameter, the angle insertion and the age of the branch, as well as the size and age of the trees. Also, the thicker branches tend to have lower insertion angles, to be older, to be located at lower relative heights and to be located in larger diameter sections. Taking into consideration these relationships, it is possible to build new predicted branch models as tools for the development of silvicultural schemes to suit different log grade.

Branch prediction in the pentium family

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fog, Agner

1998-01-01

How the branch prediction mechanism in the Pentium has been uncovered with all its quirks, and the incredibly more effective branch prediction in the later versions.......How the branch prediction mechanism in the Pentium has been uncovered with all its quirks, and the incredibly more effective branch prediction in the later versions....

De afstand tussen close en distant : Methoden en vraagstellingen in computationeel letterkundig onderzoek

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stronks, E.

2013-01-01

In this article, the gap between close and distant reading methods and research design is discussed to establish if the two could profitably be combined. In the current situation, the use of close and distant reading techniques is not evenly distributed among literary scholars specializing in Dutch

Distant Metastases in Head-and-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao Min, E-mail: min.yao@uhhospitals.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH (United States); Lu Minggen [School of Public Health, University of Nevada at Reno, Reno, NV (United States); Savvides, Panayiotis S. [Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH (United States); Rezaee, Rod; Zender, Chad A.; Lavertu, Pierre [Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH (United States); Buatti, John M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States); Machtay, Mitchell [Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)

2012-06-01

Purpose: To determine the pattern and risk factors for distant metastases in head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after curative treatment with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods and Materials: This was a retrospective study of 284 HNSCC patients treated in a single institution with IMRT. Sites included were oropharynx (125), oral cavity (70), larynx (55), hypopharynx (17), and unknown primary (17). American Joint Committee on Cancer stage distribution includes I (3), II (19), III (42), and IV (203). There were 224 males and 60 females with a median age of 57. One hundred eighty-six patients were treated with definitive IMRT and 98 postoperative IMRT. One hundred forty-nine patients also received concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Results: The median follow-up for all patients was 22.8 months (range, 0.07-77.3 months) and 29.5 months (4.23-77.3 months) for living patients. The 3-year local recurrence-free survival, regional recurrence-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival were 94.6%, 96.4%, 92.5%, 84.1%, and 68.95%, respectively. There were 45 patients with distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, distant metastasis was strongly associated with N stage (p = 0.046), T stage (p < 0.0001), and pretreatment maximum standardized uptake value of the lymph node (p = 0.006), but not associated with age, gender, disease sites, pretreatment standardized uptake value of the primary tumor, or locoregional control. The freedom from distant metastasis at 3 years was 98.1% for no factors, 88.6% for one factor, 68.3% for two factors, and 41.7% for three factors (p < 0.0001 by log-rank test). Conclusion: With advanced radiation techniques and concurrent chemotherapy, the failure pattern has changed with more patients failing distantly. The majority of patients with distant metastases had no local or regional failures, indicating that these patients might have microscopic distant

SuperTRI: A new approach based on branch support analyses of multiple independent data sets for assessing reliability of phylogenetic inferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Ropiquet, Anne; Li, Blaise; Hassanin, Alexandre

2009-09-01

Supermatrix and supertree are two methods for constructing a phylogenetic tree by using multiple data sets. However, these methods are not a panacea, as conflicting signals between data sets can lead to misinterpret the evolutionary history of taxa. In particular, the supermatrix approach is expected to be misleading if the species-tree signal is not dominant after the combination of the data sets. Moreover, most current supertree methods suffer from two limitations: (i) they ignore or misinterpret secondary (non-dominant) phylogenetic signals of the different data sets; and (ii) the logical basis of node robustness measures is unclear. To overcome these limitations, we propose a new approach, called SuperTRI, which is based on the branch support analyses of the independent data sets, and where the reliability of the nodes is assessed using three measures: the supertree Bootstrap percentage and two other values calculated from the separate analyses: the mean branch support (mean Bootstrap percentage or mean posterior probability) and the reproducibility index. The SuperTRI approach is tested on a data matrix including seven genes for 82 taxa of the family Bovidae (Mammalia, Ruminantia), and the results are compared to those found with the supermatrix approach. The phylogenetic analyses of the supermatrix and independent data sets were done using four methods of tree reconstruction: Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and unweighted and weighted maximum parsimony. The results indicate, firstly, that the SuperTRI approach shows less sensitivity to the four phylogenetic methods, secondly, that it is more accurate to interpret the relationships among taxa, and thirdly, that interesting conclusions on introgression and radiation can be drawn from the comparisons between SuperTRI and supermatrix analyses.

Convergence criterion for branched contіnued fractions of the special form with positive elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. I. Bodnar

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper the problem of convergence of the important type of a multidimensional generalization of continued fractions, the branched continued fractions with independent variables, is considered. This fractions are an efficient apparatus for the approximation of multivariable functions, which are represented by multiple power series. When variables are fixed these fractions are called the branched continued fractions of the special form. Their structure is much simpler then the structure of general branched continued fractions. It has given a possibility to establish the necessary and sufficient conditions of convergence of branched continued fractions of the special form with the positive elements. The received result is the multidimensional analog of Seidel's criterion for the continued fractions. The condition of convergence of investigated fractions is the divergence of series, whose elements are continued fractions. Therefore, the sufficient condition of the convergence of this fraction which has been formulated by the divergence of series composed of partial denominators of this fraction, is established. Using the established criterion and Stieltjes-Vitali Theorem the parabolic theorems of branched continued fractions of the special form with complex elements convergence, is investigated. The sufficient conditions gave a possibility to make the condition of convergence of the branched continued fractions of the special form, whose elements lie in parabolic domains.

Branching processes in biology

CERN Document Server

Kimmel, Marek

2015-01-01

This book provides a theoretical background of branching processes and discusses their biological applications. Branching processes are a well-developed and powerful set of tools in the field of applied probability. The range of applications considered includes molecular biology, cellular biology, human evolution and medicine. The branching processes discussed include Galton-Watson, Markov, Bellman-Harris, Multitype, and General Processes. As an aid to understanding specific examples, two introductory chapters, and two glossaries are included that provide background material in mathematics and in biology. The book will be of interest to scientists who work in quantitative modeling of biological systems, particularly probabilists, mathematical biologists, biostatisticians, cell biologists, molecular biologists, and bioinformaticians. The authors are a mathematician and cell biologist who have collaborated for more than a decade in the field of branching processes in biology for this new edition. This second ex...

Renal Branch Artery Stenosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Zarah; Thisted, Ebbe; Andersen, Ulrik Bjørn

2017-01-01

Renovascular hypertension is a common cause of pediatric hypertension. In the fraction of cases that are unrelated to syndromes such as neurofibromatosis, patients with a solitary stenosis on a branch of the renal artery are common and can be diagnostically challenging. Imaging techniques...... that perform well in the diagnosis of main renal artery stenosis may fall short when it comes to branch artery stenosis. We report 2 cases that illustrate these difficulties and show that a branch artery stenosis may be overlooked even by the gold standard method, renal angiography....

Gravitational effect of distant earth relief within the territory of former Czechoslovakia

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mikuška, J.; Pašteka, R.; Mrlina, Jan; Marušiak, J.

2008-01-01

Roč. 52, č. 3 (2008), s. 381-396 ISSN 0039-3169 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA3012308 Grant - others:EC(XE) ENK6-CT2000-00056; APVV(SK) APVV-99-002905 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30120515 Keywords : Bouguer gravity anomaly * distant topographic effect * distant bathymetric correction Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 0.770, year: 2008

Vegetation survey of PEN Branch wetlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-01

A survey was conducted of vegetation along Pen Branch Creek at Savannah River Site (SRS) in support of K-Reactor restart. Plants were identified to species by overstory, understory, shrub, and groundcover strata. Abundance was also characterized and richness and diversity calculated. Based on woody species basal area, the Pen Branch delta was the most impacted, followed by the sections between the reactor and the delta. Species richness for shrub and groundcover strata were also lowest in the delta. No endangered plant species were found. Three upland pine areas were also sampled. In support of K Reactor restart, this report summarizes a study of the wetland vegetation along Pen Branch. Reactor effluent enters Indian Grove Branch and then flows into Pen Branch and the Pen Branch Delta.

How do probiotics and prebiotics function at distant sites?

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, G; Abrahamsson, T; Bailey, M; Bindels, L B; Bubnov, R; Ganguli, K; Martoni, C; O'Neill, C; Savignac, H M; Stanton, C; Ship, N; Surette, M; Tuohy, K; van Hemert, S

2017-08-24

The realisation that microbes regarded as beneficial to the host can impart effects at sites distant from their habitat, has raised many possibilities for treatment of diseases. The objective of a workshop hosted in Turku, Finland, by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, was to assess the evidence for these effects and the extent to which early life microbiome programming influences how the gut microbiota communicates with distant sites. In addition, we examined how probiotics and prebiotics might affect the skin, airways, heart, brain and metabolism. The growing levels of scientific and clinical evidence showing how microbes influence the physiology of many body sites, leads us to call for more funding to advance a potentially exciting avenue for novel therapies for many chronic diseases.

Prognostic aspects of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in synchronous distant metastatic rectal cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Jing; Xu, Qing; Song, Jia-Cheng; Li, Yan; Xu, Lu-Lu; Shi, Hai-Bin [First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Department of Radiology, Nanjing (China); Huang, Dong-Ya [First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Department of General Surgery, Nanjing (China)

2017-05-15

To explore the correlations between DCE-MRI quantitative parameters and synchronous distant metastasis and the clinicopathological factors in rectal cancers. Sixty-three patients with rectal cancer (synchronous distant metastasis, n = 31; non-metastasis, n = 32) were enrolled in this study. Student's t test and ANOVA were used to compare DCE-MRI parameters (K{sup trans}, K{sub ep} and V{sub e}). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to find the reasonable threshold of DCE-MRI parameters to differentiate lesions with synchronous distant metastasis from those without metastasis. The K{sup trans}, K{sub ep}, and V{sub e} value were significantly higher in the lesions with distant metastasis than in the lesions without distant metastasis (0.536 ± 0.242 vs. 0.299 ± 0.118 min{sup -1}, p < 0.001; 1.598 ± 0.477 vs. 1.341 ± 0.390 min{sup -1}, p = 0.022; and 0.324 ± 0.173 vs. 0.249 ± 0.091, p = 0.034; respectively). The K{sup trans} showed the highest AUCs of 0.788 (p < 0.001), with sensitivity of 61.29 % and specificity of 87.5 %, respectively. DCE-MRI parameters may represent a prognostic indicator for synchronous distant metastases in patients with rectal cancer. (orig.)

Study of structures vulnerability with respect to near and distant earthquakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopes, E.

1998-06-01

Today, according to the fundamental safety rules edited by the French institute of nuclear protection and safety (IPSN), para-seismic structures must be dimensioned in order to withstand the probable near and distant earthquakes. Classical dimensioning tools, like the linear analysis of the elastic response spectrum of an oscillator, show that nearby earthquakes are more damaging for structures. However, experience feedback seems to demonstrate the contrary. The aim of this study is to make a comparison between the damaging effects of nearby and distant earthquakes. Thus, other comparison criteria were defined in order to take into account new parameters and to fit with the experience feedback. In a first part, the difference between nearby and distant earthquakes is explained. Then, after a presentation of the limits of the existing dimensioning tools, the new calculation means are defined and presented with their results. These new methods take into account the inelastic property of the structures. (J.S.)

Learning in professionally 'distant' contexts: opportunities and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Mausz, Justin; Tavares, Walter

2017-08-01

The changing nature of healthcare education and delivery is such that clinicians will increasingly find themselves practicing in contexts that are physically and/or conceptually different from the settings in which they were trained, a practice that conflicts on some level with socio-cultural theories of learning that emphasize learning in context. Our objective was therefore to explore learning in 'professionally distant' contexts. Using paramedic education, where portions of training occur in hospital settings despite preparing students for out-of-hospital work, fifty-three informants (11 current students, 13 recent graduates, 16 paramedic program faculty and 13 program coordinators/directors) took part in five semi-structured focus groups. Participants reflected on the value and role of hospital placements in paramedic student development. All sessions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. In this context six educational advantages and two challenges were identified when using professionally distant learning environments. Learning could still be associated with features such as (a) engagement through "authenticity", (b) technical skill development, (c) interpersonal skill development, (d) psychological resilience, (e) healthcare system knowledge and (f) scaffolding. Variability in learning and misalignment with learning goals were identified as potential threats. Learning environments that are professionally distant from eventual practice settings may prove meaningful by providing learners with foundational and preparatory learning experiences for competencies that may be transferrable. This suggests that where learning occurs may be less important than how the experience contributes to the learner's development and the meaning or value he/she derives from it.

An efficient method for generalized linear multiplicative programming problem with multiplicative constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yingfeng; Liu, Sanyang

2016-01-01

We present a practical branch and bound algorithm for globally solving generalized linear multiplicative programming problem with multiplicative constraints. To solve the problem, a relaxation programming problem which is equivalent to a linear programming is proposed by utilizing a new two-phase relaxation technique. In the algorithm, lower and upper bounds are simultaneously obtained by solving some linear relaxation programming problems. Global convergence has been proved and results of some sample examples and a small random experiment show that the proposed algorithm is feasible and efficient.

Foraging Behavior in Golden Hamsters (Mesocricetus Auratus: Effect of the Distance among Multiple Patches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Cabrera

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The pattern of travel and the efficiency in foraging behavior was evaluated in four hamsters searching for food within an enclosure with multiple patches. Two different distances among patches were randomly arranged: Near-Patches (10 cm separation and Distant-Patches (21.5 cm separation. Subjects obtained the food by mounting over the cylinders (stations placed in the enclosure of 110 cm2. Results showed that in both, Near and Distant conditions, the distance between responses was longer in late stages of the trials then in early stages. Nonetheless, the most choices to adjacent stations were in Distant-Patches condition, while skips and diagonal-station choices were more frequently showed in the Near-Patches condition.

Quantitative analysis and demonstration of modified triple-branch signal detection scheme for SAC-OCDMA systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Fujun; Feng, Gang; Zhang, Siwei

2016-10-01

The triple-branch signal detection (TBSD) scheme can eliminate multiple-user interference (MUI) without fixed in-phase cross-correlation (IPCC) stipulation in the spectral-amplitude-coding optical code division multiple access (SACOCDMA) systems. In this paper, we modify the traditional TBSD scheme and theoretically analyze the principle of the MUI elimination. Then, the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of the modified TBSD scheme is investigated under multiple transmission rates. The results show that the modified TBSD employing the codes with unfixed IPCC can achieve simultaneous optical code recognition and MUI elimination in the SAC-OCDMA.

Automatic Camera Control System for a Distant Lecture with Videoing a Normal Classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Suganuma, Akira; Nishigori, Shuichiro

The growth of a communication network technology enables students to take part in a distant lecture. Although many lectures are conducted in universities by using Web contents, normal lectures using a blackboard are still held. The latter style lecture is good for a teacher's dynamic explanation. A way to modify it for a distant lecture is to…

Nearby Hot Stars May Change Our View of Distant Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-07-01

As if it werent enough that quasars distant and bright nuclei of galaxies twinkle of their own accord due to internal processes, nature also provides another complication: these distant radio sources can also appear to twinkle because of intervening material between them and us. A new study has identified a possible source for the material getting in the way.Unexplained VariabilityA Spitzer infrared view of the Helix nebula, which contains ionized streamers of gas extending radially outward from the central star. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Ariz.]Distant quasars occasionally display extreme scintillation, twinkling with variability timescales shorter than a day. This intra-day variability is much greater than we can account for with standard models of the interstellar medium lying between the quasar and us. So what could cause this extreme scattering instead?The first clue to this mystery came from the discovery of strong variability in the radio source PKS 1322110. In setting up follow-up observations of this object, Mark Walker (Manly Astrophysics, Australia) and collaborators noticed that, in the plane of the sky, PKS 1322110 lies very near the bright star Spica. Could this be coincidence, or might this bright foreground star have something to do with the extreme scattering observed?Diagram explaining the source of the intra-day radio source variability as intervening filaments surrounding a hot star. [M. Walker/CSIRO/Manly Astrophysics]Swarms of ClumpsWalker and collaborators put forward a hypothesis: perhaps the ultraviolet photons of nearby hot stars ionize plasma around them, which in turn causes the extreme scattering of the distant background sources.As a model, the authors consider the Helix Nebula, in which a hot, evolved star is surrounded by cool globules of molecular hydrogen gas. The radiation from the star hits these molecular clumps, dragging them into long radial streamers and ionizing their outer skins.Though the molecular clumps in the Helix

Manipulating the optical properties of symmetrically branched Au/Pd nanocrystals through interior design.

Science.gov (United States)

DeSantis, Christopher J; Skrabalak, Sara E

2014-05-25

Au/Pd octopods with hollow, cubic interiors and Oh symmetry were synthesized for the first time by etching core@shell Pd@Au/Pd octopods to selectively remove their Pd interiors. Integration of multiple architectural features - in this case branching symmetry, composition, and interior design - into one nanostructure provides design strategies to new plasmonic colloids.

Model of distant improvement of professional skill of the Ukrainian coaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrova O.A.

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In article the conceptual model of organization and introduction of distant improvement of professional skill of coaches is developed and analyzed. Advantages of its introduction to coaches training, teachers and higher educational institutions which carry out a professional training for physical training and sports sphere are defined. It is developed the budgetary program project of distant improvement of professional skill of coaches on an example of National university of physical education and sports of Ukraine that consists of three stages: daily organizationally-adjusting session, independent telecommuting and daily final session with attestation.

E-cadherin expression in primary carcinomas of the breast and its distant metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowalski, Paul J; Rubin, Mark A; Kleer, Celina G

2003-01-01

Aberrant expression of E-cadherin has been associated with the development of metastases in patients with breast cancer. Even though the expression of E-cadherin has been studied in primary breast tumors, little is known about its expression at the distant metastatic sites. We investigate the relationship between E-cadherin expression in primary breast carcinoma and their distant, non-nodal metastases. Immunohistochemical analysis of E-cadherin was performed in tissues from 30 patients with primary invasive breast carcinoma and their distant metastases. E-cadherin expression was evaluated as normal or aberrant (decreased when compared with normal internal positive controls, or absent). Twenty-two (73%) invasive carcinomas were ductal, and eight (27%) were lobular. Of the primary invasive ductal carcinomas, 55% (12/22) had normal E-cadherin expression and 45% (10/22) had aberrant expression. All of the metastases expressed E-cadherin with the same intensity as (12 tumors) or with stronger intensity than (10 tumors) the corresponding primaries. Of the invasive lobular carcinomas, one of eight (12%) primary carcinomas and none of the metastases expressed E-cadherin in the cell membranes, but they accumulated the protein in the cytoplasm. Aberrant E-cadherin expression is frequent in invasive ductal carcinomas that progress to develop distant metastases. Distant metastases consistently express E-cadherin, often more strongly than the primary tumor. Invasive lobular carcinomas have a different pattern of E-cadherin expression, suggesting a different role for E-cadherin in this form of breast carcinoma

Generation of entangled coherent states for distant Bose-Einstein condensates via electromagnetically induced transparency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuang, L.-M.; Chen Zengbing; Pan Jianwei

2007-01-01

We propose a method to generate entangled coherent states between two spatially separated atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) via the technique of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Two strong coupling laser beams and two entangled probe laser beams are used to cause two distant BECs to be in EIT states and to generate an atom-photon entangled state between probe lasers and distant BECs. The two BECs are initially in unentangled product coherent states while the probe lasers are initially in an entangled state. Entangled states of two distant BECs can be created through the performance of projective measurements upon the two outgoing probe lasers under certain conditions. Concretely, we propose two protocols to show how to generate entangled coherent states of the two distant BECs. One is a single-photon scheme in which an entangled single-photon state is used as the quantum channel to generate entangled distant BECs. The other is a multiphoton scheme where an entangled coherent state of the probe lasers is used as the quantum channel. Additionally, we also obtain some atom-photon entangled states of particular interest such as entangled states between a pair of optical Bell states (or quasi-Bell-states) and a pair of atomic entangled coherent states (or quasi-Bell-states)

Distant Metastases Following Permanent Interstitial Brachytherapy for Patients With Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taira, Al V.; Merrick, Gregory S.; Galbreath, Robert W.; Butler, Wayne M.; Lief, Jonathan; Adamovich, Edward; Wallner, Kent E.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Recent publications have suggested high-risk patients undergoing radical prostatectomy have a lower risk of distant metastases and improved cause-specific survival (CSS) than patients receiving definitive external beam radiation therapy (XRT). To date, none of these studies has compared distant metastases and CSS in brachytherapy patients. In this study, we evaluate such parameters in a consecutive cohort of brachytherapy patients. Methods and Materials: From April 1995 to June 2007, 1,840 consecutive patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were treated with brachytherapy. Risk groups were stratified according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network ( (www.nccn.org)) guidelines. Subgroups of 658, 893, and 289 patients were assigned to low, intermediate, and high-risk categories. Median follow-up was 7.2 years. Along with brachytherapy implantation, 901 (49.0%) patients received supplemental XRT, and 670 (36.4%) patients received androgen deprivation therapy (median duration, 4 months). The mode of failure (biochemical, local, or distant) was determined for each patient for whom therapy failed. Cause of death was determined for each deceased patient. Multiple parameters were evaluated for impact on outcome. Results: For the entire cohort, metastases-free survival (MFS) and CSS at 12 years were 98.1% and 98.2%, respectively. When rates were stratified by low, intermediate, and high-risk groups, the 12-year MFS was 99.8%, 98.1%, and 93.8% (p < 0.001), respectively. CSS rates were 99.8%, 98.0%, and 95.3% (p < 0.001) for low, intermediate, and high-risk groups, respectively. Biochemical progression-free survival was 98.7%, 95.9% and 90.4% for low, intermediate, and high-risk patients, respectively (p < 0.001). In multivariate Cox-regression analysis, MFS was mostly closely related to Gleason score and year of treatment, whereas CSS was most closely associated with Gleason score. Conclusions: Excellent CSS and MFS rates are achievable with high

Mechanical branch constraints contribute to life-history variation across tree species in a Bolivian forest.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sterck, F.J.; Gelder, van H.A.; Poorter, L.

2006-01-01

1 Trade-offs among plant traits may contribute to specialization for different environments and coexistence of plant species. This may be the first study that shows how trade-offs among branch traits contribute to variation in crown size, light requirements and maximum height across multiple

The efficiency of bank branches

OpenAIRE

Omid Takbiri; Mohammad Mohammadi; Bahman Naderi

2015-01-01

Banking industry has significant contribution in development of economies of developing countries. Most banks execute their operations through different branches. Therefore it is important to measure the relative efficiencies of these branches. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is one of the most useful tools in measuring banks’ performance. The present paper aims to extract ranking pattern of banks based on performance evaluation using DEA analysis. In the present research, 120 bank branches o...

Concerted suppression of all starch branching enzyme genes in barley produces amylose-only starch granules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carciofi, Massimiliano; Blennow, Per Gunnar Andreas; Jensen, Susanne Langgård

2012-01-01

is preferentially derived from amylose, which can be increased by suppressing amylopectin synthesis by silencing of starch branching enzymes (SBEs). However all the previous works attempting the production of high RS crops resulted in only partly increased amylose-content and/or significant yield loss. Results...... In this study we invented a new method for silencing of multiple genes. Using a chimeric RNAi hairpin we simultaneously suppressed all genes coding for starch branching enzymes (SBE I, SBE IIa, SBE IIb) in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), resulting in production of amylose-only starch granules in the endosperm...... yield in a living organism. This was achieved by a new method of simultaneous suppression of the entire complement of genes encoding starch branching enzymes. We demonstrate that amylopectin is not essential for starch granule crystallinity and integrity. However the slower initial growth of shoots from...

Critical evaluation of branch polarity and apical dominance as dictators of colony astogeny in a branching coral.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Shaish

Full Text Available The high morphological resemblance between branching corals and trees, can lead to comparative studies on pattern formation traits, best exemplified in plants and in some cnidarians. Here, 81 branches of similar size of the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata were lopped of three different genets, their skeletons marked with alizarin red-S, and divided haphazardly into three morphometric treatment groups: (I upright position; (II horizontal position, intact tip; and (III horizontal position, cut tip. After 1 y of in-situ growth, the 45 surviving ramets were brought to the laboratory, their tissues removed and their architectures analyzed by 22 morphological parameters (MPs. We found that within 1 y, isolated branches developed into small coral colonies by growing new branches from all branch termini, in all directions. No architectural dissimilarity was assigned among the three studied genets of treatment I colonies. However, a major architectural disparity between treatment I colonies and colonies of treatments II and III was documented as the development of mirror structures from both sides of treatments II and III settings as compared to tip-borne architectures in treatment I colonies. We did not observe apical dominance since fragments grew equally from all branch sides without documented dominant polarity along branch axis. In treatment II colonies, no MP for new branches originating either from tips or from branch bases differed significantly. In treatment III colonies, growth from the cut tip areas was significantly lower compared to the base, again, suggesting lack of apical dominance in this species. Changes in branch polarity revealed genet associated plasticity, which in one of the studied genets, led to enhanced growth. Different genets exhibited canalization flexibility of growth patterns towards either lateral growth, or branch axis extension (skeletal weight and not porosity was measured. This study revealed that colony

A method of real-time detection for distant moving obstacles by monocular vision

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Bao-zhi; Zhu, Ming

2013-12-01

In this paper, we propose an approach for detection of distant moving obstacles like cars and bicycles by a monocular camera to cooperate with ultrasonic sensors in low-cost condition. We are aiming at detecting distant obstacles that move toward our autonomous navigation car in order to give alarm and keep away from them. Method of frame differencing is applied to find obstacles after compensation of camera's ego-motion. Meanwhile, each obstacle is separated from others in an independent area and given a confidence level to indicate whether it is coming closer. The results on an open dataset and our own autonomous navigation car have proved that the method is effective for detection of distant moving obstacles in real-time.

Mixed heterolobosean and novel gregarine lineage genes from culture ATCC 50646: Long-branch artefacts, not lateral gene transfer, distort α-tubulin phylogeny.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavalier-Smith, Thomas

2015-04-01

Contradictory and confusing results can arise if sequenced 'monoprotist' samples really contain DNA of very different species. Eukaryote-wide phylogenetic analyses using five genes from the amoeboflagellate culture ATCC 50646 previously implied it was an undescribed percolozoan related to percolatean flagellates (Stephanopogon, Percolomonas). Contrastingly, three phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA alone, did not place it within Percolozoa, but as an isolated deep-branching excavate. I resolve that contradiction by sequence phylogenies for all five genes individually, using up to 652 taxa. Its 18S rRNA sequence (GQ377652) is near-identical to one from stained-glass windows, somewhat more distant from one from cooling-tower water, all three related to terrestrial actinocephalid gregarines Hoplorhynchus and Pyxinia. All four protein-gene sequences (Hsp90; α-tubulin; β-tubulin; actin) are from an amoeboflagellate heterolobosean percolozoan, not especially deeply branching. Contrary to previous conclusions from trees combining protein and rRNA sequences or rDNA trees including Eozoa only, this culture does not represent a major novel deep-branching eukaryote lineage distinct from Heterolobosea, and thus lacks special significance for deep eukaryote phylogeny, though the rDNA sequence is important for gregarine phylogeny. α-Tubulin trees for over 250 eukaryotes refute earlier suggestions of lateral gene transfer within eukaryotes, being largely congruent with morphology and other gene trees. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

[Branches of the National Institute of Hygiene].

Science.gov (United States)

Gromulska, Marta

2008-01-01

National Epidemiological Institute (National Institute of Hygiene, from 7th September 1923) was established in 1918 in Warsaw and acted at national level. Its actions in the field of diseases combat were supported by bacteriological stations and vaccine production in voivodeship cities, which were taken charge of by the state, and names "National Epidemiological Institutes". According to the ministers resolution from 6th July 1921,Epidemiological Institutes were merged to National Central Epidemiological Institutes (PZH), the epidemiological institutes outside Warsaw were named branches, which were to be located in every voivodeship city, according to the initial organizational resolutions. There were country branches of NCEI in: Cracow, Lwów, Lódź, Toruń, Lublin, and Wilno in the period 1919-1923. New branches in Poznań (1925), Gdynia(1934), Katowice (Voivodeship Institute of Hygiene (1936), Luck (1937), Stanisławów (1937), Kielce(1938), and Brześć/Bug (Municipal Station acting as branch of National Central Epidemiological Institute. Branches were subordinated to NCEI-PZH) in Warsaw where action plans and unified research and diagnostic method were established and annual meeting of the country branches managers took place. All branches cooperated with hospitals, national health services, district general practitioners and administration structure in control of infectious diseases. In 1938, the post of branch inspector was established, the first of whom was Feliks Przesmycki PhD. Branches cooperated also with University of Cracow, University of Lwów and University of Wilno. In 1935, National Institutes of Food Research was incorporated in PZH, Water Department was established, and these areas of activity began to develop in the branches accordingly. In 1938 there were 13 branches of PZH, and each had three divisions: bacteriological, food research and water research. Three branches in Cracow, Kielce and Lublin worked during World War II under German

Hepatic Radiofrequency Ablation–induced Stimulation of Distant Tumor Growth Is Suppressed by c-Met Inhibition

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Gaurav; Moussa, Marwan; Wang, Yuanguo; Rozenblum, Nir; Galun, Eithan; Goldberg, S. Nahum

2016-01-01

Purpose To elucidate how hepatic radiofrequency (RF) ablation affects distant extrahepatic tumor growth by means of two key molecular pathways. Materials and Methods Rats were used in this institutional animal care and use committee–approved study. First, the effect of hepatic RF ablation on distant subcutaneous in situ R3230 and MATBIII breast tumors was evaluated. Animals were randomly assigned to standardized RF ablation, sham procedure, or no treatment. Tumor growth rate was measured for 3½ to 7 days. Then, tissue was harvested for Ki-67 proliferative indexes and CD34 microvascular density. Second, hepatic RF ablation was performed for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and c-Met receptor expression measurement in periablational rim, serum, and distant tumor 24 hours to 7 days after ablation. Third, hepatic RF ablation was combined with either a c-Met inhibitor (PHA-665752) or VEGF receptor inhibitor (semaxanib) and compared with sham or drug alone arms to assess distant tumor growth and growth factor levels. Finally, hepatic RF ablation was performed in rats with c-Met–negative R3230 tumors for comparison with the native c-Met–positive line. Tumor size and immunohistochemical quantification at day 0 and at sacrifice were compared with analysis of variance and the two-tailed Student t test. Tumor growth curves before and after treatment were analyzed with linear regression analysis to determine mean slopes of pre- and posttreatment growth curves on a per-tumor basis and were compared with analysis of variance and paired two-tailed t tests. Results After RF ablation of normal liver, distant R3230 tumors were substantially larger at 7 days compared with tumors treated with the sham procedure and untreated tumors, with higher growth rates and tumor cell proliferation. Similar findings were observed in MATBIII tumors. Hepatic RF ablation predominantly increased periablational and serum HGF and downstream distant tumor

Reaction enhancement of initially distant scalars by Lagrangian coherent structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, Kenneth R.; Crimaldi, John P.; Meiss, James D.

2015-01-01

Turbulent fluid flows have long been recognized as a superior means of diluting initial concentrations of scalars due to rapid stirring. Conversely, experiments have shown that the structures responsible for this rapid dilution can also aggregate initially distant reactive scalars and thereby greatly enhance reaction rates. Indeed, chaotic flows not only enhance dilution by shearing and stretching but also organize initially distant scalars along transiently attracting regions in the flow. To show the robustness of this phenomenon, a hierarchical set of three numerical flows is used: the periodic wake downstream of a stationary cylinder, a chaotic double gyre flow, and a chaotic, aperiodic flow consisting of interacting Taylor vortices. We demonstrate that Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS), as identified by ridges in finite time Lyapunov exponents, are directly responsible for this coalescence of reactive scalar filaments. When highly concentrated filaments coalesce, reaction rates can be orders of magnitude greater than would be predicted in a well-mixed system. This is further supported by an idealized, analytical model that was developed to quantify the competing effects of scalar dilution and coalescence. Chaotic flows, known for their ability to efficiently dilute scalars, therefore have the competing effect of organizing initially distant scalars along the LCS at timescales shorter than that required for dilution, resulting in reaction enhancement

Development of Distant Learning Laboratory and Creation of Educational Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Considine, Michelle

1995-01-01

The Office of Education's fundamental goal is to disseminate information, mostly that which relates to science and technology. In this attempt, as I have observed, the office has many programs bringing both students and teachers to NASA Langley to expose them to the facilities and to teach them some about the scientific theory and about available modern technology. As a way of expanding the audience that can be reached, as the expense of bringing people in is limiting, Marchelle Canright has proposed establishing a center dedicated to researching and producing distant learning videos. Although distant learning through telecommunications is not a new concept, as many universities, colleges, and precollege level schools offer televised courses, the research in this field has been limited. Many of the standing distant learning broadcasts are simply recordings of teachers in classrooms giving lectures to their own students; they are not aimed at the television audience. In some cases the videos are produced without a Live-lecture atmosphere, but are still only classroom lectures. In either case, however, the full range of capabilities of video production are not being fully utilized. Methods for best relaying educational material have not been explored. Possibilities for including computerized images and video clips for the purpose of showing diagrams and processes, as well as examples in fitting cases, may add considerably to the educational value of these videos. Also, through Internet and satellite links, it is possible for remote students to interact with the teachers during televised sessions. These possibilities might, also, add to the effectiveness of distant learning programs. Ms. Canright's proposed center will be dedicated to researching these possibilities and eventually spreading the results to distant learning program managers. This is the project I was involved in over the summer. As implied, the center is still at the foundation stages. Ms. Canright has

Strong electron bidirectional anisotropies in the distant tail: ISEE 3 observations of polar rain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, D.N.; Bame, S.J.; Feldman, W.C.; Gosling, J.T.; Zwickl, R.D.; Slavin, J.A.; Smith, E.J.

1986-01-01

A detailed observational treatment of bidirectional electrons (--50 to 50 eV)in the distant magnetotail (rapprox. >100 R/sub E/) is presented. It is found that electrons in this energy range commonly exhibit strong, field-aligned anisotropies in the tail lobes. Because of large tail motions, the ISEE 3 data provide extensive sampling of both the north and south lobes in rapid succession. These data demonstrate directly the strong asymmetries that exist between the north and south lobes at any one time. The bidirectional fluxes are found to occur predominantly in the lobe directly connected to the sunward interplanetary magnetic field in the open magnetosphere model (north lobe for away sectors and south lobe for toward sectors). Electron anisotropy and magnetic field data are presented which show the transition from unidirectional (sheath) electron populations to bidirectional (lobe) populations. Thus we demonstrate the open nature of the distant magnetopause and show that the source of the higher-energy, bidirectional lobe electrons is the tailward directed electron heat flux population in the distant magnetosheath. Taken together, the present evidence suggests that the bidirectional electrons that we observe in the distant tail are closely related to the polar rain electrons observed previously at lower altitudes. Furthermore, these data provide strong evidence that the distant tail is composed largely of open magnetic field lines in contradistinction to some recently advanced models

Extending Justice: a rights-based account of our obligations to distant people

OpenAIRE

Fitzgerald, John

2012-01-01

This thesis examines a prima facie tension between the narrow scope of social justice proposed by many liberal, rights-based accounts, and the intuition that we have a strong obligation to help distant people who are in great need. 'Distant people' in this instance are people who do not share our nationality, or those who will come to exist as members of future generations. Ways in which liberal, right-based theories of political philosophy can resolve this tension are examined, and the thesi...

Linear and branched perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) isomer patterns differ among several tissues and blood of polar bears.

Science.gov (United States)

Greaves, Alana K; Letcher, Robert J

2013-09-01

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a globally distributed persistent organic pollutant that has been found to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in aquatic food webs. Although principally in its linear isomeric configuration, 21-35% of the PFOS manufactured via electrochemical fluorination is produced as a branched structural isomer. PFOS isomer patterns were investigated in multiple tissues of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from East Greenland. The liver (n = 9), blood (n = 19), brain (n = 16), muscle (n = 5), and adipose (n = 5) were analyzed for linear PFOS (n-PFOS), as well as multiple mono- and di-trifluoromethyl-substituted branched isomers. n-PFOS accounted for 93.0 ± 0.5% of Σ-PFOS isomer concentrations in the liver, whereas the proportion was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the blood (85.4 ± 0.5%). Branched isomers were quantifiable in the liver and blood, but not in the brain, muscle, or adipose. In both the liver and blood, 6-perfluoromethylheptane sulfonate (P6MHpS) was the dominant branched isomer (2.61 ± 0.10%, and 3.26 ± 0.13% of Σ-PFOS concentrations, respectively). No di-trifluoromethyl-substituted isomers were detectable in any of the tissues analyzed. These tissue-specific isomer patterns suggest isomer-specific pharmacokinetics, perhaps due to differences in protein affinities, and thus differences in protein interactions, as well transport, absorption, and/or metabolism in the body. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synchronization scenario of two distant mutually coupled semiconductor lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mulet, Josep; Mirasso, Claudio; Heil, Tilmann

2004-01-01

We present numerical and experimental investigations of the synchronization of the coupling-induced instabilities in two distant mutually coupled semiconductor lasers. In our experiments, two similar Fabry-Perot lasers are coupled via their coherent optical fields. Our theoretical framework is ba...

Turing mechanism underlying a branching model for lung morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hui; Sun, Mingzhu; Zhao, Xin

2017-01-01

The mammalian lung develops through branching morphogenesis. Two primary forms of branching, which occur in order, in the lung have been identified: tip bifurcation and side branching. However, the mechanisms of lung branching morphogenesis remain to be explored. In our previous study, a biological mechanism was presented for lung branching pattern formation through a branching model. Here, we provide a mathematical mechanism underlying the branching patterns. By decoupling the branching model, we demonstrated the existence of Turing instability. We performed Turing instability analysis to reveal the mathematical mechanism of the branching patterns. Our simulation results show that the Turing patterns underlying the branching patterns are spot patterns that exhibit high local morphogen concentration. The high local morphogen concentration induces the growth of branching. Furthermore, we found that the sparse spot patterns underlie the tip bifurcation patterns, while the dense spot patterns underlies the side branching patterns. The dispersion relation analysis shows that the Turing wavelength affects the branching structure. As the wavelength decreases, the spot patterns change from sparse to dense, the rate of tip bifurcation decreases and side branching eventually occurs instead. In the process of transformation, there may exists hybrid branching that mixes tip bifurcation and side branching. Since experimental studies have reported that branching mode switching from side branching to tip bifurcation in the lung is under genetic control, our simulation results suggest that genes control the switch of the branching mode by regulating the Turing wavelength. Our results provide a novel insight into and understanding of the formation of branching patterns in the lung and other biological systems.

Selections from 2017: Hubble Survey Explores Distant Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

Editors note:In these last two weeks of 2017, well be looking at a few selections that we havent yet discussed on AAS Nova from among the most-downloaded paperspublished in AAS journals this year. The usual posting schedule will resume in January.CANDELS Multi-Wavelength Catalogs: Source Identification and Photometry in the CANDELS COSMOSSurvey FieldPublished January2017Main takeaway:A publication led byHooshang Nayyeri(UC Irvine and UC Riverside) early this year details acatalog of sources built using the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey(CANDELS), a survey carried out by cameras on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The catalogliststhe properties of 38,000 distant galaxies visiblewithin the COSMOS field, a two-square-degree equatorial field explored in depthto answer cosmological questions.Why its interesting:Illustration showing the three-dimensional map of the dark matter distribution in theCOSMOS field. [Adapted from NASA/ESA/R. Massey(California Institute of Technology)]The depth and resolution of the CANDELS observations areuseful for addressingseveral major science goals, including the following:Studying the most distant objects in the universe at the epoch of reionization in the cosmic dawn.Understanding galaxy formation and evolution during the peak epoch of star formation in the cosmic high noon.Studying star formation from deep ultravioletobservations and studying cosmology from supernova observations.Why CANDELS is a major endeavor:CANDELS isthe largest multi-cycle treasury program ever approved on the Hubble Space Telescope using over 900 orbits between 2010 and 2013 withtwo cameras on board the spacecraftto study galaxy formation and evolution throughout cosmic time. The CANDELS images are all publicly available, and the new catalogrepresents an enormous source of information about distant objectsin our universe.CitationH. Nayyeri et al 2017 ApJS 228 7. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/228/1/7

Multiple sequence alignment accuracy and phylogenetic inference.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogden, T Heath; Rosenberg, Michael S

2006-04-01

Phylogenies are often thought to be more dependent upon the specifics of the sequence alignment rather than on the method of reconstruction. Simulation of sequences containing insertion and deletion events was performed in order to determine the role that alignment accuracy plays during phylogenetic inference. Data sets were simulated for pectinate, balanced, and random tree shapes under different conditions (ultrametric equal branch length, ultrametric random branch length, nonultrametric random branch length). Comparisons between hypothesized alignments and true alignments enabled determination of two measures of alignment accuracy, that of the total data set and that of individual branches. In general, our results indicate that as alignment error increases, topological accuracy decreases. This trend was much more pronounced for data sets derived from more pectinate topologies. In contrast, for balanced, ultrametric, equal branch length tree shapes, alignment inaccuracy had little average effect on tree reconstruction. These conclusions are based on average trends of many analyses under different conditions, and any one specific analysis, independent of the alignment accuracy, may recover very accurate or inaccurate topologies. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian, in general, outperformed neighbor joining and maximum parsimony in terms of tree reconstruction accuracy. Results also indicated that as the length of the branch and of the neighboring branches increase, alignment accuracy decreases, and the length of the neighboring branches is the major factor in topological accuracy. Thus, multiple-sequence alignment can be an important factor in downstream effects on topological reconstruction.

Dynamic Crack Branching - A Photoelastic Evaluation,

Science.gov (United States)

1982-05-01

0.41 mPai and a 0.18 MPa, and predicted a theoretical kinking angle of 84°whichagreed well with experimentally measured angle. After crack kinking...Consistent crack branching’at KIb = 2.04 MPaI -i- and r = 1.3 mm verified this crack branching criterion. The crack branching angle predicted by--.’ DD

Pelvic injuries in combination with vascular lesions of branches from the iliac artery: Outcome - Incidence - Treatment strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmal, H.; Klemt, C.; Uhrmeister, P.

2002-01-01

The acute haemorrhagic shock is one of the leading causes for death following severe pelvic injuries. Typical bleeding sources are fractured spongiosa surfaces, lesions of the major venous plexus or ruptures of branches originating from the iliac artery. This study characterizes the population...... from active hemorrhage because of vascular lacerations of iliac artery branches. Average of ISS, PTS, part of multiple injured patients, prevalence of rotary and vertical unstable fractures as well as mortality of patients with accompanying arterial injury was found to be much higher when compared...

APEX Snaps First Close-up of Star Factories in Distant Universe

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

amounts to up to a million billion [1015] times the mass of our Sun, is composed of hot gas and dark matter. In this case, the cluster being observed has the designation MACS J2135-010217 (or MACS J213512.10-010258.5), and is at a distance of about four billion light-years. [2] Gravitational lensing is an effect forecast by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Due to their gigantic mass and their intermediate position between us and very distant galaxies, galaxy clusters act as extremely efficient gravitational lenses, bending the light coming from background galaxies. Depending on the cluster mass distribution a host of interesting effects are produced, such as magnification, shape distortions, giant arcs, and multiple images of the same source. More information This research was presented in a paper, "Intense star formation within resolved compact regions in a galaxy at z=2.3" (A. M. Swinbank et al., DOI 10.1038/nature08880) to appear online in Nature today. The team is composed of A. M. Swinbank, I. Smail, J. Richard, A. C. Edge, and K. E. K. Coppin (Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, UK), S. Longmore, R. Blundell, M. Gurwell, and D. Wilner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics, USA), A. I. Harris and L. J. Hainline (Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, USA), A.J. Baker (Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, University of New Jersey, USA), C. De Breuck, A. Lundgren and G. Siringo (ESO), R. J. Ivison (UKATC and Royal Observatory of Edinburgh, UK), P. Cox, M. Krips and R. Neri (Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique, France), B. Siana (California Institute of Technology, USA), D. P. Stark (Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK), and J. D. Younger (Institute for Advanced Study, USA). The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope is a 12-metre telescope, located at 5100 m altitude on the arid plateau of Chajnantor in the Chilean Andes. APEX operates at millimetre and submillimetre

Endovascular repair of an innominate artery pseudoaneurysm using the Valiant Mona LSA branched graft device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josh A. Sibille, MD

2017-03-01

Full Text Available A 60-year-old woman involved in a motor vehicle collision presented with a traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the innominate artery origin in addition to multiple concomitant injuries. She was classified as a high-risk candidate for open repair. An experimental thoracic branched graft device was used for coverage of the injury with the addition of a right carotid-to-left carotid-to-left subclavian artery bypass. Follow-up imaging showed resolution of the pseudoaneurysm and patency of her bypass grafts. This is the first described use of the Mona LSA Branch Thoracic Stent Graft System (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn in the innominate artery.

Effect of radiation on fruit pollen germination and distant hybridization compatibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jing; Shang Xiaoli

2006-01-01

Pollens of Zhouxingshantao peach trees, apricot cultivar Katy and plum cultivar Friar were irradiated by different doses of 60 Co γ-rays and ultraviolet to study the radiation effect on the pollen germination and distant hybridization settings. The germination percentages of the pollen irradiated by 60 Co γ-rays and ultraviolet were lower than those of the controls. The pollens of the tested fruits have different sensitivities of 60 Co γ-rays and ultraviolet: the Friar pollen was the most sensitive to the radiation, and the Katy was the least. With the germinate percentages of the irradiated pollen dropping, the distant hybridization fruit setting percentage also lowered. (authors)

Mycorrhizae support oaks growing in a phylogenetically distant neighbourhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yguel, B.; Courty, P.E.; Jactel, H.; Pan, X.; Butenschoen, O.; Murray, P.J.; Prinzing, A.

2014-01-01

Host-plants may rarely leave their ancestral niche and in which case they tend to be surrounded by phylogenetically distant neighbours. Phylogenetically isolated host-plants might share few mutualists with their neighbours and might suffer from a decrease in mutualist support. In addition host

Tree Branching: Leonardo da Vinci's Rule versus Biomechanical Models

Science.gov (United States)

Minamino, Ryoko; Tateno, Masaki

2014-01-01

This study examined Leonardo da Vinci's rule (i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional area of all tree branches above a branching point at any height is equal to the cross-sectional area of the trunk or the branch immediately below the branching point) using simulations based on two biomechanical models: the uniform stress and elastic similarity models. Model calculations of the daughter/mother ratio (i.e., the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the daughter branches to the cross-sectional area of the mother branch at the branching point) showed that both biomechanical models agreed with da Vinci's rule when the branching angles of daughter branches and the weights of lateral daughter branches were small; however, the models deviated from da Vinci's rule as the weights and/or the branching angles of lateral daughter branches increased. The calculated values of the two models were largely similar but differed in some ways. Field measurements of Fagus crenata and Abies homolepis also fit this trend, wherein models deviated from da Vinci's rule with increasing relative weights of lateral daughter branches. However, this deviation was small for a branching pattern in nature, where empirical measurements were taken under realistic measurement conditions; thus, da Vinci's rule did not critically contradict the biomechanical models in the case of real branching patterns, though the model calculations described the contradiction between da Vinci's rule and the biomechanical models. The field data for Fagus crenata fit the uniform stress model best, indicating that stress uniformity is the key constraint of branch morphology in Fagus crenata rather than elastic similarity or da Vinci's rule. On the other hand, mechanical constraints are not necessarily significant in the morphology of Abies homolepis branches, depending on the number of daughter branches. Rather, these branches were often in agreement with da Vinci's rule. PMID:24714065

Tree branching: Leonardo da Vinci's rule versus biomechanical models.

Science.gov (United States)

Minamino, Ryoko; Tateno, Masaki

2014-01-01

This study examined Leonardo da Vinci's rule (i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional area of all tree branches above a branching point at any height is equal to the cross-sectional area of the trunk or the branch immediately below the branching point) using simulations based on two biomechanical models: the uniform stress and elastic similarity models. Model calculations of the daughter/mother ratio (i.e., the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the daughter branches to the cross-sectional area of the mother branch at the branching point) showed that both biomechanical models agreed with da Vinci's rule when the branching angles of daughter branches and the weights of lateral daughter branches were small; however, the models deviated from da Vinci's rule as the weights and/or the branching angles of lateral daughter branches increased. The calculated values of the two models were largely similar but differed in some ways. Field measurements of Fagus crenata and Abies homolepis also fit this trend, wherein models deviated from da Vinci's rule with increasing relative weights of lateral daughter branches. However, this deviation was small for a branching pattern in nature, where empirical measurements were taken under realistic measurement conditions; thus, da Vinci's rule did not critically contradict the biomechanical models in the case of real branching patterns, though the model calculations described the contradiction between da Vinci's rule and the biomechanical models. The field data for Fagus crenata fit the uniform stress model best, indicating that stress uniformity is the key constraint of branch morphology in Fagus crenata rather than elastic similarity or da Vinci's rule. On the other hand, mechanical constraints are not necessarily significant in the morphology of Abies homolepis branches, depending on the number of daughter branches. Rather, these branches were often in agreement with da Vinci's rule.

Agricultural Exposures, Multiple Myeloma Etiology: Profile of Jonathan Hofmann

Science.gov (United States)

Tenure-track investigator Jonathan Hofmann, Ph.D., M.P.H., has established a research program in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch focused on the role of agricultural exposures in the etiology of multiple myeloma and other cancers, and on understanding the biological mechanisms that influence the development and progression of multiple myeloma.

