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Sample records for multiple thresholds arise

  1. Multiple photoionization following 3d5/2-shell threshold ionization of

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsui, T; Yoshii, H; Tsukamoto, K; Kawakita, S; Murakami, E; Adachi, J; Yagishita, A; Morioka, Y; Hayaishi, T

    2004-01-01

    Multiple photoionization of Xe near the 3d 5/2 -shell threshold photoionization region is studied by threshold electron-ion coincidence spectroscopy. The coincidence spectra of Xe 3+ to Xe 7+ ions exhibit characteristic profiles associated with multi-step post-collision interactions in Auger cascades following 3d 5/2 -shell threshold photoionization. The Auger cascade decay channels leading to the formation of multiply charged ions are deduced from the energies of the profile peaks, which increase gradually with increasing charge state. The formation of Xe 3+ to Xe 5+ ions is found to arise from cascades of normal Auger decays, whereas the formation of Xe 6+ and Xe 7+ ions involves double Auger decays. The branching ratio of double to normal Auger decays is estimated to be 0.25 (±0.1) for the decays following the creation of 3d 5/2 -hole states in Xe

  2. Multiple Ectopic Hepatocellular Carcinomas Arising in the Abdominal Cavity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toru Miyake

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Ectopic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is a very rare clinical entity that is defined as HCC arising from extrahepatic liver tissue. This report presents a case of ectopic multiple HCC arising in the abdominal cavity. A 42-year-old otherwise healthy male presented with liver dysfunction at a general health checkup. Both HCV antibody and hepatitis B surface antigen were negative. Laboratory examination showed elevations in serum alpha-fetoprotein and PIVKA-II. Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed multiple nodular lesions in the abdominal cavity with ascites without a possible primary tumor. Exploratory laparoscopy was performed, which revealed bloody ascites and multiple brown nodular tumors measuring approximately 10 mm in size that were disseminated on the perineum and mesentery. A postoperative PET-CT scan was performed but it did not reveal any evidence of a tumor in the liver. The tumors resected from the peritoneum were diagnosed as HCC. The present case of HCC was thought to have possibly developed from ectopic liver on the peritoneum or mesentery.

  3. NEUTRON SPECTRUM MEASUREMENTS USING MULTIPLE THRESHOLD DETECTORS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerken, William W.; Duffey, Dick

    1963-11-15

    From American Nuclear Society Meeting, New York, Nov. 1963. The use of threshold detectors, which simultaneously undergo reactions with thermal neutrons and two or more fast neutron threshold reactions, was applied to measurements of the neutron spectrum in a reactor. A number of different materials were irradiated to determine the most practical ones for use as multiple threshold detectors. These results, as well as counting techniques and corrections, are presented. Some materials used include aluminum, alloys of Al -Ni, aluminum-- nickel oxides, and magesium orthophosphates. (auth)

  4. Multiple Colliding Electromagnetic Pulses: A Way to Lower the Threshold of e+e- Pair Production from Vacuum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bulanov, S. S.; Mur, V. D.; Narozhny, N. B.; Nees, J.; Popov, V. S.

    2010-01-01

    The scheme of a simultaneous multiple pulse focusing on one spot naturally arises from the structural features of projected new laser systems, such as the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) and High Power laser Energy Research (HiPER). It is shown that the multiple pulse configuration is beneficial for observing e + e - pair production from a vacuum under the action of sufficiently strong electromagnetic fields. The field of focused pulses is described using a realistic three-dimensional model based on an exact solution of the Maxwell equations. The e + e - pair production threshold in terms of electromagnetic field energy can be substantially lowered if, instead of one or even two colliding pulses, multiple pulses are focused on one spot. The multiple pulse interaction geometry gives rise to subwavelength field features in the focal region. These features result in the production of extremely short e + e - bunches.

  5. Do multiple body modifications alter pain threshold?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamotová, A; Hrabák, P; Hříbek, P; Rokyta, R

    2017-12-30

    In recent years, epidemiological data has shown an increasing number of young people who deliberately self-injure. There have also been parallel increases in the number of people with tattoos and those who voluntarily undergo painful procedures associated with piercing, scarification, and tattooing. People with self-injury behaviors often say that they do not feel the pain. However, there is no information regarding pain perception in those that visit tattoo parlors and piercing studios compared to those who don't. The aim of this study was to compare nociceptive sensitivity in four groups of subjects (n=105, mean age 26 years, 48 women and 57 men) with different motivations to experience pain (i.e., with and without multiple body modifications) in two different situations; (1) in controlled, emotionally neutral conditions, and (2) at a "Hell Party" (HP), an event organized by a piercing and tattoo parlor, with a main event featuring a public demonstration of painful techniques (burn scars, hanging on hooks, etc.). Pain thresholds of the fingers of the hand were measured using a thermal stimulator and mechanical algometer. In HP participants, information about alcohol intake, self-harming behavior, and psychiatric history were used in the analysis as intervening variables. Individuals with body modifications as well as without body modifications had higher thermal pain thresholds at Hell Party, compared to thresholds measured at control neutral conditions. No such differences were found relative to mechanical pain thresholds. Increased pain threshold in all HP participants, irrespectively of body modification, cannot be simply explained by a decrease in the sensory component of pain; instead, we found that the environment significantly influenced the cognitive and affective component of pain.

  6. Damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under single and multiple femtosecond laser pulses: theoretical and experimental study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng, Qinglong; Zhang, Bin; Zhong, Sencheng; Zhu, Liguo

    2016-01-01

    The damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under single and multiple femtosecond laser pulses has been studied theoretically and experimentally. Firstly, the model for the damage threshold prediction of crystal materials based on the improved rate equation has been proposed. Then, the experimental measure method of the damage threshold of crystal materials has been given in detail. On the basis, the variation of the damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal with the pulse duration has also been analyzed quantitatively. Finally, the damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under multiple laser pulses has been measured and compared to the theoretical results. The results show that the transmittance of lithium niobate crystal is almost a constant when the laser pulse fluence is relative low, whereas it decreases linearly with the increase in the laser pulse fluence below the damage threshold. The damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal increases with the increase in the duration of the femtosecond laser pulse. And the damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under multiple laser pulses is obviously lower than that irradiated by a single laser pulse. The theoretical data fall in good agreement with the experimental results. (orig.)

  7. Multiple giant coronary aneurysms arising from coronary istula to the pulmonary artery revealed in aorta CT angiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Eun Ju; Lee, Ki Nam [Dept. of Radiology, Dong A University Hospital, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Min [Dept. of Radiology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University College of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-12-15

    Coronary fistula is a rare coronary abnormality through which blood drains into the cardiac chamber, great vessel or other vessels. In addition, giant aneurysm arising from coronary fistula is rare pathologic manifestation. Herein, we presented a rare case of multiple giant coronary artery aneurysms arising from coronary to pulmonary artery fistula in a 79-year-old woman presenting with sudden loss of consciousness. The aneurysms were detected using thoracic computed tomography angiography and consequently confirmed by invasive coronary angiography.

  8. Dynamic multiple thresholding breast boundary detection algorithm for mammograms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yi-Ta; Zhou Chuan; Chan, Heang-Ping; Paramagul, Chintana; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Daly, Caroline Plowden; Douglas, Julie A.; Zhang Yiheng; Sahiner, Berkman; Shi Jiazheng; Wei Jun

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Automated detection of breast boundary is one of the fundamental steps for computer-aided analysis of mammograms. In this study, the authors developed a new dynamic multiple thresholding based breast boundary (MTBB) detection method for digitized mammograms. Methods: A large data set of 716 screen-film mammograms (442 CC view and 274 MLO view) obtained from consecutive cases of an Institutional Review Board approved project were used. An experienced breast radiologist manually traced the breast boundary on each digitized image using a graphical interface to provide a reference standard. The initial breast boundary (MTBB-Initial) was obtained by dynamically adapting the threshold to the gray level range in local regions of the breast periphery. The initial breast boundary was then refined by using gradient information from horizontal and vertical Sobel filtering to obtain the final breast boundary (MTBB-Final). The accuracy of the breast boundary detection algorithm was evaluated by comparison with the reference standard using three performance metrics: The Hausdorff distance (HDist), the average minimum Euclidean distance (AMinDist), and the area overlap measure (AOM). Results: In comparison with the authors' previously developed gradient-based breast boundary (GBB) algorithm, it was found that 68%, 85%, and 94% of images had HDist errors less than 6 pixels (4.8 mm) for GBB, MTBB-Initial, and MTBB-Final, respectively. 89%, 90%, and 96% of images had AMinDist errors less than 1.5 pixels (1.2 mm) for GBB, MTBB-Initial, and MTBB-Final, respectively. 96%, 98%, and 99% of images had AOM values larger than 0.9 for GBB, MTBB-Initial, and MTBB-Final, respectively. The improvement by the MTBB-Final method was statistically significant for all the evaluation measures by the Wilcoxon signed rank test (p<0.0001). Conclusions: The MTBB approach that combined dynamic multiple thresholding and gradient information provided better performance than the breast boundary

  9. An Advanced Method to Apply Multiple Rainfall Thresholds for Urban Flood Warnings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiun-Huei Jang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Issuing warning information to the public when rainfall exceeds given thresholds is a simple and widely-used method to minimize flood risk; however, this method lacks sophistication when compared with hydrodynamic simulation. In this study, an advanced methodology is proposed to improve the warning effectiveness of the rainfall threshold method for urban areas through deterministic-stochastic modeling, without sacrificing simplicity and efficiency. With regards to flooding mechanisms, rainfall thresholds of different durations are divided into two groups accounting for flooding caused by drainage overload and disastrous runoff, which help in grading the warning level in terms of emergency and severity when the two are observed together. A flood warning is then classified into four levels distinguished by green, yellow, orange, and red lights in ascending order of priority that indicate the required measures, from standby, flood defense, evacuation to rescue, respectively. The proposed methodology is tested according to 22 historical events in the last 10 years for 252 urbanized townships in Taiwan. The results show satisfactory accuracy in predicting the occurrence and timing of flooding, with a logical warning time series for taking progressive measures. For systems with multiple rainfall thresholds already in place, the methodology can be used to ensure better application of rainfall thresholds in urban flood warnings.

  10. Predicting hearing thresholds and occupational hearing loss with multiple-frequency auditory steady-state responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ruey-Fen; Ho, Chi-Kung; Lu, Sheng-Nan; Chen, Shun-Sheng

    2010-10-01

    An objective investigation is needed to verify the existence and severity of hearing impairments resulting from work-related, noise-induced hearing loss in arbitration of medicolegal aspects. We investigated the accuracy of multiple-frequency auditory steady-state responses (Mf-ASSRs) between subjects with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) with and without occupational noise exposure. Cross-sectional study. Tertiary referral medical centre. Pure-tone audiometry and Mf-ASSRs were recorded in 88 subjects (34 patients had occupational noise-induced hearing loss [NIHL], 36 patients had SNHL without noise exposure, and 18 volunteers were normal controls). Inter- and intragroup comparisons were made. A predicting equation was derived using multiple linear regression analysis. ASSRs and pure-tone thresholds (PTTs) showed a strong correlation for all subjects (r = .77 ≈ .94). The relationship is demonstrated by the equationThe differences between the ASSR and PTT were significantly higher for the NIHL group than for the subjects with non-noise-induced SNHL (p tool for objectively evaluating hearing thresholds. Predictive value may be lower in subjects with occupational hearing loss. Regardless of carrier frequencies, the severity of hearing loss affects the steady-state response. Moreover, the ASSR may assist in detecting noise-induced injury of the auditory pathway. A multiple linear regression equation to accurately predict thresholds was shown that takes into consideration all effect factors.

  11. Multiple pulse nanosecond laser induced damage threshold on hybrid mirrors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanda, Jan; Muresan, Mihai-George; Bilek, Vojtech; Sebek, Matej; Hanus, Martin; Lucianetti, Antonio; Rostohar, Danijela; Mocek, Tomas; Škoda, Václav

    2017-11-01

    So-called hybrid mirrors, consisting of broadband metallic surface coated with dielectric reflector designed for specific wavelength, becoming more important with progressing development of broadband mid-IR sources realized using parametric down conversion system. Multiple pulse nanosecond laser induced damage on such mirrors was tested by method s-on-1, where s stands for various numbers of pulses. We show difference in damage threshold between common protected silver mirrors and hybrid silver mirrors prepared by PVD technique and their variants prepared by IAD. Keywords: LIDT,

  12. A novel EMD selecting thresholding method based on multiple iteration for denoising LIDAR signal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Meng; Jiang, Li-hui; Xiong, Xing-long

    2015-06-01

    Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) approach has been believed to be potentially useful for processing the nonlinear and non-stationary LIDAR signals. To shed further light on its performance, we proposed the EMD selecting thresholding method based on multiple iteration, which essentially acts as a development of EMD interval thresholding (EMD-IT), and randomly alters the samples of noisy parts of all the corrupted intrinsic mode functions to generate a better effect of iteration. Simulations on both synthetic signals and LIDAR signals from real world support this method.

  13. Threshold-Based Multiple Optical Signal Selection Scheme for Free-Space Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Zhang, Lin; Ko, Young-Chai

    2017-01-01

    We propose a threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical wavelength division multiplexing systems. With this scheme, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the possible complexity

  14. Performance Analysis of a Threshold-Based Parallel Multiple Beam Selection Scheme for WDM FSO Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ko, Young-Chai

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we statistically analyze the performance of a threshold-based parallel multiple beam selection scheme for a free-space optical (FSO) based system with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) in cases where a pointing error has occurred

  15. Calculation of Pareto-optimal solutions to multiple-objective problems using threshold-of-acceptability constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giesy, D. P.

    1978-01-01

    A technique is presented for the calculation of Pareto-optimal solutions to a multiple-objective constrained optimization problem by solving a series of single-objective problems. Threshold-of-acceptability constraints are placed on the objective functions at each stage to both limit the area of search and to mathematically guarantee convergence to a Pareto optimum.

  16. Dispersion-flattened-fiber based optical thresholder for multiple-access-interference suppression in OCDMA system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xu; Hamanaka, Taro; Wada, Naoya; Kitayama, Ken-Ichi

    2005-07-11

    An optical thresholding technique based on super-continuum generation in dispersion flattened fiber is proposed and experimentally demonstrated to enable data-rate detection in optical code division multiple access networks. The proposed scheme exhibits an excellent discrimination between a desired signal and interference signals with features of pulse reshaping, low insertion loss, polarization independency as well as reasonable operation power.

  17. CALCULUS FROM THE PAST: MULTIPLE DELAY SYSTEMS ARISING IN CANCER CELL MODELLING

    KAUST Repository

    WAKE, G. C.; BYRNE, H. M.

    2013-01-01

    Nonlocal calculus is often overlooked in the mathematics curriculum. In this paper we present an interesting new class of nonlocal problems that arise from modelling the growth and division of cells, especially cancer cells, as they progress through the cell cycle. The cellular biomass is assumed to be unstructured in size or position, and its evolution governed by a time-dependent system of ordinary differential equations with multiple time delays. The system is linear and taken to be autonomous. As a result, it is possible to reduce its solution to that of a nonlinear matrix eigenvalue problem. This method is illustrated by considering case studies, including a model of the cell cycle developed recently by Simms, Bean and Koeber. The paper concludes by explaining how asymptotic expressions for the distribution of cells across the compartments can be determined and used to assess the impact of different chemotherapeutic agents. Copyright © 2013 Australian Mathematical Society.

  18. Crossing Thresholds: Identifying conceptual transitions in postsecondary teaching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan Wilcox

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we report on research we conducted to begin the process of identifying threshold concepts in the field of postsecondary teaching. Meyer & Land (2006 propose that within all disciplinary fields there seem to be particular threshold concepts that serve as gateways, opening up new and previously inaccessible ways of thinking and practicing. We developed a series of questions focusing on the “troublesome” and “transformative” characteristics of threshold concepts and asked these questions of several constituent groups, including those who are new to practice and the body of knowledge in postsecondary teaching and those who are already knowledgeable and/or experienced in the field. Based on our interpretation of participants’ responses, we identified four recognized concepts in the field of postsecondary teaching as potential threshold concepts in this field: Assessment for/as learning; Learning-centred teaching; Accommodation for diversity; and, Context-driven practice. Our findings suggest that threshold concepts are relevant to the field of postsecondary teaching. Through this work, we hope to help educational developers and faculty members consider what is involved in learning to teach and developing teaching expertise, and to encourage critical discussion about the teaching development “curriculum” in postsecondary settings. Threshold concepts arise as a field develops and are defined as practitioners and scholars in the field define their field. At this stage, we believe the real value of threshold concepts for postsecondary teaching lies in the discussion that arises in the process of identifying and naming the concepts.

  19. T1- Thresholds in Black Holes Increase Clinical-Radiological Correlation in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaler, Christian; Faizy, Tobias; Sedlacik, Jan; Holst, Brigitte; Stellmann, Jan-Patrick; Young, Kim Lea; Heesen, Christoph; Fiehler, Jens; Siemonsen, Susanne

    2015-01-01

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an established tool in diagnosing and evaluating disease activity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). While clinical-radiological correlations are limited in general, hypointense T1 lesions (also known as Black Holes (BH)) have shown some promising results. The definition of BHs is very heterogeneous and depends on subjective visual evaluation. We aimed to improve clinical-radiological correlations by defining BHs using T1 relaxation time (T1-RT) thresholds to achieve best possible correlation between BH lesion volume and clinical disability. 40 patients with mainly relapsing-remitting MS underwent MRI including 3-dimensional fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) before and after Gadolinium (GD) injection and double inversion-contrast magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MP2RAGE) sequences. BHs (BHvis) were marked by two raters on native T1-weighted (T1w)-MPRAGE, contrast-enhancing lesions (CE lesions) on T1w-MPRAGE after GD and FLAIR lesions (total-FLAIR lesions) were detected separately. BHvis and total-FLAIR lesion maps were registered to MP2RAGE images, and the mean T1-RT were calculated for all lesion ROIs. Mean T1 values of the cortex (CTX) were calculated for each patient. Subsequently, Spearman rank correlations between clinical scores (Expanded Disability Status Scale and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite) and lesion volume were determined for different T1-RT thresholds. Significant differences in T1-RT were obtained between all different lesion types with highest T1 values in visually marked BHs (BHvis: 1453.3±213.4 ms, total-FLAIR lesions: 1394.33±187.38 ms, CTX: 1305.6±35.8 ms; p1500 ms (Expanded Disability Status Scale vs. lesion volume: rBHvis = 0.442 and rtotal-FLAIR = 0.497, p<0.05; Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite vs. lesion volume: rBHvis = -0.53 and rtotal-FLAIR = -0.627, p<0.05). Clinical-radiological correlations in MS patients are

  20. Thresholds of a bunched beam longitudinal instability in proton synchrotrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balbekov, V.I.; Ivanov, S.V.

    1986-01-01

    The formulas and graphs for calculating instability thresholds arising during the interaction of a bunched proton beam with narrow-band resonator are given. The instabilities of three types with oscillations of a definite multipolarity, oscillations of some bound multipoles and with microwave oscillations arising as a result of addition of a great number of multipoles. The analysis of the above data shows that the increase of oscillations nonlinearity is accompanied by the growth of instability threshold only in the zone of separated and weakly bound multipoles. The increase of spread of synchrotron frequencies reduces the zone separated multipoles owing to which the microwave bunch instability can be caused by more and more low-frequency resonators. In the microwave zone practically there is no stabilizing effect of synchrotron frequencies spread. The instability threshold of the bunched beam now - where exceeds the microwave level

  1. Decision threshold associated with multiple measurements. Application to the synthesis of the environment monitoring results; Seuil de decision associe a des mesures multiples. Application a la synthese des resultats de surveillance de l'environnement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vivier, A. [CEA, Institut national des sciences et techniques nucleaires, Centre de Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Manificat, G. [IRSN, Direction de l' environnement et de l' intervention, Service d' etude et de surveillance de la radioactivite dans l' environnement, BP 40035, 78116 Le Vesinet Cedex (France); Picolo, J.L.; Fleury, S. [IRSN, Direction de l' environnement et de l' intervention, Service de traitement des echantillons et de metrologie pour l' environnement, BP 40035, 78116 Le Vesinet Cedex (France); Mokili, M. [Laboratoire SUBATECH - UMR 6457, ecole des Mines de Nantes, IN2P3/CNRS, Universite de Nantes, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, La Chantrerie, BP 20722, 44307 Nantes Cedex 03 (France); Guo, X. [ORTEC-AMETEK Inc, 801 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (United States)

    2012-01-15

    When the sample activity is measured for various reasons several times, then with each measurement can be associated an individual decision threshold and limit of detection. Each measurement can be analyzed through its own decision threshold. The whole measurements can sometimes present contradictory results, some measurements being lower than the decision threshold and other higher. The problem then arises to build a decision threshold and a detection limit taking into account all the individual results, and to decide if the radioactivity is finally detected or not. It is interesting to note that it is possible sometimes that the decision threshold taking account all results makes it possible to decide that the radioactivity is present whereas the totality of the individual results are negative in terms of individual decision threshold. The purpose of this article is to show how these thresholds and these coherent limits cumulated can be determined in way according to the experimental conditions. In a general way a rigorous method of cumulating makes it possible to systematically decrease the decision threshold and limit of detection in terms of activity. This approach has interesting applications in gamma spectrometry with multi-emitters, discharge or periodical environmental measurements. On the basis of measurements realized by the IRSN within the framework of the national monitoring of the environment, we will see the potential impact of these methods on the final assessments. (authors)

  2. Four Different Tumors Arising in a Nevus Sebaceous

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeshi Namiki

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Nevus sebaceous is known by its association with one or more secondary tumors, but more than three multiple tumors arising from a nevus sebaceous is extremely rare. A 67-year-old female presented with a light brown plaque on the back of her head that contained a dome-shaped black node and an erosive lesion. Histopathological examination showed atypical basaloid cells in the black node. At the periphery of that node, structures resembling follicular germs extruded from interlacing cords in the upper portion and tumor nests with sebocytes were in the lower portion. In the erosive lesion, papillated structures with an apocrine epithelium were observed. In the light brown plaque, enlargement of sebaceous lobules was noted. From those histopathological features, a diagnosis of syringocystadenoma papilliferum, sebaceoma, trichoblastoma and basal cell carcinoma arising from a nevus sebaceous was made. We discuss the rarity of multiple tumors arising from a nevus sebaceous.

  3. Performance analysis of a threshold-based parallel multiple beam selection scheme for WDM-based systems for Gamma-Gamma distributions

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik; Yoon, Chang Seok; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we statistically analyze the performance of a threshold-based parallel multiple beam selection scheme (TPMBS) for Free-space optical (FSO) based system with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) in cases where a pointing error has

  4. Multi-objective convex programming problem arising in multivariate ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    Multi-objective convex programming problem arising in ... However, although the consideration of multiple objectives may seem a novel concept, virtually any nontrivial ..... Solving multiobjective programming problems by discrete optimization.

  5. High-order above-threshold dissociation of molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Peifen; Wang, Junping; Li, Hui; Lin, Kang; Gong, Xiaochun; Song, Qiying; Ji, Qinying; Zhang, Wenbin; Ma, Junyang; Li, Hanxiao; Zeng, Heping; He, Feng; Wu, Jian

    2018-03-01

    Electrons bound to atoms or molecules can simultaneously absorb multiple photons via the above-threshold ionization featured with discrete peaks in the photoelectron spectrum on account of the quantized nature of the light energy. Analogously, the above-threshold dissociation of molecules has been proposed to address the multiple-photon energy deposition in the nuclei of molecules. In this case, nuclear energy spectra consisting of photon-energy spaced peaks exceeding the binding energy of the molecular bond are predicted. Although the observation of such phenomena is difficult, this scenario is nevertheless logical and is based on the fundamental laws. Here, we report conclusive experimental observation of high-order above-threshold dissociation of H2 in strong laser fields where the tunneling-ionized electron transfers the absorbed multiphoton energy, which is above the ionization threshold to the nuclei via the field-driven inelastic rescattering. Our results provide an unambiguous evidence that the electron and nuclei of a molecule as a whole absorb multiple photons, and thus above-threshold ionization and above-threshold dissociation must appear simultaneously, which is the cornerstone of the nowadays strong-field molecular physics.

  6. Application of a handheld Pressure Application Measurement device for the characterisation of mechanical nociceptive thresholds in intact pig tails

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Di Giminiani, Pierpaolo; Sandercock, Dale A.; Malcolm, Emma M.

    2016-01-01

    The assessment of nociceptive thresholds is employed in animals and humans to evaluate changes in sensitivity potentially arising from tissue damage. Its application on the intact pig tail might represent a suitable method to assess changes in nociceptive thresholds arising from tail injury...... to the body was observed (P knowledge, no other...... nociceptive threshold in pig tails. This methodological approach is possibly suitable for assessing changes in tail stump MNTs after tail injury caused by tail docking and biting....

  7. Double threshold behavior in a resonance-controlled ZnO random laser

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryo Niyuki

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We observed unusual lasing characteristics, such as double thresholds and blue-shift of lasing peak, in a resonance-controlled ZnO random laser. From the analysis of lasing threshold carrier density, we found that the lasing at 1st and 2nd thresholds possibly arises from different mechanisms; the lasing at 1st threshold involves exciton recombination, whereas the lasing at 2nd threshold is caused by electron-hole plasma recombination, which is the typical origin of conventional random lasers. These phenomena are very similar to the transition from polariton lasing to photon lasing observed in a well-defined cavity laser.

  8. A vertical-energy-thresholding procedure for data reduction with multiple complex curves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Uk; Jeong, Myong K; Lu, Jye-Chyi

    2006-10-01

    Due to the development of sensing and computer technology, measurements of many process variables are available in current manufacturing processes. It is very challenging, however, to process a large amount of information in a limited time in order to make decisions about the health of the processes and products. This paper develops a "preprocessing" procedure for multiple sets of complicated functional data in order to reduce the data size for supporting timely decision analyses. The data type studied has been used for fault detection, root-cause analysis, and quality improvement in such engineering applications as automobile and semiconductor manufacturing and nanomachining processes. The proposed vertical-energy-thresholding (VET) procedure balances the reconstruction error against data-reduction efficiency so that it is effective in capturing key patterns in the multiple data signals. The selected wavelet coefficients are treated as the "reduced-size" data in subsequent analyses for decision making. This enhances the ability of the existing statistical and machine-learning procedures to handle high-dimensional functional data. A few real-life examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed procedure compared to several ad hoc techniques extended from single-curve-based data modeling and denoising procedures.

  9. Sparse Adaptive Iteratively-Weighted Thresholding Algorithm (SAITA for L p -Regularization Using the Multiple Sub-Dictionary Representation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunyi Li

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Both L 1 / 2 and L 2 / 3 are two typical non-convex regularizations of L p ( 0 < p < 1 , which can be employed to obtain a sparser solution than the L 1 regularization. Recently, the multiple-state sparse transformation strategy has been developed to exploit the sparsity in L 1 regularization for sparse signal recovery, which combines the iterative reweighted algorithms. To further exploit the sparse structure of signal and image, this paper adopts multiple dictionary sparse transform strategies for the two typical cases p ∈ { 1 / 2 ,   2 / 3 } based on an iterative L p thresholding algorithm and then proposes a sparse adaptive iterative-weighted L p thresholding algorithm (SAITA. Moreover, a simple yet effective regularization parameter is proposed to weight each sub-dictionary-based L p regularizer. Simulation results have shown that the proposed SAITA not only performs better than the corresponding L 1 algorithms but can also obtain a better recovery performance and achieve faster convergence than the conventional single-dictionary sparse transform-based L p case. Moreover, we conduct some applications about sparse image recovery and obtain good results by comparison with relative work.

  10. Contraction Options and Optimal Multiple-Stopping in Spectrally Negative Lévy Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamazaki, Kazutoshi, E-mail: kyamazak@kansai-u.ac.jp [Kansai University, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Engineering Science (Japan)

    2015-08-15

    This paper studies the optimal multiple-stopping problem arising in the context of the timing option to withdraw from a project in stages. The profits are driven by a general spectrally negative Lévy process. This allows the model to incorporate sudden declines of the project values, generalizing greatly the classical geometric Brownian motion model. We solve the one-stage case as well as the extension to the multiple-stage case. The optimal stopping times are of threshold-type and the value function admits an expression in terms of the scale function. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to verify the optimality and to evaluate the efficiency of the algorithm.

  11. Contraction Options and Optimal Multiple-Stopping in Spectrally Negative Lévy Models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, Kazutoshi

    2015-01-01

    This paper studies the optimal multiple-stopping problem arising in the context of the timing option to withdraw from a project in stages. The profits are driven by a general spectrally negative Lévy process. This allows the model to incorporate sudden declines of the project values, generalizing greatly the classical geometric Brownian motion model. We solve the one-stage case as well as the extension to the multiple-stage case. The optimal stopping times are of threshold-type and the value function admits an expression in terms of the scale function. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to verify the optimality and to evaluate the efficiency of the algorithm

  12. A threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme for WDM FSO systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik

    2017-07-20

    In this paper, we propose a threshold-based-multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical systems based on wavelength division multiplexing. With the proposed TMOS, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the potential increase in complexity of implementation caused by applying a selection-based beam selection scheme without a considerable performance loss. Here, to accurately characterize the performance of the proposed TMOS, we statistically analyze the characteristics with heterodyne detection technique over independent and identically distributed Log-normal turbulence conditions taking into considerations the impact of pointing error. Specifically, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the average bit error rate, and the average spectral efficiency by adopting an adaptive modulation. Some selected results shows that the average spectral efficiency can be increased with TMOS while the system requirement is satisfied.

  13. A threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme for WDM FSO systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ko, Young-Chai; Cho, Sung Ho

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a threshold-based-multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical systems based on wavelength division multiplexing. With the proposed TMOS, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the potential increase in complexity of implementation caused by applying a selection-based beam selection scheme without a considerable performance loss. Here, to accurately characterize the performance of the proposed TMOS, we statistically analyze the characteristics with heterodyne detection technique over independent and identically distributed Log-normal turbulence conditions taking into considerations the impact of pointing error. Specifically, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the average bit error rate, and the average spectral efficiency by adopting an adaptive modulation. Some selected results shows that the average spectral efficiency can be increased with TMOS while the system requirement is satisfied.

  14. Assessment of auditory threshold using Multiple Magnitude-Squared Coherence and amplitude modulated tones monaural stimulation around 40 Hz.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Glaucia de Morais; Antunes, Felipe; Henrique, Catherine Salvador; Felix, Leonardo Bonato

    2018-06-01

    The use of objective detection techniques applied to the auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) for the assessment of auditory thresholds has been investigated over the years. The idea consists in setting up the audiometric profile without subjective inference from patients and evaluators. The challenge encountered is to reduce the detection time of auditory thresholds reaching high correlation coefficients between the objective and the conventional thresholds, as well as reducing difference between thresholds. This paper evaluated the use of the Multiple Magnitude-Squared Coherence (MMSC) in Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSRs) evoked by amplitude modulated tones around 40 Hz, attaining objective audiograms, which were, later, compared to conventional audiograms. It was proposed an analysis of the electroencephalogram signals of ten subjects, monaurally stimulated, in the intensities 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 and 50 dB SPL, for carrier frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz. After the detection protocol parameters variation, two detectors were selected according to behavioral thresholds. The method of this study resulted in a Maximum detector with correlation coefficient r = 0.9262, mean difference between the objective and behavioral thresholds of 6.44 dB SPL, average detection time per ear of 49.96 min and per stimulus of 2.08 min. Meanwhile, the Fast detector presented coefficient r = 0.8401, mean difference of 6.81 dB SPL, average detection time of 28.20 min per ear and 1.18 per stimulus. The results of this study indicate that the MMSC use in the auditory responses detection might provide a reliable and efficient estimation of auditory thresholds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Higgs-Stoponium Mixing Near the Stop-Antistop Threshold

    CERN Document Server

    Bodwin, Geoffrey T; Wagner, Carlos E M

    2016-01-01

    Supersymmetric extensions of the standard model contain additional heavy neutral Higgs bosons that are coupled to heavy scalar top quarks (stops). This system exhibits interesting field theoretic phenomena when the Higgs mass is close to the stop-antistop production threshold. Existing work in the literature has examined the digluon-to-diphoton cross section near threshold and has focused on enhancements in the cross section that might arise either from the perturbative contributions to the Higgs-to-digluon and Higgs-to-diphoton form factors or from mixing of the Higgs boson with stoponium states. Near threshold, enhancements in the relevant amplitudes that go as inverse powers of the stop-antistop relative velocity require resummations of perturbation theory and/or nonperturbative treatments. We present a complete formulation of threshold effects at leading order in the stop-antistop relative velocity in terms of nonrelativistic effective field theory. We give detailed numerical calculations for the case in ...

  16. Hydrometeorological threshold conditions for debris flow initiation in Norway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. K. Meyer

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Debris flows, triggered by extreme precipitation events and rapid snow melt, cause considerable damage to the Norwegian infrastructure every year. To define intensity-duration (ID thresholds for debris flow initiation critical water supply conditions arising from intensive rainfall or snow melt were assessed on the basis of daily hydro-meteorological information for 502 documented debris flow events. Two threshold types were computed: one based on absolute ID relationships and one using ID relationships normalized by the local precipitation day normal (PDN. For each threshold type, minimum, medium and maximum threshold values were defined by fitting power law curves along the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of the data population. Depending on the duration of the event, the absolute threshold intensities needed for debris flow initiation vary between 15 and 107 mm day−1. Since the PDN changes locally, the normalized thresholds show spatial variations. Depending on location, duration and threshold level, the normalized threshold intensities vary between 6 and 250 mm day−1. The thresholds obtained were used for a frequency analysis of over-threshold events giving an estimation of the exceedance probability and thus potential for debris flow events in different parts of Norway. The absolute thresholds are most often exceeded along the west coast, while the normalized thresholds are most frequently exceeded on the west-facing slopes of the Norwegian mountain ranges. The minimum thresholds derived in this study are in the range of other thresholds obtained for regions with a climate comparable to Norway. Statistics reveal that the normalized threshold is more reliable than the absolute threshold as the former shows no spatial clustering of debris flows related to water supply events captured by the threshold.

  17. Low-threshold stimulated emission at 249 nm and 256 nm from AlGaN-based multiple-quantum-well lasers grown on sapphire substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Xiao-Hang; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Kao, Tsung-Ting; Satter, Md. Mahbub; Shen, Shyh-Chiang; Douglas Yoder, P.; Dupuis, Russell D., E-mail: dupuis@gatech.edu [Center for Compound Semiconductors and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0250 (United States); Wang, Shuo; Wei, Yong O.; Xie, Hongen; Fischer, Alec M.; Ponce, Fernando A. [Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1504 (United States); Wernicke, Tim; Reich, Christoph; Martens, Martin; Kneissl, Michael [Technical University of Berlin, Institute for Solid State Physics, Berlin D-10623 (Germany)

    2014-10-06

    Optically pumped deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lasing with low threshold was demonstrated from AlGaN-based multiple-quantum-well (MQW) heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates. The epitaxial layers were grown pseudomorphically by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on (0001) sapphire substrates. Stimulated emission was observed at wavelengths of 256 nm and 249 nm with thresholds of 61 kW/cm{sup 2} and 95 kW/cm{sup 2} at room temperature, respectively. The thresholds are comparable to the reported state-of-the-art AlGaN-based MQW DUV lasers grown on bulk AlN substrates emitting at 266 nm. These low thresholds are attributed to the optimization of active region and waveguide layer as well as the use of high-quality AlN/sapphire templates. The stimulated emission above threshold was dominated by transverse-electric polarization. This work demonstrates the potential candidacy of sapphire substrates for DUV diode lasers.

  18. Low-threshold stimulated emission at 249 nm and 256 nm from AlGaN-based multiple-quantum-well lasers grown on sapphire substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Xiao-Hang; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Kao, Tsung-Ting; Satter, Md. Mahbub; Shen, Shyh-Chiang; Douglas Yoder, P.; Dupuis, Russell D.; Wang, Shuo; Wei, Yong O.; Xie, Hongen; Fischer, Alec M.; Ponce, Fernando A.; Wernicke, Tim; Reich, Christoph; Martens, Martin; Kneissl, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Optically pumped deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lasing with low threshold was demonstrated from AlGaN-based multiple-quantum-well (MQW) heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates. The epitaxial layers were grown pseudomorphically by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on (0001) sapphire substrates. Stimulated emission was observed at wavelengths of 256 nm and 249 nm with thresholds of 61 kW/cm 2 and 95 kW/cm 2 at room temperature, respectively. The thresholds are comparable to the reported state-of-the-art AlGaN-based MQW DUV lasers grown on bulk AlN substrates emitting at 266 nm. These low thresholds are attributed to the optimization of active region and waveguide layer as well as the use of high-quality AlN/sapphire templates. The stimulated emission above threshold was dominated by transverse-electric polarization. This work demonstrates the potential candidacy of sapphire substrates for DUV diode lasers.

  19. Comparison between intensity- duration thresholds and cumulative rainfall thresholds for the forecasting of landslide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagomarsino, Daniela; Rosi, Ascanio; Rossi, Guglielmo; Segoni, Samuele; Catani, Filippo

    2014-05-01

    This work makes a quantitative comparison between the results of landslide forecasting obtained using two different rainfall threshold models, one using intensity-duration thresholds and the other based on cumulative rainfall thresholds in an area of northern Tuscany of 116 km2. The first methodology identifies rainfall intensity-duration thresholds by means a software called MaCumBA (Massive CUMulative Brisk Analyzer) that analyzes rain-gauge records, extracts the intensities (I) and durations (D) of the rainstorms associated with the initiation of landslides, plots these values on a diagram, and identifies thresholds that define the lower bounds of the I-D values. A back analysis using data from past events can be used to identify the threshold conditions associated with the least amount of false alarms. The second method (SIGMA) is based on the hypothesis that anomalous or extreme values of rainfall are responsible for landslide triggering: the statistical distribution of the rainfall series is analyzed, and multiples of the standard deviation (σ) are used as thresholds to discriminate between ordinary and extraordinary rainfall events. The name of the model, SIGMA, reflects the central role of the standard deviations in the proposed methodology. The definition of intensity-duration rainfall thresholds requires the combined use of rainfall measurements and an inventory of dated landslides, whereas SIGMA model can be implemented using only rainfall data. These two methodologies were applied in an area of 116 km2 where a database of 1200 landslides was available for the period 2000-2012. The results obtained are compared and discussed. Although several examples of visual comparisons between different intensity-duration rainfall thresholds are reported in the international literature, a quantitative comparison between thresholds obtained in the same area using different techniques and approaches is a relatively undebated research topic.

  20. Threshold-Based Multiple Optical Signal Selection Scheme for Free-Space Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik

    2017-11-13

    We propose a threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical wavelength division multiplexing systems. With this scheme, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the possible complexity of implementation caused by the beam-selection scheme and without a considerable performance loss. To characterize the performance of our scheme, we statistically analyze the operation characteristics under conventional detection conditions (i.e., heterodyne detection and intensity modulation/direct detection techniques) with log-normal turbulence while taking into consideration the impact of pointing error. More specifically, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the outage probability, the average bit error rate, and the average spectral efficiency while adopting an adaptive modulation. Some selected results show that TMOS increases the average spectral efficiency while maintaining a minimum average bit error rate requirement.

  1. Mouse epileptic seizure detection with multiple EEG features and simple thresholding technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tieng, Quang M.; Anbazhagan, Ashwin; Chen, Min; Reutens, David C.

    2017-12-01

    Objective. Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. The search for new treatments for seizures and epilepsy relies upon studies in animal models of epilepsy. To capture data on seizures, many applications require prolonged electroencephalography (EEG) with recordings that generate voluminous data. The desire for efficient evaluation of these recordings motivates the development of automated seizure detection algorithms. Approach. A new seizure detection method is proposed, based on multiple features and a simple thresholding technique. The features are derived from chaos theory, information theory and the power spectrum of EEG recordings and optimally exploit both linear and nonlinear characteristics of EEG data. Main result. The proposed method was tested with real EEG data from an experimental mouse model of epilepsy and distinguished seizures from other patterns with high sensitivity and specificity. Significance. The proposed approach introduces two new features: negative logarithm of adaptive correlation integral and power spectral coherence ratio. The combination of these new features with two previously described features, entropy and phase coherence, improved seizure detection accuracy significantly. Negative logarithm of adaptive correlation integral can also be used to compute the duration of automatically detected seizures.

  2. Threshold selection for classification of MR brain images by clustering method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moldovanu, Simona [Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, 47 Domnească St., 800008, Romania, Phone: +40 236 460 780 (Romania); Dumitru Moţoc High School, 15 Milcov St., 800509, Galaţi (Romania); Obreja, Cristian; Moraru, Luminita, E-mail: luminita.moraru@ugal.ro [Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, 47 Domnească St., 800008, Romania, Phone: +40 236 460 780 (Romania)

    2015-12-07

    Given a grey-intensity image, our method detects the optimal threshold for a suitable binarization of MR brain images. In MR brain image processing, the grey levels of pixels belonging to the object are not substantially different from the grey levels belonging to the background. Threshold optimization is an effective tool to separate objects from the background and further, in classification applications. This paper gives a detailed investigation on the selection of thresholds. Our method does not use the well-known method for binarization. Instead, we perform a simple threshold optimization which, in turn, will allow the best classification of the analyzed images into healthy and multiple sclerosis disease. The dissimilarity (or the distance between classes) has been established using the clustering method based on dendrograms. We tested our method using two classes of images: the first consists of 20 T2-weighted and 20 proton density PD-weighted scans from two healthy subjects and from two patients with multiple sclerosis. For each image and for each threshold, the number of the white pixels (or the area of white objects in binary image) has been determined. These pixel numbers represent the objects in clustering operation. The following optimum threshold values are obtained, T = 80 for PD images and T = 30 for T2w images. Each mentioned threshold separate clearly the clusters that belonging of the studied groups, healthy patient and multiple sclerosis disease.

  3. Cochlear neuropathy and the coding of supra-threshold sound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharadwaj, Hari M; Verhulst, Sarah; Shaheen, Luke; Liberman, M Charles; Shinn-Cunningham, Barbara G

    2014-01-01

    Many listeners with hearing thresholds within the clinically normal range nonetheless complain of difficulty hearing in everyday settings and understanding speech in noise. Converging evidence from human and animal studies points to one potential source of such difficulties: differences in the fidelity with which supra-threshold sound is encoded in the early portions of the auditory pathway. Measures of auditory subcortical steady-state responses (SSSRs) in humans and animals support the idea that the temporal precision of the early auditory representation can be poor even when hearing thresholds are normal. In humans with normal hearing thresholds (NHTs), paradigms that require listeners to make use of the detailed spectro-temporal structure of supra-threshold sound, such as selective attention and discrimination of frequency modulation (FM), reveal individual differences that correlate with subcortical temporal coding precision. Animal studies show that noise exposure and aging can cause a loss of a large percentage of auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) without any significant change in measured audiograms. Here, we argue that cochlear neuropathy may reduce encoding precision of supra-threshold sound, and that this manifests both behaviorally and in SSSRs in humans. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that noise-induced neuropathy may be selective for higher-threshold, lower-spontaneous-rate nerve fibers. Based on our hypothesis, we suggest some approaches that may yield particularly sensitive, objective measures of supra-threshold coding deficits that arise due to neuropathy. Finally, we comment on the potential clinical significance of these ideas and identify areas for future investigation.

  4. Cochlear Neuropathy and the Coding of Supra-threshold Sound

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hari M Bharadwaj

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Many listeners with hearing thresholds within the clinically normal range nonetheless complain of difficulty hearing in everyday settings and understanding speech in noise. Converging evidence from human and animal studies points to one potential source of such difficulties: differences in the fidelity with which supra-threshold sound is encoded in the early portions of the auditory pathway. Measures of auditory subcortical steady-state responses in humans and animals support the idea that the temporal precision of the early auditory representation can be poor even when hearing thresholds are normal. In humans with normal hearing thresholds, behavioral ability in paradigms that require listeners to make use of the detailed spectro-temporal structure of supra-threshold sound, such as selective attention and discrimination of frequency modulation, correlate with subcortical temporal coding precision. Animal studies show that noise exposure and aging can cause a loss of a large percentage of auditory nerve fibers without any significant change in measured audiograms. Here, we argue that cochlear neuropathy may reduce encoding precision of supra-threshold sound, and that this manifests both behaviorally and in subcortical steady-state responses in humans. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that noise-induced neuropathy may be selective for higher-threshold, lower-spontaneous-rate nerve fibers. Based on our hypothesis, we suggest some approaches that may yield particularly sensitive, objective measures of supra-threshold coding deficits that arise due to neuropathy. Finally, we comment on the potential clinical significance of these ideas and identify areas for future investigation.

  5. A threshold for dissipative fission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thoennessen, M.; Bertsch, G.F.

    1993-01-01

    The empirical domain of validity of statistical theory is examined as applied to fission data on pre-fission data on pre-fission neutron, charged particle, and γ-ray multiplicities. Systematics are found of the threshold excitation energy for the appearance of nonstatistical fission. From the data on systems with not too high fissility, the relevant phenomenological parameter is the ratio of the threshold temperature T thresh to the (temperature-dependent) fission barrier height E Bar (T). The statistical model reproduces the data for T thresh /E Bar (T) thresh /E Bar (T) independent of mass and fissility of the systems

  6. Multiple-Threshold Event Detection and Other Enhancements to the Virtual Seismologist (VS) Earthquake Early Warning Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, M.; Caprio, M.; Cua, G. B.; Heaton, T. H.; Clinton, J. F.; Wiemer, S.

    2009-12-01

    The Virtual Seismologist (VS) algorithm is a Bayesian approach to earthquake early warning (EEW) being implemented by the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich. The application of Bayes’ theorem in earthquake early warning states that the most probable source estimate at any given time is a combination of contributions from a likelihood function that evolves in response to incoming data from the on-going earthquake, and selected prior information, which can include factors such as network topology, the Gutenberg-Richter relationship or previously observed seismicity. The VS algorithm was one of three EEW algorithms involved in the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN) real-time EEW testing and performance evaluation effort. Its compelling real-time performance in California over the last three years has led to its inclusion in the new USGS-funded effort to develop key components of CISN ShakeAlert, a prototype EEW system that could potentially be implemented in California. A significant portion of VS code development was supported by the SAFER EEW project in Europe. We discuss recent enhancements to the VS EEW algorithm. We developed and continue to test a multiple-threshold event detection scheme, which uses different association / location approaches depending on the peak amplitudes associated with an incoming P pick. With this scheme, an event with sufficiently high initial amplitudes can be declared on the basis of a single station, maximizing warning times for damaging events for which EEW is most relevant. Smaller, non-damaging events, which will have lower initial amplitudes, will require more picks to be declared an event to reduce false alarms. This transforms the VS codes from a regional EEW approach reliant on traditional location estimation (and it requirement of at least 4 picks as implemented by the Binder Earthworm phase associator) to a hybrid on-site/regional approach capable of providing a continuously evolving stream of EEW

  7. Threshold of decay instability in an inhomogeneous plasma (Leningrad 1973)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piliia, A.D.

    It is shown that in a spatially inhomogeneous plasma there can exist an absolute decay instability with a threshold lower than that found earlier. This instability arises when two parametrically coupled waves have turning points inside the plasma layer. The cause of the instability is a positive inverse coupling, caused by a nonlinear conversion and a reflection of the waves

  8. Assessment of radioactive residues arising from radiolabel instability in a multiple dose tissue distribution study in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slatter, J.G.; Sams, J.P.; Easter, J.A.

    2003-01-01

    Our study objectives were to quantitatively determine the effect of radiolabel instability on terminal phase radioactive tissue residues in a multiple dose tissue distribution study, to quantitatively compare tissue residue artifacts (non drug-related radioactivity) from two chemically-distinct radiolabel locations, and to conduct a definitive multiple dose tissue distribution study using the better of the two radiolabeled compounds. We compared the excretion and tissue distribution in rats of [ 14 C]linezolid, radiolabeled in two different locations, after 7 consecutive once daily [ 14 C] oral doses. The radiolabels were in the acetamide (two carbon) and oxazolidinone (isolated carbon) functional groups. Terminal phase tissue residue and excretion data were compared to data from rats dosed orally with [ 14 C]sodium acetate. Drug-related radioactivity was excreted rapidly over 24 h. After a single dose, the acetamide and oxazolidinone radiolabel sites both gave 3% of dose as exhaled 14 CO 2 . After 7 daily [ 14 C] oral doses, terminal phase radioactive tissue residues were higher from the acetamide radiolabel, relative to the oxazolidinone radiolabel, and were primarily not drug-related. In the definitive tissue distribution study, low concentrations of drug-related radioactivity in skin and thyroid were observed. We conclude that although small amounts of radiolabel instability do not significantly affect single dose tissue radioactivity C max and area under the curve (AUC), artifacts arising from radiolabel instability can prolong the apparent terminal phase half life and complicate study data interpretation. When possible, it is always preferable to use a completely stable radiolabel site. (author)

  9. Assessment of radioactive residues arising from radiolabel instability in a multiple dose tissue distribution study in rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Slatter, J.G. [Pharmacia Corp., Peapack, NJ (United States); Sams, J.P.; Easter, J.A. [Pharmacia Corp., Kalamazoo, MI (United States)] [and others

    2003-05-01

    Our study objectives were to quantitatively determine the effect of radiolabel instability on terminal phase radioactive tissue residues in a multiple dose tissue distribution study, to quantitatively compare tissue residue artifacts (non drug-related radioactivity) from two chemically-distinct radiolabel locations, and to conduct a definitive multiple dose tissue distribution study using the better of the two radiolabeled compounds. We compared the excretion and tissue distribution in rats of [{sup 14}C]linezolid, radiolabeled in two different locations, after 7 consecutive once daily [{sup 14}C] oral doses. The radiolabels were in the acetamide (two carbon) and oxazolidinone (isolated carbon) functional groups. Terminal phase tissue residue and excretion data were compared to data from rats dosed orally with [{sup 14}C]sodium acetate. Drug-related radioactivity was excreted rapidly over 24 h. After a single dose, the acetamide and oxazolidinone radiolabel sites both gave 3% of dose as exhaled {sup 14}CO{sub 2}. After 7 daily [{sup 14}C] oral doses, terminal phase radioactive tissue residues were higher from the acetamide radiolabel, relative to the oxazolidinone radiolabel, and were primarily not drug-related. In the definitive tissue distribution study, low concentrations of drug-related radioactivity in skin and thyroid were observed. We conclude that although small amounts of radiolabel instability do not significantly affect single dose tissue radioactivity C{sub max} and area under the curve (AUC), artifacts arising from radiolabel instability can prolong the apparent terminal phase half life and complicate study data interpretation. When possible, it is always preferable to use a completely stable radiolabel site. (author)

  10. Compartmentalization in environmental science and the perversion of multiple thresholds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burkart, W. [Institute of Radiation Hygiene of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, D 85716 Oberschleissheim, Muenchen (Germany)

    2000-04-17

    Nature and living organisms are separated into compartments. The self-assembly of phospholipid micelles was as fundamental to the emergence of life and evolution as the formation of DNA precursors and their self-replication. Also, modern science owes much of its success to the study of single compartments, the dissection of complex structures and event chains into smaller study objects which can be manipulated with a set of more and more sophisticated equipment. However, in environmental science, these insights are obtained at a price: firstly, it is difficult to recognize, let alone to take into account what is lost during fragmentation and dissection; and secondly, artificial compartments such as scientific disciplines become self-sustaining, leading to new and unnecessary boundaries, subtly framing scientific culture and impeding progress in holistic understanding. The long-standing but fruitless quest to define dose-effect relationships and thresholds for single toxic agents in our environment is a central part of the problem. Debating single-agent toxicity in splendid isolation is deeply flawed in view of a modern world where people are exposed to low levels of a multitude of genotoxic and non-genotoxic agents. Its potential danger lies in the unwarranted postulation of separate thresholds for agents with similar action. A unifying concept involving toxicology and radiation biology is needed for a full mechanistic assessment of environmental health risks. The threat of synergism may be less than expected, but this may also hold for the safety margin commonly thought to be a consequence of linear no-threshold dose-effect relationship assumptions.

  11. Effects of pump recycling technique on stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold: a theoretical model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Asadi, H A; Al-Mansoori, M H; Ajiya, M; Hitam, S; Saripan, M I; Mahdi, M A

    2010-10-11

    We develop a theoretical model that can be used to predict stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold in optical fibers that arises through the effect of Brillouin pump recycling technique. Obtained simulation results from our model are in close agreement with our experimental results. The developed model utilizes single mode optical fiber of different lengths as the Brillouin gain media. For 5-km long single mode fiber, the calculated threshold power for SBS is about 16 mW for conventional technique. This value is reduced to about 8 mW when the residual Brillouin pump is recycled at the end of the fiber. The decrement of SBS threshold is due to longer interaction lengths between Brillouin pump and Stokes wave.

  12. Schubert calculus and threshold polynomials of affine fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irvine, S.E.; Walton, M.A.

    2000-01-01

    We show how the threshold level of affine fusion, the fusion of Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) conformal field theories, fits into the Schubert calculus introduced by Gepner. The Pieri rule can be modified in a simple way to include the threshold level, so that calculations may be done for all (non-negative integer) levels at once. With the usual Giambelli formula, the modified Pieri formula deforms the tensor product coefficients (and the fusion coefficients) into what we call threshold polynomials. We compare them with the q-deformed tensor product coefficients and fusion coefficients that are related to q-deformed weight multiplicities. We also discuss the meaning of the threshold level in the context of paths on graphs

  13. Kapteyn series arising in radiation problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lerche, I; Tautz, R C

    2008-01-01

    In discussing radiation from multiple point charges or magnetic dipoles, moving in circles or ellipses, a variety of Kapteyn series of the second kind arises. Some of the series have been known in closed form for a hundred years or more, others appear not to be available to analytic persuasion. This paper shows how 12 such generic series can be developed to produce either closed analytic expressions or integrals that are not analytically tractable. In addition, the method presented here may be of benefit when one has other Kapteyn series of the second kind to consider, thereby providing an additional reason to consider such series anew

  14. The effects of loading history on fatigue crack growth threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Takeshi; Tokaji, Keiro; Ochi, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Hideo.

    1987-01-01

    The effects of loading history on threshold stress intensity range (ΔK th ) were investigated in a low alloy steel SFVQ1A (A508 - 3) and a low carbon steel S10C. A single overload and multiple overloads were chosen as loading history. Crack growth and crack closure following the loading histories were measured at load ratios of 0.05 and 0.70. Threshold values were determined as a fatigue limit of preloaded specimens. The ΔK th values increased with increasing overload stress intensity factor (K h ). For a given K h value, multiple overloads produced much larger increase in ΔK th than a single overload and threshold values expressed by maximum stress intensity factor (K max,th ) were almost constant, independent of stress ratio. The results obtained were discussed in terms of crack closure behaviour, and a method was proposed to evaluate the threshold value based on plasticity-induced crack closure. (author)

  15. Association of Odor Thresholds and Responses in Cerebral Blood Flow of the Prefrontal Area during Olfactory Stimulation in Patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenichi Azuma

    Full Text Available Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS is a disorder characterized by nonspecific and recurrent symptoms from various organ systems associated with exposure to low levels of chemicals. Patients with MCS process odors differently than controls do. Previously, we suggested that this odor processing was associated with increased regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF in the prefrontal area during olfactory stimulation using near-infrared spectroscopic (NIRS imaging. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of odor thresholds and changes in rCBF during olfactory stimulation at odor threshold levels in patients with MCS. We investigated changes in the prefrontal area using NIRS imaging and a T&T olfactometer during olfactory stimulation with two different odorants (sweet and fecal at three concentrations (zero, odor recognition threshold, and normal perceived odor level in 10 patients with MCS and six controls. The T&T olfactometer threshold test and subjective assessment of irritating and hedonic odors were also performed. The results indicated that the scores for both unpleasant and pungent odors were significantly higher for those for sweet odors at the normal perceived level in patients with MCS than in controls. The brain responses at the recognition threshold (fecal odor and normal perceived levels (sweet and fecal odors were stronger in patients with MCS than in controls. However, significant differences in the odor detection and recognition thresholds and odor intensity score between the two groups were not observed. These brain responses may involve cognitive and memory processing systems during past exposure to chemicals. Further research regarding the cognitive features of sensory perception and memory due to past exposure to chemicals and their associations with MCS symptoms is needed.

  16. Reduced modular symmetries of threshold corrections and gauge coupling unification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bailin, David; Love, Alex [Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Sussex,Brighton, BN1 9QH (United Kingdom)

    2015-04-01

    We revisit the question of gauge coupling unification at the string scale in orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string for the supersymmetric Standard Model. In the presence of discrete Wilson lines threshold corrections with modular symmetry that is a subgroup of the full modular group arise. We find that reduced modular symmetries not previously reported are possible. We conjecture that the effects of such threshold corrections can be simulated using sums of terms built from Dedekind eta functions to obtain the appropriate modular symmetry. For the cases of the ℤ{sub 8}-I orbifold and the ℤ{sub 3}×ℤ{sub 6} orbifold it is easily possible to obtain gauge coupling unification at the “observed” scale with Kähler moduli T of approximately one.

  17. Clinical multiple sclerosis occurs at one end of a spectrum of CNS pathology: a modified threshold liability model leads to new ways of thinking about the cause of clinical multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haegert, David G

    2005-01-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex trait, the causes of which are elusive. A threshold liability model influences thinking about the causes of this disorder. According to this model, a population has a normal distribution of genetic liability to MS. In addition, a threshold exists, so that MS begins when an individual's liability exceeds the MS threshold; environmental and other causative factors may increase or decrease an individual's MS liability. It is argued here, however, that this model is misleading, as it is based on the incorrect assumption that MS is a disorder that one either has or does not have. This paper hypothesizes, instead, that patients with a diagnosis of MS share identical CNS pathology, termed MS pathology, with some individuals who have a diagnosis of possible MS and with some apparently healthy individuals, who may never have a diagnosis of MS. In order to accommodate this hypothesis, the current threshold liability model is modified as follows. (1) In addition to a normal distribution of MS liability within a population, a spectrum of MS pathology occurs in some who have a high MS liability. (2) A clinical MS threshold exists at a point on this liability distribution, where the burden and distribution of MS pathology permits a diagnosis of clinical MS. (3) Additional thresholds exist that correspond to a lower MS liability and a lesser burden of MS pathology than occur at the clinical MS threshold. This modified threshold model leads to the postulate that causes act at various time points to increase MS liability and induce MS pathology. The accumulation of MS pathology sometimes leads to a diagnosis of clinical MS. One implication of this model is that the MS pathology in clinical MS and in some with possible MS differs only in the extent but not in the type of CNS injury. Thus, it may be possible to obtain insight into the causative environmental factors that increase MS liability and induce MS pathology by focusing on patients who

  18. Fusion of Thresholding Rules During Wavelet-Based Noisy Image Compression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bekhtin Yury

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The new method for combining semisoft thresholding rules during wavelet-based data compression of images with multiplicative noise is suggested. The method chooses the best thresholding rule and the threshold value using the proposed criteria which provide the best nonlinear approximations and take into consideration errors of quantization. The results of computer modeling have shown that the suggested method provides relatively good image quality after restoration in the sense of some criteria such as PSNR, SSIM, etc.

