A Simultaneous Density-Integral System for Estimating Stem Profile and Biomass: Slash Pine and Willow Oak

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard R. Parresol; Charles E. Thomas

1996-01-01

In the wood utilization industry, both stem profile and biomass are important quantities. The two have traditionally been estimated separately. The introduction of a density-integral method allows for coincident estimation of stem profile and biomass, based on the calculus of mass theory, and provides an alternative to weight-ratio methodology. In the initial...

A quasi-sequential parameter estimation for nonlinear dynamic systems based on multiple data profiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Chao [FuZhou University, FuZhou (China); Vu, Quoc Dong; Li, Pu [Ilmenau University of Technology, Ilmenau (Germany)

2013-02-15

A three-stage computation framework for solving parameter estimation problems for dynamic systems with multiple data profiles is developed. The dynamic parameter estimation problem is transformed into a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem by using collocation on finite elements. The model parameters to be estimated are treated in the upper stage by solving an NLP problem. The middle stage consists of multiple NLP problems nested in the upper stage, representing the data reconciliation step for each data profile. We use the quasi-sequential dynamic optimization approach to solve these problems. In the lower stage, the state variables and their gradients are evaluated through ntegrating the model equations. Since the second-order derivatives are not required in the computation framework this proposed method will be efficient for solving nonlinear dynamic parameter estimation problems. The computational results obtained on a parameter estimation problem for two CSTR models demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

A quasi-sequential parameter estimation for nonlinear dynamic systems based on multiple data profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Chao; Vu, Quoc Dong; Li, Pu

2013-01-01

A three-stage computation framework for solving parameter estimation problems for dynamic systems with multiple data profiles is developed. The dynamic parameter estimation problem is transformed into a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem by using collocation on finite elements. The model parameters to be estimated are treated in the upper stage by solving an NLP problem. The middle stage consists of multiple NLP problems nested in the upper stage, representing the data reconciliation step for each data profile. We use the quasi-sequential dynamic optimization approach to solve these problems. In the lower stage, the state variables and their gradients are evaluated through ntegrating the model equations. Since the second-order derivatives are not required in the computation framework this proposed method will be efficient for solving nonlinear dynamic parameter estimation problems. The computational results obtained on a parameter estimation problem for two CSTR models demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Radioactive waste management profiles. A compilation of data from the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB). No. 9, May 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-05-01

The IAEA's Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB) is an Internet-based application which contains information on national radioactive waste management programmes, plans and activities, relevant laws and regulations, policies and radioactive waste inventories in IAEA Member States. It can be accessed via the following Internet address: http://www-newmdb.iaea.org. The Country Waste Profiles provide a concise summary of the information entered into the NEWMDB system by each participating Member State. This Profiles report is based on data collected using the NEWMDB from May to December 2007

Radioactive waste management profiles. A compilation of data from the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB). No. 8, August 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-08-01

The IAEA's Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB) is an Internet-based application which contains information on national radioactive waste management programmes, plans and activities, relevant laws and regulations, policies and radioactive waste inventories in IAEA Member States. It can be accessed via the following Internet address: http://www-newmdb.iaea.org. The Country Waste Profiles provide a concise summary of the information entered into the NEWMDB system by each participating Member State. This Profiles report is based on data collected using the NEWMDB from May to December 2006

A linear programming approach for estimating the structure of a sparse linear genetic network from transcript profiling data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandra Nagasuma R

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A genetic network can be represented as a directed graph in which a node corresponds to a gene and a directed edge specifies the direction of influence of one gene on another. The reconstruction of such networks from transcript profiling data remains an important yet challenging endeavor. A transcript profile specifies the abundances of many genes in a biological sample of interest. Prevailing strategies for learning the structure of a genetic network from high-dimensional transcript profiling data assume sparsity and linearity. Many methods consider relatively small directed graphs, inferring graphs with up to a few hundred nodes. This work examines large undirected graphs representations of genetic networks, graphs with many thousands of nodes where an undirected edge between two nodes does not indicate the direction of influence, and the problem of estimating the structure of such a sparse linear genetic network (SLGN from transcript profiling data. Results The structure learning task is cast as a sparse linear regression problem which is then posed as a LASSO (l1-constrained fitting problem and solved finally by formulating a Linear Program (LP. A bound on the Generalization Error of this approach is given in terms of the Leave-One-Out Error. The accuracy and utility of LP-SLGNs is assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using simulated and real data. The Dialogue for Reverse Engineering Assessments and Methods (DREAM initiative provides gold standard data sets and evaluation metrics that enable and facilitate the comparison of algorithms for deducing the structure of networks. The structures of LP-SLGNs estimated from the INSILICO1, INSILICO2 and INSILICO3 simulated DREAM2 data sets are comparable to those proposed by the first and/or second ranked teams in the DREAM2 competition. The structures of LP-SLGNs estimated from two published Saccharomyces cerevisae cell cycle transcript profiling data sets capture known

Metagenome and Metatranscriptome Analyses Using Protein Family Profiles.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cuncong Zhong

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Analyses of metagenome data (MG and metatranscriptome data (MT are often challenged by a paucity of complete reference genome sequences and the uneven/low sequencing depth of the constituent organisms in the microbial community, which respectively limit the power of reference-based alignment and de novo sequence assembly. These limitations make accurate protein family classification and abundance estimation challenging, which in turn hamper downstream analyses such as abundance profiling of metabolic pathways, identification of differentially encoded/expressed genes, and de novo reconstruction of complete gene and protein sequences from the protein family of interest. The profile hidden Markov model (HMM framework enables the construction of very useful probabilistic models for protein families that allow for accurate modeling of position specific matches, insertions, and deletions. We present a novel homology detection algorithm that integrates banded Viterbi algorithm for profile HMM parsing with an iterative simultaneous alignment and assembly computational framework. The algorithm searches a given profile HMM of a protein family against a database of fragmentary MG/MT sequencing data and simultaneously assembles complete or near-complete gene and protein sequences of the protein family. The resulting program, HMM-GRASPx, demonstrates superior performance in aligning and assembling homologs when benchmarked on both simulated marine MG and real human saliva MG datasets. On real supragingival plaque and stool MG datasets that were generated from healthy individuals, HMM-GRASPx accurately estimates the abundances of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR gene families and enables accurate characterization of the resistome profiles of these microbial communities. For real human oral microbiome MT datasets, using the HMM-GRASPx estimated transcript abundances significantly improves detection of differentially expressed (DE genes. Finally, HMM

Postmortem interval estimation: a novel approach utilizing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-based biochemical profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaszynski, Richard H; Nishiumi, Shin; Azuma, Takeshi; Yoshida, Masaru; Kondo, Takeshi; Takahashi, Motonori; Asano, Migiwa; Ueno, Yasuhiro

2016-05-01

While the molecular mechanisms underlying postmortem change have been exhaustively investigated, the establishment of an objective and reliable means for estimating postmortem interval (PMI) remains an elusive feat. In the present study, we exploit low molecular weight metabolites to estimate postmortem interval in mice. After sacrifice, serum and muscle samples were procured from C57BL/6J mice (n = 52) at seven predetermined postmortem intervals (0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h). After extraction and isolation, low molecular weight metabolites were measured via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and examined via semi-quantification studies. Then, PMI prediction models were generated for each of the 175 and 163 metabolites identified in muscle and serum, respectively, using a non-linear least squares curve fitting program. A PMI estimation panel for muscle and serum was then erected which consisted of 17 (9.7%) and 14 (8.5%) of the best PMI biomarkers identified in muscle and serum profiles demonstrating statistically significant correlations between metabolite quantity and PMI. Using a single-blinded assessment, we carried out validation studies on the PMI estimation panels. Mean ± standard deviation for accuracy of muscle and serum PMI prediction panels was -0.27 ± 2.88 and -0.89 ± 2.31 h, respectively. Ultimately, these studies elucidate the utility of metabolomic profiling in PMI estimation and pave the path toward biochemical profiling studies involving human samples.

Nano-enabled drug delivery: a research profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiao; Porter, Alan L; Robinson, Douglas K R; Shim, Min Suk; Guo, Ying

2014-07-01

Nano-enabled drug delivery (NEDD) systems are rapidly emerging as a key area for nanotechnology application. Understanding the status and developmental prospects of this area around the world is important to determine research priorities, and to evaluate and direct progress. Global research publication and patent databases provide a reservoir of information that can be tapped to provide intelligence for such needs. Here, we present a process to allow for extraction of NEDD-related information from these databases by involving topical experts. This process incorporates in-depth analysis of NEDD literature review papers to identify key subsystems and major topics. We then use these to structure global analysis of NEDD research topical trends and collaborative patterns, inform future innovation directions. This paper describes the process of how to derive nano-enabled drug delivery-related information from global research and patent databases in an effort to perform comprehensive global analysis of research trends and directions, along with collaborative patterns. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimation of dynamic flux profiles from metabolic time series data

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Chou I-Chun

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Advances in modern high-throughput techniques of molecular biology have enabled top-down approaches for the estimation of parameter values in metabolic systems, based on time series data. Special among them is the recent method of dynamic flux estimation (DFE, which uses such data not only for parameter estimation but also for the identification of functional forms of the processes governing a metabolic system. DFE furthermore provides diagnostic tools for the evaluation of model validity and of the quality of a model fit beyond residual errors. Unfortunately, DFE works only when the data are more or less complete and the system contains as many independent fluxes as metabolites. These drawbacks may be ameliorated with other types of estimation and information. However, such supplementations incur their own limitations. In particular, assumptions must be made regarding the functional forms of some processes and detailed kinetic information must be available, in addition to the time series data. Results The authors propose here a systematic approach that supplements DFE and overcomes some of its shortcomings. Like DFE, the approach is model-free and requires only minimal assumptions. If sufficient time series data are available, the approach allows the determination of a subset of fluxes that enables the subsequent applicability of DFE to the rest of the flux system. The authors demonstrate the procedure with three artificial pathway systems exhibiting distinct characteristics and with actual data of the trehalose pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Conclusions The results demonstrate that the proposed method successfully complements DFE under various situations and without a priori assumptions regarding the model representation. The proposed method also permits an examination of whether at all, to what degree, or within what range the available time series data can be validly represented in a particular functional format of

Estimation of inhalation flow profile using audio-based methods to assess inhaler medication adherence

Science.gov (United States)

Lacalle Muls, Helena; Costello, Richard W.; Reilly, Richard B.