Cravity modulation of the moss Tortula modica branching

Science.gov (United States)

Khorkavtsiv, Yaroslava; Kit, Nadja

Among various abiotic factors the sensor system of plants constantly perceives light and gravitation impulses and reacts on their action by photo- and gravitropisms. Tropisms play fundamental part in ontogenesis and determination of plant forms. Essentially important question is how light initiating phototropic bending modulates gravitropism. In contrast to flower plants, red light is phototropically active for mosses, and phytochromic system controls initiation of apical growth, branching and photomorphogenesis of mosses. The aim of this investigation was to analyse cell branching of protonemata Tortula modica Zander depending on the direction of light and gravitation vector. The influence of light and gravitation on the form of protonemal turf T. modica, branching and the angle of lateral branches relative to axis of mother cell growth has been investigated. As moss protonemata is not branched in the darkness, light is necessary for branching activation. Minimally low intensity of the red light (0.2 mmol (.) m (-2) ({) .}sec (-1) ) induced branching without visual display of phototropic growth. It has been established that unidirectional action of light and gravitation intensifies branching, and, on the contrary, perpendicularly oriented vectors of factors weaken branches formation. Besides, parallel oriented vectors initiated branching from both cell sides, but oppositely directed vectors initiated branching only from one side. Clinostate rotation the change of the vector gravity and causes uniform cell branching, hence, light and gravitation mutually influence the branching system form of the protonemata cell. It has been shown that the angle of lateral branches in darkness does not depend on the direction of light and gravitation action. After lighting the local growth of the cell wall took place mainly under the angle 90 (o) to the axes of mother cell growth. Then the angle gradually decreased and in 3-4 cell divisions the lateral branch grew under the angle

Onset condition of the off take from the stratified region to the branch with arbitrary direction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae Young; Choo, Kyo Seong; Kim, Man Woong

2004-01-01

Two phase discharge from a stratified region through single or multiple branches has been studied considerably in the past two decades. The flow distribution in the header-feeder system of CANDU(Canada Deuterium and Uranium) reactors during accident scenario is one of good examples of these applications. Recently, the passive safety feature for PWR(Pressurized Water Reactor) introduce the concept of DVI(Direct Vessel Injection) for the emergency core make up. The expected water sweep out phenomena needs careful models including the curvature effect of down comer shell and the multi branches. It has been generally accepted that the onset condition of the off take follows the 2.5 power law, but recently, Lee et al. discussed that the experimental data produced large scattering to the 2.5 power law. Also, the effect of branch angle on the onset point of off take remains still as an unsolved problem. Hwang et al produced the CANDU specific branch angles of 0, +-90, +-36, +-72. The experimental results showed severe deviation from the 2.5 power law and needs mechanistic understanding on these phenomena. In the present paper, we try to develop a general model of onset point including the branch orientation

Additional chain-branching pathways in the low-temperature oxidation of branched alkanes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhandong

2015-12-31

Chain-branching reactions represent a general motif in chemistry, encountered in atmospheric chemistry, combustion, polymerization, and photochemistry; the nature and amount of radicals generated by chain-branching are decisive for the reaction progress, its energy signature, and the time towards its completion. In this study, experimental evidence for two new types of chain-branching reactions is presented, based upon detection of highly oxidized multifunctional molecules (HOM) formed during the gas-phase low-temperature oxidation of a branched alkane under conditions relevant to combustion. The oxidation of 2,5-dimethylhexane (DMH) in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) was studied using synchrotron vacuum ultra-violet photoionization molecular beam mass spectrometry (SVUV-PI-MBMS). Specifically, species with four and five oxygen atoms were probed, having molecular formulas of C8H14O4 (e.g., diketo-hydroperoxide/keto-hydroperoxy cyclic ether) and C8H16O5 (e.g., keto-dihydroperoxide/dihydroperoxy cyclic ether), respectively. The formation of C8H16O5 species involves alternative isomerization of OOQOOH radicals via intramolecular H-atom migration, followed by third O2 addition, intramolecular isomerization, and OH release; C8H14O4 species are proposed to result from subsequent reactions of C8H16O5 species. The mechanistic pathways involving these species are related to those proposed as a source of low-volatility highly oxygenated species in Earth\\'s troposphere. At the higher temperatures relevant to auto-ignition, they can result in a net increase of hydroxyl radical production, so these are additional radical chain-branching pathways for ignition. The results presented herein extend the conceptual basis of reaction mechanisms used to predict the reaction behavior of ignition, and have implications on atmospheric gas-phase chemistry and the oxidative stability of organic substances. © 2015 The Combustion Institute.

Optimization of multi-branch switched diversity systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Haewoon

2009-10-01

A performance optimization based on the optimal switching threshold(s) for a multi-branch switched diversity system is discussed in this paper. For the conventional multi-branch switched diversity system with a single switching threshold, the optimal switching threshold is a function of both the average channel SNR and the number of diversity branches, where computing the optimal switching threshold is not a simple task when the number of diversity branches is high. The newly proposed multi-branch switched diversity system is based on a sequence of switching thresholds, instead of a single switching threshold, where a different diversity branch uses a different switching threshold for signal comparison. Thanks to the fact that each switching threshold in the sequence can be optimized only based on the number of the remaining diversity branches, the proposed system makes it easy to find these switching thresholds. Furthermore, some selected numerical and simulation results show that the proposed switched diversity system with the sequence of optimal switching thresholds outperforms the conventional system with the single optimal switching threshold. © 2009 IEEE.

Auxin transport in the evolution of branching forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, C Jill

2017-07-01

Contents 545 I. 545 II. 546 III. 546 IV. 548 V. 548 VI. 549 VII. 549 Acknowledgements 549 References 549 SUMMARY: Branching is one of the most striking aspects of land plant architecture, affecting resource acquisition and yield. Polar auxin transport by PIN proteins is a primary determinant of flowering plant branching patterns regulating both branch initiation and branch outgrowth. Several lines of experimental evidence suggest that PIN-mediated polar auxin transport is a conserved regulator of branching in vascular plant sporophytes. However, the mechanisms of branching and auxin transport and relationships between the two are not well known outside the flowering plants, and the paradigm for PIN-regulated branching in flowering plants does not fit bryophyte gametophytes. The evidence reviewed here suggests that divergent auxin transport routes contributed to the diversification of branching forms in distinct land plant lineages. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Branch Width and Height Influence the Incorporation of Branches into Foraging Trails and Travel Speed in Leafcutter Ants Atta cephalotes (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, B M; Chaves-Campos, J

2016-06-01

Fallen branches are often incorporated into Atta cephalotes (L.) foraging trails to optimize leaf tissue transport rates and economize trail maintenance. Recent studies in lowlands show laden A. cephalotes travel faster across fallen branches than on ground, but more slowly ascending or descending a branch. The latter is likely because (1) it is difficult to travel up or downhill and (2) bottlenecks occur when branches are narrower than preceding trail. Hence, both branch height and width should determine whether branches decrease net travel times, but no study has evaluated it yet. Laden A. cephalotes were timed in relation to branch width and height across segments preceding, accessing, across, and departing a fallen branch in the highlands of Costa Rica. Ants traveled faster on branches than on cleared segments of trunk-trail, but accelerated when ascending or descending the branch-likely because of the absence of bottlenecks during the day in the highlands. Branch size did not affect ant speed in observed branches; the majority of which (22/24) varied from 11 to 120 mm in both height and width (average 66 mm in both cases). To determine whether ants exclude branches outside this range, ants were offered the choice between branches within this range and branches that were taller/wider than 120 mm. Ants strongly preferred the former. Our results indicate that A. cephalotes can adjust their speed to compensate for the difficulty of traveling on branch slopes. More generally, branch size should be considered when studying ant foraging efficiency.

Multifractal structure of multiparticle production in the branching models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, C.B.; Hwa, R.C.

1990-01-01

A procedure is described for the multifractal analysis of data on multiparticle production obtained at high energy either in experiment or in Monte Carlo simulation. It is shown how the spectrum f(α) of the rapidity-density index α can be determined from the multiplicity fluctuation of the rapidity distribution, as the resolution is changed. The branching model is used to illustrate the procedure. It is found that the φ 3 model has a narrower f(α) than the gluon model, suggesting that multifractality is a useful arena for confrontation between theory and experiment. 13 refs., 2 figs

Persistence-Based Branch Misprediction Bounds for WCET Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Puffitsch, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Branch prediction is an important feature of pipelined processors to achieve high performance. However, it can lead to overly pessimistic worst-case execution time (WCET) bounds when being modeled too conservatively. This paper presents bounds on the number of branch mispredictions for local...... dynamic branch predictors. To handle interferences between branch instructions we use the notion of persistence, a concept that is also found in cache analyses. The bounds apply to branches in general, not only to branches that close a loop. Furthermore, the bounds can be easily integrated into integer...... linear programming formulations of the WCET problem. An evaluation on a number of benchmarks shows that with these bounds, dynamic branch prediction does not necessarily lead to higher WCET bounds than static prediction schemes....

Accessibility of observable and unobservable characteristics in autobiographical memories of recent and distant past.

Science.gov (United States)

Karylowski, Jerzy J; Mrozinski, Blazej

2017-02-01

Self-reports regarding how people visualise themselves during events that occurred in the past show that for events from the distant past individuals report assuming a more external perspective than for events from the recent past [Nigro, G., & Neisser, U. (1983). Point of view in personal memories. Cognitive Psychology, 15, 467-482; Pronin, E., & Ross, L. (2006). Temporal differences in trait self-ascription. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 90, 197-209]. Thus it appears that, with the passage of time, representations of self embodied in memories of past events lose their position of an insider and assume a more ordinary position of self as an object seen from the perspective of an outside observer. The purpose of the present experiment was to examine this shift using a performance-based measure of accessibility. Results showed that self-judgements regarding unobservable, covert characteristics were faster for recent-compared to more distant-autobiographical events. However, self-judgements regarding observable, overt characteristics were faster for more distant events. This suggests an accessibility-based mechanism underlying the shift from internal to the relatively more external perspective in forming self-images related to the distant past.

Branched-chain fatty acid biosynthesis in a branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase mutant of Staphylococcus carnosus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Hans Christian

2005-01-01

Fatty acid biosynthesis by a mutant strain of Staphylococcus carnosus deficient in branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (IlvE) activity was analysed. This mutant was unable to produce the appropriate branched-chain alpha-ketoacid precursors for branched-chain fatty acid biosynthesis from...... in rich medium and growth in defined medium supplemented with 2-methylpropanoic acid lead to extensive alteration of the fatty acid composition in the cell membrane. In rich medium, a change from 51.7% to 17.1% anteiso-C15:0, and from 3.6% to 33.9% iso-C14:0 fatty acids as compared to the wild-type strain...... for 2-methylpropanoic acid production, revealing that the IlvE protein plays an important, but not essential role in the biosynthesis of branched-chain fatty acids and secondary metabolites in S. carnosus....

Reichenbach and the conventionality of distant simultaneity in perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dieks, D.G.B.J.

2008-01-01

We take another look at Reichenbach’s 1920 conversion to conventionalism, with a special eye to the background of his ‘conventionality of distant simultaneity’ thesis. We argue that elements of Reichenbach earlier neo-Kantianism can still be discerned in his later work and, related to this, that his

Notes on the genus Pirdana Distant, 1886 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, de R.; Treadaway, C.G.

1993-01-01

In the Oriental genus Pirdana Distant, 1886, the new species P. fusca is described from Samar (E Philippines). The phylogeny of the genus is discussed and as a consequence the endemic Sulawesi taxon P. hyela ismene (Felder & Felder, [1867]) is given back its species rank, bringing the total number

Wind-Induced Reconfigurations in Flexible Branched Trees

Science.gov (United States)

Ojo, Oluwafemi; Shoele, Kourosh

2017-11-01

Wind induced stresses are the major mechanical cause of failure in trees. We know that the branching mechanism has an important effect on the stress distribution and stability of a tree in the wind. Eloy in PRL 2011, showed that Leonardo da Vinci's original observation which states the total cross section of branches is conserved across branching nodes is the best configuration for resisting wind-induced fracture in rigid trees. However, prediction of the fracture risk and pattern of a tree is also a function of their reconfiguration capabilities and how they mitigate large wind-induced stresses. In this studies through developing an efficient numerical simulation of flexible branched trees, we explore the role of the tree flexibility on the optimal branching. Our results show that the probability of a tree breaking at any point depends on both the cross-section changes in the branching nodes and the level of tree flexibility. It is found that the branching mechanism based on Leonardo da Vinci's original observation leads to a uniform stress distribution over a wide range of flexibilities but the pattern changes for more flexible systems.

Video-mediated communication to support distant family connectedness.

Science.gov (United States)

Furukawa, Ryoko; Driessnack, Martha

2013-02-01

It can be difficult to maintain family connections with geographically distant members. However, advances in computer-human interaction (CHI) systems, including video-mediated communication (VMC) are emerging. While VMC does not completely substitute for physical face-to-face communication, it appears to provide a sense of virtual copresence through the addition of visual and contextual cues to verbal communication between family members. The purpose of this study was to explore current patterns of VMC use, experiences, and family functioning among self-identified VMC users separated geographically from their families. A total of 341 participants (ages 18 to above 70) completed an online survey and Family APGAR. Ninty-six percent of the participants reported that VMC was the most common communication method used and 60% used VMC at least once/week. The most common reason cited for using VMC over other methods of communication was the addition of visual cues. A significant difference between the Family APGAR scores and the number of positive comments about VMC experience was also found. This exploratory study provides insight into the acceptance of VMC and its usefulness in maintaining connections with distant family members.

All change at the CERN UBS branch

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2012-01-01

UBS branches across the country are being modernised, and the CERN branch is no exception. The Bulletin brings you a preview of the project, which will get under way in January 2013.   Mock-up of the renovated UBS branch. The changes at the UBS branch in CERN's Main Building will be no simple facelift. The entire bank will be renovated, transforming the present relatively confined premises into an open and attractive area. "The renovation of the UBS branches is part of a wider campaign designed to further enhance our customer relations," explains Ezio Mangia, the head of the CERN branch.  The UBS bank currently occupies three sets of premises in CERN's Main Building (two on the ground floor and one in the basement). "By the end of the work, which is scheduled to be completed by the middle of next year, CERN customers will benefit from a new area with open-plan counters and "hole-in-the-wall" machines accessible to...

Prebiotic branched galacto-oligosaccharides (gos)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lammerts van Bueren-Brandt, Alica; Dijkhuizen, Lubbert

2018-01-01

The invention relates to galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) compositions and the use thereof. Provided is the use of a GOS composition comprising branched and linear GOS species having a degree of polymerization (DP) of 3, wherein the branched DP3 GOS species are present in excess of linear DP3 GOS

Benign metastasizing leiomyoma presenting as multiple cystic pulmonary nodules: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Choe, Yeong Hun; Jeon, So Yeon; Lee, Yoon Chae; Chung, Myung Ja; Park, Seung Yong; Lee, Yong Chul; Kim, So Ri

2017-09-12

Benign metastatic leiomyoma (BML) is an extremely rare disease. Although uterine leiomyomas are benign histologically, they can metastasize to distant sites. While the incidence is very low, the lung is the organ most frequently affected by BML. Pulmonary BML usually presents as numerous well-defined nodules of various sizes, while the cavitary or cystic features in the nodules are rarely observed on radiologic images. A 52-year-old woman complained of cough and dyspnea for one month. She had been previously diagnosed with uterine leiomyoma and had undergone total hysterectomy about 14 years prior. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) images showed that there were multiple cystic nodules of various sizes in both lungs. Pathologic examination revealed that the pulmonary nodule had complex branching glandular structures lined by a single layer of simple cuboidal to columnar epithelium that was surrounded by abundant spindle cells. Additional immunohistochemistry data suggested that pulmonary nodule diagnosis was BML-associated uterine leiomyoma. In this report, we introduce an interesting case of pulmonary BML that presented as a combination of various kinds of nodules including simple round nodules, simple cysts, and cysts with a solid portion, which are very rare radiologic features of BML in lung. In addition, when the patient is a woman of reproductive age, physicians should meticulously review the gynecological history and suspect BML when there are various cystic pulmonary lesions.

Hedonic Benefits of Close and Distant Interaction Partners: The Mediating Roles of Social Approval and Authenticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Venaglia, Rachel B; Lemay, Edward P

2017-09-01

The current research utilized ecological momentary assessment methodology to examine affective responses to interacting with close versus distant interaction partners during naturally occurring social interactions, and to test predictions regarding the mediating roles of perceived social approval and authenticity. Analysis of 4,602 social interactions reported by 176 participants suggested that, relative to interactions with distant partners, interactions with close partners were characterized by more positive affect. This effect was mediated by perceived social approval and authenticity. These findings suggest that social interactions with close others confer greater hedonic benefits relative to interactions with distant partners due to greater confidence in social approval and feelings of authenticity. Exploratory analyses suggested that interactions with close partners featured warmer and less shy behavior, and that participants who placed more importance on close relationships (as measured by high relational-interdependent self-construal) experienced more approval and authenticity in their interactions, particularly with distant partners.

Branching trajectory continual integral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maslov, V.P.; Chebotarev, A.M.

1980-01-01

Heuristic definition of the Feynman continual integral over branching trajectories is suggested which makes it possible to obtain in the closed form the solution of the Cauchy problem for the model Hartree equation. A number of properties of the solution is derived from an integral representation. In particular, the quasiclassical asymptotics, exact solution in the gaussian case and perturbation theory series are described. The existence theorem for the simpliest continual integral over branching trajectories is proved [ru

Entanglement of distant superconducting quantum interference device rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zukarnain, Z Ahmad; Konstadopoulou, A; Vourdas, A; Migliore, R; Messina, A

2005-01-01

We consider two distant mesoscopic SQUID rings, approximated with two-level systems, interacting with two-mode microwaves. The Hamiltonian of the system is used to calculate its time evolution. The cases with microwaves which at t = 0 are in separable states (classically correlated) or entangled states (quantum mechanically correlated) are studied. It is shown that the Josephson currents in the two SQUID rings are also correlated

VD-411 branch driver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbunov, N.V.; Karev, A.G.; Mal'tsev, Eh.I.; Morozov, B.A.

1985-01-01

The VD-411 branch driver for CAMAC moduli control by the SM-4 computer is described. The driver realizes data exchange with moduli disposed in 28 crates grouped in 4 branches. Data exchange can be carried out either in the program regime or in the regime of direct access to the memory. Fulfilment of 11 block regimes and one program regime is provided for. A possibility of individual programming of exchange methods in block regimes is left for users for organisation of quicker and most flexible data removal from the CAMAC moduli. In the regime of direct access the driver provides data transmission at the size up to 64 Kwords placing it in the computer memory of 2 M byte. High rate of data transmission and the developed system of interruptions ensure efficient utilization of the VD-411 branch driver at data removal from facilities in high energy physics experiments

Human vagus nerve branching in the cervical region.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels Hammer

Full Text Available Vagus nerve stimulation is increasingly applied to treat epilepsy, psychiatric conditions and potentially chronic heart failure. After implanting vagus nerve electrodes to the cervical vagus nerve, side effects such as voice alterations and dyspnea or missing therapeutic effects are observed at different frequencies. Cervical vagus nerve branching might partly be responsible for these effects. However, vagus nerve branching has not yet been described in the context of vagus nerve stimulation.Branching of the cervical vagus nerve was investigated macroscopically in 35 body donors (66 cervical sides in the carotid sheath. After X-ray imaging for determining the vertebral levels of cervical vagus nerve branching, samples were removed to confirm histologically the nerve and to calculate cervical vagus nerve diameters and cross-sections.Cervical vagus nerve branching was observed in 29% of all cases (26% unilaterally, 3% bilaterally and proven histologically in all cases. Right-sided branching (22% was more common than left-sided branching (12% and occurred on the level of the fourth and fifth vertebra on the left and on the level of the second to fifth vertebra on the right side. Vagus nerves without branching were significantly larger than vagus nerves with branches, concerning their diameters (4.79 mm vs. 3.78 mm and cross-sections (7.24 mm2 vs. 5.28 mm2.Cervical vagus nerve branching is considerably more frequent than described previously. The side-dependent differences of vagus nerve branching may be linked to the asymmetric effects of the vagus nerve. Cervical vagus nerve branching should be taken into account when identifying main trunk of the vagus nerve for implanting electrodes to minimize potential side effects or lacking therapeutic benefits of vagus nerve stimulation.

Short branches lead to systematic artifacts when BLAST searches are used as surrogate for phylogenetic reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Dick, Amanda A; Harlow, Timothy J; Gogarten, J Peter

2017-02-01

Long Branch Attraction (LBA) is a well-known artifact in phylogenetic reconstruction when dealing with branch length heterogeneity. Here we show another phenomenon, Short Branch Attraction (SBA), which occurs when BLAST searches, a phenetic analysis, are used as a surrogate method for phylogenetic analysis. This error also results from branch length heterogeneity, but this time it is the short branches that are attracting. The SBA artifact is reciprocal and can be returned 100% of the time when multiple branches differ in length by a factor of more than two. SBA is an intended feature of BLAST searches, but becomes an issue, when top scoring BLAST hit analyses are used to infer Horizontal Gene Transfers (HGTs), assign taxonomic category with environmental sequence data in phylotyping, or gather homologous sequences for building gene families. SBA can lead researchers to believe that there has been a HGT event when only vertical descent has occurred, cause slowly evolving taxa to be over-represented and quickly evolving taxa to be under-represented in phylotyping, or systematically exclude quickly evolving taxa from analyses. SBA also contributes to the changing results of top scoring BLAST hit analyses as the database grows, because more slowly evolving taxa, or short branches, are added over time, introducing more potential for SBA. SBA can be detected by examining reciprocal best BLAST hits among a larger group of taxa, including the known closest phylogenetic neighbors. Therefore, one should look for this phenomenon when conducting best BLAST hit analyses as a surrogate method to identify HGTs, in phylotyping, or when using BLAST to gather homologous sequences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermoelectric effects in disordered branched nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Roslyak, Oleksiy; Piriatinskiy, Andrei

2013-03-01

We shall develop formalism of thermal and electrical transport in Si1 - x Gex and BiTe nanowires. The key feature of those nanowires is the possibility of dendrimer type branching. The branching tree can be of size comparable to the short wavelength of phonons and by far smaller than the long wavelength of conducting electrons. Hence it is expected that the branching may suppress thermal and let alone electrical conductance. We demonstrate that the morphology of branches strongly affects the electronic conductance. The effect is important to the class of materials known as thermoelectrics. The small size of the branching region makes large temperature and electrical gradients. On the other hand the smallness of the region would allow the electrical transport being ballistic. As usual for the mesoscopic systems we have to solve macroscopic (temperature) and microscopic ((electric potential, current)) equations self-consistently. Electronic conductance is studied via NEGF formalism on the irreducible electron transfer graph. We also investigate the figure of merit ZT as a measure of the suppressed electron conductance.

Utilizing Combined Methodologies to Define the Role of Plasma Membrane Delivery During Axon Branching and Neuronal Morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Winkle, Cortney C; Hanlin, Christopher C; Gupton, Stephanie L

2016-03-16

During neural development, growing axons extend to multiple synaptic partners by elaborating axonal branches. Axon branching is promoted by extracellular guidance cues like netrin-1 and results in dramatic increases to the surface area of the axonal plasma membrane. Netrin-1-dependent axon branching likely involves temporal and spatial control of plasma membrane expansion, the components of which are supplied through exocytic vesicle fusion. These fusion events are preceded by formation of SNARE complexes, comprising a v-SNARE, such as VAMP2 (vesicle-associated membrane protein 2), and plasma membrane t-SNAREs, syntaxin-1 and SNAP25 (synaptosomal-associated protein 25). Detailed herein isa multi-pronged approach used to examine the role of SNARE mediated exocytosis in axon branching. The strength of the combined approach is data acquisition at a range of spatial and temporal resolutions, spanning from the dynamics of single vesicle fusion events in individual neurons to SNARE complex formation and axon branching in populations of cultured neurons. This protocol takes advantage of established biochemical approaches to assay levels of endogenous SNARE complexes and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy of cortical neurons expressing VAMP2 tagged with a pH-sensitive GFP (VAMP2-pHlourin) to identify netrin-1 dependent changes in exocytic activity in individual neurons. To elucidate the timing of netrin-1-dependent branching, time-lapse differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy of single neurons over the order of hours is utilized. Fixed cell immunofluorescence paired with botulinum neurotoxins that cleave SNARE machinery and block exocytosis demonstrates that netrin-1 dependent axon branching requires SNARE-mediated exocytic activity.

TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 Regulates Inflorescence Architecture and Development in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum).

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, Laura E; Greenwood, Julian R; Bencivenga, Stefano; Zhang, Peng; Cockram, James; Mellers, Gregory; Ramm, Kerrie; Cavanagh, Colin; Swain, Steve M; Boden, Scott A

2018-03-01

The flowers of major cereals are arranged on reproductive branches known as spikelets, which group together to form an inflorescence. Diversity for inflorescence architecture has been exploited during domestication to increase crop yields, and genetic variation for this trait has potential to further boost grain production. Multiple genes that regulate inflorescence architecture have been identified by studying alleles that modify gene activity or dosage; however, little is known in wheat. Here, we show TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 ( TB1 ) regulates inflorescence architecture in bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) by investigating lines that display a form of inflorescence branching known as "paired spikelets." We show that TB1 interacts with FLOWERING LOCUS T1 and that increased dosage of TB1 alters inflorescence architecture and growth rate in a process that includes reduced expression of meristem identity genes, with allelic diversity for TB1 found to associate genetically with paired spikelet development in modern cultivars. We propose TB1 coordinates formation of axillary spikelets during the vegetative to floral transition and that alleles known to modify dosage or function of TB1 could help increase wheat yields. © 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Additive versus multiplicative muon conservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemethy, P.

1981-01-01

Experimental elucidation of the question of muon conservation is reviewed. It is shown that neutral-current experiments have not yet yielded information about muonium-antimuonium conversion at the weak-interaction level and that all the charged-current experiments agree that there is no evidence for a multiplicative law. The best limits, from the muon-decay neutrino experiment at LAMPF and from the inverse muon-decay experiment in the CERN neutrino beam, definitely exclude multiplicative law schemes with a branching ratio R approximately 1/2. It is concluded that unless the dynamics conspire to make a multiplicative law with very small R it would appear that muon conservation obeys conserved additive lepton flavor law. (U.K.)

Deterministically entangling multiple remote quantum memories inside an optical cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhihui; Liu, Yanhong; Yan, Jieli; Jia, Xiaojun

2018-01-01

Quantum memory for the nonclassical state of light and entanglement among multiple remote quantum nodes hold promise for a large-scale quantum network, however, continuous-variable (CV) memory efficiency and entangled degree are limited due to imperfect implementation. Here we propose a scheme to deterministically entangle multiple distant atomic ensembles based on CV cavity-enhanced quantum memory. The memory efficiency can be improved with the help of cavity-enhanced electromagnetically induced transparency dynamics. A high degree of entanglement among multiple atomic ensembles can be obtained by mapping the quantum state from multiple entangled optical modes into a collection of atomic spin waves inside optical cavities. Besides being of interest in terms of unconditional entanglement among multiple macroscopic objects, our scheme paves the way towards the practical application of quantum networks.

Quantification of branching in model three-arm star polyethylene

KAUST Repository

Ramachandran, Ramnath; Beaucage, Gregory B.; Rai, Durgesh K.; Lohse, David J.; Sun, Thomas; Tsou, Andy; Norman, Alexander Iain; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2012-01-01

The versatility of a novel scaling approach in quantifying the structure of model well-defined 3-arm star polyethylene molecules is presented. Many commercial polyethylenes have long side branches, and the nature and quantity of these branches varies widely among the various forms. For instance, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is typically a highly branched structure with broad distributions in branch content, branch lengths and branch generation (in hyperbranched structures). This makes it difficult to accurately quantify the structure and the inherent structure-property relationships. To overcome this drawback, model well-defined hydrogenated polybutadiene (HPB) structures have been synthesized via anionic polymerization and hydrogenation to serve as model analogues to long-chain branched polyethylene. In this article, model 3-arm star polyethylene molecules are quantified using the scaling approach. Along with the long-chain branch content in polyethylene, the approach also provides unique measurements of long-chain branch length and hyperbranch content. Such detailed description facilitates better understanding of the effect of branching on the physical properties of polyethylene. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Quantification of branching in model three-arm star polyethylene

KAUST Repository

Ramachandran, Ramnath

2012-01-24

The versatility of a novel scaling approach in quantifying the structure of model well-defined 3-arm star polyethylene molecules is presented. Many commercial polyethylenes have long side branches, and the nature and quantity of these branches varies widely among the various forms. For instance, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is typically a highly branched structure with broad distributions in branch content, branch lengths and branch generation (in hyperbranched structures). This makes it difficult to accurately quantify the structure and the inherent structure-property relationships. To overcome this drawback, model well-defined hydrogenated polybutadiene (HPB) structures have been synthesized via anionic polymerization and hydrogenation to serve as model analogues to long-chain branched polyethylene. In this article, model 3-arm star polyethylene molecules are quantified using the scaling approach. Along with the long-chain branch content in polyethylene, the approach also provides unique measurements of long-chain branch length and hyperbranch content. Such detailed description facilitates better understanding of the effect of branching on the physical properties of polyethylene. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Bi-objective branch-and-cut algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gadegaard, Sune Lauth; Ehrgott, Matthias; Nielsen, Lars Relund

Most real-world optimization problems are of a multi-objective nature, involving objectives which are conflicting and incomparable. Solving a multi-objective optimization problem requires a method which can generate the set of rational compromises between the objectives. In this paper, we propose...... are strengthened by cutting planes. In addition, we suggest an extension of the branching strategy "Pareto branching''. Extensive computational results obtained for the bi-objective single source capacitated facility location problem prove the effectiveness of the algorithms....... and compares it to an upper bound set. The implicit bound set based algorithm, on the other hand, fathoms branching nodes by generating a single point on the lower bound set for each local nadir point. We outline several approaches for fathoming branching nodes and we propose an updating scheme for the lower...

Geology of the Cane Branch and Helton Branch watershed areas, McCreary County, Kentucky

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Erwin J.

1957-01-01

Cane Branch and Helton Branch in McCreary County, Kentucky, are about 1.4 miles apart (fig. 1). Can Branch, which is about 2.1 miles long, emptied into Hughes Fork of Beaver Creek. Its watershed area of about 1.5 square miles lies largely in the Wiborf 7 1/2-minute quadrangle (SW/4 Cumberland Falls 15-minute quadrangle), but the downstream part of the area extends northward into the Hail 7 1/2-minute quadrangle (NW/4 Cumberland Falls 15-minute quadrangle). Helton Branch, which is about 1.1 miles long, has two tributaries and empties into Little Hurricane Fork of Beaver Creek. It drains an area of about 0.8 square mile of while about 0.5 square mile is in the Hail quadrangle and the remainder in the Wilborg quadrangle. The total relief in the Can Branch area is about 500 feet and in the Helton Branch area about 400 feet. Narrow, steep-sided to canyon-like valley and winding ridges, typical of the Pottsville escarpment region, are characteristic of both areas. Thick woods and dense undergrowth cover much of the two areas. Field mapping was done on U.S. Geological Survey 7 1/2-minute maps having a scale of 1:24,000 and a contour interval of 20 feet. Elevations of lithologic contacts were determined with a barometer and a hand level. Aerial photographs were used principally to trace the cliffs formed by sandstone and conglomerate ledges. Exposures, except for those of the cliff- and ledge-forming sandstone and conglomerates, are not abundant. The most complete stratigraphic sections (secs. 3 and 4, fig. 2) in the two areas are exposed in cuts of newly completed Forest Service roads, but the rick in the upper parts of the exposures is weathered. To supplement these sections, additional sections were measured in cuts along the railroad and main highways in nor near the watersheds.

Light and shadow from distant worlds.

Science.gov (United States)

Deming, Drake; Seager, Sara

2009-11-19

Exoplanets are distant worlds that orbit stars other than our Sun. More than 370 such planets are known, and a growing fraction of them are discovered because they transit their star as seen from Earth. The special transit geometry enables us to measure masses and radii for dozens of planets, and we have identified gases in the atmospheres of several giant ones. Within the next decade, we expect to find and study a 'habitable' rocky planet transiting a cool red dwarf star close to our Sun. Eventually, we will be able to image the light from an Earth-like world orbiting a nearby solar-type star.

3rd Workshop on Branching Processes and their Applications

CERN Document Server

González, Miguel; Gutiérrez, Cristina; Martínez, Rodrigo; Minuesa, Carmen; Molina, Manuel; Mota, Manuel; Ramos, Alfonso; WBPA15

2016-01-01

This volume gathers papers originally presented at the 3rd Workshop on Branching Processes and their Applications (WBPA15), which was held from 7 to 10 April 2015 in Badajoz, Spain (http://branching.unex.es/wbpa15/index.htm). The papers address a broad range of theoretical and practical aspects of branching process theory. Further, they amply demonstrate that the theoretical research in this area remains vital and topical, as well as the relevance of branching concepts in the development of theoretical approaches to solving new problems in applied fields such as Epidemiology, Biology, Genetics, and, of course, Population Dynamics. The topics covered can broadly be classified into the following areas: 1. Coalescent Branching Processes 2. Branching Random Walks 3. Population Growth Models in Varying and Random Environments 4. Size/Density/Resource-Dependent Branching Models 5. Age-Dependent Branching Models 6. Special Branching Models 7. Applications in Epidemiology 8. Applications in Biology and Genetics Offer...

The onset of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum at Branch Stream, Clarence River valley, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slotnick, B.S.; Dickens, G.R.; Hollis, C.J.; Crampton, J.S.; Strong, C.P.; Phillips, A.

2015-01-01

We present new lithologic, biostratigraphic and carbon isotope records for a calcareous-rich ∼84m thick, early Eocene, upper continental slope section now exposed along Branch Stream, Marlborough. Decimetre-scale limestone-marl couplets comprise the section. Several marl-rich intervals correspond to carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) representing increased 13 C -depleted carbon fluxes to the ocean. These records are similar to those at nearby Mead Stream, except marl-rich intervals at Branch Stream are thicker with a wider δ 13 C range. Comparison to other sites indicates the section spans ∼53.4-51.6 Ma, the onset of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). The most prominent CIE is correlated with the K/X event (52.9 Ma). Prominent marl-rich intervals resulted from increased fluxes of terrigenous material and associated carbonate dilution. We find multiple warming events marked lowermost EECO, each probably signaling enhanced seasonal precipitation. Branch Stream bulk isotopic records suggest 'differential diagenesis' impacted the sequence during sediment burial. (author).

Multiplicities and parton dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knuteson, R.O.

1987-01-01

The production of strongly interacting particles from the annihilation of electrons and positrons at high energies is studied, with emphasis on the multiplicity, or number, of particles produced. A probabilistic branching model based on the leading log approximation in QCD is formulated to predict the evolution of particle number with the energy of collision. Direct integration of a master equation for the probabilities allows a comparison to the experimentally observed particle distribution. The production of strongly interacting particles from proton-antiproton collisions is also considered. A model for the production of particles from parton-parton collisions is presented and the growth in multiplicity with energy demonstrated

Overview by Pioneer observations of the distant geomagnetic tail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Villante, U [L' Aquila Univ. (Italy). Istituto de Astrofisica

1977-03-01

Pioneer 7 and Pioneer 8 spacecraft provided the only direct observations of the geomagnetic tail at geocentric distances as large as 1000 Rsub(e) and 500 Rsub(e) respectively. The presence of a low density plasma flow in the region of expected tail and the intermittent and short duration character of the tail encounters suggested in the past a distant tail structure remarkably different from its near-earth and cislunar shape. However the recent discovery of the plasma mantle allows interpretation of the Pioneer observations in terms of a distant tail that possibly is still preserving most of its near-earth characteristics. In particular, the region of tail encounters and the magnitude and direction of the observed magnetic field might be consistent with a cylindrical tail with a modestly increased cross-section. Neutral sheet observations also appear to be consistent with the most recent bidimensional tail models. Finally, as in the cislunar region, the double peaked proton energy spectra can be interpreted in terms of a partial intermingling of plasma sheet and plasma mantle populations.

Model of training of computer science teachers by means of distant education technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Т А Соловьева

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Training of future computer science teachers in conditions of informatization of education is analyzed. Distant educational technologies (DET and traditional process of training, their advantages and disadvantages are considered, active functions of DET as the basis of the model of training by means of DET is stressed. It is shown that mixed education combining both distant ant traditional technologies takes place on the basis of the created model. Practical use of the model is shown on the example of the course «Recursion» for future computer science teachers.

ENHANCING DISTANT LEARNING THROUGH EMAIL COMMUNICATION: A Case of BOU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. M. Rezanur RAHMAN

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Today computer has replaced all means of traditional communication significantly. Many distant learning tools claim to be interactive, but few can offer two-way communication. Email is the most popular means of communication medium now-a-days. Therefore, it may be used as an educational tool for learning. In present socio-economic condition of Bangladesh, learners can afford computer, cell phone and Internet. We took this opportunity to investigate the prospective use of these tools for distant learning. The present survey has been carried out to understand the present status of Internet knowledge among the learners and their views for possible introduction of e-mail communication as supporting tool for learning. BOU’s available infrastructural facilities for providing Internet support have been investigated. Furthermore, possible solutions have been pointed out to provide e-mail facility to the learner in a cost effective way.

Surgical resection of solitary distant metastasis from locoregionally controlled advanced hypopharyngeal malignancy: A ray of hope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chelakkot G Prameela

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Head and neck malignancies have always been challenging for the clinician, both with regards to locoregional control and distant metastasis. Aggressive approaches translate to an acceptable locoregional control, but distant failures pose a dilemma. Newer, sophisticated, imaging modalities have helped in early diagnosis of solitary metastasis, and in turn have opened up an array of interventional procedures, which to some extent improve the disease-free survival and quality of life, as was seen in the present case of locoregionally controlled advanced hypopharyngeal malignancy who presented with solitary distant metastasis. Still, diligent care needs to be taken not to aggravate the scenario with these interventions.

Coulomb branches with complex singularities

Science.gov (United States)

Argyres, Philip C.; Martone, Mario

2018-06-01

We construct 4d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) whose Coulomb branches have singular complex structures. This implies, in particular, that their Coulomb branch coordinate rings are not freely generated. Our construction also gives examples of distinct SCFTs which have identical moduli space (Coulomb, Higgs, and mixed branch) geometries. These SCFTs thus provide an interesting arena in which to test the relationship between moduli space geometries and conformal field theory data. We construct these SCFTs by gauging certain discrete global symmetries of N = 4 superYang-Mills (sYM) theories. In the simplest cases, these discrete symmetries are outer automorphisms of the sYM gauge group, and so these theories have lagrangian descriptions as N = 4 sYM theories with disconnected gauge groups.

Molecular Composition Analysis of Distant Targets

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Gary B.; Lubin, Philip

2017-01-01

This document is the Final Report for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I Grant 15-NIAC16A-0145, titled Molecular Composition Analysis of Distant Targets. The research was focused on developing a system concept for probing the molecular composition of cold solar system targets, such as Asteroids, Comets, Planets and Moons from a distant vantage, for example from a spacecraft that is orbiting the target (Hughes et al., 2015). The orbiting spacecraft is equipped with a high-power laser, which is run by electricity from photovoltaic panels. The laser is directed at a spot on the target. Materials on the surface of the target are heated by the laser beam, and begin to melt and then evaporate, forming a plume of asteroid molecules in front of the heated spot. The heated spot glows, producing blackbody illumination that is visible from the spacecraft, via a path through the evaporated plume. As the blackbody radiation from the heated spot passes through the plume of evaporated material, molecules in the plume absorb radiation in a manner that is specific to the rotational and vibrational characteristics of the specific molecules. A spectrometer aboard the spacecraft is used to observe absorption lines in the blackbody signal. The pattern of absorption can be used to estimate the molecular composition of materials in the plume, which originated on the target. Focusing on a single spot produces a borehole, and shallow subsurface profiling of the targets bulk composition is possible. At the beginning of the Phase I research, the estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the system was TRL-1. During the Phase I research, an end-to-end theoretical model of the sensor system was developed from first principles. The model includes laser energy and optical propagation, target heating, melting and evaporation of target material, plume density, thermal radiation from the heated spot, molecular cross section of likely asteroid materials, and estimation of the

Data acquisition using PDP-11 and MBD branch driver at L.B.L

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, E.H. Jr.

1979-05-01

A data acquisition system was designed and preliminary versions implemented for physics experiments at LBL. It utilizes an MBD microprogramed branch driver and a PDP-11 operating under RSM-11M. An MBD executive is used to implement software breakpoints within the MBD. The PDP-11 data acquisition buffer management scheme allows for multiple tasks dynamically accessing the data stream. Emphasis is directed towards future expansions. High data rates are also emphasized. 2 tables

[Lymph node and distant metastases of thyroid gland cancer. Metastases in the thyroid glands].

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, K W

2015-11-01

The different biological features of the various major entities of thyroid cancer, e.g. papillary, follicular, poorly differentiated, anaplastic and medullary, depend to a large extent on their different metastatic spread. Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has a propensity for cervical lymphatic spread that occurs in 20-50 % of patients whereas distant metastasis occurs in thyroid cancer (FTC) has a marked propensity for vascular but not lymphatic invasion and 10-20 % of FTC develop distant metastases. At the time of diagnosis approximately one third of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) cases show lymph node metastases, in 10-15 % distant metastases and 25 % develop metastases during the course of the disease. Poorly differentiated (PDTC) and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) spread via both lymphatic and vascular invasion. Thus distant metastases are relatively uncommon in DTC and when they occur, long-term stable disease is the typical clinical course. The major sites of distant metastases are the lungs and bone. Metastases to the brain, breasts, liver, kidneys, muscle and skin are relatively rare or even rare. The thyroid gland itself can be a site of metastases from a variety of other tumors. In autopsy series of patients with disseminated cancer disease, metastases to the thyroid gland were found in up to 10 % of cases. Metastases from other primary tumors to the thyroid gland have been reported in 1.4-3 % of patients who have surgery for suspected cancer of the thyroid gland. The most common primary cancers that metastasize to the thyroid gland are renal cell (48.1 %), colorectal (10.4 %), lung (8.3 %) and breast cancer (7.8 %) and surprisingly often sarcomas (4.0 %).

Conformations and solution properties of star-branched polyelectrolytes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borisov, O.V.; Zhulina, E.B.; Leermakers, F.A.M.; Ballauff, M.; Muller, A.H.E.

2011-01-01

Aqueous solutions of star-like polyelectrolytes (PEs) exhibit distinctive features that originate from the topological complexity of branched macromolecules. In a salt-free solution of branched PEs, mobile counterions preferentially localize in the intramolecular volume of branched macroions.

Vere-Jones' self-similar branching model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saichev, A.; Sornette, D.

2005-01-01

Motivated by its potential application to earthquake statistics as well as for its intrinsic interest in the theory of branching processes, we study the exactly self-similar branching process introduced recently by Vere-Jones. This model extends the ETAS class of conditional self-excited branching point-processes of triggered seismicity by removing the problematic need for a minimum (as well as maximum) earthquake size. To make the theory convergent without the need for the usual ultraviolet and infrared cutoffs, the distribution of magnitudes m ' of daughters of first-generation of a mother of magnitude m has two branches m ' ' >m with exponent β+d, where β and d are two positive parameters. We investigate the condition and nature of the subcritical, critical, and supercritical regime in this and in an extended version interpolating smoothly between several models. We predict that the distribution of magnitudes of events triggered by a mother of magnitude m over all generations has also two branches m ' ' >m with exponent β+h, with h=d√(1-s), where s is the fraction of triggered events. This corresponds to a renormalization of the exponent d into h by the hierarchy of successive generations of triggered events. For a significant part of the parameter space, the distribution of magnitudes over a full catalog summed over an average steady flow of spontaneous sources (immigrants) reproduces the distribution of the spontaneous sources with a single branch and is blind to the exponents β,d of the distribution of triggered events. Since the distribution of earthquake magnitudes is usually obtained with catalogs including many sequences, we conclude that the two branches of the distribution of aftershocks are not directly observable and the model is compatible with real seismic catalogs. In summary, the exactly self-similar Vere-Jones model provides an attractive new approach to model triggered seismicity, which alleviates delicate questions on the role of

Branching bisimulation congruence for probabilistic systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trcka, N.; Georgievska, S.; Aldini, A.; Baier, C.

2008-01-01

The notion of branching bisimulation for the alternating model of probabilistic systems is not a congruence with respect to parallel composition. In this paper we first define another branching bisimulation in the more general model allowing consecutive probabilistic transitions, and we prove that

Airway branching morphogenesis in three dimensional culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gudjonsson Thorarinn

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lungs develop from the fetal digestive tract where epithelium invades the vascular rich stroma in a process called branching morphogenesis. In organogenesis, endothelial cells have been shown to be important for morphogenesis and the maintenance of organ structure. The aim of this study was to recapitulate human lung morphogenesis in vitro by establishing a three dimensional (3D co-culture model where lung epithelial cells were cultured in endothelial-rich stroma. Methods We used a human bronchial epithelial cell line (VA10 recently developed in our laboratory. This cell line cell line maintains a predominant basal cell phenotype, expressing p63 and other basal markers such as cytokeratin-5 and -14. Here, we cultured VA10 with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs, to mimic the close interaction between these cell types during lung development. Morphogenesis and differentiation was monitored by phase contrast microscopy, immunostainings and confocal imaging. Results We found that in co-culture with endothelial cells, the VA10 cells generated bronchioalveolar like structures, suggesting that lung epithelial branching is facilitated by the presence of endothelial cells. The VA10 derived epithelial structures display various complex patterns of branching and show partial alveolar type-II differentiation with pro-Surfactant-C expression. The epithelial origin of the branching VA10 colonies was confirmed by immunostaining. These bronchioalveolar-like structures were polarized with respect to integrin expression at the cell-matrix interface. The endothelial-induced branching was mediated by soluble factors. Furthermore, fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 (FGFR-2 and sprouty-2 were expressed at the growing tips of the branching structures and the branching was inhibited by the FGFR-small molecule inhibitor SU5402. Discussion In this study we show that a human lung epithelial cell line can be induced by endothelial cells to

An opto-magneto-mechanical quantum interface between distant superconducting qubits.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Keyu; Vanner, Michael R; Twamley, Jason

2014-07-04

A quantum internet, where widely separated quantum devices are coherently connected, is a fundamental vision for local and global quantum information networks and processing. Superconducting quantum devices can now perform sophisticated quantum engineering locally on chip and a detailed method to achieve coherent optical quantum interconnection between distant superconducting devices is a vital, but highly challenging, goal. We describe a concrete opto-magneto-mechanical system that can interconvert microwave-to-optical quantum information with high fidelity. In one such node we utilise the magnetic fields generated by the supercurrent of a flux qubit to coherently modulate a mechanical oscillator that is part of a high-Q optical cavity to achieve high fidelity microwave-to-optical quantum information exchange. We analyze the transfer between two spatially distant nodes connected by an optical fibre and using currently accessible parameters we predict that the fidelity of transfer could be as high as ~80%, even with significant loss.

A young source of optical emission from distant radio galaxies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammer, F; Fèvre, O Le; Angonin, M C

1993-03-25

DISTANT radio galaxies provide valuable insights into the properties of the young Universe-they are the only known extended optical sources at high redshift and might represent an early stage in the formation and evolution of galaxies in general. This extended optical emission often has very complex morphologies, but the origin of the light is still unclear. Here we report spectroscopic observations for several distant radio galaxies (0.75≤ z ≤ 1.1) in which the rest-frame spectra exhibit featureless continua between 2,500 Å and 5,000 Å. We see no evidence for the break in the spectrum at 4,000 Å expected for an old stellar population 1-3 , and suggest that young stars or scattered emissions from the active nuclei are responsible for most of the observed light. In either case, this implies that the source of the optical emission is com-parable in age to the associated radio source, namely 10 7 years or less.

Waiting for Shadows from the Distant Solar System

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-03-01

How can we hope to measure the hundreds of thousands of objects in our distant solar system? A team of astronomers is harnessing citizen science to begin to tackle this problem!A light curve from an occultation collected by a RECON site in Quincy, California. As the objects shadow passes, the background stars light dims. [RECON/Charley Arrowsmith (Feather River College)]Occultation InformationEstimates currently place the number of Kuiper belt objects larger than 100 km across at over 100,000. Knowing the sizes and characteristics of these objects is important for understanding the composition of the outer solar system and constraining models of the solar systems formation and evolution.Unfortunately, measuring small, dim bodies at large distances is incredibly difficult! One of the best ways to obtain the sizes of these objects is to watch as they occult a distant star. Timing the object as it passes across the face of the star can give us a good measure of its size and shape, when observed from multiple stations in the path of the shadow.An Extended NetworkOccultations by nearby objects (like main-belt asteroids) can be predicted fairly accurately, but those by trans-Neptunian objects are much more poorly constrained. Only ~900 trans-Neptunian objects have approximately known paths, and occultation-shadow predictions for these objects are often only accurate to ~1000km on the Earths surface. So how can we ensure that theres a telescope in the right location, ready to observe when an occultation occurs?Map of the 56 RECON sites distributed over 2000 km in the western United States. [Buie et al. 2016]The simplest answer is to set up a huge network of observing stations, and wait for the shadows to come to the network. With this approach, even if the predicted path isnt precisely known, some of the stations will still observe the occultation.Due to the number of stations needed, this project lends itself perfectly to citizen science. In a recently published paper by

Spontaneous Age-Related Neurite Branching in C. elegans

Science.gov (United States)

Tank, Elizabeth M. H.; Rodgers, Kasey E.; Kenyon, Cynthia

2011-01-01

The analysis of morphological changes that occur in the nervous system during normal aging could provide insight into cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease. Previous studies have suggested that the nervous system of C. elegans maintains its structural integrity with age despite the deterioration of surrounding tissues. Unexpectedly, we observed that neurons in aging animals frequently displayed ectopic branches, and that the prevalence of these branches increased with time. Within age-matched populations, the branching of mechnosensory neurons correlated with decreased response to light touch and decreased mobility. The incidence of branching was influenced by two pathways that can affect the rate of aging, the Jun kinase pathway and the insulin/IGF-1 pathway. Loss of Jun kinase signaling, which slightly shortens lifespan, dramatically increased and accelerated the frequency of neurite branching. Conversely, inhibition of the daf-2 insulin/IGF-1-like signaling pathway, which extends lifespan, delayed and suppressed branching, and this delay required DAF-16/FOXO activity. Both JNK-1 and DAF-16 appeared to act within neurons in a cell-autonomous manner to influence branching, and, through their tissue-specific expression, it was possible to disconnect the rate at which branching occurred from the overall rate of aging of the animal. Old age has generally been associated with the decline and deterioration of different tissues, except in the case of tumor cell growth. To our knowledge, this is the first indication that aging can potentiate another form of growth, the growth of neurite branches, in normal animals. PMID:21697377

Multi-Branch Fully Convolutional Network for Face Detection

KAUST Repository

Bai, Yancheng

2017-07-20

Face detection is a fundamental problem in computer vision. It is still a challenging task in unconstrained conditions due to significant variations in scale, pose, expressions, and occlusion. In this paper, we propose a multi-branch fully convolutional network (MB-FCN) for face detection, which considers both efficiency and effectiveness in the design process. Our MB-FCN detector can deal with faces at all scale ranges with only a single pass through the backbone network. As such, our MB-FCN model saves computation and thus is more efficient, compared to previous methods that make multiple passes. For each branch, the specific skip connections of the convolutional feature maps at different layers are exploited to represent faces in specific scale ranges. Specifically, small faces can be represented with both shallow fine-grained and deep powerful coarse features. With this representation, superior improvement in performance is registered for the task of detecting small faces. We test our MB-FCN detector on two public face detection benchmarks, including FDDB and WIDER FACE. Extensive experiments show that our detector outperforms state-of-the-art methods on all these datasets in general and by a substantial margin on the most challenging among them (e.g. WIDER FACE Hard subset). Also, MB-FCN runs at 15 FPS on a GPU for images of size 640 x 480 with no assumption on the minimum detectable face size.

Activities of the Development Branch. 1978-1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Candame de Gallo, Rita; Marrapodi, M.R.E.; Baez, L.B.

1982-01-01

The activities carried out by the Development Branch from 1978 through 1981 are summarized. Subjects covered include: Metallurgy, Nuclear Fuels, Instrumentation and Control, Nuclear Reactors, as well as the various projects developed during this period and the administrative and technical activities of various groups belonging to this Branch. A list of publications by personnel of this Branch during the same period is also included. (C.A.K.) [es

Field electron emission from branched nanotubes film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Baoqing; Tian Shikai; Yang Zhonghai

2005-01-01

We describe the preparation and analyses of films composed of branched carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs were grown on a Ni catalyst film using chemical vapor deposition from a gas containing acetylene. From scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses, the branched structure of the CNTs was determined; the field emission characteristics in a vacuum chamber indicated a lower turn on field for branched CNTs than normal CNTs

TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 Regulates Inflorescence Architecture and Development in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum)[OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, Julian R.; Bencivenga, Stefano; Cockram, James; Cavanagh, Colin; Swain, Steve M.