  19. Multiple solutions for inhomogeneous nonlinear elliptic problems arising in astrophyiscs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Calahorrano

    2004-04-01

    Full Text Available Using variational methods we prove the existence and multiplicity of solutions for some nonlinear inhomogeneous elliptic problems on a bounded domain in $mathbb{R}^n$, with $ngeq 2$ and a smooth boundary, and when the domain is $mathbb{R}_+^n$

  20. Multiple imputation for multivariate data with missing and below-threshold measurements: time-series concentrations of pollutants in the Arctic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopke, P K; Liu, C; Rubin, D B

    2001-03-01

    Many chemical and environmental data sets are complicated by the existence of fully missing values or censored values known to lie below detection thresholds. For example, week-long samples of airborne particulate matter were obtained at Alert, NWT, Canada, between 1980 and 1991, where some of the concentrations of 24 particulate constituents were coarsened in the sense of being either fully missing or below detection limits. To facilitate scientific analysis, it is appealing to create complete data by filling in missing values so that standard complete-data methods can be applied. We briefly review commonly used strategies for handling missing values and focus on the multiple-imputation approach, which generally leads to valid inferences when faced with missing data. Three statistical models are developed for multiply imputing the missing values of airborne particulate matter. We expect that these models are useful for creating multiple imputations in a variety of incomplete multivariate time series data sets.

  1. Abnormal pain perception in patients with Multiple System Atrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ory-Magne, F; Pellaprat, J; Harroch, E; Galitzsky, M; Rousseau, V; Pavy-Le Traon, A; Rascol, O; Gerdelat, A; Brefel-Courbon, C

    2018-03-01

    Patients with Parkinson's disease or Multiple System Atrophy frequently experience painful sensations. The few studies investigating pain mechanisms in Multiple System Atrophy patients have reported contradictory results. In our study, we compared pain thresholds in Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson's disease patients and healthy controls and evaluated the effect of l-DOPA on pain thresholds. We assessed subjective and objective pain thresholds (using a thermotest and RIII reflex), and pain tolerance in OFF and ON conditions, clinical pain, motor and psychological evaluation. Pain was reported in 78.6% of Multiple System Atrophy patients and in 37.5% of Parkinson's disease patients. In the OFF condition, subjective and objective pain thresholds were significantly lower in Multiple System Atrophy patients than in healthy controls (43.8 °C ± 1.3 vs 45.7 °C ± 0.8; p = 0.0005 and 7.4 mA ± 3.8 vs 13.7 mA ± 2.8; p = 0.002, respectively). They were also significantly reduced in Multiple System Atrophy compared to Parkinson's disease patients. No significant difference was found in pain tolerance for the 3 groups and in the effect of l-DOPA on pain thresholds in Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson's disease patients. In the ON condition, pain tolerance tended to be reduced in Multiple System Atrophy versus Parkinson's disease patients (p = 0.05). Multiple System Atrophy patients had an increase in pain perception compared to Parkinson's disease patients and healthy controls. The l-DOPA effect was similar for pain thresholds in Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson's disease patients, but tended to worsen pain tolerance in Multiple System Atrophy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. A low walk double threshold discriminator for gas tracking devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balla, A.; Benussi, L.; Bertani, M.; Bianco, S.; Corradi, G.; Fabbri, F. L.; Giannotti, P.; Giardoni, M.; Lucherini, V.; Pace, E.; Passamonti, L.; Pompili, F.; Russo, V.; Sarwar, S.; Tomassini, S.

    2001-01-01

    A 9U VME like double threshold discriminator has been designed and constructed at Frascati INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) laboratories. Its aim is to process the signals arising from gas drift chambers, introducing a very small time walk (∼ 650 ps.). Each discriminator board houses 32 channels. Each channel is located on an independent printed circuit mounted on socket. This solution is very convenient for replacing faulty channels without loosing operation of the full board

  3. A case of multiple squamous cell carcinomas arising from red tattoo pigment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Maxim, BS, MS

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Ornamental tattooing involves the administration of exogenous pigments into the skin to create a permanent design. Our case focuses on a 62-year-old woman who presented with an inflamed enlarging nodule on her right proximal calf, which arose within the red pigment of an ornamental tattoo. The nodule was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC and subsequently excised. Over the course of the following year, the patient was diagnosed with a total of five additional SCCs that also arose within the red pigment of the tattoo. The increased popularity of tattooing and the lack of industry safety standards for tattoo ink production, especially metal-laden red pigments, may lead to more cases of skin cancer arising within tattoos among patients of all ages.

  4. Malignancy arising within cutaneous tattoos: case of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and review of literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, Kavitha K; Hanke, C William; Tierney, Emily P

    2011-08-01

    Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon tumor of the skin with high rates of local recurrence. Several reports describe a frequent history of local trauma. In one prior case, a DFSP arising in a tattoo site has been reported. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) has been used successfully for treatment. To present a case of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans arising in the site of a prior and current tattoo, and treated with Mohs micrographic surgery. We present findings of a case of a DFSP arising in a tattoo and a review of Medline literature on the association between tattoos and cutaneous malignancy, and treatment of DFSP with MMS. Review of the literature confirms multiple reports of DFSP arising in sites of local trauma, as well as malignancies arising in sites of tattoos. The recurrence rate for MMS treatment of DFSP (0-6.6%) was found to be significantly lower than that for patients treated with wide local excision (13% to 95%). DFSP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neoplasms arising within areas of tattoos. Sites of local trauma and tattoos may show predilection for benign and malignant changes and should be evaluated during regular skin exams. Review of the literature confirms MMS is an ideal treatment modality for DFSP as the tumor often extends far beyond clinical margins.

  5. State dependent arrival in bulk retrial queueing system with immediate Bernoulli feedback, multiple vacations and threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niranjan, S. P.; Chandrasekaran, V. M.; Indhira, K.

    2017-11-01

    The objective of this paper is to analyse state dependent arrival in bulk retrial queueing system with immediate Bernoulli feedback, multiple vacations, threshold and constant retrial policy. Primary customers are arriving into the system in bulk with different arrival rates λ a and λ b . If arriving customers find the server is busy then the entire batch will join to orbit. Customer from orbit request service one by one with constant retrial rate γ. On the other hand if an arrival of customers finds the server is idle then customers will be served in batches according to general bulk service rule. After service completion, customers may request service again with probability δ as feedback or leave from the system with probability 1 - δ. In the service completion epoch, if the orbit size is zero then the server leaves for multiple vacations. The server continues the vacation until the orbit size reaches the value ‘N’ (N > b). At the vacation completion, if the orbit size is ‘N’ then the server becomes ready to provide service for customers from the main pool or from the orbit. For the designed queueing model, probability generating function of the queue size at an arbitrary time will be obtained by using supplementary variable technique. Various performance measures will be derived with suitable numerical illustrations.

  6. Dynamics of polaritons in semiconductor microcavities near instability thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Peng-Bin

    2012-01-01

    A theoretical study is presented on the dynamics of polaritons in semiconductor microcavities near parametric instability thresholds. With upward or downward ramp of optical pump, different instability modes emerge in parameter space defined by damping and detuning. According to these modes, stationary short-wave, stationary periodic, oscillatory periodic, and oscillatory uniform parametric instabilities are distinguished. By multiple scale expansion, the dynamics near threshold can be described by a critical mode with a slowly varying amplitude for the last three instabilities. Furthermore, it is found that the evolutions of their amplitudes are governed by real or complex Ginzburg–Landau equations. -- Highlights: ► Phase diagrams for different instability in extended parameter space. ► Different instability modes near thresholds. ► Different envelop equations near thresholds obtained by multi-scale expansion.

  7. Multiple routes transmitted epidemics on multiplex networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Dawei; Li, Lixiang; Peng, Haipeng; Luo, Qun; Yang, Yixian

    2014-01-01

    This letter investigates the multiple routes transmitted epidemic process on multiplex networks. We propose detailed theoretical analysis that allows us to accurately calculate the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. It is found that the epidemic can spread across the multiplex network even if all the network layers are well below their respective epidemic thresholds. Strong positive degree–degree correlation of nodes in multiplex network could lead to a much lower epidemic threshold and a relatively smaller outbreak size. However, the average similarity of neighbors from different layers of nodes has no obvious effect on the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. -- Highlights: •We studies multiple routes transmitted epidemic process on multiplex networks. •SIR model and bond percolation theory are used to analyze the epidemic processes. •We derive equations to accurately calculate the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. •ASN has no effect on the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. •Strong positive DDC leads to a lower epidemic threshold and a smaller outbreak size.

  8. Multiple routes transmitted epidemics on multiplex networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Dawei [Information Security Center, State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P.O. Box 145, Beijing 100876 (China); National Engineering Laboratory for Disaster Backup and Recovery, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Computer Network, Shandong Computer Science Center, Jinan 250014 (China); Li, Lixiang [Information Security Center, State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P.O. Box 145, Beijing 100876 (China); National Engineering Laboratory for Disaster Backup and Recovery, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Peng, Haipeng, E-mail: penghaipeng@bupt.edu.cn [Information Security Center, State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P.O. Box 145, Beijing 100876 (China); National Engineering Laboratory for Disaster Backup and Recovery, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Luo, Qun; Yang, Yixian [Information Security Center, State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P.O. Box 145, Beijing 100876 (China); National Engineering Laboratory for Disaster Backup and Recovery, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China)

    2014-02-01

    This letter investigates the multiple routes transmitted epidemic process on multiplex networks. We propose detailed theoretical analysis that allows us to accurately calculate the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. It is found that the epidemic can spread across the multiplex network even if all the network layers are well below their respective epidemic thresholds. Strong positive degree–degree correlation of nodes in multiplex network could lead to a much lower epidemic threshold and a relatively smaller outbreak size. However, the average similarity of neighbors from different layers of nodes has no obvious effect on the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. -- Highlights: •We studies multiple routes transmitted epidemic process on multiplex networks. •SIR model and bond percolation theory are used to analyze the epidemic processes. •We derive equations to accurately calculate the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. •ASN has no effect on the epidemic threshold and outbreak size. •Strong positive DDC leads to a lower epidemic threshold and a smaller outbreak size.

  9. DOE approach to threshold quantities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickham, L.E.; Kluk, A.F.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC)

    1985-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is developing the concept of threshold quantities for use in determining which waste materials must be handled as radioactive waste and which may be disposed of as nonradioactive waste at its sites. Waste above this concentration level would be managed as radioactive or mixed waste (if hazardous chemicals are present); waste below this level would be handled as sanitary waste. Ideally, the threshold must be set high enough to significantly reduce the amount of waste requiring special handling. It must also be low enough so that waste at the threshold quantity poses a very small health risk and multiple exposures to such waste would still constitute a small health risk. It should also be practical to segregate waste above or below the threshold quantity using available instrumentation. Guidance is being prepared to aid DOE sites in establishing threshold quantity values based on pathways analysis using site-specific parameters (waste stream characteristics, maximum exposed individual, population considerations, and site specific parameters such as rainfall, etc.). A guidance dose of between 0.001 to 1.0 mSv/y (0.1 to 100 mrem/y) was recommended with 0.3 mSv/y (30 mrem/y) selected as the guidance dose upon which to base calculations. Several tasks were identified, beginning with the selection of a suitable pathway model for relating dose to the concentration of radioactivity in the waste. Threshold concentrations corresponding to the guidance dose were determined for waste disposal sites at a selected humid and arid site. Finally, cost-benefit considerations at the example sites were addressed. The results of the various tasks are summarized and the relationship of this effort with related developments at other agencies discussed

  10. Land-use change arising from rural land exchange : an agent-based simulation model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bakker, Martha M.; Alam, Shah Jamal; van Dijk, Jerry|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/29612642X; Rounsevell, Mark D. A.

    Land exchange can be a major factor driving land-use change in regions with high pressure on land, but is generally not incorporated in land-use change models. Here we present an agent-based model to simulate land-use change arising from land exchange between multiple agent types representing

  11. Lepidopteran larva consumption of soybean foliage: basis for developing multiple-species economic thresholds for pest management decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bueno, Regiane Cristina Oliveira de Freitas; Bueno, Adeney de Freitas; Moscardi, Flávio; Parra, José Roberto Postali; Hoffmann-Campo, Clara Beatriz

    2011-02-01

    Defoliation by Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), Spodoptera eridania (Cramer), S. cosmioides (Walker) and S. frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was evaluated in four soybean genotypes. A multiple-species economic threshold (ET), based upon the species' feeding capacity, is proposed with the aim of improving growers' management decisions on when to initiate control measures for the species complex. Consumption by A. gemmatalis, S. cosmioides or S. eridania on different genotypes was similar. The highest consumption of P. includens was 92.7 cm(2) on Codetec 219RR; that of S. frugiperda was 118 cm(2) on Codetec 219RR and 115.1 cm(2) on MSoy 8787RR. The insect injury equivalent for S. cosmoides, calculated on the basis of insect consumption, was double the standard consumption by A. gemmatalis, and statistically different from the other species tested, which were similar to each other. As S. cosmioides always defoliated nearly twice the leaf area of the other species, the injury equivalent would be 2 for this lepidopteran species and 1 for the other species. The recommended multiple-species ET to trigger the beginning of insect control would then be 20 insect equivalents per linear metre. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. CISN ShakeAlert: Faster Warning Information Through Multiple Threshold Event Detection in the Virtual Seismologist (VS) Early Warning Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cua, G. B.; Fischer, M.; Caprio, M.; Heaton, T. H.; Cisn Earthquake Early Warning Project Team

    2010-12-01

    The Virtual Seismologist (VS) earthquake early warning (EEW) algorithm is one of 3 EEW approaches being incorporated into the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN) ShakeAlert system, a prototype EEW system that could potentially be implemented in California. The VS algorithm, implemented by the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich, is a Bayesian approach to EEW, wherein the most probable source estimate at any given time is a combination of contributions from a likehihood function that evolves in response to incoming data from the on-going earthquake, and selected prior information, which can include factors such as network topology, the Gutenberg-Richter relationship or previously observed seismicity. The VS codes have been running in real-time at the Southern California Seismic Network since July 2008, and at the Northern California Seismic Network since February 2009. We discuss recent enhancements to the VS EEW algorithm that are being integrated into CISN ShakeAlert. We developed and continue to test a multiple-threshold event detection scheme, which uses different association / location approaches depending on the peak amplitudes associated with an incoming P pick. With this scheme, an event with sufficiently high initial amplitudes can be declared on the basis of a single station, maximizing warning times for damaging events for which EEW is most relevant. Smaller, non-damaging events, which will have lower initial amplitudes, will require more picks to initiate an event declaration, with the goal of reducing false alarms. This transforms the VS codes from a regional EEW approach reliant on traditional location estimation (and the requirement of at least 4 picks as implemented by the Binder Earthworm phase associator) into an on-site/regional approach capable of providing a continuously evolving stream of EEW information starting from the first P-detection. Real-time and offline analysis on Swiss and California waveform datasets indicate that the

  13. QCD threshold corrections for gluino pair production at hadron colliders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langenfeld, Ulrich [Wuerzburg Univ. (Germany); Moch, Sven-Olaf; Pfoh, Torsten [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany)

    2012-11-15

    We present the complete threshold enhanced predictions in QCD for the total cross section of gluino pair production at hadron colliders at next-to-next-to-leading order. Thanks to the computation of the required one-loop hard matching coefficients our results are accurate to the next-to-next-to-leading logarithm. In a brief phenomenological study we provide predictions for the total hadronic cross sections at the LHC and we discuss the uncertainties arising from scale variations and the parton distribution functions.

  14. Damage threshold from large retinal spot size repetitive-pulse laser exposures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund, Brian J; Lund, David J; Edsall, Peter R

    2014-10-01

    The retinal damage thresholds for large spot size, multiple-pulse exposures to a Q-switched, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser (532 nm wavelength, 7 ns pulses) have been measured for 100 μm and 500 μm retinal irradiance diameters. The ED50, expressed as energy per pulse, varies only weakly with the number of pulses, n, for these extended spot sizes. The previously reported threshold for a multiple-pulse exposure for a 900 μm retinal spot size also shows the same weak dependence on the number of pulses. The multiple-pulse ED50 for an extended spot-size exposure does not follow the n dependence exhibited by small spot size exposures produced by a collimated beam. Curves derived by using probability-summation models provide a better fit to the data.

  15. Multi-stratified multiple regression tests of the linear/no-threshold theory of radon-induced lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, B.L.

    1992-01-01

    A plot of lung-cancer rates versus radon exposures in 965 US counties, or in all US states, has a strong negative slope, b, in sharp contrast to the strong positive slope predicted by linear/no-threshold theory. The discrepancy between these slopes exceeds 20 standard deviations (SD). Including smoking frequency in the analysis substantially improves fits to a linear relationship but has little effect on the discrepancy in b, because correlations between smoking frequency and radon levels are quite weak. Including 17 socioeconomic variables (SEV) in multiple regression analysis reduces the discrepancy to 15 SD. Data were divided into segments by stratifying on each SEV in turn, and on geography, and on both simultaneously, giving over 300 data sets to be analyzed individually, but negative slopes predominated. The slope is negative whether one considers only the most urban counties or only the most rural; only the richest or only the poorest; only the richest in the South Atlantic region or only the poorest in that region, etc., etc.,; and for all the strata in between. Since this is an ecological study, the well-known problems with ecological studies were investigated and found not to be applicable here. The open-quotes ecological fallacyclose quotes was shown not to apply in testing a linear/no-threshold theory, and the vulnerability to confounding is greatly reduced when confounding factors are only weakly correlated with radon levels, as is generally the case here. All confounding factors known to correlate with radon and with lung cancer were investigated quantitatively and found to have little effect on the discrepancy

  16. Cost-effectiveness thresholds: pros and cons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertram, Melanie Y; Lauer, Jeremy A; De Joncheere, Kees; Edejer, Tessa; Hutubessy, Raymond; Kieny, Marie-Paule; Hill, Suzanne R

    2016-12-01

    Cost-effectiveness analysis is used to compare the costs and outcomes of alternative policy options. Each resulting cost-effectiveness ratio represents the magnitude of additional health gained per additional unit of resources spent. Cost-effectiveness thresholds allow cost-effectiveness ratios that represent good or very good value for money to be identified. In 2001, the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics in Health suggested cost-effectiveness thresholds based on multiples of a country's per-capita gross domestic product (GDP). In some contexts, in choosing which health interventions to fund and which not to fund, these thresholds have been used as decision rules. However, experience with the use of such GDP-based thresholds in decision-making processes at country level shows them to lack country specificity and this - in addition to uncertainty in the modelled cost-effectiveness ratios - can lead to the wrong decision on how to spend health-care resources. Cost-effectiveness information should be used alongside other considerations - e.g. budget impact and feasibility considerations - in a transparent decision-making process, rather than in isolation based on a single threshold value. Although cost-effectiveness ratios are undoubtedly informative in assessing value for money, countries should be encouraged to develop a context-specific process for decision-making that is supported by legislation, has stakeholder buy-in, for example the involvement of civil society organizations and patient groups, and is transparent, consistent and fair.

  17. Cost–effectiveness thresholds: pros and cons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauer, Jeremy A; De Joncheere, Kees; Edejer, Tessa; Hutubessy, Raymond; Kieny, Marie-Paule; Hill, Suzanne R

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Cost–effectiveness analysis is used to compare the costs and outcomes of alternative policy options. Each resulting cost–effectiveness ratio represents the magnitude of additional health gained per additional unit of resources spent. Cost–effectiveness thresholds allow cost–effectiveness ratios that represent good or very good value for money to be identified. In 2001, the World Health Organization’s Commission on Macroeconomics in Health suggested cost–effectiveness thresholds based on multiples of a country’s per-capita gross domestic product (GDP). In some contexts, in choosing which health interventions to fund and which not to fund, these thresholds have been used as decision rules. However, experience with the use of such GDP-based thresholds in decision-making processes at country level shows them to lack country specificity and this – in addition to uncertainty in the modelled cost–effectiveness ratios – can lead to the wrong decision on how to spend health-care resources. Cost–effectiveness information should be used alongside other considerations – e.g. budget impact and feasibility considerations – in a transparent decision-making process, rather than in isolation based on a single threshold value. Although cost–effectiveness ratios are undoubtedly informative in assessing value for money, countries should be encouraged to develop a context-specific process for decision-making that is supported by legislation, has stakeholder buy-in, for example the involvement of civil society organizations and patient groups, and is transparent, consistent and fair. PMID:27994285

  18. Crossing the threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bush, John; Tambasco, Lucas

    2017-11-01

    First, we summarize the circumstances in which chaotic pilot-wave dynamics gives rise to quantum-like statistical behavior. For ``closed'' systems, in which the droplet is confined to a finite domain either by boundaries or applied forces, quantum-like features arise when the persistence time of the waves exceeds the time required for the droplet to cross its domain. Second, motivated by the similarities between this hydrodynamic system and stochastic electrodynamics, we examine the behavior of a bouncing droplet above the Faraday threshold, where a stochastic element is introduced into the drop dynamics by virtue of its interaction with a background Faraday wave field. With a view to extending the dynamical range of pilot-wave systems to capture more quantum-like features, we consider a generalized theoretical framework for stochastic pilot-wave dynamics in which the relative magnitudes of the drop-generated pilot-wave field and a stochastic background field may be varied continuously. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the NSF through their CMMI and DMS divisions.

  19. Transoral videolaryngoscopic surgery for papillary carcinoma arising in lingual thyroid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogi, Chisato; Shinomiya, Hirotaka; Fujii, Natsumi; Tsuruta, Tomoyuki; Morita, Naruhiko; Furukawa, Tatsuya; Teshima, Masanori; Kanzawa, Maki; Hirokawa, Mitsuyoshi; Otsuki, Naoki; Nibu, Ken-Ichi

    2018-05-15

    Carcinoma arising in lingual thyroid is an extremely rare entity accounting for only 1% of all reported ectopic thyroids. Here, we report a case of carcinoma arising in lingual thyroid, which has been successfully managed by transoral resection and bilateral neck dissections. A lingual mass 4-cm in diameter with calcification was incidentally detected by computed tomography at medical check-up. No thyroid tissue was observed in normal position. Ultrasound examination showed bilateral multiple lymphadenopathies. Fine needle aspiration biopsy from lymph node in his right neck was diagnosed as Class III and thyroglobulin level of the specimen was 459ng/ml. Due to the difficulty in performing FNA of the lingual masses, right neck dissection was performed in advance for diagnostic purpose. Pathological examination showed existence of large and small follicular thyroid tissues in several lymph nodes, suggesting lymph node metastasis from thyroid carcinoma. Two months after the initial surgery, video-assisted transoral resection of lingual thyroid with simultaneous left neck dissection was performed. Postoperative course was uneventful. Papillary carcinoma was found in the lingual thyroid and thyroid tissues were also found in left cervical lymph nodes. Video-assisted transoral resection was useful for the treatment of thyroid cancer arising in lingual thyroid. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Mob control models of threshold collective behavior

    CERN Document Server

    Breer, Vladimir V; Rogatkin, Andrey D

    2017-01-01

    This book presents mathematical models of mob control with threshold (conformity) collective decision-making of the agents. Based on the results of analysis of the interconnection between the micro- and macromodels of active network structures, it considers the static (deterministic, stochastic and game-theoretic) and dynamic (discrete- and continuous-time) models of mob control, and highlights models of informational confrontation. Many of the results are applicable not only to mob control problems, but also to control problems arising in social groups, online social networks, etc. Aimed at researchers and practitioners, it is also a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as doctoral candidates specializing in the field of collective behavior modeling.

  1. [A case of carcinoma arising in a diverticulum of the transverse colon].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomi, Masako; Umemoto, Satoshi; Kikutake, Takashi; Hosaka, Seiji; Mase, Takahiro; Kawamoto, Shunji; Yoshida, Takahisa

    2014-11-01

    A 64 year-old woman presented with advanced, transverse colon cancer arising in the diverticulum. Tumor invasion extended beyond the serosa to the anal side of the colon. Anemia and fatigue progressed after 6 months of iron administration. The hemoglobin value was 5.3 g/dL and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was elevated to 44.2 ng/mL. A palpable and tender fist-sized mass was found in the right upper abdomen. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a low-density mass in the transverse colon invading beyond the serosa to the anal side of the colon. Right hemi-colectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. The resected specimen contained multiple diverticula including the one from which the tumor arose. Histological examination revealed a well-differentiated, tubular adenocarcinoma (UICC TNM T4bN0M0) arising in a transverse colon diverticulum. There has been no recurrence for 2 years. Colon cancer arising in a diverticulum may expand to the extra-serosa and easily invade to the adjacent organ. In such cases, malignancy should be considered.

  2. 64 x 64 thresholding photodetector array for optical pattern recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langenbacher, Harry; Chao, Tien-Hsin; Shaw, Timothy; Yu, Jeffrey W.

    1993-10-01

    A high performance 32 X 32 peak detector array is introduced. This detector consists of a 32 X 32 array of thresholding photo-transistor cells, manufactured with a standard MOSIS digital 2-micron CMOS process. A built-in thresholding function that is able to perform 1024 thresholding operations in parallel strongly distinguishes this chip from available CCD detectors. This high speed detector offers responses from one to 10 milliseconds that is much higher than the commercially available CCD detectors operating at a TV frame rate. The parallel multiple peaks thresholding detection capability makes it particularly suitable for optical correlator and optoelectronically implemented neural networks. The principle of operation, circuit design and the performance characteristics are described. Experimental demonstration of correlation peak detection is also provided. Recently, we have also designed and built an advanced version of a 64 X 64 thresholding photodetector array chip. Experimental investigation of using this chip for pattern recognition is ongoing.

  3. Input-output relation and energy efficiency in the neuron with different spike threshold dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Guo-Sheng; Wang, Jiang; Tsang, Kai-Ming; Wei, Xi-Le; Deng, Bin

    2015-01-01

    Neuron encodes and transmits information through generating sequences of output spikes, which is a high energy-consuming process. The spike is initiated when membrane depolarization reaches a threshold voltage. In many neurons, threshold is dynamic and depends on the rate of membrane depolarization (dV/dt) preceding a spike. Identifying the metabolic energy involved in neural coding and their relationship to threshold dynamic is critical to understanding neuronal function and evolution. Here, we use a modified Morris-Lecar model to investigate neuronal input-output property and energy efficiency associated with different spike threshold dynamics. We find that the neurons with dynamic threshold sensitive to dV/dt generate discontinuous frequency-current curve and type II phase response curve (PRC) through Hopf bifurcation, and weak noise could prohibit spiking when bifurcation just occurs. The threshold that is insensitive to dV/dt, instead, results in a continuous frequency-current curve, a type I PRC and a saddle-node on invariant circle bifurcation, and simultaneously weak noise cannot inhibit spiking. It is also shown that the bifurcation, frequency-current curve and PRC type associated with different threshold dynamics arise from the distinct subthreshold interactions of membrane currents. Further, we observe that the energy consumption of the neuron is related to its firing characteristics. The depolarization of spike threshold improves neuronal energy efficiency by reducing the overlap of Na(+) and K(+) currents during an action potential. The high energy efficiency is achieved at more depolarized spike threshold and high stimulus current. These results provide a fundamental biophysical connection that links spike threshold dynamics, input-output relation, energetics and spike initiation, which could contribute to uncover neural encoding mechanism.

  4. Identifying thresholds for ecosystem-based management.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jameal F Samhouri

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: One of the greatest obstacles to moving ecosystem-based management (EBM from concept to practice is the lack of a systematic approach to defining ecosystem-level decision criteria, or reference points that trigger management action. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To assist resource managers and policymakers in developing EBM decision criteria, we introduce a quantitative, transferable method for identifying utility thresholds. A utility threshold is the level of human-induced pressure (e.g., pollution at which small changes produce substantial improvements toward the EBM goal of protecting an ecosystem's structural (e.g., diversity and functional (e.g., resilience attributes. The analytical approach is based on the detection of nonlinearities in relationships between ecosystem attributes and pressures. We illustrate the method with a hypothetical case study of (1 fishing and (2 nearshore habitat pressure using an empirically-validated marine ecosystem model for British Columbia, Canada, and derive numerical threshold values in terms of the density of two empirically-tractable indicator groups, sablefish and jellyfish. We also describe how to incorporate uncertainty into the estimation of utility thresholds and highlight their value in the context of understanding EBM trade-offs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: For any policy scenario, an understanding of utility thresholds provides insight into the amount and type of management intervention required to make significant progress toward improved ecosystem structure and function. The approach outlined in this paper can be applied in the context of single or multiple human-induced pressures, to any marine, freshwater, or terrestrial ecosystem, and should facilitate more effective management.

  5. Multiple origins of spontaneously arising micronuclei in HeLa cells: Direct evidence from long-term live cell imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao Xiaotang; Zhang Yingyin; Yi Qiyi; Hou Heli; Xu Bo; Chu Liang; Huang Yun; Zhang Wenrui; Fenech, Michael; Shi Qinghua

    2008-01-01

    Although micronuclei (MNi) are extensively used to evaluate genotoxic effects and chromosome instability, the most basic issue regarding their origins has not been completely addressed due to limitations of traditional methods. Recently, long-term live cell imaging was developed to monitor the dynamics of single cell in a real-time and high-throughput manner. In the present study, this state-of-the-art technique was employed to examine spontaneous micronucleus (MN) formation in untreated HeLa cells. We demonstrate that spontaneous MNi are derived from incorrectly aligned chromosomes in metaphase (displaced chromosomes, DCs), lagging chromosomes (LCs) and broken chromosome bridges (CBs) in later mitotic stages, but not nuclear buds in S phase. However, most of bipolar mitoses with DCs (91.29%), LCs (73.11%) and broken CBs (88.93%) did not give rise to MNi. Our data also show directly, for the first time, that MNi could originate spontaneously from (1) MNi already presented in the mother cells; (2) nuclear fragments that appeared during mitosis with CB; and (3) chromosomes being extruded into a minicell which fused with one of the daughter cells later. Quantitatively, most of MNi originated from LCs (63.66%), DCs (10.97%) and broken CBs (9.25%). Taken together, these direct evidences show that there are multiple origins for spontaneously arising MNi in HeLa cells and each mechanism contributes to overall MN formation to different extents

  6. Multiple origins of spontaneously arising micronuclei in HeLa cells: Direct evidence from long-term live cell imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rao Xiaotang; Zhang Yingyin; Yi Qiyi; Hou Heli; Xu Bo; Chu Liang; Huang Yun; Zhang Wenrui [Laboratory of Molecular and Cell Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Fenech, Michael [CSIRO Human Nutrition, PO Box 10041, Adelaide BC, Adelaide, SA 5000 (Australia); Shi Qinghua [Laboratory of Molecular and Cell Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China)], E-mail: qshi@ustc.edu.cn

    2008-11-10

    Although micronuclei (MNi) are extensively used to evaluate genotoxic effects and chromosome instability, the most basic issue regarding their origins has not been completely addressed due to limitations of traditional methods. Recently, long-term live cell imaging was developed to monitor the dynamics of single cell in a real-time and high-throughput manner. In the present study, this state-of-the-art technique was employed to examine spontaneous micronucleus (MN) formation in untreated HeLa cells. We demonstrate that spontaneous MNi are derived from incorrectly aligned chromosomes in metaphase (displaced chromosomes, DCs), lagging chromosomes (LCs) and broken chromosome bridges (CBs) in later mitotic stages, but not nuclear buds in S phase. However, most of bipolar mitoses with DCs (91.29%), LCs (73.11%) and broken CBs (88.93%) did not give rise to MNi. Our data also show directly, for the first time, that MNi could originate spontaneously from (1) MNi already presented in the mother cells; (2) nuclear fragments that appeared during mitosis with CB; and (3) chromosomes being extruded into a minicell which fused with one of the daughter cells later. Quantitatively, most of MNi originated from LCs (63.66%), DCs (10.97%) and broken CBs (9.25%). Taken together, these direct evidences show that there are multiple origins for spontaneously arising MNi in HeLa cells and each mechanism contributes to overall MN formation to different extents.

  7. Response of algal metrics to nutrients and physical factors and identification of nutrient thresholds in agricultural streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, R.W.; Moran, P.W.; Frankforter, J.D.

    2011-01-01

    Many streams within the United States are impaired due to nutrient enrichment, particularly in agricultural settings. The present study examines the response of benthic algal communities in agricultural and minimally disturbed sites from across the western United States to a suite of environmental factors, including nutrients, collected at multiple scales. The first objective was to identify the relative importance of nutrients, habitat and watershed features, and macroinvertebrate trophic structure to explain algal metrics derived from deposition and erosion habitats. The second objective was to determine if thresholds in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) related to algal metrics could be identified and how these thresholds varied across metrics and habitats. Nutrient concentrations within the agricultural areas were elevated and greater than published threshold values. All algal metrics examined responded to nutrients as hypothesized. Although nutrients typically were the most important variables in explaining the variation in each of the algal metrics, environmental factors operating at multiple scales also were important. Calculated thresholds for TN or TP based on the algal metrics generated from samples collected from erosion and deposition habitats were not significantly different. Little variability in threshold values for each metric for TN and TP was observed. The consistency of the threshold values measured across multiple metrics and habitats suggest that the thresholds identified in this study are ecologically relevant. Additional work to characterize the relationship between algal metrics, physical and chemical features, and nuisance algal growth would be of benefit to the development of nutrient thresholds and criteria. ?? 2010 The Author(s).

  8. Age-dependent variation in the terminal investment threshold in male crickets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffield, Kristin R; Hampton, Kylie J; Houslay, Thomas M; Hunt, John; Rapkin, James; Sakaluk, Scott K; Sadd, Ben M

    2018-03-01

    The terminal investment hypothesis proposes that decreased expectation of future reproduction (e.g., arising from a threat to survival) should precipitate increased investment in current reproduction. The level at which a cue of decreased survival is sufficient to trigger terminal investment (i.e., the terminal investment threshold) may vary according to other factors that influence expectation for future reproduction. We test whether the terminal investment threshold varies with age in male crickets, using heat-killed bacteria to simulate an immune-inducing infection. We measured calling effort (a behavior essential for mating) and hemolymph antimicrobial activity in young and old males across a gradient of increasing infection cue intensity. There was a significant interaction between the infection cue and age in their effect on calling effort, confirming the existence of a dynamic terminal investment threshold: young males reduced effort at all infection levels, whereas old males increased effort at the highest levels relative to naïve individuals. A lack of a corresponding decrease in antibacterial activity suggests that altered reproductive effort is not traded against investment in this component of immunity. Collectively, these results support the existence of a dynamic terminal investment threshold, perhaps accounting for some of the conflicting evidence in support of terminal investment. © 2018 The Author(s). Evolution © 2018 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  9. Increased sensitivity to supra-threshold painful stimuli in patients with multiple functional somatic symptoms (MFS)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuzminskyte, Ruta; Kupers, Ronny Clement Florent; Videbech, Poul

    2010-01-01

    threshold and pain tolerance levels in patients with MFS. Twenty-two patients with MFS and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects volunteered for this study. The subjects received innocuous and noxious thermal stimuli to the volar forearm by means of a Peltier contact heat probe. We assessed pain...... threshold and pain tolerance with an ascending staircase method. Anxiety levels and hemodynamic (blood pressure, pulse rate) and endocrine (cortisol and prolactin release) responses were measured before and after pain testing. We found no group differences for any of the physiological or self...

  10. Developmental Mechanisms Underlying Improved Contrast Thresholds for Discriminations of Orientation Signals Embedded in Noise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong Taek eJeon

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available We combined an external noise paradigm with an efficient procedure for obtaining contrast thresholds (Lesmes et al., 2006 in order to model developmental changes during childhood. Specifically, we measured the contrast thresholds of 5-, 7-, 9-year-olds and adults (n = 20/age in a two alternative forced-choice orientation discrimination task over a wide range of external noise levels and at three levels of accuracy. Overall, as age increased, contrast thresholds decreased over the entire range of external noise levels tested. The decrease was greatest between 5 and 7 years of age. The reduction in threshold after age 5 was greater in the high than the low external noise region, a pattern implying greater tolerance to the irrelevant background noise as children became older. To model the mechanisms underlying these developmental changes in terms of internal noise components, we adapted the original perceptual template model (Lu and Dosher, 1998 and normalized the magnitude of performance changes against the performance of 5-year-olds. The resulting model provided an excellent fit (r2 = 0.985 to the contrast thresholds at multiple levels of accuracy (60, 75, and 90% across a wide range of external noise levels. The improvements in contrast thresholds with age were best modelled by a combination of reductions in internal additive noise, reductions in internal multiplicative noise, and improvements in excluding external noise by template retuning. In line with the data, the improvement was greatest between 5 and 7 years of age, accompanied by a 39% reduction in additive noise, 71% reduction in multiplicative noise, and 45% improvement in external noise exclusion. The modelled improvements likely reflect developmental changes at the cortical level, rather than changes in front-end structural properties (Kiorpes et al., 2003.

  11. Threshold-Based Relay Selection for Detect-and-Forward Relaying in Cooperative Wireless Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Yijia

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies two-hop cooperative demodulate-and-forward relaying using multiple relays in wireless networks. A threshold based relay selection scheme is considered, in which the reliable relays are determined by comparing source-relay SNR to a threshold, and one of the reliable relays is selected by the destination based on relay-destination SNR. The exact bit error rate of this scheme is derived, and a simple threshold function is proposed. It is shown that the network achieves full diversity order ( under the proposed threshold, where is the number of relays in the network. Unlike some other full diversity achieving protocols in the literature, the requirement that the instantaneous/average SNRs of the source-relay links be known at the destination is eliminated using the appropriate SNR threshold.

  12. Threshold quantum cryptography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokunaga, Yuuki; Okamoto, Tatsuaki; Imoto, Nobuyuki

    2005-01-01

    We present the concept of threshold collaborative unitary transformation or threshold quantum cryptography, which is a kind of quantum version of threshold cryptography. Threshold quantum cryptography states that classical shared secrets are distributed to several parties and a subset of them, whose number is greater than a threshold, collaborates to compute a quantum cryptographic function, while keeping each share secretly inside each party. The shared secrets are reusable if no cheating is detected. As a concrete example of this concept, we show a distributed protocol (with threshold) of conjugate coding

  13. Simulating Arctic clouds during Arctic Radiation- IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment (ARISE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bromwich, D. H.; Hines, K. M.; Wang, S. H.

    2015-12-01

    The representation within global and regional models of the extensive low-level cloud cover over polar oceans remains a critical challenge for quantitative studies and forecasts of polar climate. In response, the polar-optimized version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (Polar WRF) is used to simulate the meteorology, boundary layer, and Arctic clouds during the September-October 2014 Arctic Radiation- IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment (ARISE) project. Polar WRF was developed with several adjustments to the sea ice thermodynamics in WRF. ARISE was based out of Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska and included multiple instrumented C-130 aircraft flights over open water and sea ice of the Beaufort Sea. Arctic boundary layer clouds were frequently observed within cold northeasterly flow over the open ocean and ice. Preliminary results indicate these clouds were primarily liquid water, with characteristics differing between open water and sea ice surfaces. Simulated clouds are compared to ARISE observations. Furthermore, Polar WRF simulations are run for the August-September 2008 Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) for comparison to the ARISE. Preliminary analysis shows that simulated low-level water clouds over the sea ice are too extensive during the the second half of the ASCOS field program. Alternatives and improvements to the Polar WRF cloud schemes are considered. The goal is to use the ARISE and ASCOS observations to achieve an improved polar supplement to the WRF code for open water and sea ice that can be provided to the Polar WRF community.

  14. Network meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies identifies and ranks the optimal diagnostic tests and thresholds for health care policy and decision-making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owen, Rhiannon K; Cooper, Nicola J; Quinn, Terence J; Lees, Rosalind; Sutton, Alex J

    2018-07-01

    Network meta-analyses (NMA) have extensively been used to compare the effectiveness of multiple interventions for health care policy and decision-making. However, methods for evaluating the performance of multiple diagnostic tests are less established. In a decision-making context, we are often interested in comparing and ranking the performance of multiple diagnostic tests, at varying levels of test thresholds, in one simultaneous analysis. Motivated by an example of cognitive impairment diagnosis following stroke, we synthesized data from 13 studies assessing the efficiency of two diagnostic tests: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), at two test thresholds: MMSE accounting for the correlations between multiple test accuracy measures from the same study. We developed and successfully fitted a model comparing multiple tests/threshold combinations while imposing threshold constraints. Using this model, we found that MoCA at threshold decision making. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. HMM-ModE – Improved classification using profile hidden Markov models by optimising the discrimination threshold and modifying emission probabilities with negative training sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nandi Soumyadeep

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Profile Hidden Markov Models (HMM are statistical representations of protein families derived from patterns of sequence conservation in multiple alignments and have been used in identifying remote homologues with considerable success. These conservation patterns arise from fold specific signals, shared across multiple families, and function specific signals unique to the families. The availability of sequences pre-classified according to their function permits the use of negative training sequences to improve the specificity of the HMM, both by optimizing the threshold cutoff and by modifying emission probabilities to minimize the influence of fold-specific signals. A protocol to generate family specific HMMs is described that first constructs a profile HMM from an alignment of the family's sequences and then uses this model to identify sequences belonging to other classes that score above the default threshold (false positives. Ten-fold cross validation is used to optimise the discrimination threshold score for the model. The advent of fast multiple alignment methods enables the use of the profile alignments to align the true and false positive sequences, and the resulting alignments are used to modify the emission probabilities in the original model. Results The protocol, called HMM-ModE, was validated on a set of sequences belonging to six sub-families of the AGC family of kinases. These sequences have an average sequence similarity of 63% among the group though each sub-group has a different substrate specificity. The optimisation of discrimination threshold, by using negative sequences scored against the model improves specificity in test cases from an average of 21% to 98%. Further discrimination by the HMM after modifying model probabilities using negative training sequences is provided in a few cases, the average specificity rising to 99%. Similar improvements were obtained with a sample of G-Protein coupled receptors

  16. Threshold enhancement of diphoton resonances

    CERN Document Server

    Bharucha, Aoife; Goudelis, Andreas

    2016-10-10

    The data collected by the LHC collaborations at an energy of 13 TeV indicates the presence of an excess in the diphoton spectrum that would correspond to a resonance of a 750 GeV mass. The apparently large production cross section is nevertheless very difficult to explain in minimal models. We consider the possibility that the resonance is a pseudoscalar boson $A$ with a two--photon decay mediated by a charged and uncolored fermion having a mass at the $\\frac12 M_A$ threshold and a very small decay width, $\\ll 1$ MeV; one can then generate a large enhancement of the $A\\gamma\\gamma$ amplitude which explains the excess without invoking a large multiplicity of particles propagating in the loop, large electric charges and/or very strong Yukawa couplings. The implications of such a threshold enhancement are discussed in two explicit scenarios: i) the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in which the $A$ state is produced via the top quark mediated gluon fusion process and decays into photons predominantly through...

  17. CARA Risk Assessment Thresholds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hejduk, M. D.

    2016-01-01

    Warning remediation threshold (Red threshold): Pc level at which warnings are issued, and active remediation considered and usually executed. Analysis threshold (Green to Yellow threshold): Pc level at which analysis of event is indicated, including seeking additional information if warranted. Post-remediation threshold: Pc level to which remediation maneuvers are sized in order to achieve event remediation and obviate any need for immediate follow-up maneuvers. Maneuver screening threshold: Pc compliance level for routine maneuver screenings (more demanding than regular Red threshold due to additional maneuver uncertainty).

  18. Evaluating the "Threshold Theory": Can Head Impact Indicators Help?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mihalik, Jason P; Lynall, Robert C; Wasserman, Erin B; Guskiewicz, Kevin M; Marshall, Stephen W

    2017-02-01

    This study aimed to determine the clinical utility of biomechanical head impact indicators by measuring the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PV+), and negative predictive value (PV-) of multiple thresholds. Head impact biomechanics (n = 283,348) from 185 football players in one Division I program were collected. A multidisciplinary clinical team independently made concussion diagnoses (n = 24). We dichotomized each impact using diagnosis (yes = 24, no = 283,324) and across a range of plausible impact indicator thresholds (10g increments beginning with a resultant linear head acceleration of 50g and ending with 120g). Some thresholds had adequate sensitivity, specificity, and PV-. All thresholds had low PV+, with the best recorded PV+ less than 0.4% when accounting for all head impacts sustained by our sample. Even when conservatively adjusting the frequency of diagnosed concussions by a factor of 5 to account for unreported/undiagnosed injuries, the PV+ of head impact indicators at any threshold was no greater than 1.94%. Although specificity and PV- appear high, the low PV+ would generate many unnecessary evaluations if these indicators were the sole diagnostic criteria. The clinical diagnostic value of head impact indicators is considerably questioned by these data. Notwithstanding, valid sensor technologies continue to offer objective data that have been used to improve player safety and reduce injury risk.

  19. Performance analysis of a threshold-based parallel multiple beam selection scheme for WDM-based systems for Gamma-Gamma distributions

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik

    2017-03-02

    In this paper, we statistically analyze the performance of a threshold-based parallel multiple beam selection scheme (TPMBS) for Free-space optical (FSO) based system with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) in cases where a pointing error has occurred for practical consideration over independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gamma-Gamma fading conditions. Specifically, we statistically analyze the characteristics in operation under conventional heterodyne detection (HD) scheme for both adaptive modulation (AM) case in addition to non-AM case (i.e., coherentnon-coherent binary modulation). Then, based on the statistically derived results, we evaluate the outage probability (CDF) of a selected beam, the average spectral efficiency (ASE), the average number of selected beams (ANSB), and the average bit error rate (BER). Some selected results shows that we can obtain the higher spectral efficiency and simultaneously reduce the potential increasing of the complexity of implementation caused by applying the selection based beam selection scheme without a considerable performance loss.

  20. Adaptive threshold control for auto-rate fallback algorithm in IEEE 802.11 multi-rate WLANs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Qilin; Lu, Yang; Zhu, Xiaolin; Ge, Fangzhen

    2012-03-01

    The IEEE 802.11 standard supports multiple rates for data transmission in the physical layer. Nowadays, to improve network performance, a rate adaptation scheme called auto-rate fallback (ARF) is widely adopted in practice. However, ARF scheme suffers performance degradation in multiple contending nodes environments. In this article, we propose a novel rate adaptation scheme called ARF with adaptive threshold control. In multiple contending nodes environment, the proposed scheme can effectively mitigate the frame collision effect on rate adaptation decision by adaptively adjusting rate-up and rate-down threshold according to the current collision level. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve significantly higher throughput than the other existing rate adaptation schemes. Furthermore, the simulation results also demonstrate that the proposed scheme can effectively respond to the varying channel condition.

  1. Threshold Based Opportunistic Scheduling of Secondary Users in Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Song, Yao

    2011-12-01

    In underlay cognitive radio networks, secondary users can share the spectrum with primary users as long as the interference caused by the secondary users to primary users is below a certain predetermined threshold. It is reasonable to assume that there is always a large pool of secondary users trying to access the channel, which can be occupied by only one secondary user at a given time. As a result, a multi-user scheduling problem arises among the secondary users. In this thesis, by manipulating basic schemes based on selective multi-user diversity, normalized thresholding, transmission power control, and opportunistic round robin, we propose and analyze eight scheduling schemes of secondary users in an underlay cognitive radio set-up. The system performance of these schemes is quantified by using various performance metrics such as the average system capacity, normalized average feedback load, scheduling outage probability, and system fairness of access. In our proposed schemes, the best user out of all the secondary users in the system is picked to transmit at each given time slot in order to maximize the average system capacity. Two thresholds are used in the two rounds of the selection process to determine the best user. The first threshold is raised by the power constraint from the primary user. The second threshold, which can be adjusted by us, is introduced to reduce the feedback load. The overall system performance is therefore dependent on the choice of these two thresholds and the number of users in the system given the channel conditions for all the users. In this thesis, by deriving analytical formulas and presenting numerical examples, we try to provide insights of the relationship between the performance metrics and the involved parameters including two selection thresholds and the number of active users in the system, in an effort to maximize the average system capacity as well as satisfy the requirements of scheduling outage probability and

  2. 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).

  3. Ultrafast two-photon absorption optical thresholding of spectrally coded pulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Z.; Shen, S.; Sardesai, H.; Chang, C.-C.; Marsh, J. H.; Karkhanehchi, M. M.; Weiner, A. M.

    1999-08-01

    We report studies on two-photon absorption (TPA) GaAs p-i-n waveguide photodetectors as optical thresholders for proposed ultrashort pulse optical code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems. For either chirped optical pulses or spectrally phase coded pseudonoise bursts, the TPA photocurrent response reveals a strong pulseshape dependence and shows good agreement with theoretical predictions and results from conventional SHG measurements. The performance limits of the TPA optical thresholders set by the encoded bandwidth in the spectral encoding-decoding process are also discussed based on numerical simulations. Our results show the feasibility of applying such devices as nonlinear intensity discriminators in ultrahigh-speed optical network applications.

  4. A condition-based maintenance of a dependent degradation-threshold-shock model in a system with multiple degradation processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caballé, N.C.; Castro, I.T.; Pérez, C.J.; Lanza-Gutiérrez, J.M.

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a condition-based maintenance strategy for a system subject to two dependent causes of failure: degradation and sudden shocks. The internal degradation is reflected by the presence of multiple degradation processes in the system. Degradation processes start at random times following a Non-homogeneous Poisson process and their growths are modelled by using a gamma process. When the deterioration level of a degradation process exceeds a predetermined value, we assume that a degradation failure occurs. Furthermore, the system is subject to sudden shocks that arrive at the system following a Doubly Stochastic Poisson Process. A sudden shock provokes the total breakdown of the system. Thus, the state of the system is evaluated at inspection times and different maintenance tasks can be carried out. If the system is still working at an inspection time, a preventive maintenance task is performed if the deterioration level of a degradation process exceeds a certain threshold. A corrective maintenance task is performed if the system is down at an inspection time. A preventive (corrective) maintenance task implies the replacement of the system by a new one. Under this maintenance strategy, the expected cost rate function is obtained. A numerical example illustrates the analytical results. - Highlights: • A condition-based maintenance model is proposed. • Two dependent causes of failure are considered: deterioration and external shocks. • Deterioration is given by multiple degradation processes growing by a gamma process. • The initiation of degradation processes follows a Non-homogeneous Poisson process. • External shocks arrive at the system by using a Doubly Stochastic Poisson Process

  5. Theory of threshold phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel

    2002-01-01

    Theory of Threshold Phenomena in Quantum Scattering is developed in terms of Reduced Scattering Matrix. Relationships of different types of threshold anomalies both to nuclear reaction mechanisms and to nuclear reaction models are established. Magnitude of threshold effect is related to spectroscopic factor of zero-energy neutron state. The Theory of Threshold Phenomena, based on Reduced Scattering Matrix, does establish relationships between different types of threshold effects and nuclear reaction mechanisms: the cusp and non-resonant potential scattering, s-wave threshold anomaly and compound nucleus resonant scattering, p-wave anomaly and quasi-resonant scattering. A threshold anomaly related to resonant or quasi resonant scattering is enhanced provided the neutron threshold state has large spectroscopic amplitude. The Theory contains, as limit cases, Cusp Theories and also results of different nuclear reactions models as Charge Exchange, Weak Coupling, Bohr and Hauser-Feshbach models. (author)

  6. Performance Analysis of a Threshold-Based Parallel Multiple Beam Selection Scheme for WDM FSO Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Sung Sik

    2018-04-09

    In this paper, we statistically analyze the performance of a threshold-based parallel multiple beam selection scheme for a free-space optical (FSO) based system with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) in cases where a pointing error has occurred under independent identically distributed Gamma-Gamma fading conditions. To simplify the mathematical analysis, we additionally consider Gamma turbulence conditions, which are a good approximation of Gamma-Gamma distribution. Specifically, we statistically analyze the characteristics in operation under conventional detection schemes (i.e., heterodyne detection (HD) and intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) techniques) for both adaptive modulation (AM) case in addition to non-AM case (i.e., coherent/non-coherent binary modulation). Then, based on the statistically derived results, we evaluate the outage probability of a selected beam, the average spectral efficiency (ASE), the average number of selected beams (ANSB) and the average bit error rate (BER). Selected results show that we can obtain higher spectral efficiency and simultaneously reduce the potential for increasing the complexity of implementation caused by applying the selection-based beam selection scheme without considerable performance loss. Especially for the AM case, the ASE can be increased further compared to the non- AM cases. Our derived results based on the Gamma distribution as an approximation of the Gamma-Gamma distribution can be used as approximated performance measure bounds, especially, they may lead to lower bounds on the approximated considered performance measures.

  7. Primary extradural meningioma arising from the calvarium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Ravi

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Meningiomas are the most common intracranial tumours. Meningiomas arising at other locations are termed primary extradural meningiomas (EDM and are rare. Here we report a case of EDM arising from the calvarium – a primary calvarial meningioma (PCM.

  8. Particles near threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharya, T.; Willenbrock, S.

    1993-01-01

    We propose returning to the definition of the width of a particle in terms of the pole in the particle's propagator. Away from thresholds, this definition of width is equivalent to the standard perturbative definition, up to next-to-leading order; however, near a threshold, the two definitions differ significantly. The width as defined by the pole position provides more information in the threshold region than the standard perturbative definition and, in contrast with the perturbative definition, does not vanish when a two-particle s-wave threshold is approached from below

  9. Squamous cell carcinoma arising in an odontogenic cyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Jae Jung; Hwang, Eui Hwan; Lee, Sang Rae; Choi, Jeong Hee

    2003-01-01

    Squamous cell carcinoma arising in an odontogenic cyst is uncommon. The diagnosis of carcinoma arising in a cyst requires that there must be an area of microscopic transition from the benign epithelial cyst lining to the invasive squamous cell carcinoma. We report a histopathologically proven case of squamous cell carcinoma arising in a residual mandibular cyst in a 54-year-old woman.

  10. Estimating alarm thresholds and the number of components in mixture distributions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burr, Tom, E-mail: tburr@lanl.gov [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mail Stop F600, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Hamada, Michael S. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mail Stop F600, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

    2012-09-01

    Mixtures of probability distributions arise in many nuclear assay and forensic applications, including nuclear weapon detection, neutron multiplicity counting, and in solution monitoring (SM) for nuclear safeguards. SM data is increasingly used to enhance nuclear safeguards in aqueous reprocessing facilities having plutonium in solution form in many tanks. This paper provides background for mixture probability distributions and then focuses on mixtures arising in SM data. SM data can be analyzed by evaluating transfer-mode residuals defined as tank-to-tank transfer differences, and wait-mode residuals defined as changes during non-transfer modes. A previous paper investigated impacts on transfer-mode and wait-mode residuals of event marking errors which arise when the estimated start and/or stop times of tank events such as transfers are somewhat different from the true start and/or stop times. Event marking errors contribute to non-Gaussian behavior and larger variation than predicted on the basis of individual tank calibration studies. This paper illustrates evidence for mixture probability distributions arising from such event marking errors and from effects such as condensation or evaporation during non-transfer modes, and pump carryover during transfer modes. A quantitative assessment of the sample size required to adequately characterize a mixture probability distribution arising in any context is included.

  11. The influence of gender and bruxism on human minimum interdental threshold ability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia dos Santos Calderon

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of gender and bruxism on the ability to discriminate minimum interdental threshold. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and fifteen individuals, representing both genders, bruxers and non-bruxers, with a mean age of 23.64 years, were selected for this study. For group allocation, every individual was subjected to a specific physical examination to detect bruxism (performed by three different examiners. Evaluation of the ability to discriminate minimum interdental threshold was performed using industrialized 0.010 mm-, 0.024 mm-, 0.030 mm-, 0.050 mm-, 0.080 mm- and 0.094 mm-thick aluminum foils that were placed between upper and lower premolars. Data were analyzed statistically by multiple linear regression analysis at 5% significance level. RESULTS: Neither gender nor bruxism influenced the ability to discriminate minimum interdental threshold (p>0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Gender and the presence of bruxism do not play a role in the minimum interdental threshold.

  12. Solitary Fibrous Tumor Arising from Stomach: CT Findings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sung Hee; Kwon, Jieun; Park, Jong-pil; Park, Mi-Suk; Lim, Joon Seok; Kim, Joo Hee; Kim, Ki Whang

    2007-01-01

    Solitary fibrous tumors are spindle-cell neoplasms that usually develop in the pleura and peritoneum, and rarely arise in the stomach. To our knowledge, there is only one case reporting a solitary fibrous tumor arising from stomach in the English literature. Here we report the case of a 26-year-old man with a large solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach which involved the submucosa and muscular layer and resembled a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the stomach, based on what was seen during abdominal computed tomography. A solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach, although rare, could be considered as a diagnostic possibility for gastric submucosal tumors. PMID:18159603

  13. Primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma arising from the iliac vein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hua Zhang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The iliac vein is an extremely rare site for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, and patients with primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma arising from a vein always suffer a very poor prognosis. We report a case of a 45-year-old female who presented with a 5-month history of left leg edema in 2015. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a large mass in the left iliac vein with scattered calcifications. Wide-margin resection was performed, and histopathologic and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the presence of intraluminal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma with local invasion out of the vein wall. Due to poor patient compliance, postoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy were not started, and a bone scan performed 16 weeks postoperatively showed multiple bone metastases. The patient died on the twenty-fourth postoperative week.

  14. On next-to-eikonal corrections to threshold resummation for the Drell-Yan and DIS cross sections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laenen, Eric; Magnea, Lorenzo; Stavenga, Gerben

    2008-01-01

    We study corrections suppressed by one power of the soft gluon energy to the resummation of threshold logarithms for the Drell-Yan cross section and for Deep Inelastic structure functions. While no general factorization theorem is known for these next-to-eikonal (NE) corrections, it is conjectured that at least a subset will exponentiate, along with the logarithms arising at leading power. Here we develop some general tools to study NE logarithms, and we construct an ansatz for threshold resummation that includes various sources of NE corrections, implementing in this context the improved collinear evolution recently proposed by Dokshitzer, Marchesini and Salam (DMS). We compare our ansatz to existing exact results at two and three loops, finding evidence for the exponentiation of leading NE logarithms and confirming the predictivity of DMS evolution

  15. Ecological thresholds: The key to successful enviromental management or an important concept with no practical application?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groffman, P.M.; Baron, Jill S.; Blett, T.; Gold, A.J.; Goodman, I.; Gunderson, L.H.; Levinson, B.M.; Palmer, Margaret A.; Paerl, H.W.; Peterson, G.D.; Poff, N.L.; Rejeski, D.W.; Reynolds, J.F.; Turner, M.G.; Weathers, K.C.; Wiens, J.

    2006-01-01

    An ecological threshold is the point at which there is an abrupt change in an ecosystem quality, property or phenomenon, or where small changes in an environmental driver produce large responses in the ecosystem. Analysis of thresholds is complicated by nonlinear dynamics and by multiple factor controls that operate at diverse spatial and temporal scales. These complexities have challenged the use and utility of threshold concepts in environmental management despite great concern about preventing dramatic state changes in valued ecosystems, the need for determining critical pollutant loads and the ubiquity of other threshold-based environmental problems. In this paper we define the scope of the thresholds concept in ecological science and discuss methods for identifying and investigating thresholds using a variety of examples from terrestrial and aquatic environments, at ecosystem, landscape and regional scales. We end with a discussion of key research needs in this area.