2018-01-01

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are required to inhale forcefully and deeply to receive medication when using a dry powder inhaler (DPI). There is a clinical need to objectively monitor the inhalation flow profile of DPIs in order to remotely monitor patient inhalation technique. Audio-based methods have been previously employed to accurately estimate flow parameters such as the peak inspiratory flow rate of inhalations, however, these methods required multiple calibration inhalation audio recordings. In this study, an audio-based method is presented that accurately estimates inhalation flow profile using only one calibration inhalation audio recording. Twenty healthy participants were asked to perform 15 inhalations through a placebo Ellipta™ DPI at a range of inspiratory flow rates. Inhalation flow signals were recorded using a pneumotachograph spirometer while inhalation audio signals were recorded simultaneously using the Inhaler Compliance Assessment device attached to the inhaler. The acoustic (amplitude) envelope was estimated from each inhalation audio signal. Using only one recording, linear and power law regression models were employed to determine which model best described the relationship between the inhalation acoustic envelope and flow signal. Each model was then employed to estimate the flow signals of the remaining 14 inhalation audio recordings. This process repeated until each of the 15 recordings were employed to calibrate single models while testing on the remaining 14 recordings. It was observed that power law models generated the highest average flow estimation accuracy across all participants (90.89±0.9% for power law models and 76.63±2.38% for linear models). The method also generated sufficient accuracy in estimating inhalation parameters such as peak inspiratory flow rate and inspiratory capacity within the presence of noise. Estimating inhaler inhalation flow profiles using audio based methods may be

Identification of ballast water discharge profiles of a port to enable effective ballast water management and environmental studies

Science.gov (United States)

David, Matej; Gollasch, Stephan; Penko, Ludvik

2018-03-01

Information about the profile of ballast water discharges in a port is one of the basic elements of the decision making process in ballast water risk assessment and management, and supports the evaluation of dimensions and processes of aquatic species invasions with vessels ballast water. In the lack of ballast water reporting, ballast water discharge assessments need to be conducted. In this study we have assessed and compared ballast water discharge profiles of two ports with different maritime traffic and cargo profiles, the Port of Hamburg (Germany) and the Muuga Harbour, Port of Tallinn (Estonia). This study shows methods and approaches which can be used to assess volumes and donor ports of ballast water discharges for a port at the level of each vessel call. These methods and approaches can be applied to any port to support the implementation of feasible and efficient ballast water management measures and to enable environmental studies including long-term accumulation risks of disinfection by-products from ballast water management systems making use of active substances, as well as for discharges of other chemical compounds.

Fast estimation of defect profiles from the magnetic flux leakage signal based on a multi-power affine projection algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wenhua; Shen, Xiaohui; Xu, Jun; Wang, Ping; Tian, Guiyun; Wu, Zhengyang

2014-09-04

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) inspection is one of the most important and sensitive nondestructive testing approaches. For online MFL inspection of a long-range railway track or oil pipeline, a fast and effective defect profile estimating method based on a multi-power affine projection algorithm (MAPA) is proposed, where the depth of a sampling point is related with not only the MFL signals before it, but also the ones after it, and all of the sampling points related to one point appear as serials or multi-power. Defect profile estimation has two steps: regulating a weight vector in an MAPA filter and estimating a defect profile with the MAPA filter. Both simulation and experimental data are used to test the performance of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits high speed while maintaining the estimated profiles clearly close to the desired ones in a noisy environment, thereby meeting the demand of accurate online inspection.

Application of the inverse estimation method of current distribution from magnetic fields using genetic algorithm to beam profile measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishimoto, M.; Sakasai, K.; Ara, K.

1994-01-01

In this paper, the new type of non-invasive beam profile monitor for intense ion accelerator using high-temperature superconductor. We regard the inverse estimation problem of beam profile as the optimum allocation problem of the currents into the cross-section of the beam vacuum pipe and applied genetic algorithm to solve this optimization problem. And we carried out the computer simulation to verify the effectiveness of this inverse estimation method of beam profile. (author)

Impact of nonlinearity on changing the a priori of trace gas profile estimates from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Kulawik

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Non-linear maximum a posteriori (MAP estimates of atmospheric profiles from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES contains a priori information that may vary geographically, which is a confounding factor in the analysis and physical interpretation of an ensemble of profiles. One mitigation strategy is to transform profile estimates to a common prior using a linear operation thereby facilitating the interpretation of profile variability. However, this operation is dependent on the assumption of not worse than moderate non-linearity near the solution of the non-linear estimate. The robustness of this assumption is tested by comparing atmospheric retrievals from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer processed with a uniform prior with those processed with a variable prior and converted to a uniform prior following the non-linear retrieval. Linearly converting the prior following a non-linear retrieval is shown to have a minor effect on the results as compared to a non-linear retrieval using a uniform prior when compared to the expected total error, with less than 10% of the change in the prior ending up as unbiased fluctuations in the profile estimate results.

Profile of intimate partner violence in Family Health Units.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafael, Ricardo de Mattos Russo; Moura, Anna Tereza Miranda Soares de; Tavares, Jeane Marques Cunha; Ferreira, Renata Evelin Moreno; Camilo, Glauce Gomes da Silva; Neto, Mercedes

2017-01-01

To estimate the profile of intimate partner violence involving women in a scenario of Family Health Strategy in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu (Rio de Janeiro). A transversal study was conducted in four units with a sample of 640 women between the ages of 25 to 64. The phenomena of violence was determined using the tool Revised Conflict Tactics Scales, validated for Brazil. Statistical analysis took into consideration an estimation of prevalence in the calculation of the p values. The situations of violence and the sociodemographic profiles demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with the variables of educational level and housing conditions. Age, ethnicity and economic class demonstrated an association with certain types of violence, varying in type and severity. The study investigated the profile of these situations of violence and enabled reflection regarding the approaches adopted by the Family Health Strategy teams.

Early pharmaceutical profiling to predict oral drug absorption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergström, Christel A S; Holm, René; Jørgensen, Søren Astrup

2014-01-01

Preformulation measurements are used to estimate the fraction absorbed in vivo for orally administered compounds and thereby allow an early evaluation of the need for enabling formulations. As part of the Oral Biopharmaceutical Tools (OrBiTo) project, this review provides a summary of the pharmac......Preformulation measurements are used to estimate the fraction absorbed in vivo for orally administered compounds and thereby allow an early evaluation of the need for enabling formulations. As part of the Oral Biopharmaceutical Tools (OrBiTo) project, this review provides a summary...... and state-of-the art methodologies to study API properties impacting on oral absorption are reviewed. Assays performed during early development, i.e. physicochemical characterization, dissolution profiles under physiological conditions, permeability assays and the impact of excipients on these properties...

Application of Depth-Averaged Velocity Profile for Estimation of Longitudinal Dispersion in Rivers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Givehchi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available River bed profiles and depth-averaged velocities are used as basic data in empirical and analytical equations for estimating the longitudinal dispersion coefficient which has always been a topic of great interest for researchers. The simple model proposed by Maghrebi is capable of predicting the normalized isovel contours in the cross section of rivers and channels as well as the depth-averaged velocity profiles. The required data in Maghrebi’s model are bed profile, shear stress, and roughness distributions. Comparison of depth-averaged velocities and longitudinal dispersion coefficients observed in the field data and those predicted by Maghrebi’s model revealed that Maghrebi’s model had an acceptable accuracy in predicting depth-averaged velocity.

Estimating cumulative soil accumulation rates with in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclide depth profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, William M.

2000-01-01

A numerical model relating spatially averaged rates of cumulative soil accumulation and hillslope erosion to cosmogenic nuclide distribution in depth profiles is presented. Model predictions are compared with cosmogenic 21 Ne and AMS radiocarbon data from soils of the Pajarito Plateau, New Mexico. Rates of soil accumulation and hillslope erosion estimated by cosmogenic 21 Ne are significantly lower than rates indicated by radiocarbon and regional soil-geomorphic studies. The low apparent cosmogenic erosion rates are artifacts of high nuclide inheritance in cumulative soil parent material produced from erosion of old soils on hillslopes. In addition, 21 Ne profiles produced under conditions of rapid accumulation (>0.1 cm/a) are difficult to distinguish from bioturbated soil profiles. Modeling indicates that while 10 Be profiles will share this problem, both bioturbation and anomalous inheritance can be identified with measurement of in situ-produced 14 C

Radioactive waste management profiles. A compilation of data from the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB). No. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-05-01

The document consists of two parts: Overview and Country Waste Profile Reports for Reporting Year 2000. The first section contains overview reports that provide assessments of the achievements and shortcomings of the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB) during the first two data collection cycles (July 2001 to March 2002 and July 2002 to February 2003). The second part of the report includes a summary and compilation of waste management data submitted by Agency Member States in both the first and second data collection cycles

Regional and longitudinal estimation of product lifespan distribution: a case study for automobiles and a simplified estimation method.

Science.gov (United States)

Oguchi, Masahiro; Fuse, Masaaki

2015-02-03

Product lifespan estimates are important information for understanding progress toward sustainable consumption and estimating the stocks and end-of-life flows of products. Publications reported actual lifespan of products; however, quantitative data are still limited for many countries and years. This study presents regional and longitudinal estimation of lifespan distribution of consumer durables, taking passenger cars as an example, and proposes a simplified method for estimating product lifespan distribution. We estimated lifespan distribution parameters for 17 countries based on the age profile of in-use cars. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the shape parameter of the lifespan distribution can be replaced by a constant value for all the countries and years. This enabled a simplified estimation that does not require detailed data on the age profile. Applying the simplified method, we estimated the trend in average lifespans of passenger cars from 2000 to 2009 for 20 countries. Average lifespan differed greatly between countries (9-23 years) and was increasing in many countries. This suggests consumer behavior differs greatly among countries and has changed over time, even in developed countries. The results suggest that inappropriate assumptions of average lifespan may cause significant inaccuracy in estimating the stocks and end-of-life flows of products.

Lifetime estimation for the power semiconductors considering mission profiles in wind power converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Ke; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

for the reliability improvement and also for cost reduction of wind power technology. Unfortunately, the existing lifetime estimation methods for the power electronic converter are not yet suitable in the wind power application, because the comprehensive mission profiles are not well specified and included......As a key component in the wind turbine system, power electronic converter and its power semiconductors suffer from adverse power loadings related to environment, and are proven to have certain failure rates. Therefore, correct lifetime estimation of wind power converter is crucial...... estimation, more detailed information for the reliability performance of wind power converter can be obtained....

Temperature profiles in the Harwell boreholes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robins, N.S.

1983-03-01

Heat flow at Harwell is estimated at 45 mWm -2 (milli Watt per metre squared is the unit of heat flow). Thermal conductivity values for the formations penetrated range from 1.0 to 4.6 Wm -1 K -1 . The temperature profiles recorded in the boreholes enable the vertical groundwater flow patterns within two poorly permeable mudrock units to be evaluated. The two mudrock units act as leaky barriers each separating a pair of aquifer units which induce a vertical hydraulic gradient across the mudrocks. The flow velocity results for the upper mudrock units derived from the temperature profile are compatible with values for groundwater potential derived from hydraulic data (10 -9 ms -1 from the temperature profile and 10 -12 ms -1 from the hydraulic observations). The results from the lower mudrock sequence are incompatible and this may be due to some other overiding influence upon the temperature profile. (author)

Profile of intimate partner violence in Family Health Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo de Mattos Russo Rafael

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To estimate the profile of intimate partner violence involving women in a scenario of Family Health Strategy in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu (Rio de Janeiro. Method: A transversal study was conducted in four units with a sample of 640 women between the ages of 25 to 64. The phenomena of violence was determined using the tool Revised Conflict Tactics Scales, validated for Brazil. Statistical analysis took into consideration an estimation of prevalence in the calculation of the p values. Results: The situations of violence and the sociodemographic profiles demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with the variables of educational level and housing conditions. Age, ethnicity and economic class demonstrated an association with certain types of violence, varying in type and severity. Conclusion: The study investigated the profile of these situations of violence and enabled reflection regarding the approaches adopted by the Family Health Strategy teams.