2018-01-01

The flowers of major cereals are arranged on reproductive branches known as spikelets, which group together to form an inflorescence. Diversity for inflorescence architecture has been exploited during domestication to increase crop yields, and genetic variation for this trait has potential to further boost grain production. Multiple genes that regulate inflorescence architecture have been identified by studying alleles that modify gene activity or dosage; however, little is known in wheat. Here, we show TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 (TB1) regulates inflorescence architecture in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) by investigating lines that display a form of inflorescence branching known as “paired spikelets.” We show that TB1 interacts with FLOWERING LOCUS T1 and that increased dosage of TB1 alters inflorescence architecture and growth rate in a process that includes reduced expression of meristem identity genes, with allelic diversity for TB1 found to associate genetically with paired spikelet development in modern cultivars. We propose TB1 coordinates formation of axillary spikelets during the vegetative to floral transition and that alleles known to modify dosage or function of TB1 could help increase wheat yields. PMID:29444813

Branching habit and the allocation of reproductive resources in conifers.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Andrew B

2012-09-01

Correlated relationships between branch thickness, branch density, and twig and leaf size have been used extensively to study the evolution of plant canopy architecture, but fewer studies have explored the impact of these relationships on the allocation of reproductive resources. This study quantifies pollen cone production in conifers, which have similar basic reproductive biology but vary dramatically in branching habit, in order to test how differences in branch diameter influence pollen cone size and the density with which they are deployed in the canopy. Measurements of canopy branch density, the number of cones per branch and cone size were used to estimate the amount of pollen cone tissues produced by 16 species in three major conifer clades. The number of pollen grains produced was also estimated using direct counts from individual pollen cones. The total amount of pollen cone tissues in the conifer canopy varied little among species and clades, although vegetative traits such as branch thickness, branch density and pollen cone size varied over several orders of magnitude. However, branching habit controls the way these tissues are deployed: taxa with small branches produce small pollen cones at a high density, while taxa with large branches produce large cones relatively sparsely. Conifers appear to invest similar amounts of energy in pollen production independent of branching habit. However, similar associations between branch thickness, branch density and pollen cone size are seen across conifers, including members of living and extinct groups not directly studied here. This suggests that reproductive features relating to pollen cone size are in large part a function of the evolution of vegetative morphology and branching habit.

40 CFR 721.3627 - Branched synthetic fatty acid.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Branched synthetic fatty acid. 721... Substances § 721.3627 Branched synthetic fatty acid. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as a branched synthetic fatty acid...

CANDiS: Coupled & Attention-Driven Neural Distant Supervision

OpenAIRE

Nagarajan, Tushar; Sharmistha; Talukdar, Partha

2017-01-01

Distant Supervision for Relation Extraction uses heuristically aligned text data with an existing knowledge base as training data. The unsupervised nature of this technique allows it to scale to web-scale relation extraction tasks, at the expense of noise in the training data. Previous work has explored relationships among instances of the same entity-pair to reduce this noise, but relationships among instances across entity-pairs have not been fully exploited. We explore the use of inter-ins...

Branching enzyme assay: selective quantitation of the alpha 1,6-linked glucosyl residues involved in the branching points.

Science.gov (United States)

Krisman, C R; Tolmasky, D S; Raffo, S

1985-06-01

Methods previously described for glycogen or amylopectin branching enzymatic activity are insufficiently sensitive and not quantitative. A new, more sensitive, specific, and quantitative one was developed. It is based upon the quantitation of the glucose residues joined by alpha 1,6 bonds introduced by varying amounts of branching enzyme. The procedure involved the synthesis of a polysaccharide from Glc-1-P and phosphorylase in the presence of the sample to be tested. The branched polysaccharide was then purified and the glucoses involved in the branching points were quantitated after degradation with phosphorylase and debranching enzymes. This method appeared to be useful, not only in enzymatic activity determinations but also in the study of the structure of alpha-D-glucans when combined with those of total polysaccharide quantitation, such as iodine and phenol-sulfuric acid.

Cash efficiency for bank branches.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabello, Julia García

2013-01-01

Bank liquidity management has become a major issue during the financial crisis as liquidity shortages have intensified and have put pressure on banks to diversity and improve their liquidity sources. While a significant strand of the literature concentrates on wholesale liquidity generation and on the alternative to deposit funding, the management of an inventory of cash holdings within the banks' branches is also a relevant issue as any significant improvement in cash management at the bank distribution channels may have a positive effect in reducing liquidity tensions. In this paper, we propose a simple programme of cash efficiency for the banks' branches, very easy to implement, which conform to a set of instructions to be imposed from the bank to their branches. This model proves to significantly reduce cash holdings at branches thereby providing efficiency improvements in liquidity management. The methodology we propose is based on the definition of some stochastic processes combined with renewal processes, which capture the random elements of the cash flow, before applying suitable optimization programmes to all the costs involved in cash movements. The classical issue of the Transaction Demand for the Cash and some aspects of Inventory Theory are also present. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) C02, C60, E50.

Space plasma branch at NRL

Science.gov (United States)

The Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, D.C.) formed the Space Plasma Branch within its Plasma Physics Division on July 1. Vithal Patel, former Program Director of Magnetospheric Physics, National Science Foundation, also joined NRL on the same date as Associate Superintendent of the Plasma Physics Division. Barret Ripin is head of the newly organized branch. The Space Plasma branch will do basic and applied space plasma research using a multidisciplinary approach. It consolidates traditional rocket and satellite space experiments, space plasma theory and computation, with laboratory space-related experiments. About 40 research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, engineers, and technicians are divided among its five sections. The Theory and Computation sections are led by Joseph Huba and Joel Fedder, the Space Experiments section is led by Paul Rodriguez, and the Pharos Laser Facility and Laser Experiments sections are headed by Charles Manka and Jacob Grun.

Distribution of degrees of polymerization in statistically branched polymers with tetrafunctional branch points: model calculations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Netopilík, Miloš; Kratochvíl, Pavel

2006-01-01

Roč. 55, č. 2 (2006), s. 196-203 ISSN 0959-8103 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100500501; GA AV ČR IAA4050403; GA AV ČR IAA4050409; GA ČR GA203/03/0617 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : statistical branching * tetrafunctional branch points * molecular-weight distribution Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 1.475, year: 2006

Trastuzumab re-treatment following adjuvant trastuzumab and the importance of distant disease-free interval: the HERA trial experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger-Filho, Otto; de Azambuja, Evandro; Procter, Marion; Krieguer, Magalie; Smith, Ian; Baselga, Jose; Cameron, David; Untch, Michael; Jackisch, Christian; Bell, Richard; Gianni, Luca; Goldhirsch, Aron; Piccart, Martine; Gelber, Richard D

2016-01-01

This retrospective analysis conducted using data from patients enrolled onto the Herceptin Adjuvant has two objectives: The first is to evaluate the impact of the time interval between the end of adjuvant trastuzumab and distant recurrence (TDRI) upon overall survival (OS). The second is to describe the duration of trastuzumab-based regimens in the metastatic setting for patients previously treated with adjuvant trastuzumab. The first objective included 187 patients treated with adjuvant trastuzumab and diagnosed with distant recurrence at 4-year median follow-up. The second objective included data from questionnaires sent to investigators retreating patients with trastuzumab upon distant recurrence: 144 of 156 questionnaires were returned (93 %), and 90 patients were selected based on available clinical information and consent for subsequent studies. There was no statistically significant relationship between TDRI following 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab and OS from distant recurrence: hazard ratio 0.991, p = 0.46. The median OS from distant recurrence was numerically longer among patients with a TDRI of ≥12 months (n = 103) than information beyond disease progression should be included in future clinical studies.

A Dynamic Branch-Switching Method for Parametrically Excited Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.Y.T. Leung

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The branch-switching algorithm in static is applied to steady state dynamic problems. The governing ordinary differential equations are transformed to nonlinear algebraic equations by means of harmonic balance method using multiple frequency components. The frequency components of the (irrational nonlinearity of oscillator are obtained by Fast Fourier Transform and Toeplitz Jacobian method (FFT/TJM. All singularities, folds, flips, period doubling and period bubbling, are computed accurately in an analytical manner. Coexisting solutions can be predicted without using initial condition search. The consistence of both stability criteria in time and frequency domains is discussed. A highly nonlinear parametrically excited system is given as example. All connected solution paths are predicted.

Measurement of the B{sub s}{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}K{sub S}{sup 0} branching fraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aaij, R. [Nikhef National Institute for Subatomic Physics, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Abellan Beteta, C. [Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona (Spain); Adeva, B. [Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Adinolfi, M. [H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol (United Kingdom); Adrover, C. [CPPM, Aix-Marseille Universite, CNRS/IN2P3, Marseille (France); Affolder, A. [Oliver Lodge Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Ajaltouni, Z. [Clermont Universite, Universite Blaise Pascal, CNRS/IN2P3, LPC, Clermont-Ferrand (France); Albrecht, J.; Alessio, F. [European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Alexander, M. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Ali, S. [Nikhef National Institute for Subatomic Physics, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Alkhazov, G. [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI), Gatchina (Russian Federation); Alvarez Cartelle, P. [Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Alves, A.A. [Sezione INFN di Roma La Sapienza, Roma (Italy); Amato, S. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Amhis, Y. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Anderson, J. [Physik-Institut, Universitaet Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland); Appleby, R.B. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester (United Kingdom); Aquines Gutierrez, O. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik (MPIK), Heidelberg (Germany); Archilli, F. [Laboratori Nazionali dell' INFN di Frascati, Frascati (Italy); European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); and others

2012-07-09

The B{sub s}{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}K{sub S}{sup 0} branching fraction is measured in a data sample corresponding to 0.41 fb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector at the LHC. This channel is sensitive to the penguin contributions affecting the sin2{beta} measurement from B{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}K{sub S}{sup 0}. The time-integrated branching fraction is measured to be B(B{sub s}{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}K{sub S}{sup 0})=(1.83{+-}0.28) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5}. This is the most precise measurement to date.

40 CFR 721.10094 - Decene, branched and linear.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Decene, branched and linear. 721.10094... Substances § 721.10094 Decene, branched and linear. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as decene, branched and linear (PMN P-03-272; CAS...

Geometrical scaling, furry branching and minijets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwa, R.C.

1988-01-01

Scaling properties and their violations in hadronic collisions are discussed in the framework of the geometrical branching model. Geometrical scaling supplemented by Furry branching characterizes the soft component, while the production of jets specifies the hard component. Many features of multiparticle production processes are well described by this model. 21 refs

Conformal branching rules and modular invariants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, M.A.

1989-01-01

Using the outer automorphisms of the affine algebra SU(n), we show how the branching rules for the conformal subalgebra SU(pq) contains SU(p) x SU(q) may be simply calculated. We demonstrate that new modular invariant combinations of SU(n) characters are obtainable from the branching rules. (orig.)

The sensory-motor bridge neurorraphy: an anatomic study of feasibility between sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve and deep branch of the radial nerve.

Science.gov (United States)

Goubier, Jean-Noel; Teboul, Frédéric

2011-05-01

Restoring elbow flexion remains the first step in the management of total palsy of the brachial plexus. Non avulsed upper roots may be grafted on the musculocutaneous nerve. When this nerve is entirely grafted, some motor fibres regenerate within the sensory fibres quota. Aiming potential utilization of these lost motor fibres, we attempted suturing the sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve onto the deep branch of the radial nerve. The objective of our study was to assess the anatomic feasibility of such direct suturing of the terminal sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve onto the deep branch of the radial nerve. The study was carried out with 10 upper limbs from fresh cadavers. The sensory branch of the musculocutaneous muscle was dissected right to its division. The motor branch of the radial nerve was identified and dissected as proximally as possible into the radial nerve. Then, the distance separating the two nerves was measured so as to assess whether direct neurorraphy of the two branches was feasible. The excessive distance between the two branches averaged 6 mm (1-13 mm). Thus, direct neurorraphy of the sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve and the deep branch of the radial nerve was possible. When the whole musculocutaneous nerve is grafted, some of its motor fibres are lost amongst the sensory fibres (cutaneous lateral antebrachial nerve). By suturing this sensory branch onto the deep branch of the radial nerve, "lost" fibres may be retrieved, resulting in restoration of digital extension. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Identification of distant drug off-targets by direct superposition of binding pocket surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumann, Marcel; Armen, Roger S

2013-01-01

Correctly predicting off-targets for a given molecular structure, which would have the ability to bind a large range of ligands, is both particularly difficult and important if they share no significant sequence or fold similarity with the respective molecular target ("distant off-targets"). A novel approach for identification of off-targets by direct superposition of protein binding pocket surfaces is presented and applied to a set of well-studied and highly relevant drug targets, including representative kinases and nuclear hormone receptors. The entire Protein Data Bank is searched for similar binding pockets and convincing distant off-target candidates were identified that share no significant sequence or fold similarity with the respective target structure. These putative target off-target pairs are further supported by the existence of compounds that bind strongly to both with high topological similarity, and in some cases, literature examples of individual compounds that bind to both. Also, our results clearly show that it is possible for binding pockets to exhibit a striking surface similarity, while the respective off-target shares neither significant sequence nor significant fold similarity with the respective molecular target ("distant off-target").

Bidirectional electron anisotropies in the distant tail: ISEE-3 observations of polar rain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, D.N.; Bame, S.J.; Feldman, W.C.; Gosling, J.T.; Zwickl, R.D.; Slavin, J.A.; Smith, E.J.

1985-01-01

A detailed observational treatment of bidirectional electrons (50 approx.500 eV) in the distant magnetotail (r greater than or equal to 100 R/sub E/) is presented. It is found that electrons in this energy range commonly exhibit strong, field-aligned anisotropies in the tail lobes. Because of large tail motions, the ISEE-3 data provide extensive sampling of both the north and south lobes in rapid succession, demonstrating directly the strong asymmetries that exist between the north and south lobes at any one time. The bidirectional fluxes are found to occur predominantly in the lobe directly connected to the sunward IMF in the open magnetosphere model (north lobe for away sectors and south lobe for toward sectors). Electron anisotropy and magnetic field data are presented which show the transition from unidirectional (sheath) electron populations to bidirectional (lobe) populations. Taken together, the present evidence suggests that the bidirectional electrons that we observe in the distant tail are closely related to the polar rain electrons observed previously at lower altitudes. Furthermore, these data provide strong evidence that the distant tail is comprised largely of open magnetic field lines in contradistinction to some recently advanced models

Studies on increasing fertility of distant hybrid by irradiation of androgametes of wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yichun; Sun Guangzu; Zhang Yuexue

1994-01-01

Distant hybridization was carried out by using hexaploid triticale, Heizha 266, as female parent and 2 varieties of spring wheat, Longfumai 3 and Longfumai 5, as male parent which were irradiated by slow irradiation of living bodies with 60 Co gamma rays from 600 to 2400 rad before distant hybridization. Through the observation of pollen mother cells of first generation of distant hybrilization (M 1 ), it was found that the amount of bivalents at meiosis metaphase was 13.65 on average, and was 14.55 on maximum, which were close to theoretical value, but the corresponding amount of bivalents at the same stage produced by unirradiated pollen mother cells were 12.80, which were lower than theorectical value. Chromosome pairing was improved by irradiation. Average setting ratio of M 1 generation affected by irradiation was 52.85%, but the corresponding figure for F 1 generation affected by un-irradiation was 6.49%. It is obvious that irradiation treatment increases setting rate of M 1 hybrid generation. The optimum doses for irradiating androgametes are 1600 and 2400 rad, respectively. However, there are significant differences of irradiation sensibility between different varieties of wheat

Hilbert Series and Mixed Branches of T[SU(N)] theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carta, Federico [Departamento de Física Teórica and Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Hayashi, Hirotaka [Departamento de Física Teórica and Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Tokai University,4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan)

2017-02-07

We consider mixed branches of 3dN=4T[SU(N)] theory. We compute the Hilbert series of the Coulomb branch part of the mixed branch from a restriction rule acting on the Hilbert series of the full Coulomb branch that will truncate the magnetic charge summation only to the subset of BPS dressed monopole operators that arise in the Coulomb branch sublocus where the mixed branch stems. This restriction can be understood directly from the type IIB brane picture by a relation between the magnetic charges of the monopoles and brane position moduli. We also apply the restriction rule to the Higgs branch part of a given mixed branch by exploiting 3d mirror symmetry. Both cases show complete agreement with the results calculated by different methods.

Command and Data Handling Branch Internship

Science.gov (United States)

Billings, Rachel Mae

2016-01-01

Modular Integrated Stackable Layers (MISL) is a computer system designed for simple, fast, and cost effective flexible reconfiguration in space environments such as the ISS and Orion projects for various uses. Existing applications include wireless and wired communications, data acquisition and instrumentation, and camera systems, and potential applications include bus protocol converters and subsystem control. MISL is based on Texas Instruments (TI)' MSP430 16-bit ultra-low-power microcontroller device. The purpose of my project was to integrate the MISL system with a liquid crystal display (LCD) touchscreen. The LCD, manufactured by Crystalfontz and part number CFAF320240F-035T-TS, is a 320 by 240 RGB resistive color screen including an optional carrier board. The vast majority of the project was done with Altium Designer, a tool for printed circuit board (PCB) schematic capture, 3D design, and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) development. The new PCB was to allow the LCD to directly stack to the rest of MISL. Research was done with datasheets for the TI microcontroller and touchscreen display in order to meet desired hardware specifications. Documentation on prior MISL projects was also utilized. The initial step was to create a schematic for the LCD, power bus, and data bus connections between components. A layout was then designed with the required physical dimensions, routed traces and vias, power and ground planes, layer stacks, and other specified design rules such as plane clearance and hole size. Multiple consultation sessions were held with Hester Yim, the technical discipline lead for the Command and Data Handling Branch, and Christy Herring, the lead PCB layout designer in the Electronic Design and Manufacturing Branch in order to ensure proper configuration. At the moment, the PCB is awaiting revision by the latter-mentioned branch. Afterwards, the board will begin to undergo the manufacturing and testing process. Throughout the internship at

Enhancing Distant Learning through Email Communication: A Case of BOU

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, K. M. Rezanur; Anwar, Sadat; Numan, Sharker Md.

2008-01-01

Today computer has replaced all means of traditional communication significantly. Many distant learning tools claim to be interactive, but few can offer two-way communication. Email is the most popular means of communication medium now-a-days. Therefore, it may be used as an educational tool for learning. In present socioeconomic condition of…

Branching miter joints : principles and artwork

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhoeff, T.; Verhoeff, K.; Hart, G.W.; Sarhangi, R.

2010-01-01

A miter joint connects two beams, typically of the same cross section, at an angle such that the longitudinal beam edges continue across the joint. When more than two beams meet in one point, like in a tree, we call this a branching joint. In a branching miter joint, the beams’ longitudinal edges

ChIP-seq Mapping of Distant-Acting Enhancers and Their In Vivo Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Visel, Axel; Pennacchio, Len A.

2011-06-01

The genomic location and function of most distant-acting transcriptional enhancers in the human genome remains unknown We performed ChIP-seq for various transcriptional coactivator proteins (such as p300) directly from different embryonic mouse tissues, identifying thousands of binding sitesTransgenic mouse experiments show that p300 and other co-activator peaks are highly predictive of genomic location AND tissue-specific activity patterns of distant-acting enhancersMost enhancers are active only in one or very few tissues Genomic location of tissue-specific p300 peaks correlates with tissue-specific expression of nearby genes Most binding sites are conserved, but the global degree of conservation varies between tissues

Right bundle branch block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bussink, Barbara E; Holst, Anders Gaarsdal; Jespersen, Lasse

2013-01-01

AimsTo determine the prevalence, predictors of newly acquired, and the prognostic value of right bundle branch block (RBBB) and incomplete RBBB (IRBBB) on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram in men and women from the general population.Methods and resultsWe followed 18 441 participants included...... in the Copenhagen City Heart Study examined in 1976-2003 free from previous myocardial infarction (MI), chronic heart failure, and left bundle branch block through registry linkage until 2009 for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. The prevalence of RBBB/IRBBB was higher in men (1.4%/4.7% in men vs. 0.......5%/2.3% in women, P block was associated with significantly...

FY 1990 Applied Sciences Branch annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keyes, B.M.; Dippo, P.C. (eds.)

1991-11-01

The Applied Sciences Branch actively supports the advancement of DOE/SERI goals for the development and implementation of the solar photovoltaic technology. The primary focus of the laboratories is to provide state-of-the-art analytical capabilities for materials and device characterization and fabrication. The branch houses a comprehensive facility which is capable of providing information on the full range of photovoltaic components. A major objective of the branch is to aggressively pursue collaborative research with other government laboratories, universities, and industrial firms for the advancement of photovoltaic technologies. Members of the branch disseminate research findings to the technical community in publications and presentations. This report contains information on surface and interface analysis, materials characterization, development, electro-optical characterization module testing and performance, surface interactions and FTIR spectroscopy.

The influence of branch order on optimal leaf vein geometries: Murray's law and area preserving branching.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles A Price

Full Text Available Models that predict the form of hierarchical branching networks typically invoke optimization based on biomechanical similitude, the minimization of impedance to fluid flow, or construction costs. Unfortunately, due to the small size and high number of vein segments found in real biological networks, complete descriptions of networks needed to evaluate such models are rare. To help address this we report results from the analysis of the branching geometry of 349 leaf vein networks comprising over 1.5 million individual vein segments. In addition to measuring the diameters of individual veins before and after vein bifurcations, we also assign vein orders using the Horton-Strahler ordering algorithm adopted from the study of river networks. Our results demonstrate that across all leaves, both radius tapering and the ratio of daughter to parent branch areas for leaf veins are in strong agreement with the expectation from Murray's law. However, as veins become larger, area ratios shift systematically toward values expected under area-preserving branching. Our work supports the idea that leaf vein networks differentiate roles of leaf support and hydraulic supply between hierarchical orders.

Optimization of multi-branch switched diversity systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Haewoon; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2009-01-01

A performance optimization based on the optimal switching threshold(s) for a multi-branch switched diversity system is discussed in this paper. For the conventional multi-branch switched diversity system with a single switching threshold

Branched RNA: A New Architecture for RNA Interference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Aviñó

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Branched RNAs with two and four strands were synthesized. These structures were used to obtain branched siRNA. The branched siRNA duplexes had similar inhibitory capacity as those of unmodified siRNA duplexes, as deduced from gene silencing experiments of the TNF-α protein. Branched RNAs are considered novel structures for siRNA technology, and they provide an innovative tool for specific gene inhibition. As the method described here is compatible with most RNA modifications described to date, these compounds may be further functionalized to obtain more potent siRNA derivatives and can be attached to suitable delivery systems.

Distant galaxy formed stars only 250 million years after the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Bouwens, Rychard

2018-05-01

Little is known about the star-birth activity of the earliest galaxies. Observations of a particularly distant galaxy provide evidence for such activity when the Universe was just 2% of its current age.

Distant Tail Behavior During High Speed Solar Wind Streams and Magnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, C. M.; Tsurutani, B. T.

1997-01-01

We have examined the ISEE 3 distant tail data during three intense magnetic storms and have identified the tail response to high-speed solar wind streams, interplanetary magnetic clouds, and near-Earth storms.

Skipping Posterior Dynamic Transpedicular Stabilization for Distant Segment Degenerative Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bilgehan Solmaz

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To date, there is still no consensus on the treatment of spinal degenerative disease. Current surgical techniques to manage painful spinal disorders are imperfect. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate the prospective results of posterior transpedicular dynamic stabilization, a novel surgical approach that skips the segments that do not produce pain. This technique has been proven biomechanically and radiologically in spinal degenerative diseases. Methods. A prospective study of 18 patients averaging 54.94 years of age with distant spinal segment degenerative disease. Indications consisted of degenerative disc disease (57%, herniated nucleus pulposus (50%, spinal stenosis (14.28%, degenerative spondylolisthesis (14.28%, and foraminal stenosis (7.1%. The Oswestry Low-Back Pain Disability Questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS for pain were recorded preoperatively and at the third and twelfth postoperative months. Results. Both the Oswestry and VAS scores showed significant improvement postoperatively (P<0.05. We observed complications in one patient who had spinal epidural hematoma. Conclusion. We recommend skipping posterior transpedicular dynamic stabilization for surgical treatment of distant segment spinal degenerative disease.

Cadaveric Study of the Articular Branches of the Shoulder Joint.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckmann, Maxim S; Bickelhaupt, Brittany; Fehl, Jacob; Benfield, Jonathan A; Curley, Jonathan; Rahimi, Ohmid; Nagpal, Ameet S

This cadaveric study investigated the anatomic relationships of the articular branches of the suprascapular (SN), axillary (AN), and lateral pectoral nerves (LPN), which are potential targets for shoulder analgesia. Sixteen embalmed cadavers and 1 unembalmed cadaver, including 33 shoulders total, were dissected. Following dissections, fluoroscopic images were taken to propose an anatomical landmark to be used in shoulder articular branch blockade. Thirty-three shoulders from 17 total cadavers were studied. In a series of 16 shoulders, 16 (100%) of 16 had an intact SN branch innervating the posterior head of the humerus and shoulder capsule. Suprascapular sensory branches coursed laterally from the spinoglenoid notch then toward the glenohumeral joint capsule posteriorly. Axillary nerve articular branches innervated the posterolateral head of the humerus and shoulder capsule in the same 16 (100%) of 16 shoulders. The AN gave branches ascending circumferentially from the quadrangular space to the posterolateral humerus, deep to the deltoid, and inserting at the inferior portion of the posterior joint capsule. In 4 previously dissected and 17 distinct shoulders, intact LPNs could be identified in 14 (67%) of 21 specimens. Of these, 12 (86%) of 14 had articular branches innervating the anterior shoulder joint, and 14 (100%) of 14 LPN articular branches were adjacent to acromial branches of the thoracoacromial blood vessels over the superior aspect of the coracoid process. Articular branches from the SN, AN, and LPN were identified. Articular branches of the SN and AN insert into the capsule overlying the glenohumeral joint posteriorly. Articular branches of the LPN exist and innervate a portion of the anterior shoulder joint.

The SUMO project I. A survey of multiple populations in globular clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Monelli, M.; Milone, A. P.; Stetson, P. B.; Marino, A. F.; Cassisi, S.; del Pino Molina, A.; Salaris, M.; Aparicio, A.; Asplund, M.; Grundahl, F.; Piotto, G.; Weiss, A.; Carrera, R.; Cebrián, M.; Murabito, S.; Pietrinferni, A.; Sbordone, L.

2013-05-01

We present a general overview and the first results of the SUMO project (a SUrvey of Multiple pOpulations in Globular Clusters). The objective of this survey is the study of multiple stellar populations in the largest sample of globular clusters homogeneously analysed to date. To this aim we obtained high signal-to-noise (S/N > 50) photometry for main sequence stars with mass down to ˜0.5 M⊙ in a large sample of clusters using both archival and proprietary U, B, V and I data from ground-based telescopes. In this paper, we focus on the occurrence of multiple stellar populations in 23 clusters. We define a new photometric index, cU, B, I = (U - B) - (B - I), which turns out to be very effective for identifying multiple sequences along the red giant branch (RGB). We found that in the V-cU, B, I diagram all clusters presented in this paper show broadened or multimodal RGBs, with the presence of two or more components. We found a direct connection with the chemical properties of different sequences, which display different abundances of light elements (O, Na, C, N and Al). The cU, B, I index is also a powerful tool for identifying distinct sequences of stars along the horizontal branch and, for the first time in the case of NGC 104 (47 Tuc), along the asymptotic giant branch. Our results demonstrate that (i) the presence of more than two stellar populations is a common feature amongst globular clusters, as already highlighted in previous work; (ii) multiple sequences with different chemical contents can be easily identified by using standard Johnson photometry obtained with ground-based facilities; (iii) in the study of globular cluster multiple stellar populations the cU, B, I index is an alternative to spectroscopy, and has the advantage of larger statistics.

Transplantes cardiopulmonar e pulmonar com doador em localidade distante Distant donor procurement for heart-lung and lung transplantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Sérgio Fragomeni

1988-12-01

Full Text Available Em situações específicas, os transplantes clínicos cardiopulmonar e pulmonar são, hoje, formas estabelecidas de tratamento para estágio final de doença cardiopulmonar e pulmonar. A obtenção de doadores adequados permanece o maior problema e a remoção de órgãos em localidades distantes é, hoje, uma necessidade. Embora muitos métodos de preservação pulmonar possam ser empregados, para períodos isquémicos de até 5 horas, a hipotermia e o uso de solução cardioplégica com infusão da solução de Collins modificada no tronco pulmonar tem sido método simples e eficiente para preservação do bloco coração-pulmão. Descrevemos, aqui, o método corrente que empregamos, com o qual os transplantes cardiopulmonar e pulmonar combinados foram sucedidos de excelente função cárdio-respiratória.In special situations, clinical heart-lung and lung transplantation are today established methods of therapy for end stage cardiopulmonary and pulmonary disease. Adequate donor availability remains a major problem and distant organ procurement is today a necessity. Although many methods of lung preservation can be used, for periods of up to 5 hours, hypothermic storage with cardioplegic arrest and pulmonary artery flush with modified Collins solution has proven to be a simple and reliable method of heart-lung preservation. We here describe our current method of heart-lung block protection, in which heart-lung and double lung transplantation were performed followed by excelent cardiac and pulmonary function.

A DISTANT QUASAR'S BRILLIANT LIGHT

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

The arrow in this image, taken by a ground-based telescope, points to a distant quasar, the brilliant core of an active galaxy residing billions of light-years from Earth. As light from this faraway object travels across space, it picks up information on galaxies and the vast clouds of material between galaxies as it moves through them. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope decoded the quasar's light to find the spectral 'fingerprints' of highly ionized (energized) oxygen, which had mixed with invisible clouds of hydrogen in intergalactic space. The quasar's brilliant beam pierced at least four separate filaments of the invisible hydrogen laced with the telltale oxygen. The presence of oxygen between the galaxies implies there are huge quantities of hydrogen in the universe. Credits: WIYN Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The telescope is owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories.

Tradeoffs Between Branch Mispredictions and Comparisons for Sorting Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodal, Gerth Stølting; Moruz, Gabriel

2005-01-01

Branch mispredictions is an important factor affecting the running time in practice. In this paper we consider tradeoffs between the number of branch mispredictions and the number of comparisons for sorting algorithms in the comparison model. We prove that a sorting algorithm using O(dnlog n......) comparisons performs Omega(nlogd n) branch mispredictions. We show that Multiway MergeSort achieves this tradeoff by adopting a multiway merger with a low number of branch mispredictions. For adaptive sorting algorithms we similarly obtain that an algorithm performing O(dn(1+log (1+Inv/n))) comparisons must...... perform Omega(nlogd (1+Inv/n)) branch mispredictions, where Inv is the number of inversions in the input. This tradeoff can be achieved by GenericSort by Estivill-Castro and Wood by adopting a multiway division protocol and a multiway merging algorithm with a low number of branch mispredictions....

A new RNA branching activity: the GIR1 ribozyme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henrik; Johansen, Steinar D

2006-01-01

The formation of lariat intermediates during the first step of splicing of group II introns and spliceosomal introns is a well-studied fundamental reaction in molecular biology. Apart from this prominent example, there are surprisingly few occurrences of branched nucleotides or even 2......',5'-phosphodiester bonds in biology. We recently described a new ribozyme, the GIR1 branching ribozyme, which catalyzes the formation of a tiny lariat that caps an mRNA. This new example together with work on artificial branching ribozymes and deoxyribozymes shows that branching is facile and points...... to the possibility that branching reactions could be more prevalent than previously recognized....

The impact of switching costs on closing of service branches

OpenAIRE

Baron, Mira G.

2002-01-01

The paper deals with the optimal location of service branches. Consumers can receive service from different firms and branches offering substitute services. The consumer chooses the firm and the branch. Examples are banking services (which firm and branch?), healthcare providers, insurance companies and their agents, brokerage firms and their branches. With the change in the accessibility of the internet, the service industry witnesses the impact of the change in technology. More customers pr...

La Seducción del mal en estrella distante de Roberto Bolaño

OpenAIRE

Montes, Cristian

2013-01-01

En el presente artículo se trabajará en torno a la novela Estrella distante de Roberto Bolaño. La intención del análisis será demostrar cómo se expresa y opera la seducción del mal al interior de la representación y proponer cuáles son las formas en que el mal encarna en una figura representativa de la dictadura militar chilena. This article is based on the Roberto Bolaño novel Estrella Distante. The analysis aims to demonstrate the ways that the seduction of evil is expressed and operates...

Efficiency of entanglement of distant atoms by projective measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olivares Renteria, Georgina; Zippilli, Stefano; Morigi, Giovanna [Departament de Fisica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Rohde, Felix; Schuck, Carsten; Eschner, Juergen [ICFO - Institut de CIencies Fotoniques, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona (Spain)

2008-07-01

We compare the efficiency of two schemes for the preparation of entangled states of distant atoms. In these proposals the atoms do not interact and the entanglement is realized by means of the measurement of the scattered field which project the two atoms into the desired state. We quantify the efficiency of the schemes using the fidelity between the state of the system after the detection of a photon and an ideal entangled state of the two atoms. In the first scheme the atoms interact with two optical cavities and the enhanced probability of emission into the cavities allows for high detection efficiency. This scheme is limited by the finite probability of emission of two photons. Thus, even under the assumption of perfect detection efficiency, the fidelity of the scheme never reaches unity. In the second scheme emission of two photons is suppressed by low excitation strength, but the detection efficiency is low since the atoms scatter into free space and only a small fraction of the photons is measured. In this case the fidelity is conditioned on single-photon detection and results to be higher. The comparison is quantitatively evaluated for an ongoing experiment with two distant trapped single Ca+ ions.

Computational models of airway branching morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Varner, Victor D; Nelson, Celeste M

2017-07-01

The bronchial network of the mammalian lung consists of millions of dichotomous branches arranged in a highly complex, space-filling tree. Recent computational models of branching morphogenesis in the lung have helped uncover the biological mechanisms that construct this ramified architecture. In this review, we focus on three different theoretical approaches - geometric modeling, reaction-diffusion modeling, and continuum mechanical modeling - and discuss how, taken together, these models have identified the geometric principles necessary to build an efficient bronchial network, as well as the patterning mechanisms that specify airway geometry in the developing embryo. We emphasize models that are integrated with biological experiments and suggest how recent progress in computational modeling has advanced our understanding of airway branching morphogenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three ancient hormonal cues co-ordinate shoot branching in a moss.

Science.gov (United States)

Coudert, Yoan; Palubicki, Wojtek; Ljung, Karin; Novak, Ondrej; Leyser, Ottoline; Harrison, C Jill

2015-03-25

Shoot branching is a primary contributor to plant architecture, evolving independently in flowering plant sporophytes and moss gametophytes. Mechanistic understanding of branching is largely limited to flowering plants such as Arabidopsis, which have a recent evolutionary origin. We show that in gametophytic shoots of Physcomitrella, lateral branches arise by re-specification of epidermal cells into branch initials. A simple model co-ordinating the activity of leafy shoot tips can account for branching patterns, and three known and ancient hormonal regulators of sporophytic branching interact to generate the branching pattern- auxin, cytokinin and strigolactone. The mode of auxin transport required in branch patterning is a key divergence point from known sporophytic pathways. Although PIN-mediated basipetal auxin transport regulates branching patterns in flowering plants, this is not so in Physcomitrella, where bi-directional transport is required to generate realistic branching patterns. Experiments with callose synthesis inhibitors suggest plasmodesmal connectivity as a potential mechanism for transport.

Aeroacoustics of pipe systems with closed branches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tonon, D.; Hirschberg, A.; Golliard, J.; Ziada, S.

2011-01-01

Flow induced pulsations in resonant pipe networks with closed branches are considered in this review paper. These pulsations, observed in many technical applications, have been identified as self-sustained aeroacoustic oscillations driven by the instability of the flow along the closed branches. The

Photo-electrochemical properties of graphene wrapped hierarchically branched nanostructures obtained through hydrothermally transformed TiO2 nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Rambabu, Y.; Jaiswal, Manu; Roy, Somnath C.

2017-10-01

Hierarchically structured nanomaterials play an important role in both light absorption and separation of photo-generated charges. In the present study, hierarchically branched TiO2 nanostructures (HB-MLNTs) are obtained through hydrothermal transformation of electrochemically anodized TiO2 multi-leg nanotubes (MLNT) arrays. Photo-anodes based on HB-MLNTs demonstrated 5 fold increase in applied bias to photo-conversion efficiency (%ABPE) over that of TiO2 MLNTs without branches. Further, such nanostructures are wrapped with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films to enhance the charge separation, which resulted in ∼6.5 times enhancement in %ABPE over that of bare MLNTs. We estimated charge transport (η tr) and charge transfer (η ct) efficiencies by analyzing the photo-current data. The ultra-fine nano branches grown on the MLNTs are effective in increasing light absorption through multiple scattering and improving charge transport/transfer efficiencies by enlarging semiconductor/electrolyte interface area. The charge transfer resistance, interfacial capacitance and electron decay time have been estimated through electrochemical impedance measurements which correlate with the results obtained from photocurrent measurements.

AGB [asymptotic giant branch]: Star evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, S.A.

1987-01-01

Asymptotic giant branch stars are red supergiant stars of low-to-intermediate mass. This class of stars is of particular interest because many of these stars can have nuclear processed material brought up repeatedly from the deep interior to the surface where it can be observed. A review of recent theoretical and observational work on stars undergoing the asymptotic giant branch phase is presented. 41 refs

NUTRIENT CONTENT IN DURIAN (DURIO ZIBETHINUS L. BRANCH BARK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime A. TEIXEIRA DA SILVA

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Durian (Durio zibethinus L. fruit form on the bark of branches. The aim of our research was to assess whether branches bearing different number of fruits have different nutrient contents in their bark. We determined the nitrogen (N, phosphorous (P, potassium (K, and carbon (C content in branch bark 30 days after fruit set using branches bearing different number of fruits per panicle (0, 1, 2 or >2 of two varieties (‘Otong’ and ‘Kani’. Bark was cut into 0.03 m long and 0.005 m wide segments with an average thickness of 0.00085 m. The bark of branches bearing a different number of fruits had the same N, P, K, and C content but different ratios of C/N, C/P, C/K, N/K, and P/K. The bark of ‘Otong’ branches had a higher N content but a lower C/N ratio than ‘Kani’ bark.

Flow structure in a downward branch pipe with a closed end. Characteristics of flow velocity in the branch pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyoshi, Koji; Nakamura, Akira; Takenaka, Nobuyuki

2016-01-01

Many pipes branch off from a main pipe in industrial plants. The penetration of hot water into the branch pipe causes thermal stratification. The thermal stratification layer fluctuates and causes thermal fatigue. The characteristics of velocity distributions in the branch pipe for inner diameters from D_b=21 mm to 43 mm were investigated by laser Doppler velocimetry in this paper. As for the flow in the branch pipe at L=4D_b, the mean velocity of the spiral flow was a simple forced vortex which indicated a straight velocity distribution. The maximum circumferential velocity U_θ _m_a_x and minimum axial velocity U_z _m_i_n at L=4D_b were expressed with D_b and main flow velocity. Empirical formulas were proposed for estimating the distributions of U_θ _m_a_x and U_z _m_i_n in the axial direction. (author)

Marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve: An anatomical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman Ahmad Khanfour

2014-06-01

Results: Results showed that the (MMBFN arises as a single branch, two branches, and three branches in 36.7%, 43.3% and 20% of specimens, respectively. In 83.3% of cases, one of the main or secondary branches of the marginal mandibular nerve crosses superficial (lateral to the facial vessels. There are communications either between the main or the secondary branches of the marginal mandibular nerve itself in 53.6% of specimens and with the buccal branch of the facial nerve in 40%, also with the anterior branch of the great auricular nerve in 3.3%, and with the transverse cervical nerve in 3.3% of specimens. The relationship of the nerve to the lower border of the mandible at a point midway between the angle of the mandible and symphysis menti is variable; it is either totally above it in most of the specimens 80%, or below it in 10% or at it in the remaining 10% of the specimens. The branches that lie above the lower border of the mandible are always deep into the superficial layer of the parotid fascia, while those branches that lie below the lower border of the mandible are intrafascially. The termination of the nerve is deep into the muscles of the ipsilateral lower lip in all specimens.

A Minimal Model to Explore the Influence of Distant Modes on Mode-Coupling Instabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, Sebastian; Hoffmann, Norbert

2010-09-01

The phenomenon of mode-coupling instability is one of the most frequently explored mechanisms to explain self-excited oscillation in sliding systems with friction. A mode coupling instability is usually due to the coupling of two modes. However, further modes can have an important influence on the coupling of two modes. This work extends a well-known minimal model to describe mode-coupling instabilities in order to explore the influence of a distant mode on the classical mode-coupling pattern. This work suggests a new minimal model. The model is explored and it is shown that a third mode can have significant influence on the classical mode-coupling instabilities where two modes are coupling. Different phenomena are analysed and it is pointed out that distant modes can only be ignored in very special cases and that the onset friction-induced oscillations can even be very sensitive to minimal variation of a distant mode. Due to the chosen academic minimal-model and the abandonment of a complex Finite-Element model the insight stays rather phenomenological but a better understanding of the mode-coupling mechnanism can be gained.

State-set branching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rune Møller; Veloso, Manuela M.; Bryant, Randal E.

2008-01-01

In this article, we present a framework called state-set branching that combines symbolic search based on reduced ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) with best-first search, such as A* and greedy best-first search. The framework relies on an extension of these algorithms from expanding a sing...

Distinguishing synchronous from metachronous manifestation of distant metastases: a prognostic feature in differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabet, Amir [University Duisburg-Essen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany); Saarland University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Homburg (Germany); Binse, Ina; Koch, Andrea; Rosenbaum-Krumme, Sandra J. [University Duisburg-Essen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany); Dogan, Semih; Biersack, Hans-Juergen [University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bonn (Germany); Biermann, Kim [University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bonn (Germany); Confessional Hospital ' ' Barmherzige Brueder' ' , Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Trier (Germany); Ezziddin, Samer [Saarland University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Homburg (Germany); University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bonn (Germany)

2017-02-15

Distant metastasis has a negative impact on survival in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). The timing of this manifestation, however, is of unknown prognostic relevance. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the potential significance of discriminating synchronous versus metachronous distant metastases (SDM vs. MDM) for the outcome of patients with DTC. We retrospectively analyzed a consecutive cohort of n = 89 patients with distant metastases of DTC (43 with follicular, 46 with papillary DTC histology; mean age 52.6 ± 17.7 years) undergoing radioiodine treatment at our institution. All patients were treated with the same protocol consisting of ablative radioiodine therapy (RIT, 3.7 GBq) and one post-ablation treatment after 3 months (3.7-11.1 GBq). Further cycles of RIT were administered for recurrent, progressive or newly developed metastatic disease. We distinguished 2 types of distant metastases according to the time of manifestation: SDM (within ≤12 months after DTC diagnosis) and MDM (occurring >12 months after diagnosis). Tumor-related survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Uni- and multivariate analyses including the Cox proportional hazards model were performed with a significance level of p < 0.05. The mean follow-up period was 13.8 ± 1.2 years. SDM were present in 49 (55.1 %), MDM in 40 (44.9 %) patients. MDM were associated with shorter tumor-related survival (p = 0.002). 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 68.5 % and 34.8 % for MDM, and 84.3 % and 66.9 % for SDM, respectively. Within both age subgroups of <45 and ≥45 years, SDM were also linked with longer survival. No effect on tumor-related survival was found for the co-variables sex, lymph node metastases and histologic type. Distinguishing synchronous from metachronous manifestation of distant metastases may add an important prognostic feature to risk stratification in DTC, as proven metachronous appearance is associated with impaired survival. (orig.)

Secure metropolitan network and the management of branches in the technological infrastructure:Case study GADM Babahoyo City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joffre Vicente León Acurio

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to identify the nonexistent network to the general system of data communication that currently has the GADM (Autonomous Government Decentralized Municipal of Babahoyo located in the province of Los Rios in order to develop a logical design of a metropolitan network that can support new technologies and protocols ensuring the information conveyed between branches of GADM of Babahoyo, besides providing the institution of a compatible platform with the requirements of the e-Government (eGovernment. This research allowed to collect information through instruments such as interviews, meetings and literature review also visits took place at the premises of GADM Babahoyo, reviewing aspects of securities in telecommunications under the ISO / IEC 27002: 2013 citing reference the control objective Management network security. Identification, analysis and design of a proposed network infrastructure is made, allowing communication of the various units that are in distant places. It is concluded that the implementation of a system of networks throughout the municipal entity is considered a solution to the problem and generate many benefits.

Detecting Signatures of Positive Selection along Defined Branches of a Population Tree Using LSD.

Science.gov (United States)

Librado, Pablo; Orlando, Ludovic

2018-06-01

Identifying the genomic basis underlying local adaptation is paramount to evolutionary biology, and bears many applications in the fields of conservation biology, crop, and animal breeding, as well as personalized medicine. Although many approaches have been developed to detect signatures of positive selection within single populations and population pairs, the increasing wealth of high-throughput sequencing data requires improved methods capable of handling multiple, and ideally large number of, populations in a single analysis. In this study, we introduce LSD (levels of exclusively shared differences), a fast and flexible framework to perform genome-wide selection scans, along the internal and external branches of a given population tree. We use forward simulations to demonstrate that LSD can identify branches targeted by positive selection with remarkable sensitivity and specificity. We illustrate a range of potential applications by analyzing data from the 1000 Genomes Project and uncover a list of adaptive candidates accompanying the expansion of anatomically modern humans out of Africa and their spread to Europe.

Branching processes and neutral evolution

CERN Document Server

Taïb, Ziad

1992-01-01

The Galton-Watson branching process has its roots in the problem of extinction of family names which was given a precise formulation by F. Galton as problem 4001 in the Educational Times (17, 1873). In 1875, an attempt to solve this problem was made by H. W. Watson but as it turned out, his conclusion was incorrect. Half a century later, R. A. Fisher made use of the Galton-Watson process to determine the extinction probability of the progeny of a mutant gene. However, it was J. B. S. Haldane who finally gave the first sketch of the correct conclusion. J. B. S. Haldane also predicted that mathematical genetics might some day develop into a "respectable branch of applied mathematics" (quoted in M. Kimura & T. Ohta, Theoretical Aspects of Population Genetics. Princeton, 1971). Since the time of Fisher and Haldane, the two fields of branching processes and mathematical genetics have attained a high degree of sophistication but in different directions. This monograph is a first attempt to apply the current sta...

A close-pair binary in a distant triple supermassive black hole system.

Science.gov (United States)

Deane, R P; Paragi, Z; Jarvis, M J; Coriat, M; Bernardi, G; Fender, R P; Frey, S; Heywood, I; Klöckner, H-R; Grainge, K; Rumsey, C

2014-07-03

Galaxies are believed to evolve through merging, which should lead to some hosting multiple supermassive black holes. There are four known triple black hole systems, with the closest black hole pair being 2.4 kiloparsecs apart (the third component in this system is at 3 kiloparsecs), which is far from the gravitational sphere of influence (about 100 parsecs for a black hole with mass one billion times that of the Sun). Previous searches for compact black hole systems concluded that they were rare, with the tightest binary system having a separation of 7 parsecs (ref. 10). Here we report observations of a triple black hole system at redshift z = 0.39, with the closest pair separated by about 140 parsecs and significantly more distant from Earth than any other known binary of comparable orbital separation. The effect of the tight pair is to introduce a rotationally symmetric helical modulation on the structure of the large-scale radio jets, which provides a useful way to search for other tight pairs without needing extremely high resolution observations. As we found this tight pair after searching only six galaxies, we conclude that tight pairs are more common than hitherto believed, which is an important observational constraint for low-frequency gravitational wave experiments.

Establishing and storing of deterministic quantum entanglement among three distant atomic ensembles.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhihui; Wu, Liang; Jia, Xiaojun; Liu, Yanhong; Deng, Ruijie; Li, Shujing; Wang, Hai; Xie, Changde; Peng, Kunchi

2017-09-28

It is crucial for the physical realization of quantum information networks to first establish entanglement among multiple space-separated quantum memories and then, at a user-controlled moment, to transfer the stored entanglement to quantum channels for distribution and conveyance of information. Here we present an experimental demonstration on generation, storage, and transfer of deterministic quantum entanglement among three spatially separated atomic ensembles. The off-line prepared multipartite entanglement of optical modes is mapped into three distant atomic ensembles to establish entanglement of atomic spin waves via electromagnetically induced transparency light-matter interaction. Then the stored atomic entanglement is transferred into a tripartite quadrature entangled state of light, which is space-separated and can be dynamically allocated to three quantum channels for conveying quantum information. The existence of entanglement among three released optical modes verifies that the system has the capacity to preserve multipartite entanglement. The presented protocol can be directly extended to larger quantum networks with more nodes.Continuous-variable encoding is a promising approach for quantum information and communication networks. Here, the authors show how to map entanglement from three spatial optical modes to three separated atomic samples via electromagnetically induced transparency, releasing it later on demand.

Responses of a tall building in Los Angeles, California as inferred from local and distant earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

Çelebi, Mehmet; Hasan Ulusoy,; Nori Nakata,

2016-01-01

Increasing inventory of tall buildings in the United States and elsewhere may be subjected to motions generated by near and far seismic sources that cause long-period effects. Multiple sets of records that exhibited such effects were retrieved from tall buildings in Tokyo and Osaka ~ 350 km and 770 km from the epicenter of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. In California, very few tall buildings have been instrumented. An instrumented 52-story building in downtown Los Angeles recorded seven local and distant earthquakes. Spectral and system identification methods exhibit significant low frequencies of interest (~0.17 Hz, 0.56 Hz and 1.05 Hz). These frequencies compare well with those computed by transfer functions; however, small variations are observed between the significant low frequencies for each of the seven earthquakes. The torsional and translational frequencies are very close and are coupled. Beating effect is observed in at least two of the seven earthquake data.

Asymptotic behaviour near extinction of continuous-state branching processes

OpenAIRE

Berzunza, Gabriel; Pardo, Juan Carlos

2016-01-01

In this note, we study the asymptotic behaviour near extinction of (sub-) critical continuous state branching processes. In particular, we establish an analogue of Khintchin's law of the iterated logarithm near extinction time for a continuous state branching process whose branching mechanism satisfies a given condition and its reflected process at its infimum.

Jet multiplicity distributions: medium dependence in MLLA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armesto, Nestor; Pajares, Carlos; Quiroga-Arias, Paloma

2009-01-01

We study the medium dependence of the multiplicity distributions in the modified leading logarithmic approximation. We focus in the enhancement in the number of branchings as the partons travel trough a dense medium created in a heavy-ion collision. We study the effect of a higher number of splittings in some jet observables by introducing the medium as a constant (f med ) in the splitting functions. Having as our ansatz for the quark and gluon jets mean multiplicities left angle n G right angle =e γy and left angle n Q right angle =r -1 e γy , we study in an analytic approach the dependence with the medium (f med ) of the anomalous dimension (γ), the multiplicity ratio (r), and so the mean multiplicities. We also obtain the higher-order moments of the multiplicity distribution, what allows us to study its dispersion. (orig.)