  16. Wilms tumor arising in extracoelomic paravertebral soft tissues.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Mulligan, Linda

    2012-02-01

    Extrarenal Wilms tumor (ERWT) is a well-established entity which most commonly arises within the genitourinary tract, including intracoelomic paranephric soft tissue. Rarely, ERWT arises within teratoma, and it tends to occur predominantly in distinct settings, such as females with spinal defects and males with testicular teratomas. We report a unique ERWT arising within an extracoelomic teratoma of the paraspinal musculature, thereby expanding the range of reported locations for this unusual tumor.

  17. Music effect on pain threshold evaluated with current perception threshold

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2001-01-01

    AIM: Music relieves anxiety and psychotic tension. This effect of music is applied to surgical operation in the hospital and dental office. It is still unclear whether this music effect is only limited to the psychological aspect but not to the physical aspect or whether its music effect is influenced by the mood or emotion of audience. To elucidate these issues, we evaluated the music effect on pain threshold by current perception threshold (CPT) and profile of mood states (POMC) test. METHODS: Healthy 30 subjects (12 men, 18 women, 25-49 years old, mean age 34.9) were tested. (1)After POMC test, all subjects were evaluated pain threshold with CPT by Neurometer (Radionics, USA) under 6 conditions, silence, listening to the slow tempo classic music, nursery music, hard rock music, classic paino music and relaxation music with 30 seconds interval. (2)After Stroop color word test as the stresser, pain threshold was evaluated with CPT under 2 conditions, silence and listening to the slow tempo classic music. RESULTS: Under litening to the music, CPT sores increased, especially 2 000 Hz level related with compression, warm and pain sensation. Type of music, preference of music and stress also affected CPT score. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the concentration on the music raise the pain threshold and that stress and mood influence the music effect on pain threshold.

  18. Esophageal leiomyoma arising in an epiphrenic diverticulum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, S.

    1988-01-01

    A 32-year old woman was found at surgery to have an esophageal leiomyoma arising within an epiphrenic diverticulum. These uncommon conditions may rarely occur together, causing difficulty in diagnosis of the leiomyoma. Other neoplasms may also arise in an epiphrenic diverticulum and should be borne in mind in this situation. (orig.)

  19. Rainfall thresholds for the possible occurrence of landslides in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. T. Brunetti

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available In Italy, rainfall is the primary trigger of landslides that frequently cause fatalities and large economic damage. Using a variety of information sources, we have compiled a catalogue listing 753 rainfall events that have resulted in landslides in Italy. For each event in the catalogue, the exact or approximate location of the landslide and the time or period of initiation of the slope failure is known, together with information on the rainfall duration D, and the rainfall mean intensity I, that have resulted in the slope failure. The catalogue represents the single largest collection of information on rainfall-induced landslides in Italy, and was exploited to determine the minimum rainfall conditions necessary for landslide occurrence in Italy, and in the Abruzzo Region, central Italy. For the purpose, new national rainfall thresholds for Italy and new regional rainfall thresholds for the Abruzzo Region were established, using two independent statistical methods, including a Bayesian inference method and a new Frequentist approach. The two methods proved complementary, with the Bayesian method more suited to analyze small data sets, and the Frequentist method performing better when applied to large data sets. The new regional thresholds for the Abruzzo Region are lower than the new national thresholds for Italy, and lower than the regional thresholds proposed in the literature for the Piedmont and Lombardy Regions in northern Italy, and for the Campania Region in southern Italy. This is important, because it shows that landslides in Italy can be triggered by less severe rainfall conditions than previously recognized. The Frequentist method experimented in this work allows for the definition of multiple minimum rainfall thresholds, each based on a different exceedance probability level. This makes the thresholds suited for the design of probabilistic schemes for the prediction of rainfall-induced landslides. A scheme based on four

  20. Setting conservation management thresholds using a novel participatory modeling approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Addison, P F E; de Bie, K; Rumpff, L

    2015-10-01

    We devised a participatory modeling approach for setting management thresholds that show when management intervention is required to address undesirable ecosystem changes. This approach was designed to be used when management thresholds: must be set for environmental indicators in the face of multiple competing objectives; need to incorporate scientific understanding and value judgments; and will be set by participants with limited modeling experience. We applied our approach to a case study where management thresholds were set for a mat-forming brown alga, Hormosira banksii, in a protected area management context. Participants, including management staff and scientists, were involved in a workshop to test the approach, and set management thresholds to address the threat of trampling by visitors to an intertidal rocky reef. The approach involved trading off the environmental objective, to maintain the condition of intertidal reef communities, with social and economic objectives to ensure management intervention was cost-effective. Ecological scenarios, developed using scenario planning, were a key feature that provided the foundation for where to set management thresholds. The scenarios developed represented declines in percent cover of H. banksii that may occur under increased threatening processes. Participants defined 4 discrete management alternatives to address the threat of trampling and estimated the effect of these alternatives on the objectives under each ecological scenario. A weighted additive model was used to aggregate participants' consequence estimates. Model outputs (decision scores) clearly expressed uncertainty, which can be considered by decision makers and used to inform where to set management thresholds. This approach encourages a proactive form of conservation, where management thresholds and associated actions are defined a priori for ecological indicators, rather than reacting to unexpected ecosystem changes in the future. © 2015 The

  1. Incorporation of the time aspect into the liability-threshold model for case-control-family data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cederkvist, Luise; Holst, Klaus K.; Andersen, Klaus K.

    2017-01-01

    to estimates that are difficult to interpret and are potentially biased. We incorporate the time aspect into the liability-threshold model for case-control-family data following the same approach that has been applied in the twin setting. Thus, the data are considered as arising from a competing risks setting...... approach using simulation studies and apply it in the analysis of two Danish register-based case-control-family studies: one on cancer diagnosed in childhood and adolescence, and one on early-onset breast cancer....

  2. Some homological properties of skew PBW extensions arising in non-commutative algebraic geometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lezama Oswaldo

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this short paper we study for the skew PBW (Poincar-Birkhoff-Witt extensions some homological properties arising in non-commutative algebraic geometry, namely, Auslander-Gorenstein regularity, Cohen-Macaulayness and strongly noetherianity. Skew PBW extensions include a considerable number of non-commutative rings of polynomial type such that classical PBW extensions, quantum polynomial rings, multiplicative analogue of the Weyl algebra, some Sklyanin algebras, operator algebras, diffusion algebras, quadratic algebras in 3 variables, among many others. Parametrization of the point modules of some examples is also presented.

  3. Solitary Fibrous Tumor Arising from Stomach: CT Findings

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Sung Hee; Kim, Myeong-Jin; Kwon, Jieun; Park, Jong-pil; Park, Mi-Suk; Lim, Joon Seok; Kim, Joo Hee; Kim, Ki Whang

    2007-01-01

    Solitary fibrous tumors are spindle-cell neoplasms that usually develop in the pleura and peritoneum, and rarely arise in the stomach. To our knowledge, there is only one case reporting a solitary fibrous tumor arising from stomach in the English literature. Here we report the case of a 26-year-old man with a large solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach which involved the submucosa and muscular layer and resembled a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the stomach, based on what was see...

  4. Biophysical Insights into How Spike Threshold Depends on the Rate of Membrane Potential Depolarization in Type I and Type II Neurons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guo-Sheng Yi

    Full Text Available Dynamic spike threshold plays a critical role in neuronal input-output relations. In many neurons, the threshold potential depends on the rate of membrane potential depolarization (dV/dt preceding a spike. There are two basic classes of neural excitability, i.e., Type I and Type II, according to input-output properties. Although the dynamical and biophysical basis of their spike initiation has been established, the spike threshold dynamic for each cell type has not been well described. Here, we use a biophysical model to investigate how spike threshold depends on dV/dt in two types of neuron. It is observed that Type II spike threshold is more depolarized and more sensitive to dV/dt than Type I. With phase plane analysis, we show that each threshold dynamic arises from the different separatrix and K+ current kinetics. By analyzing subthreshold properties of membrane currents, we find the activation of hyperpolarizing current prior to spike initiation is a major factor that regulates the threshold dynamics. The outward K+ current in Type I neuron does not activate at the perithresholds, which makes its spike threshold insensitive to dV/dt. The Type II K+ current activates prior to spike initiation and there is a large net hyperpolarizing current at the perithresholds, which results in a depolarized threshold as well as a pronounced threshold dynamic. These predictions are further attested in several other functionally equivalent cases of neural excitability. Our study provides a fundamental description about how intrinsic biophysical properties contribute to the threshold dynamics in Type I and Type II neurons, which could decipher their significant functions in neural coding.

  5. Stochastic generation of explicit pore structures by thresholding Gaussian random fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hyman, Jeffrey D., E-mail: jhyman@lanl.gov [Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0089 (United States); Computational Earth Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES-16), and Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States); Winter, C. Larrabee, E-mail: winter@email.arizona.edu [Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0089 (United States); Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    We provide a description and computational investigation of an efficient method to stochastically generate realistic pore structures. Smolarkiewicz and Winter introduced this specific method in pores resolving simulation of Darcy flows (Smolarkiewicz and Winter, 2010 [1]) without giving a complete formal description or analysis of the method, or indicating how to control the parameterization of the ensemble. We address both issues in this paper. The method consists of two steps. First, a realization of a correlated Gaussian field, or topography, is produced by convolving a prescribed kernel with an initial field of independent, identically distributed random variables. The intrinsic length scales of the kernel determine the correlation structure of the topography. Next, a sample pore space is generated by applying a level threshold to the Gaussian field realization: points are assigned to the void phase or the solid phase depending on whether the topography over them is above or below the threshold. Hence, the topology and geometry of the pore space depend on the form of the kernel and the level threshold. Manipulating these two user prescribed quantities allows good control of pore space observables, in particular the Minkowski functionals. Extensions of the method to generate media with multiple pore structures and preferential flow directions are also discussed. To demonstrate its usefulness, the method is used to generate a pore space with physical and hydrological properties similar to a sample of Berea sandstone. -- Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •An efficient method to stochastically generate realistic pore structures is provided. •Samples are generated by applying a level threshold to a Gaussian field realization. •Two user prescribed quantities determine the topology and geometry of the pore space. •Multiple pore structures and preferential flow directions can be produced. •A pore space based on Berea sandstone is generated.

  6. Primary extradural meningioma arising from the calvarium | Ravi ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Meningiomas are the most common intracranial tumours. Meningiomas arising at other locations are termed primary extradural meningiomas (EDMs) and are rare. Here we report a case of EDM arising from the calvarium – a primary calvarial meningioma (PCM).

  7. Sparse Adaptive Iteratively-Weighted Thresholding Algorithm (SAITA) for Lp-Regularization Using the Multiple Sub-Dictionary Representation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yunyi; Zhang, Jie; Fan, Shangang; Yang, Jie; Xiong, Jian; Cheng, Xiefeng; Sari, Hikmet; Adachi, Fumiyuki; Gui, Guan

    2017-12-15

    Both L 1/2 and L 2/3 are two typical non-convex regularizations of L p (0dictionary sparse transform strategies for the two typical cases p∈{1/2, 2/3} based on an iterative Lp thresholding algorithm and then proposes a sparse adaptive iterative-weighted L p thresholding algorithm (SAITA). Moreover, a simple yet effective regularization parameter is proposed to weight each sub-dictionary-based L p regularizer. Simulation results have shown that the proposed SAITA not only performs better than the corresponding L₁ algorithms but can also obtain a better recovery performance and achieve faster convergence than the conventional single-dictionary sparse transform-based L p case. Moreover, we conduct some applications about sparse image recovery and obtain good results by comparison with relative work.

  8. Nonlinear threshold behavior during the loss of Arctic sea ice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenman, I; Wettlaufer, J S

    2009-01-06

    In light of the rapid recent retreat of Arctic sea ice, a number of studies have discussed the possibility of a critical threshold (or "tipping point") beyond which the ice-albedo feedback causes the ice cover to melt away in an irreversible process. The focus has typically been centered on the annual minimum (September) ice cover, which is often seen as particularly susceptible to destabilization by the ice-albedo feedback. Here, we examine the central physical processes associated with the transition from ice-covered to ice-free Arctic Ocean conditions. We show that although the ice-albedo feedback promotes the existence of multiple ice-cover states, the stabilizing thermodynamic effects of sea ice mitigate this when the Arctic Ocean is ice covered during a sufficiently large fraction of the year. These results suggest that critical threshold behavior is unlikely during the approach from current perennial sea-ice conditions to seasonally ice-free conditions. In a further warmed climate, however, we find that a critical threshold associated with the sudden loss of the remaining wintertime-only sea ice cover may be likely.

  9. Database of average-power damage thresholds at 1064 nm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rainer, F.; Hildum, E.A.; Milam, D.

    1987-01-01

    We have completed a database of average-power, laser-induced, damage thresholds at 1064 nm on a variety of materials. Measurements were made with a newly constructed laser to provide design input for moderate and high average-power laser projects. The measurements were conducted with 16-ns pulses at pulse-repetition frequencies ranging from 6 to 120 Hz. Samples were typically irradiated for time ranging from a fraction of a second up to 5 minutes (36,000 shots). We tested seven categories of samples which included antireflective coatings, high reflectors, polarizers, single and multiple layers of the same material, bare and overcoated metal surfaces, bare polished surfaces, and bulk materials. The measured damage threshold ranged from 2 for some metals to > 46 J/cm 2 for a bare polished glass substrate. 4 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

  10. Efficient Processing of Multiple DTW Queries in Time Series Databases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kremer, Hardy; Günnemann, Stephan; Ivanescu, Anca-Maria

    2011-01-01

    . In many of today’s applications, however, large numbers of queries arise at any given time. Existing DTW techniques do not process multiple DTW queries simultaneously, a serious limitation which slows down overall processing. In this paper, we propose an efficient processing approach for multiple DTW...... for multiple DTW queries....

  11. Cost-effectiveness thresholds in health care: a bookshelf guide to their meaning and use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culyer, Anthony J

    2016-10-01

    There is misunderstanding about both the meaning and the role of cost-effectiveness thresholds in policy decision making. This article dissects the main issues by use of a bookshelf metaphor. Its main conclusions are as follows: it must be possible to compare interventions in terms of their impact on a common measure of health; mere effectiveness is not a persuasive case for inclusion in public insurance plans; public health advocates need to address issues of relative effectiveness; a 'first best' benchmark or threshold ratio of health gain to expenditure identifies the least effective intervention that should be included in a public insurance plan; the reciprocal of this ratio - the 'first best' cost-effectiveness threshold - will rise or fall as the health budget rises or falls (ceteris paribus); setting thresholds too high or too low costs lives; failure to set any cost-effectiveness threshold at all also involves avertable deaths and morbidity; the threshold cannot be set independently of the health budget; the threshold can be approached from either the demand side or the supply side - the two are equivalent only in a health-maximising equilibrium; the supply-side approach generates an estimate of a 'second best' cost-effectiveness threshold that is higher than the 'first best'; the second best threshold is the one generally to be preferred in decisions about adding or subtracting interventions in an established public insurance package; multiple thresholds are implied by systems having distinct and separable health budgets; disinvestment involves eliminating effective technologies from the insured bundle; differential weighting of beneficiaries' health gains may affect the threshold; anonymity and identity are factors that may affect the interpretation of the threshold; the true opportunity cost of health care in a community, where the effectiveness of interventions is determined by their impact on health, is not to be measured in money - but in health

  12. Threshold Signature Schemes Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasiya Victorovna Beresneva

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This work is devoted to an investigation of threshold signature schemes. The systematization of the threshold signature schemes was done, cryptographic constructions based on interpolation Lagrange polynomial, elliptic curves and bilinear pairings were examined. Different methods of generation and verification of threshold signatures were explored, the availability of practical usage of threshold schemes in mobile agents, Internet banking and e-currency was shown. The topics of further investigation were given and it could reduce a level of counterfeit electronic documents signed by a group of users.

  13. Thresholds in radiobiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katz, R.; Hofmann, W.

    1982-01-01

    Interpretations of biological radiation effects frequently use the word 'threshold'. The meaning of this word is explored together with its relationship to the fundamental character of radiation effects and to the question of perception. It is emphasised that although the existence of either a dose or an LET threshold can never be settled by experimental radiobiological investigations, it may be argued on fundamental statistical grounds that for all statistical processes, and especially where the number of observed events is small, the concept of a threshold is logically invalid. (U.K.)

  14. Integration of community structure data reveals observable effects below sediment guideline thresholds in a large estuary

    KAUST Repository

    Tremblay, Louis A.

    2017-04-07

    The sustainable management of estuarine and coastal ecosystems requires robust frameworks due to the presence of multiple physical and chemical stressors. In this study, we assessed whether ecological health decline, based on community structure composition changes along a pollution gradient, occurred at levels below guideline threshold values for copper, zinc and lead. Canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP) was used to characterise benthic communities along a metal contamination gradient. The analysis revealed changes in benthic community distribution at levels below the individual guideline values for the three metals. These results suggest that field-based measures of ecological health analysed with multivariate tools can provide additional information to single metal guideline threshold values to monitor large systems exposed to multiple stressors.

  15. No-threshold dose-response curves for nongenotoxic chemicals: Findings and applications for risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheehan, Daniel M.

    2006-01-01

    We tested the hypothesis that no threshold exists when estradiol acts through the same mechanism as an active endogenous estrogen. A Michaelis-Menten (MM) equation accounting for response saturation, background effects, and endogenous estrogen level fit a turtle sex-reversal data set with no threshold and estimated the endogenous dose. Additionally, 31 diverse literature dose-response data sets were analyzed by adding a term for nonhormonal background; good fits were obtained but endogenous dose estimations were not significant due to low resolving power. No thresholds were observed. Data sets were plotted using a normalized MM equation; all 178 data points were accommodated on a single graph. Response rates from ∼1% to >95% were well fit. The findings contradict the threshold assumption and low-dose safety. Calculating risk and assuming additivity of effects from multiple chemicals acting through the same mechanism rather than assuming a safe dose for nonthresholded curves is appropriate

  16. Shifts in the relationship between motor unit recruitment thresholds versus derecruitment thresholds during fatigue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stock, Matt S; Mota, Jacob A

    2017-12-01

    Muscle fatigue is associated with diminished twitch force amplitude. We examined changes in the motor unit recruitment versus derecruitment threshold relationship during fatigue. Nine men (mean age = 26 years) performed repeated isometric contractions at 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) knee extensor force until exhaustion. Surface electromyographic signals were detected from the vastus lateralis, and were decomposed into their constituent motor unit action potential trains. Motor unit recruitment and derecruitment thresholds and firing rates at recruitment and derecruitment were evaluated at the beginning, middle, and end of the protocol. On average, 15 motor units were studied per contraction. For the initial contraction, three subjects showed greater recruitment thresholds than derecruitment thresholds for all motor units. Five subjects showed greater recruitment thresholds than derecruitment thresholds for only low-threshold motor units at the beginning, with a mean cross-over of 31.6% MVC. As the muscle fatigued, many motor units were derecruited at progressively higher forces. In turn, decreased slopes and increased y-intercepts were observed. These shifts were complemented by increased firing rates at derecruitment relative to recruitment. As the vastus lateralis fatigued, the central nervous system's compensatory adjustments resulted in a shift of the regression line of the recruitment versus derecruitment threshold relationship. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Influence of optical feedback on laser frequency spectrum and threshold conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Osmundsen, Jens Henrik; Gade, Niels

    1983-01-01

    The steady state behavior of the external cavity operated laser has been analyzed, taking into account multiple reflections. The effect of optical feedback is included in the phase- and gain-conditions by a factor which is shown to have a simple geometrical representation. From this representation...... it is easily seen how the laser frequency spectrum and the threshold gain depend on external parameters such as distance to the reflection point and the amount of optical feedback. Furthermore, by inserting a variable attenuator in the external cavity and measuring the threshold current versus transmittance we...... have simultaneously determined the photon lifetime and the absolute amount of optical feedback. For the laser considered we found the photon lifetimetau_{p} = 1.55ps....

  18. Multiple paternity in reptiles: patterns and processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uller, Tobias; Olsson, Mats

    2008-06-01

    The evolution of female promiscuity poses an intriguing problem as benefits of mating with multiple males often have to arise via indirect, genetic, effects. Studies on birds have documented that multiple paternity is common in natural populations but strong evidence for selection via female benefits is lacking. In an attempt to evaluate the evidence more broadly, we review studies of multiple paternity in natural populations of all major groups of nonavian reptiles. Multiple paternity has been documented in all species investigated so far and commonly exists in over 50% of clutches, with particularly high levels in snakes and lizards. Marine turtles and lizards with prolonged pair-bonding have relatively low levels of multiple paternity but levels are nevertheless higher than in many vertebrates with parental care. There is no evidence that high levels of polyandry are driven by direct benefits to females and the evidence that multiple paternity arises from indirect genetic benefits is weak. Instead, we argue that the most parsimonious explanation for patterns of multiple paternity is that it represents the combined effect of mate-encounter frequency and conflict over mating rates between males and females driven by large male benefits and relatively small female costs, with only weak selection via indirect benefits. A crucial step for researchers is to move from correlative approaches to experimental tests of assumptions and predictions of theory under natural settings, using a combination of molecular techniques and behavioural observations.

  19. Threshold factorization redux

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chay, Junegone; Kim, Chul

    2018-05-01

    We reanalyze the factorization theorems for the Drell-Yan process and for deep inelastic scattering near threshold, as constructed in the framework of the soft-collinear effective theory (SCET), from a new, consistent perspective. In order to formulate the factorization near threshold in SCET, we should include an additional degree of freedom with small energy, collinear to the beam direction. The corresponding collinear-soft mode is included to describe the parton distribution function (PDF) near threshold. The soft function is modified by subtracting the contribution of the collinear-soft modes in order to avoid double counting on the overlap region. As a result, the proper soft function becomes infrared finite, and all the factorized parts are free of rapidity divergence. Furthermore, the separation of the relevant scales in each factorized part becomes manifest. We apply the same idea to the dihadron production in e+e- annihilation near threshold, and show that the resultant soft function is also free of infrared and rapidity divergences.

  20. Detection thresholds of macaque otolith afferents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiong-Jie; Dickman, J David; Angelaki, Dora E

    2012-06-13

    The vestibular system is our sixth sense and is important for spatial perception functions, yet the sensory detection and discrimination properties of vestibular neurons remain relatively unexplored. Here we have used signal detection theory to measure detection thresholds of otolith afferents using 1 Hz linear accelerations delivered along three cardinal axes. Direction detection thresholds were measured by comparing mean firing rates centered on response peak and trough (full-cycle thresholds) or by comparing peak/trough firing rates with spontaneous activity (half-cycle thresholds). Thresholds were similar for utricular and saccular afferents, as well as for lateral, fore/aft, and vertical motion directions. When computed along the preferred direction, full-cycle direction detection thresholds were 7.54 and 3.01 cm/s(2) for regular and irregular firing otolith afferents, respectively. Half-cycle thresholds were approximately double, with excitatory thresholds being half as large as inhibitory thresholds. The variability in threshold among afferents was directly related to neuronal gain and did not depend on spike count variance. The exact threshold values depended on both the time window used for spike count analysis and the filtering method used to calculate mean firing rate, although differences between regular and irregular afferent thresholds were independent of analysis parameters. The fact that minimum thresholds measured in macaque otolith afferents are of the same order of magnitude as human behavioral thresholds suggests that the vestibular periphery might determine the limit on our ability to detect or discriminate small differences in head movement, with little noise added during downstream processing.

  1. Introduction to Special Feature on Catastrophic Thresholds, Perspectives, Definitions, and Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert A. Washington-Allen

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The contributions to this special feature focus on several conceptual and operational applications for understanding non-linear behavior of complex systems with various ecological criteria at unique levels of organization. The organizing theme of the feature emphasizes alternative stable states or regimes and intervening thresholds that possess great relevance to ecology and natural resource management. The authors within this special feature address the conceptual models of catastrophe theory, self-organization, cross-scale interactions and time-scale calculus; develop operational definitions and procedures for understanding the occurrence of dynamic regimes or multiple stable states and thresholds; suggest diagnostics tools for detection of states and thresholds and contribute to the development of scaling laws; and finally, demonstrate applications that promote both greater ecological understanding and management prescriptions for insect and disease outbreaks, resource island formation, and characterization of ecological resilience. This Special Feature concludes with a synthesis of the commonalities and disparities of concepts and interpretations among the contributed papers to identify issues and approaches that merit further research emphasis.

  2. Endogeneously arising network allocation rules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Slikker, M.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we study endogenously arising network allocation rules. We focus on three allocation rules: the Myerson value, the position value and the component-wise egalitarian solution. For any of these three rules we provide a characterization based on component efficiency and some balanced

  3. Threshold guidance update

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickham, L.E.

    1986-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is developing the concept of threshold quantities for use in determining which waste materials must be handled as radioactive waste and which may be disposed of as nonradioactive waste at its sites. Waste above this concentration level would be managed as radioactive or mixed waste (if hazardous chemicals are present); waste below this level would be handled as sanitary waste. Last years' activities (1984) included the development of a threshold guidance dose, the development of threshold concentrations corresponding to the guidance dose, the development of supporting documentation, review by a technical peer review committee, and review by the DOE community. As a result of the comments, areas have been identified for more extensive analysis, including an alternative basis for selection of the guidance dose and the development of quality assurance guidelines. Development of quality assurance guidelines will provide a reasonable basis for determining that a given waste stream qualifies as a threshold waste stream and can then be the basis for a more extensive cost-benefit analysis. The threshold guidance and supporting documentation will be revised, based on the comments received. The revised documents will be provided to DOE by early November. DOE-HQ has indicated that the revised documents will be available for review by DOE field offices and their contractors

  4. Transmit selection algorithms for imperfect threshold-based receive MRC in the presence of co-channel interference

    KAUST Repository

    Radaydeh, Redha Mahmoud Mesleh; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2010-01-01

    The performance of transmit antenna selection for threshold-based maximal ratio combining (MRC) diversity receivers in the presence of multiple co-channel interfering signals is studied. The impact of imperfect channel estimation of desired user

  5. An investigation of mechanical nociceptive thresholds in dogs with hind limb joint pain compared to healthy control dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, L K; Whay, H R; Murrell, J C

    2018-04-01

    This study investigated the effects of osteoarthritis (OA) on somatosensory processing in dogs using mechanical threshold testing. A pressure algometer was used to measure mechanical thresholds in 27 dogs with presumed hind limb osteoarthritis and 28 healthy dogs. Mechanical thresholds were measured at the stifles, radii and sternum, and were correlated with scores from an owner questionnaire and a clinical checklist, a scoring system that quantified clinical signs of osteoarthritis. The effects of age and bodyweight on mechanical thresholds were also investigated. Multiple regression models indicated that, when bodyweight was taken into account, dogs with presumed osteoarthritis had lower mechanical thresholds at the stifles than control dogs, but not at other sites. Non-parametric correlations showed that clinical checklist scores and questionnaire scores were negatively correlated with mechanical thresholds at the stifles. The results suggest that mechanical threshold testing using a pressure algometer can detect primary, and possibly secondary, hyperalgesia in dogs with presumed osteoarthritis. This suggests that the mechanical threshold testing protocol used in this study might facilitate assessment of somatosensory changes associated with disease progression or response to treatment. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Carcinoma arising in thyroglossal remnants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Vuuren, P. A.; Balm, A. J.; Gregor, R. T.; Hilgers, F. J.; Loftus, B. M.; Delprat, C. C.; Rutgers, E. J.

    1994-01-01

    Three patients with a papillary carcinoma arising in a thyroglossal duct cyst are presented and the literature is reviewed. This rare malignancy is seen mostly in women between the ages of 20 and 50 years. The distribution of carcinoma subtypes differs from that of thyroid carcinomas and

  7. Excitation-energy-dependent resonances in x-ray emissions under near-threshold electron excitation of the Ce 3d and 4d levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chamberlain, M.B.; Baun, W.L.

    1975-01-01

    Soft x-ray appearance potential spectra of the 3d and 4d levels of polycrystalline cerium metal are reported in this paper. Resonant x-ray emissions are observed when the electron-excitation energy sweeps through the ionization energies of the 3d and 4d levels. The resonant x rays excited at the 3d-level onsets are considerably more intense, and are excited at a lower electron-excitation energy than the 3d-series characteristic x rays. In the neighborhood of the 4d-electron thresholds, four line-like structures extend to approx.8 eV below the 4d-electron binding energies, while two broad and more intense structures occur above the 4d onsets, with the largest one reaching a peak intensity at 12 eV above the 4d thresholds. The resonant emissions apparently arise from the decay of threshold-excited states which are bound to the inner vacancy and have core configurations nd 9 4f 3 , (n=3,4). The exchange interaction between the three 4f electrons and the respective d-orbital vacancy spreads the 4d-threshold structures over a 20 eV range of excitation energies and the 3d-threshold structures over a much smaller range

  8. Multiple Parton Interactions in ALICE

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2013-01-01

    We will present in detail the measurement of the charged particle multiplicity dependence of per-trigger pair yields in azimuthal direction induced by low-energetic di-jets produced in proton-proton collisions. Using two-particle angular correlations with low transverse momentum thresholds, jet properties are measured on a statistical basis down to the lowest possible jet energies. The analysis can give information about the contribution from multiple parton interactions to particle production. Moreover, the results allow to optimize the parametrization of the jet fragmentation in phenomenological mode...

  9. Adenosarcoma arising in hepatic endometriosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    N'Senda, P.; Dahan, H.; Tubiana, J.M.; Arrive, L.; Wendum, D.; Balladur, P.

    2000-01-01

    We report a case of adenosarcoma arising in hepatic endometriosis. Both CT and MR scans demontrated a huge heterogeneous mass containing septated, thick-walled cystic lesions. After enlarged right hepatectomy, the patient was asymptomatic with no abnormalities at liver and abdominal CT scan at 2-year follow-up. (orig.)

  10. Adenosarcoma arising in hepatic endometriosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    N' Senda, P.; Dahan, H.; Tubiana, J.M.; Arrive, L. [Service de Radiologie, Hopital Saint-Antoine, 75 - Paris (France); Wendum, D. [Service d' Anatomie Pathologie, Hopital Saint-Antoine, 75 - Paris (France); Balladur, P. [Service de Chirurgie Digestive et Generale, Hopital Saint-Antoine, 75 - Paris (France)

    2000-08-01

    We report a case of adenosarcoma arising in hepatic endometriosis. Both CT and MR scans demontrated a huge heterogeneous mass containing septated, thick-walled cystic lesions. After enlarged right hepatectomy, the patient was asymptomatic with no abnormalities at liver and abdominal CT scan at 2-year follow-up. (orig.)

  11. Percolation with multiple giant clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben-Naim, E; Krapivsky, P L

    2005-01-01

    We study mean-field percolation with freezing. Specifically, we consider cluster formation via two competing processes: irreversible aggregation and freezing. We find that when the freezing rate exceeds a certain threshold, the percolation transition is suppressed. Below this threshold, the system undergoes a series of percolation transitions with multiple giant clusters ('gels') formed. Giant clusters are not self-averaging as their total number and their sizes fluctuate from realization to realization. The size distribution F k , of frozen clusters of size k, has a universal tail, F k ∼ k -3 . We propose freezing as a practical mechanism for controlling the gel size. (letter to the editor)

  12. A Rational Threshold Signature Model and Protocol Based on Different Permissions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bojun Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops a novel model and protocol used in some specific scenarios, in which the participants of multiple groups with different permissions can finish the signature together. We apply the secret sharing scheme based on difference equation to the private key distribution phase and secret reconstruction phrase of our threshold signature scheme. In addition, our scheme can achieve the signature success because of the punishment strategy of the repeated rational secret sharing. Besides, the bit commitment and verification method used to detect players’ cheating behavior acts as a contributing factor to prevent the internal fraud. Using bit commitments, verifiable parameters, and time sequences, this paper constructs a dynamic game model, which has the features of threshold signature management with different permissions, cheat proof, and forward security.

  13. Laser threshold and optical gain of blue optically pumped InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQW) grown on Si

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lutsenko, E.V.; Danilchyk, A.V.; Tarasuk, N.P.; Andryieuski, A.V.; Pavlovskii, V.N.; Gurskii, A.L.; Yablonskii, G.P.; Kalisch, H.; Jansen, R.H.; Dikme, Y.; Schineller, B.; Heuken, M.

    2008-01-01

    Optical and laser properties of a series of MQW heterostructures with varying geometry grown on silicon with Al predeposition were investigated. Photoluminescence (PL) band positions covered a spectral range of 430-460 nm under I exc =1 MW/cm 2 and 445-505 nm under I exc =0.15 W/cm 2 . Laser action was achieved under transversal optical pumping at room temperature using only cleaved lateral facets of the samples as laser mirrors. The laser threshold rose from 137 kW/cm 2 to 300 kW/cm 2 with laser wavelength increase from 440 nm to 465 nm. Numerical simulation of the laser conditions shows that the minimal threshold is realized on the fifth order mode. However, the calculated value of material optical gain of InGaN at the laser threshold increases only from 750 cm -1 to 1020 cm -1 , mainly due to absorption rise in the substrate with increasing wavelength. Correlation was observed between PL characteristics and laser threshold. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  14. Exponentiation of the Drell-Yan an cross section near partonic threshold in the DIS and MS-bar schemes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eynck, Tim Oliver; Laenen, Eric; Magnea, Lorenzo

    2003-01-01

    It has been observed that in the DIS scheme the refactorization of the Drell-Yan cross section leading to exponentiation of threshold logarithms can also be used to organize a class of constant terms, most of which arise from the ratio of the timelike Sudakov form factor to its spacelike counterpart. We extend this exponentiation to include all constant terms, and demonstrate how a similar organization may be achieved in the MS-bar scheme. We study the relevance of these exponentiations in a two-loop analysis. (author)

  15. Intermediate structure and threshold phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel

    2004-01-01

    The Intermediate Structure, evidenced through microstructures of the neutron strength function, is reflected in open reaction channels as fluctuations in excitation function of nuclear threshold effects. The intermediate state supporting both neutron strength function and nuclear threshold effect is a micro-giant neutron threshold state. (author)

  16. Increased decision thresholds enhance information gathering performance in juvenile Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannaccone, Reto; Brem, Silvia; Walitza, Susanne

    2017-01-01

    Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be described as cautious and hesitant, manifesting an excessive indecisiveness that hinders efficient decision making. However, excess caution in decision making may also lead to better performance in specific situations where the cost of extended deliberation is small. We compared 16 juvenile OCD patients with 16 matched healthy controls whilst they performed a sequential information gathering task under different external cost conditions. We found that patients with OCD outperformed healthy controls, winning significantly more points. The groups also differed in the number of draws required prior to committing to a decision, but not in decision accuracy. A novel Bayesian computational model revealed that subjective sampling costs arose as a non-linear function of sampling, closely resembling an escalating urgency signal. Group difference in performance was best explained by a later emergence of these subjective costs in the OCD group, also evident in an increased decision threshold. Our findings present a novel computational model and suggest that enhanced information gathering in OCD can be accounted for by a higher decision threshold arising out of an altered perception of costs that, in some specific contexts, may be advantageous. PMID:28403139

  17. Prescription-induced jump distributions in multiplicative Poisson processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suweis, Samir; Porporato, Amilcare; Rinaldo, Andrea; Maritan, Amos

    2011-06-01

    Generalized Langevin equations (GLE) with multiplicative white Poisson noise pose the usual prescription dilemma leading to different evolution equations (master equations) for the probability distribution. Contrary to the case of multiplicative Gaussian white noise, the Stratonovich prescription does not correspond to the well-known midpoint (or any other intermediate) prescription. By introducing an inertial term in the GLE, we show that the Itô and Stratonovich prescriptions naturally arise depending on two time scales, one induced by the inertial term and the other determined by the jump event. We also show that, when the multiplicative noise is linear in the random variable, one prescription can be made equivalent to the other by a suitable transformation in the jump probability distribution. We apply these results to a recently proposed stochastic model describing the dynamics of primary soil salinization, in which the salt mass balance within the soil root zone requires the analysis of different prescriptions arising from the resulting stochastic differential equation forced by multiplicative white Poisson noise, the features of which are tailored to the characters of the daily precipitation. A method is finally suggested to infer the most appropriate prescription from the data.

  18. Prescription-induced jump distributions in multiplicative Poisson processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suweis, Samir; Porporato, Amilcare; Rinaldo, Andrea; Maritan, Amos

    2011-06-01

    Generalized Langevin equations (GLE) with multiplicative white Poisson noise pose the usual prescription dilemma leading to different evolution equations (master equations) for the probability distribution. Contrary to the case of multiplicative Gaussian white noise, the Stratonovich prescription does not correspond to the well-known midpoint (or any other intermediate) prescription. By introducing an inertial term in the GLE, we show that the Itô and Stratonovich prescriptions naturally arise depending on two time scales, one induced by the inertial term and the other determined by the jump event. We also show that, when the multiplicative noise is linear in the random variable, one prescription can be made equivalent to the other by a suitable transformation in the jump probability distribution. We apply these results to a recently proposed stochastic model describing the dynamics of primary soil salinization, in which the salt mass balance within the soil root zone requires the analysis of different prescriptions arising from the resulting stochastic differential equation forced by multiplicative white Poisson noise, the features of which are tailored to the characters of the daily precipitation. A method is finally suggested to infer the most appropriate prescription from the data.

  19. Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, threshold microstructure, and psychophysical tuning over a wide frequency range in humansa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baiduc, Rachael R.; Lee, Jungmee; Dhar, Sumitrajit

    2014-01-01

    Hearing thresholds have been shown to exhibit periodic minima and maxima, a pattern known as threshold microstructure. Microstructure has previously been linked to spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) and normal cochlear function. However, SOAEs at high frequencies (>4 kHz) have been associated with hearing loss or cochlear pathology in some reports. Microstructure would not be expected near these high-frequency SOAEs. Psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs), the expression of frequency selectivity, may also be altered by SOAEs. Prior comparisons of tuning between ears with and without SOAEs demonstrated sharper tuning in ears with emissions. Here, threshold microstructure and PTCs were compared at SOAE frequencies ranging between 1.2 and 13.9 kHz using subjects without SOAEs as controls. Results indicate: (1) Threshold microstructure is observable in the vicinity of SOAEs of all frequencies; (2) PTCs are influenced by SOAEs, resulting in shifted tuning curve tips, multiple tips, or inversion. High frequency SOAEs show a greater effect on PTC morphology. The influence of most SOAEs at high frequencies on threshold microstructure and PTCs is consistent with those at lower frequencies, suggesting that high-frequency SOAEs reflect the same cochlear processes that lead to SOAEs at lower frequencies. PMID:24437770

  20. Nuclear threshold effects and neutron strength function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel; Comisel, Horia

    2003-01-01

    One proves that a Nuclear Threshold Effect is dependent, via Neutron Strength Function, on Spectroscopy of Ancestral Neutron Threshold State. The magnitude of the Nuclear Threshold Effect is proportional to the Neutron Strength Function. Evidence for relation of Nuclear Threshold Effects to Neutron Strength Functions is obtained from Isotopic Threshold Effect and Deuteron Stripping Threshold Anomaly. The empirical and computational analysis of the Isotopic Threshold Effect and of the Deuteron Stripping Threshold Anomaly demonstrate their close relationship to Neutron Strength Functions. It was established that the Nuclear Threshold Effects depend, in addition to genuine Nuclear Reaction Mechanisms, on Spectroscopy of (Ancestral) Neutron Threshold State. The magnitude of the effect is proportional to the Neutron Strength Function, in their dependence on mass number. This result constitutes also a proof that the origins of these threshold effects are Neutron Single Particle States at zero energy. (author)

  1. The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in Scotland: inferences from hospital admissions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam E Handel

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is a neurological disorder with a highly characteristic disease distribution. Prevalence and incidence in general increase with increasing distance from the equator. Similarly the female to male sex ratio increases with increasing latitude. Multiple possible risk factors have been hypothesised for this epidemiological trend, including human leukocyte antigen allele frequencies, ultraviolet exposure and subsequent vitamin D levels, smoking and Epstein-Barr virus. In this study we undertook a study of medical records across Scotland on an NHS health board level of resolution to examine the epidemiology of MS in this region.We calculated the number and rate of patient-linked hospital admissions throughout Scotland between 1997 and 2009 from the Scottish Morbidity Records. We used weighted-regression to examine correlations between these measures of MS, and latitude and smoking prevalence. We found a highly significant relationship between MS patient-linked admissions and latitude (r weighted by standard error (r(sw = 0.75, p = 0.002. There was no significant relationship between smoking prevalence and MS patient-linked admissions.There is a definite latitudinal effect on MS risk across Scotland, arising primarily from an excess of female MS patients at more Northerly latitudes. Whether this is a true gradient or whether a threshold effect may apply at particular latitude will be revealed only by further research. A number of genetic and environmental factors may underlie this effect.

  2. Non-Gaussian signatures arising from warm inflation driven by geometric tachyon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharjee, Anindita; Deshamukhya, Atri

    2014-01-01

    In a warm inflationary scenario, the initial seeds of density perturbation arise from thermal fluctuations of the inflaton field. These fluctuations in principle have Gaussian distribution. In a Gaussian distribution the density perturbation can be expressed as the two point correlation function. Thus if in an inflationary model the density perturbation is expressed as correlation function of order higher than two, these fluctuations are non-Gaussian in nature. A simple inflationary model containing single scalar field, slow roll, canonical kinetic term and vacuum initial state can produce a tiny amount of non-Gaussianity which are very small to be detected by any experiment. Non-Gaussianity can also arise in inflationary models containing multiple scalar fields. For an inflationary scenario with single scalar field, non-Gaussianity can be expressed in terms of bi-spectrum however for multi field Inflation, it is expressed in terms of trispectrum etc. In this piece of work, the warm inflationary scenario, driven by a D3 brane due to the presence of a stack of k coincident NS 5 branes is considered and the non-Gaussian effects in such an inflationary scenario has been analysed by measuring the bispectrum of the gravitational field fluctuations generated during the warm inflation in strong dissipative regime. The bi-spectrum of the Inflation is expressed in terms of the parameter f NL and it is seen that the value of f NL parameter lies well within the limit observed by WMAP7

  3. Cutaneous osteosarcoma arising from a burn scar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Min A.; Yi, Jaehyuck [Kyungpook National University, Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Kyungpook National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Chae, Jong Min [Kyungpook National University, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    Tumors that develop in old burn scars are usually squamous cell carcinomas. Sarcomas have also been reported, albeit rarely. To our knowledge, there has been only one case report of an extraskeletal osteosarcoma arising in a prior burn scar reported in the English-language literature, mainly discussing the clinicopathological features. Herein, we present a case of cutaneous osteosarcoma visualized as a mineralized soft-tissue mass arising from the scar associated with a previous skin burn over the back. This seems to be the first report describing the imaging features of a cutaneous osteosarcoma from an old burn scar. (orig.)

  4. On the implications of thresholds for economic science and environmental policy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aalbers, R.

    1999-05-11

    probability density function about the threshold, i.e. the case in which society is ambiguous. In the final chapter 5, a closer look is taken at the decision making process in cases where, as a result of an increase in pollution, the probability of dying increases, or equivalently, the survival probability decreases. Given that the benefits of pollution, in the sense of an increase in the consumption possibilities, and the costs of pollution, in the sense of a lower survival probability, are not shared equally by all individuals, the question arises how society must balance increased consumption opportunities of some individual(s) against the increased probability of dying of other individual(s). I will call this problem the life-externality problem, and will analyse it from the point of view of four so-called `theories of justice`, the neo-classical approach, utilitarianism, liberal equality and libertarianism. Special attention will be paid to the way in which each of these theories balances the diverging interests of the people involved. In this respect the author finds out whether or not the allocation proposed by each of these theories matches our intuitive sense of right and wrong. At the end of this chapter a list of seven criteria will be presented that have to be met, if an allocation is to be called fair. 172 refs.

  5. Distinct kinetics of inhibitory currents in thalamocortical neurons that arise from dendritic or axonal origin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunggu Yang

    Full Text Available Thalamocortical neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN transfer visual information from retina to primary visual cortex. This information is modulated by inhibitory input arising from local interneurons and thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN neurons, leading to alterations of receptive field properties of thalamocortical neurons. Local GABAergic interneurons provide two distinct synaptic outputs: axonal (F1 terminals and dendritic (F2 terminals onto dLGN thalamocortical neurons. By contrast, TRN neurons provide only axonal output (F1 terminals onto dLGN thalamocortical neurons. It is unclear if GABAA receptor-mediated currents originating from F1 and F2 terminals have different characteristics. In the present study, we examined multiple characteristics (rise time, slope, halfwidth and decay τ of GABAA receptor-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic synaptic currents (mIPSCs originating from F1 and F2 terminals. The mIPSCs arising from F2 terminals showed slower kinetics relative to those from F1 terminals. Such differential kinetics of GABAAR-mediated responses could be an important role in temporal coding of visual signals.

  6. A New Wavelet Threshold Function and Denoising Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Jing-yi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to improve the effects of denoising, this paper introduces the basic principles of wavelet threshold denoising and traditional structures threshold functions. Meanwhile, it proposes wavelet threshold function and fixed threshold formula which are both improved here. First, this paper studies the problems existing in the traditional wavelet threshold functions and introduces the adjustment factors to construct the new threshold function basis on soft threshold function. Then, it studies the fixed threshold and introduces the logarithmic function of layer number of wavelet decomposition to design the new fixed threshold formula. Finally, this paper uses hard threshold, soft threshold, Garrote threshold, and improved threshold function to denoise different signals. And the paper also calculates signal-to-noise (SNR and mean square errors (MSE of the hard threshold functions, soft thresholding functions, Garrote threshold functions, and the improved threshold function after denoising. Theoretical analysis and experimental results showed that the proposed approach could improve soft threshold functions with constant deviation and hard threshold with discontinuous function problems. The proposed approach could improve the different decomposition scales that adopt the same threshold value to deal with the noise problems, also effectively filter the noise in the signals, and improve the SNR and reduce the MSE of output signals.

  7. Ecological and human health risks arising from exposure to metals in urban soils under different land use in Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwegbue, Chukwujindu M A; Martincigh, Bice S

    2018-05-01

    The concentrations of eight metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe) were measured in soils under different land use in an urban environment of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The aim was to provide information on the potential ecological and human health risks associated with human exposure to metals in these soils. The potential ecological risk due to metals in soils of these land use types falls in the range of low to moderate ecological risk with a significant contribution from Cd. The severity of the individual metals to ecological risk in these land use types followed the order Cd > Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Mn. The non-carcinogenic risk, expressed in terms of the hazard index (HI), arising through exposure to metals through oral, dermal and inhalation pathways, was greater than 1 for children in the majority of the land use types and less than 1 for adults for all land use types. This indicated that there are considerable non-cancer risks arising from childhood exposure to metals in soils of these land use types. The cancer risk values were within acceptable threshold values indicating a negligible cancer risk for both children and adults exposed to metals in these urban soils.

  8. Threshold models of recognition and the recognition heuristic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edgar Erdfelder

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available According to the recognition heuristic (RH theory, decisions follow the recognition principle: Given a high validity of the recognition cue, people should prefer recognized choice options compared to unrecognized ones. Assuming that the memory strength of choice options is strongly correlated with both the choice criterion and recognition judgments, the RH is a reasonable strategy that approximates optimal decisions with a minimum of cognitive effort (Davis-Stober, Dana, and Budescu, 2010. However, theories of recognition memory are not generally compatible with this assumption. For example, some threshold models of recognition presume that recognition judgments can arise from two types of cognitive states: (1 certainty states in which judgments are almost perfectly correlated with memory strength and (2 uncertainty states in which recognition judgments reflect guessing rather than differences in memory strength. We report an experiment designed to test the prediction that the RH applies to certainty states only. Our results show that memory states rather than recognition judgments affect use of recognition information in binary decisions.

  9. Better informing decision making with multiple outcomes cost-effectiveness analysis under uncertainty in cost-disutility space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaffrey, Nikki; Agar, Meera; Harlum, Janeane; Karnon, Jonathon; Currow, David; Eckermann, Simon

    2015-01-01

    Comparing multiple, diverse outcomes with cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is important, yet challenging in areas like palliative care where domains are unamenable to integration with survival. Generic multi-attribute utility values exclude important domains and non-health outcomes, while partial analyses-where outcomes are considered separately, with their joint relationship under uncertainty ignored-lead to incorrect inference regarding preferred strategies. The objective of this paper is to consider whether such decision making can be better informed with alternative presentation and summary measures, extending methods previously shown to have advantages in multiple strategy comparison. Multiple outcomes CEA of a home-based palliative care model (PEACH) relative to usual care is undertaken in cost disutility (CDU) space and compared with analysis on the cost-effectiveness plane. Summary measures developed for comparing strategies across potential threshold values for multiple outcomes include: expected net loss (ENL) planes quantifying differences in expected net benefit; the ENL contour identifying preferred strategies minimising ENL and their expected value of perfect information; and cost-effectiveness acceptability planes showing probability of strategies minimising ENL. Conventional analysis suggests PEACH is cost-effective when the threshold value per additional day at home (1) exceeds $1,068 or dominated by usual care when only the proportion of home deaths is considered. In contrast, neither alternative dominate in CDU space where cost and outcomes are jointly considered, with the optimal strategy depending on threshold values. For example, PEACH minimises ENL when 1=$2,000 and 2=$2,000 (threshold value for dying at home), with a 51.6% chance of PEACH being cost-effective. Comparison in CDU space and associated summary measures have distinct advantages to multiple domain comparisons, aiding transparent and robust joint comparison of costs and multiple

  10. Threshold nonlinear absorption in Zeeman transitions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narayanan, Andal; Hazra, Abheera; Sandhya, S N

    2010-01-01

    We experimentally study the absorption spectroscopy from a collection of gaseous 87 Rb atoms at room temperature irradiated with three fields. Two of these fields are in a pump-probe saturation absorption configuration. The third field co-propagates with the pump field. The three fields address Zeeman degenerate transitions between hyperfine levels 5S 1/2 , F = 1 and 5P 3/2 , F = 0, F = 1 around the D2 line. We find a sub-natural absorption resonance in the counter-propagating probe field for equal detunings of all three fields. This absorption arises in conjunction with the appearance of increased transmission due to electro-magnetically induced transparency in the co-propagating fields. The novel feature of this absorption is its onset only for the blue of 5P 3/2 , F = 0, as the laser frequency is scanned through the excited states 5P 3/2 , F = 0, F = 1 and F = 2. The absorption rapidly rises to near maximum values within a narrow band of frequency near 5P 3/2 , F = 0. Our experimental results are compared with a dressed atom model. We find the threshold absorption to be a result of coherent interaction between the dressed states of our system.

  11. 32 CFR 537.19 - Demands arising from maritime claims.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Demands arising from maritime claims. 537.19 Section 537.19 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY CLAIMS AND ACCOUNTS CLAIMS ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES § 537.19 Demands arising from maritime claims. (a) It is...

  12. Threshold behavior in electron-atom scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadeghpour, H.R.; Greene, C.H.

    1996-01-01

    Ever since the classic work of Wannier in 1953, the process of treating two threshold electrons in the continuum of a positively charged ion has been an active field of study. The authors have developed a treatment motivated by the physics below the double ionization threshold. By modeling the double ionization as a series of Landau-Zener transitions, they obtain an analytical formulation of the absolute threshold probability which has a leading power law behavior, akin to Wannier's law. Some of the noteworthy aspects of this derivation are that the derivation can be conveniently continued below threshold giving rise to a open-quotes cuspclose quotes at threshold, and that on both sides of the threshold, absolute values of the cross sections are obtained

  13. Bi-criteria travelling salesman subtour problem with time threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar Thenepalle, Jayanth; Singamsetty, Purusotham

    2018-03-01

    This paper deals with the bi-criteria travelling salesman subtour problem with time threshold (BTSSP-T), which comes from the family of the travelling salesman problem (TSP) and is NP-hard in the strong sense. The problem arises in several application domains, mainly in routing and scheduling contexts. Here, the model focuses on two criteria: total travel distance and gains attained. The BTSSP-T aims to determine a subtour that starts and ends at the same city and visits a subset of cities at a minimum travel distance with maximum gains, such that the time spent on the tour does not exceed the predefined time threshold. A zero-one integer-programming problem is adopted to formulate this model with all practical constraints, and it includes a finite set of feasible solutions (one for each tour). Two algorithms, namely, the Lexi-Search Algorithm (LSA) and the Tabu Search (TS) algorithm have been developed to solve the BTSSP-T problem. The proposed LSA implicitly enumerates the feasible patterns and provides an efficient solution with backtracking, whereas the TS, which is metaheuristic, will give the better approximate solution. A numerical example is demonstrated in order to understand the search mechanism of the LSA. Numerical experiments are carried out in the MATLAB environment, on the different benchmark instances available in the TSPLIB domain as well as on randomly generated test instances. The experimental results show that the proposed LSA works better than the TS algorithm in terms of solution quality and, computationally, both LSA and TS are competitive.

  14. Double Photoionization Near Threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehlitz, Ralf

    2007-01-01

    The threshold region of the double-photoionization cross section is of particular interest because both ejected electrons move slowly in the Coulomb field of the residual ion. Near threshold both electrons have time to interact with each other and with the residual ion. Also, different theoretical models compete to describe the double-photoionization cross section in the threshold region. We have investigated that cross section for lithium and beryllium and have analyzed our data with respect to the latest results in the Coulomb-dipole theory. We find that our data support the idea of a Coulomb-dipole interaction.

  15. Electron-Nuclear Energy Sharing in Above-Threshold Multiphoton Dissociative Ionization of H2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, J.; Kunitski, M.; Pitzer, M.

    2013-01-01

    We report experimental observation of the energy sharing between electron and nuclei in above-threshold multiphoton dissociative ionization of H2 by strong laser fields. The absorbed photon energy is shared between the ejected electron and nuclei in a correlated fashion, resulting in multiple...... diagonal lines in their joint energy spectrum governed by the energy conservation of all fragment particles....

  16. Altruism in multiplayer snowdrift games with threshold and punishment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chunyan; Liu, Zhongxin; Sun, Qinglin; Chen, Zengqiang

    2015-09-01

    The puzzle of cooperation attracts broader concerns of the scientific community nowadays. Here we adopt an extra mechanism of punishment in the framework of a threshold multiple-player snowdrift game employed as the scenario for the cooperation problem. Two scenarios are considered: defectors will suffer punishment regardless of the game results, and defectors will incur punishment only when the game fails. We show by analysis that given this assumption, punishing free riders can significantly influence the evolution outcomes, and the results are driven by the specific components of the punishing rule. Particularly, punishing defectors always, not only when the game fails, can be more effective for maintaining public cooperation in multi-player systems. Intriguingly larger thresholds of the game provide a more favorable scenario for the coexistence of the cooperators and defectors under a broad value range of parameters. Further, cooperators are best supported by the large punishment on defectors, and then dominate and stabilize in the population, under the premise that defectors always incur punishment regardless of whether the game ends successfully or not.

  17. Multiple Solutions of Nonlinear Boundary Value Problems of Fractional Order: A New Analytic Iterative Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Abu Arqub

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present a new kind of analytical method, the so-called residual power series, to predict and represent the multiplicity of solutions to nonlinear boundary value problems of fractional order. The present method is capable of calculating all branches of solutions simultaneously, even if these multiple solutions are very close and thus rather difficult to distinguish even by numerical techniques. To verify the computational efficiency of the designed proposed technique, two nonlinear models are performed, one of them arises in mixed convection flows and the other one arises in heat transfer, which both admit multiple solutions. The results reveal that the method is very effective, straightforward, and powerful for formulating these multiple solutions.

  18. Small-threshold behaviour of two-loop self-energy diagrams: two-particle thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berends, F.A.; Davydychev, A.I.; Moskovskij Gosudarstvennyj Univ., Moscow; Smirnov, V.A.; Moskovskij Gosudarstvennyj Univ., Moscow

    1996-01-01

    The behaviour of two-loop two-point diagrams at non-zero thresholds corresponding to two-particle cuts is analyzed. The masses involved in a cut and the external momentum are assumed to be small as compared to some of the other masses of the diagram. By employing general formulae of asymptotic expansions of Feynman diagrams in momenta and masses, we construct an algorithm to derive analytic approximations to the diagrams. In such a way, we calculate several first coefficients of the expansion. Since no conditions on relative values of the small masses and the external momentum are imposed, the threshold irregularities are described analytically. Numerical examples, using diagrams occurring in the standard model, illustrate the convergence of the expansion below the first large threshold. (orig.)

  19. Conjunctival lymphoma arising from reactive lymphoid hyperplasia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fukuhara Junichi

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Extra nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (EMZL of the conjunctiva typically arises in the marginal zone of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. The pathogenesis of conjunctival EMZL remains unknown. We describe an unusual case of EMZL arising from reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH of the conjunctiva. A 35-year-old woman had fleshy salmon-pink conjunctival tumors in both eyes, oculus uterque (OU. Specimens from conjunctival tumors in the right eye, oculus dexter (OD, revealed a collection of small lymphoid cells in the stroma. Immunohistochemically, immunoglobulin (Ig light chain restriction was not detected. In contrast, diffuse atypical lymphoid cell infiltration was noted in the left eye, oculus sinister (OS, and positive for CD20, a marker for B cells OS. The tumors were histologically diagnosed as RLH OD, and EMZL OS. PCR analysis detected IgH gene rearrangement in the joining region (JH region OU. After 11 months, a re-biopsy specimen demonstrated EMZL based on compatible pathological and genetic findings OD, arising from RLH. This case suggests that even if the diagnosis of the conjunctival lymphoproliferative lesions is histologically benign, confirmation of the B-cell clonality by checking IgH gene rearrangement should be useful to predict the incidence of malignancy.

  20. An accelerated threshold-based back-projection algorithm for Compton camera image reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mundy, Daniel W.; Herman, Michael G.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Compton camera imaging (CCI) systems are currently under investigation for radiotherapy dose reconstruction and verification. The ability of such a system to provide real-time images during dose delivery will be limited by the computational speed of the image reconstruction algorithm. In this work, the authors present a fast and simple method by which to generate an initial back-projected image from acquired CCI data, suitable for use in a filtered back-projection algorithm or as a starting point for iterative reconstruction algorithms, and compare its performance to the current state of the art. Methods: Each detector event in a CCI system describes a conical surface that includes the true point of origin of the detected photon. Numerical image reconstruction algorithms require, as a first step, the back-projection of each of these conical surfaces into an image space. The algorithm presented here first generates a solution matrix for each slice of the image space by solving the intersection of the conical surface with the image plane. Each element of the solution matrix is proportional to the distance of the corresponding voxel from the true intersection curve. A threshold function was developed to extract those pixels sufficiently close to the true intersection to generate a binary intersection curve. This process is repeated for each image plane for each CCI detector event, resulting in a three-dimensional back-projection image. The performance of this algorithm was tested against a marching algorithm known for speed and accuracy. Results: The threshold-based algorithm was found to be approximately four times faster than the current state of the art with minimal deficit to image quality, arising from the fact that a generically applicable threshold function cannot provide perfect results in all situations. The algorithm fails to extract a complete intersection curve in image slices near the detector surface for detector event cones having axes nearly

  1. 32 CFR 536.111 - Investigation of claims arising under international agreements (for those claims arising in the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... under international agreements (for those claims arising in the United States). Responsibility for... civilian component is attached, including the legal office of another armed force, to carry out the responsibility to investigate. The investigation will comply with the responsible Service's implementing claims...