Application of microwave radiometer and wind profiler data in the estimation of wind gust associated with intense convective weather

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, P W; Wong, K H

2008-01-01

Estimates of the wind gusts associated with intense convective weather could be obtained using empirical relationships such as GUSTEX based on radiosonde measurements. However, such data are only available a couple of times a day and may not reflect the rapidly changing atmospheric condition in spring and summer times. The feasibility of combining the thermodynamic profiles from a ground-based microwave radiometer and wind profiles given by radar wind profilers in the continuous estimation of wind gusts is studied in this paper. Based on the results of a 4-month trial of a microwave radiometer in Hong Kong in 2004, the estimated and the actual gusts are reasonably well correlated. It is also found that the wind gusts so estimated provide better indications of the strength of squalls compared with those based on radiosonde measurements and with a lead time of about one hour

Assessing one-dimensional diffusion in nanoporous materials from transient concentration profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinke, Lars; Kaerger, Joerg

2008-01-01

The use of interference microscopy has enabled the direct observation of transient concentration profiles generated by intracrystalline transport diffusion in nanoporous materials. The thus accessible intracrystalline concentration profiles contain a wealth of information which cannot be deduced by any macroscopic method. In this paper, we illustrate five different ways for determining the concentration-dependent diffusivity in one-dimensional systems and two for the surface permeability. These methods are discussed by application to concentration profiles evolving during the uptake of methanol by the zeolite ferrierite and of methanol by the metal organic framework (MOF) manganese(II) formate. We show that the diffusivity can be calculated most precisely by means of Fick's 1st law. As the circumstances permit, Boltzmann's integration method also yields very precise results. Furthermore, we present a simple procedure that enables the estimation of the influence of the surface barrier on the overall uptake process by plotting the boundary concentration versus the overall uptake

Thermal Loading and Lifetime Estimation for Power Device Considering Mission Profiles in Wind Power Converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Ke; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2015-01-01

for the reliability improvement and also for cost reduction of wind power technology. Unfortunately, the existing lifetime estimation methods for the power electronic converter are not yet suitable in the wind power application, because the comprehensive mission profiles are not well specified and included......As a key component in the wind turbine system, the power electronic converter and its power semiconductors suffer from complicated power loadings related to environment, and are proven to have high failure rates. Therefore, correct lifetime estimation of wind power converter is crucial...... devices, more detailed information of the lifetime-related performance in wind power converter can be obtained. Some experimental results are also included to validate the thermal behavior of power device under different mission profiles....

Impact of instrumental response on observed ozonesonde profiles: First-order estimates and implications for measures of variability

Science.gov (United States)

Clifton, G. T.; Merrill, J. T.; Johnson, B. J.; Oltmans, S. J.

2009-12-01

Ozonesondes provide information on the ozone distribution up to the middle stratosphere. Ozone profiles often feature layers, with vertically discrete maxima and minima in the mixing ratio. Layers are especially common in the UT/LS regions and originate from wave breaking, shearing and other transport processes. ECC sondes, however, have a moderate response time to significant changes in ozone. A sonde can ascend over 350 meters before it responds fully to a step change in ozone. This results in an overestimate of the altitude assigned to layers and an underestimate of the underlying variability in the amount of ozone. An estimate of the response time is made for each instrument during the preparation for flight, but the profile data are typically not processed to account for the response. Here we present a method of categorizing the response time of ECC instruments and an analysis of a low-pass filter approximation to the effects on profile data. Exponential functions were fit to the step-up and step-down responses using laboratory data. The resulting response time estimates were consistent with results from standard procedures, with the up-step response time exceeding the down-step value somewhat. A single-pole Butterworth filter that approximates the instrumental effect was used with synthetic layered profiles to make first-order estimates of the impact of the finite response time. Using a layer analysis program previously applied to observed profiles we find that instrumental effects can attenuate ozone variability by 20-45% in individual layers, but that the vertical offset in layer altitudes is moderate, up to about 150 meters. We will present results obtained using this approach, coupled with data on the distribution of layer characteristics found using the layer analysis procedure on profiles from Narragansett, Rhode Island and other US sites to quantify the impact on overall variability estimates given ambient distributions of layer occurrence, thickness

Microwave remote sensing of soil moisture for estimation of profile soil property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattikalli, N.M.; Engman, E.T.; Ahuja, L.R.; Jackson, T.J.

1998-01-01

Multi-temporal microwave remotely-sensed soil moisture has been utilized for the estimation of profile soil property, viz. the soil hydraulic conductivity. Passive microwave remote sensing was employed to collect daily soil moisture data across the Little Washita watershed, Oklahoma, during 10-18 June 1992. The ESTAR (Electronically Steered Thin Array Radiometer) instrument operating at L -band was flown on a NASA C-130 aircraft. Brightness temperature (TB) data collected at a ground resolution of 200m were employed to derive spatial distribution of surface soil moisture. Analysis of spatial and temporal soil moisture information in conjunction with soils data revealed a direct relation between changes in soil moisture and soil texture. A geographical information system (GIS) based analysis suggested that 2-days initial drainage of soil, measured from remote sensing, was related to an important soil hydraulic property viz. the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat). A hydrologic modelling methodology was developed for estimation of Ksat of surface and sub-surface soil layers. Specifically, soil hydraulic parameters were optimized to obtain a good match between model estimated and field measured soil moisture profiles. Relations between 2-days soil moisture change and Ksat of 0-5 cm, 0-30 cm and 0-60cm depths yielded correla tions of 0.78, 0.82 and 0.71, respectively. These results are comparable to the findings of previous studies involving laboratory-controlled experiments and numerical simulations, and support their extension to the field conditions of the Little Washita watershed. These findings have potential applications of microwave remote sensing to obtain 2-days of soil moisture and then to quickly estimate the spatial distribution of Ksat over large areas. (author)

Real Mission Profile Based Lifetime Estimation of Fuel-cell Power Converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Dao; Wang, Huai; Blaabjerg, Frede

2016-01-01

. This paper describes a lifetime prediction method for the power semiconductors used in the power conditioning of a fuel cell based backup system, considering both the long-term standby mode and active operation mode. The annual ambient temperature profile is taken into account to estimate its impact...... on the degradation of MOSFETs during the standby mode. At the presence of power outages, the backup system is activated into the operation mode and the MOSFETs withstand additional thermal stresses due to power losses. A study case of a 1 kW backup system is presented with two annual mission profiles in Denmark...... and India, respectively. The ambient temperature, occurrence frequency of power outages, active operation time and power levels are considered for the lifetime prediction of the applied MOSFETs. Comparisons of the accumulated lifetime consumptions are performed between standby mode and operation mode...

qpure: A tool to estimate tumor cellularity from genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism profiles.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Song

Full Text Available Tumour cellularity, the relative proportion of tumour and normal cells in a sample, affects the sensitivity of mutation detection, copy number analysis, cancer gene expression and methylation profiling. Tumour cellularity is traditionally estimated by pathological review of sectioned specimens; however this method is both subjective and prone to error due to heterogeneity within lesions and cellularity differences between the sample viewed during pathological review and tissue used for research purposes. In this paper we describe a statistical model to estimate tumour cellularity from SNP array profiles of paired tumour and normal samples using shifts in SNP allele frequency at regions of loss of heterozygosity (LOH in the tumour. We also provide qpure, a software implementation of the method. Our experiments showed that there is a medium correlation 0.42 ([Formula: see text]-value=0.0001 between tumor cellularity estimated by qpure and pathology review. Interestingly there is a high correlation 0.87 ([Formula: see text]-value [Formula: see text] 2.2e-16 between cellularity estimates by qpure and deep Ion Torrent sequencing of known somatic KRAS mutations; and a weaker correlation 0.32 ([Formula: see text]-value=0.004 between IonTorrent sequencing and pathology review. This suggests that qpure may be a more accurate predictor of tumour cellularity than pathology review. qpure can be downloaded from https://sourceforge.net/projects/qpure/.

Off-Nadir Hyperspectral Sensing for Estimation of Vertical Profile of Leaf Chlorophyll Content within Wheat Canopies.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Weiping; Huang, Wenjiang; Casa, Raffaele; Zhou, Xianfeng; Ye, Huichun; Dong, Yingying

2017-11-23

Monitoring the vertical profile of leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content within winter wheat canopies is of significant importance for revealing the real nutritional status of the crop. Information on the vertical profile of Chl content is not accessible to nadir-viewing remote or proximal sensing. Off-nadir or multi-angle sensing would provide effective means to detect leaf Chl content in different vertical layers. However, adequate information on the selection of sensitive spectral bands and spectral index formulas for vertical leaf Chl content estimation is not yet available. In this study, all possible two-band and three-band combinations over spectral bands in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-, simple ratio (SR)- and chlorophyll index (CI)-like types of indices at different viewing angles were calculated and assessed for their capability of estimating leaf Chl for three vertical layers of wheat canopies. The vertical profiles of Chl showed top-down declining trends and the patterns of band combinations sensitive to leaf Chl content varied among different vertical layers. Results indicated that the combinations of green band (520 nm) with NIR bands were efficient in estimating upper leaf Chl content, whereas the red edge (695 nm) paired with NIR bands were dominant in quantifying leaf Chl in the lower layers. Correlations between published spectral indices and all NDVI-, SR- and CI-like types of indices and vertical distribution of Chl content showed that reflectance measured from 50°, 30° and 20° backscattering viewing angles were the most promising to obtain information on leaf Chl in the upper-, middle-, and bottom-layer, respectively. Three types of optimized spectral indices improved the accuracy for vertical leaf Chl content estimation. The optimized three-band CI-like index performed the best in the estimation of vertical distribution of leaf Chl content, with R² of 0.84-0.69, and RMSE of 5.37-5.56 µg/cm² from the top to the bottom layers

Achievable Rate Estimation of IEEE 802.11ad Visual Big-Data Uplink Access in Cloud-Enabled Surveillance Applications.

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Kim, Joongheon; Kim, Jong-Kook

2016-01-01

This paper addresses the computation procedures for estimating the impact of interference in 60 GHz IEEE 802.11ad uplink access in order to construct visual big-data database from randomly deployed surveillance camera sensing devices. The acquired large-scale massive visual information from surveillance camera devices will be used for organizing big-data database, i.e., this estimation is essential for constructing centralized cloud-enabled surveillance database. This performance estimation study captures interference impacts on the target cloud access points from multiple interference components generated by the 60 GHz wireless transmissions from nearby surveillance camera devices to their associated cloud access points. With this uplink interference scenario, the interference impacts on the main wireless transmission from a target surveillance camera device to its associated target cloud access point with a number of settings are measured and estimated under the consideration of 60 GHz radiation characteristics and antenna radiation pattern models.

Vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties and the solar heating rate estimated by combining sky radiometer and lidar measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kudo, Rei; Nishizawa, Tomoaki; Aoyagi, Toshinori

2016-07-01

The SKYLIDAR algorithm was developed to estimate vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties from sky radiometer (SKYNET) and lidar (AD-Net) measurements. The solar heating rate was also estimated from the SKYLIDAR retrievals. The algorithm consists of two retrieval steps: (1) columnar properties are retrieved from the sky radiometer measurements and the vertically mean depolarization ratio obtained from the lidar measurements and (2) vertical profiles are retrieved from the lidar measurements and the results of the first step. The derived parameters are the vertical profiles of the size distribution, refractive index (real and imaginary parts), extinction coefficient, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor. Sensitivity tests were conducted by applying the SKYLIDAR algorithm to the simulated sky radiometer and lidar data for vertical profiles of three different aerosols, continental average, transported dust, and pollution aerosols. The vertical profiles of the size distribution, extinction coefficient, and asymmetry factor were well estimated in all cases. The vertical profiles of the refractive index and single-scattering albedo of transported dust, but not those of transported pollution aerosol, were well estimated. To demonstrate the performance and validity of the SKYLIDAR algorithm, we applied the SKYLIDAR algorithm to the actual measurements at Tsukuba, Japan. The detailed vertical structures of the aerosol optical properties and solar heating rate of transported dust and smoke were investigated. Examination of the relationship between the solar heating rate and the aerosol optical properties showed that the vertical profile of the asymmetry factor played an important role in creating vertical variation in the solar heating rate. We then compared the columnar optical properties retrieved with the SKYLIDAR algorithm to those produced with the more established scheme SKYRAD.PACK, and the surface solar irradiance calculated from the SKYLIDAR

Achievable Rate Estimation of IEEE 802.11ad Visual Big-Data Uplink Access in Cloud-Enabled Surveillance Applications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joongheon Kim

Full Text Available This paper addresses the computation procedures for estimating the impact of interference in 60 GHz IEEE 802.11ad uplink access in order to construct visual big-data database from randomly deployed surveillance camera sensing devices. The acquired large-scale massive visual information from surveillance camera devices will be used for organizing big-data database, i.e., this estimation is essential for constructing centralized cloud-enabled surveillance database. This performance estimation study captures interference impacts on the target cloud access points from multiple interference components generated by the 60 GHz wireless transmissions from nearby surveillance camera devices to their associated cloud access points. With this uplink interference scenario, the interference impacts on the main wireless transmission from a target surveillance camera device to its associated target cloud access point with a number of settings are measured and estimated under the consideration of 60 GHz radiation characteristics and antenna radiation pattern models.

Developing Soil Moisture Profiles Utilizing Remotely Sensed MW and TIR Based SM Estimates Through Principle of Maximum Entropy

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, V.; Cruise, J. F.; Mecikalski, J. R.

2015-12-01

Developing accurate vertical soil moisture profiles with minimum input requirements is important to agricultural as well as land surface modeling. Earlier studies show that the principle of maximum entropy (POME) can be utilized to develop vertical soil moisture profiles with accuracy (MAE of about 1% for a monotonically dry profile; nearly 2% for monotonically wet profiles and 3.8% for mixed profiles) with minimum constraints (surface, mean and bottom soil moisture contents). In this study, the constraints for the vertical soil moisture profiles were obtained from remotely sensed data. Low resolution (25 km) MW soil moisture estimates (AMSR-E) were downscaled to 4 km using a soil evaporation efficiency index based disaggregation approach. The downscaled MW soil moisture estimates served as a surface boundary condition, while 4 km resolution TIR based Atmospheric Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) estimates provided the required mean root-zone soil moisture content. Bottom soil moisture content is assumed to be a soil dependent constant. Mulit-year (2002-2011) gridded profiles were developed for the southeastern United States using the POME method. The soil moisture profiles were compared to those generated in land surface models (Land Information System (LIS) and an agricultural model DSSAT) along with available NRCS SCAN sites in the study region. The end product, spatial soil moisture profiles, can be assimilated into agricultural and hydrologic models in lieu of precipitation for data scarce regions.Developing accurate vertical soil moisture profiles with minimum input requirements is important to agricultural as well as land surface modeling. Previous studies have shown that the principle of maximum entropy (POME) can be utilized with minimal constraints to develop vertical soil moisture profiles with accuracy (MAE = 1% for monotonically dry profiles; MAE = 2% for monotonically wet profiles and MAE = 3.8% for mixed profiles) when compared to laboratory and field

Mission profile resolution effects on lifetime estimation of doubly-fed induction generator power converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Guanguan; Zhou, Dao; Blaabjerg, Frede

2017-01-01

, and the corresponding thermal modeling of power semiconductors are discussed. Accordingly, effects of different mission profiles on the consumed lifetime of the power converter are evaluated. In the above three thermal cycles, the IGBT of the grid-side converter and the diode of the rotor-side converter are more...... fragile, and the total consumed lifetimes are higher. Moreover, the short-term thermal cycles with milliseconds resolution induce the unbalance of the lifetime between the diode and IGBT of the grid-side converter, while thermal cycles with hour, second, and millisecond resolution consumes the similar......In the wind energy generation system, mission profiles are complicated, which range from seconds to years. In order to estimate the consumed lifetime of the power converter, wind speed profiles with the time resolution of 1 hour, 1 second and 0.5 millisecond are studied in this paper...

Estimating Oceanic Primary Production Using Vertical Irradiance and Chlorophyll Profiles from Ocean Gliders in the North Atlantic.

Science.gov (United States)

Hemsley, Victoria S; Smyth, Timothy J; Martin, Adrian P; Frajka-Williams, Eleanor; Thompson, Andrew F; Damerell, Gillian; Painter, Stuart C

2015-10-06

An autonomous underwater vehicle (Seaglider) has been used to estimate marine primary production (PP) using a combination of irradiance and fluorescence vertical profiles. This method provides estimates for depth-resolved and temporally evolving PP on fine spatial scales in the absence of ship-based calibrations. We describe techniques to correct for known issues associated with long autonomous deployments such as sensor calibration drift and fluorescence quenching. Comparisons were made between the Seaglider, stable isotope ((13)C), and satellite estimates of PP. The Seaglider-based PP estimates were comparable to both satellite estimates and stable isotope measurements.

Manual estimation of fallout casualties. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gant, K.S.; Haaland, C.M.

1978-08-01

A method is described for enabling Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs) to estimate nuclear fallout casualties (fatalities and injuries) during and after nuclear attack without the aid of computers. This method is compatible with the current manual method for estimating initial weapons effects. The new technique requires that the EOCs have information on nuclear detonations and upper wind conditions and that they have maps, a protractor, map overlay material, grease pencils, worksheets, and pencils. In addition, they will need two tables of data and a fallout casualty (FC) template, all supplied in this report. Five steps are involved in the estimation of fallout casualties for an area: sketching fallout wind streamlines on a map overlay; plotting locations of nuclear detonations and their fallout streamlines; measuring crosswind and upwind distances to detonation points from the point of interest; reading radiation exposure tables and summing the contributions from different weapons to obtain the exposure at that point; and using the FC template with the protection factor profile for the area to estimate fatalities and injuries. The tables of radiation exposure are based on a modified Weapons Systems Evaluation Group-10 (WSEG-10) fallout model. The table of county protection factor profiles (PFPs) assumes a Community Shelter Plan (CSP) posture

Estimating Between-Person and Within-Person Subscore Reliability with Profile Analysis.

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Bulut, Okan; Davison, Mark L; Rodriguez, Michael C

2017-01-01

Subscores are of increasing interest in educational and psychological testing due to their diagnostic function for evaluating examinees' strengths and weaknesses within particular domains of knowledge. Previous studies about the utility of subscores have mostly focused on the overall reliability of individual subscores and ignored the fact that subscores should be distinct and have added value over the total score. This study introduces a profile reliability approach that partitions the overall subscore reliability into within-person and between-person subscore reliability. The estimation of between-person reliability and within-person reliability coefficients is demonstrated using subscores from number-correct scoring, unidimensional and multidimensional item response theory scoring, and augmented scoring approaches via a simulation study and a real data study. The effects of various testing conditions, such as subtest length, correlations among subscores, and the number of subtests, are examined. Results indicate that there is a substantial trade-off between within-person and between-person reliability of subscores. Profile reliability coefficients can be useful in determining the extent to which subscores provide distinct and reliable information under various testing conditions.

Thermal Profile of the Lunar Interior Constrained by Revised Estimates of Concentrations of Heat Producing Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Fuqua-Haviland, H.; Panovska, S.; Mallik, A.; Bremner, P. M.; McDonough, W. F.

2017-12-01

Constraining the heat producing element (HPE) concentrations of the Moon is important for understanding the thermal state of the interior. The lunar HPE budget is debated to be suprachondritic [1] to chondritic [2]. The Moon is differentiated, thus, each reservoir has a distinct HPE signature complicating this effort. The thermal profile of the lunar interior has been constructed using HPE concentrations of an ordinary chondrite (U = 0.0068 ppm; Th = 0.025 ppm; K = 17 ppm) which yields a conservative low estimate [2, 3, 4]. A later study estimated the bulk lunar mantle HPE concentrations (U = 0.039 ppm; Th = 0.15 ppm; K = 212 ppm) based on measurements of Apollo pyroclastic glasses [5] assuming that these glasses represent the least fractionated, near-primary lunar mantle melts, hence, are the best proxies for capturing mantle composition. In this study, we independently validate the revised estimate by using HPE concentrations [5] to construct a conductive lunar thermal profile, or selenotherm. We compare our conductive profile to the range of valid temperatures. We demonstrate the HPE concentrations reported by [5], when used in a simple 1D spherical thermal conduction equation, yield an impossibly hot mantle with temperatures in excess of 4,000 K (Fig 1). This confirms their revised estimate is not representative of the bulk lunar mantle, and perhaps only representative of a locally enriched mantle domain. We believe that their Low-Ti avg. source estimate (Th = 0.055 ppm, Th/U=4; K/U=1700), with the least KREEP assimilation is the closest representation of the bulk lunar mantle, producing 3E-12 W/kg of heat. This estimate is close to that of the Earth (5E-12 W/kg), indicating that the bulk Earth and lunar mantles are similar in their HPE constituents. We have used the lunar mantle heat production, in conjunction with HPE estimates of the Fe-Ti-rich cumulates (high Ti-source estimate from [5]) and measurements of crustal ferroan anorthite [6], to capture the

Modeling Site Heterogeneity with Posterior Mean Site Frequency Profiles Accelerates Accurate Phylogenomic Estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huai-Chun; Minh, Bui Quang; Susko, Edward; Roger, Andrew J

2018-03-01

Proteins have distinct structural and functional constraints at different sites that lead to site-specific preferences for particular amino acid residues as the sequences evolve. Heterogeneity in the amino acid substitution process between sites is not modeled by commonly used empirical amino acid exchange matrices. Such model misspecification can lead to artefacts in phylogenetic estimation such as long-branch attraction. Although sophisticated site-heterogeneous mixture models have been developed to address this problem in both Bayesian and maximum likelihood (ML) frameworks, their formidable computational time and memory usage severely limits their use in large phylogenomic analyses. Here we propose a posterior mean site frequency (PMSF) method as a rapid and efficient approximation to full empirical profile mixture models for ML analysis. The PMSF approach assigns a conditional mean amino acid frequency profile to each site calculated based on a mixture model fitted to the data using a preliminary guide tree. These PMSF profiles can then be used for in-depth tree-searching in place of the full mixture model. Compared with widely used empirical mixture models with $k$ classes, our implementation of PMSF in IQ-TREE (http://www.iqtree.org) speeds up the computation by approximately $k$/1.5-fold and requires a small fraction of the RAM. Furthermore, this speedup allows, for the first time, full nonparametric bootstrap analyses to be conducted under complex site-heterogeneous models on large concatenated data matrices. Our simulations and empirical data analyses demonstrate that PMSF can effectively ameliorate long-branch attraction artefacts. In some empirical and simulation settings PMSF provided more accurate estimates of phylogenies than the mixture models from which they derive.