Stochastic and deterministic causes of streamer branching in liquid dielectrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jadidian, Jouya; Zahn, Markus; Lavesson, Nils; Widlund, Ola; Borg, Karl

2013-01-01

Streamer branching in liquid dielectrics is driven by stochastic and deterministic factors. The presence of stochastic causes of streamer branching such as inhomogeneities inherited from noisy initial states, impurities, or charge carrier density fluctuations is inevitable in any dielectric. A fully three-dimensional streamer model presented in this paper indicates that deterministic origins of branching are intrinsic attributes of streamers, which in some cases make the branching inevitable depending on shape and velocity of the volume charge at the streamer frontier. Specifically, any given inhomogeneous perturbation can result in streamer branching if the volume charge layer at the original streamer head is relatively thin and slow enough. Furthermore, discrete nature of electrons at the leading edge of an ionization front always guarantees the existence of a non-zero inhomogeneous perturbation ahead of the streamer head propagating even in perfectly homogeneous dielectric. Based on the modeling results for streamers propagating in a liquid dielectric, a gauge on the streamer head geometry is introduced that determines whether the branching occurs under particular inhomogeneous circumstances. Estimated number, diameter, and velocity of the born branches agree qualitatively with experimental images of the streamer branching

Environmental control of branching in petunia.

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, Revel S M; Janssen, Bart J; Luo, Zhiwei; Oplaat, Carla; Ledger, Susan E; Wohlers, Mark W; Snowden, Kimberley C

2015-06-01

Plants alter their development in response to changes in their environment. This responsiveness has proven to be a successful evolutionary trait. Here, we tested the hypothesis that two key environmental factors, light and nutrition, are integrated within the axillary bud to promote or suppress the growth of the bud into a branch. Using petunia (Petunia hybrida) as a model for vegetative branching, we manipulated both light quality (as crowding and the red-to-far-red light ratio) and phosphate availability, such that the axillary bud at node 7 varied from deeply dormant to rapidly growing. In conjunction with the phenotypic characterization, we also monitored the state of the strigolactone (SL) pathway by quantifying SL-related gene transcripts. Mutants in the SL pathway inhibit but do not abolish the branching response to these environmental signals, and neither signal is dominant over the other, suggesting that the regulation of branching in response to the environment is complex. We have isolated three new putatively SL-related TCP (for Teosinte branched1, Cycloidia, and Proliferating cell factor) genes from petunia, and have identified that these TCP-type transcription factors may have roles in the SL signaling pathway both before and after the reception of the SL signal at the bud. We show that the abundance of the receptor transcript is regulated by light quality, such that axillary buds growing in added far-red light have greatly increased receptor transcript abundance. This suggests a mechanism whereby the impact of any SL signal reaching an axillary bud is modulated by the responsiveness of these cells to the signal. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

BPP: a sequence-based algorithm for branch point prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qing; Fan, Xiaodan; Wang, Yejun; Sun, Ming-An; Shao, Jianlin; Guo, Dianjing

2017-10-15

Although high-throughput sequencing methods have been proposed to identify splicing branch points in the human genome, these methods can only detect a small fraction of the branch points subject to the sequencing depth, experimental cost and the expression level of the mRNA. An accurate computational model for branch point prediction is therefore an ongoing objective in human genome research. We here propose a novel branch point prediction algorithm that utilizes information on the branch point sequence and the polypyrimidine tract. Using experimentally validated data, we demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms existing methods. Availability and implementation: https://github.com/zhqingit/BPP. djguo@cuhk.edu.hk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Incidence and kinetics of distant metastases in patients with operable breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryj, M.; Maciejewski, B.; Withers, H.R.; Taylor, J.M.G.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the incidence and kinetics of distant metastases in operable breast cancer and to relate these estimates to various tumor and patient characteristics. The records of 309 consecutive patients with operable breast cancer in stage T 1-4 N 0-1 M 0 were reviewed, and the incidence of distant metastases (DM) and death due to DM were evaluated. 195 patients had positive axillary nodes with following distribution of the number of nodes: 45% had 1-2 node, 16% had 3-4 nodes, 14% and 25% had 5-7 and more nodes, respectively. All patients were treated with radical mastectomy with axillary nodes dissection (the only treatment in 39% of cases). In 198 cases radical mastectomy was combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy given pre- or postoperatively. Hormonal treatment was given in 27% of cases. Minimum follow-up was 10 years. Distant metastases were found in 150 cases (49%) and in 78 cases (25%) they develop early, during the first 18 months follow-up. Average rate of DM in N 0 cases was 25%. Number of involved nodes and extra-capsular invasion were found significant and independent prognostic factors. High risk (%)%) of DM and death due to DM correlate with age T 3 , more than 2 axillary nodes and or extra-capsular invasion. The linearity of the curves for freedom from DM and for freedom from death due to the DM suggest uniform distribution of progression rates with a median value for halving time for freedom from early DM of about 8 months, and of about 40 months for freedom from the DM occurring later than 18 months, being for whole group and average of 20 months. High incidence of DM is a significant cause of poor long-term survival. Early appearance (<18 month follow-up) of about half of the DM suggests that they are already present as subclinical micrometastases at the time of initial loco-regional treatment. The time of appearance of distant metastases is consistent with a wide range of metastatic cell burdens among patients

Factors influencing distant recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma following combined radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization therapy in patients with hepatitis C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nojiri, Shunsuke; Kusakabe, Atsunori; Shinkai, Noboru; Matsuura, Kentaro; Iio, Etsuko; Miyaki, Tomokatsu; Joh, Takashi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to clarify important risk factors for distant recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients positive for hepatitis C and without local recurrence. A total of 212 patients (145 males and 67 females) underwent radiofrequency ablation and transcatheter arterial embolization or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization at initial development of hepatocellular carcinoma. All patients were positive for hepatitis C. Child–Pugh classification was A in 115 and B in 97. The indication for radiofrequency ablation was the presence of up to three tumors ≤ 3 cm. The distant recurrence rate was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and tested by Wilcoxon’s method. Cumulative distant recurrence rates at years 1, 3, and 5 were 19%, 62%, and 79%, respectively. On univariate analysis, a ≥ 3 cm tumor, ≥ 50 ng/mL α-fetoprotein level, and < 3.6 g/dL serum albumin level were significant risk factors for distant recurrence, but only a serum albumin level < 3.6 g/dL (P = 0.004) was identified as significant on multivariate analysis. In the group with a pretreatment albumin level ≥ 3.6 g/dL, the distant recurrence rate was compared between patients in whom the albumin level rose, remained unchanged, or decreased by < 0.3 g/dL, and those in whom the level decreased by ≥ 0.3 g/dL. The rate was significantly higher in the latter, with a one-year recurrence rate of 7% versus 15% (P = 0.04). Distant recurrence was significantly decreased in patients with a high serum albumin level. Distant recurrence was more likely to occur in patients with a decreased albumin level, although the pretreatment level was high. Thus, strict follow-up after treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma is necessary in patients with low serum albumin levels

Ancient fossil specimens of extinct species are genetically more distant to an outgroup than extant sister species are

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shi

2009-01-01

There exists a remarkable correlation between genetic distance as measured by protein or DNA dissimilarity and time of species divergence as inferred from fossil records. This observation has provoked the molecular clock hypothesis. However, data inconsistent with the hypothesis have steadily accumulated in recent years from studies of extant organisms. Here the published DNA and protein sequences from ancient fossil specimens were examined to see if they would support the molecular clock hypothesis. The hypothesis predicts that ancient specimens cannot be genetically more distant to an outgroup than extant sister species are. Also, two distinct ancient specimens cannot be genetically more distant than their extant sister species are. The findings here do not conform to these predictions. Neanderthals are more distant to chimpanzees and gorillas than modern humans are. Dinosaurs are more distant to frogs than extant birds are. Mastodons are more distant to opossums than other placental mammals are. The genetic distance between dinosaurs and mastodons is greater than that between extant birds and mammals. Therefore, while the molecular clock hypothesis is consistent with some data from extant organisms, it has yet to find support from ancient fossils. Far more damaging to the hypothesis than data from extant organisms, which merely question the constancy of mutation rate, the study of ancient fossil organisms here challenges for the first time the fundamental premise of modern evolution theory that genetic distances had always increased with time in the past history of life on Earth. PMID:18600632

Grounded Eyes on Distant Watery Skies

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-08-01

What can we learn about exoplanets from high-resolution, ground-based observations? A new view of the nearby upsilon Andromedae system has revealed a great deal about the systems closest-in exoplanet including the presence of water vapor in its atmosphere.Search for WobblesIllustration of how spectral lines shift when observing two objects that orbit each other. Click here to see a simulation of this process. [R. Pogge, OSU]The upsilon Andromedae system is located roughly 44 light-years from Earth. In 1997, a hot Jupiter exoplanet was discovered orbiting the primary star, and more planets were found not long after making this the first multiple-planet system discovered around a main-sequence star.These planets, however, were not discovered due to transits; their orbital planes are not aligned with our line of sight to the star. Instead, the hiddenplanets were first detected via the stars spectrum. The radial velocity method of detecting exoplanets searches for telltale periodic shifts of a stars spectral lines, which are induced by the orbiting planets gravitational tugs.In recent years, ground-based spectroscopy has become ever more powerful; thus revisiting old systems with higher resolution instruments can often open a whole new world of data to us. In the case of a recent study, a team of astronomers led by Danielle Piskorz (California Institute of Technology) revisited upsilon Andromedae with the high-resolution Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC) at the Keck telescope in Hawaii. Their goal: to gather data about upsilon Andromedae b, the closest-in planet in the system.Top-down schematic of the orbit of upsilon Andromedae b around its star and the location in the orbit of the authors observations. [Piskorz et al. 2017]An Unusual ArchitecturePiskorz and collaborators obtained 13 different sets of observations of upsilon Andromedae with NIRSPEC across three different wavelength bands. By treating the starplanet system as though it were a spectroscopic binary

Plexin A3 and turnout regulate motor axonal branch morphogenesis in zebrafish.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajiv Sainath

Full Text Available During embryogenesis motor axons navigate to their target muscles, where individual motor axons develop complex branch morphologies. The mechanisms that control axonal branching morphogenesis have been studied intensively, yet it still remains unclear when branches begin to form or how branch locations are determined. Live cell imaging of individual zebrafish motor axons reveals that the first axonal branches are generated at the ventral extent of the myotome via bifurcation of the growth cone. Subsequent branches are generated by collateral branching restricted to their synaptic target field along the distal portion of the axon. This precisely timed and spatially restricted branching process is disrupted in turnout mutants we identified in a forward genetic screen. Molecular genetic mapping positioned the turnout mutation within a 300 kb region encompassing eight annotated genes, however sequence analysis of all eight open reading frames failed to unambiguously identify the turnout mutation. Chimeric analysis and single cell labeling reveal that turnout function is required cell non-autonomously for intraspinal motor axon guidance and peripheral branch formation. turnout mutant motor axons form the first branch on time via growth cone bifurcation, but unlike wild-type they form collateral branches precociously, when the growth cone is still navigating towards the ventral myotome. These precocious collateral branches emerge along the proximal region of the axon shaft typically devoid of branches, and they develop into stable, permanent branches. Furthermore, we find that null mutants of the guidance receptor plexin A3 display identical motor axon branching defects, and time lapse analysis reveals that precocious branch formation in turnout and plexin A3 mutants is due to increased stability of otherwise short-lived axonal protrusions. Thus, plexin A3 dependent intrinsic and turnout dependent extrinsic mechanisms suppress collateral branch

Light Signaling in Bud Outgrowth and Branching in Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathalie Leduc

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Branching determines the final shape of plants, which influences adaptation, survival and the visual quality of many species. It is an intricate process that includes bud outgrowth and shoot extension, and these in turn respond to environmental cues and light conditions. Light is a powerful environmental factor that impacts multiple processes throughout plant life. The molecular basis of the perception and transduction of the light signal within buds is poorly understood and undoubtedly requires to be further unravelled. This review is based on current knowledge on bud outgrowth-related mechanisms and light-mediated regulation of many physiological processes. It provides an extensive, though not exhaustive, overview of the findings related to this field. In parallel, it points to issues to be addressed in the near future.

Branching is coordinated with mitosis in growing hyphae of Aspergillus nidulans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dynesen, Jens Østergaard; Nielsen, Jens

2003-01-01

Filamentous fungi like Aspergillus nidulans can effectively colonize their surroundings by the formation of new branches along the existing hyphae. While growth conditions, chemical perturbations, and mutations affecting branch formation have received great attention during the last decades......, the mechanisms that regulates branching is still poorly understood. In this study, a possible relation between cell cycle progression and branching was studied by testing the effect of a nuclei distribution mutation, cell cycle inhibitors. and conditional cell cycle mutations in combination with tip......-growth inhibitors and varying substrate concentrations on branch initiation. Formation of branches was blocked after inhibition of nuclear division, which was not caused by a reduced growth rate. In hyphae of a nuclei distribution mutant branching was severely reduced in anucleated hyphae whereas the number...

Branch formation induced by microbeam irradiation of Adiantum protonemata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, M.

1998-01-01

Branches were induced in centrifuged Adiantum protonemal cells by partial irradiation with polarized red light. Nuclear behavior and microtubule pattern change during branch formation were investigated. A branch formed at any part where a red microbeam was focused along a long apical cell. The nucleus moved towards the irradiated area and remained there until a branch developed. The pattern of microtubules changed from parallel to oblique at the irradiated area and then a transverse arrangement of microtubules appeared on both sides of the area. It appeared as if the nucleus was suspended between two microtubule rings. This nuclear behavior and the changes in microtubule pattern were different from those observed during branch formation under whole cell irradiation. From the results of this work we suggest that there is an importance for precise control of experimental conditions

Determination of the power of multielement aerosol composition emission from distant industrial sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popova, S.A.; Kutsenogij, K.P.; Chankina, O.V.

2008-01-01

The results from the monitoring of the temporal variability of the multielement composition of atmospheric aerosols are presented. They are used to determine the emission power of a series of elements from distant sources.

The normal distribution of thoracoabdominal aorta small branch artery ostia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronin, Paul; Williams, David M.; Vellody, Ranjith; Kelly, Aine Marie; Kazerooni, Ella A.; Carlos, Ruth C.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the normal distribution of aortic branch artery ostia. CT scans of 100 subjects were retrospectively reviewed. The angular distributions of the aorta with respect to the center of the T3 to L4 vertebral bodies, and of branch artery origins with respect to the center of the aorta were measured. At each vertebral body level the distribution of intercostal/lumbar arteries and other branch arteries were calculated. The proximal descending aorta is posteriorly placed becoming a midline structure, at the thoracolumbar junction, and remains anterior to the vertebral bodies within the abdomen. The intercostal and lumbar artery ostia have a distinct distribution. At each vertebral level from T3 caudally, one intercostal artery originates from the posterior wall of the aorta throughout the thoracic aorta, while the other intercostal artery originates from the medial wall of the descending thoracic aorta high in the chest, posteromedially from the mid-thoracic aorta, and from the posterior wall of the aorta low in the chest. Mediastinal branches of the thoracic aorta originate from the medial and anterior wall. Lumbar branches originate only from the posterior wall of the abdominal aorta. Aortic branch artery origins arise with a bimodal distribution and have a characteristic location. Mediastinal branches of the thoracic aorta originate from the medial and anterior wall. Knowing the location of aortic branch artery ostia may help distinguish branch artery pseudoaneurysms from penetrating ulcers.

Directing the Branching Growth of Cuprous Oxide by OH- Ions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kunfeng; Si, Yunfei; Xue, Dongfeng

The effect of OH- ions on the branching growth of cuprous oxide microcrystals was systematically studied by a reduction route, where copper-citrate complexes were reduced by glucose under alkaline conditions. Different copper salts including Cu(NO3)2, CuCl2, CuSO4, and Cu(Ac)2 were used in this work. The results indicate that the Cu2O branching growth habit is closely correlated to the concentration of OH- ions, which plays an important role in directing the diffusion-limited branching growth of Cu2O and influencing the reduction power of glucose. A variety of Cu2O branching patterns including 6-pod, 8-pod and 24-pod branches, have been achieved without using template and surfactant. The current method can provide a good platform for studying the growth mechanism of microcrystal branching patterns.

["Habitual" left branch block alternating with 2 "disguised" bracnch block].

Science.gov (United States)

Lévy, S; Jullien, G; Mathieu, P; Mostefa, S; Gérard, R

1976-10-01

Two cases of alternating left bundle branch block and "masquerading block" (with left bundle branch morphology in the stnadard leads and right bundle branch block morphology in the precordial leads) were studied by serial tracings and his bundle electrocardiography. In case 1 "the masquerading" block was associated with a first degree AV block related to a prolongation of HV interval. This case is to our knowledge the first cas of alternating bundle branch block in which his bundle activity was recorded in man. In case 2, the patient had atrial fibrilation and His bundle recordings were performed while differents degrees of left bundle branch block were present: The mechanism of the alternation and the concept of "masquerading" block are discussed. It is suggested that this type of block represents a right bundle branch block associated with severe lesions of the "left system".

Medial branch neurotomy in low back pain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masala, Salvatore; Mammucari, Matteo; Simonetti, Giovanni; Nano, Giovanni; Marcia, Stefano

2012-01-01

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency medial branch dorsal ramus neurotomy in patients with facet joint syndrome. From January 2008 to April 2010, 92 patients with facet joint syndrome diagnosed by strict inclusion criteria and controlled diagnostic blocks undergone medial branch neurotomy. We did not exclude patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Electrodes (20G) with 5-mm active tip were placed under fluoroscopy guide parallel to medial branch. Patients were followed up by physical examination and by Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index at 1, 6, and 12 months. In all cases, pain improvement was statistically significant and so quality of life. Three non-FBSS patients had to undergo a second neurotomy because of non-satisfactory pain decrease. Complications were reported in no case. Medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy has confirmed its well-established effectiveness in pain and quality of life improvement as long as strict inclusion criteria be fulfilled and nerve ablation be accomplished by parallel electrode positioning. This statement can be extended also to FBSS patients. (orig.)

Medial branch neurotomy in low back pain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masala, Salvatore; Mammucari, Matteo; Simonetti, Giovanni [Interventional Radiology and Radiotherapy University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Rome (Italy); Nano, Giovanni [Interventional Radiology and Radiotherapy University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Rome (Italy); University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Radiology, Rome (Italy); Marcia, Stefano [S. Giovanni di Dio Hospital, Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Cagliari (Italy)

2012-07-15

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency medial branch dorsal ramus neurotomy in patients with facet joint syndrome. From January 2008 to April 2010, 92 patients with facet joint syndrome diagnosed by strict inclusion criteria and controlled diagnostic blocks undergone medial branch neurotomy. We did not exclude patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Electrodes (20G) with 5-mm active tip were placed under fluoroscopy guide parallel to medial branch. Patients were followed up by physical examination and by Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index at 1, 6, and 12 months. In all cases, pain improvement was statistically significant and so quality of life. Three non-FBSS patients had to undergo a second neurotomy because of non-satisfactory pain decrease. Complications were reported in no case. Medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy has confirmed its well-established effectiveness in pain and quality of life improvement as long as strict inclusion criteria be fulfilled and nerve ablation be accomplished by parallel electrode positioning. This statement can be extended also to FBSS patients. (orig.)

Very-high-energy gamma rays from a distant quasar: how transparent is the universe?

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, J; Aliu, E; Anderhub, H; Antonelli, L A; Antoranz, P; Backes, M; Baixeras, C; Barrio, J A; Bartko, H; Bastieri, D; Becker, J K; Bednarek, W; Berger, K; Bernardini, E; Bigongiari, C; Biland, A; Bock, R K; Bonnoli, G; Bordas, P; Bosch-Ramon, V; Bretz, T; Britvitch, I; Camara, M; Carmona, E; Chilingarian, A; Commichau, S; Contreras, J L; Cortina, J; Costado, M T; Covino, S; Curtef, V; Dazzi, F; De Angelis, A; De Cea Del Pozo, E; de Los Reyes, R; De Lotto, B; De Maria, M; De Sabata, F; Mendez, C Delgado; Dominguez, A; Dorner, D; Doro, M; Errando, M; Fagiolini, M; Ferenc, D; Fernández, E; Firpo, R; Fonseca, M V; Font, L; Galante, N; López, R J García; Garczarczyk, M; Gaug, M; Goebel, F; Hayashida, M; Herrero, A; Höhne, D; Hose, J; Hsu, C C; Huber, S; Jogler, T; Kneiske, T M; Kranich, D; La Barbera, A; Laille, A; Leonardo, E; Lindfors, E; Lombardi, S; Longo, F; López, M; Lorenz, E; Majumdar, P; Maneva, G; Mankuzhiyil, N; Mannheim, K; Maraschi, L; Mariotti, M; Martínez, M; Mazin, D; Meucci, M; Meyer, M; Miranda, J M; Mirzoyan, R; Mizobuchi, S; Moles, M; Moralejo, A; Nieto, D; Nilsson, K; Ninkovic, J; Otte, N; Oya, I; Panniello, M; Paoletti, R; Paredes, J M; Pasanen, M; Pascoli, D; Pauss, F; Pegna, R G; Perez-Torres, M A; Persic, M; Peruzzo, L; Piccioli, A; Prada, F; Prandini, E; Puchades, N; Raymers, A; Rhode, W; Ribó, M; Rico, J; Rissi, M; Robert, A; Rügamer, S; Saggion, A; Saito, T Y; Salvati, M; Sanchez-Conde, M; Sartori, P; Satalecka, K; Scalzotto, V; Scapin, V; Schmitt, R; Schweizer, T; Shayduk, M; Shinozaki, K; Shore, S N; Sidro, N; Sierpowska-Bartosik, A; Sillanpää, A; Sobczynska, D; Spanier, F; Stamerra, A; Stark, L S; Takalo, L; Tavecchio, F; Temnikov, P; Tescaro, D; Teshima, M; Tluczykont, M; Torres, D F; Turini, N; Vankov, H; Venturini, A; Vitale, V; Wagner, R M; Wittek, W; Zabalza, V; Zandanel, F; Zanin, R; Zapatero, J

2008-06-27

The atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray telescope MAGIC, designed for a low-energy threshold, has detected very-high-energy gamma rays from a giant flare of the distant Quasi-Stellar Radio Source (in short: radio quasar) 3C 279, at a distance of more than 5 billion light-years (a redshift of 0.536). No quasar has been observed previously in very-high-energy gamma radiation, and this is also the most distant object detected emitting gamma rays above 50 gigaelectron volts. Because high-energy gamma rays may be stopped by interacting with the diffuse background light in the universe, the observations by MAGIC imply a low amount for such light, consistent with that known from galaxy counts.

Measurement of Tau Lepton Branching Fractions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicol, N.

2003-12-19

We present {tau}{sup -} lepton branching fraction measurements based on data from the TPC/Two-Gamma detector at PEP. Using a sample of {tau}{sup -} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} events, we examine the resonance structure of the K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} system and obtain the first measurements of branching fractions for {tau}{sup -} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}K{sub 1}{sup -}(1270) and {tau}{sup -} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}K{sub 1}{sup -}(1400). We also describe a complete set of branching fraction measurements in which all the decays of the {tau}{sup -} lepton are separated into classes defined by the identities of the charged particles and an estimate of the number of neutrals. This is the first such global measurement with decay classes defined by the four possible charged particle species, e, {mu}, {pi}, and K.

Tillering and panicle branching genes in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Wei-hong; Shang, Fei; Lin, Qun-ting; Lou, Chen; Zhang, Jing

2014-03-01

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple food crops in the world, and rice tillering and panicle branching are important traits determining grain yield. Since the gene MONOCULM 1 (MOC 1) was first characterized as a key regulator in controlling rice tillering and branching, great progress has been achieved in identifying important genes associated with grain yield, elucidating the genetic basis of yield-related traits. Some of these important genes were shown to be applicable for molecular breeding of high-yielding rice. This review focuses on recent advances, with emphasis on rice tillering and panicle branching genes, and their regulatory networks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Branching out Has So Much to Offer

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Joe

2012-01-01

In 1989 there were thirty ATM branches nationally. In January 2012 there were just twelve ATM branches with another three "proposed". How can that happen? How did it happen? Maybe the most pertinent question is: Why did it happen? There is no single answer to the last question, but perhaps it was something to do with the changes that…

Morphometry of medial gaps of human brain artery branches.

Science.gov (United States)

Canham, Peter B; Finlay, Helen M

2004-05-01

The bifurcation regions of the major human cerebral arteries are vulnerable to the formation of saccular aneurysms. A consistent feature of these bifurcations is a discontinuity of the tunica media at the apex of the flow divider. The objective was to measure the 3-dimensional geometry of these medial gaps or "medial defects." Nineteen bifurcations and 2 junctions of human cerebral arteries branches (from 4 male and 2 female subjects) were formalin-fixed at physiological pressure and processed for longitudinal serial sectioning. The apex and adjacent regions were examined and measurements were made from high-magnification photomicrographs, or projection microscope images, of the gap dimensions at multiple levels through the bifurcation. Plots were made of the width of the media as a function of distance from the apex. The media at each edge of the medial gap widened over a short distance, reaching the full width of the media of the contiguous daughter vessel. Medial gap dimensions were compared with the planar angle of the bifurcation, and a strong negative correlation was found, ie, the acute angled branches have the more prominent medial gaps. A discontinuity of the media at the apex was seen in all the bifurcations examined and was also found in the junction regions of brain arteries. We determined that the gap width is continuous with well-defined dimensions throughout its length and average length-to-width ratio of 6.9. The gaps were generally centered on the prominence of the apical ridge.

Tracheobronchial Branching Anomalies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Min Ji; Kim, Young Tong; Jou, Sung Shick; Park, A Young

2010-01-01

There are various congenital anomalies with respect to the number, length, diameter, and location of tracheobronchial branching patterns. The tracheobronchial anomalies are classified into two groups. The first one, anomalies of division, includes tracheal bronchus, cardiac bronchus, tracheal diverticulum, pulmonary isomerism, and minor variations. The second one, dysmorphic lung, includes lung agenesis-hypoplasia complex and lobar agenesis-aplasia complex

Tracheobronchial Branching Anomalies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Min Ji; Kim, Young Tong; Jou, Sung Shick [Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Park, A Young [Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Asan (Korea, Republic of)

2010-04-15

There are various congenital anomalies with respect to the number, length, diameter, and location of tracheobronchial branching patterns. The tracheobronchial anomalies are classified into two groups. The first one, anomalies of division, includes tracheal bronchus, cardiac bronchus, tracheal diverticulum, pulmonary isomerism, and minor variations. The second one, dysmorphic lung, includes lung agenesis-hypoplasia complex and lobar agenesis-aplasia complex

Modeling of branching density and branching distribution in low-density polyethylene polymerization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kim, D.M.; Iedema, P.D.

2008-01-01

Low-density polyethylene (ldPE) is a general purpose polymer with various applications. By this reason, many publications can be found on the ldPE polymerization modeling. However, scission reaction and branching distribution are only recently considered in the modeling studies due to difficulties

Pulsed positive corona streamer propagation and branching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veldhuizen, E.M. van; Rutgers, W.R.

2002-01-01

The propagation and branching of pulsed positive corona streamers in a short gap is observed with high resolution in space and time. The appearance of the pre-breakdown phenomena can be controlled by the electrode configuration, the gas composition and the impedance of the pulsed power circuit. In a point-wire gap the positive corona shows much more branching than in the parallel plane gap with a protrusion. In air, the branching is more pronounced than in argon. The pulsed power circuit appears to operate in two modes, either as an inductive circuit creating a lower number of thick streamers or as a resistive circuit giving a higher number of thin streamers. A possible cause for branching is electrostatic repulsion of two parts of the streamer head. The electric field at the streamer head is limited, the maximum values found are ∼170 kV cm -1 in air and ∼100 kV cm -1 in argon. At these maximum field strengths, the electrons have 5-10 eV energy, so the ionization is dominated by two-step processes. Differences between argon and ambient air in the field strength at which streamers propagate are ascribed to the difference in de-excitation processes in noble and molecular gases. The fact that the pulsed power circuit can control the streamer structure is important for applications, but this effect must also be taken into account in fundamental studies of streamer propagation and branching. (author)

Pulsed positive corona streamer propagation and branching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veldhuizen, E.M. van [Department of Physics, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eindhoven (Netherlands)]. E-mail: e.m.v.veldhuizen@tue.nl; Rutgers, W.R. [Department of Physics, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2002-09-07

The propagation and branching of pulsed positive corona streamers in a short gap is observed with high resolution in space and time. The appearance of the pre-breakdown phenomena can be controlled by the electrode configuration, the gas composition and the impedance of the pulsed power circuit. In a point-wire gap the positive corona shows much more branching than in the parallel plane gap with a protrusion. In air, the branching is more pronounced than in argon. The pulsed power circuit appears to operate in two modes, either as an inductive circuit creating a lower number of thick streamers or as a resistive circuit giving a higher number of thin streamers. A possible cause for branching is electrostatic repulsion of two parts of the streamer head. The electric field at the streamer head is limited, the maximum values found are {approx}170 kV cm{sup -1} in air and {approx}100 kV cm{sup -1} in argon. At these maximum field strengths, the electrons have 5-10 eV energy, so the ionization is dominated by two-step processes. Differences between argon and ambient air in the field strength at which streamers propagate are ascribed to the difference in de-excitation processes in noble and molecular gases. The fact that the pulsed power circuit can control the streamer structure is important for applications, but this effect must also be taken into account in fundamental studies of streamer propagation and branching. (author)

Jet multiplicity distributions: medium dependence in MLLA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armesto, Nestor; Pajares, Carlos; Quiroga-Arias, Paloma [Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Departamento de Fisica de Particulas and IGFAE, Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

2009-07-15

We study the medium dependence of the multiplicity distributions in the modified leading logarithmic approximation. We focus in the enhancement in the number of branchings as the partons travel trough a dense medium created in a heavy-ion collision. We study the effect of a higher number of splittings in some jet observables by introducing the medium as a constant (f{sub med}) in the splitting functions. Having as our ansatz for the quark and gluon jets mean multiplicities left angle n{sub G} right angle =e{sup {gamma}}{sup y} and left angle n{sub Q} right angle =r{sup -1}e{sup {gamma}}{sup y}, we study in an analytic approach the dependence with the medium (f{sub med}) of the anomalous dimension ({gamma}), the multiplicity ratio (r), and so the mean multiplicities. We also obtain the higher-order moments of the multiplicity distribution, what allows us to study its dispersion. (orig.)

Transcriptome wide identification and characterization of starch branching enzyme in finger millet.

Science.gov (United States)

Tyagi, Rajhans; Tiwari, Apoorv; Garg, Vijay Kumar; Gupta, Sanjay

2017-01-01

Starch-branching enzymes (SBEs) are one of the four major enzyme classes involved in starch biosynthesis in plants and play an important role in determining the structure and physical properties of starch granules. Multiple SBEs are involved in starch biosynthesis in plants. Finger millet is calcium rich important serial crop belongs to grass family and the transcriptome data of developing spikes is available on NCBI. In this study it was try to find out the gene sequence of starch branching enzyme and annotate the sequence and submit the sequence for further use. Rice SBE sequence was taken as reference and for characterization of the sequence different in silico tools were used. Four domains were found in the finger millet Starch branching enzyme like alpha amylase catalytic domain from 925 to2172 with E value 0, N-terminal Early set domain from 634 to 915 with E value 1.62 e-42, Alpha amylase, C-terminal all-beta domain from 2224 to 2511 with E value 5.80e-24 and 1,4-alpha-glucan-branching enzyme from 421 to 2517 with E value 0. Major binding interactions with the GLC (alpha-d-glucose), CA (calcium ion), GOL (glycerol), TRS (2-amino-2-hydroxymethylpropane- 1, 3-diol), MG (magnesium ion) and FLC (citrate anion) are fond with different residues. It was found in the phylogenetic study of the finger millet SBE with the 6 species of grass family that two clusters were form A and B. In cluster A, finger millet showed closeness with Oryzasativa and Setariaitalica, Sorghum bicolour and Zea mays while cluster B was formed with Triticumaestivum and Brachypodium distachyon. The nucleotide sequence of Finger millet SBE was submitted to NCBI with the accession no KY648913 and protein structure of SBE of finger millet was also submitted in PMDB with the PMDB id - PM0080938. This research presents a comparative overview of Finger millet SBE and includes their properties, structural and functional characteristics, and recent developments on their post-translational regulation.

Screening for distant metastases in head and neck cancer patients by chest CT or whole body FDG-PET: A prospective multicenter trial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senft, Asaf; Bree, Remco de; Hoekstra, Otto S.; Kuik, Dirk J.; Golding, Richard P.; Oyen, Wim J.G.; Pruim, Jan; Hoogen, Frank J. van den; Roodenburg, Jan L.N.; Leemans, C. Rene

2008-01-01

Background and purpose: The aim of the study was to define the added value of whole body FDG-PET in screening for distant metastases in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and risk factors. Materials and methods: In a multi-center prospective study between 1998 and 2003, 145 consecutive HNSCC patients with risk factors for distant metastases underwent chest CT and whole body FDG-PET for screening of distant metastases. The data of 92 evaluable patients who developed distant metastases or who had a follow-up of at least 12 months were analyzed. Besides their performance in clinical practice, the operational characteristics of PET and CT using ROC analyses were investigated. Results: Pretreatment screening identified distant metastases in 19 patients (21%). FDG-PET had a higher sensitivity (53% vs. 37%) and positive predictive value (80% vs. 75%) than CT. The combination of CT and FDG-PET had the highest sensitivity (63%). The ROC analyses of the five point ordinal scales revealed that the 'area under the curve' (AUC) of FDG-PET was significantly higher as compared to CT. Conclusion: In HNSCC patients with risk factors, pretreatment screening for distant metastases by chest CT is improved by FDG-PET

Reproductive success and mortality rates of Ceriodaphnia dubia maintained in water from Upper Three Runs, Pen Branch, and Fourmile Branch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Specht, W.L.

1994-12-01

It is anticipated that the new SRS NPDES permit will require toxicity testing of at numerous outfalls and receiving streams, using the standard test species, Ceriodaphnia dubia. Because SRS surface waters differ markedly from the standard culture water that is used for Ceriodaphnia, studies were undertaken to determine if unimpacted SRS surface waters will support this species. Three SRS surface waters were evaluated; Upper Three Runs at Road 8-1, Pen Branch at Road B, and Fourmile Branch at Road F. Toxicity tests were performed monthly on each water source for eleven months. All three water sources exhibited varying degrees of toxicity to Ceriodaphnia, with Pen Branch being the least toxic and Fourmile Branch being the most toxic. These results indicate that if in-stream toxicity testing is required, it may not be possible to separate the naturally occurring toxic effects of the receiving water from possible toxic effects of SRS effluents

Phylogenetic Structure of Plant Communities: Are Polyploids Distantly Related to Co-occurring Diploids?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle L. Gaynor

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Polyploidy is widely acknowledged to have played an important role in the evolution and diversification of vascular plants. However, the influence of genome duplication on population-level dynamics and its cascading effects at the community level remain unclear. In part, this is due to persistent uncertainties over the extent of polyploid phenotypic variation, and the interactions between polyploids and co-occurring species, and highlights the need to integrate polyploid research at the population and community level. Here, we investigate how community-level patterns of phylogenetic relatedness might influence escape from minority cytotype exclusion, a classic population genetics hypothesis about polyploid establishment, and population-level species interactions. Focusing on two plant families in which polyploidy has evolved multiple times, Brassicaceae and Rosaceae, we build upon the hypothesis that the greater allelic and phenotypic diversity of polyploids allow them to successfully inhabit a different geographic range compared to their diploid progenitor and close relatives. Using a phylogenetic framework, we specifically test (1 whether polyploid species are more distantly related to diploids within the same community than co-occurring diploids are to one another, and (2 if polyploid species tend to exhibit greater ecological success than diploids, using species abundance in communities as an indicator of successful establishment. Overall, our results suggest that the effects of genome duplication on community structure are not clear-cut. We find that polyploid species tend to be more distantly related to co-occurring diploids than diploids are to each other. However, we do not find a consistent pattern of polyploid species being more abundant than diploid species, suggesting polyploids are not uniformly more ecologically successful than diploids. While polyploidy appears to have some important influences on species co-occurrence in

Left bundle-branch block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risum, Niels; Strauss, David; Sogaard, Peter

2013-01-01

The relationship between myocardial electrical activation by electrocardiogram (ECG) and mechanical contraction by echocardiography in left bundle-branch block (LBBB) has never been clearly demonstrated. New strict criteria for LBBB based on a fundamental understanding of physiology have recently...

Secondary motion in three-dimensional branching networks

Science.gov (United States)

Guha, Abhijit; Pradhan, Kaustav

2017-06-01

A major aim of the present work is to understand and thoroughly document the generation, the three-dimensional distribution, and the evolution of the secondary motion as the fluid progresses downstream through a branched network. Six generations (G0-G5) of branches (involving 63 straight portions and 31 bifurcation modules) are computed in one go; such computational challenges are rarely taken in the literature. More than 30 × 106 computational elements are employed for high precision of computed results and fine quality of the flow visualization diagrams. The study of co-planar vis-à-vis non-planar space-filling configurations establishes a quantitative evaluation of the dependence of the fluid dynamics on the three-dimensional arrangement of the same individual branches. As compared to the secondary motion in a simple curved pipe, three distinctive features, viz., the change of shape and size of the flow-cross-section, the division of non-uniform primary flow in a bifurcation module, and repeated switchover from clockwise to anticlockwise curvature and vice versa in the flow path, make the present situation more complex. It is shown that the straight portions in the network, in general, attenuate the secondary motion, while the three-dimensionally complex bifurcation modules generate secondary motion and may alter the number, arrangement, and structure of vortices. A comprehensive picture of the evolution of quantitative flow visualizations of the secondary motion is achieved by constructing contours of secondary velocity | v → S | , streamwise vorticity ω S , and λ 2 iso-surfaces. It is demonstrated, for example, that for in-plane configuration, the vortices on any plane appear in pair (i.e., for each clockwise rotating vortex, there is an otherwise identical anticlockwise vortex), whereas the vortices on a plane for the out-of-plane configuration may be dissimilar, and there may even be an odd number of vortices. We have formulated three new parameters

The influence of flexible branches in flexible polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wescott, J.T.

1998-06-01

In this work the influence of branches in flexible polymer systems has been investigated by consideration of (1) the behaviour of isolated poly-α-olefin chains and (2) the p -T phase behaviour of poly(4-methylpentene-1)(P4MP1). Molecular dynamics simulations of isolated poly-α-olefins were performed in order to gauge directly the effect of molecular structure on chain dimensions, flexibility (via the persistence length) and shape. Under Θ-conditions the addition of short linear branches was shown to increase the flexibility of the backbone. In conditions of good solvent, however, the effect of longer and bulkier branches was to increase the persistence length and average size of the coil with the arrangement of side chain atoms making a small difference. The side branches themselves also affected the solvent conditions experienced by the backbone, behaving much like bound solvent. Consideration of ethylene-α-olefin copolymers, where the branch content was varied from 0-50%, showed that under good solvent conditions the branches increased the chain stiffness only when the gap between side branches was less than five backbone carbon atoms. The backbone torsions were also shown to play an important role in determining these trends. For comparison with the above simulations, persistence length values for polyethylene (= 7.3±0.2A) and P4MP1 (=7.6±0.3A) were measured experimentally by neutron scattering in dilute solution. A value of 6.7±0.5 for the characteristic ratio of PE was also calculated. To investigate the role of a bulky side group in crystalline phases, wide angle X-ray diffraction experiments using a Hikosaka pressure cell were performed on P4MP1. Computer modelling, utilising the experimental data obtained, determined the structure of a disordered phase produced at room temperature and a new high pressure/high temperature phase. The disordered phase was found to be due to a collapse of the backbone combined with some disordering of the side chains

SigTree: A Microbial Community Analysis Tool to Identify and Visualize Significantly Responsive Branches in a Phylogenetic Tree

OpenAIRE

Stevens, John R.; Jones, Todd R.; Lefevre, Michael; Ganesan, Balasubramanian; Weimer, Bart C.

2017-01-01

Microbial community analysis experiments to assess the effect of a treatment intervention (or environmental change) on the relative abundance levels of multiple related microbial species (or operational taxonomic units) simultaneously using high throughput genomics are becoming increasingly common. Within the framework of the evolutionary phylogeny of all species considered in the experiment, this translates to a statistical need to identify the phylogenetic branches that exhibit a significan...

Thyrotoxicosis associated with distant metastatic follicular carcinoma of the thyroid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowden, W.D.; Jones, R.E.

1986-01-01

In a man with metastatic follicular carcinoma of the thyroid, thyrotoxicosis developed after total thyroidectomy and was successfully treated with antithyroid medications. Treatment with radioactive iodine decreased the size of the distant metastasis and eventually diminished thyroid hormone production. Follicular carcinoma complicated by hyperthyroidism requires vigorous control of the hypermetabolic state. Treatment with radioactive iodine can effectively reduce metabolic complications and tumor bulk, and yields a remission rate as high as 33%

Echinococcus granulosus: Evidence of a heterodimeric glutathione transferase built up by phylogenetically distant subunits.

Science.gov (United States)

Arbildi, Paula; La-Rocca, Silvana; Lopez, Veronica; Da-Costa, Natalia; Fernandez, Veronica

2017-01-01

In the cestode parasite Echinococcus granulosus, three phylogenetically distant cytosolic glutathione transferases (GSTs) (EgGST1, 2 and 3) were identified. Interestingly, the C-terminal domains of EgGST3 and EgGST2 but not EgGST1, exhibit all amino acids involved in Sigma-class GST dimerization. Here, we provide evidence indicating that EgGST2 and EgGST3 naturally form a heterodimeric structure (EgGST2-3), and also we report the enzymatic activity of the recombinant heterodimer. EgGST2-3 might display novel properties able to influence the infection establishment. This is the first report of a stable heterodimeric GST built up by phylogenetically distant subunits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The memory unsatisfied in Estrella distante of Roberto Bolaño

OpenAIRE

Susana Florinda Ramírez

2015-01-01

This article sets up to examine the fictional strategies appointed  to shape the complexity of the memory processes in there composition of a traumatic experience. Estrella distante (1996), discusses the identity of the subject and, consequently, questions the supposed transparency of testimonies. Critical memory opens the past to uninterrupted interpretations in order to prevent the crystallization of a solesense of facts.

The Horizontal Branch of the Sculptor Dwarf galaxy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salaris, Maurizio; de Boer, Thomas; Tolstoy, Eline; Fiorentino, Giuliana; Cassisi, Santi

2013-01-01

We have performed the first detailed simulation of the horizontal branch of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy by means of synthetic modelling techniques, taking consistently into account the star formation history and metallicity evolution as determined from the main sequence and red giant branch

Critical Age-Dependent Branching Markov Processes and their ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper studies: (i) the long-time behaviour of the empirical distribution of age and normalized position of an age-dependent critical branching Markov process conditioned on non-extinction; and (ii) the super-process limit of a sequence of age-dependent critical branching Brownian motions.

Snake Envenomation Causing Distant Tracheal Myonecrosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amina Khimani

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Snakebites are often believed to be poisonous. However, this is not always the case. In fact, each bite differs from snake to snake, depending on if the snake is poisonous and if there is envenomation. Venom in pit viper snakebites is often associated with local necrosis. The abundant literature selections and research articles justify local myonecrosis due to envenomation, but there is not much in the literature regarding myonecrosis at a site distant from the snakebite. We hereby present a case of a 42-year-old man who was transferred to our emergency department after a rattlesnake bit him twice. The patient, besides developing local myonecrosis at the site of the snakebite, developed necrosis of the scrotum as well as tracheal pressure myonecrosis at the site of the endotracheal tube balloon. In this review, we will attempt to discuss the myonecrosis pathophysiology and management related to the rattle snakebite.

Black-hole masses of distant quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne

2011-01-01

A brief overview of the methods commonly used to determine or estimate the black hole mass in quiescent or active galaxies is presented and it is argued that the use of mass-scaling relations is both a reliable and the preferred method to apply to large samples of distant quasars. The method uses...... that the black hole masses are very large, of order 1 to 10 billion solar masses, even at the highest redshifts of 4 to 6. The black holes must build up their mass very fast in the early universe. Yet they do not grow much larger than that: a maximum mass of about 10 billion solar masses is also observed....... Preliminary mass functions of active black holes are presented for several quasar samples, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Finally, common concerns related to the application of the mass scaling relations, especially for high redshift quasars, are briefly discussed....

Finite-size scaling of survival probability in branching processes

OpenAIRE

Garcia-Millan, Rosalba; Font-Clos, Francesc; Corral, Alvaro

2014-01-01

Branching processes pervade many models in statistical physics. We investigate the survival probability of a Galton-Watson branching process after a finite number of generations. We reveal the finite-size scaling law of the survival probability for a given branching process ruled by a probability distribution of the number of offspring per element whose standard deviation is finite, obtaining the exact scaling function as well as the critical exponents. Our findings prove the universal behavi...

Intermittency in branching models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, C.B.; Texas Univ., Austin; Hwa, R.C.; Oregon Univ., Eugene

1990-01-01

The intermittency properties of three branching models have been investigated. The factorial moments show power-law behavior as function of small rapidity width. The slopes and energy dependences reveal different characteristics of the models. The gluon model has the weakest intermittency. (orig.)

Neural correlates of self-appraisals in the near and distant future: an event-related potential study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yangmei Luo

Full Text Available To investigate perceptual and neural correlates of future self-appraisals as a function of temporal distance, event-related potentials (ERPs were recorded while participants (11 women, eight men made judgments about the applicability of trait adjectives to their near future selves (i.e., one month from now and their distant future selves (i.e., three years from now. Behavioral results indicated people used fewer positive adjectives, more negative adjectives, recalled more specific events coming to mind and felt more psychologically connected to the near future self than the distant future self. Electrophysiological results demonstrated that negative trait adjectives elicited more positive ERP deflections than did positive trait adjectives in the interval between 550 and 800 ms (late positive component within the near future self condition. However, within the same interval, there were no significant differences between negative and positive traits adjectives in the distant future self condition. The results suggest that negative emotional processing in future self-appraisals is modulated by temporal distance, consistent with predictions of construal level theory.

Methods and Technologies Branch (MTB)

Science.gov (United States)

The Methods and Technologies Branch focuses on methods to address epidemiologic data collection, study design and analysis, and to modify technological approaches to better understand cancer susceptibility.

Feasibility of mesorectal vascular invasion in predicting early distant metastasis in patients with stage T3 rectal cancer based on rectal MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Chul; Kim, Jai Keun; Lee, Jei Hee [Ajou University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Myeong-Jin [Yonsei University Health system, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Institute of Gastroenterology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Bae [Ajou University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Sung Jae [Ajou University School of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-02-15

To evaluate the feasibility of mesorectal vascular invasion (MVI) in predicting early distant metastasis developed within 1 year of diagnosis of T3 rectal cancer using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Sixty-five patients with T3 rectal cancer (early metastasis, n = 28; non-metastasis, n = 37) were enrolled in this study. Early distant metastases developed in 28 patients (liver, n = 15; lung, n = 9; both, n = 4). Logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors for early distant metastasis. In univariate analysis, tumour location, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), MRI-detected MVI, and mesorectal fat infiltration (MFI) (odds ratio [OR], 4.533, 9.583, 5.539, 27.046, and 5.539, respectively) were associated with early distant metastasis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that MVI (OR, 29.949; P < 0.002) and LVI (OR, 6.684; P = 0.033) were independent factors for early distant metastasis. Specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of MVI (94.59 %, and 89.47 %, respectively) were significantly higher than those of LVI (64.86 %, and 61.76 %), but sensitivity and negative predictive value were not significantly different between MVI (60.71 %, and 76.09 %) and LVI (75.00 %, and 77.42 %). While sensitivity of MRI-detected MVI was equal to that of CEA in predicting early distant metastasis from T3 rectal cancer, specificity and PPV may be improved by assessing MVI. (orig.)

Nucleoli and stress granules: connecting distant relatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahboubi, Hicham; Stochaj, Ursula

2014-10-01

Nucleoli and cytoplasmic stress granules (SGs) are subcellular compartments that modulate the response to endogenous and environmental signals to control cell survival. In our opinion, nucleoli and SGs are functionally linked; they are distant relatives that combine forces when cellular homeostasis is threatened. Several lines of evidence support this idea; nucleoli and SGs share molecular building blocks, are regulated by common signaling pathways and communicate when vital cellular functions become compromised. Together, nucleoli and SGs orchestrate physiological responses that are directly relevant to stress and human health. As both compartments have established roles in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and virus infections, we propose that these conditions will benefit from therapeutic interventions that target simultaneously nucleoli and SGs. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative Analysis of Axonal Branch Dynamics in the Developing Nervous System.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelsey Chalmers

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Branching is an important mechanism by which axons navigate to their targets during neural development. For instance, in the developing zebrafish retinotectal system, selective branching plays a critical role during both initial pathfinding and subsequent arborisation once the target zone has been reached. Here we show how quantitative methods can help extract new information from time-lapse imaging about the nature of the underlying branch dynamics. First, we introduce Dynamic Time Warping to this domain as a method for automatically matching branches between frames, replacing the effort required for manual matching. Second, we model branch dynamics as a birth-death process, i.e. a special case of a continuous-time Markov process. This reveals that the birth rate for branches from zebrafish retinotectal axons, as they navigate across the tectum, increased over time. We observed no significant change in the death rate for branches over this time period. However, blocking neuronal activity with TTX slightly increased the death rate, without a detectable change in the birth rate. Third, we show how the extraction of these rates allows computational simulations of branch dynamics whose statistics closely match the data. Together these results reveal new aspects of the biology of retinotectal pathfinding, and introduce computational techniques which are applicable to the study of axon branching more generally.

Ecological effects of contaminants in McCoy Branch, 1989-1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryon, M.G. (ed.)

1992-01-01

The 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) required assessment of all current and former solid waste management units. Such a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) was required of the Y-12 Plant for their Filled Coal Ash Pond on McCoy Branch. Because the disposal of coal ash in the ash pond, McCoy Branch, and Rogers Quarry was not consistent with the Tennessee Water Quality Act, several remediation steps were implemented or planned for McCoy Branch to address disposal problems. The McCoy Branch RFI plan included provisions for biological monitoring of the McCoy Branch watershed. The objectives of the biological monitoring were to: (1) document changes in biological quality of McCoy Branch after completion of a pipeline and after termination of all discharges to Rogers Quarry, (2) provide guidance on the need for additional remediation, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of implemented remedial actions. The data from the biological monitoring program will also determine if the classified uses, as identified by the State of Tennessee, of McCoy Branch are being protected and maintained. This report discusses results from toxicity monitoring of snails fish community assessment, and a Benthic macroinvertebrate community assessment.

Frosted branch angiitis associated with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gupta Amod

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Simultaneous occurrence of frosted branch angiitis and immune-mediated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is reported. The two diseases possibly share a common immune mechanism. Patients of frosted branch angiitis should undergo complete systemic evaluation including renal function tests even if the patient is systemically asymptomatic.