  2. Loss of positional information when tracking multiple moving dots: the role of visual memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narasimhan, Sathyasri; Tripathy, Srimant P; Barrett, Brendan T

    2009-01-01

    Pylyshyn, Z.W. and Storm, R.W. (1988) (Tracking multiple independent targets: Evidence for a parallel tracking mechanism. Spatial Vision, 3(3), 179-197) proposed that human observers could simultaneously track up to five dots when presented with an array of dots moving in a random manner. In contrast, Tripathy, S.P., and Barrett, B.T. (2004) (Severe loss of positional information when detecting deviations in multiple trajectories. Journal of Vision, 4(12):4, 1020-1043, http://journalofvision.org/4/14/4/, doi: 10.1167/4.12.4) showed that when a threshold paradigm was employed, observers' ability to track deviations in straight-line trajectories is severely compromised when attending to two or more dots. In this study we present a series of four experiments that investigates the role of attention and visual memory while tracking deviations in multiple trajectories using a threshold paradigm. Our stimuli consisted of several linear, non-parallel, left-to-right trajectories, each moving at the same speed. At the trajectory mid-point (reached simultaneously by all dots), one of the dots (target) deviated clockwise or counter-clockwise. The observers' task was to identify the direction of deviation. The target trajectory was cued in the second half of the trial either by disappearance of distractors at the monitor's mid-line (Experiment 1) or by means of a change in colour of the target (Experiment 2); in both cases deviation thresholds rose steeply when the number of distractor trajectories was increased from 0 (typical threshold approximately 2 degrees) to 3 (typical threshold>20 degrees). When all the trajectories were presented statically in a single frame (Experiment 3), thresholds for identifying the orientation change of the target trajectory remained relatively unchanged as the number of distractor trajectories was increased. When a temporal delay of a few hundred milliseconds was introduced between the first and second halves of trajectories (Experiment 4

  3. Squamous cell carcinoma arising in mature cystic teratoma of ovary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranu Patni

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary is a rare condition and usually arises in mature cystic teratoma (MCT or dermoid cyst of the ovary. The reported incidence of malignant transformation in MCT is approximately 2%. A case of squamous cell carcinoma arising in a dermoid cyst of the ovary presenting at an early stage is presented here. A 53-year-old postmenopausal lady, presented with the complaint of pain in right lower abdomen since one month and a large complex abdomino-pelvic mass on examination and investigations. Final histopathology was reported as squamous cell carcinoma of left ovary arising from dermoid cyst and a benign dermoid cyst in the right ovary. The patient was assigned to squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary arising in a mature cystic teratoma, surgical stage Ic2. In view of the poor prognosis, adjuvant chemotherapy was started.

  4. A discriminator with a current-sum multiplicity output for the PHENIX multiplicity vertex detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, R.S.; Kennedy, E.J.; Jackson, R.G.

    1996-01-01

    A current output multiplicity discriminator for use in the front-end electronics (FEE) of the Multiplicity Vertex Detector (MVD) for the PHENIX detector at RHIC has been fabricated in the a 1.2-micro CMOS, n-well process. The discriminator is capable of triggering on input signals ranging from 0.25 MIP to 5 MIP. Frequency response of the discriminator is such that the circuit is capable of generating an output for every bunch crossing (105 ns) of the RHIC collider. Channel-to-channel threshold matching was adjustable to ± 4 mV. One channel of multiplicity discriminator occupied an area of 85 micro x 630 micro and consumed 515 microW from a single 5-V supply. Details of the design and results from prototype device testing are presented

  5. [Electromagnetic fields of mobile telephone systems--thresholds, effects and risks for cochlear implant patients and healthy people].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bischof, F; Langer, J; Begall, K

    2008-11-01

    Every day life is detectably affected by manifold natural sources of electromagnetic fields (EMF), e. g. infrared radiation, light and the terrestrial magnetic field. However, there is still uncertainty about the consequences or hazards of artificial EMF, which emerge from mobile phone or wireless network (wireless local area network [WLAN]) services, for instance. Following recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) the German Commission on Radiation Protection (SSK) defined corresponding thresholds for high frequency electromagnetic fields (HF-EMF) in 2003. By observing those thresholds HF-EMF is thought to be innocent so far. However, there is still controversial discussion about induction of cancer or neurovegetative symptoms due to inconsistent study results. Patients with cochlea implants are of particular interest within the speciality of otorhinolaryngology due to specific hazards, which arise during mobile telephone use from the distance between brain and inductive metal implants (electrode) on the one hand and the electronic system of the cochlear implant and the source of HF-EMF on the other hand. Besides many studies about the impact of HF-EMF on common welfare, there are only very few surveys (n = 6) covering the effects on patients with cochlear implants. The purpose of this paper is to overview sources, thresholds and subsequently harmful or harmless effects of HFEMF. Due to the current state of knowledge about the impact of mobile phone use on health, we assume, that HF-EMF are harmless both for healthy people and patients with cochlea implants, provided that legal thresholds are observed.

  6. High-resolution modeling of thermal thresholds and environmental influences on coral bleaching for local and regional reef management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumagai, Naoki H; Yamano, Hiroya

    2018-01-01

    Coral reefs are one of the world's most threatened ecosystems, with global and local stressors contributing to their decline. Excessive sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) can cause coral bleaching, resulting in coral death and decreases in coral cover. A SST threshold of 1 °C over the climatological maximum is widely used to predict coral bleaching. In this study, we refined thermal indices predicting coral bleaching at high-spatial resolution (1 km) by statistically optimizing thermal thresholds, as well as considering other environmental influences on bleaching such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, water turbidity, and cooling effects. We used a coral bleaching dataset derived from the web-based monitoring system Sango Map Project, at scales appropriate for the local and regional conservation of Japanese coral reefs. We recorded coral bleaching events in the years 2004-2016 in Japan. We revealed the influence of multiple factors on the ability to predict coral bleaching, including selection of thermal indices, statistical optimization of thermal thresholds, quantification of multiple environmental influences, and use of multiple modeling methods (generalized linear models and random forests). After optimization, differences in predictive ability among thermal indices were negligible. Thermal index, UV radiation, water turbidity, and cooling effects were important predictors of the occurrence of coral bleaching. Predictions based on the best model revealed that coral reefs in Japan have experienced recent and widespread bleaching. A practical method to reduce bleaching frequency by screening UV radiation was also demonstrated in this paper.

  7. Hyper-arousal decreases human visual thresholds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam J Woods

    Full Text Available Arousal has long been known to influence behavior and serves as an underlying component of cognition and consciousness. However, the consequences of hyper-arousal for visual perception remain unclear. The present study evaluates the impact of hyper-arousal on two aspects of visual sensitivity: visual stereoacuity and contrast thresholds. Sixty-eight participants participated in two experiments. Thirty-four participants were randomly divided into two groups in each experiment: Arousal Stimulation or Sham Control. The Arousal Stimulation group underwent a 50-second cold pressor stimulation (immersing the foot in 0-2° C water, a technique known to increase arousal. In contrast, the Sham Control group immersed their foot in room temperature water. Stereoacuity thresholds (Experiment 1 and contrast thresholds (Experiment 2 were measured before and after stimulation. The Arousal Stimulation groups demonstrated significantly lower stereoacuity and contrast thresholds following cold pressor stimulation, whereas the Sham Control groups showed no difference in thresholds. These results provide the first evidence that hyper-arousal from sensory stimulation can lower visual thresholds. Hyper-arousal's ability to decrease visual thresholds has important implications for survival, sports, and everyday life.

  8. Metal Artifacts Reduction of Pedicle Screws on Spine Computed Tomography Images Using Variable Thresholding Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaewlek, T.; Koolpiruck, D.; Thongvigitmanee, S.; Mongkolsuk, M.; Chiewvit, P.; Thammakittiphan, S.

    2012-01-01

    Metal artifacts are one of significant problems in computed tomography (CT). The streak lines and air gaps arise from metal implants of orthopedic patients, such as prosthesis, dental bucket, and pedicle screws that cause incorrect diagnosis and local treatment planning. A common technique to suppressed artifacts is by adjusting windows, but those artifacts still remain on the images. To improve the detail of spine CT images, the variable thresholding technique is proposed in this paper. Three medical cases of spine CT images categorized by the severity of artifacts (screws head, one full screw, and two full screws) were investigated. Metal regions were segmented by k-mean clustering, then transformed into a sinogram domain. The metal sinogram was identified by the variable thresholding method, and then replaced the new estimated values by linear interpolation. The modified sinogram was reconstructed by the filtered back- projection algorithm, and added the metal region back to the modified reconstructed image in order to reproduce the final image. The image quality of the proposed technique, the automatic thresholding (Kalender) technique, and window adjustment technique was compared in term of noise and signal to noise ratio (SNR). The propose method can reduce metal artifacts between pedicle screws. After processing by our proposed technique, noise in the modified images is reduced (screws head 121.15 to73.83, one full screw 160.88 to 94.04, and two full screws 199.73 to 110.05 from the initial image) and SNR is increased (screws head 0.87 to 1.88, one full screw 1.54 to 2.82, and two full screws 0.32 to 0.41 from the initial image). The variable thresholding technique can identify the suitable boundary for restoring the missing data. The efficiency of the metal artifacts reduction is indicated on the case of partial and full pedicle screws. Our technique can improve the detail of spine CT images better than automatic thresholding (Kalender) technique, and

  9. A numerical study of threshold states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ata, M.S.; Grama, C.; Grama, N.; Hategan, C.

    1979-01-01

    There are some experimental evidences of charged particle threshold states. On the statistical background of levels, some simple structures were observed in excitation spectrum. They occur near the coulombian threshold and have a large reduced width for the decay in the threshold channel. These states were identified as charged cluster threshold states. Such threshold states were observed in sup(15,16,17,18)O, sup(18,19)F, sup(19,20)Ne, sup(24)Mg, sup(32)S. The types of clusters involved were d, t, 3 He, α and even 12 C. They were observed in heavy-ions transfer reactions in the residual nucleus as strong excited levels. The charged particle threshold states occur as simple structures at high excitation energy. They could be interesting both from nuclear structure as well as nuclear reaction mechanism point of view. They could be excited as simple structures both in compound and residual nucleus. (author)

  10. External field threshold for the unlocking of magnetic islands in the presence of resistive Wall effects and toroidal mode coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coelho, R.; Lazzaro, E.

    2000-01-01

    The unlocking of static resistive tearing modes by rotating external magnetic perturbations such as those which may arise from the natural tokamak error-field is discussed. For a single mode the balance between the accelerating torque imparted by the error-field and the braking torque due to the interaction of the mode with the wall sets a threshold for the error-field current [H. P. Furth et al. Phys. Fluids 6, 459 (1963)], below which the mode frequency will not lock to the error-field frequency. If the mode resonant with the error-field is coupled to another mode with a rational surface located elsewhere in the plasma, the unlocking process is more elaborated and substantial modifications to the current threshold are expected. The present analysis may contribute to the explanation of some mode unlocking events in tokamak discharges with a non negligible error-field. (orig.)

  11. Conceptions of nuclear threshold status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quester, G.H.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reviews some alternative definitions of nuclear threshold status. Each of them is important, and major analytical confusions would result if one sense of the term is mistaken for another. The motives for nations entering into such threshold status are a blend of civilian and military gains, and of national interests versus parochial or bureaucratic interests. A portion of the rationale for threshold status emerges inevitably from the pursuit of economic goals, and another portion is made more attraction by the derives of the domestic political process. Yet the impact on international security cannot be dismissed, especially where conflicts among the states remain real. Among the military or national security motives are basic deterrence, psychological warfare, war-fighting and, more generally, national prestige. In the end, as the threshold phenomenon is assayed for lessons concerning the role of nuclear weapons more generally in international relations and security, one might conclude that threshold status and outright proliferation coverage to a degree in the motives for all of the states involved and in the advantages attained. As this paper has illustrated, nuclear threshold status is more subtle and more ambiguous than outright proliferation, and it takes considerable time to sort out the complexities. Yet the world has now had a substantial amount of time to deal with this ambiguous status, and this may tempt more states to exploit it

  12. Effect of butorphanol on thermal nociceptive threshold in healthy pony foals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGowan, K T; Elfenbein, J R; Robertson, S A; Sanchez, L C

    2013-07-01

    Pain management is an important component of foal nursing care, and no objective data currently exist regarding the analgesic efficacy of opioids in foals. To evaluate the somatic antinociceptive effects of 2 commonly used doses of intravenous (i.v.) butorphanol in healthy foals. Our hypothesis was that thermal nociceptive threshold would increase following i.v. butorphanol in a dose-dependent manner in both neonatal and older pony foals. Seven healthy neonatal pony foals (age 1-2 weeks), and 11 healthy older pony foals (age 4-8 weeks). Five foals were used during both age periods. Treatments, which included saline (0.5 ml), butorphanol (0.05 mg/kg bwt) and butorphanol (0.1 mg/kg bwt), were administered i.v. in a randomised crossover design with at least 2 days between treatments. Response variables included thermal nociceptive threshold, skin temperature and behaviour score. Data within each age period were analysed using a 2-way repeated measures ANOVA, followed by a Holm-Sidak multiple comparison procedure if warranted. There was a significant (P<0.05) increase in thermal threshold, relative to Time 0, following butorphanol (0.1 mg/kg bwt) administration in both age groups. No significant time or treatment effects were apparent for skin temperature. Significant time, but not treatment, effects were evident for behaviour score in both age groups. Butorphanol (0.1 mg/kg bwt, but not 0.05 mg/kg bwt) significantly increased thermal nociceptive threshold in neonatal and older foals without apparent adverse behavioural effects. Butorphanol shows analgesic potential in foals for management of somatic painful conditions. © 2012 EVJ Ltd.

  13. Gene expression analysis supports tumor threshold over 2.0 cm for T-category breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solvang, Hiroko K; Frigessi, Arnoldo; Kaveh, Fateme; Riis, Margit L H; Lüders, Torben; Bukholm, Ida R K; Kristensen, Vessela N; Andreassen, Bettina K

    2016-12-01

    Tumor size, as indicated by the T-category, is known as a strong prognostic indicator for breast cancer. It is common practice to distinguish the T1 and T2 groups at a tumor size of 2.0 cm. We investigated the 2.0-cm rule from a new point of view. Here, we try to find the optimal threshold based on the differences between the gene expression profiles of the T1 and T2 groups (as defined by the threshold). We developed a numerical algorithm to measure the overall differential gene expression between patients with smaller tumors and those with larger tumors among multiple expression datasets from different studies. We confirmed the performance of the proposed algorithm by a simulation study and then applied it to three different studies conducted at two Norwegian hospitals. We found that the maximum difference in gene expression is obtained at a threshold of 2.2-2.4 cm, and we confirmed that the optimum threshold was over 2.0 cm, as indicated by a validation study using five publicly available expression datasets. Furthermore, we observed a significant differentiation between the two threshold groups in terms of time to local recurrence for the Norwegian datasets. In addition, we performed an associated network and canonical pathway analyses for the genes differentially expressed between tumors below and above the given thresholds, 2.0 and 2.4 cm, using the Norwegian datasets. The associated network function illustrated a cellular assembly of the genes for the 2.0-cm threshold: an energy production for the 2.4-cm threshold and an enrichment in lipid metabolism based on the genes in the intersection for the 2.0- and 2.4-cm thresholds.

  14. Contrast thresholds for component motion with full and poor attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Naotsugu; Braun, Jochen

    2007-02-12

    We compare luminance-contrast-masking thresholds for fully and poorly attended stimuli, controlling attention with a demanding concurrent task. We use dynamic displays composed of discrete spatiotemporal wavelets, comparing three conditions ("single," "parallel," and "random"). In contrast to static displays, we do not find that attention modulates the "dipper" regime for masks of low luminance contrast. Nor does attention alter direction-selective masking by multiple wavelets moving in random directions, a condition designed to isolate effects on component motion. However, direction-selective masking by multiple wavelets moving in parallel is significantly reduced by attention. As the latter condition is expected to excite both component and pattern motion mechanisms, this implies that attention may alter the visual representation of pattern motion. In addition, attention exhibits its well-known effect of reducing lateral masking between nearby spatiotemporal wavelets.

  15. Possible experimental studies of the t anti t threshold region at 250--500 GeV e+e- collider

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komamiya, Sachio.

    1991-01-01

    A possible measurement of the top quark mass by an energy scan of the t anti t threshold region at e + e - colliders of √s = 250--500 GeV is discussed. With an integrated luminosity of 1 fb -1 devoted to the energy scan, a top quark mass of about 150 GeV can be determined with an accuracy of ∼0.3 GeV, with a comparable systematic uncertainty arising from the few % errors in the α s measurement at LEP-I. The possibilities of studying Γ t and Higgs boson effects are also discussed. 10 refs., 12 figs., 4 tabs

  16. Perturbative analysis of multiple-field cosmological inflation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lahiri, Joydev; Bhattacharya, Gautam

    2006-01-01

    We develop a general formalism for analyzing linear perturbations in multiple-field cosmological inflation based on the gauge-ready approach. Our inflationary model consists of an arbitrary number of scalar fields with non-minimal kinetic terms. We solve the equations for scalar- and tensor-type perturbations during inflation to the first order in slow roll, and then obtain the super-horizon solutions for adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations after inflation. Analytic expressions for power-spectra and spectral indices arising from multiple-field inflation are presented

  17. Critical thresholds in flocking hydrodynamics with non-local alignment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tadmor, Eitan; Tan, Changhui

    2014-11-13

    We study the large-time behaviour of Eulerian systems augmented with non-local alignment. Such systems arise as hydrodynamic descriptions of agent-based models for self-organized dynamics, e.g. Cucker & Smale (2007 IEEE Trans. Autom. Control 52, 852-862. (doi:10.1109/TAC.2007.895842)) and Motsch & Tadmor (2011 J. Stat. Phys. 144, 923-947. (doi:10.1007/s10955-011-0285-9)) models. We prove that, in analogy with the agent-based models, the presence of non-local alignment enforces strong solutions to self-organize into a macroscopic flock. This then raises the question of existence of such strong solutions. We address this question in one- and two-dimensional set-ups, proving global regularity for subcritical initial data. Indeed, we show that there exist critical thresholds in the phase space of the initial configuration which dictate the global regularity versus a finite-time blow-up. In particular, we explore the regularity of non-local alignment in the presence of vacuum. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  18. Better Informing Decision Making with Multiple Outcomes Cost-Effectiveness Analysis under Uncertainty in Cost-Disutility Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaffrey, Nikki; Agar, Meera; Harlum, Janeane; Karnon, Jonathon; Currow, David; Eckermann, Simon

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Comparing multiple, diverse outcomes with cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is important, yet challenging in areas like palliative care where domains are unamenable to integration with survival. Generic multi-attribute utility values exclude important domains and non-health outcomes, while partial analyses—where outcomes are considered separately, with their joint relationship under uncertainty ignored—lead to incorrect inference regarding preferred strategies. Objective The objective of this paper is to consider whether such decision making can be better informed with alternative presentation and summary measures, extending methods previously shown to have advantages in multiple strategy comparison. Methods Multiple outcomes CEA of a home-based palliative care model (PEACH) relative to usual care is undertaken in cost disutility (CDU) space and compared with analysis on the cost-effectiveness plane. Summary measures developed for comparing strategies across potential threshold values for multiple outcomes include: expected net loss (ENL) planes quantifying differences in expected net benefit; the ENL contour identifying preferred strategies minimising ENL and their expected value of perfect information; and cost-effectiveness acceptability planes showing probability of strategies minimising ENL. Results Conventional analysis suggests PEACH is cost-effective when the threshold value per additional day at home ( 1) exceeds $1,068 or dominated by usual care when only the proportion of home deaths is considered. In contrast, neither alternative dominate in CDU space where cost and outcomes are jointly considered, with the optimal strategy depending on threshold values. For example, PEACH minimises ENL when 1=$2,000 and 2=$2,000 (threshold value for dying at home), with a 51.6% chance of PEACH being cost-effective. Conclusion Comparison in CDU space and associated summary measures have distinct advantages to multiple domain comparisons, aiding

  19. Multiple orbital angular momentum generated by dielectric hybrid phase element

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuewen; Kuchmizhak, Aleksandr; Hu, Dejiao; Li, Xiangping

    2017-09-01

    Vortex beam carrying multiple orbital angular momentum provides a new degree of freedom to manipulate light leading to the various exciting applications as trapping, quantum optics, information multiplexing, etc. Helical wavefront can be generated either via the geometric or the dynamic phase arising from a space-variant birefringence (q-plate) or from phase accumulation through propagation (spiral-phase-plate), respectively. Using fast direct laser writing technique we fabricate and characterize novel hybrid q-plate generating vortex beam simultaneously carrying two different high-order topological charges, which arise from the spin-orbital conversion and the azimuthal height variation of the recorded structures. We approve the versatile concept to generate multiple-OAM vortex beams combining the spin-orbital interaction and the phase accumulation in a single micro-scale device, a hybrid dielectric phase plate.

  20. ARISE: American renaissance in science education

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-09-14

    The national standards and state derivatives must be reinforced by models of curricular reform. In this paper, ARISE presents one model based on a set of principles--coherence, integration of the sciences, movement from concrete ideas to abstract ones, inquiry, connection and application, sequencing that is responsive to how people learn.

  1. Threshold Concepts in Finance: Student Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoadley, Susan; Kyng, Tim; Tickle, Leonie; Wood, Leigh N.

    2015-01-01

    Finance threshold concepts are the essential conceptual knowledge that underpin well-developed financial capabilities and are central to the mastery of finance. In this paper we investigate threshold concepts in finance from the point of view of students, by establishing the extent to which students are aware of threshold concepts identified by…

  2. Thresholding magnetic resonance images of human brain

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qing-mao HU; Wieslaw L NOWINSKI

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, methods are proposed and validated to determine low and high thresholds to segment out gray matter and white matter for MR images of different pulse sequences of human brain. First, a two-dimensional reference image is determined to represent the intensity characteristics of the original three-dimensional data. Then a region of interest of the reference image is determined where brain tissues are present. The non-supervised fuzzy c-means clustering is employed to determine: the threshold for obtaining head mask, the low threshold for T2-weighted and PD-weighted images, and the high threshold for T1-weighted, SPGR and FLAIR images. Supervised range-constrained thresholding is employed to determine the low threshold for T1-weighted, SPGR and FLAIR images. Thresholding based on pairs of boundary pixels is proposed to determine the high threshold for T2- and PD-weighted images. Quantification against public data sets with various noise and inhomogeneity levels shows that the proposed methods can yield segmentation robust to noise and intensity inhomogeneity. Qualitatively the proposed methods work well with real clinical data.

  3. Near threshold fatigue testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, D. C.; Strum, M. J.

    1993-01-01

    Measurement of the near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) behavior provides a basis for the design and evaluation of components subjected to high cycle fatigue. Typically, the near-threshold fatigue regime describes crack growth rates below approximately 10(exp -5) mm/cycle (4 x 10(exp -7) inch/cycle). One such evaluation was recently performed for the binary alloy U-6Nb. The procedures developed for this evaluation are described in detail to provide a general test method for near-threshold FCGR testing. In particular, techniques for high-resolution measurements of crack length performed in-situ through a direct current, potential drop (DCPD) apparatus, and a method which eliminates crack closure effects through the use of loading cycles with constant maximum stress intensity are described.

  4. Issues arising in applying the BSS concepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linsley, G.

    1997-01-01

    The following issues are discussed arising in applying the basic safety standard concepts: terminology, naturally occurring radionuclides, the exemption and clearance levels, management of very low level wastes, transboundary movements, the waste convention

  5. Representation of discrete Steklov-Poincare operator arising in domain decomposition methods in wavelet basis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jemcov, A.; Matovic, M.D. [Queen`s Univ., Kingston, Ontario (Canada)

    1996-12-31

    This paper examines the sparse representation and preconditioning of a discrete Steklov-Poincare operator which arises in domain decomposition methods. A non-overlapping domain decomposition method is applied to a second order self-adjoint elliptic operator (Poisson equation), with homogeneous boundary conditions, as a model problem. It is shown that the discrete Steklov-Poincare operator allows sparse representation with a bounded condition number in wavelet basis if the transformation is followed by thresholding and resealing. These two steps combined enable the effective use of Krylov subspace methods as an iterative solution procedure for the system of linear equations. Finding the solution of an interface problem in domain decomposition methods, known as a Schur complement problem, has been shown to be equivalent to the discrete form of Steklov-Poincare operator. A common way to obtain Schur complement matrix is by ordering the matrix of discrete differential operator in subdomain node groups then block eliminating interface nodes. The result is a dense matrix which corresponds to the interface problem. This is equivalent to reducing the original problem to several smaller differential problems and one boundary integral equation problem for the subdomain interface.

  6. At-Risk-of-Poverty Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Táňa Dvornáková

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC is a survey on households’ living conditions. The main aim of the survey is to get long-term comparable data on social and economic situation of households. Data collected in the survey are used mainly in connection with the evaluation of income poverty and determinationof at-risk-of-poverty rate. This article deals with the calculation of the at risk-of-poverty threshold based on data from EU-SILC 2009. The main task is to compare two approaches to the computation of at riskof-poverty threshold. The first approach is based on the calculation of the threshold for each country separately,while the second one is based on the calculation of the threshold for all states together. The introduction summarizes common attributes in the calculation of the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, such as disposable household income, equivalised household income. Further, different approaches to both calculations are introduced andadvantages and disadvantages of these approaches are stated. Finally, the at-risk-of-poverty rate calculation is described and comparison of the at-risk-of-poverty rates based on these two different approaches is made.

  7. Summary of DOE threshold limits efforts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickham, L.E.; Smith, C.F.; Cohen, J.J.

    1987-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has been developing the concept of threshold quantities for use in determining which waste materials may be disposed of as nonradioactive waste in DOE sanitary landfills. Waste above a threshold level could be managed as radioactive or mixed waste (if hazardous chemicals are present); waste below this level would be handled as sanitary waste. After extensive review of a draft threshold guidance document in 1985, a second draft threshold background document was produced in March 1986. The second draft included a preliminary cost-benefit analysis and quality assurance considerations. The review of the second draft has been completed. Final changes to be incorporated include an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of two example sites and recommendations of how to further pursue (i.e. employ) the concept of threshold quantities within the DOE. 3 references

  8. The thresholds for statistical and clinical significance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Gluud, Christian; Winkel, Per

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Thresholds for statistical significance are insufficiently demonstrated by 95% confidence intervals or P-values when assessing results from randomised clinical trials. First, a P-value only shows the probability of getting a result assuming that the null hypothesis is true and does...... not reflect the probability of getting a result assuming an alternative hypothesis to the null hypothesis is true. Second, a confidence interval or a P-value showing significance may be caused by multiplicity. Third, statistical significance does not necessarily result in clinical significance. Therefore...... of the probability that a given trial result is compatible with a 'null' effect (corresponding to the P-value) divided by the probability that the trial result is compatible with the intervention effect hypothesised in the sample size calculation; (3) adjust the confidence intervals and the statistical significance...

  9. Electric reaction arising in bone subjected to mechanical loadings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murasawa, Go; Cho, Hideo; Ogawa, Kazuma

    2006-03-01

    The aim of present study is the investigation of the electric reaction arising in bone subjected to mechanical loadings. Firstly, specimen was fabricated from femur of cow, and ultrasonic propagation in bone was measured by ultrasonic technique. Secondary, 4-point bending test was conducted up to fracture, and electric reaction arising in bone was measured during loading. Thirdly, cyclic 4-point bending test was conducted to investigate the effect of applied displacement speed on electric reaction.

  10. Parton distributions with threshold resummation

    CERN Document Server

    Bonvini, Marco; Rojo, Juan; Rottoli, Luca; Ubiali, Maria; Ball, Richard D.; Bertone, Valerio; Carrazza, Stefano; Hartland, Nathan P.

    2015-01-01

    We construct a set of parton distribution functions (PDFs) in which fixed-order NLO and NNLO calculations are supplemented with soft-gluon (threshold) resummation up to NLL and NNLL accuracy respectively, suitable for use in conjunction with any QCD calculation in which threshold resummation is included at the level of partonic cross sections. These resummed PDF sets, based on the NNPDF3.0 analysis, are extracted from deep-inelastic scattering, Drell-Yan, and top quark pair production data, for which resummed calculations can be consistently used. We find that, close to threshold, the inclusion of resummed PDFs can partially compensate the enhancement in resummed matrix elements, leading to resummed hadronic cross-sections closer to the fixed-order calculation. On the other hand, far from threshold, resummed PDFs reduce to their fixed-order counterparts. Our results demonstrate the need for a consistent use of resummed PDFs in resummed calculations.

  11. Effect of threshold quantization in opportunistic splitting algorithm

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon

    2011-12-01

    This paper discusses algorithms to find the optimal threshold and also investigates the impact of threshold quantization on the scheduling outage performance of the opportunistic splitting scheduling algorithm. Since this algorithm aims at finding the user with the highest channel quality within the minimal number of mini-slots by adjusting the threshold every mini-slot, optimizing the threshold is of paramount importance. Hence, in this paper we first discuss how to compute the optimal threshold along with two tight approximations for the optimal threshold. Closed-form expressions are provided for those approximations for simple calculations. Then, we consider linear quantization of the threshold to take the limited number of bits for signaling messages in practical systems into consideration. Due to the limited granularity for the quantized threshold value, an irreducible scheduling outage floor is observed. The numerical results show that the two approximations offer lower scheduling outage probability floors compared to the conventional algorithm when the threshold is quantized. © 2006 IEEE.

  12. Analytical determination of the bifurcation thresholds in stochastic differential equations with delayed feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudreault, Mathieu; Drolet, François; Viñals, Jorge

    2010-11-01

    Analytical expressions for pitchfork and Hopf bifurcation thresholds are given for a nonlinear stochastic differential delay equation with feedback. Our results assume that the delay time τ is small compared to other characteristic time scales, not a significant limitation close to the bifurcation line. A pitchfork bifurcation line is found, the location of which depends on the conditional average , where x(t) is the dynamical variable. This conditional probability incorporates the combined effect of fluctuation correlations and delayed feedback. We also find a Hopf bifurcation line which is obtained by a multiple scale expansion around the oscillatory solution near threshold. We solve the Fokker-Planck equation associated with the slowly varying amplitudes and use it to determine the threshold location. In both cases, the predicted bifurcation lines are in excellent agreement with a direct numerical integration of the governing equations. Contrary to the known case involving no delayed feedback, we show that the stochastic bifurcation lines are shifted relative to the deterministic limit and hence that the interaction between fluctuation correlations and delay affect the stability of the solutions of the model equation studied.

  13. Log canonical thresholds of smooth Fano threefolds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheltsov, Ivan A; Shramov, Konstantin A

    2008-01-01

    The complex singularity exponent is a local invariant of a holomorphic function determined by the integrability of fractional powers of the function. The log canonical thresholds of effective Q-divisors on normal algebraic varieties are algebraic counterparts of complex singularity exponents. For a Fano variety, these invariants have global analogues. In the former case, it is the so-called α-invariant of Tian; in the latter case, it is the global log canonical threshold of the Fano variety, which is the infimum of log canonical thresholds of all effective Q-divisors numerically equivalent to the anticanonical divisor. An appendix to this paper contains a proof that the global log canonical threshold of a smooth Fano variety coincides with its α-invariant of Tian. The purpose of the paper is to compute the global log canonical thresholds of smooth Fano threefolds (altogether, there are 105 deformation families of such threefolds). The global log canonical thresholds are computed for every smooth threefold in 64 deformation families, and the global log canonical thresholds are computed for a general threefold in 20 deformation families. Some bounds for the global log canonical thresholds are computed for 14 deformation families. Appendix A is due to J.-P. Demailly.

  14. Multiple solutions to some singular nonlinear Schrodinger equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monica Lazzo

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider the equation $$ - h^2 Delta u + V_varepsilon(x u = |u|^{p-2} u $$ which arises in the study of standing waves of a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. We allow the potential $V_varepsilon$ to be unbounded below and prove existence and multiplicity results for positive solutions.

  15. Using a staircase procedure for the objective measurement of auditory stream integration and segregation thresholds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona Isabel Spielmann

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Auditory scene analysis describes the ability to segregate relevant sounds out from the environment and to integrate them into a single sound stream using the characteristics of the sounds to determine whether or not they are related. This study aims to contrast task performances in objective threshold measurements of segregation and integration using identical stimuli, manipulating two variables known to influence streaming, inter-stimulus-interval (ISI and frequency difference (Δf. For each measurement, one parameter (either ISI or Δf was held constant while the other was altered in a staircase procedure. By using this paradigm, it is possible to test within-subject across multiple conditions, covering a wide Δf and ISI range in one testing session. The objective tasks were based on across-stream temporal judgments (facilitated by integration and within-stream deviance detection (facilitated by segregation. Results show the objective integration task is well suited for combination with the staircase procedure, as it yields consistent threshold measurements for separate variations of ISI and Δf, as well as being significantly related to the subjective thresholds. The objective segregation task appears less suited to the staircase procedure. With the integration-based staircase paradigm, a comprehensive assessment of streaming thresholds can be obtained in a relatively short space of time. This permits efficient threshold measurements particularly in groups for which there is little prior knowledge on the relevant parameter space for streaming perception.

  16. Threshold Concepts and Information Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Lori; Brunetti, Korey; Hofer, Amy R.

    2011-01-01

    What do we teach when we teach information literacy in higher education? This paper describes a pedagogical approach to information literacy that helps instructors focus content around transformative learning thresholds. The threshold concept framework holds promise for librarians because it grounds the instructor in the big ideas and underlying…

  17. Partially thrombosed giant aneurysm arising from a distal anterior inferior cerebellar artery–posterior inferior cerebellar artery variant: A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hidetoshi Ooigawa

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA–posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA is a well-known variant in cerebral arteries. However, aneurysms located on the variant are rare and a giant one has not been reported. We report a case of a partially thrombosed giant aneurysm arising from an AICA–PICA variant. The patient was a 42-year-old man who presented with right hearing loss and facial numbness associated with left hemidysesthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an approximately 3.0-cm mass lesion at the right cerebello-pontine angle (CPA. Angiography showed a partially thrombosed aneurysm arising from the right AICA–PICA. The aneurysm was treated with endovascular trapping and surgical thrombectomy. Although cerebral aneurysm is known to occur at this site, this case provides awareness, that manifestations of aneurysms in the CPA include progressive multiple cranial nerve palsies and sensory disturbance caused by brainstem compression.

  18. A Threshold Continuum for Aeolian Sand Transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swann, C.; Ewing, R. C.; Sherman, D. J.

    2015-12-01

    The threshold of motion for aeolian sand transport marks the initial entrainment of sand particles by the force of the wind. This is typically defined and modeled as a singular wind speed for a given grain size and is based on field and laboratory experimental data. However, the definition of threshold varies significantly between these empirical models, largely because the definition is based on visual-observations of initial grain movement. For example, in his seminal experiments, Bagnold defined threshold of motion when he observed that 100% of the bed was in motion. Others have used 50% and lesser values. Differences in threshold models, in turn, result is large errors in predicting the fluxes associated with sand and dust transport. Here we use a wind tunnel and novel sediment trap to capture the fractions of sand in creep, reptation and saltation at Earth and Mars pressures and show that the threshold of motion for aeolian sand transport is best defined as a continuum in which grains progress through stages defined by the proportion of grains in creep and saltation. We propose the use of scale dependent thresholds modeled by distinct probability distribution functions that differentiate the threshold based on micro to macro scale applications. For example, a geologic timescale application corresponds to a threshold when 100% of the bed in motion whereas a sub-second application corresponds to a threshold when a single particle is set in motion. We provide quantitative measurements (number and mode of particle movement) corresponding to visual observations, percent of bed in motion and degrees of transport intermittency for Earth and Mars. Understanding transport as a continuum provides a basis for revaluating sand transport thresholds on Earth, Mars and Titan.

  19. Iran: the next nuclear threshold state?

    OpenAIRE

    Maurer, Christopher L.

    2014-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A nuclear threshold state is one that could quickly operationalize its peaceful nuclear program into one capable of producing a nuclear weapon. This thesis compares two known threshold states, Japan and Brazil, with Iran to determine if the Islamic Republic could also be labeled a threshold state. Furthermore, it highlights the implications such a status could have on U.S. nonproliferation policy. Although Iran's nuclear program is mir...

  20. Anomalous Posterior Intercostal Arterial Trunk Arising From the Abdominal Aorta

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jie, Bing, E-mail: jbshh@163.com; Yu, Dong, E-mail: yudong-mail@126.com; Jiang, Sen, E-mail: jasfly77@vip.163.com [Tongji University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (China)

    2016-04-15

    A common trunk of the ipsilateral posterior intercostal artery (PIA) arising from the thoracic aorta is usually an anatomical variation. However, a common trunk of bilateral posterior intercostal arterial trunk (PIAT) arising from the abdominal aorta is rare. It is important to recognize this anatomical variation of PIA when performing interventional radiological procedures. We present a rare case of an anomalous PIAT that originated from the abdominal aorta in a patient with hemoptysis caused by tuberculosis sequelae. Bilateral 4th to 11th PIAs arose from a common trunk and the trunk arising from the posterior aspect of the abdominal aorta at the level of T12/L1 intervertebral space. The pathological right 4th and 5th PIAs and bronchial arteries were embolized. Hemoptysis has been controlled for 3 months.

  1. 11 CFR 9036.1 - Threshold submission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... credit or debit card, including one made over the Internet, the candidate shall provide sufficient... section shall not count toward the threshold amount. (c) Threshold certification by Commission. (1) After...

  2. Photoneutron multiplicities of preactinide nuclei at energies above the pion threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arruda-Neto, J.D.T.; Simionatto, S.; Likhachev, V.P.; Garcia, F.; Mesa, J.

    1998-01-01

    The average photoneutron multiplicities anti ν of Au, Ta and 182 W were deduced from their previously measured excitation energies anti E x , from 160 to 250 MeV. A combined analysis of these data and those measured at Saclay up to 140 MeV allowed the extraction of information on anti E x at the ''pure evaporation'' and quasideuteron energy regions. A theoretical approach for the study of anti ν above 140 MeV, which incorporates photopion reabsorption processes by two-body, was proposed, allowing a tentative delineation of the pion mean free path in the nucleus. (orig.)

  3. Multiple-pollutant cost-effectiveness of greenhouse gas mitigation measures in the UK agriculture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eory, Vera; Topp, Cairistiona F.E.; Moran, Dominic

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Multiple-pollutant marginal abatement cost curves can inform integrated environmental policy. ► We incorporated the co-effects on NH 3 , NO 3 − , P and sediment, as monetary values, into the UK GHG MACC. ► Adding co-effects modifies the GHG MACC, though with little impact unless using high damage values. ► Further research is needed on the co-effects of GHG mitigation measures and on damage values. ► Analysis should focus on the co-effects of measures that are slightly above or below the threshold. -- Abstract: This paper develops multiple-pollutant marginal abatement cost curve analysis to identify an optimal set of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures considering the trade-offs and synergies with other environmental pollutants. The analysis is applied to UK agriculture, a sector expected to make a contribution to the national GHG mitigation effort. Previous analyses using marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs) have determined the sector's GHG abatement potential based on the cost-effectiveness of a variety of technically feasible mitigation measures. Most of these measures have external effects on other pollution loads arising from agricultural activities. Here the monetary values of four of the most important impacts to water and air (specifically ammonia, nitrate, phosphorous and sediment) are included in the cost-effectiveness analysis. The resulting multiple-pollutant marginal abatement cost curve (MP MACC) informs the design of sustainable climate change policies by showing how the MP MACC for the UK agriculture can differ from the GHG MACC. The analysis also highlights research gaps, and suggests a need to understand the wider environmental effects of GHG mitigation options and to reduce the uncertainty in pollutant damage cost estimates

  4. High-frequency (8 to 16 kHz) reference thresholds and intrasubject threshold variability relative to ototoxicity criteria using a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, T

    2001-04-01

    The first purpose of this study was to determine high-frequency (8 to 16 kHz) thresholds for standardizing reference equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (RETSPLs) for a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone. The second and perhaps more important purpose of this study was to determine whether repeated high-frequency thresholds using a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone had a lower intrasubject threshold variability than the ASHA 1994 significant threshold shift criteria for ototoxicity. High-frequency thresholds (8 to 16 kHz) were obtained for 100 (50 male, 50 female) normally hearing (0.25 to 8 kHz) young adults (mean age of 21.2 yr) in four separate test sessions using a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone. The mean and median high-frequency thresholds were similar for each test session and increased as frequency increased. At each frequency, the high-frequency thresholds were not significantly (p > 0.05) different for gender, test ear, or test session. The median thresholds at each frequency were similar to the 1998 interim ISO RETSPLs; however, large standard deviations and wide threshold distributions indicated very high intersubject threshold variability, especially at 14 and 16 kHz. Threshold repeatability was determined by finding the threshold differences between each possible test session comparison (N = 6). About 98% of all of the threshold differences were within a clinically acceptable range of +/-10 dB from 8 to 14 kHz. The threshold differences between each subject's second, third, and fourth minus their first test session were also found to determine whether intrasubject threshold variability was less than the ASHA 1994 criteria for determining a significant threshold shift due to ototoxicity. The results indicated a false-positive rate of 0% for a threshold shift > or = 20 dB at any frequency and a false-positive rate of 2% for a threshold shift >10 dB at two consecutive frequencies. This study verified that the output of high-frequency audiometers at 0 dB HL using

  5. MYC Amplification in Angiosarcoma Arising from an Arteriovenous Graft Site

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristen M. Paral

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Angiosarcoma arising in association with an arteriovenous graft (AVG or fistula is a unique clinicopathologic scenario that appears to be gaining recognition in the literature. Among reported cases, none has described high-level MYC gene amplification, a genetic aberration that is increasingly unifying the various clinicopathologic subdivisions of angiosarcoma. We therefore report the MYC gene status in a case of angiosarcoma arising at an AVG site.

  6. Thermotactile perception thresholds measurement conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Setsuo; Sakakibara, Hisataka

    2002-10-01

    The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of posture, push force and rate of temperature change on thermotactile thresholds and to clarify suitable measuring conditions for Japanese people. Thermotactile (warm and cold) thresholds on the right middle finger were measured with an HVLab thermal aesthesiometer. Subjects were eight healthy male Japanese students. The effects of posture in measurement were examined in the posture of a straight hand and forearm placed on a support, the same posture without a support, and the fingers and hand flexed at the wrist with the elbow placed on a desk. The finger push force applied to the applicator of the thermal aesthesiometer was controlled at a 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 N. The applicator temperature was changed to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 degrees C/s. After each measurement, subjects were asked about comfort under the measuring conditions. Three series of experiments were conducted on different days to evaluate repeatability. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that warm thresholds were affected by the push force and the rate of temperature change and that cold thresholds were influenced by posture and push force. The comfort assessment indicated that the measurement posture of a straight hand and forearm laid on a support was the most comfortable for the subjects. Relatively high repeatability was obtained under measurement conditions of a 1 degrees C/s temperature change rate and a 0.5 N push force. Measurement posture, push force and rate of temperature change can affect the thermal threshold. Judging from the repeatability, a push force of 0.5 N and a temperature change of 1.0 degrees C/s in the posture with the straight hand and forearm laid on a support are recommended for warm and cold threshold measurements.

  7. Poisson versus threshold models for genetic analysis of clinical mastitis in US Holsteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vazquez, A I; Weigel, K A; Gianola, D; Bates, D M; Perez-Cabal, M A; Rosa, G J M; Chang, Y M

    2009-10-01

    Typically, clinical mastitis is coded as the presence or absence of disease in a given lactation, and records are analyzed with either linear models or binary threshold models. Because the presence of mastitis may include cows with multiple episodes, there is a loss of information when counts are treated as binary responses. Poisson models are appropriated for random variables measured as the number of events, and although these models are used extensively in studying the epidemiology of mastitis, they have rarely been used for studying the genetic aspects of mastitis. Ordinal threshold models are pertinent for ordered categorical responses; although one can hypothesize that the number of clinical mastitis episodes per animal reflects a continuous underlying increase in mastitis susceptibility, these models have rarely been used in genetic analysis of mastitis. The objective of this study was to compare probit, Poisson, and ordinal threshold models for the genetic evaluation of US Holstein sires for clinical mastitis. Mastitis was measured as a binary trait or as the number of mastitis cases. Data from 44,908 first-parity cows recorded in on-farm herd management software were gathered, edited, and processed for the present study. The cows were daughters of 1,861 sires, distributed over 94 herds. Predictive ability was assessed via a 5-fold cross-validation using 2 loss functions: mean squared error of prediction (MSEP) as the end point and a cost difference function. The heritability estimates were 0.061 for mastitis measured as a binary trait in the probit model and 0.085 and 0.132 for the number of mastitis cases in the ordinal threshold and Poisson models, respectively; because of scale differences, only the probit and ordinal threshold models are directly comparable. Among healthy animals, MSEP was smallest for the probit model, and the cost function was smallest for the ordinal threshold model. Among diseased animals, MSEP and the cost function were smallest

  8. Predicting Harmonic Distortion of Multiple Converters in a Power System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. M. Ivry

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Various uncertainties arise in the operation and management of power systems containing Renewable Energy Sources (RES that affect the systems power quality. These uncertainties may arise due to system parameter changes or design parameter choice. In this work, the impact of uncertainties on the prediction of harmonics in a power system containing multiple Voltage Source Converters (VSCs is investigated. The study focuses on the prediction of harmonic distortion level in multiple VSCs when some system or design parameters are only known within certain constraints. The Univariate Dimension Reduction (UDR method was utilized in this study as an efficient predictive tool for the level of harmonic distortion of the VSCs measured at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC to the grid. Two case studies were considered and the UDR technique was also experimentally validated. The obtained results were compared with that of the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS results.

  9. Doubler system quench detection threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuepke, K.; Kuchnir, M.; Martin, P.

    1983-01-01

    The experimental study leading to the determination of the sensitivity needed for protecting the Fermilab Doubler from damage during quenches is presented. The quench voltage thresholds involved were obtained from measurements made on Doubler cable of resistance x temperature and voltage x time during quenches under several currents and from data collected during operation of the Doubler Quench Protection System as implemented in the B-12 string of 20 magnets. At 4kA, a quench voltage threshold in excess of 5.OV will limit the peak Doubler cable temperature to 452K for quenches originating in the magnet coils whereas a threshold of 0.5V is required for quenches originating outside of coils

  10. Influence of arousal threshold and depth of sleep on respiratory stability in man: analysis using a mathematical model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longobardo, G S; Evangelisti, C J; Cherniack, N S

    2009-12-01

    We examined the effect of arousals (shifts from sleep to wakefulness) on breathing during sleep using a mathematical model. The model consisted of a description of the fluid dynamics and mechanical properties of the upper airways and lungs, as well as a controller sensitive to arterial and brain changes in CO(2), changes in arterial oxygen, and a neural input, alertness. The body was divided into multiple gas store compartments connected by the circulation. Cardiac output was constant, and cerebral blood flows were sensitive to changes in O(2) and CO(2) levels. Arousal was considered to occur instantaneously when afferent respiratory chemical and neural stimulation reached a threshold value, while sleep occurred when stimulation fell below that value. In the case of rigid and nearly incompressible upper airways, lowering arousal threshold decreased the stability of breathing and led to the occurrence of repeated apnoeas. In more compressible upper airways, to maintain stability, increasing arousal thresholds and decreasing elasticity were linked approximately linearly, until at low elastances arousal thresholds had no effect on stability. Increased controller gain promoted instability. The architecture of apnoeas during unstable sleep changed with the arousal threshold and decreases in elasticity. With rigid airways, apnoeas were central. With lower elastances, apnoeas were mixed even with higher arousal thresholds. With very low elastances and still higher arousal thresholds, sleep consisted totally of obstructed apnoeas. Cycle lengths shortened as the sleep architecture changed from mixed apnoeas to total obstruction. Deeper sleep also tended to promote instability by increasing plant gain. These instabilities could be countered by arousal threshold increases which were tied to deeper sleep or accumulated aroused time, or by decreased controller gains.

  11. Age-Related Reduction of Recovery Sleep and Arousal Threshold in Drosophila

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vienne, Julie; Spann, Ryanne; Guo, Fang; Rosbash, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Study Objectives: Physiological studies show that aging affects both sleep quality and quantity in humans, and sleep complaints increase with age. Along with knowledge about the negative effects of poor sleep on health, understanding the enigmatic relationship between sleep and aging is important. Because human sleep is similar to Drosophila (fruit fly) sleep in many ways, we addressed the effects of aging on sleep in this model organism. Methods: Baseline sleep was recorded in five different Drosophila genotypes raised at either 21°C or 25°C. The amount of sleep recovered was then investigated after a nighttime of sleep deprivation (12 h) and after chronic sleep deprivation (3 h every night for multiple nights). Finally, the effects of aging on arousal, namely, sensitivity to neuronal and mechanical stimuli, were studied. Results: We show that fly sleep is affected by age in a manner similar to that of humans and other mammals. Not only do older flies of several genotypes have more fragmented sleep and reduced total sleep time compared to young flies, but older flies also fail to recover as much sleep after sleep deprivation. This suggests either lower sleep homeostasis and/or a failure to properly recover sleep. Older flies also show a decreased arousal threshold, i.e., an increased response to neuronal and mechanical wake-promoting stimuli. The reduced threshold may either reflect or cause the reduced recovery sleep of older flies compared to young flies after sleep deprivation. Conclusions: Further studies are certainly needed, but we suggest that the lower homeostatic sleep drive of older flies causes their decreased arousal threshold. Citation: Vienne J, Spann R, Guo F, Rosbash M. Age-related reduction of recovery sleep and arousal threshold in Drosophila. SLEEP 2016;39(8):1613–1624. PMID:27306274

  12. Response threshold variance as a basis of collective rationality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, Tatsuhiro; Hasegawa, Eisuke

    2017-04-01

    Determining the optimal choice among multiple options is necessary in various situations, and the collective rationality of groups has recently become a major topic of interest. Social insects are thought to make such optimal choices by collecting individuals' responses relating to an option's value (=a quality-graded response). However, this behaviour cannot explain the collective rationality of brains because neurons can make only 'yes/no' responses on the basis of the response threshold. Here, we elucidate the basic mechanism underlying the collective rationality of such simple units and show that an ant species uses this mechanism. A larger number of units respond 'yes' to the best option available to a collective decision-maker using only the yes/no mechanism; thus, the best option is always selected by majority decision. Colonies of the ant Myrmica kotokui preferred the better option in a binary choice experiment. The preference of a colony was demonstrated by the workers, which exhibited variable thresholds between two options' qualities. Our results demonstrate how a collective decision-maker comprising simple yes/no judgement units achieves collective rationality without using quality-graded responses. This mechanism has broad applicability to collective decision-making in brain neurons, swarm robotics and human societies.

  13. Reaction thresholds in doubly special relativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heyman, Daniel; Major, Seth; Hinteleitner, Franz

    2004-01-01

    Two theories of special relativity with an additional invariant scale, 'doubly special relativity', are tested with calculations of particle process kinematics. Using the Judes-Visser modified conservation laws, thresholds are studied in both theories. In contrast with some linear approximations, which allow for particle processes forbidden in special relativity, both the Amelino-Camelia and Magueijo-Smolin frameworks allow no additional processes. To first order, the Amelino-Camelia framework thresholds are lowered and the Magueijo-Smolin framework thresholds may be raised or lowered

  14. Neuronal spike-train responses in the presence of threshold noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coombes, S; Thul, R; Laudanski, J; Palmer, A R; Sumner, C J

    2011-03-01

    The variability of neuronal firing has been an intense topic of study for many years. From a modelling perspective it has often been studied in conductance based spiking models with the use of additive or multiplicative noise terms to represent channel fluctuations or the stochastic nature of neurotransmitter release. Here we propose an alternative approach using a simple leaky integrate-and-fire model with a noisy threshold. Initially, we develop a mathematical treatment of the neuronal response to periodic forcing using tools from linear response theory and use this to highlight how a noisy threshold can enhance downstream signal reconstruction. We further develop a more general framework for understanding the responses to large amplitude forcing based on a calculation of first passage times. This is ideally suited to understanding stochastic mode-locking, for which we numerically determine the Arnol'd tongue structure. An examination of data from regularly firing stellate neurons within the ventral cochlear nucleus, responding to sinusoidally amplitude modulated pure tones, shows tongue structures consistent with these predictions and highlights that stochastic, as opposed to deterministic, mode-locking is utilised at the level of the single stellate cell to faithfully encode periodic stimuli.

  15. Recirculating beam-breakup thresholds for polarized higher-order modes with optical coupling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georg H. Hoffstaetter

    2007-04-01

    elaborate HOM absorbers. (d How does multiple-turn recirculation interfere with the threshold improvements obtained with a coupled optics? Furthermore, the orbit deviations produced by cavity misalignments are also generalized to coupled optics. It is shown that the BBU instability always occurs before the orbit excursion becomes very large.

  16. Sigmoid colon cancer arising in a diverticulum of the colon with involvement of the urinary bladder: a case report and review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yagi, Yasumichi; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Sasaki, Shozo; Yoshikawa, Akemi; Tsukioka, Yuji; Fukushima, Wataru; Hirosawa, Hisashi; Izumi, Ryohei; Saito, Katsuhiko

    2014-05-13

    Colon cancer can arise from the mucosa in a colonic diverticulum. Although colon diverticulum is a common disease, few cases have been previously reported on colon cancer associated with a diverticulum. We report a rare case of sigmoid colon cancer arising in a diverticulum with involvement of the urinary bladder, which presented characteristic radiographic images. A 73-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for macroscopic hematuria. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a sigmoid colon tumor that protruded into the urinary bladder lumen. The radiographs showed a tumor with a characteristic dumbbell-shaped appearance. Colonoscopy showed a type 1 cancer and multiple diverticula in the sigmoid colon. A diagnosis of sigmoid colon cancer with involvement of the urinary bladder was made based on the pathological findings of the biopsied specimens. We performed sigmoidectomy and total resection of the urinary bladder with colostomy and urinary tract diversion. Histopathological findings showed the presence of a colovesical fistula due to extramurally growing colon cancer. Around the colon cancer, the normal colon mucosa was depressed sharply with lack of the muscular layer, suggesting that the colon cancer was arising from a colon diverticulum. The present case is the first report of sigmoid colon cancer arising in a diverticulum with involvement of the urinary bladder. Due to an accurate preoperative radiological diagnosis, we were able to successfully perform a curative resection for sigmoid colon cancer arising in a diverticulum with involvement of the urinary bladder.

  17. Element-specific spectral imaging of multiple contrast agents: a phantom study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panta, R. K.; Bell, S. T.; Healy, J. L.; Aamir, R.; Bateman, C. J.; Moghiseh, M.; Butler, A. P. H.; Anderson, N. G.

    2018-02-01

    This work demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous discrimination of multiple contrast agents based on their element-specific and energy-dependent X-ray attenuation properties using a pre-clinical photon-counting spectral CT. We used a photon-counting based pre-clinical spectral CT scanner with four energy thresholds to measure the X-ray attenuation properties of various concentrations of iodine (9, 18 and 36 mg/ml), gadolinium (2, 4 and 8 mg/ml) and gold (2, 4 and 8 mg/ml) based contrast agents, calcium chloride (140 and 280 mg/ml) and water. We evaluated the spectral imaging performances of different energy threshold schemes between 25 to 82 keV at 118 kVp, based on K-factor and signal-to-noise ratio and ranked them. K-factor was defined as the X-ray attenuation in the K-edge containing energy range divided by the X-ray attenuation in the preceding energy range, expressed as a percentage. We evaluated the effectiveness of the optimised energy selection to discriminate all three contrast agents in a phantom of 33 mm diameter. A photon-counting spectral CT using four energy thresholds of 27, 33, 49 and 81 keV at 118 kVp simultaneously discriminated three contrast agents based on iodine, gadolinium and gold at various concentrations using their K-edge and energy-dependent X-ray attenuation features in a single scan. A ranking method to evaluate spectral imaging performance enabled energy thresholds to be optimised to discriminate iodine, gadolinium and gold contrast agents in a single spectral CT scan. Simultaneous discrimination of multiple contrast agents in a single scan is likely to open up new possibilities of improving the accuracy of disease diagnosis by simultaneously imaging multiple bio-markers each labelled with a nano-contrast agent.

  18. Multiplicity: discussion points from the Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry multiplicity expert group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Alan; Fletcher, Chrissie; Atkinson, Gary; Channon, Eddie; Douiri, Abdel; Jaki, Thomas; Maca, Jeff; Morgan, David; Roger, James Henry; Terrill, Paul

    2013-01-01

    In May 2012, the Committee of Health and Medicinal Products issued a concept paper on the need to review the points to consider document on multiplicity issues in clinical trials. In preparation for the release of the updated guidance document, Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry held a one-day expert group meeting in January 2013. Topics debated included multiplicity and the drug development process, the usefulness and limitations of newly developed strategies to deal with multiplicity, multiplicity issues arising from interim decisions and multiregional development, and the need for simultaneous confidence intervals (CIs) corresponding to multiple test procedures. A clear message from the meeting was that multiplicity adjustments need to be considered when the intention is to make a formal statement about efficacy or safety based on hypothesis tests. Statisticians have a key role when designing studies to assess what adjustment really means in the context of the research being conducted. More thought during the planning phase needs to be given to multiplicity adjustments for secondary endpoints given these are increasing in importance in differentiating products in the market place. No consensus was reached on the role of simultaneous CIs in the context of superiority trials. It was argued that unadjusted intervals should be employed as the primary purpose of the intervals is estimation, while the purpose of hypothesis testing is to formally establish an effect. The opposing view was that CIs should correspond to the test decision whenever possible. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Thresholds in chemical respiratory sensitisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochrane, Stella A; Arts, Josje H E; Ehnes, Colin; Hindle, Stuart; Hollnagel, Heli M; Poole, Alan; Suto, Hidenori; Kimber, Ian

    2015-07-03

    There is a continuing interest in determining whether it is possible to identify thresholds for chemical allergy. Here allergic sensitisation of the respiratory tract by chemicals is considered in this context. This is an important occupational health problem, being associated with rhinitis and asthma, and in addition provides toxicologists and risk assessors with a number of challenges. In common with all forms of allergic disease chemical respiratory allergy develops in two phases. In the first (induction) phase exposure to a chemical allergen (by an appropriate route of exposure) causes immunological priming and sensitisation of the respiratory tract. The second (elicitation) phase is triggered if a sensitised subject is exposed subsequently to the same chemical allergen via inhalation. A secondary immune response will be provoked in the respiratory tract resulting in inflammation and the signs and symptoms of a respiratory hypersensitivity reaction. In this article attention has focused on the identification of threshold values during the acquisition of sensitisation. Current mechanistic understanding of allergy is such that it can be assumed that the development of sensitisation (and also the elicitation of an allergic reaction) is a threshold phenomenon; there will be levels of exposure below which sensitisation will not be acquired. That is, all immune responses, including allergic sensitisation, have threshold requirement for the availability of antigen/allergen, below which a response will fail to develop. The issue addressed here is whether there are methods available or clinical/epidemiological data that permit the identification of such thresholds. This document reviews briefly relevant human studies of occupational asthma, and experimental models that have been developed (or are being developed) for the identification and characterisation of chemical respiratory allergens. The main conclusion drawn is that although there is evidence that the

  20. Empiricism Verses Rationalism: Matters Arising in Medical Practice ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Empiricism Verses Rationalism: Matters Arising in Medical Practice. ... AFRREV STECH: An International Journal of Science and Technology ... entirely antagonistic to one another, one favoring the senses and the other favoring the mind.