Combined estimation of kappa and shear-wave velocity profile of the Japanese rock reference

Science.gov (United States)

Poggi, Valerio; Edwards, Benjamin; Fäh, Donat

2013-04-01

The definition of a common soil or rock reference is a key issue in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), microzonation studies, local site-response analysis and, more generally, when predicted or observed ground motion is compared for sites of different characteristics. A scaling procedure, which accounts for a common reference, is then necessary to avoid bias induced by the differences in the local geology. Nowadays methods requiring the definition of a reference condition generally prescribe the characteristic of a rock reference, calibrated using indirect estimation methods based on geology or on surface proxies. In most cases, a unique average shear-wave velocity value is prescribed (e.g. Vs30 = 800m/s as for class A of the EUROCODE8). Some attempts at defining the whole shape of a reference rock velocity profile have been described, often without a clear physical justification of how such a selection was performed. Moreover, in spite of its relevance in affecting the high-frequency part of the spectrum, the definition of the associated reference attenuation is in most cases missing or, when present, still remains quite uncertain. In this study we propose an approach that is based on the comparison between empirical anelastic amplification functions from spectral modeling of earthquakes and average S-wave velocities computed using the quarter-wavelength approach. The method is an extension of the approach originally proposed by Poggi et al. (2011) for Switzerland, and is here applied to Japan. For the analysis we make use of a selection of 36 stiff-soil and rock sites from the Japanese KiK-net network, for which a measured velocity profile is available. With respect to the previous study, however, we now analyze separately the elastic and anelastic contributions of the estimated empirical amplification. In a first step - which is consistent with the original work - only the elastic part of the amplification spectrum is considered. This procedure allows

Profiling of RNA degradation for estimation of post mortem [corrected] interval.

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Fernanda Sampaio-Silva

Full Text Available An estimation of the post mortem interval (PMI is frequently touted as the Holy Grail of forensic pathology. During the first hours after death, PMI estimation is dependent on the rate of physical observable modifications including algor, rigor and livor mortis. However, these assessment methods are still largely unreliable and inaccurate. Alternatively, RNA has been put forward as a valuable tool in forensic pathology, namely to identify body fluids, estimate the age of biological stains and to study the mechanism of death. Nevertheless, the attempts to find correlation between RNA degradation and PMI have been unsuccessful. The aim of this study was to characterize the RNA degradation in different post mortem tissues in order to develop a mathematical model that can be used as coadjuvant method for a more accurate PMI determination. For this purpose, we performed an eleven-hour kinetic analysis of total extracted RNA from murine's visceral and muscle tissues. The degradation profile of total RNA and the expression levels of several reference genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. A quantitative analysis of normalized transcript levels on the former tissues allowed the identification of four quadriceps muscle genes (Actb, Gapdh, Ppia and Srp72 that were found to significantly correlate with PMI. These results allowed us to develop a mathematical model with predictive value for estimation of the PMI (confidence interval of ±51 minutes at 95% that can become an important complementary tool for traditional methods.

Estimation of road profile variability from measured vehicle responses

Science.gov (United States)

Fauriat, W.; Mattrand, C.; Gayton, N.; Beakou, A.; Cembrzynski, T.

2016-05-01

When assessing the statistical variability of fatigue loads acting throughout the life of a vehicle, the question of the variability of road roughness naturally arises, as both quantities are strongly related. For car manufacturers, gathering information on the environment in which vehicles evolve is a long and costly but necessary process to adapt their products to durability requirements. In the present paper, a data processing algorithm is proposed in order to estimate the road profiles covered by a given vehicle, from the dynamic responses measured on this vehicle. The algorithm based on Kalman filtering theory aims at solving a so-called inverse problem, in a stochastic framework. It is validated using experimental data obtained from simulations and real measurements. The proposed method is subsequently applied to extract valuable statistical information on road roughness from an existing load characterisation campaign carried out by Renault within one of its markets.

A Remote Sensing Approach to Estimate Vertical Profile Classes of Phytoplankton in a Eutrophic Lake

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Kun Xue

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The extension and frequency of algal blooms in surface waters can be monitored using remote sensing techniques, yet knowledge of their vertical distribution is fundamental to determine total phytoplankton biomass and understanding temporal variability of surface conditions and the underwater light field. However, different vertical distribution classes of phytoplankton may occur in complex inland lakes. Identification of the vertical profile classes of phytoplankton becomes the key and first step to estimate its vertical profile. The vertical distribution profile of phytoplankton is based on a weighted integral of reflected light from all depths and is difficult to determine by reflectance data alone. In this study, four Chla vertical profile classes (vertically uniform, Gaussian, exponential and hyperbolic were found to occur in three in situ vertical surveys (28 May, 19–24 July and 10–12 October in a shallow eutrophic lake, Lake Chaohu. We developed and validated a classification and regression tree (CART to determine vertical phytoplankton biomass profile classes. This was based on an algal bloom index (Normalized Difference algal Bloom Index, NDBI applied to both in situ remote sensing reflectance (Rrs and MODIS Rayleigh-corrected reflectance (Rrc data in combination with data of local wind speed. The results show the potential of retrieving Chla vertical profiles information from integrated information sources following a decision tree approach.

Examples of invasive and non-invasive methods for estimation of shear-wave velocity profile in Bucharest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldea, A.; Albota, E.; Yamanaka, H.; Fukumoto, S.; Poiata, N.

2007-01-01

The estimation of subsurface shear-wave velocity is of major importance for understanding and modelling site-response and surface ground motion. The shear-wave velocity profile strongly influence the shear-wave part of the seismic motion that proved to be the most damaging one. The improvement of input seismic ground motion for design is one of the long-term objectives within the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Project in Romania. Two approaches were used: installation of a digital seismic network and soil investigations (in situ and in laboratory). National Center for Seismic Risk Reduction (NCSRR, Romania), the implementing agency of JICA Project, performed these activities in cooperation with Japanese partner institutions, and an efficient know-how transfer was achieved. Between the soil investigation activities, a special importance was given to the estimation of shear-wave velocity profile. The present paper presents results from PS logging tests at NCSRR seismic station sites, and from single-station and array microtremor measurements. Other results from PS logging tests, surface-wave method and in situ and laboratory geotechnical investigations are presented in other papers in these proceedings. In future, a joint-collaborative effort of Romanian institutions may allow an improved characterisation of the soil profile beneath Bucharest. (authors)

An Optimal Estimation Method to Obtain Surface Layer Turbulent Fluxes from Profile Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, D.

2015-12-01

In the absence of direct turbulence measurements, the turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric surface layer are often derived from measurements of the surface layer mean properties based on Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST). This approach requires two levels of the ensemble mean wind, temperature, and water vapor, from which the fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, and water vapor can be obtained. When only one measurement level is available, the roughness heights and the assumed properties of the corresponding variables at the respective roughness heights are used. In practice, the temporal mean with large number of samples are used in place of the ensemble mean. However, in many situations the samples of data are taken from multiple levels. It is thus desirable to derive the boundary layer flux properties using all measurements. In this study, we used an optimal estimation approach to derive surface layer properties based on all available measurements. This approach assumes that the samples are taken from a population whose ensemble mean profile follows the MOST. An optimized estimate is obtained when the results yield a minimum cost function defined as a weighted summation of all error variance at each sample altitude. The weights are based one sample data variance and the altitude of the measurements. This method was applied to measurements in the marine atmospheric surface layer from a small boat using radiosonde on a tethered balloon where temperature and relative humidity profiles in the lowest 50 m were made repeatedly in about 30 minutes. We will present the resultant fluxes and the derived MOST mean profiles using different sets of measurements. The advantage of this method over the 'traditional' methods will be illustrated. Some limitations of this optimization method will also be discussed. Its application to quantify the effects of marine surface layer environment on radar and communication signal propagation will be shown as well.

Adaptive Hybrid Control of Vehicle Semiactive Suspension Based on Road Profile Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yechen Qin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A new road estimation based suspension hybrid control strategy is proposed. Its aim is to adaptively change control gains to improve both ride comfort and road handling with the constraint of rattle space. To achieve this, analytical expressions for ride comfort, road handling, and rattle space with respect to road input are derived based on the hybrid control, and the problem is transformed into a MOOP (Multiobjective Optimization Problem and has been solved by NSGA-II (Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II. A new road estimation and classification method, which is based on ANFIS (Adaptive Neurofuzzy Inference System and wavelet transforms, is then presented as a means of detecting the road profile level, and a Kalman filter is designed for observing unknown states. The results of simulations conducted with random road excitation show that the efficiency of the proposed control strategy compares favourably to that of a passive system.

Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture Profiles into a Crop Modeling Framework for Reliable Yield Estimations

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, V.; Cruise, J.; Mecikalski, J. R.

2017-12-01

Much effort has been expended recently on the assimilation of remotely sensed soil moisture into operational land surface models (LSM). These efforts have normally been focused on the use of data derived from the microwave bands and results have often shown that improvements to model simulations have been limited due to the fact that microwave signals only penetrate the top 2-5 cm of the soil surface. It is possible that model simulations could be further improved through the introduction of geostationary satellite thermal infrared (TIR) based root zone soil moisture in addition to the microwave deduced surface estimates. In this study, root zone soil moisture estimates from the TIR based Atmospheric Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model were merged with NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) based surface estimates through the application of informational entropy. Entropy can be used to characterize the movement of moisture within the vadose zone and accounts for both advection and diffusion processes. The Principle of Maximum Entropy (POME) can be used to derive complete soil moisture profiles and, fortuitously, only requires a surface boundary condition as well as the overall mean moisture content of the soil column. A lower boundary can be considered a soil parameter or obtained from the LSM itself. In this study, SMAP provided the surface boundary while ALEXI supplied the mean and the entropy integral was used to tie the two together and produce the vertical profile. However, prior to the merging, the coarse resolution (9 km) SMAP data were downscaled to the finer resolution (4.7 km) ALEXI grid. The disaggregation scheme followed the Soil Evaporative Efficiency approach and again, all necessary inputs were available from the TIR model. The profiles were then assimilated into a standard agricultural crop model (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology, DSSAT) via the ensemble Kalman Filter. The study was conducted over the Southeastern United States for the

Estimation of the profile of cross-machine shrinkage of paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

I'Anson, S J; Sampson, W W; Constantino, R P A; Hoole, S M

2008-01-01

In common with many other materials, paper tends to shrink as it dries. Although every attempt is made to restrain paper, some shrinkage occurs on all paper machines in the direction perpendicular to that of manufacture and this shrinkage is always much higher at the edges of the machine than in the centre. Measurement of the profile of this cross-machine shrinkage is possible using the fast Fourier transform to locate and measure periodic elements imprinted by the filtration fabrics used during the formation of the paper web. This paper describes a new method which allows the geometrical relationships within the fabric to be used along with dimensional changes to estimate shrinkage. The method has the advantages over previous methods of more tolerant sampling protocols, operator independent analysis and improved accuracy

An Estimation Method of System Voltage Sag Profile using Recorded Sag Data

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Kazuyuki; Sakashita, Tadashi

The influence of voltage sag to electric equipment has become big issues because of wider utilization of voltage sensitive devices. In order to reduce the influence of voltage sag appearing at each customer side, it is necessary to recognize the level of receiving voltage drop due to lightning faults for transmission line. However it is hard to measure directly those sag level at every load node. In this report, a new method of efficiently estimating system voltage sag profile is proposed based on symmetrical coordinate. In the proposed method, limited recorded sag data is used as the estimation condition which is recorded at each substation in power systems. From the point of view that the number of the recorded node is generally far less than those of the transmission route, a fast solution method is developed to calculate only recorder faulted voltage by applying reciprocity theorem for Y matrix. Furthermore, effective screening process is incorporated, in which the limited candidate of faulted transmission line can be chosen. Demonstrative results are presented using the IEEJ East10 standard system and actual 1700 bus system. The results show that estimation accuracy is sufficiently acceptable under less computation labor.