Turbulent penetration in T-junction branch lines with leakage flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kickhofel, John, E-mail: kickhofel@lke.mavt.ethz.ch; Valori, Valentina, E-mail: v.valori@tudelft.nl; Prasser, H.-M., E-mail: prasser@lke.mavt.ethz.ch

2014-09-15

Highlights: • New T-junction facility designed for adiabatic high velocity ratio mixing studies. • Trends in scalar mixing RMS and average in branch line presented and discussed. • Turbulent penetration has unique power spectrum relevant to thermal fatigue. • Forced flow oscillations translate to peaks in power spectrum in branch line. - Abstract: While the study of T-junction mixing with branch velocity ratios of near 1, so called cross flow mixing, is well advanced, to the point of realistic reactor environment fluid–structure interaction experiments and CFD benchmarking, turbulent penetration studies remain an under-researched threat to primary circuit piping. A new facility has been constructed for the express purpose of studying turbulent penetration in branch lines of T-junctions in the context of the high cycle thermal fatigue problem in NPPs. Turbulent penetration, which may be the result of a leaking valve in a branch line or an unisolable branch with heat losses, induces a thermal cycling region which may result in high cycle fatigue damage and failures. Leakage flow experiments have been performed in a perpendicular T-junction in a horizontal orientation with 50 mm diameter main pipe and branch pipe at velocity ratios (main/branch) up to 400. Wire mesh sensors are used as a means of measuring the mixing scalar in adiabatic tests with deionized and tap water. The near-wall region of highest scalar fluctuations is seen to vary circumferentially and in depth in the branch a great deal depending on the velocity ratio. The power spectra of the mixing scalar in the region of turbulent penetration are found to be dominated by high amplitude fluctuations at low frequencies, of particular interest to thermal fatigue. Artificial velocity oscillations in the main pipe manifest in the mixing spectra in the branch line in the form of a peak, the magnitude of which grows with increasing local RMS.

Branching time, indeterminism and tense logic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ploug, Thomas; Øhrstrøm, Peter

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the historical and philosophical background of the introduction of the notion of branching time in philosophical logic as it is revealed in the hitherto unpublished mail-correspondence between Saul Kripke and A.N. Prior in the late 1950s. The paper reveals that the idea...... relativity. The correspondence underpins the point that Prior’s later development of branching time may be understood as a crucial part of his attempt at the formulating a conceptual framework integrating basic human notions of time and free choice....

Phosphorylated alpha(1 leads to 4) glucans as substrate for potato starch-branching enzyme I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vikso-Nielsen, A.; Blennow, A.; Nielsen, T.H.; Moller, B.L.

1998-01-01

The possible involvement of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) starch-branching enzyme I (PSBE-I) in the in vivo synthesis of phosphorylated amylopectin was investigated in in vitro experiments with isolated PSBE-I using 33P-labeled phosphorylated and 3H end-labeled nonphosphorylated alpha(1 leads to 4) glucans as the substrates. From these radiolabeled substrates PSBE-I was shown to catalyze the formation of dual-labeled (3H/33P) phosphorylated branched polysaccharides with an average degree of polymerization of 80 to 85. The relatively high molecular mass indicated that the product was the result of multiple chain-transfer reactions. The presence of alpha(1 leads to 6) branch points was documented by isoamylase treatment and anion-exchange chromatography. Although the initial steps of the in vivo mechanism responsible for phosphorylation of potato starch remains elusive, the present study demonstrates that the enzyme machinery available in potato has the ability to incorporate phosphorylated alpha(1 leads to 4) glucans into neutral polysaccharides in an interchain catalytic reaction. Potato mini tubers synthesized phosphorylated starch from exogenously supplied 33PO4(3-) and [U-14C]Glc at rates 4 times higher than those previously obtained using tubers from fully grown potato plants. This system was more reproducible compared with soil-grown tubers and was therefore used for preparation of 33P-labeled phosphorylated alpha(1 leads to 4) glucan chains

Controlling branching in streamer discharge by laser background ionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, E; Kato, S; Furutani, H; Sasaki, A; Kishimoto, Y

2011-01-01

Irradiation with a KrF laser controlled the positive streamer branching in atmospheric argon gas. This laser irradiation changed the amount of background ionization before the streamer discharge. Measuring the ionization current allowed us to evaluate the initial electron density formed by the KrF laser. We observed characteristic feather-like branching structure and found that it was only suppressed in the irradiated region. The threshold of ionization density which can influence the branching was evaluated to be 5 x 10 5 cm -3 . The relationship between the size of avalanche head and mean distance between initial electrons explained this suppression behaviour. These experimental results support that the feather-like structure originates from the branching model of Loeb-Meek, a probabilistic merging of individual avalanches.

Construction of N-doped carbon@MoSe2 core/branch nanostructure via simultaneous formation of core and branch for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jiayu; Peng, Changqing; Zhang, Lili; Fu, Yongsheng; Li, Hang; Zhao, Xianmin; Zhu, Junwu; Wang, Xin

2017-01-01

Highlights: •N-doped carbon@MoSe 2 core/branch was prepared via a facile calcining method. •N-doped carbon core and MoSe 2 branch can be simultaneously constructed. •PANI played vital roles in the reduction of MoO 3 and elemental Se. •The core/branch structure remarkably improved the lithium storage performance. -- Abstract: Here, we report a one-step simultaneous-construction approach to synthesize N-doped carbon@MoSe 2 core/branch nanostructures by heating a mixture of MoO 3 /PANI hybrids and Se powders in argon atmosphere, without requiring a cumbersome multi-step process or highly toxic reducing agents. It is found that in the construction process, PANI played a crucial role in the reduction of MoO 3 and Se to form MoSe 2 nanosheet branches, while PANI itself was decomposed and carbonized into N-doped carbon nanorod cores. Interestingly, the coexistence of 1D and 2D nanostructures in the N-doped carbon@MoSe 2 core/branch system leads to excellent lithium storage performance, including a large discharging capacity of 1275 mA h g −1 , a high reversible lithium extraction capacity of 928 mA h g −1 and a coulombic efficiency of 72.8%. After 100 cycles, the NDC@MS electrode still delivers a reversible capacity of 906 mA h g −1 with a capacity retention ratio of 97.6%. The superior electrochemical properties can be attributed to the unique core/branch nanostructure of NDC@MS and the synergistic effect between the N-doped carbon nanorod cores and MoSe 2 nanosheet branches.

SU-D-207B-03: A PET-CT Radiomics Comparison to Predict Distant Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coroller, T; Yip, S; Lee, S; Mak, R; Aerts, H [Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Havard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Kim, J [Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Children’s hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Early prediction of distant metastasis may provide crucial information for adaptive therapy, subsequently improving patient survival. Radiomic features that extracted from PET and CT images have been used for assessing tumor phenotype and predicting clinical outcomes. This study investigates the values of radiomic features in predicting distant metastasis (DM) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 108 patients with stage II–III lung adenocarcinoma were included in this retrospective study. Twenty radiomic features were selected (10 from CT and 10 from PET). Conventional features (metabolic tumor volume, SUV, volume and diameter) were included for comparison. Concordance index (CI) was used to evaluate features prognostic value. Noether test was used to compute p-value to consider CI significance from random (CI = 0.5) and were adjusted for multiple testing using false rate discovery (FDR). Results: A total of 70 patients had DM (64.8%) with a median time to event of 8.8 months. The median delivered dose was 60 Gy (range 33–68 Gy). None of the conventional features from PET (CI ranged from 0.51 to 0.56) or CT (CI ranged from 0.57 to 0.58) were significant from random. Five radiomics features were significantly prognostic from random for DM (p-values < 0.05). Four were extracted from CT (CI = 0.61 to 0.63, p-value <0.01) and one from PET which was also the most prognostic (CI = 0.64, p-value <0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated significant association between radiomic features and DM for patients with locally advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, conventional (clinically utilized) metrics were not significantly associated with DM. Radiomics can potentially help classify patients at higher risk of DM, allowing clinicians to individualize treatment, such as intensification of chemotherapy) to reduce the risk of DM and improve survival. R.M. has consulting interests with Amgen.

Towards an abstract parallel branch and bound machine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. de Bruin (Arie); G.A.P. Kindervater (Gerard); H.W.J.M. Trienekens

1995-01-01

textabstractMany (parallel) branch and bound algorithms look very different from each other at first glance. They exploit, however, the same underlying computational model. This phenomenon can be used to define branch and bound algorithms in terms of a set of basic rules that are applied in a

(abstract) The Distant Tail Behavior During High Speed Solar Wind Streams and Magnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, C. M.; Tsurutani, B. T.

1996-01-01

We have examined the ISEE-3 distant tail data during three intense magnetic storms and have identified the tail response to high speed solar wind streams, interplanetary magnetic clouds, and near-Earth storms.

[Multiple fractures of the lower extremities (a propos of 50 patients)].

Science.gov (United States)

Touzard, R C; Kudela, I

1975-04-01

According to a study of 50 multiple fractures of the lower limbs, the frequency of associated lesions justifies the creation of new multiple injury units, well equipped in which may be found specialists of all branches of surgery. Although internal fixation in one stage as an emergency, is ideal in all fractures, one should in fact be circumspect for the danger of infection should lead one to avoid carrying out internal fixation if this is not absolutely necessary.

A simple model of the distant Jovian tail with magnetic flux loss

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grzedzielski, S.; Macek, W.; Oberc, P.

1982-01-01

The influence of a small rate of magnetic flux loss on a simple hydromagnetic model of the distant Jovian tail was estimated. The loss of flux leads to a 10-15% decrease of the tail radius at Saturn's distance. Possible encounter of the tail with Uranus in 1983 is also briefly discussed. (author)

Branched-chain amino acids for hepatic encephalopathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Als-Nielsen, B; Koretz, R L; Kjaergard, L L

2003-01-01

Hepatic encephalopathy may be caused by a decreased plasma ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to aromatic amino acids. Treatment with BCAA may therefore have a beneficial effect on patients with hepatic encephalopathy.......Hepatic encephalopathy may be caused by a decreased plasma ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to aromatic amino acids. Treatment with BCAA may therefore have a beneficial effect on patients with hepatic encephalopathy....

The memory unsatisfied in Estrella distante of Roberto Bolaño

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Florinda Ramírez

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article sets up to examine the fictional strategies appointed  to shape the complexity of the memory processes in there composition of a traumatic experience. Estrella distante (1996, discusses the identity of the subject and, consequently, questions the supposed transparency of testimonies. Critical memory opens the past to uninterrupted interpretations in order to prevent the crystallization of a solesense of facts.

33 CFR 117.927 - Coosaw River (Whale Branch).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Coosaw River (Whale Branch). 117.927 Section 117.927 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... (Whale Branch). The draw of the Seaboard System Railroad bridge, mile 5.3 at Seabrook, and the draw of...

Prognostic influence of clinical stage for distant failure in conservation treatment of early breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janjan, N.A.; Murray, K.J.; Walker, A.P.; Derus, S.B.; Komaki, R.U.; Cox, J.D.; Wilson, J.F.

1987-01-01

One-hundred twelve patients with clinical stage I-II mammary carcinoma treated with radiation therapy following breast-conserving surgery from 1975 through 1985 were evaluated. Median follow-up was 21 months (range, 2-80 months). This study demonstrates the importance of evaluating patients on the basis of tumor and axillary node findings rather than by clinical stage alone. In the authors' series, all T1 patients with positive axillary lymph nodes achieved the same excellent local and distant control as node-negative T1 and T2 patients. Distant failure occurred in 70% of T2 N1 patients despite systemic chemotherapy given to the majority of patients. The significance of these data regarding future trials are discussed

Literature mining of protein-residue associations with graph rules learned through distant supervision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravikumar KE

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We propose a method for automatic extraction of protein-specific residue mentions from the biomedical literature. The method searches text for mentions of amino acids at specific sequence positions and attempts to correctly associate each mention with a protein also named in the text. The methods presented in this work will enable improved protein functional site extraction from articles, ultimately supporting protein function prediction. Our method made use of linguistic patterns for identifying the amino acid residue mentions in text. Further, we applied an automated graph-based method to learn syntactic patterns corresponding to protein-residue pairs mentioned in the text. We finally present an approach to automated construction of relevant training and test data using the distant supervision model. Results The performance of the method was assessed by extracting protein-residue relations from a new automatically generated test set of sentences containing high confidence examples found using distant supervision. It achieved a F-measure of 0.84 on automatically created silver corpus and 0.79 on a manually annotated gold data set for this task, outperforming previous methods. Conclusions The primary contributions of this work are to (1 demonstrate the effectiveness of distant supervision for automatic creation of training data for protein-residue relation extraction, substantially reducing the effort and time involved in manual annotation of a data set and (2 show that the graph-based relation extraction approach we used generalizes well to the problem of protein-residue association extraction. This work paves the way towards effective extraction of protein functional residues from the literature.

Literature mining of protein-residue associations with graph rules learned through distant supervision.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravikumar, Ke; Liu, Haibin; Cohn, Judith D; Wall, Michael E; Verspoor, Karin

2012-10-05

We propose a method for automatic extraction of protein-specific residue mentions from the biomedical literature. The method searches text for mentions of amino acids at specific sequence positions and attempts to correctly associate each mention with a protein also named in the text. The methods presented in this work will enable improved protein functional site extraction from articles, ultimately supporting protein function prediction. Our method made use of linguistic patterns for identifying the amino acid residue mentions in text. Further, we applied an automated graph-based method to learn syntactic patterns corresponding to protein-residue pairs mentioned in the text. We finally present an approach to automated construction of relevant training and test data using the distant supervision model. The performance of the method was assessed by extracting protein-residue relations from a new automatically generated test set of sentences containing high confidence examples found using distant supervision. It achieved a F-measure of 0.84 on automatically created silver corpus and 0.79 on a manually annotated gold data set for this task, outperforming previous methods. The primary contributions of this work are to (1) demonstrate the effectiveness of distant supervision for automatic creation of training data for protein-residue relation extraction, substantially reducing the effort and time involved in manual annotation of a data set and (2) show that the graph-based relation extraction approach we used generalizes well to the problem of protein-residue association extraction. This work paves the way towards effective extraction of protein functional residues from the literature.

Measurement of the inclusive charmless and double-charm B branching ratios

CERN Document Server

Abreu, P; Adye, T; Adzic, P; Alekseev, G D; Alemany, R; Allport, P P; Almehed, S; Amaldi, Ugo; Amato, S; Andersson, P; Andreazza, A; Antilogus, P; Apel, W D; Arnoud, Y; Åsman, B; Augustin, J E; Augustinus, A; Baillon, Paul; Bambade, P; Barão, F; Barbier, R; Bardin, Dimitri Yuri; Barker, G; Baroncelli, A; Bärring, O; Bates, M J; Battaglia, Marco; Baubillier, M; Becks, K H; Begalli, M; Beillière, P; Belokopytov, Yu A; Belous, K S; Benvenuti, Alberto C; Bérat, C; Berggren, M; Bertini, D; Bertrand, D; Besançon, M; Bianchi, F; Bigi, M; Bilenky, S M; Billoir, P; Bizouard, M A; Bloch, D; Bonesini, M; Bonivento, W; Boonekamp, M; Booth, P S L; Borgland, A W; Borisov, G; Bosio, C; Botner, O; Boudinov, E; Bouquet, B; Bourdarios, C; Bowcock, T J V; Bozovic, I; Bozzo, M; Branchini, P; Brand, K D; Brenke, T; Brenner, R A; Brown, R; Brückman, P; Brunet, J M; Bugge, L; Buran, T; Burgsmüller, T; Buschmann, P; Cabrera, S; Caccia, M; Calvi, M; Camacho-Rozas, A J; Camporesi, T; Canale, V; Canepa, M; Carena, F; Carroll, L; Caso, Carlo; Castillo-Gimenez, M V; Cattai, A; Cavallo, F R; Cerruti, C; Chabaud, V; Chapkin, M M; Charpentier, P; Chaussard, L; Checchia, P; Chelkov, G A; Chen, M; Chierici, R; Chliapnikov, P V; Chochula, P; Chorowicz, V; Chudoba, J; Collins, P; Colomer, M; Contri, R; Cortina, E; Cosme, G; Cossutti, F; Cowell, J H; Crawley, H B; Crennell, D J; Crosetti, G; Cuevas-Maestro, J; Czellar, S; D'Almagne, B; Damgaard, G; Dauncey, P D; Davenport, Martyn; Da Silva, W; Deghorain, A; Della Ricca, G; Delpierre, P A; Demaria, N; De Angelis, A; de Boer, Wim; De Brabandere, S; De Clercq, C; La Vaissière, C de; De Lotto, B; De Min, A; De Paula, L S; Dijkstra, H; Di Ciaccio, Lucia; Di Diodato, A; Djannati, A; Dolbeau, J; Doroba, K; Dracos, M; Drees, J; Drees, K A; Dris, M; Duperrin, A; Durand, J D; Edsall, D M; Ehret, R; Eigen, G; Ekelöf, T J C; Ekspong, Gösta; Ellert, M; Elsing, M; Engel, J P; Erzen, B; Espirito-Santo, M C; Falk, E; Fanourakis, G K; Fassouliotis, D; Fayot, J; Feindt, Michael; Fenyuk, A; Ferrari, P; Ferrer, A; Fichet, S; Firestone, A; Fischer, P A; Flagmeyer, U; Föth, H; Fokitis, E; Fontanelli, F; Formenti, F; Franek, B J; Frodesen, A G; Frühwirth, R; Fulda-Quenzer, F; Fuster, J A; Galloni, A; Gamba, D; Gandelman, M; García, C; García, J; Gaspar, C; Gaspar, M; Gasparini, U; Gavillet, P; Gazis, E N; Gelé, D; Gerber, J P; Gerdyukov, L N; Ghodbane, N; Glege, F; Gokieli, R; Golob, B; González-Caballero, I; Gopal, Gian P; Gorn, L; Górski, M; Gracco, Valerio; Grahl, J; Graziani, E; Green, C; Grefrath, A; Gris, P; Grosdidier, G; Grzelak, K; Günther, M; Guy, J; Hahn, F; Hahn, S; Haider, S; Hajduk, Z; Hallgren, A; Hamacher, K; Harris, F J; Hedberg, V; Heising, S; Henriques, R P; Hernández, J J; Herquet, P; Herr, H; Hessing, T L; Heuser, J M; Higón, E; Holmgren, S O; Holt, P J; Holthuizen, D J; Hoorelbeke, S; Houlden, M A; Hrubec, Josef; Huet, K; Hultqvist, K; Jackson, J N; Jacobsson, R; Jalocha, P; Janik, R; Jarlskog, C; Jarlskog, G; Jarry, P; Jean-Marie, B; Johansson, E K; Jönsson, L B; Jönsson, P E; Joram, C; Juillot, P; Kapusta, F; Karafasoulis, K; Katsanevas, S; Katsoufis, E C; Keränen, R; Khokhlov, Yu A; Khomenko, B A; Khovanskii, N N; King, B J; Kjaer, N J; Klapp, O; Klein, H; Kluit, P M; Knoblauch, D; Kokkinias, P; Koratzinos, M; Korcyl, K; Kostyukhin, V; Kourkoumelis, C; Kuznetsov, O; Krammer, Manfred; Kreuter, C; Kronkvist, I J; Krumshtein, Z; Kubinec, P; Kucewicz, W; Kurvinen, K L; Lacasta, C; Lamsa, J; Lanceri, L; Lane, D W; Langefeld, P; Laugier, J P; Lauhakangas, R; Leder, Gerhard; Ledroit, F; Lefébure, V; Legan, C K; Leisos, A; Leitner, R; Lemonne, J; Lenzen, Georg; Lepeltier, V; Lesiak, T; Lethuillier, M; Libby, J; Liko, D; Lipniacka, A; Lippi, I; Lörstad, B; Loken, J G; Lopes, J H; López, J M; Loukas, D; Lutz, P; Lyons, L; MacNaughton, J N; Mahon, J R; Maio, A; Malek, A; Malmgren, T G M; Malychev, V; Mandl, F; Marco, J; Marco, R P; Maréchal, B; Margoni, M; Marin, J C; Mariotti, C; Markou, A; Martínez-Rivero, C; Martínez-Vidal, F; Martí i García, S; Matorras, F; Matteuzzi, C; Matthiae, Giorgio; Mazzucato, F; Mazzucato, M; McCubbin, M L; McKay, R; McNulty, R; McPherson, G; Medbo, J; Meroni, C; Meyer, W T; Michelotto, M; Migliore, E; Mirabito, L; Mitaroff, Winfried A; Mjörnmark, U; Moa, T; Møller, R; Mönig, K; Monge, M R; Moreau, X; Morettini, P; Münich, K; Mulders, M; Mundim, L M; Murray, W J; Muryn, B; Myatt, Gerald; Myklebust, T; Naraghi, F; Navarria, Francesco Luigi; Navas, S; Nawrocki, K; Negri, P; Némécek, S; Neufeld, N; Neumann, W; Neumeister, N; Nicolaidou, R; Nielsen, B S; Nieuwenhuizen, M; Nikolaenko, V; Nikolenko, M; Niss, P; Nomerotski, A; Normand, Ainsley; Nygren, A; Oberschulte-Beckmann, W; Obraztsov, V F; Olshevskii, A G; Onofre, A; Orava, Risto; Orazi, G; Österberg, K; Ouraou, A; Paganini, P; Paganoni, M; Paiano, S; Pain, R; Paiva, R; Palka, H; Papadopoulou, T D; Papageorgiou, K; Pape, L; Parkes, C; Parodi, F; Parzefall, U; Passeri, A; Pegoraro, M; Peralta, L; Pernegger, H; Pernicka, Manfred; Perrotta, A; Petridou, C; Petrolini, A; Phillips, H T; Piana, G; Pierre, F; Pimenta, M; Piotto, E; Podobnik, T; Podobrin, O; Pol, M E; Polok, G; Poropat, P; Pozdnyakov, V; Privitera, P; Pukhaeva, N; Pullia, Antonio; Radojicic, D; Ragazzi, S; Rahmani, H; Rames, J; Ratoff, P N; Read, A L; Rebecchi, P; Redaelli, N G; Regler, Meinhard; Reid, D; Reinhardt, R; Renton, P B; Resvanis, L K; Richard, F; Rídky, J; Rinaudo, G; Røhne, O M; Romero, A; Ronchese, P; Rosenberg, E I; Rosinsky, P; Roudeau, Patrick; Rovelli, T; Ruhlmann-Kleider, V; Ruiz, A; Saarikko, H; Sacquin, Yu; Sadovskii, A; Sajot, G; Salt, J; Sampsonidis, D; Sannino, M; Schneider, H; Schwickerath, U; Schyns, M A E; Scuri, F; Seager, P; Sedykh, Yu; Segar, A M; Sekulin, R L; Shellard, R C; Sheridan, A; Silvestre, R; Simonetto, F; Sissakian, A N; Skaali, T B; Smadja, G; Smirnov, N; Smirnova, O G; Smith, G R; Solovyanov, O; Sopczak, André; Sosnowski, R; Souza-Santos, D; Spassoff, Tz; Spiriti, E; Sponholz, P; Squarcia, S; Stampfer, D; Stanescu, C; Stanic, S; Stapnes, Steinar; Stavitski, I; Stevenson, K; Stocchi, A; Strauss, J; Strub, R; Stugu, B; Szczekowski, M; Szeptycka, M; Tabarelli de Fatis, T; Chikilev, O G; Tegenfeldt, F; Terranova, F; Thomas, J; Tilquin, A; Timmermans, J; Tkatchev, L G; Todorov, T; Todorova, S; Toet, D Z; Tomaradze, A G; Tomé, B; Tonazzo, A; Tortora, L; Tranströmer, G; Treille, D; Tristram, G; Trombini, A; Troncon, C; Tsirou, A L; Turluer, M L; Tyapkin, I A; Tyndel, M; Tzamarias, S; Überschär, B; Ullaland, O; Uvarov, V; Valenti, G; Vallazza, E; van Apeldoorn, G W; van Dam, P; Van Eldik, J; Van Lysebetten, A; Van Vulpen, I B; Vassilopoulos, N; Vegni, G; Ventura, L; Venus, W A; Verbeure, F; Verlato, M; Vertogradov, L S; Verzi, V; Vilanova, D; Vincent, P; Vitale, L; Vlasov, E; Vodopyanov, A S; Vrba, V; Wahlen, H; Walck, C; Waldner, F; Weiser, C; Wetherell, Alan M; Wicke, D; Wickens, J H; Wilkinson, G R; Williams, W S C; Winter, M; Witek, M; Wlodek, T; Wolf, G; Yi, J; Yushchenko, O P; Zaitsev, A; Zalewska-Bak, A; Zalewski, Piotr; Zavrtanik, D; Zevgolatakos, E; Zimin, N I; Zucchelli, G C; Zumerle, G

1998-01-01

The DELPHI experiment at LEP has measured the inclusive charmless $B$ hadron decay branching ratio, the $B$ branching ratio into two charmed particles, and the total number of charmed particles per $B$ decay, using the hadronic Z data taken between 1992 and 1995. The results are extracted from a fit to the $b$-tagging probability distribution based on the precise impact parameter measurements made using the microvertex detector. The inclusive charmless $B$ branching ratio, including $B$ decays into hidden charm ($c\\bar{c}$), is measured to be $0.033 \\pm 0.021$. The $B$ branching ratio into two open charmed particles is $0.136 \\pm 0.042$. The mean number of charmed particles per $B$ decay (including hidden charm) is $1.147 \\pm 0.041$. After subtracting the $B$ decay branching ratio into hidden charm, the charmless $B$ branching ratio is found to be $0.007 \\pm 0.021$, compatible with the Standard Model expectation. Models that predict an additional contribution to the charmless $B$ branching ratio of 0.037 or h...

Dy163-Ho163 branching: an s-process barometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beer, H.; Walter, G.; Macklin, R.L.

1984-01-01

The neutron capture cross sections of Dy163 and Er164 have been measured to analyze the s-process branching at Dy163-Ho163. The reproduction of the s-process abundance of Er164 via this branching is sensitive to temperature kT, neutron density, and electron density n/sub e/. The calculations using information from other branchings on kT and the neutron density n/sub n/ give constraints for n/sub e/ at the site of the s-process

Global solution branches for a nonlocal Allen-Cahn equation

Science.gov (United States)

Kuto, Kousuke; Mori, Tatsuki; Tsujikawa, Tohru; Yotsutani, Shoji

2018-05-01

We consider the Neumann problem of a 1D stationary Allen-Cahn equation with nonlocal term. Our previous paper [4] obtained a local branch of asymmetric solutions which bifurcates from a point on the branch of odd-symmetric solutions. This paper derives the global behavior of the branch of asymmetric solutions, and moreover, determines the set of all solutions to the nonlocal Allen-Cahn equation. Our proof is based on a level set analysis for an integral map associated with the nonlocal term.

Ecological effects of contaminants in McCoy Branch, 1991--1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryon, M.G. [ed.

1996-09-01

The 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) required assessment of all current and former solid waste management units. Following guidelines under RCRA and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a remedial investigation (RI) was required of the Y-12 Plant for their filled coal ash pond (FCAP) and associated areas on McCoy Branch. The RI process was initiated and assessments were presented. Because the disposal of coal ash in the ash pond, McCoy Branch, and Rogers Quarry was not consistent with the Tennessee Water Quality Act, several remediation steps were implemented between 1986 and 1994 for McCoy Branch to address disposal problems. The required ecological risk assessments of McCoy Branch watershed included provisions for biological monitoring of the watershed. The objectives of the biological monitoring were to (1) document changes in biological quality of McCoy Branch after completion of a pipeline bypassing upper McCoy Branch and further, after termination of all discharges to Rogers Quarry, (2) provide guidance on the need for additional remediation, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of implemented remedial actions. The data from the biological monitoring program may also determine whether the goals of protection of human health and the environment of McCoy Branch are being accomplished.

The effects of distant healing performed by a spiritual healer on chronic pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsubono, Kenjiro; Thomlinson, Paul; Shealy, C Norman

2009-01-01

Many individuals suffer from various kinds of chronic pain. Some controlled studies on distant healing for chronic pain exist, but no definitive conclusion has been established. To study the effects of distant healing performed by a professional Japanese healer on chronic pain. A double-blind randomized controlled study. Holos University, Fair Grove, Missouri. People suffering from chronic pain (not caused by clear organic diseases or that persists long after a reasonable period of healing following injuries or surgery) were recruited through local radio and newspaper advertising. Subjects were randomly assigned to a treatment group or control group using a double-blind procedure. All subjects met the healer at the initial session at Holos University. At the session, a 20-minute group meditation was performed. The healer went back to Japan after the session and started distant healing only to the treatment group for a 2-month period. All participants were asked to meditate for 20 minutes every day during this 2-month period. The visual analog scale and McGill Pain Questionnaire. A total of 17 subjects were recruited, and 16 subjects completed the study. Comparison of pretreatment and posttreatment visual analog scale indicated a slightly significant effect of distant healing (P=.056). The Present Pain Intensity Scale showed significant improvement in the treatment group compared to the control group (P=.0016). The Pain Rating Index showed improvement in the treatment group, but the difference between both groups was not statistically significant (P=.12).

Multiprogrammation fast branch driver for microcomputer MICRAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Josef; Lacroix, Jean.

1975-01-01

This branch driver allows in association with the FIFO memories of the microcomputer Micral, very fast exchanges with the 7 crates of a CAMAC branch. A CAMAC programm (command, test, read, write) is loaded in the 1K FIFO buffer of the Micral before execution time and executed in sequence at a rate of 1,5μs per CAMAC command. After programm execution, data may be transferred directly on a magnetic tape [fr

A comparison of the adaptations of strains of Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus to hosts from spatially isolated populations

Science.gov (United States)

V.V. Martemyanov; J.D. Podgwaite; I.A. Belousova; S.V. Pavlushin; J.M. Slavicek; O.A. Baturina; M.R. Kabilov; A.V. Ilyinykh

2017-01-01

The adaptation of pathogens to either their hosts or to environmental conditions is the focus of many current ecological studies. In this work we compared the ability of six spatially-distant Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV) strains (three from eastern North America and three from central Asia) to induce acute...

Transcriptomics and metabolite analysis reveals the molecular mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis branch pathway in different Senecio cruentus cultivars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuehua Jin

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The cyanidin (Cy, pelargonidin (Pg and delphinidin (Dp pathways are the three major branching anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways that regulate flavonoid metabolic flux and are responsible for red, orange and blue flower colors, respectively. Different species have evolved to develop multiple regulation mechanisms that form the branched pathways. In the current study, five Senecio cruentus cultivars with different colors were investigated. We found that the white and yellow cultivars do not accumulate anthocyanin and that the blue, pink and carmine cultivars mainly accumulate Dp, Pg and Cy in differing densities. Subsequent transcriptome analysis determined that there were 43 unigenes encoding anthocyanin biosynthesis genes in the blue cultivar. We also combined chemical and transcriptomic analyses to investigate the major metabolic pathways that are related to the observed differences in flower pigmentation in the series of S. cruentus. The results showed that mutations of the ScbHLH17 and ScCHI1/2 coding regions abolish anthocyanin formation in the white and the yellow cultivars; the competition of the ScF3’H1, ScF3’5’H and ScDFR1/2 genes for naringenin determines the differences in branching metabolic flux of the Cy, Dp and Pg pathways. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation of anthocyanin branching and also supplement gene resources (including ScF3’5’H, ScF3’H and ScDFRs for flower color modification of ornamentals.

Pretreatment evaluation of distant-site status in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: accuracy of whole-body MRI at 3-Tesla and FDG-PET-CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Shu-Hang; Chan, Sheng-Chieh; Yen, Tzu-Chen; Chang, Joseph Tung-Chieh; Liao, Chun-Ta; Ko, Sheung-Fat; Wai, Yau-Yau; Wang, Hung-Ming; Wang, Jiun-Jie; Chen, Min-Chi

2009-01-01

We sought to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of 3.0-Tesla whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) and integrated fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) (FDG-PET-CT), and their combined interpretation for the assessment of distant-site status in 150 patients with untreated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Eighteen (12%) patients were diagnosed as having distant malignancies (15 patients had distant metastases, and three distant synchronous tumours). On a patient-based analysis, WB-MRI and FDG-PET-CT showed similar sensitivity (77.8% vs 72.2%, P > 0.999), specificity (98.5% vs 97.7%, P > 0.999) and diagnostic capability (0.905 vs 0.878, P = 0.669). Combined interpretation of WB-MRI and FDG-PET-CT showed no significant benefit over either technique alone. In conclusion, 3.0-Tesla WB-MRI is a feasible, non-ionising technique that showed similar diagnostic capacity to FDG-PET-CT in assessing distant-site status in patients with untreated NPC and can be recommended as the first-line imaging technique for comprehensive evaluation of such patients. (orig.)

Transfer of extensor digiti minimi and extensor carpi ulnaris nerve branches to the intrinsic motor nerve branches: A histological study on cadaver.

Science.gov (United States)

Namazi, H; Haji Vandi, S

2017-06-01

In cases of high ulnar and median nerve palsy, result of nerve repair in term of intrinsic muscle recovery is unsatisfactory. Distal nerve transfer can alleviate the regeneration time and improve the results. Transfer of the extensor digiti minimi (EDM) and extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) nerve branches to the deep branch of ulnar nerve (DBUN)/recurrent branch of median nerve (RMN) at wrist had been used to restore intrinsic hand function but, incomplete recovery occurred. The axon count at the donor nerve has a strong influence on the final results. This cadaveric study aims to analyses the histology of this nerve transfer to evaluate whether these donor nerves are suitable for this transfer or another donor nerve may be considered. Ten cadaveric upper limbs dissected to identify the location of the EDM, ECU, RMN and DBUN. Surface area, fascicle count, and axon number was determined by histological methods. The mean of axon number in the EDM, ECU, RMN and DBUN branches was 5931, 7355, 30960 and 35426, respectively. In this study, the number of axons in the EDM and ECU branches was 37% (13281/35426) of that in the DBUN. Also, the number of axons in the EDM and ECU branches was 42% (13281/30960) of that in the RMN. The axon count data showed an unfavorable match between the EDM, ECU and DBUN/RMN. Therefore, it is suggested that another donor nerve with higher axon number to be considered. Cadaver study (histological study). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Convergence in gradient systems with branching of equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galaktionov, V A; Pohozaev, Stanislav I; Shishkov, A E

2007-01-01

The basic model is a semilinear elliptic equation with coercive C 1 non-linearity: Δψ+f(ψ)=0 in Ω, ψ=0 on ∂Ω, where Ω subset of R N is a bounded smooth domain. The main hypothesis (H R ) about resonance branching is as follows: if a branching of equilibria occurs at a point ψ with k-dimensional kernel of the linearized operator Δ+f'(ψ)I, then the branching subset S k at ψ is a locally smooth k-dimensional manifold. For N=1 the first result on the stabilization to a single equilibrium is due to Zelenyak (1968). It is shown that Zelenyak's approach, which is based on the analysis of Lyapunov functions, can be extended to general gradient systems in Hilbert spaces with smooth resonance branching. The case of asymptotically small non-autonomous perturbations of such systems is also considered. The approach developed here represents an alternative to Hale's stabilization method (1992) and other similar techniques in the theory of gradient systems. Bibliography: 32 titles.

MYOCARDIAL DEFORMATION AND COMPLETE LEFT BUNDLE BRANCH BLOCK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. N. Pavlyukova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Tissue Doppler imaging is evolving as a useful echocardiographic tool for quantitative assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. Over the last 10 years, myocardial deformation imaging has become possible initially with tissue Doppler , and more recently with myocardial speckle-tracking using 2D echocardiography. Unlike simple tissue velocity measurements, deformation measurements are specific for the region of interest. Strain rate or strain measurements have been used as sensitive indicators for subclinical diseases, and it is the most widely used tool to assess mechanical dyssynchrony. Left bundle branch block is a frequent, etiologically heterogeneous, clinically hostile and diagnostically challenging entity. About 2% of patients underwent cardiac stress testing show stable or intermittent left bundle branch block. Presence of left bundle branch block is associated with a lower and slower diastolic coronary flow velocity especially during hyperemia. Stress echocardiography is the best option for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, albeit specificity and sensitivity reduce in patients with left bundle branch block in the territory of left anterior descending artery in presence of initial septum dyskinesia.

Measurements of the branching fractions of [Formula: see text] decays.

Science.gov (United States)

Aaij, R; Abellan Beteta, C; Adametz, A; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Adrover, C; Affolder, A; Ajaltouni, Z; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amhis, Y; Anderlini, L; Anderson, J; Andreassen, R; Appleby, R B; Aquines Gutierrez, O; Archilli, F; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Baesso, C; Balagura, V; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Bauer, Th; Bay, A; Beddow, J; Bediaga, I; Belogurov, S; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Benayoun, M; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bien, A; Bifani, S; Bird, T; Bizzeti, A; Bjørnstad, P M; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blanks, C; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bobrov, A; Bocci, V; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Borghi, S; Borgia, A; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Brambach, T; van den Brand, J; Bressieux, J; Brett, D; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brook, N H; Brown, H; Burducea, I; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Callot, O; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Camboni, A; Campana, P; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carranza-Mejia, H; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casse, G; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chen, P; Chiapolini, N; Chrzaszcz, M; Ciba, K; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coca, C; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombes, M; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; David, P; David, P N Y; De Bonis, I; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Silva, W; De Simone, P; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Degaudenzi, H; Del Buono, L; Deplano, C; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Di Canto, A; Dickens, J; Dijkstra, H; Dogaru, M; Domingo Bonal, F; Donleavy, S; Dordei, F; Dosil Suárez, A; Dossett, D; Dovbnya, A; Dupertuis, F; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Easo, S; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; van Eijk, D; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; El Rifai, I; Elsasser, Ch; Elsby, D; Falabella, A; Färber, C; Fardell, G; Farinelli, C; Farry, S; Fave, V; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Albor, V; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fitzpatrick, C; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forty, R; Francisco, O; Frank, M; Frei, C; Frosini, M; Furcas, S; Furfaro, E; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Garofoli, J; Garosi, P; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Gaspar, C; Gauld, R; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gibson, V; Gligorov, V V; Göbel, C; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gordon, H; Grabalosa Gándara, M; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Greening, E; Gregson, S; Grünberg, O; Gui, B; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hampson, T; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; Harrison, P F; Hartmann, T; He, J; Heijne, V; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Hernando Morata, J A; van Herwijnen, E; Hicks, E; Hill, D; Hoballah, M; Hombach, C; Hopchev, P; Hulsbergen, W; Hunt, P; Huse, T; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Hynds, D; Iakovenko, V; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jans, E; Jansen, F; Jaton, P; Jing, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Jost, B; Kaballo, M; Kandybei, S; Karacson, M; Karbach, T M; Kenyon, I R; Kerzel, U; Ketel, T; Keune, A; Khanji, B; Kochebina, O; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Korolev, M; Kozlinskiy, A; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krocker, G; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kvaratskheliya, T; La Thi, V N; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lambert, D; Lambert, R W; Lanciotti, E; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Lees, J-P; Lefèvre, R; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Leroy, O; Li, Y; Li Gioi, L; Liles, M; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Liu, B; Liu, G; von Loeben, J; Lopes, J H; Lopez Asamar, E; Lopez-March, N; Lu, H; Luisier, J; Luo, H; Machefert, F; Machikhiliyan, I V; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Malde, S; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Mangiafave, N; Marconi, U; Märki, R; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martens, A; Martin, L; Martín Sánchez, A; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martins Tostes, D; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Matveev, M; Maurice, E; Mazurov, A; McCarthy, J; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Merk, M; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monteil, S; Moran, D; Morawski, P; Mountain, R; Mous, I; Muheim, F; Müller, K; Muresan, R; Muryn, B; Muster, B; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neufeld, N; Nguyen, A D; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nicol, M; Niess, V; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Nisar, S; Nomerotski, A; Novoselov, A; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Oggero, S; Ogilvy, S; Okhrimenko, O; Oldeman, R; Orlandea, M; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Owen, P; Pal, B K; Palano, A; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Parkes, C; Parkinson, C J; Passaleva, G; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrick, G N; Patrignani, C; Pavel-Nicorescu, C; Pazos Alvarez, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perego, D L; Perez Trigo, E; Pérez-Calero Yzquierdo, A; Perret, P; Perrin-Terrin, M; Pessina, G; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Phan, A; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pilař, T; Pinci, D; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Polci, F; Polok, G; Poluektov, A; Polycarpo, E; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Potterat, C; Powell, A; Prisciandaro, J; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Qian, W; Rademacker, J H; Rakotomiaramanana, B; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Rauschmayr, N; Raven, G; Redford, S; Reid, M M; Dos Reis, A C; Ricciardi, S; Richards, A; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Roa Romero, D A; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Perez, P; Rogers, G J; Roiser, S; Romanovsky, V; Romero Vidal, A; Rouvinet, J; Ruf, T; Ruiz, H; Sabatino, G; Saborido Silva, J J; Sagidova, N; Sail, P; Saitta, B; Salzmann, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Sannino, M; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santovetti, E; Sapunov, M; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Savrie, M; Savrina, D; Schaack, P; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schleich, S; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Seco, M; Semennikov, A; Senderowska, K; Sepp, I; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shatalov, P; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, O; Shevchenko, V; Shires, A; Silva Coutinho, R; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, N A; Smith, E; Smith, M; Sobczak, K; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Soomro, F; Souza, D; Souza De Paula, B; Spaan, B; Sparkes, A; Spradlin, P; Stagni, F; Stahl, S; Steinkamp, O; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Subbiah, V K; Swientek, S; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szczypka, P; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Teklishyn, M; Teodorescu, E; Teubert, F; Thomas, C; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Torr, N; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tuning, N; Ubeda Garcia, M; Ukleja, A; Urner, D; Uwer, U; Vagnoni, V; Valenti, G; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vecchi, S; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vollhardt, A; Volyanskyy, D; Voong, D; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; Voss, H; Waldi, R; Wallace, R; Wandernoth, S; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Watson, N K; Webber, A D; Websdale, D; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wiechczynski, J; Wiedner, D; Wiggers, L; Wilkinson, G; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Wilson, F F; Wishahi, J; Witek, M; Wotton, S A; Wright, S; Wu, S; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, F; Xing, Z; Yang, Z; Young, R; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zangoli, M; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, F; Zhang, L; Zhang, W C; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zhong, L; Zvyagin, A

The branching fractions of the decay [Formula: see text] for different intermediate states are measured using data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb -1 , collected by the LHCb experiment. The total branching fraction, its charmless component [Formula: see text] and the branching fractions via the resonant [Formula: see text] states η c (1 S ) and ψ (2 S ) relative to the decay via a J / ψ intermediate state are [Formula: see text] Upper limits on the B + branching fractions into the η c (2 S ) meson and into the charmonium-like states X (3872) and X (3915) are also obtained.

Standardization of Distant Intercessory Prayer for Research on Health and Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Parkinson, Kathleen Elizabeth

2007-01-01

In recent years, distant (remote) intercessory prayer has been put up against the scientific method of research. Studies are few, variable, and tend to be nongeneralizable. Lack of construct validity of the variable prayer is one of the weaknesses that opens up the research to valid critique and scrutiny. The belief that research in this field is…

Simple model of inhibition of chain-branching combustion processes

Science.gov (United States)

Babushok, Valeri I.; Gubernov, Vladimir V.; Minaev, Sergei S.; Miroshnichenko, Taisia P.

2017-11-01

A simple kinetic model has been suggested to describe the inhibition and extinction of flame propagation in reaction systems with chain-branching reactions typical for hydrocarbon systems. The model is based on the generalised model of the combustion process with chain-branching reaction combined with the one-stage reaction describing the thermal mode of flame propagation with the addition of inhibition reaction steps. Inhibitor addition suppresses the radical overshoot in flame and leads to the change of reaction mode from the chain-branching reaction to a thermal mode of flame propagation. With the increase of inhibitor the transition of chain-branching mode of reaction to the reaction with straight-chains (non-branching chain reaction) is observed. The inhibition part of the model includes a block of three reactions to describe the influence of the inhibitor. The heat losses are incorporated into the model via Newton cooling. The flame extinction is the result of the decreased heat release of inhibited reaction processes and the suppression of radical overshoot with the further decrease of the reaction rate due to the temperature decrease and mixture dilution. A comparison of the results of modelling laminar premixed methane/air flames inhibited by potassium bicarbonate (gas phase model, detailed kinetic model) with the results obtained using the suggested simple model is presented. The calculations with the detailed kinetic model demonstrate the following modes of combustion process: (1) flame propagation with chain-branching reaction (with radical overshoot, inhibitor addition decreases the radical overshoot down to the equilibrium level); (2) saturation of chemical influence of inhibitor, and (3) transition to thermal mode of flame propagation (non-branching chain mode of reaction). The suggested simple kinetic model qualitatively reproduces the modes of flame propagation with the addition of the inhibitor observed using detailed kinetic models.

A spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney branching morphogenesis

KAUST Repository

Zubkov, V.S.

2015-08-01

© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Kidney development is initiated by the outgrowth of an epithelial ureteric bud into a population of mesenchymal cells. Reciprocal morphogenetic responses between these two populations generate a highly branched epithelial ureteric tree with the mesenchyme differentiating into nephrons, the functional units of the kidney. While we understand some of the mechanisms involved, current knowledge fails to explain the variability of organ sizes and nephron endowment in mice and humans. Here we present a spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney morphogenesis in which the growth of the two key populations is described by a system of time-dependant ordinary differential equations. We assume that branching is symmetric and is invoked when the number of epithelial cells per tip reaches a threshold value. This process continues until the number of mesenchymal cells falls below a critical value that triggers cessation of branching. The mathematical model and its predictions are validated against experimentally quantified C57Bl6 mouse embryonic kidneys. Numerical simulations are performed to determine how the final number of branches changes as key system parameters are varied (such as the growth rate of tip cells, mesenchyme cells, or component cell population exit rate). Our results predict that the developing kidney responds differently to loss of cap and tip cells. They also indicate that the final number of kidney branches is less sensitive to changes in the growth rate of the ureteric tip cells than to changes in the growth rate of the mesenchymal cells. By inference, increasing the growth rate of mesenchymal cells should maximise branch number. Our model also provides a framework for predicting the branching outcome when ureteric tip or mesenchyme cells change behaviour in response to different genetic or environmental developmental stresses.

A spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney branching morphogenesis

KAUST Repository

Zubkov, V.S.; Combes, A.N.; Short, K.M.; Lefevre, J.; Hamilton, N.A.; Smyth, I.M.; Little, M.H.; Byrne, H.M.

2015-01-01

© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Kidney development is initiated by the outgrowth of an epithelial ureteric bud into a population of mesenchymal cells. Reciprocal morphogenetic responses between these two populations generate a highly branched epithelial ureteric tree with the mesenchyme differentiating into nephrons, the functional units of the kidney. While we understand some of the mechanisms involved, current knowledge fails to explain the variability of organ sizes and nephron endowment in mice and humans. Here we present a spatially-averaged mathematical model of kidney morphogenesis in which the growth of the two key populations is described by a system of time-dependant ordinary differential equations. We assume that branching is symmetric and is invoked when the number of epithelial cells per tip reaches a threshold value. This process continues until the number of mesenchymal cells falls below a critical value that triggers cessation of branching. The mathematical model and its predictions are validated against experimentally quantified C57Bl6 mouse embryonic kidneys. Numerical simulations are performed to determine how the final number of branches changes as key system parameters are varied (such as the growth rate of tip cells, mesenchyme cells, or component cell population exit rate). Our results predict that the developing kidney responds differently to loss of cap and tip cells. They also indicate that the final number of kidney branches is less sensitive to changes in the growth rate of the ureteric tip cells than to changes in the growth rate of the mesenchymal cells. By inference, increasing the growth rate of mesenchymal cells should maximise branch number. Our model also provides a framework for predicting the branching outcome when ureteric tip or mesenchyme cells change behaviour in response to different genetic or environmental developmental stresses.

Tau decays with one charged particle plus multiple π0's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Procario, M.; Yang, S.; Balest, R.; Cho, K.; Daoudi, M.; Ford, W.T.; Johnson, D.R.; Lingel, K.; Lohner, M.; Rankin, P.; Smith, J.G.; Alexander, J.P.; Bebek, C.; Berkelman, K.; Besson, D.; Browder, T.E.; Cassel, D.G.; Cho, H.A.; Coffman, D.M.; Drell, P.S.; Ehrlich, R.; Galik, R.S.; Garcia-Sciveres, M.; Geiser, B.; Gittelman, B.; Gray, S.W.; Hartill, D.L.; Heltsley, B.K.; Honscheid, K.; Jones, C.D.; Jones, S.L.; Kandaswamy, J.; Katayama, N.; Kim, P.C.; Kreinick, D.L.; Ludwig, G.S.; Masui, J.; Mevissen, J.; Mistry, N.B.; Ng, C.R.; Nordberg, E.; Ogg, M.; O'Grady, C.; Patterson, J.R.; Peterson, D.; Riley, D.; Sapper, M.; Selen, M.; Worden, H.; Worris, M.; Wuerthwein, F.; Avery, P.; Freyberger, A.; Rodriguez, J.; Stephens, R.; Yelton, J.; Cinabro, D.; Henderson, S.; Kinoshita, K.; Liu, T.; Saulnier, M.; Wilson, R.; Yamamoto, H.; Sadoff, A.J.; Ammar, R.; Ball, S.; Baringer, P.; Coppage, D.; Copty, N.; Davis, R.; Hancock, N.; Kelly, M.; Kwak, N.; Lam, H.; Kubota, Y.; Lattery, M.; Nelson, J.K.; Patton, S.; Perticone, D.; Poling, R.; Savinov, V.; Schrenk, S.; Wang, R.; Alam, M.S.; Kim, I.J.; Nemati, B.; O'Neill, J.J.; Romero, V.; Severini, H.; Sun, C.R.; Zoeller, M.M.; Crawford, G.; Fulton, R.; Gan, K.K.; Kagan, H.; Kass, R.; Lee, J.; Malchow, R.; Morrow, F.; Skovpen, Y.; Sung, M.; White, C.; Whitmore, J.; Wilson, P.; Butler, F.; Fu, X.; Kalbfleisch, G.; Lambrecht, M.; Ross, W.R.; Skubic, P.; Snow, J.; Wang, P.L.; Wood, M.; Bortoletto, D.; Brown, D.N.; Dominick, J.; McIlwain, R.L.; Miao, T.; Miller, D.H.; Modesitt, M.; Schaffner, S.F.; Shibata, E.I.; Shipsey, I.P.J.; Wang, P.N.; Battle, M.; Ernst, J.; Kroha, H.; Roberts, S.; Sparks, K.; Thorndike, E.H.; Wang, C.H.; Sanghera, S.; Skwarnicki, T.; Stroynowski, R.; Artuso, M.; He, D.; Goldberg, M.; Horwitz, N.; Kennett, R.; Moneti, G.C.; Muheim, F.; Mukhin, Y.; Playfer, S.; Rozen, Y.; Rubin, P.; Stone, S.; Thulasidas, M.; Vasseur, G.; Yao, W.M.; Zhu, G.; Barnes, A.V.; Bartelt, J.; Csorna, S.E.; Egyed, Z.; Jain, V.

1993-01-01

With the CLEO-II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have measured branching fractions for tau lepton decay into one-prong final states with multiple π 0 's B hnπ 0 , normalized to the branching fraction for tau decay into one charged particle and a single π 0 . We find B h2π 0 /B hπ 0 =0.345±0.006±0.016, B h3π 0 /B hπ 0 =0.041 ±0.003±0.005, and B h4π 0 /B hπ 0 =0.006±0.002±0.002

Finite-size scaling of survival probability in branching processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Millan, Rosalba; Font-Clos, Francesc; Corral, Álvaro

2015-04-01

Branching processes pervade many models in statistical physics. We investigate the survival probability of a Galton-Watson branching process after a finite number of generations. We derive analytically the existence of finite-size scaling for the survival probability as a function of the control parameter and the maximum number of generations, obtaining the critical exponents as well as the exact scaling function, which is G(y)=2ye(y)/(e(y)-1), with y the rescaled distance to the critical point. Our findings are valid for any branching process of the Galton-Watson type, independently of the distribution of the number of offspring, provided its variance is finite. This proves the universal behavior of the finite-size effects in branching processes, including the universality of the metric factors. The direct relation to mean-field percolation is also discussed.