  1. Iterative solution of multiple radiation and scattering problems in structural acoustics using the BL-QMR algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malhotra, M. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

    1996-12-31

    Finite-element discretizations of time-harmonic acoustic wave problems in exterior domains result in large sparse systems of linear equations with complex symmetric coefficient matrices. In many situations, these matrix problems need to be solved repeatedly for different right-hand sides, but with the same coefficient matrix. For instance, multiple right-hand sides arise in radiation problems due to multiple load cases, and also in scattering problems when multiple angles of incidence of an incoming plane wave need to be considered. In this talk, we discuss the iterative solution of multiple linear systems arising in radiation and scattering problems in structural acoustics by means of a complex symmetric variant of the BL-QMR method. First, we summarize the governing partial differential equations for time-harmonic structural acoustics, the finite-element discretization of these equations, and the resulting complex symmetric matrix problem. Next, we sketch the special version of BL-QMR method that exploits complex symmetry, and we describe the preconditioners we have used in conjunction with BL-QMR. Finally, we report some typical results of our extensive numerical tests to illustrate the typical convergence behavior of BL-QMR method for multiple radiation and scattering problems in structural acoustics, to identify appropriate preconditioners for these problems, and to demonstrate the importance of deflation in block Krylov-subspace methods. Our numerical results show that the multiple systems arising in structural acoustics can be solved very efficiently with the preconditioned BL-QMR method. In fact, for multiple systems with up to 40 and more different right-hand sides we get consistent and significant speed-ups over solving the systems individually.

  2. Compositional threshold for Nuclear Waste Glass Durability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruger, Albert A.; Farooqi, Rahmatullah; Hrma, Pavel R.

    2013-01-01

    Within the composition space of glasses, a distinct threshold appears to exist that separates 'good' glasses, i.e., those which are sufficiently durable, from 'bad' glasses of a low durability. The objective of our research is to clarify the origin of this threshold by exploring the relationship between glass composition, glass structure and chemical durability around the threshold region

  3. Optimizing Systems of Threshold Detection Sensors

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Banschbach, David C

    2008-01-01

    .... Below the threshold all signals are ignored. We develop a mathematical model for setting individual sensor thresholds to obtain optimal probability of detecting a significant event, given a limit on the total number of false positives allowed...

  4. Minimum area thresholds for rattlesnakes and colubrid snakes on islands in the Gulf of California, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meik, Jesse M; Makowsky, Robert

    2018-01-01

    We expand a framework for estimating minimum area thresholds to elaborate biogeographic patterns between two groups of snakes (rattlesnakes and colubrid snakes) on islands in the western Gulf of California, Mexico. The minimum area thresholds for supporting single species versus coexistence of two or more species relate to hypotheses of the relative importance of energetic efficiency and competitive interactions within groups, respectively. We used ordinal logistic regression probability functions to estimate minimum area thresholds after evaluating the influence of island area, isolation, and age on rattlesnake and colubrid occupancy patterns across 83 islands. Minimum area thresholds for islands supporting one species were nearly identical for rattlesnakes and colubrids (~1.7 km 2 ), suggesting that selective tradeoffs for distinctive life history traits between rattlesnakes and colubrids did not result in any clear advantage of one life history strategy over the other on islands. However, the minimum area threshold for supporting two or more species of rattlesnakes (37.1 km 2 ) was over five times greater than it was for supporting two or more species of colubrids (6.7 km 2 ). The great differences between rattlesnakes and colubrids in minimum area required to support more than one species imply that for islands in the Gulf of California relative extinction risks are higher for coexistence of multiple species of rattlesnakes and that competition within and between species of rattlesnakes is likely much more intense than it is within and between species of colubrids.

  5. Identifying Threshold Concepts for Information Literacy: A Delphi Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lori Townsend

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This study used the Delphi method to engage expert practitioners on the topic of threshold concepts for information literacy. A panel of experts considered two questions. First, is the threshold concept approach useful for information literacy instruction? The panel unanimously agreed that the threshold concept approach holds potential for information literacy instruction. Second, what are the threshold concepts for information literacy instruction? The panel proposed and discussed over fifty potential threshold concepts, finally settling on six information literacy threshold concepts.

  6. DNA repair by MGMT, but not AAG, causes a threshold in alkylation-induced colorectal carcinogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahrer, Jörg; Frisch, Janina; Nagel, Georg; Kraus, Alexander; Dörsam, Bastian; Thomas, Adam D; Reißig, Sonja; Waisman, Ari; Kaina, Bernd

    2015-10-01

    Epidemiological studies indicate that N-nitroso compounds (NOC) are causally linked to colorectal cancer (CRC). NOC induce DNA alkylations, including O (6)-methylguanine (O (6)-MeG) and N-methylated purines, which are repaired by O (6)-MeG-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and N-alkyladenine-DNA glycosylase (AAG)-initiated base excision repair, respectively. In view of recent evidence of nonlinear mutagenicity for NOC-like compounds, the question arises as to the existence of threshold doses in CRC formation. Here, we set out to determine the impact of DNA repair on the dose-response of alkylation-induced CRC. DNA repair proficient (WT) and deficient (Mgmt (-/-), Aag (-/-) and Mgmt (-/-)/Aag (-/-)) mice were treated with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate to trigger CRC. Tumors were quantified by non-invasive mini-endoscopy. A non-linear increase in CRC formation was observed in WT and Aag (-/-) mice. In contrast, a linear dose-dependent increase in tumor frequency was found in Mgmt (-/-) and Mgmt (-/-)/Aag (-/-) mice. The data were corroborated by hockey stick modeling, yielding similar carcinogenic thresholds for WT and Aag (-/-) and no threshold for MGMT lacking mice. O (6)-MeG levels and depletion of MGMT correlated well with the observed dose-response in CRC formation. AOM induced dose-dependently DNA double-strand breaks in colon crypts including Lgr5-positive colon stem cells, which coincided with ATR-Chk1-p53 signaling. Intriguingly, Mgmt (-/-) mice displayed significantly enhanced levels of γ-H2AX, suggesting the usefulness of γ-H2AX as an early genotoxicity marker in the colorectum. This study demonstrates for the first time a non-linear dose-response for alkylation-induced colorectal carcinogenesis and reveals DNA repair by MGMT, but not AAG, as a key node in determining a carcinogenic threshold. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Perception of space by multiple intrinsic frames of reference.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanlong Sun

    Full Text Available It has been documented that when memorizing a physical space, the person's mental representation of that space is biased with distortion and segmentation. Two experiments reported here suggest that distortion and segmentation arise due to a hierarchical organization of the spatial representation. The spatial relations associated with salient landmarks are more strongly encoded and easier to recall than those associated with non-salient landmarks. In the presence of multiple salient landmarks, multiple intrinsic frames of reference are formed and spatial relations are anchored to each individual frame of reference. Multiple such representations may co-exist and interactively determine a person's spatial performance.

  8. Cellular schwannoma arising from sigmoid mesocolon presenting ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Schwannomas are a type of peripheral nerve sheath tumors with clinically indolent behavior. Though, they can occur anywhere in body, the incidence in retroperitoneum, mediastinum, and pelvis is exceedingly rare. We present a case of a 58‑year‑old female with a massive twisted tumor arising from sigmoid mesocolon.

  9. Cellular Schwannoma Arising from Sigmoid Mesocolon Presenting ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Schwannomas are a type of peripheral nerve sheath tumors with clinically indolent behavior. Though, they can occur anywhere in body, the incidence in retroperitoneum, mediastinum, and pelvis is exceedingly rare. We present a case of a 58‑year‑old female with a massive twisted tumor arising from sigmoid mesocolon.

  10. Multiuser switched diversity scheduling systems with per-user threshold

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon

    2010-05-01

    A multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme with per-user feedback threshold is proposed and analyzed in this paper. The conventional multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme uses a single feedback threshold for every user, where the threshold is a function of the average signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the users as well as the number of users involved in the scheduling process. The proposed scheme, however, constructs a sequence of feedback thresholds instead of a single feedback threshold such that each user compares its channel quality with the corresponding feedback threshold in the sequence. Numerical and simulation results show that thanks to the flexibility of threshold selection, where a potentially different threshold can be used for each user, the proposed scheme provides a higher system capacity than that for the conventional scheme. © 2006 IEEE.

  11. Viewpoint: Sustainability of piñon-juniper ecosystems - A unifying perspective of soil erosion thresholds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davenport, David W.; Breshears, D.D.; Wilcox, B.P.; Allen, Craig D.

    1998-01-01

    Many pinon-juniper ecosystem in the western U.S. are subject to accelerated erosion while others are undergoing little or no erosion. Controversy has developed over whether invading or encroaching pinon and juniper species are inherently harmful to rangeland ecosystems. We developed a conceptual model of soil erosion in pinon-jumper ecosystems that is consistent with both sides of the controversy and suggests that the diverse perspectives on this issue arise from threshold effects operating under very different site conditions. Soil erosion rate can be viewed as a function of (1) site erosion potential (SEP), determined by climate, geomorphology and soil erodibility; and (2) ground cover. Site erosion potential and cove act synergistically to determine soil erosion rates, as evident even from simple USLE predictions of erosion. In pinon-juniper ecosystem with high SEP, the erosion rate is highly sensitive to ground cover and can cross a threshold so that erosion increases dramatically in response to a small decrease in cover. The sensitivity of erosion rate to SEP and cover can be visualized as a cusp catastrophe surface on which changes may occur rapidly and irreversibly. The mechanisms associated with a rapid shift from low to high erosion rate can be illustrated using percolation theory to incorporate spatial, temporal, and scale-dependent patterns of water storage capacity on a hillslope. Percolation theory demonstrates how hillslope runoff can undergo a threshold response to a minor change in storage capacity. Our conceptual model suggests that pinion and juniper contribute to accelerated erosion only under a limited range of site conditions which, however, may exist over large areas.

  12. Porcine skin damage thresholds for pulsed nanosecond-scale laser exposure at 1064-nm

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeLisi, Michael P.; Peterson, Amanda M.; Noojin, Gary D.; Shingledecker, Aurora D.; Tijerina, Amanda J.; Boretsky, Adam R.; Schmidt, Morgan S.; Kumru, Semih S.; Thomas, Robert J.

    2018-02-01

    Pulsed high-energy lasers operating in the near-infrared (NIR) band are increasingly being used in medical, industrial, and military applications, but there are little available experimental data to characterize their hazardous effects on skin tissue. The current American National Standard for the Safe Use of Lasers (ANSI Z136.1-2014) defines the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) on the skin as either a single-pulse or total exposure time limit. This study determined the minimum visible lesion (MVL) damage thresholds in Yucatan miniature pig skin for the single-pulse case and several multiple-pulse cases over a wide range of pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) (10, 125, 2,000, and 10,000 Hz) utilizing nanosecond-scale pulses (10 or 60 ns). The thresholds are expressed in terms of the median effective dose (ED50) based on varying individual pulse energy with other laser parameters held constant. The results confirm a decrease in MVL threshold as PRF increases for exposures with a constant number of pulses, while also noting a PRF-dependent change in the threshold as a function of the number of pulses. Furthermore, this study highlights a change in damage mechanism to the skin from melanin-mediated photomechanical events at high irradiance levels and few numbers of pulses to bulk tissue photothermal additivity at lower irradiance levels and greater numbers of pulses. The observed trends exceeded the existing exposure limits by an average factor of 9.1 in the photothermally-damaged cases and 3.6 in the photomechanicallydamaged cases.

  13. Primary chondroid chordoma arising from the petrous temporal bone: a case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Young Uk; Youn, Eun Kyung [Koryo General Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1991-01-15

    Chordomas are uncommon tumors which arise from remnants of the primitive notochord. They are situated chiefly in the anterior spinal axis with a predilection for the sacrococcygeal region and the basiocciput. About 50% of chordomas are sacrococcygeal, 35% are intracranial, and 15% arise from a vertebral body. As a histologic variant of chordoma, /chondroid chordoma' was first described by Heffelfinger et al. We present a rare case of primary chondroid chordoma arising from the petrous temporal bone. To our knowledge, only two other cases of this type have been reported earlier.

  14. Primary chondroid chordoma arising from the petrous temporal bone: a case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Young Uk; Youn, Eun Kyung

    1991-01-01

    Chordomas are uncommon tumors which arise from remnants of the primitive notochord. They are situated chiefly in the anterior spinal axis with a predilection for the sacrococcygeal region and the basiocciput. About 50% of chordomas are sacrococcygeal, 35% are intracranial, and 15% arise from a vertebral body. As a histologic variant of chordoma, /chondroid chordoma' was first described by Heffelfinger et al. We present a rare case of primary chondroid chordoma arising from the petrous temporal bone. To our knowledge, only two other cases of this type have been reported earlier

  15. Electro-optical time gating based on Mach-Zehnder modulator for multiple access interference elimination in optical code-division multiple access networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yinfang; Wang, Rong; Fang, Tao; Pu, Tao; Xiang, Peng; Zheng, Jilin; Zhu, Huatao

    2014-05-01

    An electro-optical time gating technique, which is based on an electrical return-to-zero (RZ) pulse driven Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) for eliminating multiple access interference (MAI) in optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA) networks is proposed. This technique is successfully simulated in an eight-user two-dimensional wavelength-hopping time-spreading system, as well as in a three-user temporal phase encoding system. Results show that in both systems the MAI noise is efficiently removed and the average received power penalty improved. Both achieve error-free transmissions at a bit rate of 2.5 Gb/s. In addition, we also individually discuss effects of parameters in two systems, such as the extinction ratio of the MZM, the duty cycle of the driven RZ pulse, and the time misalignment between the driven pulse and the decoded autocorrelation peak, on the output bit error rate performance. Our work shows that employing a common MZM as a thresholder provides another probability and an interesting cost-effective choice for a smart size, low energy, and less complex thresholding technique for integrated detection in OCDMA networks.

  16. Pain thresholds, supra-threshold pain and lidocaine sensitivity in patients with erythromelalgia, including the I848Tmutation in NaV 1.7.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helås, T; Sagafos, D; Kleggetveit, I P; Quiding, H; Jönsson, B; Segerdahl, M; Zhang, Z; Salter, H; Schmelz, M; Jørum, E

    2017-09-01

    Nociceptive thresholds and supra-threshold pain ratings as well as their reduction upon local injection with lidocaine were compared between healthy subjects and patients with erythromelalgia (EM). Lidocaine (0.25, 0.50, 1.0 or 10 mg/mL) or placebo (saline) was injected intradermally in non-painful areas of the lower arm, in a randomized, double-blind manner, to test the effect on dynamic and static mechanical sensitivity, mechanical pain sensitivity, thermal thresholds and supra-threshold heat pain sensitivity. Heat pain thresholds and pain ratings to supra-threshold heat stimulation did not differ between EM-patients (n = 27) and controls (n = 25), neither did the dose-response curves for lidocaine. Only the subgroup of EM-patients with mutations in sodium channel subunits Na V 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9 (n = 8) had increased lidocaine sensitivity for supra-threshold heat stimuli, contrasting lower sensitivity to strong mechanical stimuli. This pattern was particularly clear in the two patients carrying the Na V 1.7 I848T mutations in whom lidocaine's hyperalgesic effect on mechanical pain sensitivity contrasted more effective heat analgesia. Heat pain thresholds are not sensitized in EM patients, even in those with gain-of-function mutations in Na V 1.7. Differential lidocaine sensitivity was overt only for noxious stimuli in the supra-threshold range suggesting that sensitized supra-threshold encoding is important for the clinical pain phenotype in EM in addition to lower activation threshold. Intracutaneous lidocaine dose-dependently blocked nociceptive sensations, but we did not identify EM patients with particular high lidocaine sensitivity that could have provided valuable therapeutic guidance. Acute pain thresholds and supra-threshold heat pain in controls and patients with erythromelalgia do not differ and have the same lidocaine sensitivity. Acute heat pain thresholds even in EM patients with the Na V 1.7 I848T mutation are normal and only nociceptor

  17. When do price thresholds matter in retail categories?

    OpenAIRE

    Pauwels, Koen; Srinivasan, Shuba; Franses, Philip Hans

    2007-01-01

    textabstractMarketing literature has long recognized that brand price elasticity need not be monotonic and symmetric, but has yet to provide generalizable market-level insights on threshold-based price elasticity, asymmetric thresholds, and the sign and magnitude of elasticity transitions. This paper introduces smooth transition regression models to study threshold-based price elasticity of the top 4 brands across 20 fast-moving consumer good categories. Threshold-based price elasticity is fo...

  18. On the Core of Multiple Longest Traveling Salesman Games

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Estevez Fernandez, M.A.; Borm, P.E.M.; Hamers, H.J.M.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper we introduce multiple longest traveling salesman (MLTS) games. An MLTS game arises from a network in which a salesman has to visit each node (player) precisely once, except its home location, in an order that maximizes the total reward.First it is shown that the value of a coalition of

  19. Thresholds in Xeric Hydrology and Biogeochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meixner, T.; Brooks, P. D.; Simpson, S. C.; Soto, C. D.; Yuan, F.; Turner, D.; Richter, H.

    2011-12-01

    Due to water limitation, thresholds in hydrologic and biogeochemical processes are common in arid and semi-arid systems. Some of these thresholds such as those focused on rainfall runoff relationships have been well studied. However to gain a full picture of the role that thresholds play in driving the hydrology and biogeochemistry of xeric systems a full view of the entire array of processes at work is needed. Here a walk through the landscape of xeric systems will be conducted illustrating the powerful role of hydrologic thresholds on xeric system biogeochemistry. To understand xeric hydro-biogeochemistry two key ideas need to be focused on. First, it is important to start from a framework of reaction and transport. Second an understanding of the temporal and spatial components of thresholds that have a large impact on hydrologic and biogeochemical fluxes needs to be offered. In the uplands themselves episodic rewetting and drying of soils permits accelerated biogeochemical processing but also more gradual drainage of water through the subsurface than expected in simple conceptions of biogeochemical processes. Hydrologic thresholds (water content above hygroscopic) results in a stop start nutrient spiral of material across the landscape since runoff connecting uplands to xeric perennial riparian is episodic and often only transports materials a short distance (100's of m). This episodic movement results in important and counter-intuitive nutrient inputs to riparian zones but also significant processing and uptake of nutrients. The floods that transport these biogeochemicals also result in significant input to riparian groundwater and may be key to sustaining these critical ecosystems. Importantly the flood driven recharge process itself is a threshold process dependent on flood characteristics (floods greater than 100 cubic meters per second) and antecedent conditions (losing to near neutral gradients). Floods also appear to influence where arid and semi

  20. Determinants of Change in the Cost-effectiveness Threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulden, Mike; O'Mahony, James; McCabe, Christopher

    2017-02-01

    The cost-effectiveness threshold in health care systems with a constrained budget should be determined by the cost-effectiveness of displacing health care services to fund new interventions. Using comparative statics, we review some potential determinants of the threshold, including the budget for health care, the demand for existing health care interventions, the technical efficiency of existing interventions, and the development of new health technologies. We consider the anticipated direction of impact that would affect the threshold following a change in each of these determinants. Where the health care system is technically efficient, an increase in the health care budget unambiguously raises the threshold, whereas an increase in the demand for existing, non-marginal health interventions unambiguously lowers the threshold. Improvements in the technical efficiency of existing interventions may raise or lower the threshold, depending on the cause of the improvement in efficiency, whether the intervention is already funded, and, if so, whether it is marginal. New technologies may also raise or lower the threshold, depending on whether the new technology is a substitute for an existing technology and, again, whether the existing technology is marginal. Our analysis permits health economists and decision makers to assess if and in what direction the threshold may change over time. This matters, as threshold changes impact the cost-effectiveness of interventions that require decisions now but have costs and effects that fall in future periods.

  1. Low heat pain thresholds in migraineurs between attacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwedt, Todd J; Zuniga, Leslie; Chong, Catherine D

    2015-06-01

    Between attacks, migraine is associated with hypersensitivities to sensory stimuli. The objective of this study was to investigate hypersensitivity to pain in migraineurs between attacks. Cutaneous heat pain thresholds were measured in 112 migraineurs, migraine free for ≥ 48 hours, and 75 healthy controls. Pain thresholds at the head and at the arm were compared between migraineurs and controls using two-tailed t-tests. Among migraineurs, correlations between heat pain thresholds and headache frequency, allodynia symptom severity, and time interval until next headache were calculated. Migraineurs had lower pain thresholds than controls at the head (43.9 ℃ ± 3.2 ℃ vs. 45.1 ℃ ± 3.0 ℃, p = 0.015) and arm (43.2 ℃ ± 3.4 ℃ vs. 44.8 ℃ ± 3.3 ℃, p pain thresholds and headache frequency or allodynia symptom severity. For the 41 migraineurs for whom time to next headache was known, there were positive correlations between time to next headache and pain thresholds at the head (r = 0.352, p = 0.024) and arm (r = 0.312, p = 0.047). This study provides evidence that migraineurs have low heat pain thresholds between migraine attacks. Mechanisms underlying these lower pain thresholds could also predispose migraineurs to their next migraine attack, a hypothesis supported by finding positive correlations between pain thresholds and time to next migraine attack. © International Headache Society 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  2. Some considerations regarding the creep crack growth threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thouless, M.D.; Evans, A.G.

    1984-01-01

    The preceding analysis reveals that the existence of a threshold determined by the sintering stress does not influence the post threshold crack velocity. Considerations of the sintering stress can thus be conveniently excluded from analysis of the post threshold crack velocity. The presence of a crack growth threshold has been predicted, based on the existence of cavity nucleation controlled crack growth. A preliminary analysis of cavity nucleation rates within the damage zone reveals that this threshold is relatively abrupt, in accord with experimental observations. Consequently, at stress intensities below K /SUB th/ growth becomes nucleation limited and crack blunting occurs in preference to crack growth

  3. The CANDU-PHW generating system waste arisings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simmons, G.R.

    1979-03-01

    In this report, the volume of material and level of contained radioactive nuclides are tabulated for wastes arising from four fuel cycles which might be operated in CANDU-PHW (CANada Deuterium Uranium - Pressurized Heavy Water) reactors. The data presented, based on Canadian experience and/or studies, cover the range of conditioned waste volumes which could be expected from steady-state (no growth), CANDU-PHW-powered electrical generating systems. The wastes arising from operation and decommissioning of facilities in each phase of each fuel cycle are estimated. Each fuel cycle is considered to operate in isolation with the data given in terms of quantities per gigawatt-year of electricity produced. Three of the fuel cycles for which data are presented, the natural uranium once-through cycle, the plutonium-enriched uranium cycle (plutonium recycle) and the low-burnup uranium-enriched thorium cycle (thorium and uranium recycle), were studied by INFCE WG.7 (the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation, Working Group 7) as fuel cycles 4, 5 and 6. The high-burnup uranium-enriched thorium cycle is included for comparison. INFCE WG.7 selected many common reference parameters which are applied uniformly to all seven INFCE WG.7 reference fuel cycles in determining waste arisings. Where these parameters differ from the data of Canadian origin given in the body of this report, the INFCE WG.7 data are given in an appendix. The waste management costs associated with operation of each INFCE WG.7 reference fuel cycle were calculated and compared by the working group. An arbitrary set of costing parameters and disposal technologies was selected by the working group for application to each of the reference fuel cycles. The waste management and disposal costs for the PHW reactor fuel cycles based on these arbitrary cost parameters are given in an appendix. (author)

  4. Numerical modelling of multiple scattering between two elastical particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjørnø, Irina; Jensen, Leif Bjørnø

    1998-01-01

    in suspension have been studied extensively since Foldy's formulation of his theory for isotropic scattering by randomly distributed scatterers. However, a number of important problems related to multiple scattering are still far from finding their solutions. A particular, but still unsolved, problem......Multiple acoustical signal interactions with sediment particles in the vicinity of the seabed may significantly change the course of sediment concentration profiles determined by inversion from acoustical backscattering measurements. The scattering properties of high concentrations of sediments...... is the question of proximity thresholds for influence of multiple scattering in terms of particle properties like volume fraction, average distance between particles or other related parameters. A few available experimental data indicate a significance of multiple scattering in suspensions where the concentration...

  5. When Do Price Thresholds Matter in Retail Categories?

    OpenAIRE

    Koen Pauwels; Shuba Srinivasan; Philip Hans Franses

    2007-01-01

    Marketing literature has long recognized that brand price elasticity need not be monotonic and symmetric, but has yet to provide generalizable market-level insights on threshold-based price elasticity, asymmetric thresholds, and the sign and magnitude of elasticity transitions. This paper introduces smooth transition regression models to study threshold-based price elasticity of the top 4 brands across 20 fast-moving consumer good categories. Threshold-based price elasticity is found for 76% ...

  6. Estimating the Threshold Level of Inflation for Thailand

    OpenAIRE

    Jiranyakul, Komain

    2017-01-01

    Abstract. This paper analyzes the relationship between inflation and economic growth in Thailand using annual dataset during 1990 and 2015. The threshold model is estimated for different levels of threshold inflation rate. The results suggest that the threshold level of inflation above which inflation significantly slow growth is estimated at 3 percent. The negative relationship between inflation and growth is apparent above this threshold level of inflation. In other words, the inflation rat...

  7. Squamous cell carcinoma arising within a maxillary odontogenic keratocyst: A rare occurrence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jalali, Elnaz; Tadinada, Aditya; Rengasamy, Kandasamy; Ferneini, Elie M.

    2017-01-01

    Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising within the lining of an odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a rare occurrence. Although potentially locally destructive, OKC is a benign odontogenic process that typically presents with clinical and radiographic features characteristic of a benign intraosseous neoplasm. We present the clinical and radiographic features of a maxillary mass that demonstrated SCC arising from the lining of an OKC. Although the initial clinical and radiographic presentation suggested an infection or malignant neoplasm, biopsies revealed an infiltrative well-differentiated SCC contiguous with and arising from the focus of a pre-existing OKC. The patient subsequently underwent a type II hemi-maxillectomy with neoadjuvant chemoradiation. This report discusses the clinical and radiographic features associated with intraosseous malignancies, especially those arising from an otherwise benign odontogenic lesion. While the majority of OKCs are benign, the current report illustrates the potential for carcinomatous transformation within the lining of an OKC

  8. Squamous cell carcinoma arising within a maxillary odontogenic keratocyst: A rare occurrence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jalali, Elnaz [Eliray Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Consulting Services, Miami (United States); Tadinada, Aditya; Rengasamy, Kandasamy; Ferneini, Elie M. [University of Connecticut, School of Dental Medicine, Farmington (United States)

    2017-06-15

    Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising within the lining of an odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a rare occurrence. Although potentially locally destructive, OKC is a benign odontogenic process that typically presents with clinical and radiographic features characteristic of a benign intraosseous neoplasm. We present the clinical and radiographic features of a maxillary mass that demonstrated SCC arising from the lining of an OKC. Although the initial clinical and radiographic presentation suggested an infection or malignant neoplasm, biopsies revealed an infiltrative well-differentiated SCC contiguous with and arising from the focus of a pre-existing OKC. The patient subsequently underwent a type II hemi-maxillectomy with neoadjuvant chemoradiation. This report discusses the clinical and radiographic features associated with intraosseous malignancies, especially those arising from an otherwise benign odontogenic lesion. While the majority of OKCs are benign, the current report illustrates the potential for carcinomatous transformation within the lining of an OKC.

  9. Multiple scattering theory of X-ray absorption. A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fonda, L.

    1991-11-01

    We review the basic elements of the theory of X-ray absorption using the tools provided by the theory of multiple scattering. A momentum space approach of clear physical insight is used where the final formulas expressing EXAFS and XANES, i.e. the structures appearing in the absorption coefficient above the edge of a deep core level threshold, are given in terms of eigenstates of the photoelectron momentum. A simple graphic representation is given for the multiple scattering function. (author). 38 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

  10. Systematic variation of threshold reaction rates in EBR-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lippincott, E.P.; Combs, B.L.; Davis, A.I.

    1976-01-01

    Characterization of neutron flux, fluence, and spectra in fast reactor irradiation environments is presently being carried out at HEDL utilizing the multiple foil technique. These fluences and spectra are then used to correlate damage effects data to produce damage functions or equations to predict materials effects under future irradiation conditions. The neutron flux and spectrum, then, act as a transfer function to relate present observations to future effects in the same or different environments and thus consistent fluence evaluations are of utmost importance. As part of a continuing program to establish the data base to meet consistency requirements, a systematic correlation of data from a recent dosimetry test in EBR-II is being made. The paper presents preliminary results of some of these correlations involving threshold reactions

  11. The Value of Time in Intercity Transportation - A Study of Thresholds and Discontinuities

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Rui

    2013-01-01

    Previous research studies have provided evidence of the non-uniformity of the value of time, which usually shows a decreasing trend as travel time increases. This work takes an in-depth look at thresholds and discontinuities in the value of time function. A theoretical framework is provided based on microeconomic theory. It is postulated that because of the multiple activities involved in an individual's activity pattern, and the minimum time requirements associated with these activities, the...

  12. Neuroendocrine Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Arising in Long Standing History of Multiple Sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stergios Boussios

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that targets myelinated axons in the central nervous system (CNS. Cancer of unknown primary site (CUP is a well-recognised clinical disorder, accounting for 3–5% of all malignant epithelial tumors. CUP is clinically characterised as an aggressive disease with early dissemination. Studies of cancer risk in MS patients have shown inconsistent findings. An increased risk of malignancy in patients with MS has been suggested, but recently serious questions have been raised regarding this association. Use of disease-modifying therapies might contribute to an increased cancer risk in selected MS patients. The concurrence of MS and CUP is exceptionally rare. Here we describe the case of a neuroendocrine carcinoma of unknown primary diagnosed in a male patient with a nine-year history of MS. The discussion includes data from all available population-based register studies with estimates of certain malignancies in patients with MS.

  13. Time-efficient multidimensional threshold tracking method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fereczkowski, Michal; Kowalewski, Borys; Dau, Torsten

    2015-01-01

    Traditionally, adaptive methods have been used to reduce the time it takes to estimate psychoacoustic thresholds. However, even with adaptive methods, there are many cases where the testing time is too long to be clinically feasible, particularly when estimating thresholds as a function of anothe...

  14. A light-powered sub-threshold microprocessor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Ming; Chen Hong; Zhang Chun; Li Changmeng; Wang Zhihua, E-mail: lium02@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Microelectronics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2010-11-15

    This paper presents an 8-bit sub-threshold microprocessor which can be powered by an integrated photosensitive diode. With a custom designed sub-threshold standard cell library and 1 kbit sub-threshold SRAM design, the leakage power of 58 nW, dynamic power of 385 nW - 165 kHz, EDP 13 pJ/inst and the operating voltage of 350 mV are achieved. Under a light of about 150 kLux, the microprocessor can run at a rate of up to 500 kHz. The microprocessor can be used for wireless-sensor-network nodes.

  15. Threshold concepts in finance: student perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoadley, Susan; Kyng, Tim; Tickle, Leonie; Wood, Leigh N.

    2015-10-01

    Finance threshold concepts are the essential conceptual knowledge that underpin well-developed financial capabilities and are central to the mastery of finance. In this paper we investigate threshold concepts in finance from the point of view of students, by establishing the extent to which students are aware of threshold concepts identified by finance academics. In addition, we investigate the potential of a framework of different types of knowledge to differentiate the delivery of the finance curriculum and the role of modelling in finance. Our purpose is to identify ways to improve curriculum design and delivery, leading to better student outcomes. Whilst we find that there is significant overlap between what students identify as important in finance and the threshold concepts identified by academics, much of this overlap is expressed by indirect reference to the concepts. Further, whilst different types of knowledge are apparent in the student data, there is evidence that students do not necessarily distinguish conceptual from other types of knowledge. As well as investigating the finance curriculum, the research demonstrates the use of threshold concepts to compare and contrast student and academic perceptions of a discipline and, as such, is of interest to researchers in education and other disciplines.

  16. Analytical calculation of dE/dx cluster-charge loss due to threshold effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brady, F.P.; Dunn, J.

    1997-01-01

    This letter presents a simple analytical approximation which allows one to estimate the effect of ADC threshold on the measured cluster-charge size as used for dE/dx determinations. The idea is to gain some intuitive understanding of the cluster-charge loss and not to replace more accurate simulations. The method is applied to the multiple sampling measurements of energy loss in the main time projection chambers (TPCs) of the NA49 experiment at CERN SPS. The calculations are in reasonable agreement with data. (orig.)

  17. Multiple utility constrained multi-objective programs using Bayesian theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbasian, Pooneh; Mahdavi-Amiri, Nezam; Fazlollahtabar, Hamed

    2018-03-01

    A utility function is an important tool for representing a DM's preference. We adjoin utility functions to multi-objective optimization problems. In current studies, usually one utility function is used for each objective function. Situations may arise for a goal to have multiple utility functions. Here, we consider a constrained multi-objective problem with each objective having multiple utility functions. We induce the probability of the utilities for each objective function using Bayesian theory. Illustrative examples considering dependence and independence of variables are worked through to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model.

  18. Occupancy statistics arising from weighted particle rearrangements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huillet, Thierry

    2007-01-01

    The box-occupancy distributions arising from weighted rearrangements of a particle system are investigated. In the grand-canonical ensemble, they are characterized by determinantal joint probability generating functions. For doubly non-negative weight matrices, fractional occupancy statistics, generalizing Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics, can be defined. A spatially extended version of these balls-in-boxes problems is investigated

  19. Bedding material affects mechanical thresholds, heat thresholds and texture preference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moehring, Francie; O’Hara, Crystal L.; Stucky, Cheryl L.

    2015-01-01

    It has long been known that the bedding type animals are housed on can affect breeding behavior and cage environment. Yet little is known about its effects on evoked behavior responses or non-reflexive behaviors. C57BL/6 mice were housed for two weeks on one of five bedding types: Aspen Sani Chips® (standard bedding for our institute), ALPHA-Dri®, Cellu-Dri™, Pure-o’Cel™ or TEK-Fresh. Mice housed on Aspen exhibited the lowest (most sensitive) mechanical thresholds while those on TEK-Fresh exhibited 3-fold higher thresholds. While bedding type had no effect on responses to punctate or dynamic light touch stimuli, TEK-Fresh housed animals exhibited greater responsiveness in a noxious needle assay, than those housed on the other bedding types. Heat sensitivity was also affected by bedding as animals housed on Aspen exhibited the shortest (most sensitive) latencies to withdrawal whereas those housed on TEK-Fresh had the longest (least sensitive) latencies to response. Slight differences between bedding types were also seen in a moderate cold temperature preference assay. A modified tactile conditioned place preference chamber assay revealed that animals preferred TEK-Fresh to Aspen bedding. Bedding type had no effect in a non-reflexive wheel running assay. In both acute (two day) and chronic (5 week) inflammation induced by injection of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant in the hindpaw, mechanical thresholds were reduced in all groups regardless of bedding type, but TEK-Fresh and Pure-o’Cel™ groups exhibited a greater dynamic range between controls and inflamed cohorts than Aspen housed mice. PMID:26456764

  20. 40 CFR 68.115 - Threshold determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Regulated Substances for Accidental Release Prevention... process exceeds the threshold. (b) For the purposes of determining whether more than a threshold quantity... portion of the process is less than 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), the amount of the substance in the...

  1. Oscillations and Multiple Equilibria in Microvascular Blood Flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karst, Nathaniel J; Storey, Brian D; Geddes, John B

    2015-07-01

    We investigate the existence of oscillatory dynamics and multiple steady-state flow rates in a network with a simple topology and in vivo microvascular blood flow constitutive laws. Unlike many previous analytic studies, we employ the most biologically relevant models of the physical properties of whole blood. Through a combination of analytic and numeric techniques, we predict in a series of two-parameter bifurcation diagrams a range of dynamical behaviors, including multiple equilibria flow configurations, simple oscillations in volumetric flow rate, and multiple coexistent limit cycles at physically realizable parameters. We show that complexity in network topology is not necessary for complex behaviors to arise and that nonlinear rheology, in particular the plasma skimming effect, is sufficient to support oscillatory dynamics similar to those observed in vivo.

  2. [Delivery in multiple pregnancies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colla, F; D'Addato, F; Grio, R

    2001-04-01

    A knowledge of clinical physiognomy in pathologies related to multiple births is indispensable for improving maternal and feto-neonatal prognosis. This study is a contribution to the solution of this problem. A meta-analysis of data for multiple births at Department B of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic at the University of Turi during the decade 1989-1998 was carried out, focusing on the arrangement and presentation of fetuses, the various types of birth, the gestational age at which birth occurred, the weight of neonates, neonatal mortality and maternal morbidity. Out of 11,523 births, there were a total of 194 (1.68%) multiple births, including 190 sets of twins and 4 triplets. 154 (79.38%) premature births were reported; 20 occurred 1500 g). The perinatal mortality rate was 3.82%. Maternal complications mainly occurred during the placental state, in the immediate postpartum and in puerperio. The authors feel that a more careful medical and social assistance, preventive hospitalisation, early recognition of the risk, constant monitoring for the optimal timing of birth, and lastly, qualified medical assistance during labour (expert gynecologist, trained obstetric staff) with other medical personnel (anesthetist, neonatal specialist) represent winning strategies to solve the problems arising during multiple pregnancies.

  3. A thresholding-based antenna switching in MIMO cognitive radio networks with SWIPT-enabled secondary receiver

    KAUST Repository

    Benkhelifa, Fatma

    2017-07-31

    Simultaneous wireless power and information transfer (SWIPT) in a cognitive radio (CR) network is considered where a multiple antenna energy harvesting (EH) secondary receiver (SR) harvests the energy using the antenna switching (AS) technique. In fact, the AS technique selects a subset of the SR antennas to decode the information (namely the information decoding (ID) antennas) and the rest to harvest the energy (namely the EH antennas). In this context, we propose a thresholding-based antenna selection strategy, termed as the prioritizing data selection (PDS) scheme, which selects the ID antennas such that the received power from the secondary transmitter (ST) at these antennas is above a certain threshold. For this scheme, we derive the analytic expressions of the probability mass function (PMF) of the selected ID antennas, the average harvested energy, and the outage probability. In the simulation results, we illustrate the performance of the PDS scheme and we compare it to the prioritizing energy selection (PES) scheme which selects the EH antennas such that the received power from ST at these antennas is above a certain threshold. For both schemes, we show that there is a tradeoff between the outage probability and the average harvested energy.

  4. Approach to DOE threshold guidance limits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shuman, R.D.; Wickham, L.E.

    1984-01-01

    The need for less restrictive criteria governing disposal of extremely low-level radioactive waste has long been recognized. The Low-Level Waste Management Program has been directed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to aid in the development of a threshold guidance limit for DOE low-level waste facilities. Project objectives are concernd with the definition of a threshold limit dose and pathway analysis of radionuclide transport within selected exposure scenarios at DOE sites. Results of the pathway analysis will be used to determine waste radionuclide concentration guidelines that meet the defined threshold limit dose. Methods of measurement and verification of concentration limits round out the project's goals. Work on defining a threshold limit dose is nearing completion. Pathway analysis of sanitary landfill operations at the Savannah River Plant and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is in progress using the DOSTOMAN computer code. Concentration limit calculations and determination of implementation procedures shall follow completion of the pathways work. 4 references

  5. Towards a unifying basis of auditory thresholds: binaural summation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heil, Peter

    2014-04-01

    Absolute auditory threshold decreases with increasing sound duration, a phenomenon explainable by the assumptions that the sound evokes neural events whose probabilities of occurrence are proportional to the sound's amplitude raised to an exponent of about 3 and that a constant number of events are required for threshold (Heil and Neubauer, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:6151-6156, 2003). Based on this probabilistic model and on the assumption of perfect binaural summation, an equation is derived here that provides an explicit expression of the binaural threshold as a function of the two monaural thresholds, irrespective of whether they are equal or unequal, and of the exponent in the model. For exponents >0, the predicted binaural advantage is largest when the two monaural thresholds are equal and decreases towards zero as the monaural threshold difference increases. This equation is tested and the exponent derived by comparing binaural thresholds with those predicted on the basis of the two monaural thresholds for different values of the exponent. The thresholds, measured in a large sample of human subjects with equal and unequal monaural thresholds and for stimuli with different temporal envelopes, are compatible only with an exponent close to 3. An exponent of 3 predicts a binaural advantage of 2 dB when the two ears are equally sensitive. Thus, listening with two (equally sensitive) ears rather than one has the same effect on absolute threshold as doubling duration. The data suggest that perfect binaural summation occurs at threshold and that peripheral neural signals are governed by an exponent close to 3. They might also shed new light on mechanisms underlying binaural summation of loudness.

  6. Spike-threshold adaptation predicted by membrane potential dynamics in vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertrand Fontaine

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Neurons encode information in sequences of spikes, which are triggered when their membrane potential crosses a threshold. In vivo, the spiking threshold displays large variability suggesting that threshold dynamics have a profound influence on how the combined input of a neuron is encoded in the spiking. Threshold variability could be explained by adaptation to the membrane potential. However, it could also be the case that most threshold variability reflects noise and processes other than threshold adaptation. Here, we investigated threshold variation in auditory neurons responses recorded in vivo in barn owls. We found that spike threshold is quantitatively predicted by a model in which the threshold adapts, tracking the membrane potential at a short timescale. As a result, in these neurons, slow voltage fluctuations do not contribute to spiking because they are filtered by threshold adaptation. More importantly, these neurons can only respond to input spikes arriving together on a millisecond timescale. These results demonstrate that fast adaptation to the membrane potential captures spike threshold variability in vivo.

  7. Statistical Algorithm for the Adaptation of Detection Thresholds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stotsky, Alexander A.

    2008-01-01

    Many event detection mechanisms in spark ignition automotive engines are based on the comparison of the engine signals to the detection threshold values. Different signal qualities for new and aged engines necessitate the development of an adaptation algorithm for the detection thresholds...... remains constant regardless of engine age and changing detection threshold values. This, in turn, guarantees the same event detection performance for new and aged engines/sensors. Adaptation of the engine knock detection threshold is given as an example. Udgivelsesdato: 2008...

  8. Perspective: Uses and misuses of thresholds in diagnostic decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, Jeremy L; Najarian, Robert M; Tierney, Lawrence M

    2010-03-01

    The concept of thresholds plays a vital role in decisions involving the initiation, continuation, and completion of diagnostic testing. Much research has focused on the development of explicit thresholds, in the form of practice guidelines and decision analyses. However, these tools are used infrequently; most medical decisions are made at the bedside, using implicit thresholds. Study of these thresholds can lead to a deeper understanding of clinical decision making. The authors examine some factors constituting individual clinicians' implicit thresholds. They propose a model for static thresholds using the concept of situational gravity to explain why some thresholds are high, and some low. Next, they consider the hypothetical effects of incorrect placement of thresholds (miscalibration) and changes to thresholds during diagnosis (manipulation). They demonstrate these concepts using common clinical scenarios. Through analysis of miscalibration of thresholds, the authors demonstrate some common maladaptive clinical behaviors, which are nevertheless internally consistent. They then explain how manipulation of thresholds gives rise to common cognitive heuristics including premature closure and anchoring. They also discuss the case where no threshold has been exceeded despite exhaustive collection of data, which commonly leads to application of the availability or representativeness heuristics. Awareness of implicit thresholds allows for a more effective understanding of the processes of medical decision making and, possibly, to the avoidance of detrimental heuristics and their associated medical errors. Research toward accurately defining these thresholds for individual physicians and toward determining their dynamic properties during the diagnostic process may yield valuable insights.

  9. An Approach to Implementing A Threshold Adjusting Mechanism in Very Complex Negotiations : A Preliminary Result

    OpenAIRE

    Fujita, Katsuhide; Ito, Takayuki; Hattori, Hiromitsu; Klein, Mark

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a threshold adjusting mechanism in very complex negotiations among software agents. The proposed mechanism can facilitate agents to reach an agreement while keeping their private information as much as possible. Multi-issue negotiation protocols have been studied widely and represent a promising field since most negotiation problems in the real world involve interdependent multiple issues. We have proposed negotiation protocols where a bidding-based mechanism is used...

  10. Is action potential threshold lowest in the axon?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kole, Maarten H. P.; Stuart, Greg J.

    2008-01-01

    Action potential threshold is thought to be lowest in the axon, but when measured using conventional techniques, we found that action potential voltage threshold of rat cortical pyramidal neurons was higher in the axon than at other neuronal locations. In contrast, both current threshold and voltage

  11. Observation of LPI Thresholds for the Nike Laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, J. L.; Oh, J.; Afeyan, B.; Charbonneau-Lefort, M.; Phillips, L.; Seely, J.; Kehne, D.; Brown, C.; Obenschain, S.; Schmitt, A. J.; Feldman, U.; Holland, G.; Lehmberg, R. H.; McLean, E.; Manka, C.

    2008-11-01

    The Nike laser is being used to study thresholds for laser plasma instabilities (LPI) at intensities (10^15-10^16 W/cm^2) relevant to advanced implosion designs for direct drive inertial confinement fusion. The combination of short wavelength (248 nm), large bandwidth (1-2 THz), and beam smoothing by induced spatial incoherence available with this krypton-fluoride laser make these experiments unique among current facilities. This talk will present an overview of results with an emphasis on the two-plasmon decay instability (2φp). Measurements of x-rays and emission near ^1/2φo and ^3/2 φo harmonics of the laser wavelength have been collected over a wide range of intensities for both solid and foam targets. Data indicate collective multiple-angle driven excitation compatible with previous observations using solid planar targets.

  12. Computerized tomography in multiple sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delouvrier, J.J.; Tritschler, J.L.; Desbleds, M.T.; Cambier, J.; Nahum, H.

    1980-01-01

    The double scan CT method was applied to a homogeneous population of 50 multiple sclerosis patients and the following features were studied: well defined low-density areas, localized contrast enhancements, cerebral atrophy and white matter homogeneity. The analyses of the variance of the white matter (centrum ovale) can disclose those lesions which individually do not surpass the visibility threshold. The lesions that are localized in the white matter are mainly periventricular, most often multiple, and they do not displace the neighbouring structures. By revealing a large number of clinically silent cerebral lesions, the cerebral CT becomes a highly important diagnostic tool. The value of the CT examinations seems to be of major importance each time that the clinical diagnosis is hesitant, particularly when faced with medullary signs or an initial neurological episode. (C.F.)

  13. Wavelength dependence of femtosecond laser-induced damage threshold of optical materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gallais, L., E-mail: laurent.gallais@fresnel.fr; Douti, D.-B.; Commandré, M. [Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel UMR 7249, 13013 Marseille (France); Batavičiūtė, G.; Pupka, E.; Ščiuka, M.; Smalakys, L.; Sirutkaitis, V.; Melninkaitis, A. [Laser Research Center, Vilnius University, Saulétekio aléja 10, LT-10223 Vilnius (Lithuania)

    2015-06-14

    An experimental and numerical study of the laser-induced damage of the surface of optical material in the femtosecond regime is presented. The objective of this work is to investigate the different processes involved as a function of the ratio of photon to bandgap energies and compare the results to models based on nonlinear ionization processes. Experimentally, the laser-induced damage threshold of optical materials has been studied in a range of wavelengths from 1030 nm (1.2 eV) to 310 nm (4 eV) with pulse durations of 100 fs with the use of an optical parametric amplifier system. Semi-conductors and dielectrics materials, in bulk or thin film forms, in a range of bandgap from 1 to 10 eV have been tested in order to investigate the scaling of the femtosecond laser damage threshold with the bandgap and photon energy. A model based on the Keldysh photo-ionization theory and the description of impact ionization by a multiple-rate-equation system is used to explain the dependence of laser-breakdown with the photon energy. The calculated damage fluence threshold is found to be consistent with experimental results. From these results, the relative importance of the ionization processes can be derived depending on material properties and irradiation conditions. Moreover, the observed damage morphologies can be described within the framework of the model by taking into account the dynamics of energy deposition with one dimensional propagation simulations in the excited material and thermodynamical considerations.

  14. Inner-shell near-threshold photoionization of A-C60 endohedral atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baltenkov, Arkadiy S.; Dolmatov, Valery K.; Manson, Steven T.

    2002-01-01

    Photoelectron angular distributions and total photoionization cross sections of near-threshold 1s photoionization of Li from the oriented-in-space endohedral Li-C 60 fullerene are investigated within the framework of our recently developed photoionization theory of multicenter formations. Both at-the-center and off-the-center endohedral Li are considered, and off-the-center effects are shown to be of extreme importance, in contrast to the conventional wisdom. Multiple-scattering effects on the outgoing photoelectron are included and found to influence the photoionization spectra strongly, e.g., decreasing the cross section by more than an order of magnitude in certain cases, as compared to the situation when such effects are neglected. Diffraction resonances in the photoionization cross section of the endohedral Li atom are found as a result of the multicenter nature of the C 60 surrounding cage, and these are compared with the results of other empirical and ab initio theories. Since there is nothing particularly special about Li 1s with respect to photoionization, the trends uncovered in this paper should qualitatively apply to near-threshold inner-shell ns photoionization spectra of virtually any endohedral atom A from any A-C 60 endohedral fullerene formation

  15. A MOSUM procedure for the estimation of multiple random change points

    OpenAIRE

    Eichinger, Birte; Kirch, Claudia

    2018-01-01

    In this work, we investigate statistical properties of change point estimators based on moving sum statistics. We extend results for testing in a classical situation with multiple deterministic change points by allowing for random exogenous change points that arise in Hidden Markov or regime switching models among others. To this end, we consider a multiple mean change model with possible time series errors and prove that the number and location of change points are estimated consistently by ...

  16. Method for measuring multiple scattering corrections between liquid scintillators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verbeke, J.M., E-mail: verbeke2@llnl.gov; Glenn, A.M., E-mail: glenn22@llnl.gov; Keefer, G.J., E-mail: keefer1@llnl.gov; Wurtz, R.E., E-mail: wurtz1@llnl.gov

    2016-07-21

    A time-of-flight method is proposed to experimentally quantify the fractions of neutrons scattering between scintillators. An array of scintillators is characterized in terms of crosstalk with this method by measuring a californium source, for different neutron energy thresholds. The spectral information recorded by the scintillators can be used to estimate the fractions of neutrons multiple scattering. With the help of a correction to Feynman's point model theory to account for multiple scattering, these fractions can in turn improve the mass reconstruction of fissile materials under investigation.

  17. Jet Multiplicity in Top-Quark Pair Events at CMS

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00340508

    2014-01-01

    The normalised differential top quark-antiquark production cross section is measured as a function of the jet multiplicity. Using a procedure to associate jets to decay products of the top quarks, the differential cross section of the ttbar production is determined as a function of the additional jet multiplicity. The fraction of events with no additional jets is measured as a function of the threshold required for the transverse momentum of the additional jet. The measurements are compared with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics and no significant deviations are observed.

  18. Applying Threshold Concepts to Finance Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoadley, Susan; Wood, Leigh N.; Tickle, Leonie; Kyng, Tim

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify threshold concepts that are the essential conceptual content of finance programmes. Design/Methodology/Approach: Conducted in three stages with finance academics and students, the study uses threshold concepts as both a theoretical framework and a research methodology. Findings: The…

  19. Pathways to extinction: beyond the error threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manrubia, Susanna C; Domingo, Esteban; Lázaro, Ester

    2010-06-27

    Since the introduction of the quasispecies and the error catastrophe concepts for molecular evolution by Eigen and their subsequent application to viral populations, increased mutagenesis has become a common strategy to cause the extinction of viral infectivity. Nevertheless, the high complexity of virus populations has shown that viral extinction can occur through several other pathways apart from crossing an error threshold. Increases in the mutation rate enhance the appearance of defective forms and promote the selection of mechanisms that are able to counteract the accelerated appearance of mutations. Current models of viral evolution take into account more realistic scenarios that consider compensatory and lethal mutations, a highly redundant genotype-to-phenotype map, rough fitness landscapes relating phenotype and fitness, and where phenotype is described as a set of interdependent traits. Further, viral populations cannot be understood without specifying the characteristics of the environment where they evolve and adapt. Altogether, it turns out that the pathways through which viral quasispecies go extinct are multiple and diverse.

  20. Two cases of basal cell carcinoma arising from chronic radiation dermatitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wakamori, Takeshi; Takenaka, Hideya; Ueda, Eiichiro; Katoh, Norito; Kishimoto, Saburo

    2003-01-01

    A 48-year-old female and a 51-year-old male with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) arising from chronic radiation dermatitis are reviewed. They are treated with radiotherapy for hemangioma on their right cheek in their childhood. Review in the literature showed high incidence of the histological diagnosis of malignant skin tumors arising from chronic radiation dermatitis are follows: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), BCC, sarcoma, and Bowen's disease. (author)

  1. The asymmetry of U.S. monetary policy: Evidence from a threshold Taylor rule with time-varying threshold values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yanli; Chen, Haiqiang

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, we revisit the issue whether U.S. monetary policy is asymmetric by estimating a forward-looking threshold Taylor rule with quarterly data from 1955 to 2015. In order to capture the potential heterogeneity for regime shift mechanism under different economic conditions, we modify the threshold model by assuming the threshold value as a latent variable following an autoregressive (AR) dynamic process. We use the unemployment rate as the threshold variable and separate the sample into two periods: expansion periods and recession periods. Our findings support that the U.S. monetary policy operations are asymmetric in these two regimes. More precisely, the monetary authority tends to implement an active Taylor rule with a weaker response to the inflation gap (the deviation of inflation from its target) and a stronger response to the output gap (the deviation of output from its potential level) in recession periods. The threshold value, interpreted as the targeted unemployment rate of monetary authorities, exhibits significant time-varying properties, confirming the conjecture that policy makers may adjust their reference point for the unemployment rate accordingly to reflect their attitude on the health of general economy.

  2. Low and high frequency tonal threshold audiometry: comparing hearing thresholds between smokers and non-smokers Da audiometria tonal limiar em baixa e alta frequência: comparação dos limiares auditivos entre tabagistas e não-tabagistas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Cecílio Capra Marques de Oliveira

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Cigarette smoking can cause many potentially fatal diseases and worsen others. Numerous studies have shown the relationship between smoking and hearing loss. However, the increase in auditory threshold in high frequency arising from smoking has been very little described. AIM: to compare low and high frequency auditory thresholds among a group of smoking and non-smoking male individuals between 18 and 40 years. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. MATERIALS AND METHODS: by means of low and high frequency tonal threshold audiometry we studied 30 male individuals between 18 and 40 years and 30 non-smokers of matching age and gender. RESULTS: auditory thresholds were different between smokers and non-smokers, being worse in the former. Although within normal ranges, auditory thresholds in low frequencies were higher among smokers. In high frequencies we noticed a marked increase in auditory thresholds among smokers. CONCLUSION: we found statistically significant difference in auditory thresholds in low and high frequencies, among young male individuals, smokers and non-smokers, being worse in the former.O uso do cigarro pode levar a diversas doenças potencialmente fatais e contribuir para o agravo de outras condições patológicas. Inúmeros estudos mostram a relação entre tabagismo e perda auditiva, entretanto, o aumento dos limiares auditivos em alta frequência decorrente do tabagismo é pouco descrito. OBJETIVO: Comparar os limiares auditivos em baixas e altas frequências, entre um grupo de indivíduos não-tabagistas e tabagistas, do sexo masculino com idades entre 18 e 40 anos. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Tipo transversal. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Foram estudados, através de audiometria tonal limiar em baixas e altas frequências, 30 indivíduos tabagistas do sexo masculino com idades entre 18 e 40 anos e 30 indivíduos não-tabagistas do mesmo sexo e da mesma faixa etária. RESULTADOS: Os limiares auditivos foram diferentes entre os indivíduos do grupo n

  3. Model Threshold untuk Pembelajaran Memproduksi Pantun Kelas XI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fitri Nura Murti

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The learning pantun method in schools provided less opportunity to develop the students’ creativity in producing pantun. This situation was supported by the result of the observation conducted on eleventh graders at SMAN 2 Bondowoso. It showed that the students tend to plagiarize their pantun. The general objective of this research and development is to develop Threshold Pantun model for learning to produce pantun for elevent graders. The product was presented in guidance book for teachers entitled “Pembelajaran Memproduksi Pantun Menggunakan Model Threshold Pantun untuk Kelas XI”. This study adapted design method of Borg-Gall’s R&D procedure. The result of this study showed that Threshold Pantun model was appropriate to be implemented for learning to produce pantun. Key Words: Threshold Pantun model, produce pantun Abstrak: Pembelajaran pantun di sekolah selama ini kurang mengembangkan kreativitas siswa dalam memproduksi pantun. Hal tersebut dikuatkan oleh hasil observasi siswa kelas XI SMAN 2 Bondowoso yang menunjukkan adanya kecenderungan produk siswa bersifat plagiat. Tujuan penelitian dan pengembangan ini secara umum adalah mengembangkan model Threshold Pantun untuk pembelajaran memproduksi pantun kelas XI..Produk disajikan dalam bentuk buku panduan bagi guru dengan judul “Pembelajaran Memproduksi Pantun Menggunakan Model Threshold Pantun untuk Kelas XI”. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan penelitian yang diadaptasi dari prosedur penelitian dan pengembangan Borg dan Gall. Berdasarkan hasil validasi model Threshold Pantun untuk pembelajaran memproduksi pantun layak diimplementasikan. Kata kunci: model Threshold Pantun, memproduksi pantun

  4. The H-mode power threshold in JET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Start, D F.H.; Bhatnagar, V P; Campbell, D J; Cordey, J G; Esch, H P.L. de; Gormezano, C; Hawkes, N; Horton, L; Jones, T T.C.; Lomas, P J; Lowry, C; Righi, E; Rimini, F G; Saibene, G; Sartori, R; Sips, G; Stork, D; Thomas, P; Thomsen, K; Tubbing, B J.D.; Von Hellermann, M; Ward, D J [Commission of the European Communities, Abingdon (United Kingdom). JET Joint Undertaking

    1994-07-01

    New H-mode threshold data over a range of toroidal field and density values have been obtained from the present campaign. The scaling with n{sub e} B{sub t} is almost identical with that of the 91/92 period for the same discharge conditions. The scaling with toroidal field alone gives somewhat higher thresholds than the older data. The 1991/2 database shows a scaling of P{sub th} (power threshold) with n{sub e} B{sub t} which is approximately linear and agrees well with that observed on other tokamaks. For NBI and carbon target tiles the threshold power is a factor of two higher with the ion {Nu}B drift away from the target compared with the value found with the drift towards the target. The combination of ICRH and beryllium tiles appears to be beneficial for reducing P{sub th}. The power threshold is largely insensitive to plasma current, X-point height and distance between the last closed flux surface and the limiter, at least for values greater than 2 cm. (authors). 3 refs., 6 figs.