Radioactive waste management profiles. A compilation of data from the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB). No. 6, November 2004 (last updated 2004.12.16)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-03-01

This Radioactive Waste Management Profiles report is a compilation of data collected by the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWDB) from March to July 2004. The report contains information on national radioactive waste management programmes, plans and activities, relevant laws and regulations, policies and radioactive waste inventories. It provides or references details of the scope of NEWMDB data collections and it explains the formats of individual NEWMDB report pages

A novel method for decomposing electricity feeder load into elementary profiles from customer information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerossier, Alexis; Barbier, Thibaut; Girard, Robin

2017-01-01

Highlights: •Use of aggregated electricity load profiles and customer description at feeder level. •Statistical recovery of elementary load profiles with customer categorization. •Generation of load demand profiles for unknown feeders and new local areas. •Relevancy of the different categorizations. -- Abstract: To plan a distribution grid involves making a long-term forecast of sub-hourly demand, which requires modeling the demand and its dynamics with aggregated measurement data. Distribution system operators (DSOs) have been recording electricity sub-hourly demand delivered by their medium-voltage feeders (around 1000—10,000 customers) for several years. Demand profiles differ widely among the various considered feeders. This is partly due to the varying mix of customer categories from one feeder to another. To overcome this issue, elementary demand profiles are often associated with customer categories and then combined according to a mix description. This paper presents a novel method to estimate elementary profiles that only requires several feeder demand curves and a description of customers. The method relies on a statistical blind source model and a new estimation procedure based on the augmented Lagrangian method. The use of feeders to estimate elementary profiles means that measurements are fully representative and continuously updated. We illustrate the proposed method through a case study comprising around 1000 feeder demand curves operated by the main French DSO Enedis. We propose an application o that uses the obtained profiles to evaluate the contribution of any set of new customers to a feeder peak load. We show that profiles enable a simulation of new unmeasured areas with errors of around 20%. We also show how our method can be used to evaluate the relevancy of different customer categorizations.

Tyre-road friction coefficient estimation based on tyre sensors and lateral tyre deflection: modelling, simulations and experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Sanghyun; Erdogan, Gurkan; Hedrick, Karl; Borrelli, Francesco

2013-05-01

The estimation of the tyre-road friction coefficient is fundamental for vehicle control systems. Tyre sensors enable the friction coefficient estimation based on signals extracted directly from tyres. This paper presents a tyre-road friction coefficient estimation algorithm based on tyre lateral deflection obtained from lateral acceleration. The lateral acceleration is measured by wireless three-dimensional accelerometers embedded inside the tyres. The proposed algorithm first determines the contact patch using a radial acceleration profile. Then, the portion of the lateral acceleration profile, only inside the tyre-road contact patch, is used to estimate the friction coefficient through a tyre brush model and a simple tyre model. The proposed strategy accounts for orientation-variation of accelerometer body frame during tyre rotation. The effectiveness and performance of the algorithm are demonstrated through finite element model simulations and experimental tests with small tyre slip angles on different road surface conditions.

Optimized Estimation of Surface Layer Characteristics from Profiling Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doreene Kang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available New sampling techniques such as tethered-balloon-based measurements or small unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of providing multiple profiles of the Marine Atmospheric Surface Layer (MASL in a short time period. It is desirable to obtain surface fluxes from these measurements, especially when direct flux measurements are difficult to obtain. The profiling data is different from the traditional mean profiles obtained at two or more fixed levels in the surface layer from which surface fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat are derived based on Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST. This research develops an improved method to derive surface fluxes and the corresponding MASL mean profiles of wind, temperature, and humidity with a least-squares optimization method using the profiling measurements. This approach allows the use of all available independent data. We use a weighted cost function based on the framework of MOST with the cost being optimized using a quasi-Newton method. This approach was applied to seven sets of data collected from the Monterey Bay. The derived fluxes and mean profiles show reasonable results. An empirical bias analysis is conducted using 1000 synthetic datasets to evaluate the robustness of the method.

Sample size estimation to substantiate freedom from disease for clustered binary data with a specific risk profile

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostoulas, P.; Nielsen, Søren Saxmose; Browne, W. J.

2013-01-01

and power when applied to these groups. We propose the use of the variance partition coefficient (VPC), which measures the clustering of infection/disease for individuals with a common risk profile. Sample size estimates are obtained separately for those groups that exhibit markedly different heterogeneity......, thus, optimizing resource allocation. A VPC-based predictive simulation method for sample size estimation to substantiate freedom from disease is presented. To illustrate the benefits of the proposed approach we give two examples with the analysis of data from a risk factor study on Mycobacterium avium...

Fishing Community Profiles

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — To enable fisheries managers to comply with National Standard 8 (NS8), NMFS social scientists around the nation are preparing fishing community profiles that present...

Evaluation of methods to estimate the essential amino acids requirements of fish from the muscle amino acid profile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro José de Almeida Bicudo

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Many methods to estimate amino acid requirement based on amino acid profile of fish have been proposed. This study evaluates the methodology proposed by Meyer & Fracalossi (2005 and by Tacon (1989 to estimate amino acids requirement of fish, which do exempt knowledge on previous nutritional requirement of reference amino acid. Data on amino acid requirement of pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus, were used to validate de accuracy of those methods. Meyer & Fracalossi's and Tacon's methodology estimated the lysine requirement of pacu, respectively, at 13 and 23% above requirement determined using dose-response method. The values estimated by both methods lie within the range of requirements determined for other omnivorous fish species, the Meyer & Fracalossi (2005 method showing better accuracy.

Quantitative precipitation estimation in complex orography using quasi-vertical profiles of dual polarization radar variables

Science.gov (United States)

Montopoli, Mario; Roberto, Nicoletta; Adirosi, Elisa; Gorgucci, Eugenio; Baldini, Luca

2017-04-01

Weather radars are nowadays a unique tool to estimate quantitatively the rain precipitation near the surface. This is an important task for a plenty of applications. For example, to feed hydrological models, mitigate the impact of severe storms at the ground using radar information in modern warning tools as well as aid the validation studies of satellite-based rain products. With respect to the latter application, several ground validation studies of the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) products have recently highlighted the importance of accurate QPE from ground-based weather radars. To date, a plenty of works analyzed the performance of various QPE algorithms making use of actual and synthetic experiments, possibly trained by measurement of particle size distributions and electromagnetic models. Most of these studies support the use of dual polarization variables not only to ensure a good level of radar data quality but also as a direct input in the rain estimation equations. Among others, one of the most important limiting factors in radar QPE accuracy is the vertical variability of particle size distribution that affects at different levels, all the radar variables acquired as well as rain rates. This is particularly impactful in mountainous areas where the altitudes of the radar sampling is likely several hundred of meters above the surface. In this work, we analyze the impact of the vertical profile variations of rain precipitation on several dual polarization radar QPE algorithms when they are tested a in complex orography scenario. So far, in weather radar studies, more emphasis has been given to the extrapolation strategies that make use of the signature of the vertical profiles in terms of radar co-polar reflectivity. This may limit the use of the radar vertical profiles when dual polarization QPE algorithms are considered because in that case all the radar variables used in the rain estimation process should be consistently extrapolated at the surface

Growth, characterization and estimation of lattice strain and size in CdS nanoparticles: X-ray peak profile analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Solanki, Rekha Garg; Rajaram, Poolla; Bajpai, P. K.

2018-05-01

This work is based on the growth, characterization and estimation of lattice strain and crystallite size in CdS nanoparticles by X-ray peak profile analysis. The CdS nanoparticles were synthesized by a non-aqueous solvothermal method and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman and UV-visible spectroscopy. XRD confirms that the CdS nanoparticles have the hexagonal structure. The Williamson-Hall (W-H) method was used to study the X-ray peak profile analysis. The strain-size plot (SSP) was used to study the individual contributions of crystallite size and lattice strain from the X-rays peaks. The physical parameters such as strain, stress and energy density values were calculated using various models namely, isotropic strain model, anisotropic strain model and uniform deformation energy density model. The particle size was estimated from the TEM images to be in the range of 20-40 nm. The Raman spectrum shows the characteristic optical 1LO and 2LO vibrational modes of CdS. UV-visible absorption studies show that the band gap of the CdS nanoparticles is 2.48 eV. The results show that the crystallite size estimated from Scherrer's formula, W-H plots, SSP and the particle size calculated by TEM images are approximately similar.

Genomic outlier profile analysis: mixture models, null hypotheses, and nonparametric estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Debashis; Chinnaiyan, Arul M

2009-01-01

In most analyses of large-scale genomic data sets, differential expression analysis is typically assessed by testing for differences in the mean of the distributions between 2 groups. A recent finding by Tomlins and others (2005) is of a different type of pattern of differential expression in which a fraction of samples in one group have overexpression relative to samples in the other group. In this work, we describe a general mixture model framework for the assessment of this type of expression, called outlier profile analysis. We start by considering the single-gene situation and establishing results on identifiability. We propose 2 nonparametric estimation procedures that have natural links to familiar multiple testing procedures. We then develop multivariate extensions of this methodology to handle genome-wide measurements. The proposed methodologies are compared using simulation studies as well as data from a prostate cancer gene expression study.