The Coulomb Branch of 3d N= 4 Theories

Science.gov (United States)

Bullimore, Mathew; Dimofte, Tudor; Gaiotto, Davide

2017-09-01

We propose a construction for the quantum-corrected Coulomb branch of a general 3d gauge theory with N=4 supersymmetry, in terms of local coordinates associated with an abelianized theory. In a fixed complex structure, the holomorphic functions on the Coulomb branch are given by expectation values of chiral monopole operators. We construct the chiral ring of such operators, using equivariant integration over BPS moduli spaces. We also quantize the chiral ring, which corresponds to placing the 3d theory in a 2d Omega background. Then, by unifying all complex structures in a twistor space, we encode the full hyperkähler metric on the Coulomb branch. We verify our proposals in a multitude of examples, including SQCD and linear quiver gauge theories, whose Coulomb branches have alternative descriptions as solutions to Bogomolnyi and/or Nahm equations.

Relevance, distant effect, penalty for the radiation caused by a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1983-01-01

1) A suit or an appeal is not successful if a first partial operating license which has been enforced in the meantime, has not violated any protective rights or interests of the plaintiff. 2) This is especially true if the distant effects of the licensed facility, which have been explained by the plaintiff, don't reach the extent or duration of a violation or endangering of his own rights or legally protected rights. 3) The maximum permissible radiation exposure according to the dose limits occurs in case of distant effects according to paragraph 45 of the Radiological Protection Ordinance. 4) Here, it is the matter of a long-term problem with regard to the management and disposal of nuclear waste, provided that an individual interest is given. 5) The required causal connection cannot be proved in case of only statistically recorded emissions. The mere increase of risk, even if it is accurately founded by statistics, is not sufficient. (orig.) [de

Detection of distant metastasis and prognostic prediction of recurrent salivary gland carcinomas using 18 F-FDG PET/CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S H; Roh, J-L; Kim, J S; Lee, J H; Choi, S-H; Nam, S Y; Kim, S Y

2018-04-24

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 18 F-FDG PET/CT and conventional contrast-enhanced CT for the re-staging of recurrent salivary gland carcinoma (SGC). This study included 58 consecutive patients who underwent recurrent SGCs after definitive treatment. The recurrences were evaluated by 18 F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT of the neck and chest. McNemar's test was used to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 18 F-FDG PET/CT with standard neck and chest CT imaging, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the prognostic value of PET/CT. Of 58 patients with recurrent SGCs, 17 (29%) had a local recurrence, 17 (29%) had a regional recurrence, and 38 (66%) had a distant metastasis, with these classifications showing overlap. The sensitivity and accuracy of 18 F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of distant metastases were significantly higher than those of CT (P 0.1). The 18 F-FDG PET/CT-positive findings at distant sites were predictors of poor progression-free and overall survival outcome (all P PET/CT is a more effective method than CT for detecting distant site recurrences of SGC. This may lead to prognostic prediction for recurrent SGCs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

On Computational Power of Quantum Read-Once Branching Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farid Ablayev

2011-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper we review our current results concerning the computational power of quantum read-once branching programs. First of all, based on the circuit presentation of quantum branching programs and our variant of quantum fingerprinting technique, we show that any Boolean function with linear polynomial presentation can be computed by a quantum read-once branching program using a relatively small (usually logarithmic in the size of input number of qubits. Then we show that the described class of Boolean functions is closed under the polynomial projections.

Overexpression of Robo2 causes defects in the recruitment of metanephric mesenchymal cells and ureteric bud branching morphogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Jiayao; Li, Qinggang; Xie, Yuansheng; Zhang, Xueguang; Cui, Shaoyuan; Shi, Suozhu; Chen, Xiangmei

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Overexpression of Robo2 caused reduced UB branching and glomerular number. ► Fewer MM cells surrounding the UB after overexpression of Robo2 in vitro. ► No abnormal Epithelial Morphology of UB or apoptosis of mm cells in the kidney. ► Overexpression of Robo2 affected MM cells migration and caused UB deficit. ► The reduced glomerular number can also be caused by fewer MM cells. -- Abstract: Roundabout 2 (Robo2) is a member of the membrane protein receptor family. The chemorepulsive effect of Slit2–Robo2 signaling plays vital roles in nervous system development and neuron migration. Slit2–Robo2 signaling is also important for maintaining the normal morphogenesis of the kidney and urinary collecting system, especially for the branching of the ureteric bud (UB) at the proper site. Slit2 or Robo2 mouse mutants exhibit multilobular kidneys, multiple ureters, and dilatation of the ureter, renal pelvis, and collecting duct system, which lead to vesicoureteral reflux. To understand the effect of Robo2 on kidney development, we used microinjection and electroporation to overexpress GFP-Robo2 in an in vitro embryonic kidney model. Our results show reduced UB branching and decreased glomerular number after in vitro Robo2 overexpression in the embryonic kidneys. We found fewer metanephric mesenchymal (MM) cells surrounding the UB but no abnormal morphology in the branching epithelial UB. Meanwhile, no significant change in MM proliferation or apoptosis was observed. These findings indicate that Robo2 is involved in the development of embryonic kidneys and that the normal expression of Robo2 can help maintain proper UB branching and glomerular morphogenesis. Overexpression of Robo2 leads to reduced UB branching caused by fewer surrounding MM cells, but MM cell apoptosis is not involved in this effect. Our study demonstrates that overexpression of Robo2 by microinjection in embryonic kidneys is an effective approach to study the function of Robo2.

Overexpression of Robo2 causes defects in the recruitment of metanephric mesenchymal cells and ureteric bud branching morphogenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Jiayao [Institute of Nephrology, State Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease (2011DAV00088), The Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853 (China); Medical College of NanKai University, Tianjin (China); Li, Qinggang; Xie, Yuansheng; Zhang, Xueguang; Cui, Shaoyuan; Shi, Suozhu [Institute of Nephrology, State Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease (2011DAV00088), The Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853 (China); Chen, Xiangmei, E-mail: xmchen301@126.com [Institute of Nephrology, State Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease (2011DAV00088), The Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853 (China); Medical College of NanKai University, Tianjin (China)

2012-05-11

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Overexpression of Robo2 caused reduced UB branching and glomerular number. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fewer MM cells surrounding the UB after overexpression of Robo2 in vitro. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer No abnormal Epithelial Morphology of UB or apoptosis of mm cells in the kidney. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Overexpression of Robo2 affected MM cells migration and caused UB deficit. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The reduced glomerular number can also be caused by fewer MM cells. -- Abstract: Roundabout 2 (Robo2) is a member of the membrane protein receptor family. The chemorepulsive effect of Slit2-Robo2 signaling plays vital roles in nervous system development and neuron migration. Slit2-Robo2 signaling is also important for maintaining the normal morphogenesis of the kidney and urinary collecting system, especially for the branching of the ureteric bud (UB) at the proper site. Slit2 or Robo2 mouse mutants exhibit multilobular kidneys, multiple ureters, and dilatation of the ureter, renal pelvis, and collecting duct system, which lead to vesicoureteral reflux. To understand the effect of Robo2 on kidney development, we used microinjection and electroporation to overexpress GFP-Robo2 in an in vitro embryonic kidney model. Our results show reduced UB branching and decreased glomerular number after in vitro Robo2 overexpression in the embryonic kidneys. We found fewer metanephric mesenchymal (MM) cells surrounding the UB but no abnormal morphology in the branching epithelial UB. Meanwhile, no significant change in MM proliferation or apoptosis was observed. These findings indicate that Robo2 is involved in the development of embryonic kidneys and that the normal expression of Robo2 can help maintain proper UB branching and glomerular morphogenesis. Overexpression of Robo2 leads to reduced UB branching caused by fewer surrounding MM cells, but MM cell apoptosis is not involved in this effect. Our study demonstrates that

BDC 500 branch driver controller

CERN Document Server

Dijksman, A

1981-01-01

This processor has been designed for very fast data acquisition and date pre-processing. The dataway and branch highway speeds have been optimized for approximately 1.5 mu sec. The internal processor cycle is approximately 0.8 mu sec. The standard version contains the following functions (slots): crate controller type A1; branch highway driver including terminator; serial I/O port (TTY, VDU); 24 bit ALU and 24 bit program counter; 16 bit memory address counter and 4 word stack; 4k bit memory for program and/or data; battery backup for the memory; CNAFD and crate LAM display; request/grant logic for time- sharing operation of several BDCs. The free slots can be equipped with e.g. extra RAM, computer interfaces, hardware multiplier/dividers, etc. (0 refs).

Synthesis and characterization of an exact comb polyisoprene with three branches having the middle branch twice the molecular weight of the other two identical external branches

KAUST Repository

Ratkanthwar, Kedar

2013-01-01

An exact comb polyisoprene (PI) with three branches, with the middle branch having twice the molecular weight of the two other identical external branches, was synthesized by using anionic polymerization high vacuum techniques and appropriate chlorosilane chemistry. The synthetic approach involves (a) the selective replacement of the two chlorines of 4-(dichloromethylsilyl) diphenylethylene (DCMSDPE, key molecule) with identical PI chains by titration with PILi, (b) the addition of sec-BuLi to the double bond of DPE followed by the polymerization of isoprene from the newly created anionic site to form a 3-arm living star PI, (c) the selective replacement of the two chlorines of trichloromethylsilane with 3-arm star PI to form an H-shape intermediate, and (d) the replacement of the remaining chlorine of trichloromethylsilane by linear PI chains with double the molecular weight. All intermediate and final products were characterized via size exclusion chromatography, temperature gradient interaction chromatography and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. As expected, due to the inability to control the exact stoichiometry of the linking reactants, the main product (exact comb PI) is contaminated by a few by-products, despite the fact that anionic polymerization is the most efficient way to produce well-defined polymers. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Star-Branched Polymers (Star Polymers)

KAUST Repository

Hirao, Akira; Hayashi, Mayumi; Ito, Shotaro; Goseki, Raita; Higashihara, Tomoya; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2015-01-01

The synthesis of well-defined regular and asymmetric mixed arm (hereinafter miktoarm) star-branched polymers by the living anionic polymerization is reviewed in this chapter. In particular, much attention is being devoted to the synthetic

Adaptive Horizontal Gene Transfers between Multiple Cheese-Associated Fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Ropars, Jeanne; Rodríguez de la Vega, Ricardo C; López-Villavicencio, Manuela; Gouzy, Jérôme; Sallet, Erika; Dumas, Émilie; Lacoste, Sandrine; Debuchy, Robert; Dupont, Joëlle; Branca, Antoine; Giraud, Tatiana

2015-10-05

Domestication is an excellent model for studies of adaptation because it involves recent and strong selection on a few, identified traits [1-5]. Few studies have focused on the domestication of fungi, with notable exceptions [6-11], despite their importance to bioindustry [12] and to a general understanding of adaptation in eukaryotes [5]. Penicillium fungi are ubiquitous molds among which two distantly related species have been independently selected for cheese making-P. roqueforti for blue cheeses like Roquefort and P. camemberti for soft cheeses like Camembert. The selected traits include morphology, aromatic profile, lipolytic and proteolytic activities, and ability to grow at low temperatures, in a matrix containing bacterial and fungal competitors [13-15]. By comparing the genomes of ten Penicillium species, we show that adaptation to cheese was associated with multiple recent horizontal transfers of large genomic regions carrying crucial metabolic genes. We identified seven horizontally transferred regions (HTRs) spanning more than 10 kb each, flanked by specific transposable elements, and displaying nearly 100% identity between distant Penicillium species. Two HTRs carried genes with functions involved in the utilization of cheese nutrients or competition and were found nearly identical in multiple strains and species of cheese-associated Penicillium fungi, indicating recent selective sweeps; they were experimentally associated with faster growth and greater competitiveness on cheese and contained genes highly expressed in the early stage of cheese maturation. These findings have industrial and food safety implications and improve our understanding of the processes of adaptation to rapid environmental changes. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Catabolism of leucine to branched-chain fatty acids in Staphylococcus xylosus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Hans Christian; Hansen, A M; Lauritsen, F R

2004-01-01

Staphylococcus xylosus is an important starter culture in the production of flavours from the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine in fermented meat products. The sensorially most important flavour compounds are the branched-chain aldehydes and acids derived from the correspo......Staphylococcus xylosus is an important starter culture in the production of flavours from the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine in fermented meat products. The sensorially most important flavour compounds are the branched-chain aldehydes and acids derived from...

Distant Relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bülow, Anne Marie; Lee, Joyce y. H.; Panteli, Niki

2016-01-01

This article explores the role of email in the ambiguous circumstances of an established international partnership that is developing into competition. Using the naturally occurring interaction of a longitudinal ethnographic study, we study the ensuing task and relationship conflicts through...... the communication medium. Results show that the conflict is facilitated by email, not as an unfortunate side-effect but as a strategic choice of distance, partly for passive protection but also for active control of the interaction. We use the results to chart the multiple situated identities of the communicators...

COELIAC TRUNK BRANCHING PATTERN AND VARIATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jude Jose Thomson

2017-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Anatomical variations involving the visceral arteries are common. However, variations in coeliac trunk are usually asymptomatic, they may become important in patients undergoing diagnostic angiography for gastrointestinal bleeding or prior to an operative procedure. This study was useful for knowing the possible morphological variations before an upper abdominal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a descriptive study done by cadaveric dissection, conducted on thirty cadavers. The coeliac trunk being examined for its origin, branching pattern, distribution, and variations. Results were statistically analysed and compared with the previous studies. RESULTS In our study, 60% of the coeliac trunk shows variations and 40% have normal branching pattern. A complete absence of coeliac trunk was observed in one case. In the present study the Right inferior phrenic artery arising from coeliac trunk in 2 cases (6.6% and left inferior phrenic artery arising from coeliac trunk in 3 cases (9.9%. Both inferior phrenic arteries are arising from coeliac trunk in 2 cases (6.6%. The common hepatomesenteric trunk and gastro splenic trunk was found in 1 case (3.3%. Hepatosplenic trunk was found in 2 cases (6.6%. In another 2 cases (6.6% gastric and hepatic artery originate from coeliac trunk but splenic artery has a separate origin from abdominal aorta. An absent trunk was also found in 1 case (3.3%. In 5 cases (16.7% showed trifurcation with variation in the branching pattern. CONCLUSION The branching pattern and extreme degree variability in coeliac trunk as brought out in the observations of the present study make it obvious that the present study almost falls in description with previous studies.

Reconnaissance of the hydrology, water quality, and sources of bacterial and nutrient contamination in the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system and Cave Springs Branch of Honey Creek, Delaware County, Oklahoma, March 1999-March 2000

Science.gov (United States)

Schlottmann, Jamie L.; Tanner, Ralph S.; Samadpour, Mansour

2000-01-01

A reconnaissance investigation of hydrology and water quality was conducted to evaluate possible sources of bacteria and nutrient contamination in the Cave Springs Branch basin and the underlying karstic Ozark Plateau aquifer system. Objectives were to: (1) determine the directions of ground-water flow in the basin and determine whether Cave Springs Branch interacts with ground water, (2) compare water quality in Cave Springs Branch with water quality in nearby wells to determine whether the stream is contaminating nearby wells, and (3) determine sources of fecal coliform bacteria and nitrate contamination in Cave Springs Branch and ground water. Potential sources of bacteria and nitrate in the area include cultivated agriculture, cow and horse on pasture, poultry production, households, and wildlife. Presence of fecal coliform and fecal streptococcal bacteria directly indicate fecal contamination and the potential for the presence of other pathogenic organisms in a water supply. Nitrate in drinking water poses health risks and may indicate the presence of additional contaminants. Fecal coliform bacteria colony counts were least in wells, intermediate in the poultry-processing plant wastewater outfall and Honey Creek above the confluence with Cave Springs Branch, and greatest in Cave Springs Branch. Bacteria strains and resistance to antibiotics by some bacteria indicate that livestock may have been sources of some bacteria in the water samples. Multiple antibiotic resistances were not present in the isolates from the water samples, indicating that the bacteria may not be from human or poultry sources. Ribotyping indicates that Escherichia coli bacteria in water samples from the basin were from bird, cow, horse, dog, deer, and human sources. The presence of multiple ribotypes from each type of animal source except bird indicates that most of the bacteria are from multiple populations of source animals. Identifiable sources of bacteria in Cave Springs Branch at the

A Pool of Distant Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

2008-11-01

Anyone who has wondered what it might be like to dive into a pool of millions of distant galaxies of different shapes and colours, will enjoy the latest image released by ESO. Obtained in part with the Very Large Telescope, the image is the deepest ground-based U-band image of the Universe ever obtained. It contains more than 27 million pixels and is the result of 55 hours of observations with the VIMOS instrument. A Sea of Galaxies ESO PR Photo 39/08 A Pool of Distant Galaxies This uniquely beautiful patchwork image, with its myriad of brightly coloured galaxies, shows the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S), arguably the most observed and best studied region in the entire sky. The CDF-S is one of the two regions selected as part of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS), an effort of the worldwide astronomical community that unites the deepest observations from ground- and space-based facilities at all wavelengths from X-ray to radio. Its primary purpose is to provide astronomers with the most sensitive census of the distant Universe to assist in their study of the formation and evolution of galaxies. The new image released by ESO combines data obtained with the VIMOS instrument in the U- and R-bands, as well as data obtained in the B-band with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) attached to the 2.2 m MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla, in the framework of the GABODS survey. The newly released U-band image - the result of 40 hours of staring at the same region of the sky and just made ready by the GOODS team - is the deepest image ever taken from the ground in this wavelength domain. At these depths, the sky is almost completely covered by galaxies, each one, like our own galaxy, the Milky Way, home of hundreds of billions of stars. Galaxies were detected that are a billion times fainter than the unaided eye can see and over a range of colours not directly observable by the eye. This deep image has been essential to the discovery of a large number of new galaxies

Gibberellin Promotes Shoot Branching in the Perennial Woody Plant Jatropha curcas.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Jun; Gao, Congcong; Chen, Mao-Sheng; Pan, Bang-Zhen; Ye, Kaiqin; Xu, Zeng-Fu

2015-08-01

Strigolactone (SL), auxin and cytokinin (CK) interact to regulate shoot branching. CK has long been considered to be the only key phytohormone to promote lateral bud outgrowth. Here we report that gibberellin also acts as a positive regulator in the control of shoot branching in the woody plant Jatropha curcas. We show that gibberellin and CK synergistically promote lateral bud outgrowth, and that both hormones influence the expression of putative branching regulators, J. curcas BRANCHED1 and BRANCHED2, which are key transcription factors maintaining bud dormancy. Moreover, treatment with paclobutrazol, an inhibitor of de novo gibberellin biosynthesis, significantly reduced the promotion of bud outgrowth by CK, suggesting that gibberellin is required for CK-mediated axillary bud outgrowth. In addition, SL, a plant hormone involved in the repression of shoot branching, acted antagonistically to both gibberellin and CK in the control of lateral bud outgrowth. Consistent with this, the expression of JcMAX2, a J. curcas homolog of Arabidopsis MORE AXILLARY GROWTH 2 encoding an F-box protein in the SL signaling pathway, was repressed by gibberellin and CK treatment. We also provide physiological evidence that gibberellin also induces shoot branching in many other trees, such as papaya, indicating that a more complicated regulatory network occurs in the control of shoot branching in some perennial woody plants. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists.

Combined Therapy for Distant Metastasis of Sacral Chordoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birol Özkal

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Chordomas are known as rare primary malign tumours that have formed from primitive notochord remains. Sacral chordomas grow slowly but locally and aggressively. Chordomas are locally invasive and have low tendency to metastasis and have a poor prognosis in long-term follow-up. Metastasis may be seen in a rate of 5–40% of the chordomas. Metastasis of chordomas is common in liver, lung, lymph nodes, peritoneum, and brain. The treatment approaches, including surgery, have been discussed in the literature before. Susceptibility to radiotherapy and chemotherapy is controversial in these tumours. The success of surgical treatment affects survival directly. In this report, we will report a sacral chordoma case in which an intraperitoneal distant metastasis occurred and discuss the surgical approach.

Identification of candidate genes for dissecting complex branch number trait in chickpea.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajaj, Deepak; Upadhyaya, Hari D; Das, Shouvik; Kumar, Vinod; Gowda, C L L; Sharma, Shivali; Tyagi, Akhilesh K; Parida, Swarup K

2016-04-01

The present study exploited integrated genomics-assisted breeding strategy for genetic dissection of complex branch number quantitative trait in chickpea. Candidate gene-based association analysis in a branch number association panel was performed by utilizing the genotyping data of 401 SNP allelic variants mined from 27 known cloned branch number gene orthologs of chickpea. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) integrating both genome-wide GBS- (4556 SNPs) and candidate gene-based genotyping information of 4957 SNPs in a structured population of 60 sequenced desi and kabuli accessions (with 350-400 kb LD decay), detected 11 significant genomic loci (genes) associated (41% combined PVE) with branch number in chickpea. Of these, seven branch number-associated genes were further validated successfully in two inter (ICC 4958 × ICC 17160)- and intra (ICC 12299 × ICC 8261)-specific mapping populations. The axillary meristem and shoot apical meristem-specific expression, including differential up- and down-regulation (4-5 fold) of the validated seven branch number-associated genes especially in high branch number as compared to the low branch number-containing parental accessions and homozygous individuals of two aforesaid mapping populations was apparent. Collectively, this combinatorial genomic approach delineated diverse naturally occurring novel functional SNP allelic variants in seven potential known/candidate genes [PIN1 (PIN-FORMED protein 1), TB1 (teosinte branched 1), BA1/LAX1 (BARREN STALK1/LIKE AUXIN1), GRAS8 (gibberellic acid insensitive/GAI, Repressor of ga13/RGA and Scarecrow8/SCR8), ERF (ethylene-responsive element-binding factor), MAX2 (more axillary growth 2) and lipase] governing chickpea branch number. The useful information generated from this study have potential to expedite marker-assisted genetic enhancement by developing high-yielding cultivars with more number of productive (pods and seeds) branches in chickpea. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier

Maximum likelihood inference of small trees in the presence of long branches.

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, Sarah L; Goldman, Nick

2014-09-01

The statistical basis of maximum likelihood (ML), its robustness, and the fact that it appears to suffer less from biases lead to it being one of the most popular methods for tree reconstruction. Despite its popularity, very few analytical solutions for ML exist, so biases suffered by ML are not well understood. One possible bias is long branch attraction (LBA), a regularly cited term generally used to describe a propensity for long branches to be joined together in estimated trees. Although initially mentioned in connection with inconsistency of parsimony, LBA has been claimed to affect all major phylogenetic reconstruction methods, including ML. Despite the widespread use of this term in the literature, exactly what LBA is and what may be causing it is poorly understood, even for simple evolutionary models and small model trees. Studies looking at LBA have focused on the effect of two long branches on tree reconstruction. However, to understand the effect of two long branches it is also important to understand the effect of just one long branch. If ML struggles to reconstruct one long branch, then this may have an impact on LBA. In this study, we look at the effect of one long branch on three-taxon tree reconstruction. We show that, counterintuitively, long branches are preferentially placed at the tips of the tree. This can be understood through the use of analytical solutions to the ML equation and distance matrix methods. We go on to look at the placement of two long branches on four-taxon trees, showing that there is no attraction between long branches, but that for extreme branch lengths long branches are joined together disproportionally often. These results illustrate that even small model trees are still interesting to help understand how ML phylogenetic reconstruction works, and that LBA is a complicated phenomenon that deserves further study. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists.

Cold versus hot fusion deuterium branching ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fox, H.; Bass, R.

1995-01-01

A major source of misunderstanding of the nature of cold nuclear fusion has been the expectation that the deuterium branching ratios occurring within a palladium lattice would be consistent with the gas-plasma branching ratios. This misunderstanding has led to the concept of the dead graduate student, the 1989's feverish but fruitless search for neutron emissions from cold fusion reactors, and the follow-on condemnation of the new science of cold fusion. The experimental facts are that in a properly loaded palladium lattice, the deuterium fusion produces neutrons at little above background, a greatly less-than-expected production of tritium (the tritium desert), and substantially more helium-4 than is observed in hot plasma physics. The experimental evidence is now compelling (800 reports of success from 30 countries) that cold nuclear fusion is a reality, that the branching ratios are unexpected, and that a new science is struggling to be recognized. Commercialization of some types of cold fusion devices has already begun

Neutral sheet crossings in the distant magnetotail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heikkila, W.J.; Slavin, J.A.; Smith, E.J.; Baker, D.N.; Zwickl, R.D.

1985-01-01

We have analyzed the magnetic field data from ISEE-3 in the distant magnetotail for 18 crossings of the cross-tail current sheet (or so-called natural sheet) to determine the direction of the normal component B/sub z/. The crossings occurred near the middle of the aberrated magnetotail (0 0.4 nT), consistent with closed field lines connected to the earth. In 3 cases B/sub z/ was very close to zero; in several instances there was structure in B/sub y/, suggesting localized currents with x or z directions. One may have been a magnetopause crossing. The strong preponderance of northward B/sub z/ favors a model of the magnetotail which is dominated by boundary layer plasma, flowing tailward on closed magnetic field lines, which requires the existence of an electric field in the sense from dusk to dawn. 37 refs., 15 figs., 1 tab

Arabic medical entity tagging using distant learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viviana Cotik

2017-04-01

Full Text Available A semantic tagger aiming to detect relevant entities in Arabic medical documents and tagging them with their appropriate semantic class is presented. The system takes profit of a Multilingual Framework covering four languages (Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, in a way that resources available for each language can be used to improve the results of the others, this is specially important for less resourced languages as Arabic. The approach has been evaluated against Wikipedia pages of the four languages belonging to the medical domain. The core of the system is the definition of a base tagset consisting of the three most represented classes in SNOMED-CT taxonomy and the learning of a binary classifier for each semantic category in the tagset and each language, using a distant learning approach over three widely used knowledge resources, namely Wikipedia, Dbpedia, and SNOMED-CT.

A spiritual audit of a retail branch in a South African Bank

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David P. J. Smith

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not employees in a branch of one of the leading South African banks are spiritually fulfilled at work, whilst living the values of the bank. The results indicate that employees in the branch are spiritually fulfilled at work, that they seem to be “living the values”, and that they believe the branch to be a spiritual workplace. The results are linked to certain interventions in the branch, and these interventions could be replicated across the branch network, reaping the advantages of a spiritual workplace.

6-O-Branched Oligo-β-glucan-Based Antifungal Glycoconjugate Vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Guochao; Zhou, Zhifang; Liao, Jun; Zu, Luning; Wu, Qiuye; Guo, Zhongwu

2016-02-12

With the rapid growth in fungal infections and drug-resistant fungal strains, antifungal vaccines have become an especially attractive strategy to tackle this important health problem. β-Glucans, a class of extracellular carbohydrate antigens abundantly and consistently expressed on fungal cell surfaces, are intriguing epitopes for antifungal vaccine development. β-Glucans have a conserved β-1,3-glucan backbone with sporadic β-1,3- or β-1,6-linked short glucans as branches at the 6-O-positions, and the branches may play a critical role in their immunologic functions. To study the immunologic properties of branched β-glucans and develop β-glucan-based antifungal vaccines, three branched β-glucan oligosaccharides with 6-O-linked β-1,6-tetraglucose, β-1,3-diglucose, and β-1,3-tetraglucose branches on a β-1,3-nonaglucan backbone, which mimic the structural epitopes of natural β-glucans, were synthesized and coupled with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) to form novel synthetic conjugate vaccines. These glycoconjugates were proved to elicit strong IgG antibody responses in mice. It was also discovered that the number, size, and structure of branches linked to the β-glucan backbone had a significant impact on the immunologic property. Moreover, antibodies induced by the synthetic oligosaccharide-KLH conjugates were able to recognize and bind to natural β-glucans and fungal cells. Most importantly, these conjugates elicited effective protection against systemic Candida albicans infection in mice. Thus, branched oligo-β-glucans were identified as functional epitopes for antifungal vaccine design and the corresponding protein conjugates as promising antifungal vaccine candidates.

Microsphere preparation using highly branched dextran degraded by electron beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Min Ho; Yoo, Sun Kyun [Joongbu Univ., Geumsan (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hyun Suk; Lee, Byung Cheol [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-07-01

Dextrans as noble alternative consist predominantly of linear a-1,6 glucose linkages with some degree of branching via 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4- linkage. Dextrans have been investigated as potential macromolecular carriers for delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the circulation. In most previous researches, linear type of dextrans with molecular weight of new type of drug delivery agent. Since 1950, the clinical dextran has been manufactured by acid hydrolysis, of which processes are multi-steps and time-consumed. Therefore, the objective of this research is evaluate the microsphere synthesised by highly branched dextran degraded by a electron beam radiation. Linear type of dextran was purchased from Sigma company. Branch type of dextran was produced and purified in our lab. The branch degree of dextran was evaluated using dextranase and analyzed by TLC. The air-dry dextran and two solution dextran was irradiated at room temperature using a electrostatic beam. The electron beam energy applied was 1.0 to 2.5 MeV. Dose was 70 kGy. The molecular average weight if 11,215,000 of linear dextran and 7,413,000 was degraded to 213,000 and 112,000, respectively. Branched dextran applied by a beam still retained its branched structure. The size of microsphere was dependant of the amount of PPG added to make water to water emulsion. Swelling of microsphere of branched dextran was higher than of linear dextran.

Microsphere preparation using highly branched dextran degraded by electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Min Ho; Yoo, Sun Kyun; Kang, Hyun Suk; Lee, Byung Cheol

2011-01-01

Dextrans as noble alternative consist predominantly of linear a-1,6 glucose linkages with some degree of branching via 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4- linkage. Dextrans have been investigated as potential macromolecular carriers for delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the delivery of drugs and proteins, primarily to increase the longevity of therapeutic agents in the circulation. In most previous researches, linear type of dextrans with molecular weight of new type of drug delivery agent. Since 1950, the clinical dextran has been manufactured by acid hydrolysis, of which processes are multi-steps and time-consumed. Therefore, the objective of this research is evaluate the microsphere synthesised by highly branched dextran degraded by a electron beam radiation. Linear type of dextran was purchased from Sigma company. Branch type of dextran was produced and purified in our lab. The branch degree of dextran was evaluated using dextranase and analyzed by TLC. The air-dry dextran and two solution dextran was irradiated at room temperature using a electrostatic beam. The electron beam energy applied was 1.0 to 2.5 MeV. Dose was 70 kGy. The molecular average weight if 11,215,000 of linear dextran and 7,413,000 was degraded to 213,000 and 112,000, respectively. Branched dextran applied by a beam still retained its branched structure. The size of microsphere was dependant of the amount of PPG added to make water to water emulsion. Swelling of microsphere of branched dextran was higher than of linear dextran

The Influence of Diabetes Mellitus and Metformin on Distant Metastases in Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Multicenter Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spratt, Daniel E. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Beadle, Beth M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Zumsteg, Zachary S., E-mail: zachary.zumsteg@cshs.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California (United States); Rivera, Andrew [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Skinner, Heath D. [Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas (United States); Osborne, Joseph R. [Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Garden, Adam S. [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Lee, Nancy Y. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States)

2016-03-01

Purpose: Local control in oropharyngeal cancer has improved to unprecedented rates with combined modality therapy; as a result, distant metastases are becoming a principal challenge. We aimed to determine the impact of diabetes mellitus and metformin use on clinical outcomes in a large population of oropharyngeal cancer patients treated in the modern era. Methods and Materials: We identified 1745 consecutive patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated at 2 large cancer centers with external beam radiation therapy from 1998 to 2011. A total of 184 patients had diabetes mellitus at the time of diagnosis, of whom 102 were taking metformin. The outcomes assessed included local failure-free survival (LFFS), regional failure-free survival (RFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: The median follow-up time was 4.3 years. The 5-year actuarial rates of DMFS were 89.6% for nondiabetic patients and 78.7% for diabetic nonmetformin users (P=.011) and of OS were 83.0% for nondiabetic patients and 70.7% for diabetic nonmetformin users (P=.048). Diabetic metformin users had 5-year DMFS (90.1%) and OS (89.6%) similar to those of nondiabetic patients. Multivariate analysis (diabetic nonmetformin users as reference) demonstrated improved DMFS for nondiabetic patients (adjusted hazard ratio 0.54; 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.93; P=.03) and a trend toward improved DMFS with metformin use (adjusted hazard ratio 0.46; 95% confidence interval 0.20-1.04; P=.06). LFFS and RFFS were high in all groups and were not significantly different by diabetic status or metformin use. Conclusions: Diabetic patients not using metformin independently have significantly higher rates of distant metastases than do nondiabetic patients, whereas metformin users have rates of distant metastases similar to those of nondiabetic patients. Further prospective investigation is warranted to validate the benefit of metformin in oropharyngeal cancer.

The Influence of Diabetes Mellitus and Metformin on Distant Metastases in Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Multicenter Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spratt, Daniel E.; Beadle, Beth M.; Zumsteg, Zachary S.; Rivera, Andrew; Skinner, Heath D.; Osborne, Joseph R.; Garden, Adam S.; Lee, Nancy Y.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Local control in oropharyngeal cancer has improved to unprecedented rates with combined modality therapy; as a result, distant metastases are becoming a principal challenge. We aimed to determine the impact of diabetes mellitus and metformin use on clinical outcomes in a large population of oropharyngeal cancer patients treated in the modern era. Methods and Materials: We identified 1745 consecutive patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated at 2 large cancer centers with external beam radiation therapy from 1998 to 2011. A total of 184 patients had diabetes mellitus at the time of diagnosis, of whom 102 were taking metformin. The outcomes assessed included local failure-free survival (LFFS), regional failure-free survival (RFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: The median follow-up time was 4.3 years. The 5-year actuarial rates of DMFS were 89.6% for nondiabetic patients and 78.7% for diabetic nonmetformin users (P=.011) and of OS were 83.0% for nondiabetic patients and 70.7% for diabetic nonmetformin users (P=.048). Diabetic metformin users had 5-year DMFS (90.1%) and OS (89.6%) similar to those of nondiabetic patients. Multivariate analysis (diabetic nonmetformin users as reference) demonstrated improved DMFS for nondiabetic patients (adjusted hazard ratio 0.54; 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.93; P=.03) and a trend toward improved DMFS with metformin use (adjusted hazard ratio 0.46; 95% confidence interval 0.20-1.04; P=.06). LFFS and RFFS were high in all groups and were not significantly different by diabetic status or metformin use. Conclusions: Diabetic patients not using metformin independently have significantly higher rates of distant metastases than do nondiabetic patients, whereas metformin users have rates of distant metastases similar to those of nondiabetic patients. Further prospective investigation is warranted to validate the benefit of metformin in oropharyngeal cancer.

Validation of the 18-gene classifier as a prognostic biomarker of distant metastasis in breast cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skye Hung-Chun Cheng

Full Text Available We validated an 18-gene classifier (GC initially developed to predict local/regional recurrence after mastectomy in estimating distant metastasis risk. The 18-gene scoring algorithm defines scores as: <21, low risk; ≥21, high risk. Six hundred eighty-three patients with primary operable breast cancer and fresh frozen tumor tissues available were included. The primary outcome was the 5-year probability of freedom from distant metastasis (DMFP. Two external datasets were used to test the predictive accuracy of 18-GC. The 5-year rates of DMFP for patients classified as low-risk (n = 146, 21.7% and high-risk (n = 537, 78.6% were 96.2% (95% CI, 91.1%-98.8% and 80.9% (74.6%-81.9%, respectively (median follow-up interval, 71.8 months. The 5-year rates of DMFP of the low-risk group in stage I (n = 62, 35.6%, stage II (n = 66, 20.1%, and stage III (n = 18, 10.3% were 100%, 94.2% (78.5%-98.5%, and 90.9% (50.8%-98.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that 18-GC is an independent prognostic factor of distant metastasis (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.8-14.1; p = 0.0017 for scores of ≥21. External validation showed that the 5-year rate of DMFP in the low- and high-risk patients was 94.1% (82.9%-100% and 80.3% (70.7%-89.9%, p = 0.06 in a Singapore dataset, and 89.5% (81.9%-94.1% and 73.6% (67.2%-79.0%, p = 0.0039 in the GEO-GSE20685 dataset, respectively. In conclusion, 18-GC is a viable prognostic biomarker for breast cancer to estimate distant metastasis risk.

Converging from branching to linear metrics on Markov chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bacci, Giorgio; Bacci, Giovanni; Larsen, Kim G.

2017-01-01

-approximant is computable in polynomial time in the size of the MC. The upper-approximants are bisimilarity-like pseudometrics (hence, branching-time distances) that converge point-wise to the linear-time metrics. This convergence is interesting in itself, because it reveals a nontrivial relation between branching...

Converging from Branching to Linear Metrics on Markov Chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bacci, Giorgio; Bacci, Giovanni; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2015-01-01

time in the size of the MC. The upper-approximants are Kantorovich-like pseudometrics, i.e. branching-time distances, that converge point-wise to the linear-time metrics. This convergence is interesting in itself, since it reveals a nontrivial relation between branching and linear-time metric...

Kodiak: An Implementation Framework for Branch and Bound Algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Andrew P.; Munoz, Cesar A.; Narkawicz, Anthony J.; Markevicius, Mantas

2015-01-01

Recursive branch and bound algorithms are often used to refine and isolate solutions to several classes of global optimization problems. A rigorous computation framework for the solution of systems of equations and inequalities involving nonlinear real arithmetic over hyper-rectangular variable and parameter domains is presented. It is derived from a generic branch and bound algorithm that has been formally verified, and utilizes self-validating enclosure methods, namely interval arithmetic and, for polynomials and rational functions, Bernstein expansion. Since bounds computed by these enclosure methods are sound, this approach may be used reliably in software verification tools. Advantage is taken of the partial derivatives of the constraint functions involved in the system, firstly to reduce the branching factor by the use of bisection heuristics and secondly to permit the computation of bifurcation sets for systems of ordinary differential equations. The associated software development, Kodiak, is presented, along with examples of three different branch and bound problem types it implements.

An asymptotic analysis of closed queueing networks with branching populations

OpenAIRE

Bayer, N.; Coffman, E.G.; Kogan, Y.A.

1995-01-01

textabstractClosed queueing networks have proven to be valuable tools for system performance analysis. In this paper, we broaden the applications of such networks by incorporating populations of {em branching customers: whenever a customer completes service at some node of the network, it is replaced by N>=0 customers, each routed independently to a next node, where N has a given, possibly node-dependent branching distribution. Applications of these branching and queueing networks focus on {e...

An investigation of cognitive 'branching' processes in major depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Williams Steven CR

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients with depression demonstrate cognitive impairment on a wide range of cognitive tasks, particularly putative tasks of frontal lobe function. Recent models of frontal lobe function have argued that the frontal pole region is involved in cognitive branching, a process requiring holding in mind one goal while performing sub-goal processes. Evidence for this model comes from functional neuroimaging and frontal-pole lesion patients. We have utilised these new concepts to investigate the possibility that patients with depression are impaired at cognitive 'branching'. Methods 11 non-medicated patients with major depression were compared to 11 matched controls in a behavioural study on a task of cognitive 'branching'. In the version employed here, we recorded participant's performance as they learnt to perform the task. This involved participants completing a control condition, followed by a working memory condition, a dual-task condition and finally the branching condition, which integrates processes in the working memory and dual-task conditions. We also measured participants on a number of other cognitive tasks as well as mood-state before and after the branching experiment. Results Patients took longer to learn the first condition, but performed comparably to controls after six runs of the task. Overall, reaction times decreased with repeated exposure on the task conditions in controls, with this effect attenuated in patients. Importantly, no differences were found between patients and controls on the branching condition. There was, however, a significant change in mood-state with patients increasing in positive affect and decreasing in negative affect after the experiment. Conclusion We found no clear evidence of a fundamental impairment in anterior prefrontal 'branching processes' in patients with depression. Rather our data argue for a contextual learning impairment underlying cognitive dysfunction in this disorder. Our

An investigation of cognitive 'branching' processes in major depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Nicholas D; Seal, Marc L; Williams, Steven C R; Mehta, Mitul A

2009-11-10

Patients with depression demonstrate cognitive impairment on a wide range of cognitive tasks, particularly putative tasks of frontal lobe function. Recent models of frontal lobe function have argued that the frontal pole region is involved in cognitive branching, a process requiring holding in mind one goal while performing sub-goal processes. Evidence for this model comes from functional neuroimaging and frontal-pole lesion patients. We have utilised these new concepts to investigate the possibility that patients with depression are impaired at cognitive 'branching'. 11 non-medicated patients with major depression were compared to 11 matched controls in a behavioural study on a task of cognitive 'branching'. In the version employed here, we recorded participant's performance as they learnt to perform the task. This involved participants completing a control condition, followed by a working memory condition, a dual-task condition and finally the branching condition, which integrates processes in the working memory and dual-task conditions. We also measured participants on a number of other cognitive tasks as well as mood-state before and after the branching experiment. Patients took longer to learn the first condition, but performed comparably to controls after six runs of the task. Overall, reaction times decreased with repeated exposure on the task conditions in controls, with this effect attenuated in patients. Importantly, no differences were found between patients and controls on the branching condition. There was, however, a significant change in mood-state with patients increasing in positive affect and decreasing in negative affect after the experiment. We found no clear evidence of a fundamental impairment in anterior prefrontal 'branching processes' in patients with depression. Rather our data argue for a contextual learning impairment underlying cognitive dysfunction in this disorder. Our data suggest that MDD patients are able to perform high

Fault Branching and Long-Term Earthquake Rupture Scenario for Strike-Slip Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Klinger, Y.; CHOI, J. H.; Vallage, A.

2017-12-01

Careful examination of surface rupture for large continental strike-slip earthquakes reveals that for the majority of earthquakes, at least one major branch is involved in the rupture pattern. Often, branching might be either related to the location of the epicenter or located toward the end of the rupture, and possibly related to the stopping of the rupture. In this work, we examine large continental earthquakes that show significant branches at different scales and for which ground surface rupture has been mapped in great details. In each case, rupture conditions are described, including dynamic parameters, past earthquakes history, and regional stress orientation, to see if the dynamic stress field would a priori favor branching. In one case we show that rupture propagation and branching are directly impacted by preexisting geological structures. These structures serve as pathways for the rupture attempting to propagate out of its shear plane. At larger scale, we show that in some cases, rupturing a branch might be systematic, hampering possibilities for the development of a larger seismic rupture. Long-term geomorphology hints at the existence of a strong asperity in the zone where the rupture branched off the main fault. There, no evidence of throughgoing rupture could be seen along the main fault, while the branch is well connected to the main fault. This set of observations suggests that for specific configurations, some rupture scenarios involving systematic branching are more likely than others.

Treatment and outcome of 32 patients with distant metastases of Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma: a single-institution experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besic, Nikola; Schwarzbartl-Pevec, Andreja; Vidergar-Kralj, Barbara; Crnic, Tea; Gazic, Barbara; Marolt Music, Maja

2016-01-01

It is generally believed that patients with Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC) have a poor prognosis. Furthermore, distant metastases represent the most frequent cause of thyroid cancer-related death of patients with HCTC. The aim of this study was to report the treatment and outcomes of patients with distant metastases. Altogether 108 patients were treated for HCTC from 1972 to 2011 in our tertiary center and 32 patients (19 females, 13 males; median age 64.5 years) had either initially proven metastatic disease (N = 12) or distant progression of HCTC after initial treatment (N = 20). Patients with metastases were followed for 1–226 (median 77) months. Data were collected on the patients’ gender and age, extent of their disease, morphologic characteristics, therapy, outcome, and survival rate. Statistical correlation between possible prognostic factors and cause-specific survival from time of detection of metastases was analyzed by univariate analysis and log-rank test. The most common were lung metastases, followed by bone, mediastinum, kidney, and liver in 24, 8, 2, 1, and 1 case, respectively. Total thyroidectomy, lobectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy and neck dissection were performed in 19, 10, 3, and 7 patients, respectively. Radioiodine (RAI) ablation of thyroid remnant was performed in 30 patients, while 20 of them had RAI therapy (median 4 times). RAI uptake in metastases was present in 16 patients and ranged from 0.05 % to 12 %. Chemotherapy was used in 13 patients and external beam radiotherapy in 19 patients. Locoregional control of disease was achieved in 19/21 (90 %) cases who succumbed due to HCTC. Estimated 10-year disease-specific survival for all patients was 60 %. 10-year disease-specific survival for patients with pulmonary metastases and other sites metastases was 60 % and 62 %, respectively. 10-year disease-specific survival for patients with single organ and multiple organ metastases was 52 %, and 100 %, respectively. Estimated median

The impact of geographic unit of analysis on socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival and distant summary stage - a population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tervonen, Hanna E; Morrell, Stephen; Aranda, Sanchia; Roder, David; You, Hui; Niyonsenga, Theo; Walton, Richard; Baker, Deborah; Currow, David

2016-12-13

When using area-level disadvantage measures, size of geographic unit can have major effects on recorded socioeconomic cancer disparities. This study examined the extent of changes in recorded socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival and distant stage when the measure of socioeconomic disadvantage was based on smaller Census Collection Districts (CDs) instead of Statistical Local Areas (SLAs). Population-based New South Wales Cancer Registry data were used to identify cases diagnosed with primary invasive cancer in 2000-2008 (n=264,236). Logistic regression and competing risk regression modelling were performed to examine socioeconomic differences in odds of distant stage and hazard of cancer death for all sites combined and separately for breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers. For all sites collectively, associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and cancer survival and distant stage were stronger when the CD-based socioeconomic disadvantage measure was used compared with the SLA-based measure. The CD-based measure showed a more consistent socioeconomic gradient with a linear upward trend of risk of cancer death/distant stage with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage. Site-specific analyses provided similar findings for the risk of death but less consistent results for the likelihood of distant stage. The use of socioeconomic disadvantage measure based on the smallest available spatial unit should be encouraged in the future. Implications for Public Health: Disadvantage measures based on small spatial units can more accurately identify socioeconomic cancer disparities to inform priority settings in service planning. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

Total tree, merchantable stem and branch volume models for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Total tree, merchantable stem and branch volume models for miombo woodlands of Malawi. Daud J Kachamba, Tron Eid. Abstract. The objective of this study was to develop general (multispecies) models for prediction of total tree, merchantable stem and branch volume including options with diameter at breast height (dbh) ...

Influence of road network and population demand assumptions in evacuation modeling for distant tsunamis

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Kevin; Wood, Nathan J.; Frazier, Tim G.

2017-01-01

Tsunami evacuation planning in coastal communities is typically focused on local events where at-risk individuals must move on foot in a matter of minutes to safety. Less attention has been placed on distant tsunamis, where evacuations unfold over several hours, are often dominated by vehicle use and are managed by public safety officials. Traditional traffic simulation models focus on estimating clearance times but often overlook the influence of varying population demand, alternative modes, background traffic, shadow evacuation, and traffic management alternatives. These factors are especially important for island communities with limited egress options to safety. We use the coastal community of Balboa Island, California (USA), as a case study to explore the range of potential clearance times prior to wave arrival for a distant tsunami scenario. We use a first-in–first-out queuing simulation environment to estimate variations in clearance times, given varying assumptions of the evacuating population (demand) and the road network over which they evacuate (supply). Results suggest clearance times are less than wave arrival times for a distant tsunami, except when we assume maximum vehicle usage for residents, employees, and tourists for a weekend scenario. A two-lane bridge to the mainland was the primary traffic bottleneck, thereby minimizing the effect of departure times, shadow evacuations, background traffic, boat-based evacuations, and traffic light timing on overall community clearance time. Reducing vehicular demand generally reduced clearance time, whereas improvements to road capacity had mixed results. Finally, failure to recognize non-residential employee and tourist populations in the vehicle demand substantially underestimated clearance time.

On the multiple zeros of a real analytic function with applications to the averaging theory of differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

García, Isaac A.; Llibre, Jaume; Maza, Susanna

2018-06-01

In this work we consider real analytic functions , where , Ω is a bounded open subset of , is an interval containing the origin, are parameters, and ε is a small parameter. We study the branching of the zero-set of at multiple points when the parameter ε varies. We apply the obtained results to improve the classical averaging theory for computing T-periodic solutions of λ-families of analytic T-periodic ordinary differential equations defined on , using the displacement functions defined by these equations. We call the coefficients in the Taylor expansion of in powers of ε the averaged functions. The main contribution consists in analyzing the role that have the multiple zeros of the first non-zero averaged function. The outcome is that these multiple zeros can be of two different classes depending on whether the zeros belong or not to the analytic set defined by the real variety associated to the ideal generated by the averaged functions in the Noetheriang ring of all the real analytic functions at . We bound the maximum number of branches of isolated zeros that can bifurcate from each multiple zero z 0. Sometimes these bounds depend on the cardinalities of minimal bases of the former ideal. Several examples illustrate our results and they are compared with the classical theory, branching theory and also under the light of singularity theory of smooth maps. The examples range from polynomial vector fields to Abel differential equations and perturbed linear centers.

A new ripplon branch in He II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanatarov, I.V.; Tanatarov, I.V.; Adamenko, I.N.; Nemchenko, K.E.; Wyatt, A.F.G.

2010-01-01

We analyse the dispersion relation of ripplons, on the surface of superfluid helium, using the dispersive hydrodynamics approach and find a new ripplon branch. We obtain analytical equation for the dispersion relation and analytic expressions for the limiting cases. The probabilities of decay of unstable ripplons above the roton gap into rotons are derived. A numerical solution for the ripplon dispersion curve is obtained. The new ripplon branch is found at energies just below the instability point of the bulk spectrum, and is investigated; its stability is discussed.

Induced chorioretinal venous anastomosis in experimental retinal branch vein occlusion.

OpenAIRE

McAllister, I L; Yu, D Y; Vijayasekaran, S; Barry, C; Constable, I

1992-01-01

Iatrogenic retinal vein to choroidal vein anastomoses were created using laser photocoagulation in six of seven dog eyes in which a partial branch retinal vein occlusion had previously been created photochemically. A similar attempt to create an anastomosis was made in six control eyes in which no branch vein occlusion was present. In the eyes in which a branch retinal vein had been created, a venous chorioretinal anastomosis appeared to be present by 3 to 6 weeks. In three control eyes simil...

Business Systems Branch Abilities, Capabilities, and Services Web Page

Science.gov (United States)

Cortes-Pena, Aida Yoguely

2009-01-01

During the INSPIRE summer internship I acted as the Business Systems Branch Capability Owner for the Kennedy Web-based Initiative for Communicating Capabilities System (KWICC), with the responsibility of creating a portal that describes the services provided by this Branch. This project will help others achieve a clear view ofthe services that the Business System Branch provides to NASA and the Kennedy Space Center. After collecting the data through the interviews with subject matter experts and the literature in Business World and other web sites I identified discrepancies, made the necessary corrections to the sites and placed the information from the report into the KWICC web page.

Fast multiprogrammable branch driver for Micral mini-computer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, J.; Lacroix, J.

1975-01-01

This branch driver allows in association with the stack memories of the minicomputer Micral, very fast exchanges with the 7 crates of a CAMAC branch. A CAMAC program (read, write and control commands) is loaded in the IK stack memory of the Micral and executed in sequence at a rate of 1,6μs per CAMAC command. After programm execution, data may be transferred directly on a magnetic tape

Branch-pipe-routing approach for ships using improved genetic algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Haiteng; Niu, Wentie

2016-09-01

Branch-pipe routing plays fundamental and critical roles in ship-pipe design. The branch-pipe-routing problem is a complex combinatorial optimization problem and is thus difficult to solve when depending only on human experts. A modified genetic-algorithm-based approach is proposed in this paper to solve this problem. The simplified layout space is first divided into threedimensional (3D) grids to build its mathematical model. Branch pipes in layout space are regarded as a combination of several two-point pipes, and the pipe route between two connection points is generated using an improved maze algorithm. The coding of branch pipes is then defined, and the genetic operators are devised, especially the complete crossover strategy that greatly accelerates the convergence speed. Finally, simulation tests demonstrate the performance of proposed method.