  5. QRS Detection Based on Improved Adaptive Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuanyu Lu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease is the first cause of death around the world. In accomplishing quick and accurate diagnosis, automatic electrocardiogram (ECG analysis algorithm plays an important role, whose first step is QRS detection. The threshold algorithm of QRS complex detection is known for its high-speed computation and minimized memory storage. In this mobile era, threshold algorithm can be easily transported into portable, wearable, and wireless ECG systems. However, the detection rate of the threshold algorithm still calls for improvement. An improved adaptive threshold algorithm for QRS detection is reported in this paper. The main steps of this algorithm are preprocessing, peak finding, and adaptive threshold QRS detecting. The detection rate is 99.41%, the sensitivity (Se is 99.72%, and the specificity (Sp is 99.69% on the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. A comparison is also made with two other algorithms, to prove our superiority. The suspicious abnormal area is shown at the end of the algorithm and RR-Lorenz plot drawn for doctors and cardiologists to use as aid for diagnosis.

  6. Dual-Layer Density Estimation for Multiple Object Instance Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a dual-layer density estimation-based architecture for multiple object instance detection in robot inventory management applications. The approach consists of raw scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT feature matching and key point projection. The dominant scale ratio and a reference clustering threshold are estimated using the first layer of the density estimation. A cascade of filters is applied after feature template reconstruction and refined feature matching to eliminate false matches. Before the second layer of density estimation, the adaptive threshold is finalized by multiplying an empirical coefficient for the reference value. The coefficient is identified experimentally. Adaptive threshold-based grid voting is applied to find all candidate object instances. Error detection is eliminated using final geometric verification in accordance with Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC. The detection results of the proposed approach are evaluated on a self-built dataset collected in a supermarket. The results demonstrate that the approach provides high robustness and low latency for inventory management application.

  7. Threshold enhancement of diphoton resonances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aoife Bharucha

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available We revisit a mechanism to enhance the decay width of (pseudo-scalar resonances to photon pairs when the process is mediated by loops of charged fermions produced near threshold. Motivated by the recent LHC data, indicating the presence of an excess in the diphoton spectrum at approximately 750 GeV, we illustrate this threshold enhancement mechanism in the case of a 750 GeV pseudoscalar boson A with a two-photon decay mediated by a charged and uncolored fermion having a mass at the 12MA threshold and a small decay width, <1 MeV. The implications of such a threshold enhancement are discussed in two explicit scenarios: i the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in which the A state is produced via the top quark mediated gluon fusion process and decays into photons predominantly through loops of charginos with masses close to 12MA and ii a two Higgs doublet model in which A is again produced by gluon fusion but decays into photons through loops of vector-like charged heavy leptons. In both these scenarios, while the mass of the charged fermion has to be adjusted to be extremely close to half of the A resonance mass, the small total widths are naturally obtained if only suppressed three-body decay channels occur. Finally, the implications of some of these scenarios for dark matter are discussed.

  8. Lock threshold deterioration induced by antenna vibration and signal coupling effects in hypersonic vehicle carrier tracking system of Ka band

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Congying ZHU

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The envelope of a hypersonic vehicle is affected by severe fluctuating pressure, which causes the airborne antenna to vibrate slightly. This vibration mixes with the transmitted signals and thus introduces additional multiplicative phase noise. Antenna vibration and signal coupling effects as well as their influence on the lock threshold of the hypersonic vehicle carrier tracking system of the Ka band are investigated in this study. A vibration model is initially established to obtain phase noise in consideration of the inherent relationship between vibration displacement and electromagnetic wavelength. An analytical model of the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL, which is widely used in carrier tracking systems, is established. The coupling effects on carrier tracking performance are investigated and quantitatively analyzed by imposing the multiplicative phase noise on the PLL model. Simulation results show that the phase noise presents a Gaussian distribution and is similar to vibration displacement variation. A large standard deviation in vibration displacement exerts a significant effect on the lock threshold. A critical standard deviation is observed in the PLL of Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK signals. The effect on QPSK signals is more severe than that on BPSK signals. The maximum tolerable standard deviations normalized by the wavelength of the carrier are 0.04 and 0.02 for BPSK and QPSK signals, respectively. With these critical standard deviations, lock thresholds are increased from −12 and −4 dB to 3 and −2 dB, respectively. Keywords: Antenna vibration, Carrier tracking performance, Lock threshold, Phase locked loop, Tracking Telemetry and Command (TT&C signals

  9. THE MULTIPLE CHOICE PROBLEM WITH INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CRITERIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Flavio Autran Monteiro Gomes

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT An important problem in Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis arises when one must select at least two alternatives at the same time. This can be denoted as a multiple choice problem. In other words, instead of evaluating each of the alternatives separately, they must be combined into groups of n alternatives, where n = 2. When the multiple choice problem must be solved under multiple criteria, the result is a multi-criteria, multiple choice problem. In this paper, it is shown through examples how this problemcan be tackled on a bipolar scale. The Choquet integral is used in this paper to take care of interactions between criteria. A numerical application example is conducted using data from SEBRAE-RJ, a non-profit private organization that has the mission of promoting competitiveness, sustainable developmentand entrepreneurship in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The paper closes with suggestions for future research.

  10. ENTRIA workshop. Determine threshold values in radiation protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diener, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    Threshold values affect our daily lives. Whether it concerns traffic or noise regulations, we all experience thresholds on a regular basis. But how are such values generated? The conference ''Determine Thres-hold Values in Radiation Protection'', taking place on January 27th 2015 in Braunschweig, focused on this question. The conference was undertaken in the context of the BMBF-funded interdisciplinary research project ''ENTRIA - Disposal Options for Radioactive Residues''. It aimed to stimulate a cross-disciplinary discussion. Spea-kers from different disciplinary backgrounds talked about topics like procedures of setting threshold values, standards for evaluating dosages, and public participation in the standardization of threshold values. Two major theses emerged: First, setting threshold values always requires considering contexts and protection targets. Second, existing uncertainties must be communicated in and with the public. Altogether, the conference offered lots of input and issues for discussion. In addition, it raised interesting and important questions for further and ongoing work in the research project ENTRIA.

  11. Thresholds of ion turbulence in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garbet, X.; Laurent, L.; Mourgues, F.; Roubin, J.P.; Samain, A.; Zou, X.L.

    1991-01-01

    The linear thresholds of ionic turbulence are numerically calculated for the Tokamaks JET and TORE SUPRA. It is proved that the stability domain at η i >0 is determined by trapped ion modes and is characterized by η i ≥1 and a threshold L Ti /R of order (0.2/0.3)/(1+T i /T e ). The latter value is significantly smaller than what has been previously predicted. Experimental temperature profiles in heated discharges are usually marginal with respect to this criterium. It is also shown that the eigenmodes are low frequency, low wavenumber ballooned modes, which may produce a very large transport once the threshold ion temperature gradient is reached

  12. Effect of dissipation on dynamical fusion thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sierk, A.J.

    1986-01-01

    The existence of dynamical thresholds to fusion in heavy nuclei (A greater than or equal to 200) due to the nature of the potential-energy surface is shown. These thresholds exist even in the absence of dissipative forces, due to the coupling between the various collective deformation degrees of freedom. Using a macroscopic model of nuclear shape dynamics, It is shown how three different suggested dissipation mechanisms increase by varying amounts the excitation energy over the one-dimensional barrier required to cause compound-nucleus formation. The recently introduced surface-plus-window dissipation may give a reasonable representation of experimental data on fusion thresholds, in addition to properly describing fission-fragment kinetic energies and isoscalar giant multipole widths. Scaling of threshold results to asymmetric systems is discussed. 48 refs., 10 figs

  13. Limiares de audibilidade em altas freqüências em crianças com história de otite média secretora bilateral Audibility threshold for high frequencies inchildren with medical history of multiples episodes of bilateral secretory otitis media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mônica de Sá Ferreira

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Existem achados na literatura de limiares elevados em altas freqüências em crianças com história de otite média secretora. OBJETIVO: Caracterizar os limiares de audibilidade nas altas freqüências em crianças normo-ouvintes com história de múltiplos episódios de otite média secretora bilateral. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Constituiu-se uma amostra de 31 crianças de ambos os sexos, sendo 14 com até 3 episódios de otite média secretora bilateral (Grupo 1 e 17 com quatro ou mais episódios (Grupo 2. Foi realizada a audiometria tonal por via aérea para as freqüências de 9.000 a 18.000Hz. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Transversal prospectivo. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença entre os limiares de audibilidade das orelhas direitas e esquerdas dos indivíduos de ambos os grupos para todas as freqüências, porém, houve entre os limiares de audibilidade das orelhas direitas e esquerdas do Grupo 2 em relação ao Grupo 1 para todas as freqüências avaliadas. CONCLUSÕES: 1- Houve uma elevação dos limiares de audibilidade com o aumento das freqüências apresentadas. 2- A audiometria de altas freqüências mostrou-se capaz de separar, em grupos, indivíduos com história de otite média secretora denotando que quatro episódios de otite média já são suficientes para determinar diferenças estatisticamente significantes nos limiares de audibilidade das altas freqüências.Relatively poorer audibility threshold for high frequency was found in children with medical history of multiples episodes of secretory otitis media. AIM: to characterize the audibility threshold for high frequencies in normal-hearing children with medical history of multiples episodes of bilateral secretory otitis media. MATERIALS AND METHODS: a sample of 31 children, from both genders, was divided in two groups: 14 subjects who had not more than 3 episodes of bilateral secretory otitis media (Group 1 and 17 subjects that experienced at least 4 episodes of this condition (Group 2

  14. Structural performance evaluation on aging underground reinforced concrete structures. Part 6. An estimation method of threshold value in performance verification taking reinforcing steel corrosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuo, Toyofumi; Matsumura, Takuro; Miyagawa, Yoshinori

    2009-01-01

    This paper discusses applicability of material degradation model due to reinforcing steel corrosion for RC box-culverts with corroded reinforcement and an estimation method for threshold value in performance verification reflecting reinforcing steel corrosion. First, in FEM analyses, loss of reinforcement section area and initial tension strain arising from reinforcing steel corrosion, and deteriorated bond characteristics between reinforcement and concrete were considered. The full-scale loading tests using corroded RC box-culverts were numerically analyzed. As a result, the analyzed crack patterns and load-strain relationships were in close agreement with the experimental results within the maximum corrosion ratio 15% of primary reinforcement. Then, we showed that this modeling could estimate the load carrying capacity of corroded RC box-culverts. Second, a parametric study was carried out for corroded RC box culverts with various sizes, reinforcement ratios and levels of steel corrosion, etc. Furthermore, as an application of analytical results and various experimental investigations, we suggested allowable degradation ratios for a modification of the threshold value, which corresponds to the chloride induced deterioration progress that is widely accepted in maintenance practice for civil engineering reinforced concrete structures. Finally, based on these findings, we developed two estimation methods for threshold value in performance verification: 1) a structural analysis method using nonlinear FEM included modeling of material degradation, 2) a practical method using a threshold value, which is determined by structural analyses of RC box-culverts in sound condition, is multiplied by the allowable degradation ratio. (author)

  15. Smartphone threshold audiometry in underserved primary health-care contexts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandström, Josefin; Swanepoel, De Wet; Carel Myburgh, Hermanus; Laurent, Claude

    2016-01-01

    To validate a calibrated smartphone-based hearing test in a sound booth environment and in primary health-care clinics. A repeated-measure within-subject study design was employed whereby air-conduction hearing thresholds determined by smartphone-based audiometry was compared to conventional audiometry in a sound booth and a primary health-care clinic environment. A total of 94 subjects (mean age 41 years ± 17.6 SD and range 18-88; 64% female) were assessed of whom 64 were tested in the sound booth and 30 within primary health-care clinics without a booth. In the sound booth 63.4% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dB HL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 80.6% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.6 dB ± 9.9 SD. In primary health-care clinics 13.7% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dBHL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 92.9% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.0 dB ± 7.1 SD. Accurate air-conduction audiometry can be conducted in a sound booth and without a sound booth in an underserved community health-care clinic using a smartphone.

  16. Is the diagnostic threshold for bulimia nervosa clinically meaningful?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapa, Danielle A N; Bohrer, Brittany K; Forbush, Kelsie T

    2018-01-01

    The DSM-5 differentiates full- and sub-threshold bulimia nervosa (BN) according to average weekly frequencies of binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors. This study was the first to evaluate the modified frequency criterion for BN published in the DSM-5. The purpose of this study was to test whether community-recruited adults (N=125; 83.2% women) with current full-threshold (n=77) or sub-threshold BN (n=48) differed in comorbid psychopathology and eating disorder (ED) illness duration, symptom severity, and clinical impairment. Participants completed the Clinical Impairment Assessment and participated in semi-structured clinical interviews of ED- and non-ED psychopathology. Differences between the sub- and full-threshold BN groups were assessed using MANOVA and Chi-square analyses. ED illness duration, age-of-onset, body mass index (BMI), alcohol and drug misuse, and the presence of current and lifetime mood or anxiety disorders did not differ between participants with sub- and full-threshold BN. Participants with full-threshold BN had higher levels of clinical impairment and weight concern than those with sub-threshold BN. However, minimal clinically important difference analyses suggested that statistically significant differences between participants with sub- and full-threshold BN on clinical impairment and weight concern were not clinically significant. In conclusion, sub-threshold BN did not differ from full-threshold BN in clinically meaningful ways. Future studies are needed to identify an improved frequency criterion for BN that better distinguishes individuals in ways that will more validly inform prognosis and effective treatment planning for BN. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Multiple Property Cross Direction Control of Paper Machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markku Ohenoja

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Cross direction (CD control in sheet-forming process forms a challenging problem with high dimensions. Accounting the interactions between different properties and actuators, the dimensionality increases further and also computational issues arise. We present a multiple property controller feasible to be used especially with imaging measurements that provide high sampling frequency and therefore enable short control interval. The simulation results state the benefits of multiple property CD control over single property control and single property control using full feedforward compensation. The controller presented may also be tuned in automated manner and the results demonstrate the effect of tuning on input saturation.

  18. Clinical outcomes of patients with clear cell and endometrioid ovarian cancer arising from endometriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paik, E Sun; Kim, Tae Joong; Choi, Chel Hun; Kim, Byoung Gie; Bae, Duk Soo; Lee, Jeong Won

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this investigation is to compare outcomes of patients according to the presence of cancer arising from endometriosis in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and endometrioid carcinoma (EC). This study retrospectively investigated 224 CCC and EC patients treated in Samsung Medical Center from 2001 to 2015 to identify cancer arising from endometriosis according to Sampson and Scott criteria. Propensity score matching was performed to compare patients arising from endometriosis to patients without endometriosis (ratio 1:1) according to stage, age, lymph node metastasis (LNM), cancer antigen (CA)-125 level, and residual status after debulking surgery. Forty-five cases arising from endometriosis were compared with 179 cases without endometriosis. CCC and EC arising from endometriosis tended to present with early age (mean, 45.2 vs. 49.2 years; p=0.003), early-stage (stages I and II, 92.7% vs. 62.3%; p<0.001), lower CA-125 level (mean, 307.1 vs. 556.7; p=0.041), higher percentages of no gross residual disease after surgery (87.8% vs.56.8%; p=0.001), and higher percentages of negative LNM (82.9% vs. 59.0%; p=0.008) compared to cases without endometriosis. Kaplan-Meier curves for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) showed better outcomes for groups with cancer arising from endometriosis (p=0.014 for PFS; and p=0.010 for OS). However, the association with endometriosis was not significant in multivariate analysis. Also, after propensity score matching, survival differences between the 2 groups were not significant. CCC and EC arising from endometriosis are diagnosed at an earlier age and stage. However, cancer arising from endometriosis was not a significant prognostic factor. Copyright © 2018. Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology

  19. The Australasian Resuscitation in Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) trial statistical analysis plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delaney, Anthony P; Peake, Sandra L; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Cameron, Peter; Holdgate, Anna; Howe, Belinda; Higgins, Alisa; Presneill, Jeffrey; Webb, Steve

    2013-09-01

    The Australasian Resuscitation in Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) study is an international, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of early goal-directed therapy compared with standard care for patients presenting to the emergency department with severe sepsis. In keeping with current practice, and considering aspects of trial design and reporting specific to non-pharmacological interventions, our plan outlines the principles and methods for analysing and reporting the trial results. The document is prepared before completion of recruitment into the ARISE study, without knowledge of the results of the interim analysis conducted by the data safety and monitoring committee and before completion of the two related international studies. Our statistical analysis plan was designed by the ARISE chief investigators, and reviewed and approved by the ARISE steering committee. We reviewed the data collected by the research team as specified in the study protocol and detailed in the study case report form. We describe information related to baseline characteristics, characteristics of delivery of the trial interventions, details of resuscitation, other related therapies and other relevant data with appropriate comparisons between groups. We define the primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes for the study, with description of the planned statistical analyses. We have developed a statistical analysis plan with a trial profile, mock-up tables and figures. We describe a plan for presenting baseline characteristics, microbiological and antibiotic therapy, details of the interventions, processes of care and concomitant therapies and adverse events. We describe the primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes with identification of subgroups to be analysed. We have developed a statistical analysis plan for the ARISE study, available in the public domain, before the completion of recruitment into the study. This will minimise analytical bias and

  20. Segment and fit thresholding: a new method for image analysis applied to microarray and immunofluorescence data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ensink, Elliot; Sinha, Jessica; Sinha, Arkadeep; Tang, Huiyuan; Calderone, Heather M; Hostetter, Galen; Winter, Jordan; Cherba, David; Brand, Randall E; Allen, Peter J; Sempere, Lorenzo F; Haab, Brian B

    2015-10-06

    Experiments involving the high-throughput quantification of image data require algorithms for automation. A challenge in the development of such algorithms is to properly interpret signals over a broad range of image characteristics, without the need for manual adjustment of parameters. Here we present a new approach for locating signals in image data, called Segment and Fit Thresholding (SFT). The method assesses statistical characteristics of small segments of the image and determines the best-fit trends between the statistics. Based on the relationships, SFT identifies segments belonging to background regions; analyzes the background to determine optimal thresholds; and analyzes all segments to identify signal pixels. We optimized the initial settings for locating background and signal in antibody microarray and immunofluorescence data and found that SFT performed well over multiple, diverse image characteristics without readjustment of settings. When used for the automated analysis of multicolor, tissue-microarray images, SFT correctly found the overlap of markers with known subcellular localization, and it performed better than a fixed threshold and Otsu's method for selected images. SFT promises to advance the goal of full automation in image analysis.

  1. Summary report of a workshop on establishing cumulative effects thresholds : a suggested approach for establishing cumulative effects thresholds in a Yukon context

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    Increasingly, thresholds are being used as a land and cumulative effects assessment and management tool. To assist in the management of wildlife species such as woodland caribou, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) Environment Directorate, Yukon sponsored a workshop to develop and use cumulative thresholds in the Yukon. The approximately 30 participants reviewed recent initiatives in the Yukon and other jurisdictions. The workshop is expected to help formulate a strategic vision for implementing cumulative effects thresholds in the Yukon. The key to success resides in building relationships with Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA) Boards, the Development Assessment Process (DAP), and the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act (YESAA). Broad support is required within an integrated resource management framework. The workshop featured discussions on current science and theory of cumulative effects thresholds. Potential data and implementation issues were also discussed. It was concluded that thresholds are useful and scientifically defensible. The threshold research results obtained in Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories are applicable to the Yukon. One of the best tools for establishing and tracking thresholds is habitat effectiveness. Effects must be monitored and tracked. Biologists must share their information with decision makers. Interagency coordination and assistance should be facilitated through the establishment of working groups. Regional land use plans should include thresholds. 7 refs.

  2. ‘Soglitude’- introducing a method of thinking thresholds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatjana Barazon

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available ‘Soglitude’ is an invitation to acknowledge the existence of thresholds in thought. A threshold in thought designates the indetermination, the passage, the evolution of every state the world is in. The creation we add to it, and the objectivity we suppose, on the border of those two ideas lies our perceptive threshold. No state will ever be permanent, and in order to stress the temporary, fluent character of the world and our perception of it, we want to introduce a new suitable method to think change and transformation, when we acknowledge our own threshold nature. The contributions gathered in this special issue come from various disciplines: anthropology, philosophy, critical theory, film studies, political science, literature and history. The variety of these insights shows the resonance of the idea of threshold in every category of thought. We hope to enlarge the notion in further issues on physics and chemistry, as well as mathematics. The articles in this issue introduce the method of threshold thinking by showing the importance of the in-between, of the changing of perspective in their respective domain. The ‘Documents’ section named INTERSTICES, includes a selection of poems, two essays, a philosophical-artistic project called ‘infraphysique’, a performance on thresholds in the soul, and a dialogue with Israel Rosenfield. This issue presents a kaleidoscope of possible threshold thinking and hopes to initiate new ways of looking at things.For every change that occurs in reality there is a subjective counterpart in our perception and this needs to be acknowledged as such. What we name objective is reflected in our own personal perception in its own personal manner, in such a way that the objectivity of an event might altogether be questioned. The absolute point of view, the view from “nowhere”, could well be the projection that causes dogmatism. By introducing the method of thinking thresholds into a system, be it

  3. Identifying Threshold Concepts for Information Literacy: A Delphi Study

    OpenAIRE

    Lori Townsend; Amy R. Hofer; Silvia Lin Hanick; Korey Brunetti

    2016-01-01

    This study used the Delphi method to engage expert practitioners on the topic of threshold concepts for information literacy. A panel of experts considered two questions. First, is the threshold concept approach useful for information literacy instruction? The panel unanimously agreed that the threshold concept approach holds potential for information literacy instruction. Second, what are the threshold concepts for information literacy instruction? The panel proposed and discussed over fift...

  4. Melanin microcavitation threshold in the near infrared

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Morgan S.; Kennedy, Paul K.; Vincelette, Rebecca L.; Schuster, Kurt J.; Noojin, Gary D.; Wharmby, Andrew W.; Thomas, Robert J.; Rockwell, Benjamin A.

    2014-02-01

    Thresholds for microcavitation of isolated bovine and porcine melanosomes were determined using single nanosecond (ns) laser pulses in the NIR (1000 - 1319 nm) wavelength regime. Average fluence thresholds for microcavitation increased non-linearly with increasing wavelength. Average fluence thresholds were also measured for 10-ns pulses at 532 nm, and found to be comparable to visible ns pulse values published in previous reports. Fluence thresholds were used to calculate melanosome absorption coefficients, which decreased with increasing wavelength. This trend was found to be comparable to the decrease in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) layer absorption coefficients reported over the same wavelength region. Estimated corneal total intraocular energy (TIE) values were determined and compared to the current and proposed maximum permissible exposure (MPE) safe exposure levels. Results from this study support the proposed changes to the MPE levels.

  5. Configurable Resistive Switching between Memory and Threshold Characteristics for Protein-Based Devices

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Hong

    2015-05-01

    The employ of natural biomaterials as the basic building blocks of electronic devices is of growing interest for biocompatible and green electronics. Here, resistive switching (RS) devices based on naturally silk protein with configurable functionality are demonstrated. The RS type of the devices can be effectively and exactly controlled by controlling the compliance current in the set process. Memory RS can be triggered by a higher compliance current, while threshold RS can be triggered by a lower compliance current. Furthermore, two types of memory devices, working in random access and WORM modes, can be achieved with the RS effect. The results suggest that silk protein possesses the potential for sustainable electronics and data storage. In addition, this finding would provide important guidelines for the performance optimization of biomaterials based memory devices and the study of the underlying mechanism behind the RS effect arising from biomaterials. Resistive switching (RS) devices with configurable functionality based on protein are successfully achieved. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Point of no return: experimental determination of the lethal hydraulic threshold during drought for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammond, W.; Yu, K.; Wilson, L. A.; Will, R.; Anderegg, W.; Adams, H. D.

    2017-12-01

    measured PLC supported a much higher threshold. Beyond PLClethal, some trees survived by basal and epicormic re-sprouting, despite complete top-kill of existing foliage. Additional empirical study of multiple species to represent functional groups is needed to provide lethal thresholds for models presently in development.

  7. Resonances, cusp effects and a virtual state in e/sup -/-He scattering near the n = 3 thresholds. [Variational methods, resonance, threshold structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nesbet, R K [International Business Machines Corp., San Jose, Calif. (USA). Research Lab.

    1978-01-14

    Variational calculations locate and identify resonances and new threshold structures in electron impact excitation of He metastable states, in the region of the 3/sup 3/S and 3/sup 1/S excitation thresholds. A virtual state is found at the 3/sup 3/S threshold.

  8. A minimal unified model of disease trajectories captures hallmarks of multiple sclerosis

    KAUST Repository

    Kannan, Venkateshan

    2017-03-29

    Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease targeting the central nervous system (CNS) causing demyelination and neurodegeneration leading to accumulation of neurological disability. Here we present a minimal, computational model involving the immune system and CNS that generates the principal subtypes of the disease observed in patients. The model captures several key features of MS, especially those that distinguish the chronic progressive phase from that of the relapse-remitting. In addition, a rare subtype of the disease, progressive relapsing MS naturally emerges from the model. The model posits the existence of two key thresholds, one in the immune system and the other in the CNS, that separate dynamically distinct behavior of the model. Exploring the two-dimensional space of these thresholds, we obtain multiple phases of disease evolution and these shows greater variation than the clinical classification of MS, thus capturing the heterogeneity that is manifested in patients.

  9. Effects of pulse duration on magnetostimulation thresholds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saritas, Emine U., E-mail: saritas@ee.bilkent.edu.tr [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States); Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Bilkent, Ankara 06800 (Turkey); National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Bilkent, Ankara 06800 (Turkey); Goodwill, Patrick W. [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States); Conolly, Steven M. [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States); Department of EECS, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: Medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic particle imaging (MPI) utilize time-varying magnetic fields that are subject to magnetostimulation limits, which often limit the speed of the imaging process. Various human-subject experiments have studied the amplitude and frequency dependence of these thresholds for gradient or homogeneous magnetic fields. Another contributing factor was shown to be number of cycles in a magnetic pulse, where the thresholds decreased with longer pulses. The latter result was demonstrated on two subjects only, at a single frequency of 1.27 kHz. Hence, whether the observed effect was due to the number of cycles or due to the pulse duration was not specified. In addition, a gradient-type field was utilized; hence, whether the same phenomenon applies to homogeneous magnetic fields remained unknown. Here, the authors investigate the pulse duration dependence of magnetostimulation limits for a 20-fold range of frequencies using homogeneous magnetic fields, such as the ones used for the drive field in MPI. Methods: Magnetostimulation thresholds were measured in the arms of six healthy subjects (age: 27 ± 5 yr). Each experiment comprised testing the thresholds at eight different pulse durations between 2 and 125 ms at a single frequency, which took approximately 30–40 min/subject. A total of 34 experiments were performed at three different frequencies: 1.2, 5.7, and 25.5 kHz. A solenoid coil providing homogeneous magnetic field was used to induce stimulation, and the field amplitude was measured in real time. A pre-emphasis based pulse shaping method was employed to accurately control the pulse durations. Subjects reported stimulation via a mouse click whenever they felt a twitching/tingling sensation. A sigmoid function was fitted to the subject responses to find the threshold at a specific frequency and duration, and the whole procedure was repeated at all relevant frequencies and pulse durations

  10. Effects of pulse duration on magnetostimulation thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saritas, Emine U.; Goodwill, Patrick W.; Conolly, Steven M.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic particle imaging (MPI) utilize time-varying magnetic fields that are subject to magnetostimulation limits, which often limit the speed of the imaging process. Various human-subject experiments have studied the amplitude and frequency dependence of these thresholds for gradient or homogeneous magnetic fields. Another contributing factor was shown to be number of cycles in a magnetic pulse, where the thresholds decreased with longer pulses. The latter result was demonstrated on two subjects only, at a single frequency of 1.27 kHz. Hence, whether the observed effect was due to the number of cycles or due to the pulse duration was not specified. In addition, a gradient-type field was utilized; hence, whether the same phenomenon applies to homogeneous magnetic fields remained unknown. Here, the authors investigate the pulse duration dependence of magnetostimulation limits for a 20-fold range of frequencies using homogeneous magnetic fields, such as the ones used for the drive field in MPI. Methods: Magnetostimulation thresholds were measured in the arms of six healthy subjects (age: 27 ± 5 yr). Each experiment comprised testing the thresholds at eight different pulse durations between 2 and 125 ms at a single frequency, which took approximately 30–40 min/subject. A total of 34 experiments were performed at three different frequencies: 1.2, 5.7, and 25.5 kHz. A solenoid coil providing homogeneous magnetic field was used to induce stimulation, and the field amplitude was measured in real time. A pre-emphasis based pulse shaping method was employed to accurately control the pulse durations. Subjects reported stimulation via a mouse click whenever they felt a twitching/tingling sensation. A sigmoid function was fitted to the subject responses to find the threshold at a specific frequency and duration, and the whole procedure was repeated at all relevant frequencies and pulse durations

  11. Using local multiplicity to improve effect estimation from a hypothesis-generating pharmacogenetics study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, W; Ouyang, H

    2016-02-01

    We propose a multiple estimation adjustment (MEA) method to correct effect overestimation due to selection bias from a hypothesis-generating study (HGS) in pharmacogenetics. MEA uses a hierarchical Bayesian approach to model individual effect estimates from maximal likelihood estimation (MLE) in a region jointly and shrinks them toward the regional effect. Unlike many methods that model a fixed selection scheme, MEA capitalizes on local multiplicity independent of selection. We compared mean square errors (MSEs) in simulated HGSs from naive MLE, MEA and a conditional likelihood adjustment (CLA) method that model threshold selection bias. We observed that MEA effectively reduced MSE from MLE on null effects with or without selection, and had a clear advantage over CLA on extreme MLE estimates from null effects under lenient threshold selection in small samples, which are common among 'top' associations from a pharmacogenetics HGS.

  12. Regional rainfall thresholds for landslide occurrence using a centenary database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaz, Teresa; Luís Zêzere, José; Pereira, Susana; Cruz Oliveira, Sérgio; Garcia, Ricardo A. C.; Quaresma, Ivânia

    2018-04-01

    This work proposes a comprehensive method to assess rainfall thresholds for landslide initiation using a centenary landslide database associated with a single centenary daily rainfall data set. The method is applied to the Lisbon region and includes the rainfall return period analysis that was used to identify the critical rainfall combination (cumulated rainfall duration) related to each landslide event. The spatial representativeness of the reference rain gauge is evaluated and the rainfall thresholds are assessed and calibrated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) metrics. Results show that landslide events located up to 10 km from the rain gauge can be used to calculate the rainfall thresholds in the study area; however, these thresholds may be used with acceptable confidence up to 50 km from the rain gauge. The rainfall thresholds obtained using linear and potential regression perform well in ROC metrics. However, the intermediate thresholds based on the probability of landslide events established in the zone between the lower-limit threshold and the upper-limit threshold are much more informative as they indicate the probability of landslide event occurrence given rainfall exceeding the threshold. This information can be easily included in landslide early warning systems, especially when combined with the probability of rainfall above each threshold.

  13. Lower Limb Injuries Arising From Motorcycle Crashes | Kortor ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Motorcycle accidents are the second most common cause of road traffic accidents in both developing and developed countries. In this study we aim to look at the pattern and characteristics of lower limb injuries arising from motorcycle accidents and evaluate early outcome of treatment. Methods: All the patients ...

  14. On time-dependent diffusion coefficients arising from stochastic processes with memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpio-Bernido, M. Victoria; Barredo, Wilson I.; Bernido, Christopher C.

    2017-08-01

    Time-dependent diffusion coefficients arise from anomalous diffusion encountered in many physical systems such as protein transport in cells. We compare these coefficients with those arising from analysis of stochastic processes with memory that go beyond fractional Brownian motion. Facilitated by the Hida white noise functional integral approach, diffusion propagators or probability density functions (pdf) are obtained and shown to be solutions of modified diffusion equations with time-dependent diffusion coefficients. This should be useful in the study of complex transport processes.

  15. A test of the linear-no threshold theory of radiation carcinogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, B.L.

    1990-01-01

    It has been pointed out that, while an ecological study cannot determine whether radon causes lung cancer, it can test the validity of a linear-no threshold relationship between them. The linear-no threshold theory predicts a substantial positive correlation between the average radon exposure in various counties and their lung cancer mortality rates. Data on living areas of houses in 411 counties from all parts of the United States exhibit, rather, a substantial negative correlation with the slopes of the lines of regression differing from zero by 10 and 7 standard deviations for males and females, respectively, and from the positive slope predicted by the theory by at least 16 and 12 standard deviations. When the data are segmented into 23 groups of states or into 7 regions of the country, the predominantly negative slopes and correlations persist, applying to 18 of the 23 state groups and 6 of the 7 regions. Five state-sponsored studies are analyzed, and four of these give a strong negative slope (the other gives a weak positive slope, in agreement with our data for that state). A strong negative slope is also obtained in our data on basements in 253 counties. A random selection-no charge study of 39 high and low lung cancer counties (+4 low population states) gives a much stronger negative correlation. When nine potential confounding factors are included in a multiple linear regression analysis, the discrepancy with theory is reduced only to 12 and 8.5 standard deviations for males and females, respectively. When the data are segmented into four groups by population, the multiple regression vs radon level gives a strong negative slope for each of the four groups. Other considerations are introduced to reduce the discrepancy, but it remains very substantial

  16. Squamous cell carcinoma arising in previously burned or irradiated skin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwards, M.J.; Hirsch, R.M.; Broadwater, J.R.; Netscher, D.T.; Ames, F.C.

    1989-01-01

    Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising in previously burned or irradiated skin was reviewed in 66 patients treated between 1944 and 1986. Healing of the initial injury was complicated in 70% of patients. Mean interval from initial injury to diagnosis of SCC was 37 years. The overwhelming majority of patients presented with a chronic intractable ulcer in previously injured skin. The regional relapse rate after surgical excision was very high, 58% of all patients. Predominant patterns of recurrence were in local skin and regional lymph nodes (93% of recurrences). Survival rates at 5, 10, and 20 years were 52%, 34%, and 23%, respectively. Five-year survival rates in previously burned and irradiated patients were not significantly different (53% and 50%, respectively). This review, one of the largest reported series, better defines SCC arising in previously burned or irradiated skin as a locally aggressive disease that is distinct from SCC arising in sunlight-damaged skin. An increased awareness of the significance of chronic ulceration in scar tissue may allow earlier diagnosis. Regional disease control and survival depend on surgical resection of all known disease and may require radical lymph node dissection or amputation

  17. A probabilistic Poisson-based model accounts for an extensive set of absolute auditory threshold measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heil, Peter; Matysiak, Artur; Neubauer, Heinrich

    2017-09-01

    Thresholds for detecting sounds in quiet decrease with increasing sound duration in every species studied. The neural mechanisms underlying this trade-off, often referred to as temporal integration, are not fully understood. Here, we probe the human auditory system with a large set of tone stimuli differing in duration, shape of the temporal amplitude envelope, duration of silent gaps between bursts, and frequency. Duration was varied by varying the plateau duration of plateau-burst (PB) stimuli, the duration of the onsets and offsets of onset-offset (OO) stimuli, and the number of identical bursts of multiple-burst (MB) stimuli. Absolute thresholds for a large number of ears (>230) were measured using a 3-interval-3-alternative forced choice (3I-3AFC) procedure. Thresholds decreased with increasing sound duration in a manner that depended on the temporal envelope. Most commonly, thresholds for MB stimuli were highest followed by thresholds for OO and PB stimuli of corresponding durations. Differences in the thresholds for MB and OO stimuli and in the thresholds for MB and PB stimuli, however, varied widely across ears, were negative in some ears, and were tightly correlated. We show that the variation and correlation of MB-OO and MB-PB threshold differences are linked to threshold microstructure, which affects the relative detectability of the sidebands of the MB stimuli and affects estimates of the bandwidth of auditory filters. We also found that thresholds for MB stimuli increased with increasing duration of the silent gaps between bursts. We propose a new model and show that it accurately accounts for our results and does so considerably better than a leaky-integrator-of-intensity model and a probabilistic model proposed by others. Our model is based on the assumption that sensory events are generated by a Poisson point process with a low rate in the absence of stimulation and higher, time-varying rates in the presence of stimulation. A subject in a 3I-3AFC

  18. The gradual nature of threshold switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wimmer, M; Salinga, M

    2014-01-01

    The recent commercialization of electronic memories based on phase change materials proved the usability of this peculiar family of materials for application purposes. More advanced data storage and computing concepts, however, demand a deeper understanding especially of the electrical properties of the amorphous phase and the switching behaviour. In this work, we investigate the temporal evolution of the current through the amorphous state of the prototypical phase change material, Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 , under constant voltage. A custom-made electrical tester allows the measurement of delay times over five orders of magnitude, as well as the transient states of electrical excitation prior to the actual threshold switching. We recognize a continuous current increase over time prior to the actual threshold-switching event to be a good measure for the electrical excitation. A clear correlation between a significant rise in pre-switching-current and the later occurrence of threshold switching can be observed. This way, we found experimental evidence for the existence of an absolute minimum for the threshold voltage (or electric field respectively) holding also for time scales far beyond the measurement range. (paper)

  19. Comparison of two methods of surface profile extraction from multiple ultrasonic range measurements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Barshan, B; Baskent, D

    Two novel methods for surface profile extraction based on multiple ultrasonic range measurements are described and compared. One of the methods employs morphological processing techniques, whereas the other employs a spatial voting scheme followed by simple thresholding. Morphological processing

  20. Optimization Problems on Threshold Graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Nechita

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available During the last three decades, different types of decompositions have been processed in the field of graph theory. Among these we mention: decompositions based on the additivity of some characteristics of the graph, decompositions where the adjacency law between the subsets of the partition is known, decompositions where the subgraph induced by every subset of the partition must have predeterminate properties, as well as combinations of such decompositions. In this paper we characterize threshold graphs using the weakly decomposition, determine: density and stability number, Wiener index and Wiener polynomial for threshold graphs.

  1. Solitary osteochondroma arising in lumbar spinous process: Case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khaled Hadhri

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Solitary osteochondromas rarely occur in the axial skeleton. Those tumors mostly arise on the posterior elements of the cervical column causing various symptoms especially when developing within the spinal canal. Exophytic lumbar variety is uncommon presenting with palpable mass or spinal deformity. We report a 20-year-old man presenting with a solid painless mass at the lower lumbar region. Radiological examinations revealed an exophytic lesion arising in the third lumbar spinous process appearing to be a solitary osteochondroma. The lesion was treated by en-bloc resection; histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteochondroma with no evidence of recurrence at the end of 2-year follow up.

  2. Clustering and percolation threshold in diphase systems of random centered quantum dots of ZnSe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bondar', N.V.

    2009-01-01

    A characteristic feature due to the formation of a percolation phase transition of carriers has been observed in a two-phase system consisting of borosilicate glass with ZnSe quantum dots. For near-threshold quantum-dot concentrations, changes due to microscopic fluctuations of the quantum-dot density have been observed in the intensities of radiation emission bands. This phenomenon is reminiscent of critical opalescence, where similar fluctuations of the density of a pure substance arise near a phase transition. It is proposed that the dielectric mismatch between the matrix and ZnSe plays a large role in the carrier (exciton) delocalization, resulting in the appearance of a 'dielectric trap' on the interface and the formation there of surface states of excitons. The spatial overlapping of states which occurs at the critical concentration of quantum dots results in carrier tunneling and the appearance of a percolation transition in such a system

  3. Robust Adaptive Thresholder For Document Scanning Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsing, To R.

    1982-12-01

    In document scanning applications, thresholding is used to obtain binary data from a scanner. However, due to: (1) a wide range of different color backgrounds; (2) density variations of printed text information; and (3) the shading effect caused by the optical systems, the use of adaptive thresholding to enhance the useful information is highly desired. This paper describes a new robust adaptive thresholder for obtaining valid binary images. It is basically a memory type algorithm which can dynamically update the black and white reference level to optimize a local adaptive threshold function. The results of high image quality from different types of simulate test patterns can be obtained by this algorithm. The software algorithm is described and experiment results are present to describe the procedures. Results also show that the techniques described here can be used for real-time signal processing in the varied applications.

  4. Single event upset threshold estimation based on local laser irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chumakov, A.I.; Egorov, A.N.; Mavritsky, O.B.; Yanenko, A.V.

    1999-01-01

    An approach for estimation of ion-induced SEU threshold based on local laser irradiation is presented. Comparative experiment and software simulation research were performed at various pulse duration and spot size. Correlation of single event threshold LET to upset threshold laser energy under local irradiation was found. The computer analysis of local laser irradiation of IC structures was developed for SEU threshold LET estimation. The correlation of local laser threshold energy with SEU threshold LET was shown. Two estimation techniques were suggested. The first one is based on the determination of local laser threshold dose taking into account the relation of sensitive area to local irradiated area. The second technique uses the photocurrent peak value instead of this relation. The agreement between the predicted and experimental results demonstrates the applicability of this approach. (authors)

  5. Integration of ecological-biological thresholds in conservation decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mavrommati, Georgia; Bithas, Kostas; Borsuk, Mark E; Howarth, Richard B

    2016-12-01

    In the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well-being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real-world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological-biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary-boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological-biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

  6. Inter-symbol interference and beat noise in flexible data-rate coherent OCDMA and the BER improvement by using optical thresholding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xu; Wada, Naoya; Kitayama, Ken-Ichi

    2005-12-26

    Impairments of inter-symbol interference and beat noise in coherent time-spreading optical code-division-multiple-access are investigated theoretically and experimentally by sweeping the data-rate from 622 Mbps up to 10 Gbps with 511-chip superstructured fiber Bragg grating. The BER improvement by using optical thresholding technique has been verified in the experiment.

  7. Determination of nuclear friction in strongly damped reactions from prescission neutron multiplicities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wilczynski, J; SiwekWilczynska, K; Wilschut, HW

    Nonfusion, fissionlike reactions in collisions of four heavy systems (well below the fusion extra-push energy threshold), Mr which Hinde and co-workers had measured the prescission neutron multiplicities, have been analyzed in terms of the deterministic dynamic model of Feldmeier coupled to a

  8. Image thresholding in the high resolution target movement monitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Randy H.; Watkins, Steve E.; Jones, Tristan H.; Apel, Derek B.; Bairineni, Deepti

    2009-03-01

    Image thresholding in the High Resolution Target Movement Monitor (HRTMM) is examined. The HRTMM was developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology to detect and measure wall movements in underground mines to help reduce fatality and injury rates. The system detects the movement of a target with sub-millimeter accuracy based on the images of one or more laser dots projected on the target and viewed by a high-resolution camera. The relative position of the centroid of the laser dot (determined by software using thresholding concepts) in the images is the key factor in detecting the target movement. Prior versions of the HRTMM set the image threshold based on a manual, visual examination of the images. This work systematically examines the effect of varying threshold on the calculated centroid position and describes an algorithm for determining a threshold setting. First, the thresholding effects on the centroid position are determined for a stationary target. Plots of the centroid positions as a function of varying thresholds are obtained to identify clusters of thresholds for which the centroid position does not change for stationary targets. Second, the target is moved away from the camera in sub-millimeter increments and several images are obtained at each position and analyzed as a function of centroid position, target movement and varying threshold values. With this approach, the HRTMM can accommodate images in batch mode without the need for manual intervention. The capability for the HRTMM to provide automated, continuous monitoring of wall movement is enhanced.

  9. A Robust Threshold for Iterative Channel Estimation in OFDM Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Kalaycioglu

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available A novel threshold computation method for pilot symbol assisted iterative channel estimation in OFDM systems is considered. As the bits are transmitted in packets, the proposed technique is based on calculating a particular threshold for each data packet in order to select the reliable decoder output symbols to improve the channel estimation performance. Iteratively, additional pilot symbols are established according to the threshold and the channel is re-estimated with the new pilots inserted to the known channel estimation pilot set. The proposed threshold calculation method for selecting additional pilots performs better than non-iterative channel estimation, no threshold and fixed threshold techniques in poor HF channel simulations.

  10. Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder Arising from Renal Allograft Parenchyma: A Case Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Byung Kwan; Kim, Chan Kyo; Kwon, Ghee Young [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-06-15

    Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a rare but serious complication that occurs in patients undergoing kidney transplantation. PTLD usually manifests as a renal hilar mass comprised of histologically B-lymphocytes. We report our experience of managing a patient with PTLD arising from renal parenchyma. Ultrasonographic and MR imaging features of this unusual PTLD suggested differentiated renal cell carcinoma arising from the renal allograft

  11. Threshold-adaptive canny operator based on cross-zero points

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Boqi; Zhang, Xiuhua; Hong, Hanyu

    2018-03-01

    Canny edge detection[1] is a technique to extract useful structural information from different vision objects and dramatically reduce the amount of data to be processed. It has been widely applied in various computer vision systems. There are two thresholds have to be settled before the edge is segregated from background. Usually, by the experience of developers, two static values are set as the thresholds[2]. In this paper, a novel automatic thresholding method is proposed. The relation between the thresholds and Cross-zero Points is analyzed, and an interpolation function is deduced to determine the thresholds. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed method and advantageous for stable edge detection at changing illumination.

  12. SART-Type Half-Threshold Filtering Approach for CT Reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hengyong; Wang, Ge

    2014-01-01

    The [Formula: see text] regularization problem has been widely used to solve the sparsity constrained problems. To enhance the sparsity constraint for better imaging performance, a promising direction is to use the [Formula: see text] norm (0 < p < 1) and solve the [Formula: see text] minimization problem. Very recently, Xu et al. developed an analytic solution for the [Formula: see text] regularization via an iterative thresholding operation, which is also referred to as half-threshold filtering. In this paper, we design a simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART)-type half-threshold filtering framework to solve the computed tomography (CT) reconstruction problem. In the medical imaging filed, the discrete gradient transform (DGT) is widely used to define the sparsity. However, the DGT is noninvertible and it cannot be applied to half-threshold filtering for CT reconstruction. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed SART-type half-threshold filtering framework, an emphasis of this paper is to construct a pseudoinverse transforms for DGT. The proposed algorithms are evaluated with numerical and physical phantom data sets. Our results show that the SART-type half-threshold filtering algorithms have great potential to improve the reconstructed image quality from few and noisy projections. They are complementary to the counterparts of the state-of-the-art soft-threshold filtering and hard-threshold filtering.

  13. Simplified Threshold RSA with Adaptive and Proactive Security

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Almansa Guerra, Jesus Fernando; Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Nielsen, Jesper Buus

    2006-01-01

    We present the currently simplest, most efficient, optimally resilient, adaptively secure, and proactive threshold RSA scheme. A main technical contribution is a new rewinding strategy for analysing threshold signature schemes. This new rewinding strategy allows to prove adaptive security...... of a proactive threshold signature scheme which was previously assumed to be only statically secure. As a separate contribution we prove that our protocol is secure in the UC framework....

  14. Alternative method for determining anaerobic threshold in rowers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovani Dos Santos Cunha

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2008v10n4p367 In rowing, the standard breathing that athletes are trained to use makes it difficult, or even impossible, to detect ventilatory limits, due to the coupling of the breath with the technical movement. For this reason, some authors have proposed determining the anaerobic threshold from the respiratory exchange ratio (RER, but there is not yet consensus on what value of RER should be used. The objective of this study was to test what value of RER corresponds to the anaerobic threshold and whether this value can be used as an independent parameter for determining the anaerobic threshold of rowers. The sample comprised 23 male rowers. They were submitted to a maximal cardiorespiratory test on a rowing ergometer with concurrent ergospirometry in order to determine VO2máx and the physiological variables corresponding to their anaerobic threshold. The anaerobic threshold was determined using the Dmax (maximal distance method. The physiological variables were classified into maximum values and anaerobic threshold values. The maximal state of these rowers reached VO2 (58.2±4.4 ml.kg-1.min-1, lactate (8.2±2.1 mmol.L-1, power (384±54.3 W and RER (1.26±0.1. At the anaerobic threshold they reached VO2 (46.9±7.5 ml.kg-1.min-1, lactate (4.6±1.3 mmol.L-1, power (300± 37.8 W and RER (0.99±0.1. Conclusions - the RER can be used as an independent method for determining the anaerobic threshold of rowers, adopting a value of 0.99, however, RER should exhibit a non-linear increase above this figure.

  15. Existence of solutions to boundary value problems arising from the fractional advection dispersion equation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingju Kong

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available We study the existence of multiple solutions to the boundary value problem $$displaylines{ frac{d}{dt}Big(frac12{}_0D_t^{-eta}(u'(t+frac12{}_tD_T^{-eta}(u'(t Big+lambda abla F(t,u(t=0,quad tin [0,T],cr u(0=u(T=0, }$$ where $T>0$, $lambda>0$ is a parameter, $0leqeta<1$, ${}_0D_t^{-eta}$ and ${}_tD_T^{-eta}$ are, respectively, the left and right Riemann-Liouville fractional integrals of order $eta$, $F: [0,T]imesmathbb{R}^Nomathbb{R}$ is a given function. Our interest in the above system arises from studying the steady fractional advection dispersion equation. By applying variational methods, we obtain sufficient conditions under which the above equation has at least three solutions. Our results are new even for the special case when $eta=0$. Examples are provided to illustrate the applicability of our results.

  16. Fatigue threshold studies in Fe, Fe-Si, and HSLA steel: Part II. Thermally activated behavior of the effective stress intensity at threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, W.; Esaklul, K.; Gerberich, W.W.

    1984-01-01

    It is shown that closure mechanisms alone cannot fully explain increasing fatigue thresholds with decreasing test temperature. Implications are that fatigue crack propagation near threshold is a thermally activated process. The effective threshold stress intensity correlate to the thermal component of the flow stress. A fractographic study of the fatigue surface was performed. Water vapor in room air promotes the formation of oxide and intergranular crack growth. At lower temperatures, a brittle-type cyclic cleavage fatigue surface was observed but the ductile process persisted even at 123 K. Arrest marks found on all three modes of fatigue crack growth suggest that fatigue crack growth controlled by the subcell structure near threshold. The effective fatigue threshold may be related to the square root of (one plus the strain rate sensitivity)

  17. Taste perception with age: pleasantness and its relationships with threshold sensitivity and supra-threshold intensity of five taste qualities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mojet, J.; Christ-Hazelhof, E.; Heidema, J.

    2005-01-01

    The relationships between threshold sensitivity, supra-threshold intensity of NaCl, KCl, sucrose, aspartame, acetic acid, citric acid, caffeine, quinine HCl, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and inosine 5¿-monophosphate (IMP), and the pleasantness of these stimuli in products, were studied in 21 young

  18. Security risks arising from portable storage devices

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Molotsi, K

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available of the security risks arising from the use of PSDs, and further provides possible security countermeasures to help organisations and users to protect their digital assets. APPROACH Literature review: ? To investigate security risks posed by PSDs... technology in the workplace. International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics. 3(1): 73?81 [3] Kim, K., Kim, E. & Hong S. (2009). Privacy information protection in portable device. Proceedings of International Conference on Convergence...

  19. Photon-mediated electron multiplication in liquid xenon doped with trimethylamine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sano, Toshio; Ashikaga, Kinya; Doke, Tadayoshi; Hitachi, Akira; Kikuchi, Jun; Masuda, Kimiaki; Okumura, Yasuaki

    1989-01-01

    Electron multiplication mediated by photons has been observed in liquid xenon doped with trimethylamine in concentrations of 0, 9.3, 43, 118 and 400 ppm. The effect was observed by irradiating a single wire counter with 1 MeV electrons and gamma rays from 207 Bi sources. The multiplication factor was observed to increase from a value of 23 at a concentration of 9.3 ppm to a value of 45 at a concentration of 118 ppm. Over the same range of concentrations, the threshold anode voltage for photon-mediated electron multiplication (PMEM) decreased from 2.5 to 1.4 kV and the PMEM results in a deterioration of energy resolution. At a concentration of 400 ppm, the resulting electron multiplication was neither stable nor reproducible. (orig.)

  20. Multiple gamma lines from semi-annihilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Eramo, Francesco; McCullough, Matthew; Thaler, Jesse

    2013-01-01

    Hints in the Fermi data for a 130 GeV gamma line from the galactic center have ignited interest in potential gamma line signatures of dark matter. Explanations of this line based on dark matter annihilation face a parametric tension since they often rely on large enhancements of loop-suppressed cross sections. In this paper, we pursue an alternative possibility that dark matter gamma lines could arise from ''semi-annihilation'' among multiple dark sector states. The semi-annihilation reaction ψ i ψ j → ψ k γ with a single final state photon is typically enhanced relative to ordinary annihilation ψ i ψ-bar i → γγ into photon pairs. Semi-annihilation allows for a wide range of dark matter masses compared to the fixed mass value required by annihilation, opening the possibility to explain potential dark matter signatures at higher energies. The most striking prediction of semi-annihilation is the presence of multiple gamma lines, with as many as order N 3 lines possible for N dark sector states, allowing for dark sector spectroscopy. A smoking gun signature arises in the simplest case of degenerate dark matter, where a strong semi-annihilation line at 130 GeV would be accompanied by a weaker annihilation line at 173 GeV. As a proof of principle, we construct two explicit models of dark matter semi-annihilation, one based on non-Abelian vector dark matter and the other based on retrofitting Rayleigh dark matter

  1. Effects of programming threshold and maplaw settings on acoustic thresholds and speech discrimination with the MED-EL COMBI 40+ cochlear implant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyd, Paul J

    2006-12-01

    The principal task in the programming of a cochlear implant (CI) speech processor is the setting of the electrical dynamic range (output) for each electrode, to ensure that a comfortable loudness percept is obtained for a range of input levels. This typically involves separate psychophysical measurement of electrical threshold ([theta] e) and upper tolerance levels using short current bursts generated by the fitting software. Anecdotal clinical experience and some experimental studies suggest that the measurement of [theta]e is relatively unimportant and that the setting of upper tolerance limits is more critical for processor programming. The present study aims to test this hypothesis and examines in detail how acoustic thresholds and speech recognition are affected by setting of the lower limit of the output ("Programming threshold" or "PT") to understand better the influence of this parameter and how it interacts with certain other programming parameters. Test programs (maps) were generated with PT set to artificially high and low values and tested on users of the MED-EL COMBI 40+ CI system. Acoustic thresholds and speech recognition scores (sentence tests) were measured for each of the test maps. Acoustic thresholds were also measured using maps with a range of output compression functions ("maplaws"). In addition, subjective reports were recorded regarding the presence of "background threshold stimulation" which is occasionally reported by CI users if PT is set to relatively high values when using the CIS strategy. Manipulation of PT was found to have very little effect. Setting PT to minimum produced a mean 5 dB (S.D. = 6.25) increase in acoustic thresholds, relative to thresholds with PT set normally, and had no statistically significant effect on speech recognition scores on a sentence test. On the other hand, maplaw setting was found to have a significant effect on acoustic thresholds (raised as maplaw is made more linear), which provides some theoretical

  2. Parameters optimization for wavelet denoising based on normalized spectral angle and threshold constraint machine learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hao; Ma, Yong; Liang, Kun; Tian, Yong; Wang, Rui

    2012-01-01

    Wavelet parameters (e.g., wavelet type, level of decomposition) affect the performance of the wavelet denoising algorithm in hyperspectral applications. Current studies select the best wavelet parameters for a single spectral curve by comparing similarity criteria such as spectral angle (SA). However, the method to find the best parameters for a spectral library that contains multiple spectra has not been studied. In this paper, a criterion named normalized spectral angle (NSA) is proposed. By comparing NSA, the best combination of parameters for a spectral library can be selected. Moreover, a fast algorithm based on threshold constraint and machine learning is developed to reduce the time of a full search. After several iterations of learning, the combination of parameters that constantly surpasses a threshold is selected. The experiments proved that by using the NSA criterion, the SA values decreased significantly, and the fast algorithm could save 80% time consumption, while the denoising performance was not obviously impaired.

  3. Convex solutions of systems arising from Monge-Ampere equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haiyan Wang

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available We establish two criteria for the existence of convex solutions to a boundary value problem for weakly coupled systems arising from the Monge-Ampère equations. We shall use fixed point theorems in a cone.

  4. Empirical gradient threshold technique for automated segmentation across image modalities and cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalfoun, J; Majurski, M; Peskin, A; Breen, C; Bajcsy, P; Brady, M

    2015-10-01

    New microscopy technologies are enabling image acquisition of terabyte-sized data sets consisting of hundreds of thousands of images. In order to retrieve and analyze the biological information in these large data sets, segmentation is needed to detect the regions containing cells or cell colonies. Our work with hundreds of large images (each 21,000×21,000 pixels) requires a segmentation method that: (1) yields high segmentation accuracy, (2) is applicable to multiple cell lines with various densities of cells and cell colonies, and several imaging modalities, (3) can process large data sets in a timely manner, (4) has a low memory footprint and (5) has a small number of user-set parameters that do not require adjustment during the segmentation of large image sets. None of the currently available segmentation methods meet all these requirements. Segmentation based on image gradient thresholding is fast and has a low memory footprint. However, existing techniques that automate the selection of the gradient image threshold do not work across image modalities, multiple cell lines, and a wide range of foreground/background densities (requirement 2) and all failed the requirement for robust parameters that do not require re-adjustment with time (requirement 5). We present a novel and empirically derived image gradient threshold selection method for separating foreground and background pixels in an image that meets all the requirements listed above. We quantify the difference between our approach and existing ones in terms of accuracy, execution speed, memory usage and number of adjustable parameters on a reference data set. This reference data set consists of 501 validation images with manually determined segmentations and image sizes ranging from 0.36 Megapixels to 850 Megapixels. It includes four different cell lines and two image modalities: phase contrast and fluorescent. Our new technique, called Empirical Gradient Threshold (EGT), is derived from this reference

  5. Extraction of airway trees using multiple hypothesis tracking and template matching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raghavendra, Selvan; Petersen, Jens; Pedersen, Jesper Johannes Holst

    2016-01-01

    used in constructing a multiple hypothesis tree, which is then traversed to reach decisions. The proposed modifications remove the need for local thresholding of hypotheses as decisions are made entirely based on statistical comparisons involving the hypothesis tree. The results show improvements......Knowledge of airway tree morphology has important clinical applications in diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We present an automatic tree extraction method based on multiple hypothesis tracking and template matching for this purpose and evaluate its performance on chest CT images...

  6. Determination of prospective displacement-based gate threshold for respiratory-gated radiation delivery from retrospective phase-based gate threshold selected at 4D CT simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vedam, S.; Archambault, L.; Starkschall, G.; Mohan, R.; Beddar, S.