Crystallite size and lattice distortion of human dental enamel estimated from the integral width of x-ray diffraction peak profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Fumiaki; Sakae, Toshiro

2000-01-01

Crystallite size and lattice distortion of human dental enamel were estimated by peak profile analysis using x-ray diffraction pattern. Firstly, noises were removed from x-ray diffraction pattern, and deconvolution of overlapping peaks and determination of baseline level were carried out. Then, the instrumental peak broadening and effect of overlapping Kα1 and Kα2 were eliminated to obtain pure peak profile using the Stokes's Fourier method. The integral width method was applied for estimation of crystallite size and 'upper-limit of distortion', assuming the peak profile as Cauchy function. The estimated crystallite size and distortion were ca. 210 A and ca. 0.4% in the a-axis direction and ca. 550 A and ca. 0.7% in the c-axis direction, respectively. The crystallite size value along the a-axis was almost the same to the previously reported values, but the value for along the c-axis was nearly half of the reported values. The crystallite size in this study means the size of coherent domain in contrast to the size of particle which may contain several domains in the case of enamel crystals. The results suggest that human enamel crystals grow in their size along the c-axis by multiplication, fusion of crystallites. It was notable that the distortion value was larger in the c-axis direction. The phenomenon may partly be due to the high carbonate ion content of enamel crystals and partly due to crystal growth mechanism. (author)

Automatic Detection of Mitosis and Nuclei from Cytogenetic Images by CellProfiler Software for Mitotic Index Estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, Jorge Ernesto; Romero, Ivonne; Garcia, Omar; Radl, Analia; Di Giorgio, Marina; Barquinero, Joan Francesc

2016-01-01

Mitotic Index (MI) estimation expressed as percentage of mitosis plays an important role as quality control endpoint. To this end, MI is applied to check the lot of media and reagents to be used throughout the assay and also to check cellular viability after blood sample shipping, indicating satisfactory/unsatisfactory conditions for the progression of cell culture. The objective of this paper was to apply the CellProfiler open-source software for automatic detection of mitotic and nuclei figures from digitized images of cultured human lymphocytes for MI assessment, and to compare its performance to that performed through semi-automatic and visual detection. Lymphocytes were irradiated and cultured for mitosis detection. Sets of images from cultures were analyzed visually and findings were compared with those using CellProfiler software. The CellProfiler pipeline includes the detection of nuclei and mitosis with 80% sensitivity and more than 99% specificity. We conclude that CellProfiler is a reliable tool for counting mitosis and nuclei from cytogenetic images, saves considerable time compared to manual operation and reduces the variability derived from the scoring criteria of different scorers. The CellProfiler automated pipeline achieves good agreement with visual counting workflow, i.e. it allows fully automated mitotic and nuclei scoring in cytogenetic images yielding reliable information with minimal user intervention. (authors)

Method of LSD profile asymmetry for estimating the center of mass velocities of pulsating stars

Science.gov (United States)

Britavskiy, N.; Pancino, E.; Tsymbal, V.; Romano, D.; Cacciari, C.; Clementini, C.

2016-05-01

We present radial velocity analysis for 20 solar neighborhood RR Lyrae and 3 Population II Cepheids. High-resolution spectra were observed with either TNG/SARG or VLT/UVES over varying phases. To estimate the center of mass (barycentric) velocities of the program stars, we utilized two independent methods. First, the 'classic' method was employed, which is based on RR Lyrae radial velocity curve templates. Second, we provide the new method that used absorption line profile asymmetry to determine both the pulsation and the barycentric velocities even with a low number of high-resolution spectra and in cases where the phase of the observations is uncertain. This new method is based on a least squares deconvolution (LSD) of the line profiles in order to an- alyze line asymmetry that occurs in the spectra of pulsating stars. By applying this method to our sample stars we attain accurate measurements (+- 2 kms^-1) of the pulsation component of the radial velocity. This results in determination of the barycentric velocity to within 5 kms^-1 even with a low number of high- resolution spectra. A detailed investigation of LSD profile asymmetry shows the variable nature of the project factor at different pulsation phases, which should be taken into account in the detailed spectroscopic analysis of pulsating stars.

Dynamic temperature estimation and real time emergency rating of transmission cables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, R. S.; Holboll, J.; Gudmundsdottir, Unnur Stella

2012-01-01

enables real time emergency ratings, such that the transmission system operator can make well-founded decisions during faults. Hereunder is included the capability of producing high resolution loadability vs. time schedules within few minutes, such that the TSO can safely control the system.......). It is found that the calculated temperature estimations are fairly accurate — within 1.5oC of the finite element method (FEM) simulation to which it is compared — both when looking at the temperature profile (time dependent) and the temperature distribution (geometric dependent). The methodology moreover...

Modification of Turbulent Pipe Flow Equations to Estimate the Vertical Velocity Profiles Under Woody Debris Jams

Science.gov (United States)

Cervania, A.; Knack, I. M. W.

2017-12-01

The presence of woody debris (WD) jams in rivers and streams increases the risk of backwater flooding and reduces the navigability of a channel, but adds fish and macroinvertebrate habitat to the stream. When designing river engineering projects engineers use hydraulic models to predict flow behavior around these obstructions. However, the complexities of flow through and beneath WD jams are still poorly understood. By increasing the ability to predict flow behavior around WD jams, landowners and engineers are empowered to develop sustainable practices regarding the removal or placement of WD in rivers and flood plains to balance the desirable and undesirable effects to society and the environment. The objective of this study is to address some of this knowledge gap by developing a method to estimate the vertical velocity profile of flow under WD jams. When flow passes under WD jams, it becomes affected by roughness elements on all sides, similar to turbulent flows in pipe systems. Therefore, the method was developed using equations that define the velocity profiles of turbulent pipe flows: the law of the wall, the logarithmic law, and the velocity defect law. Flume simulations of WD jams were conducted and the vertical velocity profiles were measured along the centerline. A calculated velocity profile was fit to the measured profile through the calibration of eight parameters. An optimal value or range of values have been determined for several of these parameters using cross-validation techniques. The results indicate there may be some promise to using this method in hydraulic models.

Rain cell-based identification of the vertical profile of reflectivity as observed by weather radar and its use for precipitation uncertainty estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Hazenberg, P.; Torfs, P. J. J. F.; Leijnse, H.; Uijlenhoet, R.

2012-04-01

The wide scale implementation of weather radar systems over the last couple of decades has increased our understanding concerning spatio-temporal precipitation dynamics. However, the quantitative estimation of precipitation by these devices is affected by many sources of error. A very dominant source of error results from vertical variations in the hydrometeor size distribution known as the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR). Since the height of the measurement as well as the beam volume increases with distance from the radar, for stratiform precipitation this results in a serious underestimation (overestimation) of the surface reflectivity while sampling within the snow (bright band) region. This research presents a precipitation cell-based implementation to correct volumetric weather radar measurements for VPR effects. Using the properties of a flipping carpenter square, a contour-based identification technique was developed, which is able to identify and track precipitation cells in real time, distinguishing between convective, stratiform and undefined precipitation. For the latter two types of systems, for each individual cell, a physically plausible vertical profile of reflectivity is estimated using a Monte Carlo optimization method. Since it can be expected that the VPR will vary within a given precipitation cell, a method was developed to take the uncertainty of the VPR estimate into account. As a result, we are able to estimate the amount of precipitation uncertainty as observed by weather radar due to VPR for a given precipitation type and storm cell. We demonstrate the possibilities of this technique for a number of winter precipitation systems observed within the Belgian Ardennes. For these systems, in general, the precipitation uncertainty estimate due to vertical reflectivity profile variations varies between 10-40%.

Exhaled Breath Profiling Enables Discrimination of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fens, Niki; Zwinderman, Aeilko H.; van der Schee, Marc P.; de Nijs, Selma B.; Dijkers, Erica; Roldaan, Albert C.; Cheung, David; Bel, Elisabeth H.; Sterk, Peter J.

2009-01-01

Rationale Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma can exhibit overlapping clinical features. Exhaled air contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may qualify as noninvasive biomarkers. VOC profiles can be assessed using integrative analysis by electronic nose, resulting in

Automatic Detection of Mitosis and Nuclei From Cytogenetic Images by CellProfiler Software for Mitotic Index Estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

González, Jorge Ernesto; Radl, Analía; Romero, Ivonne; Barquinero, Joan Francesc; García, Omar; Di Giorgio, Marina

2016-12-01

Mitotic Index (MI) estimation expressed as percentage of mitosis plays an important role as quality control endpoint. To this end, MI is applied to check the lot of media and reagents to be used throughout the assay and also to check cellular viability after blood sample shipping, indicating satisfactory/unsatisfactory conditions for the progression of cell culture. The objective of this paper was to apply the CellProfiler open-source software for automatic detection of mitotic and nuclei figures from digitized images of cultured human lymphocytes for MI assessment, and to compare its performance to that performed through semi-automatic and visual detection. Lymphocytes were irradiated and cultured for mitosis detection. Sets of images from cultures were analyzed visually and findings were compared with those using CellProfiler software. The CellProfiler pipeline includes the detection of nuclei and mitosis with 80% sensitivity and more than 99% specificity. We conclude that CellProfiler is a reliable tool for counting mitosis and nuclei from cytogenetic images, saves considerable time compared to manual operation and reduces the variability derived from the scoring criteria of different scorers. The CellProfiler automated pipeline achieves good agreement with visual counting workflow, i.e. it allows fully automated mitotic and nuclei scoring in cytogenetic images yielding reliable information with minimal user intervention. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Estimation of the algal-available phosphorus pool in sediments of a large, shallow eutrophic lake (Taihu, China) using profiled SMT fractional analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Mengyuan; Zhu Guangwei; Li Wei; Zhang Yunlin; Zhao Linlin; Gu Zhao

2013-01-01

Because large, shallow lakes are heavily influenced by wind–wave disturbance, it is difficult to estimate internal phosphorus load using traditional methods. To estimate the potential contribution of phosphorus from sediment to overlying water in eutrophic Lake Taihu, phosphorus fractions of surface and deep layer sediments were quantified and analyzed for algal bloom potential using a Standard Measurements and Testing (SMT) sequential extraction method and incubation experiments. Phosphorus bound to Fe, Al and Mn oxides and hydroxides (Fe–P) and organic phosphorus (OP) were to be found bioactive. The difference in Fe–P and OP contents between surface and deep layers equates to the sediment pool of potentially algal-available phosphorus. This pool was estimated at 5168 tons for the entire lake and was closely related to pollution input and algal blooms. Profiled SMT fractionation analysis is thus a potentially useful tool for estimating internal phosphorus loading in large, shallow lakes. - Highlights: ► We used profiled sediment P activity by SMT fractionation to evaluate the P release potential in large and shallow lakes. ► We built the relationship between sediment SMT fractionations of P and the P release by algal bloom degradation process. ► We discussed the supporting mechanism of sediment P release to Microcystis algal bloom in a large and shallow lake. ► We discussed the nutrient control strategy of algal bloom in shallow lakes in highly human activities disturbance catchment. - Profiled SMT fractional analysis of internal phosphorus pool in large, shallow lake.

Reconstructing Dynamic Promoter Activity Profiles from Reporter Gene Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan, Soumya; Sams, Thomas; Maury, Jérôme; Workman, Christopher T

2018-03-16

Accurate characterization of promoter activity is important when designing expression systems for systems biology and metabolic engineering applications. Promoters that respond to changes in the environment enable the dynamic control of gene expression without the necessity of inducer compounds, for example. However, the dynamic nature of these processes poses challenges for estimating promoter activity. Most experimental approaches utilize reporter gene expression to estimate promoter activity. Typically the reporter gene encodes a fluorescent protein that is used to infer a constant promoter activity despite the fact that the observed output may be dynamic and is a number of steps away from the transcription process. In fact, some promoters that are often thought of as constitutive can show changes in activity when growth conditions change. For these reasons, we have developed a system of ordinary differential equations for estimating dynamic promoter activity for promoters that change their activity in response to the environment that is robust to noise and changes in growth rate. Our approach, inference of dynamic promoter activity (PromAct), improves on existing methods by more accurately inferring known promoter activity profiles. This method is also capable of estimating the correct scale of promoter activity and can be applied to quantitative data sets to estimate quantitative rates.

Estimation of rainfall inputs and direct recharge to the deep unsaturated zone of southern Niger using the chloride profile method.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bromley, J.; Edmunds, W.M.; Fellman, E.; Brouwer, J.; Gaze, S.R.; Sudlow, J.; Taupin, J.D.