Topological networks for quantum communication between distant qubits

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Nicolai; Büchler, Hans Peter

2017-11-01

Efficient communication between qubits relies on robust networks, which allow for fast and coherent transfer of quantum information. It seems natural to harvest the remarkable properties of systems characterized by topological invariants to perform this task. Here, we show that a linear network of coupled bosonic degrees of freedom, characterized by topological bands, can be employed for the efficient exchange of quantum information over large distances. Important features of our setup are that it is robust against quenched disorder, all relevant operations can be performed by global variations of parameters, and the time required for communication between distant qubits approaches linear scaling with their distance. We demonstrate that our concept can be extended to an ensemble of qubits embedded in a two-dimensional network to allow for communication between all of them.

Risk Factor Assessment Branch (RFAB)

Science.gov (United States)

The Risk Factor Assessment Branch (RFAB) focuses on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of high-quality risk factor metrics, methods, tools, technologies, and resources for use across the cancer research continuum, and the assessment of cancer-related risk factors in the population.

Two-phase flow through small branches in a horizontal pipe with stratified flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smoglie, C.

1984-12-01

This report presents the description and results of experiments designed to determine the mass flow rate and quality through a small break at the bottom, the top or the side of a main pipe with stratified gas-liquid flow. If the interface level is far below (above) the branch, only single-phase gas (liquid) flow enters the branch. For smaller distances the interface is locally deformed because of the pressure decrease due to the fluid acceleration near the branch inlet (Bernoulli effect) and liquid (gas) can be entrained. This report contains photographs illustrating the flow phenomena as well as a general correlation to determine the beginning of entrainment. Results are presented on the branch mass flow rate and quality as a function of a normalized distance between the interface and the branch inlet. A model was developed which enables to predict the branch quality and mass flux. Results from air-water flow through horizontal branches, were extrapolated for steam water flow at high pressure with critical branch mass flux. (orig./HP) [de

Microgravity simulation activates Cdc42 via Rap1GDS1 to promote vascular branch morphogenesis during vasculogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shouli Wang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Gravity plays an important role in normal tissue maintenance. The ability of stem cells to repair tissue loss in space through regeneration and differentiation remains largely unknown. To investigate the impact of microgravity on blood vessel formation from pluripotent stem cells, we employed the embryoid body (EB model for vasculogenesis and simulated microgravity by clinorotation. We first differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells into cystic EBs containing two germ layers and then analyzed vessel formation under clinorotation. We observed that endothelial cell differentiation was slightly reduced under clinorotation, whereas vascular branch morphogenesis was markedly enhanced. EB-derived endothelial cells migrated faster, displayed multiple cellular processes, and had higher Cdc42 and Rac1 activity when subjected to clinorotation. Genetic analysis and rescue experiments demonstrated that Cdc42 but not Rac1 is required for microgravity-induced vascular branch morphogenesis. Furthermore, affinity pull-down assay and mass spectrometry identified Rap1GDS1 to be a Cdc42 guanine nucleotide exchange factor, which was upregulated by clinorotation. shRNA-mediated knockdown of Rap1GDS1 selectively suppressed Cdc42 activation and inhibited both baseline and microgravity-induced vasculogenesis. This was rescued by ectopic expression of constitutively active Cdc42. Taken together, these results support the notion that simulated microgravity activates Cdc42 via Rap1GDS1 to promote vascular branch morphogenesis.

Exploring the Structure of the Distant Universe with MUSE Data Cubes

Science.gov (United States)

MacDougall, Mason; Christensen, Lise

2018-01-01

The mass distribution in intergalactic and circumgalactic space is not well known since it is difficult to characterize objects in the distant universe. An ideal tool for studying such distant structure is the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) of the Very Large Telescope array, which employs a wide field-of-view and a large spectral range to produce high spatial resolution datasets. Here we exploit the 2 spatial dimensions and 1 spectral dimension of a particular MUSE “data cube” to identify and characterize emission line sources near the line-of-sight to quasar PKS1937-101, which lies at a redshift of z=3.787. In particular, we search for galaxy companions to a z=3.572 Lyman-limit system measured in the quasar spectrum and find an associated Lyman-alpha emitter at z=3.556 with a projected distance of 30.2 kpc from the quasar line-of-sight. Through a combination of automated source extraction and manual investigation, we also identify 25 emission line galaxies and 1 other Lyman-alpha emitter in our field. The proximity of several of these objects to the quasar line-of-sight allows us to reliably identify absorption lines in the quasar spectrum that can be associated with observed emission lines with resolved fluxes. This will help characterize the metallicities and kinematics of galaxy halos and circumgalactic media in the early universe.

Extracting microRNA-gene relations from biomedical literature using distant supervision.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andre Lamurias

Full Text Available Many biomedical relation extraction approaches are based on supervised machine learning, requiring an annotated corpus. Distant supervision aims at training a classifier by combining a knowledge base with a corpus, reducing the amount of manual effort necessary. This is particularly useful for biomedicine because many databases and ontologies have been made available for many biological processes, while the availability of annotated corpora is still limited. We studied the extraction of microRNA-gene relations from text. MicroRNA regulation is an important biological process due to its close association with human diseases. The proposed method, IBRel, is based on distantly supervised multi-instance learning. We evaluated IBRel on three datasets, and the results were compared with a co-occurrence approach as well as a supervised machine learning algorithm. While supervised learning outperformed on two of those datasets, IBRel obtained an F-score 28.3 percentage points higher on the dataset for which there was no training set developed specifically. To demonstrate the applicability of IBRel, we used it to extract 27 miRNA-gene relations from recently published papers about cystic fibrosis. Our results demonstrate that our method can be successfully used to extract relations from literature about a biological process without an annotated corpus. The source code and data used in this study are available at https://github.com/AndreLamurias/IBRel.

Relative-locality distant observers and the phenomenology of momentum-space geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amelino-Camelia, Giovanni; Rosati, Giacomo; Trevisan, Gabriele; Arzano, Michele; Kowalski-Glikman, Jerzy

2012-01-01

We study the translational invariance of the relative-locality framework proposed in Amelino-Camelia et al (2011 Phys. Rev. D 84 084010), which had been previously established only for the case of a single interaction. We provide an explicit example of boundary conditions at endpoints of worldlines, which indeed ensures the desired translational invariance for processes involving several interactions, even when some of the interactions are causally connected (particle exchange). We illustrate the properties of the associated relativistic description of distant observers within the example of a κ-Poincare-inspired momentum-space geometry, with de Sitter metric and parallel transport governed by a non-metric and torsionful connection. We find that in such a theory, simultaneously emitted massless particles do not reach simultaneously a distant detector, as expected in light of the findings of Freidel and Smolin (2011 arXiv:1103.5626) on the implications of non-metric connections. We also show that the theory admits a free-particle limit, where the relative-locality results of Amelino-Camelia et al (2011 Phys. Lett. B 700 150) are reproduced. We establish that the torsion of the κ-Poincare connection introduces a small (but observably large) dependence of the time of detection, for simultaneously emitted particles, on some properties of the interactions producing the particles at the source. (paper)

Relative-locality distant observers and the phenomenology of momentum-space geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Amelino-Camelia, Giovanni; Arzano, Michele; Kowalski-Glikman, Jerzy; Rosati, Giacomo; Trevisan, Gabriele

2012-04-01

We study the translational invariance of the relative-locality framework proposed in Amelino-Camelia et al (2011 Phys. Rev. D 84 084010), which had been previously established only for the case of a single interaction. We provide an explicit example of boundary conditions at endpoints of worldlines, which indeed ensures the desired translational invariance for processes involving several interactions, even when some of the interactions are causally connected (particle exchange). We illustrate the properties of the associated relativistic description of distant observers within the example of a κ-Poincaré-inspired momentum-space geometry, with de Sitter metric and parallel transport governed by a non-metric and torsionful connection. We find that in such a theory, simultaneously emitted massless particles do not reach simultaneously a distant detector, as expected in light of the findings of Freidel and Smolin (2011 arXiv:1103.5626) on the implications of non-metric connections. We also show that the theory admits a free-particle limit, where the relative-locality results of Amelino-Camelia et al (2011 Phys. Lett. B 700 150) are reproduced. We establish that the torsion of the κ-Poincaré connection introduces a small (but observably large) dependence of the time of detection, for simultaneously emitted particles, on some properties of the interactions producing the particles at the source.

Environmental Control of Branching in Petunia1[OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Oplaat, Carla; Wohlers, Mark W.

2015-01-01

Plants alter their development in response to changes in their environment. This responsiveness has proven to be a successful evolutionary trait. Here, we tested the hypothesis that two key environmental factors, light and nutrition, are integrated within the axillary bud to promote or suppress the growth of the bud into a branch. Using petunia (Petunia hybrida) as a model for vegetative branching, we manipulated both light quality (as crowding and the red-to-far-red light ratio) and phosphate availability, such that the axillary bud at node 7 varied from deeply dormant to rapidly growing. In conjunction with the phenotypic characterization, we also monitored the state of the strigolactone (SL) pathway by quantifying SL-related gene transcripts. Mutants in the SL pathway inhibit but do not abolish the branching response to these environmental signals, and neither signal is dominant over the other, suggesting that the regulation of branching in response to the environment is complex. We have isolated three new putatively SL-related TCP (for Teosinte branched1, Cycloidia, and Proliferating cell factor) genes from petunia, and have identified that these TCP-type transcription factors may have roles in the SL signaling pathway both before and after the reception of the SL signal at the bud. We show that the abundance of the receptor transcript is regulated by light quality, such that axillary buds growing in added far-red light have greatly increased receptor transcript abundance. This suggests a mechanism whereby the impact of any SL signal reaching an axillary bud is modulated by the responsiveness of these cells to the signal. PMID:25911529

Environmental and Body Concentrations of Heavy Metals at Sites Near and Distant from Industrial Complexes in Ulsan, Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Joo Hyun; Oh, Inbo; Kim, Ahra; Lee, Jiho; Sim, Chang Sun; Yoo, Cheolin; Park, Sang Jin; Kim, Geun Bae; Kim, Yangho

2018-01-29

Industrial pollution may affect the heavy metal body burden of people living near industrial complexes. We determined the average concentrations of atmospheric heavy metals in areas close to and distant from industrial complexes in Korea, and the body concentrations of these heavy metals in residents living near and distant from these facilities. The atmospheric data of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) were from the Regional Air Monitoring Network in Ulsan. We recruited 1,148 participants, 872 who lived near an industrial complex ("exposed" group) and 276 who lived distant from industrial complexes ("non-exposed" group), and measured their concentrations of blood lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary total mercury. The results showed that atmospheric and human concentrations of heavy metals were higher in areas near industrial complexes. In addition, residents living near industrial complexes had higher individual and combined concentrations (cadmium + lead + mercury) of heavy metals. We conclude that residents living near industrial complexes are exposed to high concentrations of heavy metals, and should be carefully monitored. © 2018 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

The consumption discount rate for the distant future (if we do not die out)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeylen, K.

2013-01-01

Gollier and Weitzman (2010) show that if future consumption discount rates are uncertain and persistent, the consumption discount rate should decline to its lowest possible value for events in the most distant future. In this paper, I argue that the lowest possible growth rate of consumption per

A Volcanic Origin for Sinuous and Branching Channels on Mars: Evidence from Hawaiian Analogs

Science.gov (United States)

Bleacher, Jacob E.; deWet, Andrew; Garry, W. Brent; Zimbelman, James R.

2012-01-01

Observations of sinuous and branching channels on planets have long driven a debate about their origin, fluvial or volcanic processes. In some cases planetary conditions rule out fluvial activity (e.g. the Moon, Venus, Mercury). However, the geology of Mars leads to suggestions that liquid water existed on the surface in the past. As a result, some sinuous and branching channels on Mars are cited as evidence of fluvial erosion. Evidence for a fluvial history often focuses on channel morphologies that are unique from a typical lava channel, for instance, a lack of detectable flow margins and levees, islands and terraces. Although these features are typical, they are not necessarily diagnostic of a fluvial system. We conducted field studies in Hawaii to characterize similar features in lava flows to better define which characteristics might be diagnostic of fluvial or volcanic processes. Our martian example is a channel system that originates in the Ascraeus Mons SW rift zone from a fissure. The channel extends for approx.300 km to the SE/E. The proximal channel displays multiple branches, islands, terraces, and has no detectable levees or margins. We conducted field work on the 1859 and 1907 Mauna Loa flows, and the Pohue Bay flow. The 51-km-long 1859 Flow originates from a fissure and is an example of a paired a a and pahoehoe lava flow. We collected DGPS data across a 500 m long island. Here, the channel diverted around a pre-existing obstruction in the channel, building vertical walls up to 9 m in height above the current channel floor. The complicated emplacement history along this channel section, including an initial a a stage partially covered by pahoehoe overflows, resulted in an appearance of terraced channel walls, no levees and diffuse flow margins. The 1907 Mauna Loa flow extends > 20 km from the SW rift zone. The distal flow formed an a a channel. However the proximal flow field comprises a sheet that experienced drainage and sagging of the crust

Branch Development of Five-Year-Old Betula alnoides Plantations in Response to Planting Density

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Chun-Sheng Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Branch development in the lower part of stem is critical to both early stem growth and wood quality of the most valuable section of tree, and its regulation through planting density has always been greatly concerned. Here the effect of planting density on branch development was examined in a five-year-old plantation of Betula alnoides with six planting densities (625, 833, 1111, 1250, 1667, and 2500 stems per hectare (sph in Guangdong Province, South China. Branch quantity (number, proportion, and density, morphology (diameter, length, and angle, position (height and orientation, and branch status (dead or alive were investigated for 54 dominant or co-dominant trees under six treatments of planting density after the growth of each tree was measured. Factors influencing branch development were also explored by mixed modelling. The results showed that the mean tree heights of 1250 and 1667 sph treatments were higher than those of other planting density treatments. The quantity of live branches decreased with increasing planting density. However, planting density had no significant effect on the number of all branches, and there existed no remarkable difference in branch number and proportion among four orientations. As for branch morphology, only the largest branch diameter had a significantly negative correlation with planting density. In addition, high planting density significantly increased the height of the largest branch within the crown. Mixed effects models indicated that branch diameter, length, and angle were closely correlated with each other, and they were all in positively significant correlation to the branch height at the stem section below six meters. It was concluded that properly increasing planting density will promote natural pruning, improve early branch control, and be beneficial for wood production from the most valuable section of the stem.

Dynamic Properties of Star-Branched Polymer Brushes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sikorski, A.; Romiszowski, P.

2004-01-01

We studied a simplified model of a polymer brush. It consisted of star-branched chains, which were restricted to a simple cubic lattice. Each star-branched macromolecule consisted of three linear arms of equal length emanating from a common origin (the branching point). The chains were grafted to an impenetrable surface, i.e. they were terminally attached to the surface with one arm. The number of chains was varied from low to high grafting density. The model system was studied at good solvent conditions because the excluded volume effect was the only potential of interaction included in the model. The properties of this model system were studied by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The sampling algorithm was based on local changes of chain conformations. The dynamic properties of the polymer brush were studied and correlated with its structure. The differences in relaxation times of particular star arms were shown. The short-time mobility of polymer layers was analyzed. The lateral self-diffusion of chains was also studied and discussed. (author)

Quest for the most distant objects in the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanipe, J.

1988-01-01

Far out in the distant universe, between 10 billion and 11 billion years away in space and time, lies a region where the majority of known quasars resides. Astronomers have known about this stratum of quasars for over two decades and have spent the better part of that time trying to understand why these objects seem predisposed to congregate at this distance. The most plausible explanation is that there were more quasars 10 billion or 11 billion years ago than there are now and that this region represents, in effect, the quasar spawning grounds. For astronomers this quasar stratum has played an important role in demarcating the edge of the observable universe. Beyond lies only a handful of more distant quasars, and beyond that lies a vast, impenetrable region that extends back to a time before the quasars formed, when matter and photons went their separate ways 700,000 years after the Big Bang. But a recent flurry of back-to-back quasar discoveries may spell the beginning of the end of this theory. Between August 1986 and late September 1987 more than a half-dozen quasars were detected at 12 billion light-years, which is beyond what astronomers had considered the edge of the universe. Although the new quasars may not seem to be too far out of bounds, a little distance translates into a lot of time in the development of the young universe. The final stroke would be the discovery of quasars or possibly primeval galaxies in a region of space thought to predate the formation of galaxies. Theorists would then be forced to discard established models that explain how galaxies formed and evolved and to devise new theories that better reflect observations. This would cause a major revolution in astronomy

The two sides of adversity: the effect of distant versus recent adversity on updating emotional content in working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Levens, Sara M; Armstrong, Laura Marie; Orejuela-Dávila, Ana I; Alverio, Tabitha

2017-09-01

Previous research suggests that adversity can have both adaptive and maladaptive effects, yet the emotional and working memory processes that contribute to more or less adaptive outcomes are unclear. The present study sought to investigate how updating emotional content differs in adolescents who have experienced past, recent, or no adversity. Participants who had experienced distant adversity (N = 53), no adversity (N = 58), or recent adversity only (N = 20) performed an emotion n-back task with emotional facial expressions. Results revealed that the distant adversity group exhibited significantly faster reaction times (RTs) than the no adversity and recent adversity only groups. In contrast, the recent adversity only group exhibited significantly slower RTs and more errors than the distant adversity and no adversity groups. These results suggest an emotion and executive control pathway by which both the benefits and negative effects of adversity may be conferred. Results also highlight the importance of time in assessing the impact of adversity.

The Distant Tail Behavior During High Speed Solar Wind Streams and Magnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, C. M.; Tsurutani, B. T.

1996-01-01

We have examined the ISEE-3 distant tail data during three intense (Dststorms and have identified the tail response to high speed solar wind streams, interplanetary magnetic clouds, and near-Earth storms. The three storms have a peak Dst ranging from -150 to -220 nT, and occur on Jan. 9, Feb. 4, and Aug. 8, 1993.

Uncovering the spatially distant feedback loops of global trade: A network and input-output approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Prell, Christina; Sun, Laixiang; Feng, Kuishuang; He, Jiaying; Hubacek, Klaus

2017-05-15

Land-use change is increasingly driven by global trade. The term "telecoupling" has been gaining ground as a means to describe how human actions in one part of the world can have spatially distant impacts on land and land-use in another. These interactions can, over time, create both direct and spatially distant feedback loops, in which human activity and land use mutually impact one another over great expanses. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework to clarify spatially distant feedbacks in the case of land use and global trade. We use an innovative mix of multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis and stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) for analyzing the co-evolution of changes in trade network patterns with those of land use, as embodied in trade. Our results indicate that the formation of trade ties and changes in embodied land use mutually impact one another, and further, that these changes are linked to disparities in countries' wealth. Through identifying this feedback loop, our results support ongoing discussions about the unequal trade patterns between rich and poor countries that result in uneven distributions of negative environmental impacts. Finally, evidence for this feedback loop is present even when controlling for a number of underlying mechanisms, such as countries' land endowments, their geographical distance from one another, and a number of endogenous network tendencies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

78 FR 66265 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-05

... Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice... Elizabeth River Eastern Branch, mile 1.1, at Norfolk, VA. This deviation is necessary to facilitate... maintenance. The Norfolk Southern 5 railroad Bridge, at mile 1.1, across the Elizabeth River (Eastern Branch...

Multiple vascular anomalies involving renal, testicular and suprarenal arteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suresh Rao

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of variations of blood vessels of the abdomen is important during operative, diagnostic and endovascular pro- cedures. During routine dissection of the abdominal cavity, we came across multiple vascular anomalies involving renal, suprarenal and testicular arteries. The left kidney was supplied by two renal arteries originating together from the abdomi- nal aorta, and the right kidney was supplied by two accessory renal arteries, one of which was arising from the right renal artery and the other one from the aorta (about 2 inches below the origin of the renal artery. Accessory renal veins were present on both sides. The right testicular artery was arising from the lower accessory renal artery. The left testicular artery was looping around the inferior tributary of the left renal vein, whereby forming a sharp kink. The left middle suprarenal artery was diving into three small branches; the upper two branches were supplying the left suprarenal gland, whereas the lower branch was supplying the left kidney. Furthermore, detailed literature and the clinical and surgical importance of the case are discussed. [Arch Clin Exp Surg 2015; 4(3.000: 168-171

Branching in current-voltage characteristics of intrinsic Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukrinov, Yu M; Mahfouzi, F

2007-01-01

We study branching in the current-voltage characteristics of the intrinsic Josephson junctions of high-temperature superconductors in the framework of the capacitively coupled Josephson junction model with diffusion current. A system of dynamical equations for the gauge-invariant phase differences between superconducting layers for a stack of ten intrinsic junctions has been numerically solved. We have obtained a total branch structure in the current-voltage characteristics. We demonstrate the existence of a 'breakpoint region' on the current-voltage characteristics and explain it as a result of resonance between Josephson and plasma oscillations. The effect of the boundary conditions is investigated. The existence of two outermost branches and correspondingly two breakpoint regions for the periodic boundary conditions is shown. One branch, which is observed only at periodic boundary conditions, corresponds to the propagating of the plasma mode. The second one corresponds to the situation when the charge oscillations on the superconducting layers are absent, excluding the breakpoint. A time dependence of the charge oscillations at breakpoints is presented

Branched-Chain Amino Acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Keisuke; Tsuchisaka, Atsunari; Yukawa, Hideaki

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), viz., L-isoleucine, L-leucine, and L-valine, are essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in higher organisms and are important nutrition for humans as well as livestock. They are also valued as synthetic intermediates for pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the demand for BCAAs in the feed and pharmaceutical industries is increasing continuously. Traditional industrial fermentative production of BCAAs was performed using microorganisms isolated by random mutagenesis. A collection of these classical strains was also scientifically useful to clarify the details of the BCAA biosynthetic pathways, which are tightly regulated by feedback inhibition and transcriptional attenuation. Based on this understanding of the metabolism of BCAAs, it is now possible for us to pursue strains with higher BCAA productivity using rational design and advanced molecular biology techniques. Additionally, systems biology approaches using augmented omics information help us to optimize carbon flux toward BCAA production. Here, we describe the biosynthetic pathways of BCAAs and their regulation and then overview the microorganisms developed for BCAA production. Other chemicals, including isobutanol, i.e., a second-generation biofuel, can be synthesized by branching the BCAA biosynthetic pathways, which are also outlined.

Action of amylolytic and pullulytic enzymes from various anaerobic thermophiles on linear and branched glucose polymers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koch, R [Goettingen Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Mikrobiologie; Antranikian, G [Technische Univ. Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg (Germany, F.R.). Arbeitsbereich Biotechnologie 1

1990-10-01

A detailed study has been conducted on the action of starch hydrolyzing enzymes from thermophilic anaerobic bacteria belonging to the genera Clostridium, Thermoanaerobacter and Thermobacteroides. The appearance of multiple bands on polyacrylamide gels with amylolytic as well as pullulytic activities was shown to be a general feature of bacteria investigated. Analysis of the hydrolysis products of each protein band clearly demonstrated the capability of these organisms to hydrolyze {alpha}-1,4-glycosidic bonds in linear oligosaccharides and {alpha}-1,6-glycosidic linkages in pullulan. Furthermore, the enzyme system of thermophilic bacteria investigated was also capable of attacking in the {alpha}-1,6-linkages in branched oligosaccharides. Due to the action of these thermoactive enzymes with multiple specificity an almost complete hydrolysis of raw starch and maltodextrin could be achieved under the same conditions and in one step. (orig.).

Migratory neighbors and distant invaders: tumor-associated niche cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wels, Jared; Kaplan, Rosandra N.; Rafii, Shahin; Lyden, David

2008-01-01

The cancer environment is comprised of tumor cells as well as a wide network of stromal and vascular cells participating in the cellular and molecular events necessary for invasion and metastasis. Tumor secretory factors can activate the migration of host cells, both near to and far from the primary tumor site, as well as promote the exodus of cells to distant tissues. Thus, the migration of stromal cells and tumor cells among specialized microenvironments takes place throughout tumor and metastatic progression, providing evidence for the systemic nature of a malignancy. Investigations of the tumor–stromal and stromal–stromal cross-talk involved in cellular migration in cancer may lead to the design of novel therapeutic strategies. PMID:18316475

On the anomalous characteristics in the P and R branches in a hydrogen fulcher band

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kado, Shinichiro; Okamoto, Atsushi; Yamasaki, Daisuke; Iida, Yohei; Kajita, Shin; Shikama, Taiichi; Oishi, Tetsutaro; Tanaka, Satoru; Xiao Bingjia

2006-01-01

Anomalous characteristics in the P and R branches in hydrogen Fulcher-α emissions were investigated with respect to rotational temperature and population in the excited electronic state (upper-Fulcher state). The ro-vibrational population distribution of the ground electronic state was deduced by applying the coronal equilibrium to the Q branch, and then the population for the P and R branches was predicted. The anomalies in P and R branches can be found in the rotational temperature and the branching ratio between the branches. Our results suggest that the sum of the emission from P and R branches seems to agree with that predicted based on the Q branch emission. (author)

The Coin Problem  and Pseudorandomness for Branching Programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brody, Joshua; Verbin, Elad

2010-01-01

in the model of emph{read-once width-$w$ branching programs}. We prove that in order to succeed in this model, $beta$ must be at least $1/ (log n)^{Theta(w)}$. For constant $w$ this is tight by considering the recursive tribes function, and for other values of $w$ this is nearly tight by considering other read...... be distinguished by small-width read-once branching programs. We suggest one application for this kind of theorems: we prove that Nisan's Generator fools width-$w$ read-once emph{regular} branching programs, using seed length $O(w^4 log n log log n + log n log (1/eps))$. For $w=eps=Theta(1)$, this seed length...

Effect of reinforcement on plastic limit loads of branch junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yun-Jae; Myeong, Man-Sik; Yoon, Kee-Bong

2009-01-01

This paper provides effects of reinforcement shape and area on plastic limit loads of branch junctions under internal pressure and in-plane/out-of-plane bending, via detailed three-dimensional finite element limit analysis assuming elastic-perfectly plastic material behaviour. It is found that reinforcement is most effective when (in-plane/out-of-plane) bending is applied to the branch pipe. When bending is applied to the run pipe, reinforcement is less effective when bending is applied to the branch pipe. The reinforcement effect is the least effective for internal pressure.

Stable isotopes in a branching coral monitor seasonal temperature variation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunbar, R.B.; Wellington, G.M.

1981-01-01

Results are reported of 18 O composition measurements of specimens of the branching reef coral Pocillopora damicornis, which have grown in the field, while seawater temperatures were continuously recorded. It is shown that seasonal temperature changes are accurately recorded by 18 O variations in branches of this reef coral and that isotopic profiles may be used to estimate growth rates of branching corals, which lack annual density banding. The method provides a technique for high resolution palaeoclimatic reconstruction of seasonal temperature ranges and accurate estimation of rates of reef carbonate production. (U.K.)

A case of Esophageal small cell carcinoma with multiple liver metastases responding to chemotherapy with Irinotecan plus Cisplatin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, K.; Kohnoe, S.; Toh, Y.; Haraguchi, M.; Okamura, T.; Nishiyama, K.; Baba, H.; Maehara, Y.

2005-01-01

We report a case of small cell esophageal carcinoma (SCEC) with multiple liver metastases treated with some success by chemotherapy with irinotecan (CPT-11) plus cisplatin (CDDP). Radiologic and endoscopic examination of a 75-year-old man with multiple liver tumors disclosed a 4.0-cm type 2 tumor in the middle third of the esophagus. An endoscopically obtained biopsy specimen was diagnosed as undifferentiated small cell carcinoma. Multiple liver metastases were confirmed but lymph node metastases and distant metastases other than those in the liver were not detected. After six courses of chemotherapy with CPT-11 plus CDDP, the primary lesion showed complete response and liver metastases showed partial response. However, because all lesions almost immediately relapsed or progressed, arterial infusion chemotherapy for liver metastases and radiation for the primary lesion were given as second-line treatment. The primary lesion showed complete response with radiation. Arterial infusion chemotherapy prevented the progression of liver metastases once, but the patient died of liver failure at last. No distant lesions including metastatic lymph nodes were confirmed over the course of his illness, and the patient survived for a year after first diagnosis. Although the prognosis of SCEC is quite unfavorable due to highly aggressive behavior, a better prognosis is possible with effective chemotherapy and second-line treatment is important in improving prognosis

Two-phase flow through small branches in a horizontal pipe with stratified flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smoglie, C.

1985-02-01

In the field of reactor safety the occurrence of a small break in a horizontal primary coolant pipe is of great importance. This report presents the description and results of experiments designed to determine the mass flow rate and quality through a small break at the bottom, the top or the side of a main pipe with stratified gas-liquid flow. If the interface level is far below (above) the branch, only single-phase gas (liquid) flow enters the branch. For smaller distances the interface is locally deformed because of the pressure decrease due to the fluid acceleration near the branch inlet (Bernoulli effect) and liquid (gas) can be entrained. This report contains photographs illustrating the flow phenomena as well as a general correlation to determine the beginning of entrainment. Results are presented on the branch mass flow rate and quality as a function of a normalized distance between the interface and the branch inlet. A model was developed which enables to predict the branch quality and mass flux. Results from air-water flow through horizontal branches, were extrapolated for steam water flow at high pressure with critical branch mass flux. (orig./HS) [de

Polycomb-dependent regulatory contacts between distant Hox loci in Drosophila

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bantignies, Frédéric; Roure, Virginie; Comet, Itys

2011-01-01

In Drosophila melanogaster, Hox genes are organized in an anterior and a posterior cluster, called Antennapedia complex and bithorax complex, located on the same chromosome arm and separated by 10 Mb of DNA. Both clusters are repressed by Polycomb group (PcG) proteins. Here, we show that genes...... of the two Hox complexes can interact within nuclear PcG bodies in tissues where they are corepressed. This colocalization increases during development and depends on PcG proteins. Hox gene contacts are conserved in the distantly related Drosophila virilis species and they are part of a large gene...

V773 Cas, QS Aql, AND BR Ind: ECLIPSING BINARIES AS PARTS OF MULTIPLE SYSTEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zasche, P.; Juryšek, J.; Nemravová, J.; Wolf, M.; Korčáková, D. [Astronomical Institute, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, CZ-180 00, Praha 8, V Holešovičkách 2 (Czech Republic); Uhlař, R. [Private Observatory, Pohoří 71, CZ-254 01, Jílové u Prahy (Czech Republic); Svoboda, P. [Private Observatory, Výpustky 5, CZ-614 00, Brno (Czech Republic); Hoňková, K. [Variable Star and Exoplanet Section of Czech Astronomical Society, Vsetínská 941/78, CZ-757 01, Valašské Meziříčí (Czech Republic); Mašek, M.; Prouza, M. [Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, CZ-182 21, Praha (Czech Republic); Čechura, J.; Šlechta, M., E-mail: zasche@sirrah.troja.mff.cuni.cz [Astronomical Institute, The Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-251 65, Ondřejov (Czech Republic)

2017-01-01

Eclipsing binaries remain crucial objects for our understanding of the universe. In particular, those that are components of multiple systems can help us solve the problem of the formation of these systems. Analysis of the radial velocities together with the light curve produced for the first time precise physical parameters of the components of the multiple systems V773 Cas, QS Aql, and BR Ind. Their visual orbits were also analyzed, which resulted in slightly improved orbital elements. What is typical for all these systems is that their most dominant source is the third distant component. The system V773 Cas consists of two similar G1-2V stars revolving in a circular orbit and a more distant component of the A3V type. Additionally, the improved value of parallax was calculated to be 17.6 mas. Analysis of QS Aql resulted in the following: the inner eclipsing pair is composed of B6V and F1V stars, and the third component is of about the B6 spectral type. The outer orbit has high eccentricity of about 0.95, and observations near its upcoming periastron passage between the years 2038 and 2040 are of high importance. Also, the parallax of the system was derived to be about 2.89 mas, moving the star much closer to the Sun than originally assumed. The system BR Ind was found to be a quadruple star consisting of two eclipsing K dwarfs orbiting each other with a period of 1.786 days; the distant component is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of about 6 days. Both pairs are moving around each other on their 148 year orbit.

Electronic branching ratio of the τ lepton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammar, R.; Baringer, P.; Coppage, D.; Davis, R.; Kelly, M.; Kwak, N.; Lam, H.; Ro, S.; Kubota, Y.; Lattery, M.; Nelson, J.K.; Perticone, D.; Poling, R.; Schrenk, S.; Wang, R.; Alam, M.S.; Kim, I.J.; Nemati, B.; Romero, V.; Sun, C.R.; Wang, P.; Zoeller, M.M.; Crawford, G.; Fulton, R.; Gan, K.K.; Kagan, H.; Kass, R.; Lee, J.; Malchow, R.; Morrow, F.; Sung, M.K.; Whitmore, J.; Wilson, P.; Butler, F.; Fu, X.; Kalbfleisch, G.; Lambrecht, M.; Skubic, P.; Snow, J.; Wang, P.; Bortoletto, D.; Brown, D.N.; Dominick, J.; McIlwain, R.L.; Miller, D.H.; Modesitt, M.; Shibata, E.I.; Schaffner, S.F.; Shipsey, I.P.J.; Battle, M.; Ernst, J.; Kroha, H.; Roberts, S.; Sparks, K.; Thorndike, E.H.; Wang, C.; Stroynowski, R.; Artuso, M.; Goldberg, M.; Haupt, T.; Horwitz, N.; Kennett, R.; Moneti, G.C.; Playfer, S.; Rozen, Y.; Rubin, P.; Skwarnicki, T.; Stone, S.; Thulasidas, M.; Yao, W.; Zhu, G.; Barnes, A.V.; Bartelt, J.; Csorna, S.E.; Jain, V.; Letson, T.; Mestayer, M.D.; Akerib, D.S.; Barish, B.; Chadha, M.; Cowen, D.F.; Eigen, G.; Miller, J.S.; Urheim, J.; Weinstein, A.J.; Morrison, R.J.; Tajima, H.; Schmidt, D.; Sperka, D.; Procario, M.; Daoudi, M.; Ford, W.T.; Johnson, D.R.; Lingel, K.; Lohner, M.; Rankin, P.; Smith, J.G.; Alexander, J.; Bebek, C.; Berkelman, K.; Besson, D.; Browder, T.E.; Cassel, D.G.; Cheu, E.; Coffman, D.M.; Drell, P.S.; Ehrlich, R.; Galik, R.S.; Garcia-Sciveres, M.; Geiser, B.; Gittelman, B.; Gray, S.W.; Hartill, D.L.; Heltsley, B.K.; Honscheid, K.; Jones, C.; Kandaswamy, J.; Katayama, N.; Kim, P.C.; Kreinick, D.L.; Ludwig, G.S.; Masui, J.; Mevissen, J.; Mistry, N.B.; Nandi, S.; Ng, C.R.; Nordberg, E.; O'Grady, C.; Patterson, J.R.; Peterson, D.; Riley, D.; Sapper, M.; Selen, M.; Worden, H.; Worris, M.; Wuerthwein, F.; Avery, P.; Freyberger, A.; Rodriguez, J.; Yelton, J.; Henderson, S.; Kinoshita, K.; Pipkin, F.; Saulnier, M.; Wilson, R.; Wolinski, J.; Xiao, D.; Yamamoto, H.; Sadoff, A.J.

1992-01-01

Using data accumulated by the CLEO I detector operating at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have measured the ratio R=Γ(τ→e bar ν e ν τ )/Γ 1 , where Γ 1 is the τ decay rate to final states with one charged particle. We find R=0.2231±0.0044±0.0073 where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. Together with the measured topological one-charged-particle branching fraction, this yields the branching fraction of the τ lepton to electrons, B e =0.192±0.004±0.006

THE ACS SURVEY OF GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTERS. IX. HORIZONTAL BRANCH MORPHOLOGY AND THE SECOND PARAMETER PHENOMENON

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dotter, Aaron; Sarajedini, Ata; Anderson, Jay; Bedin, Luigi R.; Paust, Nathaniel; Reid, I. Neill; Aparicio, Antonio; MarIn-Franch, A.; Rosenberg, Alfred; Chaboyer, Brian; Majewski, Steven; Milone, Antonino; Piotto, Giampaolo; Siegel, Michael

2010-01-01

The horizontal branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters (GCs) is most strongly influenced by metallicity. The second parameter phenomenon, first described in the 1960s, acknowledges that metallicity alone is not enough to describe the HB morphology of all GCs. In particular, astronomers noticed that the outer Galactic halo contains GCs with redder HBs at a given metallicity than are found inside the solar circle. Thus, at least a second parameter was required to characterize HB morphology. While the term 'second parameter' has since come to be used in a broader context, its identity with respect to the original problem has not been conclusively determined. Here we analyze the median color difference between the HB and the red giant branch, hereafter denoted as Δ(V - I), measured from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) photometry of 60 GCs within ∼20 kpc of the Galactic center. Analysis of this homogeneous data set reveals that, after the influence of metallicity has been removed from the data, the correlation between Δ(V - I) and age is stronger than that of any other parameter considered. Expanding the sample to include HST ACS and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 photometry of the six most distant Galactic GCs lends additional support to the correlation between Δ(V - I) and age. This result is robust with respect to the adopted metallicity scale and the method of age determination, but must bear the caveat that high-quality, detailed abundance information is not available for a significant fraction of the sample. Furthermore, when a subset of GCs with similar metallicities and ages is considered, a correlation between Δ(V - I) and central luminosity density is exposed. With respect to the existence of GCs with anomalously red HBs at a given metallicity, we conclude that age is the second parameter and central density is most likely the third. Important problems related to HB morphology in GCs, notably multi-modal distributions

Chemical synthesis of a dual branched malto-decaose: A potential substrate for alpha-amylases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damager, Iben; Jensen, Morten; Olsen, Carl Erik

2005-01-01

A convergent block strategy for general use in efficient synthesis of complex alpha-(1 -> 4)- and alpha-(1 -> 6)-malto-oligosaccharides is demonstrated with the first chemical synthesis of a malto-oligosaccharide, the decasoccharide 6,6""-bis(alpha-maltosyl)-maltohexaose, with two branch points....... Using this chemically defined branched oligosaccharide as a substrate, the cleavage pattern of seven different alpha-amylases were investigated. alpha-Amylases from human saliva, porcine pancreas, barley alpha-amylose 2 and recombinant barley alpha-amylase 1 all hydrolysed the decasaccharide selectively....... This resulted in a branched hexasaccharide and a branched tetrasoccharide. alpha-Amylases from Asperagillus oryzae, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus sp. cleaved the decasoccharide at two distinct sites, either producing two branched pentasoccharides, or a branched hexasoccharide and a branched...

NCI: DCTD: Biometric Research Branch

Science.gov (United States)

The Biometric Research Branch (BRB) is the statistical and biomathematical component of the Division of Cancer Treatment, Diagnosis and Centers (DCTDC). Its members provide statistical leadership for the national and international research programs of the division in developmental therapeutics, developmental diagnostics, diagnostic imaging and clinical trials.

Isaac Newton Institute of Chile: The fifteenth anniversary of its "Yugoslavia" Branch

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitrijević, M. S.

In 2002, the Isaac Newton Institute of Chile established in Belgrade its "Yugoslavia" Branch, one of 15 branches in nine countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. On the occasion of fifteen years since its foundation, the activities of "Yugoslavia" Branch of the Isaac Newton Institute of Chile are briefly reviewed.

Etonogestrel implant migration to the vasculature, chest wall, and distant body sites: cases from a pharmacovigilance database.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Sarah; Niak, Ali; Gada, Neha; Brinker, Allen; Jones, S Christopher

2017-12-01

To describe clinical outcomes of etonogestrel implant patients with migration to the vasculature, chest wall and other distant body sites spontaneously reported to the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. We performed a standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) query in the FAERS database (through November 15, 2015), with reports coded with one or more MedDRA preferred terms that indicate complications with device placement or migration of the device from the original site of insertion to the vasculature, chest wall and other distant body sites. We excluded any cases previously described in the medical literature. We identified 38 cases of pronounced etonogestrel implant migration. Migration locations included the lung/pulmonary artery (n=9), chest wall (n=1), vasculature at locations other than the lung/pulmonary artery (n=14) and extravascular migrations (n=14) to other body sites (e.g., the axilla and clavicle/neck line/shoulder). The majority of cases were asymptomatic and detected when the patient desired implant removal; however, seven cases reported symptoms such as pain, discomfort and dyspnea in association with implant migration. Three cases also describe pulmonary fibrosis and skin reactions as a result of implant migration to the vasculature, chest wall and other distant body sites. Sixteen cases reported surgical removal in an operating room setting. Our FAERS case series demonstrates etonogestrel implant migration to the vasculature, chest wall and other body sites distant from the site of original insertion. As noted by the sponsor in current prescribing information, a key determinant in the risk for etonogestrel contraceptive implant migration appears to be improper insertion technique. Although migration of etonogestrel implants to the vasculature is rare, awareness of migration and education on proper insertion technique may reduce the risk. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The relationship between tumour size, nodal status and distant metastases: on the origins of breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sopik, Victoria; Narod, Steven A

2018-04-24

In patients with breast cancer, increasing tumour size at diagnosis is associated with an increased likelihood of axillary lymph node involvement and increased breast cancer-specific mortality. However, this relation is based on studies which combine all tumours smaller than 1.0 cm in a single category and all tumours larger than 5.0 cm in another category. This coarse classification may obscure a nuanced description of the effects of tumour size across the full range of possible sizes. We examined the relationship between primary tumour size, lymph node status and distant metastases in a cohort of 819,647 women diagnosed with first primary invasive breast cancer from 1990 to 2014 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries database. All patients in the cohort had a known primary tumour size between 1 and 150 mm in greatest dimension. Primary tumour size was examined as a continuous (1-150 mm) and categorical variable (15 size groups; 10-mm intervals). For each 1- or 10-mm size group, we determined the proportion of patients with positive lymph nodes at diagnosis, the proportion of patients with distant metastases at diagnosis and the actuarial cumulative risk of breast cancer-specific mortality at 15 years from diagnosis. Among 819,647 patients with invasive breast tumours between 1 and 150 mm in size, there was a non-linear correlation between increasing tumour size and the prevalence of lymph node metastases at diagnosis (% node-positive), the prevalence of distant metastases at diagnosis (% stage IV) and the 15-year rate of breast cancer-specific mortality across the entire size spectrum. For very small tumours (under 10 mm) and for very large tumours (larger than 60-90 mm) there was little correlation between tumour size and metastasis risk. The relationship between tumour size, lymph node status and distant metastases in patients with invasive breast cancer is not linear. This calls into question the conventional model that the

Change over time in the effect of grade and ER on risk of distant failure in patients treated with breast-conserving therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gelman, Rebecca; Nixon, Asa J.; O'Neill, Anne; Harris, Jay R.

1996-01-01

Purpose: Most analyses of the effect of patient and tumor characteristics on long-term outcome in breast cancer use the Cox proportional hazard (prohaz) model, which assumes that hazard rates for any two subsets are proportional (i.e., hazard ratios are constant) over time. We examined whether this assumption is correct for predicting time to distant failure in breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving therapy and speculated on the biologic implications of these findings. Materials and Methods: Between 1968 and 1986, 1081 patients treated for clinical stage I or II invasive breast cancer with a complete gross excision and ≥60 Gy to the tumor bed had pure infiltrating ductal carcinoma on central pathologic review. 37 patients (3%) were lost to followup after 7-181 months. Median followup for 694 survivors was 12 years (8-23 yrs.). Time to distant failure was defined to be time to regional nodal failure or distant metastases and was not censored for local recurrence, contralateral breast cancer, or death from other causes. We evaluated the following characteristics: histologic grade (modified Bloom-Richardson, 219 grade I, 482 grade II, 380 grade III), estrogen receptor (252 ER neg, 386 ER pos, 443 ER unk), positive axillary nodes (0,1-3,≥4, no axillary dissection in 214), adjuvant chemotherapy (in 291 patients), T stage, lymphatic vessel invasion, mononuclear cell response, clinical size in mm, age at diagnosis, and necrosis. Results: A stepwise prohaz model found all the above characteristics except the last three to be significant (all p 0 (i.e., grade III has a larger risk) but for following years, the log hazard ratio is < 0 (i.e., grade II has a large risk; see Figure for estimated log hazard ratio and 95% CI). The test for non-proportionality of grade II vs. grade I (p=0.08) and ER positive vs negative (p=0.06) were suggestive but the log hazard ratios never cross 0 (i.e., no reversal of direction of risk). Conclusions: Tumor grade clearly

Experiments and numerical simulations of fluctuating thermal stratification in a branch pipe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, Akira; Murase, Michio; Sasaki, Toru [Inst. of Nuclear Safety System Inc., Mihama, Fukui (Japan); Takenaka, Nobuyuki; Hamatani, Daisuke [Kobe Univ. (Japan)

2002-09-01

Many pipes branch off from the main pipe in plants. When the main flow in the main pipe is hotter than a branch pipe that branches off downward, the hot water penetrates into the branch pipe with the cavity flow that is induced by the main flow and causes thermal stratification. If the interface of the stratification fluctuates in an occluded branch pipe, thermal fatigue may occur in pipe wall. Some experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of this fluctuating thermal stratification. The vortex structures were observed in the experiments of straight or bent branch pipes. When the main flow was heated and the thermal stratification interface was at the elbow, a ''burst'' phenomenon occurred in the interface in connection with large heat fluctuation. The effects of pipe shape on the length of penetration were investigated in order to modify simulation conditions. The vortex structures and the fluctuating thermal stratification at elbow in the numerical simulation showed good agreement with experiments. (author)

Estimation of Branch Topology Errors in Power Networks by WLAN State Estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hong Rae [Soonchunhyang University(Korea); Song, Kyung Bin [Kei Myoung University(Korea)

2000-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to detect and identify topological errors in order to maintain a reliable database for the state estimator. In this paper, a two stage estimation procedure is used to identify the topology errors. At the first stage, the WLAV state estimator which has characteristics to remove bad data during the estimation procedure is run for finding out the suspected branches at which topology errors take place. The resulting residuals are normalized and the measurements with significant normalized residuals are selected. A set of suspected branches is formed based on these selected measurements; if the selected measurement if a line flow, the corresponding branch is suspected; if it is an injection, then all the branches connecting the injection bus to its immediate neighbors are suspected. A new WLAV state estimator adding the branch flow errors in the state vector is developed to identify the branch topology errors. Sample cases of single topology error and topology error with a measurement error are applied to IEEE 14 bus test system. (author). 24 refs., 1 fig., 9 tabs.

Estimating biological elementary flux modes that decompose a flux distribution by the minimal branching property

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chan, Siu Hung Joshua; Solem, Christian; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal

2014-01-01

biologically feasible EFMs by considering their graphical properties. A previous study on the transcriptional regulation of metabolic genes found that distinct branches at a branch point metabolite usually belong to distinct metabolic pathways. This suggests an intuitive property of biologically feasible EFMs......, i.e. minimal branching. RESULTS: We developed the concept of minimal branching EFM and derived the minimal branching decomposition (MBD) to decompose flux distributions. Testing in the core Escherichia coli metabolic network indicated that MBD can distinguish branches at branch points and greatly...... knowledge, which facilitates interpretation. Comparison of the methods applied to a complex flux distribution in Lactococcus lactis similarly showed the advantages of MBD. The minimal branching EFM concept underlying MBD should be useful in other applications....

The singularity structure of scale-invariant rank-2 Coulomb branches

Science.gov (United States)

Argyres, Philip C.; Long, Cody; Martone, Mario

2018-05-01

We compute the spectrum of scaling dimensions of Coulomb branch operators in 4d rank-2 N=2 superconformal field theories. Only a finite rational set of scaling dimensions is allowed. It is determined by using information about the global topology of the locus of metric singularities on the Coulomb branch, the special Kähler geometry near those singularities, and electric-magnetic duality monodromies along orbits of the U(1) R symmetry. A set of novel topological and geometric results are developed which promise to be useful for the study and classification of Coulomb branch geometries at all ranks.

Depression, anxiety and quality of life in suicide survivors: a comparison of close and distant relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Ann M; Sakraida, Teresa J; Kim, Yookyung; Bullian, Leann; Chiappetta, Laurel

2009-02-01

The study's purpose was to describe and compare depression, anxiety, and quality of life, by degree of relationship, between closely related and distantly related survivors (persons close to the suicide victim, or "suicide survivors"; N = 60) during the acute phase of bereavement (within 1 month of the death). The close relationship category included spouses, parents, children, and siblings, whereas the distant relationship category included in-laws, aunts/uncles, and nieces/nephews. Analysis of covariance examined differences between the two groups on the symptom measures. Results indicate that, after controlling for age and gender effects, closely related survivors had significantly higher mean levels of depression and anxiety and had lower levels of mental health quality of life. There were no statistically significant differences on the physical health quality of life subscale.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tong Len Meditation Practice in Cancer Patients: Evaluation of a Distant Psychological Healing Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagliaro, Gioacchino; Pandolfi, Paolo; Collina, Natalina; Frezza, Giovanni; Brandes, Alba; Galli, Margherita; Avventuroso, Federica Marzocchi; De Lisio, Sara; Musti, Muriel Assunta; Franceschi, Enrico; Esposti, Roberta Degli; Lombardo, Laura; Cavallo, Giovanna; Di Battista, Monica; Rimondini, Simonetta; Poggi, Rosalba; Susini, Cinzia; Renzi, Rina; Marconi, Linda

2016-01-01

Tong Len meditation is an important therapeutic tool in the Tibetan medicine, and it can be used for self-healing and/or to heal others. Currently, in the West, there is no scientific study concerning the efficacy of a Tong Len distant healing effect on psychological disorders in cancer patients. To evaluate a distant healing effect of Tong Len meditation on stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self-perceived quality of life in cancer patients. These psychological objectives were chosen as a consequence of the limited scientific literature of present day. We performed a double-blind randomized controlled trial on 103 cancer patients with tumors. Overall, 12 meditators used Tong Len in aid of 52 patients randomly selected as experimental group, while the remaining 51 patients constituted the control group. Patients and meditators did not know each other. All patients completed profile of mood states (POMS) and European Quality of Life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaires before treatment (T0), after two (T1) and three months of treatment (T2), and one month after treatment cessation (T3). With regard to the parameters related to depression, a statistically significant improvement (P = .003) was observed in the treatment group compared to controls. On the other hand, the vigor/activity parameter saw significant improvements in the control group (P = .009). Both groups exhibited significant improvements in the other factors assessed in the POMS and EQ-5D questionnaires. This study did not provide sufficient evidence supporting an efficacy of Tong Len meditation in distant psychological healing as compared to a control condition. The research highlighted some psychological improvements through Tong Len distant meditation in a group of patients unknown to meditators. Therefore, the enhancement detected in most parameters in both treatment and control groups raises interest on in-depth analysis and evaluation of distant meditation on cancer patients to mitigate

Branch retinal vein occlusion associated with quetiapine fumarate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siang Lim

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To report a case of branch retinal vein occlusion in a young adult with bipolar mood disorder treated with quetiapine fumarate. Case Presentation A 29 years old gentleman who was taking quetiapine fumarate for 3 years for bipolar mood disorder, presented with sudden vision loss. He was found to have a superior temporal branch retinal vein occlusion associated with hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion Atypical antipsychotic drugs have metabolic side effects which require regular monitoring and prompt treatment.