    2007-01-01

    Four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT) imaging has found increasing importance in the localization of tumor and surrounding normal structures throughout the respiratory cycle. Based on such tumor motion information, it is possible to identify the appropriate phase interval for respiratory gated treatment planning and delivery. Such a gating phase interval is determined retrospectively based on tumor motion from internal tumor displacement. However, respiratory-gated treatment is delivered prospectively based on motion determined predominantly from an external monitor. Therefore, the simulation gate threshold determined from the retrospective phase interval selected for gating at 4D CT simulation may not correspond to the delivery gate threshold that is determined from the prospective external monitor displacement at treatment delivery. The purpose of the present work is to establish a relationship between the thresholds for respiratory gating determined at CT simulation and treatment delivery, respectively. One hundred fifty external respiratory motion traces, from 90 patients, with and without audio-visual biofeedback, are analyzed. Two respiratory phase intervals, 40%-60% and 30%-70%, are chosen for respiratory gating from the 4D CT-derived tumor motion trajectory. From residual tumor displacements within each such gating phase interval, a simulation gate threshold is defined based on (a) the average and (b) the maximum respiratory displacement within the phase interval. The duty cycle for prospective gated delivery is estimated from the proportion of external monitor displacement data points within both the selected phase interval and the simulation gate threshold. The delivery gate threshold is then determined iteratively to match the above determined duty cycle. The magnitude of the difference between such gate thresholds determined at simulation and treatment delivery is quantified in each case. Phantom motion tests yielded coincidence of simulation

  7. Ear surgery techniques results on hearing threshold improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhad Mokhtarinejad

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bone conduction (BC threshold depression is not always by means of sensory neural hearing loss and sometimes it is an artifact caused by middle ear pathologies and ossicular chain problems. In this research, the influences of ear surgeries on bone conduction were evaluated. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a clinical trial study. The ear surgery performed on 83 patients classified in four categories: Stapedectomy, tympanomastoid surgery and ossicular reconstruction partially or totally; Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis (PORP and Total Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis (TORP. Bone conduction thresholds assessed in frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz pre and post the surgery. Results: In stapedectomy group, the average of BC threshold in all frequencies improved approximately 6 dB in frequency of 2000 Hz. In tympanomastoid group, BC threshold in the frequency of 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz changed 4 dB (P-value < 0.05. Moreover, In the PORP group, 5 dB enhancement was seen in 1000 and 2000 Hz. In TORP group, the results confirmed that BC threshold improved in all frequencies especially at 4000 Hz about 6.5 dB. Conclusion: In according to results of this study, BC threshold shift was seen after several ear surgeries such as stapedectomy, tympanoplasty, PORP and TORP. The average of BC improvement was approximately 5 dB. It must be considered that BC depression might happen because of ossicular chain problems. Therefore; by resolving middle ear pathologies, the better BC threshold was obtained, the less hearing problems would be faced.

  8. [Relationship between Occlusal Discomfort Syndrome and Occlusal Threshold].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munakata, Motohiro; Ono, Yumie; Hayama, Rika; Kataoka, Kanako; Ikuta, Ryuhei; Tamaki, Katsushi

    2016-03-01

    Occlusal dysesthesia has been defined as persistent uncomfortable feelings of intercuspal position continuing for more than 6 months without evidence of physical occlusal discrepancy. The problem often occurs after occlusal intervention by dental care. Although various dental treatments (e. g. occlusal adjustment, orthodontic treatment and prosthetic reconstruction) are attempted to solve occlusal dysesthesia, they rarely reach a satisfactory result, neither for patients nor dentists. In Japan, these symptoms are defined by the term "Occlusal discomfort syndrome" (ODS). The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of ODS with the simple occlusal sensory perceptive and discriminative test. Twenty-one female dental patients with ODS (mean age 55.8 ± 19.2 years) and 21 age- and gender-matched dental patients without ODS (mean age 53.1 ± 16.8 years) participated in the study. Upon grinding occlusal registration foils that were stacked to different thicknesses, participants reported the thicknesses at which they recognized the foils (recognition threshold) and felt discomfort (discomfort threshold). Although there was no significant difference in occlusal recognition thresholds between the two patient groups, the discomfort threshold was significantly smaller in the patients with ODS than in those without ODS. Moreover, the recognition threshold showed an age-dependent increase in patients without ODS, whereas it remained comparable between the younger (patient subgroups with ODS. These results suggest that occlusal discomfort threshold rather than recognition threshold is an issue in ODS. The foil grinding procedure is a simple and useful method to evaluate occlusal perceptive and discriminative abilities in patients with ODS.

  9. Effects arising from charged particles overcoming of the light velocity barrier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afanas'ev, G.N.; Eliseev, S.M.; Stepanovskij, Yu.P.

    1997-01-01

    The effects arising from accelerated and decelerated motion of the charged point particle inside the medium are studied. It is shown explicitly that in addition to the Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov shock wave, the electromagnetic shock wave arising from the charge overcoming the light velocity in the medium should be observed. This shock wave has the same singularity as the Cherenkov one and, therefore, it is more singular than the Bremsstrahlung shock wave. The space-time regions where these shock waves exist and conditions under which they appear are determined

  10. Adenocarcinomas arising from primary retroperitoneal mature teratomas: CT and MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Li-Jen; Wong, Yon-Cheong; Chu, Sheng-Hsien; Ng, Kwai-Fong

    2002-01-01

    An adenocarcinoma arising from mature teratoma is one form of teratoma with malignant transformation. It is extremely rare but highly malignant. The authors report two patients with adenocarcinomas arising from primary retroperitoneal teratomas. The CT and MRI findings of the tumors are presented with emphasis on imaging features implying the presence of malignant transformation and differing from those of pure benign mature teratoma. Correct diagnosis of the presence of malignant transformation from a benign mature teratoma can be made as early as possible by awareness of the imaging features. (orig.)

  11. A critical experimental study of the classical tactile threshold theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Medina Leonel E

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The tactile sense is being used in a variety of applications involving tactile human-machine interfaces. In a significant number of publications the classical threshold concept plays a central role in modelling and explaining psychophysical experimental results such as in stochastic resonance (SR phenomena. In SR, noise enhances detection of sub-threshold stimuli and the phenomenon is explained stating that the required amplitude to exceed the sensory threshold barrier can be reached by adding noise to a sub-threshold stimulus. We designed an experiment to test the validity of the classical vibrotactile threshold. Using a second choice experiment, we show that individuals can order sensorial events below the level known as the classical threshold. If the observer's sensorial system is not activated by stimuli below the threshold, then a second choice could not be above the chance level. Nevertheless, our experimental results are above that chance level contradicting the definition of the classical tactile threshold. Results We performed a three alternative forced choice detection experiment on 6 subjects asking them first and second choices. In each trial, only one of the intervals contained a stimulus and the others contained only noise. According to the classical threshold assumptions, a correct second choice response corresponds to a guess attempt with a statistical frequency of 50%. Results show an average of 67.35% (STD = 1.41% for the second choice response that is not explained by the classical threshold definition. Additionally, for low stimulus amplitudes, second choice correct detection is above chance level for any detectability level. Conclusions Using a second choice experiment, we show that individuals can order sensorial events below the level known as a classical threshold. If the observer's sensorial system is not activated by stimuli below the threshold, then a second choice could not be above the chance

  12. CT imaging findings of neuroendocrine tumor arising from tailgut cyst: a case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aydin, N.; Kara, T.; Kebapci, M.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: Introduction: We present a case of neuroendocrine tumor which is arisen from a tailgut cyst in a middle aged woman with its computed tomography (CT) imaging findings. Objective and tasks:The tailgut normally involutes by the eighth week of gestational age. If a tailgut rest proceeds, it may give rise to a tailgut cyst in the presacral space. Malign transformation of the tailgut cyst is very rare. Material and methods: A 35-year-old woman with a history of endometriosis admitted to our hospital for her routine control.An ultrasonography examination and contrast medium enhanced tomography of the abdomen and pelvis were performed. Results: CT showed multiple well-defined solid heterogen masses in presacral space. The patient underwent surgery. Pathology was reported as neuroendocrine tumor arising within tailgut cyst. Conclusion: Adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and sarcoma developing within the tailgut cyst has been reported. CT shows well-marginated presacral mass.If concurrent malignant transformation occurs, CT shows loss of margins and involvement of adjacent structures.Diagnosis of tailgut cyst is important because of it's malignant potential

  13. Ecknomic benefits arising from the Canadian nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-03-01

    This document is a collection of surveys of the Canadian nuclear industry, with forecasts covering a number of possible scenarios. Topics covered include uranium mining and processing; economic benefits arising from the design, manufacture and construction of CANDU generating stations; employment and economic activity in the Canadian nqclear industry; and an overview of the remainder of the industry

  14. Threshold current for fireball generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dijkhuis, Geert C.

    1982-05-01

    Fireball generation from a high-intensity circuit breaker arc is interpreted here as a quantum-mechanical phenomenon caused by severe cooling of electrode material evaporating from contact surfaces. According to the proposed mechanism, quantum effects appear in the arc plasma when the radius of one magnetic flux quantum inside solid electrode material has shrunk to one London penetration length. A formula derived for the threshold discharge current preceding fireball generation is found compatible with data reported by Silberg. This formula predicts linear scaling of the threshold current with the circuit breaker's electrode radius and concentration of conduction electrons.

  15. Regional Seismic Threshold Monitoring

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kvaerna, Tormod

    2006-01-01

    ... model to be used for predicting the travel times of regional phases. We have applied these attenuation relations to develop and assess a regional threshold monitoring scheme for selected subregions of the European Arctic...

  16. Application of Improved Wavelet Thresholding Function in Image Denoising Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Qi Zhang

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Wavelet analysis is a time – frequency analysis method, time-frequency localization problems are well solved, this paper analyzes the basic principles of the wavelet transform and the relationship between the signal singularity Lipschitz exponent and the local maxima of the wavelet transform coefficients mold, the principles of wavelet transform in image denoising are analyzed, the disadvantages of traditional wavelet thresholding function are studied, wavelet threshold function, the discontinuity of hard threshold and constant deviation of soft threshold are improved, image is denoised through using the improved threshold function.

  17. Mucinous adenocarcinoma arising at the anastomotic site after operation for hirschsprung's disease: case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyung Soo; Yoon, Kwon Ha

    2004-01-01

    To our knowledge, rectal cancer arising at the anastomotic site after surgery for Hirschsprung's disease has not been reported. We report a case of mucinous adenocarcinoma arising at the anastomotic site after Soave operation 26 years ago

  18. Threshold law for positron-atom impact ionisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Temkin, A.

    1982-01-01

    The threshold law for ionisation of atoms by positron impact is adduced in analogy with the author's approach to the electron-atom ionisation. It is concluded the Coulomb-dipole region of potential gives the essential part of the interaction in both cases and leads to the same kind of result: a modulated linear law. An additional process which enters positron ionisation is positronium formation in the continuum, but that will not dominate the threshold yield. The result is in sharp contrast to the positron threshold law as recently derived by Klar (J. Phys. B.; 14:4165 (1981)) on the basis of a Wannier-type (Phys. Rev.; 90:817 (1953)) analysis. (author)

  19. Baryon-antibaryon threshold and ω-baryonium mixing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavai, R.V.

    1981-01-01

    It is shown that in any dual-topological-unitarization model of ω-baryonium (B) mixing at the cylinder level, in which the production of baryon-antibaryon (bb-bar) pairs can take place only above a certain threshold energy, the phenomenologically relevant ω and B trajectories do not mix below bb-bar threshold. However, their couplings to external particles do get modified. The ω-B mixing angle theta/sub omegahyphenB/, which characterizes these coupling modification effects below bb-bar threshold at t = 0, is estimated in some models. These estimates are found to agree reasonably well with the existing phenomenological bound on theta/sub omegahyphenB/

  20. Noise thresholds for optical quantum computers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawson, Christopher M; Haselgrove, Henry L; Nielsen, Michael A

    2006-01-20

    In this Letter we numerically investigate the fault-tolerant threshold for optical cluster-state quantum computing. We allow both photon loss noise and depolarizing noise (as a general proxy for all local noise), and obtain a threshold region of allowed pairs of values for the two types of noise. Roughly speaking, our results show that scalable optical quantum computing is possible for photon loss probabilities <3 x 10(-3), and for depolarization probabilities <10(-4).

  1. Thresholds of Toxicological Concern - Setting a threshold for testing below which there is little concern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartung, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    Low dose, low risk; very low dose, no real risk. Setting a pragmatic threshold below which concerns become negligible is the purpose of thresholds of toxicological concern (TTC). The idea is that such threshold values do not need to be established for each and every chemical based on experimental data, but that by analyzing the distribution of lowest or no-effect doses of many chemicals, a TTC can be defined - typically using the 5th percentile of this distribution and lowering it by an uncertainty factor of, e.g., 100. In doing so, TTC aims to compare exposure information (dose) with a threshold below which any hazard manifestation is very unlikely to occur. The history and current developments of this concept are reviewed and the application of TTC for different regulated products and their hazards is discussed. TTC lends itself as a pragmatic filter to deprioritize testing needs whenever real-life exposures are much lower than levels where hazard manifestation would be expected, a situation that is called "negligible exposure" in the REACH legislation, though the TTC concept has not been fully incorporated in its implementation (yet). Other areas and regulations - especially in the food sector and for pharmaceutical impurities - are more proactive. Large, curated databases on toxic effects of chemicals provide us with the opportunity to set TTC for many hazards and substance classes and thus offer a precautionary second tier for risk assessments if hazard cannot be excluded. This allows focusing testing efforts better on relevant exposures to chemicals.

  2. Multiple star systems observed with CoRoT and Kepler

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Southworth John

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The CoRoT and Kepler satellites were the first space platforms designed to perform high-precision photometry for a large number of stars. Multiple systems display a wide variety of photometric variability, making them natural benefactors of these missions. I review the work arising from CoRoT and Kepler observations of multiple systems, with particular emphasis on eclipsing binaries containing giant stars, pulsators, triple eclipses and/or low-mass stars. Many more results remain untapped in the data archives of these missions, and the future holds the promise of K2, TESS and PLATO.

  3. Limits in feature-based attention to multiple colors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Taosheng; Jigo, Michael

    2017-11-01

    Attention to a feature enhances the sensory representation of that feature. Although much has been learned about the properties of attentional modulation when attending to a single feature, the effectiveness of attending to multiple features is not well understood. We investigated this question in a series of experiments using a color-detection task while varying the number of attended colors in a cueing paradigm. Observers were shown either a single cue, two cues, or no cue (baseline) before detecting a coherent color target. We measured detection threshold by varying the coherence level of the target. Compared to the baseline condition, we found consistent facilitation of detection performance in the one-cue and two-cue conditions, but performance in the two-cue condition was lower than that in the one-cue condition. In the final experiment, we presented a 50% valid cue to emulate the situation in which observers were only able to attend a single color in the two-cue condition, and found equivalent detection thresholds with the standard two-cue condition. These results indicate a limit in attending to two colors and further imply that observers could effectively attend a single color at a time. Such a limit is likely due to an inability to maintain multiple active attentional templates for colors.

  4. Radiologic findings of malignant tumors arising from ovarian endometriosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Eun Ju; Joo, Hee Jae; Kim, Bo Hyun

    1999-01-01

    To determine the radiologic characteristics of malignant tumors arising from ovarian endometriosis. The radiologic findings of eleven patients with pelvic masses histologically confirmed as malignant ovarian tumors arising from endometriosis were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent MR, and six underwent ultrasonography. The findings were evaluated with regard to tumor size and shape, locularity, thickness and enhancement of the wall and septa, the presence of papillary nodule or solid portion, signal intensity of the locule, the presence of mass in contralateral ovary, ascites, local invasion, distant metastases, and the Pathologic diagnosis included clear cell carcinoma in six cases, endometrioid carcinoma in three, and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of borderline malignancy and endometrial stromal sarcoma in one case each. Tumor size ranged from 8 to 20 (mean, 12.7)cm. The tumors were mixed in four cases, entirely cystic in three, predominantly cystic in three, and predominantly solid in one. Six cases were unilocular and five were multilocular. The wall and septa varied in thickness and regularity and were well enhanced in all but one case. In all cases papillary nodules or solid portions with similar enhancement to uterine myometrium were seen. On T1WI, the signal intensity of fluid was seen to be high in eight cases, low or intermediate in two, and of differing intensity in one. Ten cases showed high signal intensity on T2WI, whereas in one case in which high signal intensity was seen on T1WI, there was low signal intensity(shading). In three cases the contralateral ovary contained an endometrioma. Other features included ascites in seven cases and peritoneal seeding in one. Malignant ovarian tumors arising from endometriosis showed radiologic features of malignancy:they were larger than 10cm, there was enhancement of the wall and septa, and a papillary nodule or solid portion was present. However, the presence of hyperintense fluid, as seen on T1WI

  5. Radiologic findings of malignant tumors arising from ovarian endometriosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Eun Ju; Joo, Hee Jae [Ajou Univ. College of Medicine, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Bo Hyun [SungkyunKwan Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1999-11-01

    To determine the radiologic characteristics of malignant tumors arising from ovarian endometriosis. The radiologic findings of eleven patients with pelvic masses histologically confirmed as malignant ovarian tumors arising from endometriosis were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent MR, and six underwent ultrasonography. The findings were evaluated with regard to tumor size and shape, locularity, thickness and enhancement of the wall and septa, the presence of papillary nodule or solid portion, signal intensity of the locule, the presence of mass in contralateral ovary, ascites, local invasion, distant metastases, and the Pathologic diagnosis included clear cell carcinoma in six cases, endometrioid carcinoma in three, and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of borderline malignancy and endometrial stromal sarcoma in one case each. Tumor size ranged from 8 to 20 (mean, 12.7)cm. The tumors were mixed in four cases, entirely cystic in three, predominantly cystic in three, and predominantly solid in one. Six cases were unilocular and five were multilocular. The wall and septa varied in thickness and regularity and were well enhanced in all but one case. In all cases papillary nodules or solid portions with similar enhancement to uterine myometrium were seen. On T1WI, the signal intensity of fluid was seen to be high in eight cases, low or intermediate in two, and of differing intensity in one. Ten cases showed high signal intensity on T2WI, whereas in one case in which high signal intensity was seen on T1WI, there was low signal intensity(shading). In three cases the contralateral ovary contained an endometrioma. Other features included ascites in seven cases and peritoneal seeding in one. Malignant ovarian tumors arising from endometriosis showed radiologic features of malignancy:they were larger than 10cm, there was enhancement of the wall and septa, and a papillary nodule or solid portion was present. However, the presence of hyperintense fluid, as seen on T1WI

  6. Chronic Pain in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Utility of Sensory Quantitative Testing in Patients with Fibromyalgia Comorbidity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pompa, Alessandra; Clemenzi, Allessandro; Troisi, Elio; Pace, Luca; Casillo, Paolo; Catani, Sheila; Grasso, Maria Grazia

    2015-01-01

    Lower thermal and discomfort thresholds may predispose multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to chronic pain, but a possible effect of fibromyalgia (FM) comorbidity has never been investigated. Aims were to investigate the thermal and discomfort thresholds in the evaluation of pain intensity between MS patients with FM (PFM+) and MS patients with pain not associated to FM (PFM-). One hundred thirty three MS patients were investigated for chronic pain. FM was assessed according to the 1990 ACR diagnostic criteria. An algometer was used to measure the thresholds in the patients and 60 matched healthy subjects. Chronic pain was present in 88 (66.2%) patients; 12 (13.6%) had neuropathic pain, 22 (17.3%) were PFM+ and 65 (48.9%) PFM-. PFM+ were predominantly female (p = 0.03) and had a greater EDSS (p = 0.01) than NoP; no other significant differences emerged than PFM-. The thresholds were lower in MS patients than controls (p < 0.01), mainly in the PFM+. FM severity influenced the thermal threshold (p < 0.001), while the female gender influenced the discomfort threshold (p < 0.001). Thermal and discomfort thresholds were lower in patients than controls and were the lowest in PFM+. Their more severely impaired thermal threshold supports a neurophysiological basis of such association. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  7. Fatigue threshold studies in Fe, Fe-Si, and HSLA steel: Part II. thermally activated behavior of the effective stress intensity at threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, W.; Esaklul, K.; Gerberich, W. W.

    1984-05-01

    It is shown that closure mechanisms alone cannot fully explain increasing fatigue thresholds with decreasing test temperature for a sequence of Fe-Si binary alloys and an HSLA steel. Implications are that fatigue crack propagation near threshold is a thermally activated process. The effective threshold stress intensity, which was obtained by subtracting the closure portion from the fatigue threshold, was examined. This effective stress intensity was found to correlate very well to the thermal component of the flow stress. A detailed fractographic study of the fatigue surface was performed. Water vapor in the room air was found to promote the formation of oxide and intergranular crack growth. At lower temperature, a brittle-type cyclic cleavage fatigue surface was observed but the ductile process persisted even at 123 K. Arrest marks were found on all three modes of fatigue crack growth. The regular spacings between these lines and dislocation modeling suggested that fatigue crack growth was controlled by the subcell structure near threshold. A model based on the slip-off of dislocations was examined. From this, it is shown that the effective fatigue threshold may be related to the square root of (one plus the strain rate sensitivity).

  8. Multiple soft fibromas of the lid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel John

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Fibromas are benign tumors that are composed of fibrous or connective tissue. They can grow in all organs, arising from mesenchymal tissue (a type of loose connective tissue. The term "fibroblastic" or "fibromatous" is used to describe tumors like the fibroma. This 69-year-old male presented to us with giant, multiple, very slowly progressive, painless, noninflammatory, soft, trans-illuminant, pedunculated lid swellings with a two decade history. There were no other swellings on the body. He was clinically normal on systemic examination except for the immature cataracts in both eyes. The diagnosis was confirmed on histopathology. Simple excision removed all the soft fibromas virtually leaving no scar. A review of literature world-wide using Medline Plus/PubMed revealed this to be the only reported case of multiple giant soft fibromas of the lid.

  9. Spinal cord injury arising in anaesthesia practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hewson, D W; Bedforth, N M; Hardman, J G

    2018-01-01

    Spinal cord injury arising during anaesthetic practice is a rare event, but one that carries a significant burden in terms of morbidity and mortality. In this article, we will review the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury. We will then discuss injuries relating to patient position, spinal cord hypoperfusion and neuraxial techniques. The most serious causes of spinal cord injury - vertebral canal haematoma, spinal epidural abscess, meningitis and adhesive arachnoiditis - will be discussed in turn. For each condition, we draw attention to practical, evidence-based measures clinicians can undertake to reduce their incidence, or mitigate their severity. Finally, we will discuss transient neurological symptoms. Some cases of spinal cord injury during anaesthesia can be ascribed to anaesthesia itself, arising as a direct consequence of its conduct. The injury to a spinal nerve root by inaccurate and/or incautious needling during spinal anaesthesia is an obvious example. But in many cases, spinal cord injury during anaesthesia is not caused by, related to, or even associated with, the conduct of the anaesthetic. Surgical factors, whether direct (e.g. spinal nerve root damage due to incorrect pedicle screw placement) or indirect (e.g. cord ischaemia following aortic surgery) are responsible for a significant proportion of spinal cord injuries that occur concurrently with the delivery of regional or general anaesthesia. © 2018 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

  10. Threshold-driven optimization for reference-based auto-planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Troy; Chen, Mingli; Jiang, Steve; Lu, Weiguo

    2018-02-01

    We study threshold-driven optimization methodology for automatically generating a treatment plan that is motivated by a reference DVH for IMRT treatment planning. We present a framework for threshold-driven optimization for reference-based auto-planning (TORA). Commonly used voxel-based quadratic penalties have two components for penalizing under- and over-dosing of voxels: a reference dose threshold and associated penalty weight. Conventional manual- and auto-planning using such a function involves iteratively updating the preference weights while keeping the thresholds constant, an unintuitive and often inconsistent method for planning toward some reference DVH. However, driving a dose distribution by threshold values instead of preference weights can achieve similar plans with less computational effort. The proposed methodology spatially assigns reference DVH information to threshold values, and iteratively improves the quality of that assignment. The methodology effectively handles both sub-optimal and infeasible DVHs. TORA was applied to a prostate case and a liver case as a proof-of-concept. Reference DVHs were generated using a conventional voxel-based objective, then altered to be either infeasible or easy-to-achieve. TORA was able to closely recreate reference DVHs in 5-15 iterations of solving a simple convex sub-problem. TORA has the potential to be effective for auto-planning based on reference DVHs. As dose prediction and knowledge-based planning becomes more prevalent in the clinical setting, incorporating such data into the treatment planning model in a clear, efficient way will be crucial for automated planning. A threshold-focused objective tuning should be explored over conventional methods of updating preference weights for DVH-guided treatment planning.

  11. A Thresholding-Based Antenna Switching in SWIPT-Enabled MIMO Cognitive Radio Networks with Co-Channel Interference

    KAUST Repository

    Benkhelifa, Fatma; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we consider the simultaneous wireless power and information transfer (SWIPT) for spectrum sharing (SS) in cognitive radio (CR) networks with a multiple antenna SWIPT-Enabled secondary receiver (SR). The SR harvests the energy from the signals sent from the secondary transmitter (ST) and the interfering signals sent from the primary transmitter (PT). Moreover, the ST uses the antenna switching (AS) technique which selects a subset of the antennas to decode the information and the rest to harvest the energy. The antenna selection is performed via a thresholding strategy inspired from the maximum ratio combining (MRC) technique with an output threshold (OT-MRC). The thresholding-based antenna selection strategy is proposed in two ways: one is prioritizing the information data and the other is prioritizing the harvested energy. For the two proposed selection schemes, we study the probability mass function of the selected antennas, the average harvested energy, and the data transmission outage probability. Through the analytic expressions and the simulation results, we show that there is a tradeoff between the outage probability and the harvested energy for both schemes. We see also that the preference of one scheme on the other is also affected by this energy-data trade off.

  12. A Thresholding-Based Antenna Switching in SWIPT-Enabled MIMO Cognitive Radio Networks with Co-Channel Interference

    KAUST Repository

    Benkhelifa, Fatma

    2016-10-23

    In this paper, we consider the simultaneous wireless power and information transfer (SWIPT) for spectrum sharing (SS) in cognitive radio (CR) networks with a multiple antenna SWIPT-Enabled secondary receiver (SR). The SR harvests the energy from the signals sent from the secondary transmitter (ST) and the interfering signals sent from the primary transmitter (PT). Moreover, the ST uses the antenna switching (AS) technique which selects a subset of the antennas to decode the information and the rest to harvest the energy. The antenna selection is performed via a thresholding strategy inspired from the maximum ratio combining (MRC) technique with an output threshold (OT-MRC). The thresholding-based antenna selection strategy is proposed in two ways: one is prioritizing the information data and the other is prioritizing the harvested energy. For the two proposed selection schemes, we study the probability mass function of the selected antennas, the average harvested energy, and the data transmission outage probability. Through the analytic expressions and the simulation results, we show that there is a tradeoff between the outage probability and the harvested energy for both schemes. We see also that the preference of one scheme on the other is also affected by this energy-data trade off.

  13. Effect of threshold quantization in opportunistic splitting algorithm

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2011-01-01

    This paper discusses algorithms to find the optimal threshold and also investigates the impact of threshold quantization on the scheduling outage performance of the opportunistic splitting scheduling algorithm. Since this algorithm aims at finding

  14. A non-parametric framework for estimating threshold limit values

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulm Kurt

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To estimate a threshold limit value for a compound known to have harmful health effects, an 'elbow' threshold model is usually applied. We are interested on non-parametric flexible alternatives. Methods We describe how a step function model fitted by isotonic regression can be used to estimate threshold limit values. This method returns a set of candidate locations, and we discuss two algorithms to select the threshold among them: the reduced isotonic regression and an algorithm considering the closed family of hypotheses. We assess the performance of these two alternative approaches under different scenarios in a simulation study. We illustrate the framework by analysing the data from a study conducted by the German Research Foundation aiming to set a threshold limit value in the exposure to total dust at workplace, as a causal agent for developing chronic bronchitis. Results In the paper we demonstrate the use and the properties of the proposed methodology along with the results from an application. The method appears to detect the threshold with satisfactory success. However, its performance can be compromised by the low power to reject the constant risk assumption when the true dose-response relationship is weak. Conclusion The estimation of thresholds based on isotonic framework is conceptually simple and sufficiently powerful. Given that in threshold value estimation context there is not a gold standard method, the proposed model provides a useful non-parametric alternative to the standard approaches and can corroborate or challenge their findings.

  15. Color difference thresholds in dentistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paravina, Rade D; Ghinea, Razvan; Herrera, Luis J; Bona, Alvaro D; Igiel, Christopher; Linninger, Mercedes; Sakai, Maiko; Takahashi, Hidekazu; Tashkandi, Esam; Perez, Maria del Mar

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this prospective multicenter study was to determine 50:50% perceptibility threshold (PT) and 50:50% acceptability threshold (AT) of dental ceramic under simulated clinical settings. The spectral radiance of 63 monochromatic ceramic specimens was determined using a non-contact spectroradiometer. A total of 60 specimen pairs, divided into 3 sets of 20 specimen pairs (medium to light shades, medium to dark shades, and dark shades), were selected for psychophysical experiment. The coordinating center and seven research sites obtained the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals prior the beginning of the experiment. Each research site had 25 observers, divided into five groups of five observers: dentists-D, dental students-S, dental auxiliaries-A, dental technicians-T, and lay persons-L. There were 35 observers per group (five observers per group at each site ×7 sites), for a total of 175 observers. Visual color comparisons were performed using a viewing booth. Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy approximation was used for fitting the data points. The 50:50% PT and 50:50% AT were determined in CIELAB and CIEDE2000. The t-test was used to evaluate the statistical significance in thresholds differences. The CIELAB 50:50% PT was ΔEab  = 1.2, whereas 50:50% AT was ΔEab  = 2.7. Corresponding CIEDE2000 (ΔE00 ) values were 0.8 and 1.8, respectively. 50:50% PT by the observer group revealed differences among groups D, A, T, and L as compared with 50:50% PT for all observers. The 50:50% AT for all observers was statistically different than 50:50% AT in groups T and L. A 50:50% perceptibility and ATs were significantly different. The same is true for differences between two color difference formulas ΔE00 /ΔEab . Observer groups and sites showed high level of statistical difference in all thresholds. Visual color difference thresholds can serve as a quality control tool to guide the selection of esthetic dental materials, evaluate clinical performance, and

  16. Multiple growth regimes: Insights from unified growth theory

    OpenAIRE

    Galor, Oded

    2007-01-01

    Unified Growth Theory uncovers the forces that contributed to the existence of multiple growth regimes and the emergence of convergence clubs. It suggests that differential timing of take-offs from stagnation to growth segmented economies into three fundamental regimes: slow growing economies in a Malthusian regime, fast growing countries in a sustained growth regime, and economies in the transition between these regimes. In contrast to existing research that links regime switching thresholds...

  17. The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test and the DSM-5 in the general population: Optimal thresholds and underlying common structure using multiple factor analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legleye, Stéphane

    2017-11-10

    The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) aims at screening the problematic use of cannabis. It has never been validated against the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 and its relationships with this latter have never been studied. We used a probabilistic telephone survey collected in 2014 (1351 past-year cannabis users aged 15-64) implementing the CAST and a DSM-5 adaptation of the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview assessing cannabis use disorders. Data were weighted, and CAST items were considered categorical. Factorial structures were assessed with confirmatory factor analyses; the relationships between the instruments were studied with multiple factor analysis (MFA). One factor for the DSM-5 and two correlated factors for the CAST were the best confirmatory factor analyses solutions. The CAST thresholds for screening moderate/severe and severe cannabis use disorders were 5 (sensitivity = 78.2% and specificity = 79.6%) and 8 (sensitivity = 86.0% and specificity = 86.7%), respectively. The MFA identified two orthogonal dimensions: The first was equally shared by both instruments; the second was the second CAST dimension (extreme frequencies of use before midday and alone, memory problems, and reproaches from friends/family). The CAST structure and screening properties were confirmed. The MFA explains its screening performances by its first dimension and identified the problematic patterns (the second dimension) that are not captured by the DSM-5. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Case Report: Multiple anatomical variations in the arm in an Indian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Additionally, a small slip of accessory fibers of biceps brachii was found arising from the main bulk of the muscle and inserted on to the deep fascia of the lateral cubital region. We present multiple variations in the same limb some of which have not been reported yet. Awareness of these rare variations is therefore necessary ...

  19. Measuring floodplain spatial patterns using continuous surface metrics at multiple scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scown, Murray W.; Thoms, Martin C.; DeJager, Nathan R.

    2015-01-01

    Interactions between fluvial processes and floodplain ecosystems occur upon a floodplain surface that is often physically complex. Spatial patterns in floodplain topography have only recently been quantified over multiple scales, and discrepancies exist in how floodplain surfaces are perceived to be spatially organised. We measured spatial patterns in floodplain topography for pool 9 of the Upper Mississippi River, USA, using moving window analyses of eight surface metrics applied to a 1 × 1 m2 DEM over multiple scales. The metrics used were Range, SD, Skewness, Kurtosis, CV, SDCURV,Rugosity, and Vol:Area, and window sizes ranged from 10 to 1000 m in radius. Surface metric values were highly variable across the floodplain and revealed a high degree of spatial organisation in floodplain topography. Moran's I correlograms fit to the landscape of each metric at each window size revealed that patchiness existed at nearly all window sizes, but the strength and scale of patchiness changed within window size, suggesting that multiple scales of patchiness and patch structure exist in the topography of this floodplain. Scale thresholds in the spatial patterns were observed, particularly between the 50 and 100 m window sizes for all surface metrics and between the 500 and 750 m window sizes for most metrics. These threshold scales are ~ 15–20% and 150% of the main channel width (1–2% and 10–15% of the floodplain width), respectively. These thresholds may be related to structuring processes operating across distinct scale ranges. By coupling surface metrics, multi-scale analyses, and correlograms, quantifying floodplain topographic complexity is possible in ways that should assist in clarifying how floodplain ecosystems are structured.

  20. The acoustic reflex threshold in aging ears.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverman, C A; Silman, S; Miller, M H

    1983-01-01

    This study investigates the controversy regarding the influence of age on the acoustic reflex threshold for broadband noise, 500-, 1000-, 2000-, and 4000-Hz activators between Jerger et al. [Mono. Contemp. Audiol. 1 (1978)] and Jerger [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66 (1979)] on the one hand and Silman [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66 (1979)] and others on the other. The acoustic reflex thresholds for broadband noise, 500-, 1000-, 2000-, and 4000-Hz activators were evaluated under two measurement conditions. Seventy-two normal-hearing ears were drawn from 72 subjects ranging in age from 20-69 years. The results revealed that age was correlated with the acoustic reflex threshold for BBN activator but not for any of the tonal activators; the correlation was stronger under the 1-dB than under the 5-dB measurement condition. Also, the mean acoustic reflex thresholds for broadband noise activator were essentially similar to those reported by Jerger et al. (1978) but differed from those obtained in this study under the 1-dB measurement condition.

  1. Solitary osteochondroma arising in lumbar spinous process: Case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadhri, Khaled; Tebourbi, Anis; Saidi, Mehdi; Kooli, Mondher

    2016-12-01

    Solitary osteochondromas rarely occur in the axial skeleton. Those tumors mostly arise on the posterior elements of the cervical column causing various symptoms especially when developing within the spinal canal. Exophytic lumbar variety is uncommon presenting with palpable mass or spinal deformity. We report a 20-year-old man presenting with a solid painless mass at the lower lumbar region. Radiological examinations revealed an exophytic lesion arising in the third lumbar spinous process appearing to be a solitary osteochondroma. The lesion was treated by en-bloc resection; histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteochondroma with no evidence of recurrence at the end of 2-year follow up. Copyright © 2016 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Optimal design of compact and connected nature reserves for multiple species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yicheng; Önal, Hayri

    2016-04-01

    When designing a conservation reserve system for multiple species, spatial attributes of the reserves must be taken into account at species level. The existing optimal reserve design literature considers either one spatial attribute or when multiple attributes are considered the analysis is restricted only to one species. We built a linear integer programing model that incorporates compactness and connectivity of the landscape reserved for multiple species. The model identifies multiple reserves that each serve a subset of target species with a specified coverage probability threshold to ensure the species' long-term survival in the reserve, and each target species is covered (protected) with another probability threshold at the reserve system level. We modeled compactness by minimizing the total distance between selected sites and central sites, and we modeled connectivity of a selected site to its designated central site by selecting at least one of its adjacent sites that has a nearer distance to the central site. We considered structural distance and functional distances that incorporated site quality between sites. We tested the model using randomly generated data on 2 species, one ground species that required structural connectivity and the other an avian species that required functional connectivity. We applied the model to 10 bird species listed as endangered by the state of Illinois (U.S.A.). Spatial coherence and selection cost of the reserves differed substantially depending on the weights assigned to these 2 criteria. The model can be used to design a reserve system for multiple species, especially species whose habitats are far apart in which case multiple disjunct but compact and connected reserves are advantageous. The model can be modified to increase or decrease the distance between reserves to reduce or promote population connectivity. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

  3. Testing for a Debt-Threshold Effect on Output Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sokbae; Park, Hyunmin; Seo, Myung Hwan; Shin, Youngki

    2017-12-01

    Using the Reinhart-Rogoff dataset, we find a debt threshold not around 90 per cent but around 30 per cent, above which the median real gross domestic product (GDP) growth falls abruptly. Our work is the first to formally test for threshold effects in the relationship between public debt and median real GDP growth. The null hypothesis of no threshold effect is rejected at the 5 per cent significance level for most cases. While we find no evidence of a threshold around 90 per cent, our findings from the post-war sample suggest that the debt threshold for economic growth may exist around a relatively small debt-to-GDP ratio of 30 per cent. Furthermore, countries with debt-to-GDP ratios above 30 per cent have GDP growth that is 1 percentage point lower at the median.

  4. Myoepithelial carcinoma arising within an adenomyoepithelioma of the breast: A case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, You Yeon; Cho, Kyu Ran; Song, Sung Eun [Dept. of Radiology, Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Bo Kyoung [Dept. of Radiology, Ansan Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Ansan (Korea, Republic of); Woo, Ok Hee [Dept. of Radiology, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jeong Hyun [Dept. of Radiology, Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-07-15

    Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast is a rare tumor. A myoepithelial carcinoma arising within an adenomyoepithelioma is even more unusual. There are a limited number of reports discussing myoepithelial carcinoma; most of them describe pathological findings, but not imaging findings. We present a case of a 55-year-old woman who had a screen-detected myoepithelial carcinoma arising within an adenomyoepithelioma in her right breast. Upon the completion of a mammography and sonography an oval shaped mass with an indistinct margin in the upper portion of the right breast had been seen. It as appeared to be a spiculated, irregular-shaped, peripheral-enhancing mass on an MRI. On sonography-guided biopsy, an epithelial-myothelial tumor was confirmed, and the possibility of myoepithelial carcinoma was suggested. Breast-conserving surgery with a sentinel lymph node dissection was performed, and a pathological examination revealed a myoepithelial carcinoma arising within an adenomyoepithelioma.

  5. Perturbative QCD description of mean jet and particle multiplicities in e+e- annihilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lupia, S.; Ochs, W.

    1999-01-01

    A complete numerical solution of the evolution equation for parton multiplicities in quark and gluon jets with initial conditions at threshold is presented. Data on both hadron and jet multiplicities in e + e - annihilation are well described with a common normalization, giving further support to the picture of local parton hadron duality. Predictions for LEP-II energies are presented. Furthermore we study the sensitivity to the cutoff parameter Q 0 and the scale of α s . (orig.)

  6. Perturbative QCD description of mean jet and particle multiplicities in e+e- annihilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lupia, Sergio; Ochs, Wolfgang

    1999-01-01

    A complete numerical solution of the evolution equation for parton multiplicities in quark and gluon jets with initial conditions at threshold is presented. Data on both hadron and jet multiplicities in e + e - annihilation are well described with a common normalization, giving further support to the picture of Local Parton Hadron Duality. Predictions for LEP-II energies are presented. Furthermore we study the sensitivity to the cutoff parameter Q 0 and the scale of α s

  7. THE PHYSICS OF PROTOPLANETESIMAL DUST AGGLOMERATES. V. MULTIPLE IMPACTS OF DUSTY AGGLOMERATES AT VELOCITIES ABOVE THE FRAGMENTATION THRESHOLD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kothe, Stefan; Guettler, Carsten; Blum, Juergen

    2010-01-01

    In recent years, a number of new experiments have advanced our knowledge on the early growth phases of protoplanetary dust aggregates. Some of these experiments have shown that collisions between porous and compacted agglomerates at velocities above the fragmentation threshold velocity can lead to growth of the compact body, when the porous collision partner fragments upon impact and transfers mass to the compact agglomerate. To obtain a deeper understanding of this potentially important growth process, we performed laboratory and drop tower experiments to study multiple impacts of small, highly porous dust-aggregate projectiles onto sintered dust targets. The projectile and target consisted of 1.5 μm monodisperse, spherical SiO 2 monomers with volume filling factors of 0.15 ± 0.01 and 0.45 ± 0.05, respectively. The fragile projectiles were accelerated by a solenoid magnet and combined with a projectile magazine with which 25 impacts onto the same spot on the target could be performed in vacuum. We measured the mass-accretion efficiency and the volume filling factor for different impact velocities between 1.5 and 6.0 m s -1 . The experiments at the lowest impact speeds were performed in the Bremen drop tower under microgravity conditions to allow partial mass transfer also for the lowest adhesion case. Within this velocity range, we found a linear increase of the accretion efficiency with increasing velocity. In the laboratory experiments, the accretion efficiency increases from 0.12 to 0.21 in units of the projectile mass. The recorded images of the impacts showed that the mass transfer from the projectile to the target leads to the growth of a conical structure on the target after less than 100 impacts. From the images, we also measured the volume filling factors of the grown structures, which ranged from 0.15 (uncompacted) to 0.40 (significantly compacted) with increasing impact speed. The velocity dependency of the mass-transfer efficiency and the packing

  8. Does sensory stimulation threshold affect lumbar facet radiofrequency denervation outcomes? A prospective clinical correlational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Steven P; Strassels, Scott A; Kurihara, Connie; Lesnick, Ivan K; Hanling, Steven R; Griffith, Scott R; Buckenmaier, Chester C; Nguyen, Conner

    2011-11-01

    Radiofrequency facet denervation is one of the most frequently performed procedures for chronic low back pain. Although sensory stimulation is generally used as a surrogate measure to denote sufficient proximity of the electrode to the nerve, no study has examined whether stimulation threshold influences outcome. We prospectively recorded data in 61 consecutive patients undergoing lumbar facet radiofrequency denervation who experienced significant pain relief after medial branch blocks. For each nerve lesioned, multiple attempts were made to maximize sensory stimulation threshold (SST). Mean SST was calculated on the basis of the lowest stimulation perceived at 0.1-V increments for each medial branch. A positive outcome was defined as a ≥50% reduction in back pain coupled with a positive satisfaction score lasting ≥3 months. The relationship between mean SST and denervation outcomes was evaluated via a receiver's operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and stratifying outcomes on the basis of various cutoff values. No correlation was noted between mean SST and pain relief at rest (Pearson's r=-0.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.24 to 0.23, P=0.97), with activity (r=-0.17, 95% CI: -0.40 to 0.07, P=0.20), or a successful outcome. No optimal SST could be identified. There is no significant relationship between mean SST during lumbar facet radiofrequency denervation and treatment outcome, which may be due to differences in general sensory perception. Because stimulation threshold was optimized for each patient, these data cannot be interpreted to suggest that sensory testing should not be performed, or that high sensory stimulation thresholds obtained on the first attempt should be deemed acceptable.

  9. Taking stock after a decade: Does the ‘thresholds of potential concern’ concept need a socio-ecological revamp?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harry Biggs

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The concept of thresholds of potential concern (TPCs as implemented for the last decade in strategic adaptive management in South African National Parks (SANParks, has proved workable in practice in a number of instances, but in others appears beset by conceptual and practical limitations or barriers. Three common challenges relate to (1 situations where there is uncertainty about whether and where real thresholds exist, (2 whether and how preferences and other social constructs, as opposed to what were seen as objective biophysical variables only, can be used for TPCs and (3 whether it is admissible to adjust TPCs to allow for variations in societal behaviour, in particular rate of management response. All three challenges arise in the face of TPC objectivity implied by the original definition, and in the light of the original view that TPCs be set some distance prior to a presumed ecological threshold. This paper suggests that the three challenges can be partly or largely dealt with by the use of a wider socio-ecological view, rather than seeing TPCs in isolation or as being only biophysical. Also, while detection of abrupt changes is helpful, it makes little practical difference if some TPCs happen to describe linear processes. The very decision to intervene can induce an abrupt change. Once a wider socio-ecological approach is employed, it becomes necessary for the user to specify the particular usage envisaged for the TPC, for instance, whether it is considered a preference and whether that preference is believed in any way to be related to an ecological threshold. In all cases, it is recommended that some form of explicit representation of the socio- ecological view is constructed – we suggest a cause-and-effect diagram (and give an example generated through a thought experiment which describes presumed relationships in the subsystem of interest. This provides a broader systemic context and a shared understanding, and has implications

  10. Thresholds for Coral Bleaching: Are Synergistic Factors and Shifting Thresholds Changing the Landscape for Management? (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eakin, C.; Donner, S. D.; Logan, C. A.; Gledhill, D. K.; Liu, G.; Heron, S. F.; Christensen, T.; Rauenzahn, J.; Morgan, J.; Parker, B. A.; Hoegh-Guldberg, O.; Skirving, W. J.; Strong, A. E.

    2010-12-01

    As carbon dioxide rises in the atmosphere, climate change and ocean acidification are modifying important physical and chemical parameters in the oceans with resulting impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Rising CO2 is warming the world’s oceans and causing corals to bleach, with both alarming frequency and severity. The frequent return of stressful temperatures has already resulted in major damage to many of the world’s coral reefs and is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Warmer oceans also have contributed to a rise in coral infectious diseases. Both bleaching and infectious disease can result in coral mortality and threaten one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and the important ecosystem services they provide. Additionally, ocean acidification from rising CO2 is reducing the availability of carbonate ions needed by corals to build their skeletons and perhaps depressing the threshold for bleaching. While thresholds vary among species and locations, it is clear that corals around the world are already experiencing anomalous temperatures that are too high, too often, and that warming is exceeding the rate at which corals can adapt. This is despite a complex adaptive capacity that involves both the coral host and the zooxanthellae, including changes in the relative abundance of the latter in their coral hosts. The safe upper limit for atmospheric CO2 is probably somewhere below 350ppm, a level we passed decades ago, and for temperature is a sustained global temperature increase of less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. How much can corals acclimate and/or adapt to the unprecedented fast changing environmental conditions? Any change in the threshold for coral bleaching as the result of acclimation and/or adaption may help corals to survive in the future but adaptation to one stress may be maladaptive to another. There also is evidence that ocean acidification and nutrient enrichment modify this threshold. What do shifting thresholds mean

  11. Earth-strength magnetic field affects the rheotactic threshold of zebrafish swimming in shoals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cresci, Alessandro; De Rosa, Rosario; Putman, Nathan F; Agnisola, Claudio

    2017-02-01

    Rheotaxis, the unconditioned orienting response to water currents, is a main component of fish behavior. Rheotaxis is achieved using multiple sensory systems, including visual and tactile cues. Rheotactic orientation in open or low-visibility waters might also benefit from the stable frame of reference provided by the geomagnetic field, but this possibility has not been explored before. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) form shoals living in freshwater systems with low visibility, show a robust positive rheotaxis, and respond to geomagnetic fields. Here, we investigated whether a static magnetic field in the Earth-strength range influenced the rheotactic threshold of zebrafish in a swimming tunnel. The direction of the horizontal component of the magnetic field relative to water flow influenced the rheotactic threshold of fish as part of a shoal, but not of fish tested alone. Results obtained after disabling the lateral line of shoaling individuals with Co 2+ suggest that this organ system is involved in the observed magneto-rheotactic response. These findings constitute preliminary evidence that magnetic fields influence rheotaxis and suggest new avenues for further research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. History-Based Response Threshold Model for Division of Labor in Multi-Agent Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Wonki; Kim, DaeEun

    2017-01-01

    Dynamic task allocation is a necessity in a group of robots. Each member should decide its own task such that it is most commensurate with its current state in the overall system. In this work, the response threshold model is applied to a dynamic foraging task. Each robot employs a task switching function based on the local task demand obtained from the surrounding environment, and no communication occurs between the robots. Each individual member has a constant-sized task demand history that reflects the global demand. In addition, it has response threshold values for all of the tasks and manages the task switching process depending on the stimuli of the task demands. The robot then determines the task to be executed to regulate the overall division of labor. This task selection induces a specialized tendency for performing a specific task and regulates the division of labor. In particular, maintaining a history of the task demands is very effective for the dynamic foraging task. Various experiments are performed using a simulation with multiple robots, and the results show that the proposed algorithm is more effective as compared to the conventional model. PMID:28555031

  13. Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising in Tattooed Skin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarma, Deba P.; Dentlinger, Renee B.; Forystek, Amanda M.; Stevens, Todd; Huerter, Christopher

    2010-01-01

    Introduction. Tattoos have increasingly become accepted by mainstream Western society. As a result, the incidence of tattoo-associated dermatoses is on the rise. The presence of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in an old tattooed skin is of interest as it has not been previously documented. Case Presentation. A 79-year-old white homeless man of European descent presented to the dermatology clinic with a painless raised nodule on his left forearm arising in a tattooed area. A biopsy of the lesion revealed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma infiltrating into a tattoo. The lesion was completely excised and the patient remains disease-free one year later. Conclusion. All previous reports of squamous cell carcinomas arising in tattoos have been well-differentiated low-grade type or keratoacanthoma-type and are considered to be coincidental rather than related to any carcinogenic effect of the tattoo pigments. Tattoo-associated poorly differentiated invasive carcinoma appears to be extremely rare. PMID:21274289

  14. Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising in Tattooed Skin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deba P. Sarma

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Tattoos have increasingly become accepted by mainstream Western society. As a result, the incidence of tattoo-associated dermatoses is on the rise. The presence of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in an old tattooed skin is of interest as it has not been previously documented. Case Presentation. A 79-year-old white homeless man of European descent presented to the dermatology clinic with a painless raised nodule on his left forearm arising in a tattooed area. A biopsy of the lesion revealed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma infiltrating into a tattoo. The lesion was completely excised and the patient remains disease-free one year later. Conclusion. All previous reports of squamous cell carcinomas arising in tattoos have been well-differentiated low-grade type or keratoacanthoma-type and are considered to be coincidental rather than related to any carcinogenic effect of the tattoo pigments. Tattoo-associated poorly differentiated invasive carcinoma appears to be extremely rare.

  15. Basal Cell Carcinoma Arising in a Breast Augmentation Scar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Lisa R; Cresce, Nicole D; Russell, Mark A

    2017-04-01

    We report a case of a 46-year-old female who presented with a persistent lesion on the inferior right breast. The lesion was located within the scar from a breast augmentation procedure 12 years ago. The lesion had been treated as several conditions with no improvement. Biopsy revealed a superficial and nodular basal cell carcinoma, and the lesion was successfully removed with Mohs micrographic surgery. Basal cell carcinoma arising in a surgical scar is exceedingly rare with only 13 reported cases to date. This is the first reported case of basal cell carcinoma arising in a breast augmentation scar. We emphasize the importance of biopsy for suspicious lesions or those refractory to treatment, particularly those lesions that form within a scar. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

  16. Handling of BLM abort thresholds in the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Nebot Del Busto, E; Holzer, EB; Zamantzas, C; Kruk, G; Nordt, A; Sapinski, M; Nemcic, M; Orecka, A; Jackson, S; Roderick, C; Skaugen, A

    2011-01-01

    The Beam Loss Monitoring system (BLM) for the LHC consists of about 3600 Ionization Chambers (IC) located around the ring. Its main purpose is to request a beam abort when the measured losses exceed a certain threshold. The BLM detectors integrate the measured signals in 12 different time intervals (running from 40us to 83.8s) enabling for a different set of abort thresholds depending on the duration of the beam loss. Furthermore, 32 energy levels running from 450GeV to 7TeV account for the fact that the energy density of a particle shower increases with the energy of the primary particle, i.e. the beam energy. Thus, a set of ! 3600 × 12 × 32 = 1.3 · 106 thresholds must be handled. These thresholds are highly critical for the safety of the machine and depend to a large part on human judgment, which cannot be replaced by automatic test procedures. The BLM team has defined well established procedures to compute, set and check new BLM thresholds, in order to avoid and/or find non-conformities due to manipulat...

  17. Threshold-dependent climate effects and high mortality limit recruitment and recovery of the Kattegat cod

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindegren, Martin; Eero, Margit

    2013-01-01

    Cod in the Kattegat is one of the most dramatic examples of stock collapse, where despite large management efforts, almost no signs of recovery have been observed. We investigate how multiple physical and biological factors could potentially influence recruitment and recovery of Kattegat cod, using...... non-additive threshold models. In contrast to previous studies on recruitment dynamics of Kattegat cod Gadus morhua, we found that recruitment variability may be explained by a combination of the size of the spawning stock and external conditions (i.e. sea surface temperature and oxygen concentrations...

  18. Threshold Characteristics of Slow-Light Photonic Crystal Lasers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xue, Weiqi; Yu, Yi; Ottaviano, Luisa

    2016-01-01

    The threshold properties of photonic crystal quantum dot lasers operating in the slow-light regime are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Measurements show that, in contrast to conventional lasers, the threshold gain attains a minimum value for a specific cavity length. The experimental...... results are explained by an analytical theory for the laser threshold that takes into account the effects of slow light and random disorder due to unavoidable fabrication imperfections. Longer lasers are found to operate deeper into the slow-light region, leading to a trade-off between slow-light induced...

  19. Perioperative transfusion threshold and ambulation after hip revision surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kamilla; Johansson, Pär I; Dahl, Benny

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Transfusion with red blood cells (RBC) may be needed during hip revision surgery but the appropriate haemoglobin concentration (Hb) threshold for transfusion has not been well established. We hypothesized that a higher transfusion threshold would improve ambulation after hip revision...... surgery. METHODS: The trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT00906295). Sixty-six patients aged 18 years or older undergoing hip revision surgery were randomized to receive RBC at a Hb threshold of either 7.3 g/dL (restrictive group) or 8.9 g/dL (liberal group). Postoperative ambulation...... received RBC. CONCLUSIONS: A Hb transfusion threshold of 8.9 g/dL was associated with a statistically significantly faster TUG after hip revision surgery compared to a threshold of 7.3 g/dL but the clinical importance is questionable and the groups did not differ in Hb at the time of testing....

  20. THRESHOLD PARAMETER OF THE EXPECTED LOSSES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josip Arnerić

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of extreme value analysis is to quantify the probabilistic behavior of unusually large losses using only extreme values above some high threshold rather than using all of the data which gives better fit to tail distribution in comparison to traditional methods with assumption of normality. In our case we estimate market risk using daily returns of the CROBEX index at the Zagreb Stock Exchange. Therefore, it’s necessary to define the excess distribution above some threshold, i.e. Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD is used as much more reliable than the normal distribution due to the fact that gives the accent on the extreme values. Parameters of GPD distribution will be estimated using maximum likelihood method (MLE. The contribution of this paper is to specify threshold which is large enough so that GPD approximation valid but low enough so that a sufficient number of observations are available for a precise fit.

  1. When do price thresholds matter in retail categories?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K.H. Pauwels (Koen); S. Srinivasan (Shuba); Ph.H.B.F. Franses (Philip Hans)

    2007-01-01

    textabstractMarketing literature has long recognized that brand price elasticity need not be monotonic and symmetric, but has yet to provide generalizable market-level insights on threshold-based price elasticity, asymmetric thresholds, and the sign and magnitude of elasticity transitions. This

  2. An Improved Wake Vortex Tracking Algorithm for Multiple Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Switzer, George F.; Proctor, Fred H.; Ahmad, Nashat N.; LimonDuparcmeur, Fanny M.

    2010-01-01

    The accurate tracking of vortex evolution from Large Eddy Simulation (LES) data is a complex and computationally intensive problem. The vortex tracking requires the analysis of very large three-dimensional and time-varying datasets. The complexity of the problem is further compounded by the fact that these vortices are embedded in a background turbulence field, and they may interact with the ground surface. Another level of complication can arise, if vortices from multiple aircrafts are simulated. This paper presents a new technique for post-processing LES data to obtain wake vortex tracks and wake intensities. The new approach isolates vortices by defining "regions of interest" (ROI) around each vortex and has the ability to identify vortex pairs from multiple aircraft. The paper describes the new methodology for tracking wake vortices and presents application of the technique for single and multiple aircraft.

  3. A Pictorial Review on Extraosseous Manifestations of Multiple Myelomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Jung Min; Lee, Kyung Soo; Yi, Chin A; Kim, Seong Hyun; Park, Byung Kwan; Han, Boo Kyung; Kim, Hyung Jin

    2011-01-01

    Extraosseous involvement of multiple myelomas can be seen clinically or radiologically in approximately 10-20% of patients at the time of initial diagnosis and may develop in an additional 15% of patients over the course of the disease. The condition can arise in any tissue of the body and its presence has been associated with more aggressive disease, a guarded prognosis, or high-dose chemotherapy. Imaging findings of extraosseous multiple myelomas are diverse. They usually show high enhancement on contrast-medium enhanced CT scans, exhibit iso-signal intensity on both T1- and T2- weighted images, and variable 18F-fluorine deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake at PET. The disease may simulate an infectious condition since it may be concurrent with underlying multiple myelomas per se or it may occur during myeloma treatment including stem cell transplantation.

  4. Defining indoor heat thresholds for health in the UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-05-01

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

  5. Pigmented Epithelioid Melanocytoma (PEM)/Animal Type Melanoma (ATM): Quest for an Origin. Report of One Unusual Case Indicating Follicular Origin and Another Arising in an Intradermal Nevus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarasen, Ashley; Carlson, J Andrew; Leonard, M Kathryn; Merlino, Glenn; Kaetzel, David; Slominski, Andrzej T

    2017-08-15

    Pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma (PEM) is a tumor encompassing epithelioid blue nevus of Carney complex (EBN of CNC) and was previously termed animal-type melanoma. Histologically PEMs are heavily pigmented spindled and epithelioid dermal melanocytic tumors with infiltrative borders, however, their origin remains unclear. Stem cells for the epidermis and hair follicle are located in the bulge area of the hair follicle with the potential to differentiate into multiple lineages. Multiple cutaneous carcinomas, including follicular cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (FSCC), are thought to arise from stem cells in the follicular bulge. We present two cases of PEM/ATM in a 63 year-old male on the scalp with follicular origin and a 72 year-old female on the upper back arising in an intradermal nevus. Biopsy of both cases revealed a proliferation of heavily pigmented dermal nests of melanocytes with atypia. The Case 1 tumor was in continuation with the outer root sheath of the hair follicle in the bulge region. Case 2 arose in an intradermal melanocytic nevus. Rare mitotic figures, including atypical mitotic figures, were identified in both cases. We present two cases of PEM, with histologic evidence suggesting two origins: one from the follicular bulb and one from an intradermal nevus.

  6. Impacts of DEM resolution and area threshold value uncertainty on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... that DEM resolution influences the selected flow accumulation threshold value; the suitable flow accumulation threshold value increases as the DEM resolution increases, and shows greater variability for basins with lower drainage densities. The link between drainage area threshold value and stream network extraction ...

  7. Data-Driven Jump Detection Thresholds for Application in Jump Regressions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Davies

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops a method to select the threshold in threshold-based jump detection methods. The method is motivated by an analysis of threshold-based jump detection methods in the context of jump-diffusion models. We show that over the range of sampling frequencies a researcher is most likely to encounter that the usual in-fill asymptotics provide a poor guide for selecting the jump threshold. Because of this we develop a sample-based method. Our method estimates the number of jumps over a grid of thresholds and selects the optimal threshold at what we term the ‘take-off’ point in the estimated number of jumps. We show that this method consistently estimates the jumps and their indices as the sampling interval goes to zero. In several Monte Carlo studies we evaluate the performance of our method based on its ability to accurately locate jumps and its ability to distinguish between true jumps and large diffusive moves. In one of these Monte Carlo studies we evaluate the performance of our method in a jump regression context. Finally, we apply our method in two empirical studies. In one we estimate the number of jumps and report the jump threshold our method selects for three commonly used market indices. In the other empirical application we perform a series of jump regressions using our method to select the jump threshold.

  8. Analytical details of the instability threshold of the laser-Lorenz model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakasov, A.A.; Abraham, N.B.

    1992-11-01

    An exact analysis of the second threshold of a single-mode homogeneously broadened laser is given for the most general operating conditions. We provide a general analytical proof that increasing the detuning increases the second threshold is given. An analysis of the second threshold at a fixed detuning and of the ratio of the second threshold to the first threshold reveals that the smallest values occur when the population relaxation rate is minimized. (author). 13 refs, 4 figs, 2 tabs

  9. Ultracompact low-threshold organic laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deotare, Parag B; Mahony, Thomas S; Bulović, Vladimir

    2014-11-25

    We report an ultracompact low-threshold laser with an Alq3:DCM host:guest molecular organic thin film gain layer. The device uses a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity which provides a high quality factor to mode volume (Q/V) ratio and increased spontaneous emission factor along with a small footprint. Lasing is observed with a threshold of 4.2 μJ/cm(2) when pumped by femtosecond pulses of λ = 400 nm wavelength light. We also model the dynamics of the laser and show good agreement with the experimental data. The inherent waveguide geometry of the structure enables easy on-chip integration with potential applications in biochemical sensing, inertial sensors, and data communication.

  10. High grade angiosarcoma arising in fibroadenoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare tumour that account for fewer than 0.05% of all malignant mammary tumours. Angiosarcoma may have an perfidious clinical onset. Radiologic findings are often nonspecific and may appear completely normal in one-third of cases with primary angiosarcoma. The prognosis is usually poor because of the high rates of local recurrence and early development of metastases. Aggressive surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment. The role of adjuvant therapy has not yet been well established. Here we present a case of a 53 year old, postmenopausal women with primary angiosarcoma arising in fibroadenoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case described in the literature to date. PMID:22185665

  11. Periorbital nodular fasciitis arising during pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brandon N Phillips

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Nodular fasciitis (NF is a benign proliferation of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts that rarely occurs in the periorbital region. We report what we believe to be the first case of periorbital NF associated with pregnancy. A case of intravascular fasciitis, a NF variant, has been reported during pregnancy, but it was not located in the periorbital region. A weak presence of estrogen receptors has been reported in NF. This may make it more susceptible to the hormone-related changes during pregnancy and contribute to the development of the lesion by stimulating fibroblasts and smooth muscle cell types. Although rare, NF should be considered in the differential diagnosis of periorbital soft-tissue masses arising during pregnancy.

  12. Precipitation Thresholds for Triggering Floods in the Corgo Basin, Portugal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mónica Santos

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Thresholds based on critical combinations of amount/duration of precipitation and flood events were estimated for the Corgo hydrographic basin, in northern Portugal. Thirty-one flood events in the Corgo basin were identified between 1865 and 2011 from a database of hydrometeorological disasters in Portugal. The minimum, maximum, and pre-warning thresholds that define the boundaries for flood occurrence were determined. The results show that the ratio between the total number of floods and precipitation events exceeding the minimum threshold denotes a relatively low probability of successful forecasting. This result may be due to the reduced number of flooding events in the floods database, which only include floods that caused damage as reported by the media. The estimated maximum threshold is not adequate for use in floods, since the majority of true positives are below this limit. However, and more interestingly, the retrospective verification of the estimated thresholds suggests that the minimum and pre-warning thresholds are well adjusted. Therefore, the application of these precipitation thresholds may contribute to minimize possible situations of pre-crisis or immediate crisis by reducing the flood consequences and the resources involved in emergency response to flood events.

  13. Dynamical fusion thresholds in macroscopic and microscopic theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, K.T.R.; Sierk, A.J.; Nix, J.R.

    1983-01-01

    Macroscopic and microscopic results demonstrating the existence of dynamical fusion thresholds are presented. For macroscopic theories, it is shown that the extra-push dynamics is sensitive to some details of the models used, e.g. the shape parametrization and the type of viscosity. The dependence of the effect upon the charge and angular momentum of the system is also studied. Calculated macroscopic results for mass-symmetric systems are compared to experimental mass-asymmetric results by use of a tentative scaling procedure, which takes into account both the entrance-channel and the saddle-point regions of configuration space. Two types of dynamical fusion thresholds occur in TDHF studies: (1) the microscopic analogue of the macroscopic extra push threshold, and (2) the relatively high energy at which the TDHF angular momentum window opens. Both of these microscopic thresholds are found to be very sensitive to the choice of the effective two-body interaction

  14. Cell characteristics of a multiple alloy nano-dots memory structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bea, Ji Chel; Lee, Kang-Wook; Tanaka, Tetsu; Koyanagi, Mitsumasa; Song, Yun Heub; Lee, Gae-Hun

    2009-01-01

    A multiple alloy metal nano-dots memory using FN tunneling was investigated in order to confirm its structural possibility for future flash memory. In this work, a multiple FePt nano-dots device with a high work function (∼5.2 eV) and extremely high dot density (∼1.2 × 10 13 cm −2 ) was fabricated. Its structural effect for multiple layers was evaluated and compared to the one with a single layer in terms of the cell characteristics and reliability. We confirm that MOS capacitor structures with two to four multiple FePt nano-dot layers provide a larger threshold voltage window and better retention characteristics. Furthermore, it was also revealed that several process parameters for block oxide and inter-tunnel oxide between the nano-dot layers are very important to improve the efficiency of electron injection into multiple nano-dots. From these results, it is expected that a multiple FePt nano-dots memory using Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling could be a candidate structure for future flash memory

  15. Relationship of extinction to perceptual thresholds for single stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meador, K J; Ray, P G; Day, L J; Loring, D W

    2001-04-24

    To demonstrate the effects of target stimulus intensity on extinction to double simultaneous stimuli. Attentional deficits contribute to extinction in patients with brain lesions, but extinction (i.e., masking) can also be produced in healthy subjects. The relationship of extinction to perceptual thresholds for single stimuli remains uncertain. Brief electrical pulses were applied simultaneously to the left and right index fingers of 16 healthy volunteers (8 young and 8 elderly adults) and 4 patients with right brain stroke (RBS). The stimulus to be perceived (i.e., target stimulus) was given at the lowest perceptual threshold to perceive any single stimulus (i.e., Minimal) and at the threshold to perceive 100% of single stimuli. The mask stimulus (i.e., stimulus given to block the target) was applied to the contralateral hand at intensities just below discomfort. Extinction was less for target stimuli at 100% than Minimal threshold for healthy subjects. Extinction of left targets was greater in patients with RBS than elderly control subjects. Left targets were extinguished less than right in healthy subjects. In contrast, the majority of left targets were extinguished in patients with RBS even when right mask intensity was reduced below right 100% threshold for single stimuli. RBS patients had less extinction for right targets despite having greater left mask - threshold difference than control subjects. In patients with RBS, right "targets" at 100% threshold extinguished left "masks" (20%) almost as frequently as left masks extinguished right targets (32%). Subtle changes in target intensity affect extinction in healthy adults. Asymmetries in mask and target intensities (relative to single-stimulus perceptual thresholds) affect extinction in RBS patients less for left targets but more for right targets as compared with control subjects.

  16. Sound radiation quantities arising from a resilient circular radiator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aarts, R.M.; Janssen, A.J.E.M.

    2009-01-01

    Power series expansions in ka are derived for the pressure at the edge of a radiator, the reaction force on the radiator, and the total radiated power arising from a harmonically excited, resilient, flat, circular radiator of radius a in an infinite baffle. The velocity profiles on the radiator are

  17. Albania - Thresholds I and II

    Data.gov (United States)

    Millennium Challenge Corporation — From 2006 to 2011, the government of Albania (GOA) received two Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Programs totaling $29.6 million. Albania received...

  18. Rainfall thresholds for the triggering of landslides in Slovenia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peternel, Tina; Jemec Auflič, Mateja; Rosi, Ascanio; Segoni, Samuele; Komac, Marko; Casagli, Nicola

    2017-04-01

    Both at the worldwide level and in Slovenia, precipitation and related phenomena represent one of the most important triggering factors for the occurrence of slope mass movements. In the past decade, extreme rainfall events with a very high amount of precipitation occurs in a relatively short rainfall period have become increasingly important and more frequent, that causing numerous undesirable consequences. Intense rainstorms cause flash floods and mostly trigger shallow landslides and soil slips. On the other hand, the damage of long lasting rainstorms depends on the region's adaptation and its capacity to store or infiltrate excessive water from the rain. The amount and, consequently, the intensity of daily precipitation that can cause floods in the eastern part of Slovenia is a rather common event for the north-western part of the country. Likewise, the effect of rainfall is very dependent on the prior soil moisture, periods of full soil saturation and the creation of drifts in groundwater levels due to the slow melting of snow, growing period, etc. Landslides could be identified and to some extent also prevent with better knowledge of the relation between landslides and rainfall. In this paper the definition of rainfall thresholds for rainfall-induced landslides in Slovenia is presented. The thresholds have been calculated by collecting approximately 900 landslide data and the relative rainfall amounts, which have been collected from 41 rain gauges all over the country. The thresholds have been defined by the (1) use of an existing procedure, characterized by a high degree of objectiveness and (2) software that was developed for a test site with very different geological and climatic characteristics (Tuscany, central Italy). Firstly, a single national threshold has been defined, later the country was divided into four zones, on the basis of major the river basins and a single threshold has been calculated for each of them. Validation of the calculated

  19. Singularities in four-body final-state amplitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adhikari, S.K.

    1978-01-01

    Like three-body amplitudes, four-body amplitudes have subenergy threshold singularities over and above total-energy singularities. In the four-body problem we encounter a new type of subenergy singularity besides the usual two- and three-body subenergy threshold singularities. This singularity will be referred to as ''independent-pair threshold singularity'' and involves pair-subenergy threshold singularities in each of the two independent pair subenergies in four-body final states. We also study the particularly interesting case of resonant two- and three-body interactions in the four-body isobar model and the rapid (singular) dependence of the isobar amplitudes they generate in the four-body phase space. All these singularities are analyzed in the multiple-scattering formalism and it is shown that they arise from the ''next-to-last'' rescattering and hence may be represented correctly by an approximate amplitude which has that rescattering

  20. Design proposal for door thresholds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smolka Radim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Panels for openings in structures have always been an essential and integral part of buildings. Their importance in terms of a building´s functionality was not recognised. However, the general view on this issue has changed from focusing on big planar segments and critical details to sub-elements of these structures. This does not only focus on the forms of connecting joints but also on the supporting systems that keep the panels in the right position and ensure they function properly. One of the most strained segments is the threshold structure, especially the entrance door threshold structure. It is the part where substantial defects in construction occur in terms of waterproofing, as well as in the static, thermal and technical functions thereof. In conventional buildings, this problem is solved by pulling the floor structure under the entrance door structure and subsequently covering it with waterproofing material. This system cannot work effectively over the long term so local defects occur. A proposal is put forward to solve this problem by installing a sub-threshold door coupler made of composite materials. The coupler is designed so that its variability complies with the required parameters for most door structures on the European market.

  1. Effect of strong fragrance on olfactory detection threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fasunla, Ayotunde James; Douglas, David Dayo; Adeosun, Aderemi Adeleke; Steinbach, Silke; Nwaorgu, Onyekwere George Benjamin

    2014-09-01

    To assess the olfactory threshold of healthy volunteers at the University College Hospital, Ibadan and to investigate the effect of perfume on their olfactory detection thresholds. A quasi-experimental study on olfactory detection thresholds of healthy volunteers from September 2013 to November 2013. Tertiary health institution. A structured questionniare was administered to the participants in order to obtain information on sociodemographics, occupation, ability to perceive smell, use of perfume, effects of perfume on appetite and self-confidence, history of allergy, and previous nasal surgery. Participants subjectively rated their olfactory performance. Subsequently, they had olfactory detection threshold testing done at baseline and after exposure to perfume with varied concentrations of n-butanol in a forced triple response and staircase fashion. Healthy volunteers, 37 males and 63 females, were evaluated. Their ages ranged from 19 to 59 years with a mean of 31 years ± 8. Subjectively, 94% of the participants had excellent olfactory function. In the pre-exposure forced triple response, 88% were able to detect the odor at ≤.25 mmol/l concentration while in the post-exposure forced triple response, only 66% were able to detect the odor at ≤.25 mmol/l concentration. There is also a statistical significant difference in the olfactory detection threshold score between the pre-exposure and post-exposure period in the participants (P fragrances affects the olfactory detection threshold. Therefore patients and clinicians should be aware of this and its effects on the outcome of test of olfaction. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2014.

  2. Ultrafuzziness Optimization Based on Type II Fuzzy Sets for Image Thresholding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hudan Studiawan

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Image thresholding is one of the processing techniques to provide high quality preprocessed image. Image vagueness and bad illumination are common obstacles yielding in a poor image thresholding output. By assuming image as fuzzy sets, several different fuzzy thresholding techniques have been proposed to remove these obstacles during threshold selection. In this paper, we proposed an algorithm for thresholding image using ultrafuzziness optimization to decrease uncertainty in fuzzy system by common fuzzy sets like type II fuzzy sets. Optimization was conducted by involving ultrafuzziness measurement for background and object fuzzy sets separately. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed image thresholding method had good performances for images with high vagueness, low level contrast, and grayscale ambiguity.

  3. Novel Threshold Changeable Secret Sharing Schemes Based on Polynomial Interpolation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Lifeng; Li, Mingchu; Guo, Cheng; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Ren, Yizhi

    2016-01-01

    After any distribution of secret sharing shadows in a threshold changeable secret sharing scheme, the threshold may need to be adjusted to deal with changes in the security policy and adversary structure. For example, when employees leave the organization, it is not realistic to expect departing employees to ensure the security of their secret shadows. Therefore, in 2012, Zhang et al. proposed (t → t', n) and ({t1, t2,⋯, tN}, n) threshold changeable secret sharing schemes. However, their schemes suffer from a number of limitations such as strict limit on the threshold values, large storage space requirement for secret shadows, and significant computation for constructing and recovering polynomials. To address these limitations, we propose two improved dealer-free threshold changeable secret sharing schemes. In our schemes, we construct polynomials to update secret shadows, and use two-variable one-way function to resist collusion attacks and secure the information stored by the combiner. We then demonstrate our schemes can adjust the threshold safely.

  4. Studies on the post-ictal rise in seizure threshold. [Rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nutt, D.J.; Cowen, P.J.; Green, A.R.

    1981-05-08

    Seizure thresholds were determined by timed infusion of a convulsant drug. Following an electroconvulsive shock (ECS) rats exhibited a raised seizure threshold to infusion of the GABA antagonist drugs, pentylenetetrazol, bicuculline and isopropyl-bicyclophosphate, but not to the glycine antagonist strychnine or the 5-HT agonist, quipazine. The increase in threshold was seen following a bicuculline-induced seizure and 30 min following the last of a course of ECS given once daily for 10 days. The rise in seizure threshold still occurred when animals were pretreated with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (200 mg . kg-1), p-chlorophenylalanine (200 mg . kg-2), naloxone (1 mg . kg-1) or indomethacin (20 mg . kg-1). Diazepam (2 mg . kg-1), flurazepam (10 mg . kg-1) and sodium valproate (400 mg . kg-1) elevated basal seizure threshold and a further rise followed the ECS. Phenytoin (40 mg . kg-1) and carbamazepine (40 mg . kg-1) had no effect on basal seizure threshold or the ECS-induce rise. (

  5. Threshold policy for global games with noisy information sharing

    KAUST Repository

    Mahdavifar, Hessam

    2015-12-15

    It is known that global games with noisy sharing of information do not admit a certain type of threshold policies [1]. Motivated by this result, we investigate the existence of threshold-type policies on global games with noisy sharing of information and show that such equilibrium strategies exist and are unique if the sharing of information happens over a sufficiently noisy environment. To show this result, we establish that if a threshold function is an equilibrium strategy, then it will be a solution to a fixed point equation. Then, we show that for a sufficiently noisy environment, the functional fixed point equation leads to a contraction mapping, and hence, its iterations converge to a unique continuous threshold policy.

  6. Consequences the extensive use of multiple-choice questions might have on student's reasoning structure

    OpenAIRE

    Raduta, C. M.

    2013-01-01

    Learning physics is a context dependent process. I consider a broader interdisciplinary problem of where differences in understanding and reasoning arise. I suggest the long run effects a multiple choice based learning system as well as society cultural habits and rules might have on student reasoning structure.

  7. Basal Cell Carcinoma Arising in a Tattooed Eyebrow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jong-Sun; Park, Jin; Kim, Seong-Min; Kim, Han-Uk

    2009-01-01

    Malignant skin tumors, including squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, have occurred in tattoos. Seven documented cases of basal cell carcinoma associated with tattoos have also been reported in the medical literature. We encountered a patient with basal cell carcinoma in a tattooed eyebrow. We report on this case as the eighth reported case of a patient with basal cell carcinoma arising in a tattooed area. PMID:20523804

  8. Design of Threshold Controller Based Chaotic Circuits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mohamed, I. Raja; Murali, K.; Sinha, Sudeshna

    2010-01-01

    We propose a very simple implementation of a second-order nonautonomous chaotic oscillator, using a threshold controller as the only source of nonlinearity. We demonstrate the efficacy and simplicity of our design through numerical and experimental results. Further, we show that this approach...... of using a threshold controller as a nonlinear element, can be extended to obtain autonomous and multiscroll chaotic attractor circuits as well....

  9. Near-Threshold Ionization of Argon by Positron Impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babij, T. J.; Machacek, J. R.; Murtagh, D. J.; Buckman, S. J.; Sullivan, J. P.

    2018-03-01

    The direct single-ionization cross section for Ar by positron impact has been measured in the region above the first ionization threshold. These measurements are compared to semiclassical calculations which give rise to a power law variation of the cross section in the threshold region. The experimental results appear to be in disagreement with extensions to the Wannier theory applied to positron impact ionization, with a smaller exponent than that calculated by most previous works. In fact, in this work, we see no difference in threshold behavior between the positron and electron cases. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

  10. Measurements of NN → dπ near threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hutcheon, D.A.

    1990-09-01

    New, precise measurements of the differential cross sections for np → dπ 0 and π + d → pp and of analyzing powers for pp → dπ + have been made at energies within 10 MeV (c.m.) of threshold. They allow the pion s-wave and p-wave parts of the production strength to be distinguished unambiguously, yielding an s-wave strength at threshold which is significantly smaller than the previously accepted value. There is no evidence for charge independence breaking nor for πNN resonances near threshold. (Author) (17 refs., 17 figs., tab.)

  11. Threshold model of cascades in empirical temporal networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimi, Fariba; Holme, Petter

    2013-08-01

    Threshold models try to explain the consequences of social influence like the spread of fads and opinions. Along with models of epidemics, they constitute a major theoretical framework of social spreading processes. In threshold models on static networks, an individual changes her state if a certain fraction of her neighbors has done the same. When there are strong correlations in the temporal aspects of contact patterns, it is useful to represent the system as a temporal network. In such a system, not only contacts but also the time of the contacts are represented explicitly. In many cases, bursty temporal patterns slow down disease spreading. However, as we will see, this is not a universal truth for threshold models. In this work we propose an extension of Watts’s classic threshold model to temporal networks. We do this by assuming that an agent is influenced by contacts which lie a certain time into the past. I.e., the individuals are affected by contacts within a time window. In addition to thresholds in the fraction of contacts, we also investigate the number of contacts within the time window as a basis for influence. To elucidate the model’s behavior, we run the model on real and randomized empirical contact datasets.

  12. An examination of neuromuscular and metabolic fatigue thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergstrom, Haley C; Housh, Terry J; Cochrane, Kristen C; Jenkins, Nathaniel D M; Lewis, Robert W Jr; Traylor, Daniel A; Schmidt, Richard J; Johnson, Glen O; Cramer, Joel T; Zuniga, Jorge M

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the relationships among the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC FT ), the power outputs associated with the gas exchange threshold (PGET) and the respiratory compensation point (PRCP), and critical power (CP) to identify possible physiological mechanisms underlying the onset of neuromuscular fatigue. Ten participants (mean ± SD age: 20 ± 1 years) performed a maximal incremental cycle ergometer test to determine the PWC FT , PGET, and PRCP. CP was determined from the 3 min all-out test. The PWC FT (197 ± 55 W), PRCP (212 ± 50 W), and CP (208 ± 63 W) were significantly greater than the PGET (168 ± 40 W), but there were no significant differences among the PWC FT , PRCP, and CP. All thresholds were significantly inter-4 (r = 0.794–0.958). The 17% greater estimates for the PWC FT than PGET were likely related to differences in the physiological mechanisms that underlie these fatigue thresholds, while the non-significant difference and high correlation between the PWC FT and the PRCP suggested that hyperkalemia may underlie both thresholds. Furthermore, it is possible that the 5% lower estimate of the PWC FT than CP could more accurately reflect the demarcation of the heavy from severe exercise intensity domains. (paper)

  13. Circuit and method for controlling the threshold voltage of transistors.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2008-01-01

    A control unit, for controlling a threshold voltage of a circuit unit having transistor devices, includes a reference circuit and a measuring unit. The measuring unit is configured to measure a threshold voltage of at least one sensing transistor of the circuit unit, and to measure a threshold

  14. Double photoionization of helium near threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levin, J.C.; Armen, G.B.; Sellin, I.A.

    1996-01-01

    There has been substantial recent experimental interest in the ratio of double-to-single photoionization of He near threshold following several theoretical observations that earlier measurements appear to overestimate the ratio, perhaps by as much as 25%, in the first several hundred eV above threshold. The authors recent measurements are 10%-15% below these earlier results and more recent results of Doerner et al. and Samson et al. are yet another 10% lower. The authors will compare these measurement with new data, not yet analyzed, and available theory

  15. Modeling DPOAE input/output function compression: comparisons with hearing thresholds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhagat, Shaum P

    2014-09-01

    Basilar membrane input/output (I/O) functions in mammalian animal models are characterized by linear and compressed segments when measured near the location corresponding to the characteristic frequency. A method of studying basilar membrane compression indirectly in humans involves measuring distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) I/O functions. Previous research has linked compression estimates from behavioral growth-of-masking functions to hearing thresholds. The aim of this study was to compare compression estimates from DPOAE I/O functions and hearing thresholds at 1 and 2 kHz. A prospective correlational research design was performed. The relationship between DPOAE I/O function compression estimates and hearing thresholds was evaluated with Pearson product-moment correlations. Normal-hearing adults (n = 16) aged 22-42 yr were recruited. DPOAE I/O functions (L₂ = 45-70 dB SPL) and two-interval forced-choice hearing thresholds were measured in normal-hearing adults. A three-segment linear regression model applied to DPOAE I/O functions supplied estimates of compression thresholds, defined as breakpoints between linear and compressed segments and the slopes of the compressed segments. Pearson product-moment correlations between DPOAE compression estimates and hearing thresholds were evaluated. A high correlation between DPOAE compression thresholds and hearing thresholds was observed at 2 kHz, but not at 1 kHz. Compression slopes also correlated highly with hearing thresholds only at 2 kHz. The derivation of cochlear compression estimates from DPOAE I/O functions provides a means to characterize basilar membrane mechanics in humans and elucidates the role of compression in tone detection in the 1-2 kHz frequency range. American Academy of Audiology.

  16. Setting limits: Using air pollution thresholds to protect and restore U.S. ecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenn, M.E.; Lambert, K.F.; Blett, T.F.; Burns, Douglas A.; Pardo, L.H.; Lovett, Gary M.; Haeuber, R. A.; Evers, D.C.; Driscoll, C.T.; Jeffries, D.S.

    2011-01-01

    states and on many tribal lands. High concentrations of mercury in wildlife are also widespread and have multiple adverse effects. ??? Air quality programs, such as those stemming from the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, have helped decrease air pollution even as population and energy demand have increased. Yet, they do not adequately protect ecosystems from long-term damage. Moreover they do not address ammonia emissions. ??? A stronger ecosystem basis for air pollutant policies could be established through adoption of science-based thresholds. Existing monitoring programs track vital information needed to measure the response to policies, and could be expanded to include appropriate chemical and biological indicators for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and establishment of a national ecosystem monitoring network for mercury. The development and use of air pollution thresholds for ecosystem protection and management is increasing in the United States, yet threshold approaches remain underutilized. Ecological thresholds for air pollution, such as critical loads for nitrogen and sulfur deposition, are not currently included in the formal regulatory process for emissions controls in the United States, although they are now considered in local management decisions by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. Ecological thresholds offer a scientifically sound approach to protecting and restoring U.S. ecosystems and an important tool for natural resource management and policy. ?? The Ecological Society of America.

  17. Squamous cell carcinoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gupta Vishwanath

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Two cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC arising in a mature cystic teratoma (MCT are being discussed for their rarity and pattern of infiltration of tumor cells in the stroma (alpha mode, beta mode and gamma mode, which is a key factor in deciding the prognosis and patient survival.

  18. Determining lower threshold concentrations for synergistic effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjergager, Maj-Britt Andersen; Dalhoff, Kristoffer; Kretschmann, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    which proven synergists cease to act as synergists towards the aquatic crustacean Daphnia magna. To do this, we compared several approaches and test-setups to evaluate which approach gives the most conservative estimate for the lower threshold for synergy for three known azole synergists. We focus...... on synergistic interactions between the pyrethroid insecticide, alpha-cypermethrin, and one of the three azole fungicides prochloraz, propiconazole or epoxiconazole measured on Daphnia magna immobilization. Three different experimental setups were applied: A standard 48h acute toxicity test, an adapted 48h test...... of immobile organisms increased more than two-fold above what was predicted by independent action (vertical assessment). All three tests confirmed the hypothesis of the existence of a lower azole threshold concentration below which no synergistic interaction was observed. The lower threshold concentration...

  19. Reading for Integration, Identifying Complementary Threshold Concepts: The ACRL Framework in Conversation with Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brittney Johnson

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In 2015, threshold concepts formed the foundation of two disciplinary documents: the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy (2015 and Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies (2015. While there is no consensus in the fields about the value of threshold concepts in teaching, reading the six Frames in the ACRL document alongside the threshold concepts of writing studies illuminates overlapping elements that may empower faculty in both fields to advocate collectively against skills-focused writing and research instruction through cross-disciplinary integrations. To facilitate cross-disciplinary conversations around the documents, the authors propose an order for reading the Frames, identify the associated writing concepts, and explain how the shared concepts reveal an internal complexity which may have implications for teaching the ACRL Framework.

  20. Consolidation by Prefabricated Vertical Drains with a Threshold Gradient

    OpenAIRE

    Xiao Guo; Kang-He Xie; Yue-Bao Deng

    2014-01-01

    This paper shows the development of an approximate analytical solution of radial consolidation by prefabricated vertical drains with a threshold gradient. To understand the effect of the threshold gradient on consolidation, a parametric analysis was performed using the present solution. The applicability of the present solution was demonstrated in two cases, wherein the comparisons with Hansbo’s results and observed data were conducted. It was found that (1) the flow with the threshold gradie...

  1. Development of threshold action criteria for light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okrent, D.; Baldewicz, W.L.

    1982-06-01

    A survey of recently threshold criteria for regulatory action on LWRs is presented together with some commentary. This is followed by a new proposal for threshold action criteria which includes some different risk attributes than are found in previous criteria. Some preliminary risk values are suggested for the criteria and then evaluated in terms of a few hypothetical accident scenarios. Finally, several licensing issues are examined in terms of various threshold action criteria

  2. Optimal threshold functions for fault detection and isolation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stoustrup, J.; Niemann, Hans Henrik; Cour-Harbo, A. la

    2003-01-01

    Fault diagnosis systems usually comprises two parts: a filtering part and a decision part, the latter typically based on threshold functions. In this paper, systematic ways to choose the threshold values are proposed. Two different test functions for the filtered signals are discussed and a method...

  3. Dynamics of the middle atmosphere as observed by the ARISE project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanc, E.

    2015-12-01

    It has been strongly demonstrated that variations in the circulation of the middle atmosphere influence weather and climate all the way to the Earth's surface. A key part of this coupling occurs through the propagation and breaking of planetary and gravity waves. However, limited observations prevent to faithfully reproduce the dynamics of the middle atmosphere in numerical weather prediction and climate models. The main challenge of the ARISE (Atmospheric dynamics InfraStructure in Europe) project is to combine existing national and international observation networks including: the International infrasound monitoring system developed for the CTBT (Comprehensive nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty) verification, the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Changes) lidar network, European observation infrastructures at mid latitudes (OHP observatory), tropics (Maïdo observatory), high latitudes (ALOMAR and EISCAT), infrasound stations which form a dense European network and satellites. The ARISE network is unique by its coverage (polar to equatorial regions in the European longitude sector), its altitude range (from troposphere to mesosphere and ionosphere) and the involved scales both in time (from seconds to tens of years) and space (from tens of meters to thousands of kilometers). Advanced data products are produced with the scope to assimilate data in the Weather Prediction models to improve future forecasts over weeks and seasonal time scales. ARISE observations are especially relevant for the monitoring of extreme events such as thunderstorms, volcanoes, meteors and at larger scales, deep convection and stratospheric warming events for physical processes description and study of long term evolution with climate change. Among the applications, ARISE fosters integration of innovative methods for remote detection of non-instrumented volcanoes including distant eruption characterization to provide notifications with reliable confidence indices to the

  4. Low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma arising in fibroadenoma of the breast-A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myong, Na-Hye; Min, Jun-Won

    2016-03-25

    Myofibroblastic sarcoma or myofibrosarcoma is a malignant tumor of myofibroblasts and known to develop rarely in the breast, but its underlying lesion and tumor cell origin have never been reported yet. A 61-year-old female presented with a gradually growing breast mass with well-demarcated ovoid nodular shape. The tumor was histologically characterized by fascicular-growing spindle cell proliferation with large areas of hyalinized fibrosis and focally ductal epithelial remnants embedded in myxoid stroma, mimicking a fibroadenomatous lesion. It had frequent mitoses of 5-16/10 high-power fields, hemorrhagic necrosis, and focally pericapsular invasion. The spindle cells were diffusely immunoreactive for fibronectin, smooth muscle actin, and calponin, which suggest a myofibroblastic origin. Multiple irregularly thickened vessels with medial or pericytic cell proliferation were found to be merged with the intrinsic tumor cells. The tumor could be diagnosed low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma arising in an old fibroadenoma. We report a case of a low-grade mammary myofibrosarcoma that showed a background lesion of fibroadenoma first in the worldwide literature and suggest the pericytes or medial muscle cells of the intratumoral vessels as the cell origin of the myofibroblastic sarcoma.

  5. Electrocardiogram signal denoising based on a new improved wavelet thresholding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Guoqiang; Xu, Zhijun

    2016-08-01

    Good quality electrocardiogram (ECG) is utilized by physicians for the interpretation and identification of physiological and pathological phenomena. In general, ECG signals may mix various noises such as baseline wander, power line interference, and electromagnetic interference in gathering and recording process. As ECG signals are non-stationary physiological signals, wavelet transform is investigated to be an effective tool to discard noises from corrupted signals. A new compromising threshold function called sigmoid function-based thresholding scheme is adopted in processing ECG signals. Compared with other methods such as hard/soft thresholding or other existing thresholding functions, the new algorithm has many advantages in the noise reduction of ECG signals. It perfectly overcomes the discontinuity at ±T of hard thresholding and reduces the fixed deviation of soft thresholding. The improved wavelet thresholding denoising can be proved to be more efficient than existing algorithms in ECG signal denoising. The signal to noise ratio, mean square error, and percent root mean square difference are calculated to verify the denoising performance as quantitative tools. The experimental results reveal that the waves including P, Q, R, and S waves of ECG signals after denoising coincide with the original ECG signals by employing the new proposed method.

  6. A factorization approach to next-to-leading-power threshold logarithms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonocore, D. [Nikhef,Science Park 105, NL-1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Laenen, E. [Nikhef,Science Park 105, NL-1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); ITFA, University of Amsterdam,Science Park 904, Amsterdam (Netherlands); ITF, Utrecht University,Leuvenlaan 4, Utrecht (Netherlands); Magnea, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Torino and INFN, Sezione di Torino,Via P. Giuria 1, I-10125, Torino (Italy); Melville, S. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow,Glasgow, G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Vernazza, L. [Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh,Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, Scotland (United Kingdom); White, C.D. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow,Glasgow, G12 8QQ (United Kingdom)

    2015-06-03

    Threshold logarithms become dominant in partonic cross sections when the selected final state forces gluon radiation to be soft or collinear. Such radiation factorizes at the level of scattering amplitudes, and this leads to the resummation of threshold logarithms which appear at leading power in the threshold variable. In this paper, we consider the extension of this factorization to include effects suppressed by a single power of the threshold variable. Building upon the Low-Burnett-Kroll-Del Duca (LBKD) theorem, we propose a decomposition of radiative amplitudes into universal building blocks, which contain all effects ultimately responsible for next-to-leading-power (NLP) threshold logarithms in hadronic cross sections for electroweak annihilation processes. In particular, we provide a NLO evaluation of the radiative jet function, responsible for the interference of next-to-soft and collinear effects in these cross sections. As a test, using our expression for the amplitude, we reproduce all abelian-like NLP threshold logarithms in the NNLO Drell-Yan cross section, including the interplay of real and virtual emissions. Our results are a significant step towards developing a generally applicable resummation formalism for NLP threshold effects, and illustrate the breakdown of next-to-soft theorems for gauge theory amplitudes at loop level.

  7. Application of habitat thresholds in conservation: Considerations, limitations, and future directions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yntze van der Hoek

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Habitat thresholds are often interpreted as the minimum required area of habitat, and subsequently promoted as conservation targets in natural resource policies and planning. Unfortunately, several recent reviews and messages of caution on the application of habitat thresholds in conservation have largely fallen on deaf ears, leading to a dangerous oversimplification and generalization of the concept. We highlight the prevalence of oversimplification/over-generalization of results from habitat threshold studies in policy documentation, the consequences of such over-generalization, and directions for habitat threshold studies that have conservation applications without risking overgeneralization. We argue that in order to steer away from misapplication of habitat thresholds in conservation, we should not focus on generalized nominal habitat values (i.e., amounts or percentages of habitat, but on the use of habitat threshold modeling for comparative exercises of area-sensitivity or the identification of environmental dangers. In addition, we should remain focused on understanding the processes and mechanisms underlying species responses to habitat change. Finally, studies could that focus on deriving nominal value threshold amounts should do so only if the thresholds are detailed, species-specific, and translated to conservation targets particular to the study area only.

  8. 49 CFR 38.99 - Floors, steps and thresholds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Floors, steps and thresholds. 38.99 Section 38.99 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) ACCESSIBILITY SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.99 Floors, steps and thresholds...

  9. Reference hearing threshold levels for short duration signals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Torben; Legarth, Søren Vase

    2008-01-01

    for the determination of reference hearing threshold levels. The results are given as peak-to-peak equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (peETSPL). The results are in good agreement with other sparse results from literature and are part of the basis for the ISO 389-6 standard from 2007....

  10. 20 CFR 418.1105 - What is the threshold?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is the threshold? 418.1105 Section 418.1105 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION MEDICARE SUBSIDIES Medicare Part B Income... in the Consumer Price Index rounded to the nearest $1,000. CMS will publish the threshold amounts...

  11. Idiopathic multiple aneurysm of external carotid artery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saravanan Balachandran

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aneurysms of external carotid artery are rare. Treatments for these are undertaken for the prevention of complications like hemorrhage or rupture, and embolism. We present a 71-year-old male with idiopathic multiple aneurysm for the past 34 years on conservative management and regular follow up for the past 4 years. This case was discussed for the rarity of idiopathic multiple aneurysm of the external carotid artery and the need for individualized treatment protocol to be followed as in this case, only watchful observation considering the age and patient compliance. In this world of evolving surgical techniques and newer treatment modalities, conservative treatment still has a role to play. Primary care physicians at the community level have a major role in following these patients and referring them as and when the need arises.

  12. An immuno-epidemiological model with threshold delay: a study of the effects of multiple exposures to a pathogen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qesmi, Redouane; Heffernan, Jane M; Wu, Jianhong

    2015-01-01

    An immuno-epidemiological model of pathogen transmission is developed. This model incorporates two main features: (i) the epidemiological model includes within-host pathogen dynamics for an infectious disease, (ii) the susceptible individuals to the infection experience a series of exposures via the pathogen before becoming infectious. It is shown that this model leads naturally to a system of differential delay equations of the threshold type and that these equations can be transformed, in a biologically natural way, to differential equations with state-dependent delay. An interesting dynamical behavior of the model is the bistability phenomena, when the basic reproductive ratio R0 is less than unity, which raises many new challenges to effective infection control.

  13. Intraosseous verrucous carcinoma arising from an orthokeratinized odontogenic keratocyst: A report of a rarest entity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nagaraju Kamarthi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Intraosseous verrucous carcinomas (VCs arising from odontogenic cysts are a rare entity. An unusual case of a VC arising from the orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst is described for the first time. The microscopic features of the lesion are presented.

  14. Automatic Multi-Level Thresholding Segmentation Based on Multi-Objective Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. DJEROU,

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present a new multi-level image thresholding technique, called Automatic Threshold based on Multi-objective Optimization "ATMO" that combines the flexibility of multi-objective fitness functions with the power of a Binary Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm "BPSO", for searching the "optimum" number of the thresholds and simultaneously the optimal thresholds of three criteria: the between-class variances criterion, the minimum error criterion and the entropy criterion. Some examples of test images are presented to compare our segmentation method, based on the multi-objective optimization approach with Otsu’s, Kapur’s and Kittler’s methods. Our experimental results show that the thresholding method based on multi-objective optimization is more efficient than the classical Otsu’s, Kapur’s and Kittler’s methods.

  15. Threshold resummation and higher order effects in QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ringer, Felix Maximilian

    2015-01-01

    Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is a quantum field theory that describes the strong interactions between quarks and gluons, the building blocks of all hadrons. Thanks to the experimental progress over the past decades, there has been an ever-growing need for QCD precision calculations for scattering processes involving hadrons. For processes at large momentum transfer, perturbative QCD offers a systematic approach for obtaining precise predictions. This approach relies on two key concepts: the asymptotic freedom of QCD and factorization. In a perturbative calculation at higher orders, the infrared cancellation between virtual and real emission diagrams generally leaves behind logarithmic contributions. In many observables relevant for hadronic scattering these logarithms are associated with a kinematic threshold and are hence known as ''threshold logarithms''. They become large when the available phase space for real gluon emission shrinks. In order to obtain a reliable prediction from QCD, the threshold logarithms need to be taken into account to all orders in the strong coupling constant, a procedure known as ''threshold resummation''. The main focus of my PhD thesis is on studies of QCD threshold resummation effects beyond the next-to-leading logarithmic order. Here we primarily consider the production of hadron pairs in hadronic collisions as an example. In addition, we also consider hadronic jet production, which is particularly interesting for the phenomenology at the LHC. For both processes, we fully take into account the non-trivial QCD color structure of the underlying partonic hard- scattering cross sections. We find that threshold resummation leads to sizable numerical effects in the kinematic regimes relevant for comparisons to experimental data.

  16. Entanglement witnesses arising from exposed positive linear maps

    OpenAIRE

    Ha, Kil-Chan; Kye, Seung-Hyeok

    2011-01-01

    We consider entanglement witnesses arising from positive linear maps which generate exposed extremal rays. We show that every entanglement can be detected by one of these witnesses, and this witness detects a unique set of entanglement among those. Therefore, they provide a minimal set of witnesses to detect all entanglement in a sense. Furthermore, if those maps are indecomposable then they detect large classes of entanglement with positive partial transposes which have nonempty relative int...

  17. High-Grade Leiomyosarcoma Arising in a Previously Replanted Limb

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiffany J. Pan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Sarcoma development has been associated with genetics, irradiation, viral infections, and immunodeficiency. Reports of sarcomas arising in the setting of prior trauma, as in burn scars or fracture sites, are rare. We report a case of a leiomyosarcoma arising in an arm that had previously been replanted at the level of the elbow joint following traumatic amputation when the patient was eight years old. He presented twenty-four years later with a 10.8 cm mass in the replanted arm located on the volar forearm. The tumor was completely resected and pathology examination showed a high-grade, subfascial spindle cell sarcoma diagnosed as a grade 3 leiomyosarcoma with stage pT2bNxMx. The patient underwent treatment with brachytherapy, reconstruction with a free flap, and subsequently chemotherapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of leiomyosarcoma developing in a replanted extremity. Development of leiomyosarcoma in this case could be related to revascularization, scar formation, or chronic injury after replantation. The patient remains healthy without signs of recurrence at three-year follow-up.

  18. Hemispheric Lateralization of Motor Thresholds in Relation to Stuttering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alm, Per A.; Karlsson, Ragnhild; Sundberg, Madeleine; Axelson, Hans W.

    2013-01-01

    Stuttering is a complex speech disorder. Previous studies indicate a tendency towards elevated motor threshold for the left hemisphere, as measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This may reflect a monohemispheric motor system impairment. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relative side-to-side difference (asymmetry) and the absolute levels of motor threshold for the hand area, using TMS in adults who stutter (n = 15) and in controls (n = 15). In accordance with the hypothesis, the groups differed significantly regarding the relative side-to-side difference of finger motor threshold (p = 0.0026), with the stuttering group showing higher motor threshold of the left hemisphere in relation to the right. Also the absolute level of the finger motor threshold for the left hemisphere differed between the groups (p = 0.049). The obtained results, together with previous investigations, provide support for the hypothesis that stuttering tends to be related to left hemisphere motor impairment, and possibly to a dysfunctional state of bilateral speech motor control. PMID:24146930

  19. Hemispheric lateralization of motor thresholds in relation to stuttering.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Per A Alm

    Full Text Available Stuttering is a complex speech disorder. Previous studies indicate a tendency towards elevated motor threshold for the left hemisphere, as measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS. This may reflect a monohemispheric motor system impairment. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relative side-to-side difference (asymmetry and the absolute levels of motor threshold for the hand area, using TMS in adults who stutter (n = 15 and in controls (n = 15. In accordance with the hypothesis, the groups differed significantly regarding the relative side-to-side difference of finger motor threshold (p = 0.0026, with the stuttering group showing higher motor threshold of the left hemisphere in relation to the right. Also the absolute level of the finger motor threshold for the left hemisphere differed between the groups (p = 0.049. The obtained results, together with previous investigations, provide support for the hypothesis that stuttering tends to be related to left hemisphere motor impairment, and possibly to a dysfunctional state of bilateral speech motor control.

  20. Survival of mutations arising during invasions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Judith R

    2010-03-01

    When a neutral mutation arises in an invading population, it quickly either dies out or 'surfs', i.e. it comes to occupy almost all the habitat available at its time of origin. Beneficial mutations can also surf, as can deleterious mutations over finite time spans. We develop descriptive statistical models that quantify the relationship between the probability that a mutation will surf and demographic parameters for a cellular automaton model of surfing. We also provide a simple analytic model that performs well at predicting the probability of surfing for neutral and beneficial mutations in one dimension. The results suggest that factors - possibly including even abiotic factors - that promote invasion success may also increase the probability of surfing and associated adaptive genetic change, conditioned on such success.

  1. Faster magnet sorting with a threshold acceptance algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lidia, S.; Carr, R.

    1995-01-01

    We introduce here a new technique for sorting magnets to minimize the field errors in permanent magnet insertion devices. Simulated annealing has been used in this role, but we find the technique of threshold acceptance produces results of equal quality in less computer time. Threshold accepting would be of special value in designing very long insertion devices, such as long free electron lasers (FELs). Our application of threshold acceptance to magnet sorting showed that it converged to equivalently low values of the cost function, but that it converged significantly faster. We present typical cases showing time to convergence for various error tolerances, magnet numbers, and temperature schedules

  2. Faster magnet sorting with a threshold acceptance algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lidia, S.

    1994-08-01

    The authors introduce here a new technique for sorting magnets to minimize the field errors in permanent magnet insertion devices. Simulated annealing has been used in this role, but they find the technique of threshold acceptance produces results of equal quality in less computer time. Threshold accepting would be of special value in designing very long insertion devices, such as long FEL's. Their application of threshold acceptance to magnet sorting showed that it converged to equivalently low values of the cost function, but that it converged significantly faster. They present typical cases showing time to convergence for various error tolerances, magnet numbers, and temperature schedules

  3. Bit Error Rate Performance Analysis of a Threshold-Based Generalized Selection Combining Scheme in Nakagami Fading Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kousa Maan

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The severity of fading on mobile communication channels calls for the combining of multiple diversity sources to achieve acceptable error rate performance. Traditional approaches perform the combining of the different diversity sources using either the conventional selective diversity combining (CSC, equal-gain combining (EGC, or maximal-ratio combining (MRC schemes. CSC and MRC are the two extremes of compromise between performance quality and complexity. Some researches have proposed a generalized selection combining scheme (GSC that combines the best branches out of the available diversity resources ( . In this paper, we analyze a generalized selection combining scheme based on a threshold criterion rather than a fixed-size subset of the best channels. In this scheme, only those diversity branches whose energy levels are above a specified threshold are combined. Closed-form analytical solutions for the BER performances of this scheme over Nakagami fading channels are derived. We also discuss the merits of this scheme over GSC.

  4. Psychophysical thresholds of face visibility during infancy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gelskov, Sofie; Kouider, Sid

    2010-01-01

    The ability to detect and focus on faces is a fundamental prerequisite for developing social skills. But how well can infants detect faces? Here, we address this question by studying the minimum duration at which faces must appear to trigger a behavioral response in infants. We used a preferential...... looking method in conjunction with masking and brief presentations (300 ms and below) to establish the temporal thresholds of visibility at different stages of development. We found that 5 and 10 month-old infants have remarkably similar visibility thresholds about three times higher than those of adults....... By contrast, 15 month-olds not only revealed adult-like thresholds, but also improved their performance through memory-based strategies. Our results imply that the development of face visibility follows a non-linear course and is determined by a radical improvement occurring between 10 and 15 months....

  5. Threshold Theory Tested in an Organizational Setting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Bo T.; Hartmann, Peter V. W.; Hedegaard Rasmussen, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    A large sample of leaders (N = 4257) was used to test the link between leader innovativeness and intelligence. The threshold theory of the link between creativity and intelligence assumes that below a certain IQ level (approximately IQ 120), there is some correlation between IQ and creative...... potential, but above this cutoff point, there is no correlation. Support for the threshold theory of creativity was found, in that the correlation between IQ and innovativeness was positive and significant below a cutoff point of IQ 120. Above the cutoff, no significant relation was identified, and the two...... correlations differed significantly. The finding was stable across distinct parts of the sample, providing support for the theory, although the correlations in all subsamples were small. The findings lend support to the existence of threshold effects using perceptual measures of behavior in real...

  6. Stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold in fiber amplifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang Liping; Chang Liping

    2011-01-01

    Based on the wave coupling theory and the evolution model of the critical pump power (or Brillouin threshold) for stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in double-clad fiber amplifiers, the influence of signal bandwidth, fiber-core diameter and amplifier gain on SBS threshold is simulated theoretically. And experimental measurements of SBS are presented in ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber amplifiers with single-frequency hundred nanosecond pulse amplification. Under different input signal pulses, the forward amplified pulse distortion is observed when the pulse energy is up to 660 nJ and the peak power is up to 3.3 W in the pulse amplification with pulse duration of 200 ns and repetition rate of 1 Hz. And the backward SBS narrow pulse appears. The pulse peak power equals to SBS threshold. Good agreement is shown between the modeled and experimental data. (authors)

  7. Determining the Cost-Savings Threshold and Alignment Accuracy of Patient-Specific Instrumentation in Total Ankle Replacements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamid, Kamran S; Matson, Andrew P; Nwachukwu, Benedict U; Scott, Daniel J; Mather, Richard C; DeOrio, James K

    2017-01-01

    Traditional intraoperative referencing for total ankle replacements (TARs) involves multiple steps and fluoroscopic guidance to determine mechanical alignment. Recent adoption of patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) allows for referencing to be determined preoperatively, resulting in less steps and potentially decreased operative time. We hypothesized that usage of PSI would result in decreased operating room time that would offset the additional cost of PSI compared with standard referencing (SR). In addition, we aimed to compare postoperative radiographic alignment between PSI and SR. Between August 2014 and September 2015, 87 patients undergoing TAR were enrolled in a prospectively collected TAR database. Patients were divided into cohorts based on PSI vs SR, and operative times were reviewed. Radiographic alignment parameters were retrospectively measured at 6 weeks postoperatively. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) was used to derive direct costs. Cost vs operative time-savings were examined via 2-way sensitivity analysis to determine cost-saving thresholds for PSI applicable to a range of institution types. Cost-saving thresholds defined the price of PSI below which PSI would be cost-saving. A total of 35 PSI and 52 SR cases were evaluated with no significant differences identified in patient characteristics. Operative time from incision to completion of casting in cases without adjunct procedures was 127 minutes with PSI and 161 minutes with SR ( P cost-savings threshold range at our institution of $863 below which PSI pricing would provide net cost-savings. Two-way sensitivity analysis generated a globally applicable cost-savings threshold model based on institution-specific costs and surgeon-specific time-savings. This study demonstrated equivalent postoperative TAR alignment with PSI and SR referencing systems but with a significant decrease in operative time with PSI. Based on TDABC and associated sensitivity analysis, a cost-savings threshold

  8. Multiuser switched scheduling systems with per-user threshold and post-user selection

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon

    2010-06-01

    A multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme with per-user feedback threshold is proposed in this paper. Unlike the conventional multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme where a single threshold is used by all the users in order to determine whether to transmit a feedback, the proposed scheme deploys per-user threshold, where each user uses a potentially different threshold than other users thresholds. This paper first provides a generic analytical framework for the optimal feedback thresholds in a closed form. Then we investigates the impact of user sequence strategies and post selection strategies on the performance of the multiuser switched scheduling scheme with per-user threshold. Numerical and simulation results show that the proposed scheme provides a higher system capacity compared to the conventional scheme. © 2010 IEEE.

  9. Multiuser switched scheduling systems with per-user threshold and post-user selection

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2010-01-01

    A multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme with per-user feedback threshold is proposed in this paper. Unlike the conventional multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme where a single threshold is used by all the users in order to determine whether to transmit a feedback, the proposed scheme deploys per-user threshold, where each user uses a potentially different threshold than other users thresholds. This paper first provides a generic analytical framework for the optimal feedback thresholds in a closed form. Then we investigates the impact of user sequence strategies and post selection strategies on the performance of the multiuser switched scheduling scheme with per-user threshold. Numerical and simulation results show that the proposed scheme provides a higher system capacity compared to the conventional scheme. © 2010 IEEE.

  10. Hearing threshold evaluation of dentistsin Babol (North of Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Ehsani

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction:Noise in dental offices is one of the risk factors in the workplace. One of the major effects of noise is hearing loss. This study aimed to determine the effects of noise on hearing thresholds of dentists of Babol city. Methods:This descriptive analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 40 dentists in Babol City (as case group and 40 office workers (as control group. Hearing thresholdswere measured from all the subjects. The mean hearing threshold was calculated at different frequencies in each group and compared with the number 15 db. The data were analyzed by statistical software SPSS17and p≤0.05was considered significant. Results:The mean and standard deviation of hearing thresholds for the right ear of dentists and the control group without considering the different frequencies were 13.6156±9.14210db and10.0156±5.4488db (P=0.036,respectively and for the left ear were12.5115± 8.7609db and 10.059 ± 5.9254db respectively. Hearing threshold of right and left ear of young and middle age dentists was not significant. The hearing thresholds of the dentists with work experience of 15 years or less were not significant for the right and left ear. Auditory thresholds were significant between male and female only for the left ear (P=0.02. Conclusion:There was a change in hearing thresholds at all frequencies. A clear difference was in the left ear of men and women and hearing loss was higher in men. Also, age and working experience were not among the contributing factors to the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss.

  11. Threshold pump power of a solar-pumped dye laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ja H.; Kim, Kyung C.; Kim, Kyong H.

    1988-01-01

    Threshold solar power for dye laser pumping has been determined by measuring the gain of a rhodamine 6G dye laser amplifier at various solar-simulated irradiances on an amplifier cell. The measured threshold was 20,000 solar constants (2.7 kW/sq cm) for the dye volume of 2 x 5 x 40 cu mm and the optimum dye concentration of 0.001 M. The threshold is about one-third of that achievable with a high-intensity solar concentrator.

  12. Thresholding projection estimators in functional linear models

    OpenAIRE

    Cardot, Hervé; Johannes, Jan

    2010-01-01

    We consider the problem of estimating the regression function in functional linear regression models by proposing a new type of projection estimators which combine dimension reduction and thresholding. The introduction of a threshold rule allows to get consistency under broad assumptions as well as minimax rates of convergence under additional regularity hypotheses. We also consider the particular case of Sobolev spaces generated by the trigonometric basis which permits to get easily mean squ...

  13. Near threshold expansion of Feynman diagrams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendels, E.

    2005-01-01

    The near threshold expansion of Feynman diagrams is derived from their configuration space representation, by performing all x integrations. The general scalar Feynman diagram is considered, with an arbitrary number of external momenta, an arbitrary number of internal lines and an arbitrary number of loops, in n dimensions and all masses may be different. The expansions are considered both below and above threshold. Rules, giving real and imaginary part, are derived. Unitarity of a sunset diagram with I internal lines is checked in a direct way by showing that its imaginary part is equal to the phase space integral of I particles

  14. Constant-current regulator improves tunnel diode threshold-detector performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cancro, C. A.

    1965-01-01

    Grounded-base transistor is placed in a tunnel diode threshold detector circuit, and a bias voltage is applied to the tunnel diode. This provides the threshold detector with maximum voltage output and overload protection.

  15. Elaborating on Threshold Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rountree, Janet; Robins, Anthony; Rountree, Nathan

    2013-01-01

    We propose an expanded definition of Threshold Concepts (TCs) that requires the successful acquisition and internalisation not only of knowledge, but also its practical elaboration in the domains of applied strategies and mental models. This richer definition allows us to clarify the relationship between TCs and Fundamental Ideas, and to account…

  16. Multiple dark matter scenarios from ubiquitous stringy throats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chialva, D.; Dev, P.S.B.; Mazumdar, A.

    2013-01-01

    We discuss the possibility of having multiple Kaluza-Klein dark matter candidates which arise naturally in generic type-IIB string theory compactification scenarios. These dark matter candidates reside in various throats of the Calabi-Yau manifold. In principle, they can come with a varied range......, we find that the mass scales allowed for the Kaluza-Klein dark matter particles in various throats can vary between 0.1 eV and 10 TeV, depending upon the throat geometry. Thus, there could be simultaneously more than one kind of cold (and possibly warm and hot) dark matter components residing...... in the Universe. This multiple dark matter scenario could weaken the bound on a conventional supersymmetric dark matter candidate and could also account for extra relativistic degrees of freedom in our Universe....

  17. Retinal hemorrhage thresholds for Q-switched neodymium-Yag laser exposures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blankenstein, M.F.; Zuclich, J.; Allen, R.G.; Davis, H.; Thomas, S.J.; Harrison, R.F.

    1986-07-01

    Thresholds for retinal vitreal and contained hemorrhages were determined for 1064 nm laser light at 30-nsec and 4-nsec pulsewidths. Rhesus monkeys received graded exposures from a neodymium-yag laser onto either the macular or extramacular region of the retina. Contained hemorrhages appeared as concentric ring structures with white punctate centers. The vitreal hemorrhage was characterized by the presence of choroidal blood in the vitreal chamber at the exposure site. The 30-nsec contained hemorrhage threshold (ED50) was 1.7 mJ on the macula and 2.1 mJ for an extramacular exposure. The 30-nsec vitreal hemorrhage macular threshold was 2.3 mJ, and the extramacular threshold was 6.6 mJ. The threshold for the 4-nsec pulsewidths to produce a hemorrhage (vitreal or contained) on the retina (macula or extramacular) was 340 microJ.

  18. Retinal-hemorrhage thresholds for Q-switched neodymium-YAG laser exposures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blankenstein, M.F.; Zuclich; Allen, R.G.; Davis; Thomas, S.J.

    1986-07-01

    Thresholds for retinal vitreal and contained hemorrhages were determined for 1064-nm laser light at 30-ns and 4-ns pulsewidths. Rhesus monkeys received graded exposures from a neodymium-YAG laser onto either the macular or extramacular region of the retina. Contained hemorrhages appeared as concentric-ring structures with white punctuate centers. The vitreal hemorrhage was characterized by the presence of choroidal blood in the vitreal chamber at the exposure site. The 30-ns contained-hemorrhage threshold (ED50) was 1.7 mJ on the macula and 2.1 mJ for an extramacular exposure. The 30-ns vitreal-hemorrhage macular threshold was 2.3 mJ, and the extramacular threshold was 6.6 Mj. The threshold for the 4-ns pulse widths to produce a hemorrhage (vitreal or contained) on the retina (macula or extramacular) was 340 uJ.

  19. Modelling the regulatory system for diabetes mellitus with a threshold window

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jin; Tang, Sanyi; Cheke, Robert A.

    2015-05-01

    Piecewise (or non-smooth) glucose-insulin models with threshold windows for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are proposed and analyzed with a view to improving understanding of the glucose-insulin regulatory system. For glucose-insulin models with a single threshold, the existence and stability of regular, virtual, pseudo-equilibria and tangent points are addressed. Then the relations between regular equilibria and a pseudo-equilibrium are studied. Furthermore, the sufficient and necessary conditions for the global stability of regular equilibria and the pseudo-equilibrium are provided by using qualitative analysis techniques of non-smooth Filippov dynamic systems. Sliding bifurcations related to boundary node bifurcations were investigated with theoretical and numerical techniques, and insulin clinical therapies are discussed. For glucose-insulin models with a threshold window, the effects of glucose thresholds or the widths of threshold windows on the durations of insulin therapy and glucose infusion were addressed. The duration of the effects of an insulin injection is sensitive to the variation of thresholds. Our results indicate that blood glucose level can be maintained within a normal range using piecewise glucose-insulin models with a single threshold or a threshold window. Moreover, our findings suggest that it is critical to individualise insulin therapy for each patient separately, based on initial blood glucose levels.

  20. Analytical drift-current threshold voltage model of long-channel double-gate MOSFETs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shih, Chun-Hsing; Wang, Jhong-Sheng

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a new, physical threshold voltage model to solve the ambiguity in determining the threshold voltage of double-gate (DG) MOSFETs. To avoid the difficulties of the conventional 2ψ B model in nearly undoped DG MOSFETs, this study proposes to define the on–off switching based on the actual roles of the drift and diffusion components in the total drain current. The drift current strongly enhances beyond the threshold voltage, while the diffusion current plays a major role in the subthreshold. The threshold voltage is defined as the drift component that exceeds the diffusion counterpart. From the solutions of Poisson's equation, the drift and diffusion currents of DG MOSFETs are separately formulated to derive the analytical expressions of the threshold voltage and associated threshold current. This model provides a comprehensive description of the switching behavior of DG MOSFET devices, and offers a physical onset threshold current to determine the threshold voltage in practical extraction