Anomalous scaling in an age-dependent branching model

OpenAIRE

Keller-Schmidt, Stephanie; Tugrul, Murat; Eguiluz, Victor M.; Hernandez-Garcia, Emilio; Klemm, Konstantin

2010-01-01

We introduce a one-parametric family of tree growth models, in which branching probabilities decrease with branch age $\\tau$ as $\\tau^{-\\alpha}$. Depending on the exponent $\\alpha$, the scaling of tree depth with tree size $n$ displays a transition between the logarithmic scaling of random trees and an algebraic growth. At the transition ($\\alpha=1$) tree depth grows as $(\\log n)^2$. This anomalous scaling is in good agreement with the trend observed in evolution of biological species, thus p...

A NEW DISTANT MILKY WAY GLOBULAR CLUSTER IN THE PAN-STARRS1 3π SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laevens, Benjamin P. M.; Martin, Nicolas F.; Sesar, Branimir; Rix, Hans-Walter; Schlafly, Edward F.; Bernard, Edouard J.; Ferguson, Annette M. N.; Slater, Colin T.; Bell, Eric F.; Burgett, William S.; Chambers, Kenneth C.; Denneau, Larry; Kaiser, Nicholas; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Magnier, Eugene A.; Morgan, Jeffrey S.; Sweeney, William E.; Draper, Peter W.; Metcalfe, Nigel; Price, Paul A.

2014-01-01

We present a new satellite in the outer halo of the Galaxy, the first Milky Way satellite found in the stacked photometric catalog of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1) Survey. From follow-up photometry obtained with WFI on the MPG/ESO 2.2 m telescope, we argue that the object, located at a heliocentric distance of 145 ± 17 kpc, is the most distant Milky Way globular cluster yet known. With a total magnitude of M V = –4.3 ± 0.2 and a half-light radius of 20 ± 2 pc, it shares the properties of extended globular clusters found in the outer halo of our Galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. The discovery of this distant cluster shows that the full spatial extent of the Milky Way globular cluster system has not yet been fully explored

Technology-Aided Leisure and Communication Opportunities for Two Post-Coma Persons Emerged from a Minimally Conscious State and Affected by Multiple Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Lancioni, Giulio E.; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Singh, Nirbhay N.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Buonocunto, Francesca; Sacco, Valentina; Navarro, Jorge; Lanzilotti, Crocifissa; De Tommaso, Marina; Megna, Marisa; Oliva, Doretta

2013-01-01

This study assessed technology-aided programs for helping two post-coma persons, who had emerged from a minimally conscious state and were affected by multiple disabilities, to (a) engage with leisure stimuli and request caregiver's procedures, (b) send out and listen to text messages for communication with distant partners, and (c) combine…

Right bundle branch block and anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Trofin, Monica; Israel, Carsten W; Barold, S Serge

2017-09-01

We report the case of an acute anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction with new left anterior fascicular block and pre-existing right bundle branch block. Due to a wide right bundle branch block, no ST segment elevation was visible in lead V1. The left anterior fascicular block was caused by proximal occlusion of the left artery descending and disappeared after acute revascularization. However, also the R' of the right bundle branch block became significantly shorter after revascularization, dismanteling a minor ST segment elevation. The ST elevation in lead V1 in anterior wall infarction and right bundle branch block may merge with the R' and cause a further QRS widening as an "equivalent" to the ST elevation.

Generalized Markov branching models

OpenAIRE

Li, Junping

2005-01-01

In this thesis, we first considered a modified Markov branching process incorporating both state-independent immigration and resurrection. After establishing the criteria for regularity and uniqueness, explicit expressions for the extinction probability and mean extinction time are presented. The criteria for recurrence and ergodicity are also established. In addition, an explicit expression for the equilibrium distribution is presented.\\ud \\ud We then moved on to investigate the basic proper...

Entrapment of the Martin-Gruber branch of median nerve in the forearm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anu Vinod Ranade

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We report a rare case of a dual neuro-vascular variation, which was observed in the right extremity of male cadaver. About an inch inferior to the elbow joint, three branches arose from the median nerve. These were the anterior interosseous branch, a Martin-Gruber branch (MGB and a muscular branch. The MGB coursed infero-medially to join with the ulnar nerve by running posterior to the ulnar artery. It was surprising to observe that the MGB passed between the ulnar artery and its venae comitantes. There was an acute angulation of the MGB here, suggesting entrapment at this site.

The effects of living distantly from peritoneal dialysis units on peritonitis risk, microbiology, treatment and outcomes: a multi-centre registry study

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The aim of the study was to determine whether distance between residence and peritoneal dialysis (PD) unit influenced peritonitis occurrence, microbiology, treatment and outcomes. Methods The study included all patients receiving PD between 1/10/2003 and 31/12/2008, using ANZDATA Registry data. Results 365 (6%) patients lived ≥100 km from their nearest PD unit (distant group), while 6183 (94%) lived peritonitis in distant patients (1.34 years, 95% CI 1.07-1.61) was significantly shorter than in local patients (1.68 years, 95% CI 1.59-1.77, p = 0.001), whilst overall peritonitis rates were higher in distant patients (incidence rate ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.20-1.46). Living ≥100 km away from a PD unit was independently associated with a higher risk of S. aureus peritonitis (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.64, 95% CI 1.09-2.47). Distant patients with first peritonitis episodes were less likely to be hospitalised (64% vs 73%, p = 0.008) and receive antifungal prophylaxis (4% vs 10%, p = 0.01), but more likely to receive vancomycin-based antibiotic regimens (52% vs 42%, p peritonitis outcomes, distant patients were more likely to be cured with antibiotics alone (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.03-2.24). All other outcomes were comparable between the two groups. Conclusions Living ≥100 km away from a PD unit was associated with increased risk of S. aureus peritonitis, modified approaches to peritonitis treatment and peritonitis outcomes that were comparable to, or better than patients living closer to a PD unit. Staphylococcal decolonisation should receive particular consideration in remote living patients. PMID:22702659

Beclin 1 Expression is Closely Linked to Colorectal Carcinogenesis and Distant Metastasis of Colorectal Carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei-Ying Zhang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Beclin 1 participates in development, autophagy, differentiation, anti- apoptosis, neurodegeneration, tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The roles of Beclin 1 in colorectal carcinogenesis and its subsequent progression are still unclear. Here, the mRNA and protein expression of Beclin 1 were determined in colorectal carcinoma and matched mucosa by Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH were performed on tissue microarryer with colorectal carcinoma, adenoma and mucosa. The expression of Beclin 1 mRNA and protein was found to be higher in colorectal carcinoma than matched mucosa by real-time PCR and Western blot (p < 0.05. According to the ISH data, Beclin 1 expression was lower in colorectal non-neoplastic mucosa (NNM than adenoma and carcinoma (p < 0.05. Immunohistochemically, primary carcinoma showed stronger Beclin 1 expression than NNM and metastatic carcinoma in the liver (p < 0.05. Beclin 1 protein expression was negatively related to liver and distant metastasis (p < 0.05, but not correlated with age, sex, depth of invasion, lymphatic or venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM staging, differentiation or serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA concentration (p > 0.05. Survival analysis indicated that Beclin 1 expression was not linked to favorable prognosis of the patients with colorectal carcinoma (p > 0.05. Cox’s model indicated that depth of invasion and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors for colorectal carcinomas (p < 0.05. It was suggested that Beclin 1 expression is closely linked to colorectal carcinogenesis and distant metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.

Branched flow and caustics in random media with magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Jakob; Fleischmann, Ragnar; Geisel, Theo

2009-03-01

Classical particles as well as quantum mechanical waves exhibit complex behaviour when propagating through random media. One of the dominant features of the dynamics in correlated, weak disorder potentials is the branching of the flow. This can be observed in several physical systems, most notably in the electron flow in two-dimensional electron gases [1], and has also been used to describe the formation of freak waves [2]. We present advances in the theoretical understanding and numerical simulation of classical branched flows in magnetic fields. In particular, we study branching statistics and branch density profiles. Our results have direct consequences for experiments which measure transport properties in electronic systems [3].[1] e.g. M. A. Topinka et al., Nature 410, 183 (2001), M. P. Jura et al., Nature Physics 3, 841 (2007)[2] E. J. Heller, L. Kaplan and A. Dahlen, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C09023 (2008)[3] J. J. Metzger, R. Fleischmann and T. Geisel, in preparation

Single-crystalline self-branched anatase titania nanowires for dye-sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhenquan; Yang, Huang; Wu, Fei; Fu, Jianxun; Wang, Linjun; Yang, Weiguang

2017-03-01

The morphology of the anatase titania plays an important role in improving the photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized solar cells. In this work, single-crystalline self-branched anatase TiO2 nanowires have been synthesized by hydrothermal method using TBAH and CTAB as morphology controlling agents. The obtained self-branched TiO2 nanowires dominated by a large percentage of (010) facets. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency (6.37%) of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on the self-branched TiO2 nanowires shows a significant improvement (26.6%) compared to that of P25 TiO2 (5.03%). The enhanced performance of the self-branched TiO2 nanowires-based DSSC is due to heir large percent of exposed (010) facets which have strong dye adsorption capacity and effective charge transport of the self-branched 1D nanostructures.

Multiple telecouplings and their complex interrelationships

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Jianguo Liu

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Increasingly, the world is becoming socioeconomically and environmentally connected, but many studies have focused on human-environment interactions within a particular area. Although some studies have considered the impacts of external factors, there is little research on multiple reciprocal socioeconomic and environmental interactions between a focal area and other areas. Here we address this important knowledge gap by applying the new integrated framework of telecouplings (socioeconomic and environmental interactions between two or more areas over distances. Results show that even a protected area - i.e., the Wolong Nature Reserve for giant pandas in southwest China - has multiple telecoupling processes with the rest of the world; these include panda loans, tourism, information dissemination, conservation subsidies, and trade of agricultural and industrial products. The telecoupling processes exhibit nonlinear patterns, they change over time, and they have varying socioeconomic and environmental effects across the world. We also find complex relationships among different telecouplings - e.g., amplification, offsetting, spatial overlaps - which cannot be detected by traditional separate studies. Such an integrated study leads to a more comprehensive understanding of distant human-environment interactions and has significant implications for global sustainability and human well-being.

Feminism and Society: Solidarity Amongst Pakistani Women Still a Distant Dream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Farhat Jabeen

2013-06-01

Patriarchal structure of society, socio-customary practices and discrimination against women are very serious concerns/issues which need to be understood as multidimensional problem. This paper examines the role of feminism on gender development in south Asian perspective especially in Pakistan. Pakistani women seem to have been circumscribed in bounds of religious, cultural and national ideologies as envisioned by the patriarchy of Pakistan. Due to certain cultural, male domination state of affairs the solidarity amongst Pakistani women still distant dream. Current research paper would draw attention to issue mentioned above.

Automated Detection of Branch Shaking Locations for Robotic Cherry Harvesting Using Machine Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suraj Amatya

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Automation in cherry harvesting is essential to reduce the demand for seasonal labor for cherry picking and reduce the cost of production. The mechanical shaking of tree branches is one of the widely studied and used techniques for harvesting small tree fruit crops like cherries. To automate the branch shaking operation, different methods of detecting branches and cherries in full foliage canopies of the cherry tree have been developed previously. The next step in this process is the localization of shaking positions in the detected tree branches for mechanical shaking. In this study, a method of locating shaking positions for automated cherry harvesting was developed based on branch and cherry pixel locations determined using RGB images and 3D camera images. First, branch and cherry regions were located in 2D RGB images. Depth information provided by a 3D camera was then mapped on to the RGB images using a standard stereo calibration method. The overall root mean square error in estimating the distance to desired shaking points was 0.064 m. Cherry trees trained in two different canopy architectures, Y-trellis and vertical trellis systems, were used in this study. Harvesting testing was carried out by shaking tree branches at the locations selected by the algorithm. For the Y-trellis system, the maximum fruit removal efficiency of 92.9% was achieved using up to five shaking events per branch. However, maximum fruit removal efficiency for the vertical trellis system was 86.6% with up to four shakings per branch. However, it was found that only three shakings per branch would achieve a fruit removal percentage of 92.3% and 86.4% in Y and vertical trellis systems respectively.

A measurement of the semileptonic branching ratio BR(b-baryon $\\rightarrow p l\\overline{\

CERN Document Server

Barate, R; Décamp, D; Ghez, P; Goy, C; Lees, J P; Lucotte, A; Minard, M N; Nief, J Y; Pietrzyk, B; Boix, G; Casado, M P; Chmeissani, M; Crespo, J M; Delfino, M C; Fernández, E; Fernández-Bosman, M; Garrido, L; Graugès-Pous, E; Juste, A; Martínez, M; Merino, G; Miquel, R; Mir, L M; Park, I C; Pascual, A; Perlas, J A; Riu, I; Sánchez, F; Colaleo, A; Creanza, D; De Palma, M; Gelao, G; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, G; Maggi, M; Marinelli, N; Nuzzo, S; Ranieri, A; Raso, G; Ruggieri, F; Selvaggi, G; Silvestris, L; Tempesta, P; Tricomi, A; Zito, G; Huang, X; Lin, J; Ouyang, Q; Wang, T; Xie, Y; Xu, R; Xue, S; Zhang, J; Zhang, L; Zhao, W; Abbaneo, D; Alemany, R; Becker, U; Bright-Thomas, P G; Casper, David William; Cattaneo, M; Cerutti, F; Ciulli, V; Dissertori, G; Drevermann, H; Forty, Roger W; Frank, M; Hagelberg, R; Hansen, J B; Harvey, J; Janot, P; Jost, B; Lehraus, Ivan; Mato, P; Minten, Adolf G; Moneta, L; Pacheco, A; Pusztaszeri, J F; Ranjard, F; Rolandi, Luigi; Rousseau, D; Schlatter, W D; Schmitt, M; Schneider, O; Tejessy, W; Teubert, F; Tomalin, I R; Wachsmuth, H W; Wagner, A; Ajaltouni, Ziad J; Badaud, F; Chazelle, G; Deschamps, O; Falvard, A; Ferdi, C; Gay, P; Guicheney, C; Henrard, P; Jousset, J; Michel, B; Monteil, S; Montret, J C; Pallin, D; Perret, P; Podlyski, F; Proriol, J; Rosnet, P; Fearnley, Tom; Hansen, J D; Hansen, J R; Hansen, P H; Nilsson, B S; Rensch, B; Wäänänen, A; Daskalakis, G; Kyriakis, A; Markou, C; Simopoulou, Errietta; Siotis, I; Vayaki, Anna; Blondel, A; Bonneaud, G R; Brient, J C; Bourdon, P; Rougé, A; Rumpf, M; Valassi, Andrea; Verderi, M; Videau, H L; Candlin, D J; Parsons, M I; Boccali, T; Focardi, E; Parrini, G; Zachariadou, K; Corden, M; Georgiopoulos, C H; Jaffe, D E; Antonelli, A; Bencivenni, G; Bologna, G; Bossi, F; Campana, P; Capon, G; Chiarella, V; Felici, G; Laurelli, P; Mannocchi, G; Murtas, F; Murtas, G P; Passalacqua, L; Pepé-Altarelli, M; Curtis, L; Dorris, S J; Halley, A W; Lynch, J G; Negus, P; O'Shea, V; Raine, C; Scarr, J M; Smith, K; Teixeira-Dias, P; Thompson, A S; Thomson, E; Thomson, F; Buchmüller, O L; Dhamotharan, S; Geweniger, C; Graefe, G; Hanke, P; Hansper, G; Hepp, V; Kluge, E E; Putzer, A; Sommer, J; Tittel, K; Werner, S; Wunsch, M; Beuselinck, R; Binnie, David M; Cameron, W; Dornan, Peter J; Girone, M; Goodsir, S M; Martin, E B; Moutoussi, A; Nash, J; Sedgbeer, J K; Spagnolo, P; Williams, M D; Ghete, V M; Girtler, P; Kneringer, E; Kuhn, D; Rudolph, G; Betteridge, A P; Bowdery, C K; Buck, P G; Colrain, P; Crawford, G; Finch, A J; Foster, F; Hughes, G; Jones, R W L; Williams, M I; Giehl, I; Greene, A M; Hoffmann, C; Jakobs, K; Kleinknecht, K; Quast, G; Renk, B; Rohne, E; Sander, H G; Van Gemmeren, P; Zeitnitz, C; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Benchouk, C; Bonissent, A; Bujosa, G; Carr, J; Coyle, P; Diaconu, C A; Etienne, F; Leroy, O; Motsch, F; Payre, P; Talby, M; Sadouki, A; Thulasidas, M; Trabelsi, K; Aleppo, M; Antonelli, M; Ragusa, F; Berlich, R; Blum, Walter; Büscher, V; Dietl, H; Ganis, G; Gotzhein, C; Kroha, H; Lütjens, G; Lutz, Gerhard; Mannert, C; Männer, W; Moser, H G; Richter, R H; Rosado-Schlosser, A; Schael, S; Settles, Ronald; Seywerd, H C J; Stenzel, H; Wiedenmann, W; Wolf, G; Boucrot, J; Callot, O; Chen, S; Choi, Y; Cordier, A; Davier, M; Duflot, L; Grivaz, J F; Heusse, P; Höcker, A; Jacholkowska, A; Kim, D W; Le Diberder, F R; Lefrançois, J; Lutz, A M; Nikolic, I A; Schune, M H; Tournefier, E; Veillet, J J; Videau, I; Zerwas, D; Azzurri, P; Bagliesi, G; Batignani, G; Bettarini, S; Bozzi, C; Calderini, G; Carpinelli, M; Ciocci, M A; Dell'Orso, R; Fantechi, R; Ferrante, I; Foà, L; Forti, F; Giassi, A; Giorgi, M A; Gregorio, A; Ligabue, F; Lusiani, A; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A; Palla, Fabrizio; Rizzo, G; Sanguinetti, G; Sciabà, A; Steinberger, Jack; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, G; Vannini, C; Venturi, A; Verdini, P G; Blair, G A; Bryant, L M; Chambers, J T; Green, M G; Medcalf, T; Perrodo, P; Strong, J A; Von Wimmersperg-Töller, J H; Botterill, David R; Clifft, R W; Edgecock, T R; Haywood, S; Norton, P R; Thompson, J C; Wright, A E; Bloch-Devaux, B; Colas, P; Emery, S; Kozanecki, Witold; Lançon, E; Lemaire, M C; Locci, E; Pérez, P; Rander, J; Renardy, J F; Roussarie, A; Schuller, J P; Schwindling, J; Trabelsi, A; Vallage, B; Black, S N; Dann, J H; Johnson, R P; Kim, H Y; Konstantinidis, N P; Litke, A M; McNeil, M A; Taylor, G; Booth, C N; Brew, C A J; Cartwright, S L; Combley, F; Kelly, M S; Lehto, M H; Reeve, J; Thompson, L F; Affholderbach, K; Böhrer, A; Brandt, S; Cowan, G D; Grupen, Claus; Saraiva, P; Smolik, L; Stephan, F; Apollonio, M; Bosisio, L; Della Marina, R; Giannini, G; Gobbo, B; Musolino, G; Rothberg, J E; Wasserbaech, S R; Armstrong, S R; Charles, E; Elmer, P; Ferguson, D P S; Gao, Y; González, S; Greening, T C; Hayes, O J; Hu, H; Jin, S; McNamara, P A; Nachtman, J M; Nielsen, J; Orejudos, W; Pan, Y B; Saadi, Y; Scott, I J; Walsh, J; Wu Sau Lan; Wu, X; Yamartino, J M; Zobernig, G

1998-01-01

Inclusive pi^+/-, K^+/- (p,pbar) production is investigated using data recorded by the ALEPH detector between 1992 and 1994. The momentum spectra and multiplicities are measured separately in Z -->bbar, Z-->ccbar and Z-->uubar,ddbar,ssbar decays. The number of protons found in b-hadron decays is used to estimate the fraction of b-baryons in b-events to be (10.2 +/- 0.7 +/- 2.7)%. From an additional study of proton-lepton correlations in b events the branching ratio Br(b-baryon --> plnuX) = (4.63 +/- 0.72 +/- 0.98)% is obtained. The ratio Br(b-baryon --> plnuX)/ Br(b-baryon --> pX) is found to be 0.080 +/- 0.012 +/- 0.014.

Survival probabilities for branching Brownian motion with absorption

OpenAIRE

Harris, John; Harris, Simon

2007-01-01

We study a branching Brownian motion (BBM) with absorption, in which particles move as Brownian motions with drift $-\\rho$, undergo dyadic branching at rate $\\beta>0$, and are killed on hitting the origin. In the case $\\rho>\\sqrt{2\\beta}$ the extinction time for this process, $\\zeta$, is known to be finite almost surely. The main result of this article is a large-time asymptotic formula for the survival probability $P^x(\\zeta>t)$ in the case $\\rho>\\sqrt{2\\beta}$, where $P^x$ is...

Intensity of rivalry among existing competitors in the wine-making branch

OpenAIRE

Radka Šperková; Helena Hejmalová

2012-01-01

The analysis of the rivalry among existing competitors in the wine-making branch is the aim of this paper. On the whole, the rivalry among existing companies in the wine-making branch may be described as intensive. When evaluating the level of intensity of rivalry among existing businesses in the branch, it is necessary to take into consideration their size and market share. Among first ten most significant companies on the market (84% market share) there is intensive competing. Individual co...

Metabolism of methyl-branched iodo palmitic acids in cultured hepatocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, G.; Pepin, D.; Loriette, C.; Chambaz, J.; Bereziat, G.; Vidal, M.; Apparu, M.; Coornaert, S.

1989-01-01

The metabolic fate of methyl-branched iodo fatty acids was studied in primary culture of rat hepatocytes. We compared 16-iodo-2-R,S-methyl palmitic acid (2-Me), which can be β oxidized, with 16-iodo-3-R,S-methyl palmitic acid (3-Me) which can be β oxidized only after an initial α oxydation and with 16-iodo-2,2-dimethyl palmitic acid (2,2-Me 2 ) and 16-iodo-3,3-dimethyl palmitic acid (3,3-Me 2 ) which cannot be β oxidized at all. The normal fate of natural fatty acids was given by comparative experiments with [1- 14 C] palmitic acid. Monomethyl-branched iodo fatty acids were taken up in the same range as palmitic acid but more than dimethyl-branched iodo fatty acids. After a 15-h incubation, acido-soluble products (ASP) accounted for 75% of the radioactivity taken up as 16-iodo-2-methyl palmitic acid, 50% as other methyl-branched iodo fatty acids and only 30% as palmitic acid. Cultured hepatocytes, labelled for 3 h with the various fatty acids and reincubated for 12 h without fatty acid, secreted large amounts of free dimethyl-branched iodo fatty acids as compared to the monomethyl ones and palmitic acid. Only hepatocytes prelabelled with 16-[ 125 I]iodo-2,2-dimethyl palmitic acid exhibited an appreciable secretion of labeled triglycerides, but at a lower rate than with [1- 14 C] palmitic acid. Conversely, the 16-iodo-monomethyl palmitic acids remained chiefly in hepatocyte triglycerides. Minute amounts of 16-iodo-methyl-branched palmitic acids were found in hepatocyte or secreted phospholipids as compared with palmitic acid. (orig.)

Global and nonglobal parameters of horizontal-branch morphology of globular clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milone, A. P.; Marino, A. F.; Dotter, A.; Norris, J. E.; Jerjen, H.; Asplund, M.

2014-01-01

The horizontal-branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters (GCs) is mainly determined by metallicity. However, the fact that GCs with almost the same metallicity exhibit different HB morphologies demonstrates that at least one more parameter is needed to explain the HB morphology. It has been suggested that one of these should be a global parameter that varies from GC to GC and the other a nonglobal parameter that varies within the GC. In this study we provide empirical evidence corroborating this idea. We used the photometric catalogs obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys of the Hubble Space Telescope and analyze the color-magnitude diagrams of 74 GCs. The HB morphology of our sample of GCs has been investigated on the basis of the two new parameters L1 and L2 that measure the distance between the red giant branch and the coolest part of the HB and the color extension of the HB, respectively. We find that L1 correlates with both metallicity and age, whereas L2 most strongly correlates with the mass of the hosting GC. The range of helium abundance among the stars in a GC, characterized by ΔY and associated with the presence of multiple stellar populations, has been estimated in a few GCs to date. In these GCs we find a close relationship among ΔY, GC mass, and L2. We conclude that age and metallicity are the main global parameters, while the range of helium abundance within a GC is the main nonglobal parameter defining the HB morphology of Galactic GCs.

DISTANT HYBRIDS IN F4 (VITIS VINIFERA L. X MUSCADINIA ROTUNDIFOLIA MICHX. AND OF CULTIVARS OF VITIS VINIFERA L. AND OF CONCERNING THE CONTENT OF SOME BIOCHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugeniu ALEXANDROV

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The process of obtaining distant hybrids, as well as any crossing of cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. with representatives of species possessing the necessary qualities (resistance to diseases and pests, low temperature, etc. may change the spectrum of chemical and biochemical compounds responsible for flavour, colour and taste of grapes, obtained juice and wine. Botanical description of distant hybrids was performed during all phases of the vegetative stages; the organs of the plants were studied from spring, at bud unfolding, until early autumn, at the fall of the leaves. For the determination of diglucoside-3,5-malvidin, the fluorimetric method, for determining the methyl anthranilate, the gas chromatographic method was applied. Based on the analyzes of biochemical constituents of grapes of the distant hybrids: DRX-M4-578; -502; -571; -660; -609; -580; etc., compared to the traditional cultivars „Feteasca albă” and „Rară neagră”, it has been found that these varieties are similar. So, the distant hybrids of grapevine haven’t inherited unwanted characters for vines, some of them are strictly limited (diglucoside-3,5-malvidol. These hybrids don’t have the specific characteristics of direct production hybrids, characterised by the foxat taste of the grape berries, caused by the presence of the methyl anthranilate. The distant hybrids studied according to the classical uvologic and technological principles can be classified as follows: 5 distant hybrids are attributed to the table vine species and 2 distant hybrids have mixed properties. According to the physical and biochemical indices of the grapes of the studied distant hybrids, their characteristics are similar to European vine species.

Measurement of the super-allowed branching ratio of $^{22}$Mg

CERN Multimedia

We propose to measure the super-allowed branching ratio and the half-life of $^{22}$Mg, one of the least-well-measured $0^{+} \\rightarrow 0^{+}$ transitions of the 14 nuclei used to determine V$_{ud}$ and to test the unitarity of the CKM matrix. We propose measurements which should allow to significantly improve the precision on the super-allowed branching ratio employing a precisely efficiency calibrated germanium detector and on the half-life. As no method exists to greatly improve (e.g. an order of magnitude) on previous results, the branching ratio and the half-life have to be measured several times with independent methods and in independent experiments.

Interactive Design and Visualization of Branched Covering Spaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Lawrence; Kumar, Prashant; Golbabaei, Sanaz; Zhang, Yue; Zhang, Eugene

2018-01-01

Branched covering spaces are a mathematical concept which originates from complex analysis and topology and has applications in tensor field topology and geometry remeshing. Given a manifold surface and an -way rotational symmetry field, a branched covering space is a manifold surface that has an -to-1 map to the original surface except at the ramification points, which correspond to the singularities in the rotational symmetry field. Understanding the notion and mathematical properties of branched covering spaces is important to researchers in tensor field visualization and geometry processing, and their application areas. In this paper, we provide a framework to interactively design and visualize the branched covering space (BCS) of an input mesh surface and a rotational symmetry field defined on it. In our framework, the user can visualize not only the BCSs but also their construction process. In addition, our system allows the user to design the geometric realization of the BCS using mesh deformation techniques as well as connecting tubes. This enables the user to verify important facts about BCSs such as that they are manifold surfaces around singularities, as well as the Riemann-Hurwitz formula which relates the Euler characteristic of the BCS to that of the original mesh. Our system is evaluated by student researchers in scientific visualization and geometry processing as well as faculty members in mathematics at our university who teach topology. We include their evaluations and feedback in the paper.

Cost of wind energy: comparing distant wind resources to local resources in the midwestern United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoppock, David C; Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia

2010-11-15

The best wind sites in the United States are often located far from electricity demand centers and lack transmission access. Local sites that have lower quality wind resources but do not require as much power transmission capacity are an alternative to distant wind resources. In this paper, we explore the trade-offs between developing new wind generation at local sites and installing wind farms at remote sites. We first examine the general relationship between the high capital costs required for local wind development and the relatively lower capital costs required to install a wind farm capable of generating the same electrical output at a remote site,with the results representing the maximum amount an investor should be willing to pay for transmission access. We suggest that this analysis can be used as a first step in comparing potential wind resources to meet a state renewable portfolio standard (RPS). To illustrate, we compare the cost of local wind (∼50 km from the load) to the cost of distant wind requiring new transmission (∼550-750 km from the load) to meet the Illinois RPS. We find that local, lower capacity factor wind sites are the lowest cost option for meeting the Illinois RPS if new long distance transmission is required to access distant, higher capacity factor wind resources. If higher capacity wind sites can be connected to the existing grid at minimal cost, in many cases they will have lower costs.

Fragrance Release from the Surface of Branched Poly (Amide S

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Youngs

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Enzymes are powerful tools in organic synthesis that are able to catalyse a wide variety of selective chemical transformations under mild and environmentally friendly conditions. Enzymes such as the lipases have also found applications in the synthesis and degradation of polymeric materials. However, the use of these natural catalysts in the synthesis and the post-synthetic modification of dendrimers and hyperbranched molecules is an application of chemistry yet to be explored extensively. In this study the use of two hydrolytic enzymes, a lipase from Candida cylindracea and a cutinase from Fusarium solani pisii, were investigated in the selective cleavage of ester groups situated on the peripheral layer of two families of branched polyamides. These branched polyamides were conjugated to simple fragrances citronellol and L-menthol via ester linkages. Hydrolysis of the ester linkage between the fragrances and the branched polyamide support was carried out in aqueous buffered systems at slightly basic pH values under the optimum operative conditions for the enzymes used. These preliminary qualitative investigations revealed that partial cleavage of the ester functionalities from the branched polyamide support had occurred. However, the ability of the enzymes to interact with the substrates decreased considerably as the branching density, the rigidity of the structure and the bulkiness of the polyamide-fragrance conjugates increased.

Centrosome Amplification Increases Single-Cell Branching in Post-mitotic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricolo, Delia; Deligiannaki, Myrto; Casanova, Jordi; Araújo, Sofia J

2016-10-24

Centrosome amplification is a hallmark of cancer, although we are still far from understanding how this process affects tumorigenesis [1, 2]. Besides the contribution of supernumerary centrosomes to mitotic defects, their biological effects in the post-mitotic cell are not well known. Here, we exploit the effects of centrosome amplification in post-mitotic cells during single-cell branching. We show that Drosophila tracheal cells with extra centrosomes branch more than wild-type cells. We found that mutations in Rca1 and CycA affect subcellular branching, causing tracheal tip cells to form more than one subcellular lumen. We show that Rca1 and CycA post-mitotic cells have supernumerary centrosomes and that other mutant conditions that increase centrosome number also show excess of subcellular lumen branching. Furthermore, we show that de novo lumen formation is impaired in mutant embryos with fewer centrioles. The data presented here define a requirement for the centrosome as a microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) for the initiation of subcellular lumen formation. We propose that centrosomes are necessary to drive subcellular lumen formation. In addition, centrosome amplification increases single-cell branching, a process parallel to capillary sprouting in blood vessels [3]. These results shed new light on how centrosomes can contribute to pathology independently of mitotic defects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The estimation of branching curves in the presence of subject-specific random effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Elmi, Angelo; Ratcliffe, Sarah J; Guo, Wensheng

2014-12-20

Branching curves are a technique for modeling curves that change trajectory at a change (branching) point. Currently, the estimation framework is limited to independent data, and smoothing splines are used for estimation. This article aims to extend the branching curve framework to the longitudinal data setting where the branching point varies by subject. If the branching point is modeled as a random effect, then the longitudinal branching curve framework is a semiparametric nonlinear mixed effects model. Given existing issues with using random effects within a smoothing spline, we express the model as a B-spline based semiparametric nonlinear mixed effects model. Simple, clever smoothness constraints are enforced on the B-splines at the change point. The method is applied to Women's Health data where we model the shape of the labor curve (cervical dilation measured longitudinally) before and after treatment with oxytocin (a labor stimulant). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Method and Apparatus of Multiplexing and Acquiring Data from Multiple Optical Fibers Using a Single Data Channel of an Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) System

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jr., Allen R (Inventor); Chan, Hon Man (Inventor); Piazza, Anthony (Nino) (Inventor); Richards, William Lance (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A method and system for multiplexing a network of parallel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor-fibers to a single acquisition channel of a closed Michelson interferometer system via a fiber splitter by distinguishing each branch of fiber sensors in the spatial domain. On each branch of the splitter, the fibers have a specific pre-determined length, effectively separating each branch of fiber sensors spatially. In the spatial domain the fiber branches are seen as part of one acquisition channel on the interrogation system. However, the FBG-reference arm beat frequency information for each fiber is retained. Since the beat frequency is generated between the reference arm, the effective fiber length of each successive branch includes the entire length of the preceding branch. The multiple branches are seen as one fiber having three segments where the segments can be resolved. This greatly simplifies optical, electronic and computational complexity, and is especially suited for use in multiplexed or branched OFS networks for SHM of large and/or distributed structures which need a lot of measurement points.

Two-step frequency conversion for connecting distant quantum memories by transmission through an optical fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Tamura, Shuhei; Ikeda, Kohei; Okamura, Kotaro; Yoshii, Kazumichi; Hong, Feng-Lei; Horikiri, Tomoyuki; Kosaka, Hideo

2018-06-01

Long-distance quantum communication requires entanglement between distant quantum memories. For this purpose, photon transmission is necessary to connect the distant memories. Here, for the first time, we develop a two-step frequency conversion process (from a visible wavelength to a telecommunication wavelength and back) involving the use of independent two-frequency conversion media where the target quantum memories are nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamonds (with an emission/absorption wavelength of 637.2 nm), and experimentally characterize the performance of this process acting on light from an attenuated CW laser. A total conversion efficiency of approximately 7% is achieved. The noise generated in the frequency conversion processes is measured, and the signal-to-noise ratio is estimated for a single photon signal emitted by a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center. The developed frequency conversion system has future applications via transmission through a long optical fiber channel at a telecommunication wavelength for a quantum repeater network.

Portal vein branching order helps in the recognition of anomalous right-sided round ligament: common features and variations in portal vein anatomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Rikiya; Yamaoka, Toshihide; Nishitai, Ryuta; Isoda, Hiroyoshi; Taura, Kojiro; Arizono, Shigeki; Furuta, Akihiro; Ohno, Tsuyoshi; Ono, Ayako; Togashi, Kaori

2017-07-01

This study aimed to evaluate the common features and variations of portal vein anatomy in right-sided round ligament (RSRL), which can help propose a method to detect and diagnose this anomaly. In this retrospective study of 14 patients with RSRL, the branching order of the portal tree was analyzed, with special focus on the relationship between the dorsal branch of the right anterior segmental portal vein (P A-D ) and the lateral segmental portal vein (P LL ), to determine the common features. The configuration of the portal vein from the main portal trunk to the right umbilical portion (RUP), the inclination of the RUP, and the number and thickness of the ramifications branching from the right anterior segmental portal vein (P A ) were evaluated for variations. In all subjects, the diverging point of the P A-D was constantly distal to that of the P LL . The portal vein configuration was I- and Z-shaped in nine and five subjects, respectively. The RUP was tilted to the right in all subjects. In Z-shaped subjects, the portal trunk between the branching point of the right posterior segmental portal vein and that of the P LL was tilted to the left in one subject and was almost parallel to the vertical plane in four subjects. Multiple ramifications were radially distributed from the P A in eight subjects, whereas one predominant P A-D branched from the P A in six subjects. Based on the diverging points of the P A-D and P LL , we proposed a three-step method for the detection and diagnosis of RSRL.

Abnormal notochord branching is associated with foregut malformations in the adriamycin treated mouse model.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajduk, Piotr; Sato, Hideaki; Puri, Prem; Murphy, Paula

2011-01-01

Oesophageal atresia (OA) and tracheooesophageal fistula (TOF) are relatively common human congenital malformations of the foregut where the oesophagus does not connect with the stomach and there is an abnormal connection between the stomach and the respiratory tract. They require immediate corrective surgery and have an impact on the future health of the individual. These abnormalities are mimicked by exposure of rat and mouse embryos in utero to the drug adriamycin. The causes of OA/TOF during human development are not known, however a number of mouse mutants where different signalling pathways are directly affected, show similar abnormalities, implicating multiple and complex signalling mechanisms. The similarities in developmental outcome seen in human infants and in the adriamycin treated mouse model underline the potential of this model to unravel the early embryological events and further our understanding of the processes disturbed, leading to such abnormalities. Here we report a systematic study of the foregut and adjacent tissues in embryos treated with adriamycin at E7 and E8 and analysed between E9 and E12, comparing morphology in 3D in 149 specimens. We describe a spectrum of 8 defects, the most common of which is ventral displacement and branching of the notochord (in 94% of embryos at E10) and a close spatial correspondence between the site of notochord branching and defects of the foregut. In addition gene expression analysis shows altered dorso-ventral foregut patterning in the vicinity of notochord branches. This study shows a number of features of the adriamycin mouse model not previously reported, implicates the notochord as a primary site of disturbance in such abnormalities and underlines the importance of the model to further address the mechanistic basis of foregut congenital abnormalities.

Branching of positive discharge streamers in air at varying pressures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Briels, T.M.P.; Veldhuizen, van E.M.; Ebert, U.M.

2005-01-01

The formation of positive streamers in a 17-mm gap in air is studied at pressures varying in the range from 1010 to 100 mbar. An intensified charge coupled device camera is used to image the discharge. At high pressures, the discharge shows many branches, while at low pressure, fewer branches arise.

Dorzolamide increases retinal oxygen tension after branch retinal vein occlusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Noergaard, Michael Hove; Bach-Holm, Daniella; Scherfig, Erik

2008-01-01

To study the effect of dorzolamide on the preretinal oxygen tension (RPO(2)) in retinal areas affected by experimental branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in pigs.......To study the effect of dorzolamide on the preretinal oxygen tension (RPO(2)) in retinal areas affected by experimental branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in pigs....

Chemical Analysis of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars in M62

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lapenna, E.; Mucciarelli, A.; Ferraro, F. R.; Origlia, L.; Lanzoni, B.; Massari, D.; Dalessandro, E.

2015-01-01

We have collected UVES-FLAMES high-resolution spectra for a sample of 6 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and 13 red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) M62 (NGC 6266). Here we present the detailed abundance analysis of iron, titanium, and light elements (O, Na, Mg, and Al).

Dynamical and technological consequences of multiple isolas of steady states in a catalytic fluidised-bed reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bizon Katarzyna

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Steady-state characteristics of a catalytic fluidised bed reactor and its dynamical consequences are analyzed. The occurrence of an untypical steady-state structure manifesting in a form of multiple isolas is described. A two-phase bubbling bed model is used for a quantitative description of the bed of catalyst. The influence of heat exchange intensity and a fluidisation ratio onto the generation of isolated solution branches is presented for two kinetic schemes. Dynamical consequences of the coexistence of such untypical branches of steady states are presented. The impact of linear growth of the fluidisation ratio and step change of the cooling medium temperature onto the desired product yield is analyzed. The results presented in this study confirm that the identification of a region of the occurrence of multiple isolas is important due to their strong impact both on the process start-up and its control.

Cryptic distant relatives are common in both isolated and cosmopolitan genetic samples.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brenna M Henn

Full Text Available Although a few hundred single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs suffice to infer close familial relationships, high density genome-wide SNP data make possible the inference of more distant relationships such as 2(nd to 9(th cousinships. In order to characterize the relationship between genetic similarity and degree of kinship given a timeframe of 100-300 years, we analyzed the sharing of DNA inferred to be identical by descent (IBD in a subset of individuals from the 23andMe customer database (n = 22,757 and from the Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP-CEPH, n = 952. With data from 121 populations, we show that the average amount of DNA shared IBD in most ethnolinguistically-defined populations, for example Native American groups, Finns and Ashkenazi Jews, differs from continentally-defined populations by several orders of magnitude. Via extensive pedigree-based simulations, we determined bounds for predicted degrees of relationship given the amount of genomic IBD sharing in both endogamous and 'unrelated' population samples. Using these bounds as a guide, we detected tens of thousands of 2(nd to 9(th degree cousin pairs within a heterogenous set of 5,000 Europeans. The ubiquity of distant relatives, detected via IBD segments, in both ethnolinguistic populations and in large 'unrelated' populations samples has important implications for genetic genealogy, forensics and genotype/phenotype mapping studies.

Intralesional tuberculin (PPD) versus measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine in treatment of multiple warts: a comparative clinical and immunological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheen, Maha Adel; Salem, Samar Abdallah M; Fouad, Dina Adel; El-Fatah, Abeer Aly Abd

2015-01-01

Intralesional purified protein derivative (PPD) or mumps, measles, rubella (MMR) were not previously compared regarding their efficacy or mechanism of action in treatment of warts. We aimed to compare their efficacy in treatment of multiple warts and investigate their effect on serum interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-12. Thirty patients with multiple warts were included (10 treated with PPD, 10 with MMR, and 10 with normal saline (control)). Injection was done every 3 weeks until clearance or maximum of three treatments. Clinical response of target and distant warts was evaluated. Serum ILs-4 and -12 were assessed before and after treatment. A significantly higher rate of complete response was found in target and distant warts with PPD (60% each) and MMR (80%, 40%, respectively) compared with controls (0%), with no significant difference between both treatments. After treatment, the control group showed the lowest serum IL-12 and IL-4 levels compared with the MMR- and PPD-treated groups with statistically significant difference in between. MMR resulted in a significantly higher serum IL-12 than PPD. With PPD, IL-4 was increased with statistically significant change compared with pretreat-ment level. Intralesional PPD and MMR show comparable efficacy and safety in treatment of multiple warts. Serum ILs-4 and-12 increase following antigen injection. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sleeve bridging of the rhesus monkey ulnar nerve with muscular branches of the pronator teres: multiple amplification of axonal regeneration

OpenAIRE

Yu-hui Kou; Pei-xun Zhang; Yan-hua Wang; Bo Chen; Na Han; Feng Xue; Hong-bo Zhang; Xiao-feng Yin; Bao-guo Jiang

2015-01-01

Multiple-bud regeneration, i.e., multiple amplification, has been shown to exist in peripheral nerve regeneration. Multiple buds grow towards the distal nerve stump during proximal nerve fiber regeneration. Our previous studies have verified the limit and validity of multiple amplification of peripheral nerve regeneration using small gap sleeve bridging of small donor nerves to repair large receptor nerves in rodents. The present study sought to observe multiple amplification of myelinated ne...

Branching bisimulation congruence for probabilistic systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andova, S.; Georgievska, S.; Trcka, N.

2012-01-01

A notion of branching bisimilarity for the alternating model of probabilistic systems, compatible with parallel composition, is defined. For a congruence result, an internal transition immediately followed by a non-trivial probability distribution is not considered inert. A weaker definition of

SERCA directs cell migration and branching across species and germ layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle V. Bower

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Branching morphogenesis underlies organogenesis in vertebrates and invertebrates, yet is incompletely understood. Here, we show that the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake pump (SERCA directs budding across germ layers and species. Clonal knockdown demonstrated a cell-autonomous role for SERCA in Drosophila air sac budding. Live imaging of Drosophila tracheogenesis revealed elevated Ca2+ levels in migratory tip cells as they form branches. SERCA blockade abolished this Ca2+ differential, aborting both cell migration and new branching. Activating protein kinase C (PKC rescued Ca2+ in tip cells and restored cell migration and branching. Likewise, inhibiting SERCA abolished mammalian epithelial budding, PKC activation rescued budding, while morphogens did not. Mesoderm (zebrafish angiogenesis and ectoderm (Drosophila nervous system behaved similarly, suggesting a conserved requirement for cell-autonomous Ca2+ signaling, established by SERCA, in iterative budding.

Particle-in-cell modeling of streamer branching in CO2 gas

KAUST Repository

Levko, Dmitry

2017-07-07

The mechanism of streamer branching remains one of the unsolved problems of low-temperature plasma physics. The understanding of this phenomenon requires very high-fidelity models that include, for instance, the kinetic description of electrons. In this paper, we use a two-dimensional particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collisional model to study the branching of anode-directed streamers propagating through short cathode-anode gap filled with atmospheric-pressure CO2 gas. We observe three key phenomena leading to the streamer branching at the considered conditions: flattening of the streamer head, the decrease of the streamer head thickness, and the generation at the streamer head of electrons having the energy larger than 50 eV. For the conditions of our studies, the non-homogeneous distribution of such energetic electrons at the streamer head is probably the primary mechanism responsible for the streamer branching.

Branched nanotrees with immobilized acetylcholine esterase for nanobiosensor applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risveden, Klas; Dick, Kimberly A; Bhand, Sunil

2010-01-01

A novel lab-on-a-chip nanotree enzyme reactor is demonstrated for the detection of acetylcholine. The reactors are intended for use in the RISFET (regional ion sensitive field effect transistor) nanosensor, and are constructed from gold-tipped branched nanorod structures grown on SiN(x)-covered w......A novel lab-on-a-chip nanotree enzyme reactor is demonstrated for the detection of acetylcholine. The reactors are intended for use in the RISFET (regional ion sensitive field effect transistor) nanosensor, and are constructed from gold-tipped branched nanorod structures grown on Si......N(x)-covered wafers. Two different reactors are shown: one with simple, one-dimensional nanorods and one with branched nanorod structures (nanotrees). Significantly higher enzymatic activity is found for the nanotree reactors than for the nanorod reactors, most likely due to the increased gold surface area...

Unusually Looped and Muzzled Branches of Right Coronary Artery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anitha Guru

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Coronary artery disease (CAD is the major cause of death in developed countries as it accounts on an average for 1 of every 5 deaths. Morphological variations of coronary arterial system is one of the causative factor for CAD. Anatomical knowledge of all possible variant patterns of coronary arterial system is imperative in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of CAD. We report here a rare branching pattern of right coronary artery (RCA. The origin of RCA was normal but the course and branching pattern of it were atypical. RCA was not occupying its usual position in atrioventricular (coronary sulcus and its course was incomplete. It gave a ventricular branch to right ventricle, which presented an unusual looping pattern. It terminated as right marginal artery following its muzzled appearance within the musculature of the ventricle.

Weighted Branching Simulation Distance for Parametric Weighted Kripke Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foshammer, Louise; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Mariegaard, Anders

2016-01-01

This paper concerns branching simulation for weighted Kripke structures with parametric weights. Concretely, we consider a weighted extension of branching simulation where a single transitions can be matched by a sequence of transitions while preserving the branching behavior. We relax this notion...... to allow for a small degree of deviation in the matching of weights, inducing a directed distance on states. The distance between two states can be used directly to relate properties of the states within a sub-fragment of weighted CTL. The problem of relating systems thus changes to minimizing the distance...... which, in the general parametric case, corresponds to finding suitable parameter valuations such that one system can approximately simulate another. Although the distance considers a potentially infinite set of transition sequences we demonstrate that there exists an upper bound on the length...

Managing International Branch Campuses: Lessons Learnt from Eight Years on a Branch Campus in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Christopher; Thabet, Rawy Abdelrahman

2018-01-01

Purpose: International branch campuses (IBCs) are complex entities and while much has been written about their expansion and development, the literature is largely from an external perspective. There have been few longitudinal studies examining the development of an IBC over time. The purpose of this paper is to review the development of one IBC…

Computer-Mediated Communication with Distant Friends: Relations with Adjustment during Students' First Semester in College

Science.gov (United States)

Ranney, John D.; Troop-Gordon, Wendy

2012-01-01

Because of recent technological innovations, college freshmen can readily communicate with friends who they see infrequently (e.g., friends from home). The current study addressed whether computer-mediated communication with these distant friends can compensate for a lack of high-quality on-campus friendships during students' first semester of…

Side-branch wire entrapment during bifurcation PCI: avoidance and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Andrew T; Gutman, Jack; Whitbourn, Rob

2010-02-15

An LAD/D1 bifurcation intervention was complicated by side-branch wire entrapment and unravelling requiring goose-neck snare removal. Residual microfilaments were retrieved from the main branch after further balloon inflations with a satisfactory final angiographic result and one-year follow-up. Various methods are available to avoid and deal with this complication.

Impact of retropharyngeal adenopathy on distant control and survival in HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuels, Stuart E.; Vainshtein, Jeffrey; Spector, Matthew E.; Ibrahim, Mohannad; McHugh, Jonathan B.; Tao, Yebin; Schipper, Matthew; Worden, Francis; Eisbruch, Avraham

2015-01-01

Purpose: Retropharyngeal adenopathy (RPA) is poor prognostic factor in head and neck (HN) cancer. However, the prognostic significance of RPA in Human Papillomavirus-related (HPV+) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is unknown. Patients and methods: 185 patients with HPV + OPC were assessed. Pre-therapy images reviewed by a HN radiologist to determine presence of RPA. Doses to the RPAs were determined from treatment plans. Outcomes analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method, log-rank tests, and correlations determined using Spearman’s rank analyses. Results: 29 (16%) of the HPV + patients had RPA. At median follow-up 49 months, 5-year overall survival (OS), failure-free survival (FFS) and distant failure-free survival (DFFS) were 57% vs. 81% (P = 0.02), 63% vs 80% (P = 0.015) and 70% vs 91% (P = 0.002) for patients with/without RPA, respectively. No differences observed in local/ regional control rates, exceeding 90% in both groups, and No RPA recurrences were observed. In multivariable analysis, stages T4 or N3, and RPA, were independently, statistically significantly associated with both OS and distant failure, while N2c, age, disease site, and smoking status, were not. Conclusion: RPA in HPV + OPC is an independent prognostic factor for distant failure, translating into worse OS. Patients with RPA may not be suitable candidates for trials of systemic treatment de-escalation

Automatic detection of coronary arterial branches from X-ray angiograms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Shan; Eiho, Shigeru

1992-01-01

This paper describes a method to trace the coronary arterial boundaries automatically from x-ray angiograms. We developed an automatic procedure to detect the edges of an artery with its branches. The edge point is evaluated by a function based on smoothing differential operator on a searching line which is obtained by using the continuous properties of the arterial edges. Thus the boundary points along the artery are detected automatically. If there exists a branch on the boundary, it can be detected automatically. This information about the branch is stored on the stack of the search information and will be used to detect the branch artery. In our edge detection process, the required user interaction is only the manual definition of a starting point for the search, the direction of the search and the range for search. We tested this method on some images generated by a computer with different stenoses and on a coronary angiogram. These results show that this method is useful for analyzing coronary angiograms. (author)

The branch librarians' handbook

CERN Document Server

Rivers, Vickie

2004-01-01

""Recommended""--Booklist; ""an excellent addition...highly recommended""--Public Libraries; ""clear...very sound advice...strongly recommend""--Catholic Library World; ""excellent resource...organized...well written""--Against the Grain; ""interesting...thoroughly practical...a very good book...well organized...clearly written""--ARBA. This handbook covers a wide variety of issues that the branch librarian must deal with every day. Chapters are devoted to mission statements (the Dallas Public Library and Dayton Metro Library mission statements are highlighted as examples), library systems,

A DHHC-type zinc finger protein gene regulates shoot branching in ...