1997-01-01

An estimate of direct groundwater recharge below a region of natural woodland (tiger bush) has been made in south-west Niger using the solute profile technique. Data has been collected from a 77 m deep well dug within the study area covered by HAPEX-Sahel (Hydrological and Atmospheric Pilot

A comparative study of three model-based algorithms for estimating state-of-charge of lithium-ion batteries under a new combined dynamic loading profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Fangfang; Xing, Yinjiao; Wang, Dong; Tsui, Kwok-Leung

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Three different model-based filtering algorithms for SOC estimation are compared. • A combined dynamic loading profile is proposed to evaluate the three algorithms. • Robustness against uncertainty of initial states of SOC estimators are investigated. • Battery capacity degradation is considered in SOC estimation. - Abstract: Accurate state-of-charge (SOC) estimation is critical for the safety and reliability of battery management systems in electric vehicles. Because SOC cannot be directly measured and SOC estimation is affected by many factors, such as ambient temperature, battery aging, and current rate, a robust SOC estimation approach is necessary to be developed so as to deal with time-varying and nonlinear battery systems. In this paper, three popular model-based filtering algorithms, including extended Kalman filter, unscented Kalman filter, and particle filter, are respectively used to estimate SOC and their performances regarding to tracking accuracy, computation time, robustness against uncertainty of initial values of SOC, and battery degradation, are compared. To evaluate the performances of these algorithms, a new combined dynamic loading profile composed of the dynamic stress test, the federal urban driving schedule and the US06 is proposed. The comparison results showed that the unscented Kalman filter is the most robust to different initial values of SOC, while the particle filter owns the fastest convergence ability when an initial guess of SOC is far from a true initial SOC.

Enabling Interoperable and Selective Data Sharing among Social Networking Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Dongwan; Lopes, Rodrigo

With the widespread use of social networking (SN) sites and even introduction of a social component in non-social oriented services, there is a growing concern over user privacy in general, how to handle and share user profiles across SN sites in particular. Although there have been several proprietary or open source-based approaches to unifying the creation of third party applications, the availability and retrieval of user profile information are still limited to the site where the third party application is run, mostly devoid of the support for data interoperability. In this paper we propose an approach to enabling interopearable and selective data sharing among SN sites. To support selective data sharing, we discuss an authenticated dictionary (ADT)-based credential which enables a user to share only a subset of her information certified by external SN sites with applications running on an SN site. For interoperable data sharing, we propose an extension to the OpenSocial API so that it can provide an open source-based framework for allowing the ADT-based credential to be used seamlessly among different SN sites.

Scaling laws for TEXT plasma profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCool, S.C.; Bravenec, R.V.; Chen, J.Y.; Foster, M.S.; Li, W.L.; Ouroura, A.; Phillips, P.E.; Richards, B.; Wenzel, K.W.; Zhang, Z.M.

1994-01-01

Regression analysis has been performed on a number of measured profiles including temperature and density vs. nominal macroscopic operating parameters for TEXT tokamak (pre-upgrade) ohmic plasmas. The resulting simple empirical model has enabled the authors to quickly approximate profiles of electron temperature and density, ion temperature, and soft x-ray brightness, as well as the scalar quantities: total radiated power, q=1 radius, sawtooth period and amplitude, and energy confinement time as a power law of toroidal field, plasma current, chord average density, and fueling gas atomic weight. The model profiles are only applicable to the plasma interior, i.e. within the limiter radius. In most cases the predicted model profiles are within the experimental error bars of measured profiles and are more accurate at predicting profile variation for small operating parameter changes than the measured profiles

UAV-Borne Profiling Radar for Forest Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuwei Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Microwave Radar is an attractive solution for forest mapping and inventories because microwave signals penetrates into the forest canopy and the backscattering signal can provide information regarding the whole forest structure. Satellite-borne and airborne imaging radars have been used in forest resources mapping for many decades. However, their accuracy with respect to the main forest inventory attributes substantially varies depending on the wavelength and techniques used in the estimation. Systems providing canopy backscatter as a function of canopy height are, practically speaking, missing. Therefore, there is a need for a radar system that would enable the scientific community to better understand the radar backscatter response from the forest canopy. Consequently, we undertook a research study to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV-borne profiling (i.e., waveform radar that could be used to improve the understanding of the radar backscatter response for forestry mapping and inventories. A frequency modulation continuous waveform (FMCW profiling radar, termed FGI-Tomoradar, was introduced, designed and tested. One goal is the total weight of the whole system is less than 7 kg, including the radar system and georeferencing system, with centimetre-level positioning accuracy. Achieving this weight goal would enable the FGI-Tomoradar system to be installed on the Mini-UAV platform. The prototype system had all four linear polarization measuring capabilities, with bistatic configuration in Ku-band. In system performance tests in this study, FGI-Tomoradar was mounted on a manned helicopter together with a Riegl VQ-480-U laser scanner and tested in several flight campaigns performed at the Evo site, Finland. Airborne laser scanning data was simultaneously collected to investigate the differences and similarities of the outputs for the same target area for better understanding the penetration of the microwave signal into the forest canopy

State-of-the-Art Mobile Intelligence: Enabling Robots to Move Like Humans by Estimating Mobility with Artificial Intelligence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue-Bo Jin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Mobility is a significant robotic task. It is the most important function when robotics is applied to domains such as autonomous cars, home service robots, and autonomous underwater vehicles. Despite extensive research on this topic, robots still suffer from difficulties when moving in complex environments, especially in practical applications. Therefore, the ability to have enough intelligence while moving is a key issue for the success of robots. Researchers have proposed a variety of methods and algorithms, including navigation and tracking. To help readers swiftly understand the recent advances in methodology and algorithms for robot movement, we present this survey, which provides a detailed review of the existing methods of navigation and tracking. In particular, this survey features a relation-based architecture that enables readers to easily grasp the key points of mobile intelligence. We first outline the key problems in robot systems and point out the relationship among robotics, navigation, and tracking. We then illustrate navigation using different sensors and the fusion methods and detail the state estimation and tracking models for target maneuvering. Finally, we address several issues of deep learning as well as the mobile intelligence of robots as suggested future research topics. The contributions of this survey are threefold. First, we review the literature of navigation according to the applied sensors and fusion method. Second, we detail the models for target maneuvering and the existing tracking based on estimation, such as the Kalman filter and its series developed form, according to their model-construction mechanisms: linear, nonlinear, and non-Gaussian white noise. Third, we illustrate the artificial intelligence approach—especially deep learning methods—and discuss its combination with the estimation method.

Market projections of cellulose nanomaterial-enabled products- Part 1: Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Jo Anne Shatkin; Theodore H. Wegner; E.M. (Ted) Bilek; John Cowie

2014-01-01

Nanocellulose provides a new materials platform for the sustainable production of high-performance nano-enabled products in an array of applications. In this paper, potential applications for cellulose nanomaterials are identified as the first step toward estimating market volume. The overall study, presented in two parts, estimates market volume on the basis of...

Implementation of reflectometry as a standard density profile diagnostic on DIII-D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, L.; Doyle, E. J.; Luce, T. C.; Peebles, W. A.

2001-01-01

The profile reflectometer system on the DIII-D tokamak has been significantly upgraded in order to improve time coverage, data quality, and profile availability. The performance of the reflectometer system, which utilizes continuous frequency modulated (FMCW) radar techniques, has been improved as follows: First, a new PC-based data acquisition system has been installed, providing higher data sampling rates and larger memory depth. The higher sampling rate enables use of faster frequency sweeps of the FMCW microwave source, improving time resolution, and increasing profile accuracy. The larger memory depth enables longer data records, so that profiles can now be obtained throughout 5 s discharges at 100 Hz profile measurement rates, while continuous sampling at 10 MHz is available for 1 s for high time resolution physics studies. Second, an initial automated between-shots profile analysis capability is now available. Third, availability of the profiles to end users has been significantly improved

Resemblance profiles as clustering decision criteria: Estimating statistical power, error, and correspondence for a hypothesis test for multivariate structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilborn, Joshua P; Jones, David L; Peebles, Ernst B; Naar, David F

2017-04-01

Clustering data continues to be a highly active area of data analysis, and resemblance profiles are being incorporated into ecological methodologies as a hypothesis testing-based approach to clustering multivariate data. However, these new clustering techniques have not been rigorously tested to determine the performance variability based on the algorithm's assumptions or any underlying data structures. Here, we use simulation studies to estimate the statistical error rates for the hypothesis test for multivariate structure based on dissimilarity profiles (DISPROF). We concurrently tested a widely used algorithm that employs the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) to estimate the proficiency of clustering with DISPROF as a decision criterion. We simulated unstructured multivariate data from different probability distributions with increasing numbers of objects and descriptors, and grouped data with increasing overlap, overdispersion for ecological data, and correlation among descriptors within groups. Using simulated data, we measured the resolution and correspondence of clustering solutions achieved by DISPROF with UPGMA against the reference grouping partitions used to simulate the structured test datasets. Our results highlight the dynamic interactions between dataset dimensionality, group overlap, and the properties of the descriptors within a group (i.e., overdispersion or correlation structure) that are relevant to resemblance profiles as a clustering criterion for multivariate data. These methods are particularly useful for multivariate ecological datasets that benefit from distance-based statistical analyses. We propose guidelines for using DISPROF as a clustering decision tool that will help future users avoid potential pitfalls during the application of methods and the interpretation of results.

Histogram Profiling of Postcontrast T1-Weighted MRI Gives Valuable Insights into Tumor Biology and Enables Prediction of Growth Kinetics and Prognosis in Meningiomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Gihr, Georg Alexander; Horvath-Rizea, Diana; Kohlhof-Meinecke, Patricia; Ganslandt, Oliver; Henkes, Hans; Richter, Cindy; Hoffmann, Karl-Titus; Surov, Alexey; Schob, Stefan

2018-06-14

Meningiomas are the most frequently diagnosed intracranial masses, oftentimes requiring surgery. Especially procedure-related morbidity can be substantial, particularly in elderly patients. Hence, reliable imaging modalities enabling pretherapeutic prediction of tumor grade, growth kinetic, realistic prognosis, and-as a consequence-necessity of surgery are of great value. In this context, a promising diagnostic approach is advanced analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data. Therefore, our study investigated whether histogram profiling of routinely acquired postcontrast T1-weighted images is capable of separating low-grade from high-grade lesions and whether histogram parameters reflect Ki-67 expression in meningiomas. Pretreatment T1-weighted postcontrast volumes of 44 meningioma patients were used for signal intensity histogram profiling. WHO grade, tumor volume, and Ki-67 expression were evaluated. Comparative and correlative statistics investigating the association between histogram profile parameters and neuropathology were performed. None of the investigated histogram parameters revealed significant differences between low-grade and high-grade meningiomas. However, significant correlations were identified between Ki-67 and the histogram parameters skewness and entropy as well as between entropy and tumor volume. Contrary to previously reported findings, pretherapeutic postcontrast T1-weighted images can be used to predict growth kinetics in meningiomas if whole tumor histogram analysis is employed. However, no differences between distinct WHO grades were identifiable in out cohort. As a consequence, histogram analysis of postcontrast T1-weighted images is a promising approach to obtain quantitative in vivo biomarkers reflecting the proliferative potential in meningiomas. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linked versus unlinked hospital discharge data on hip fractures for estimating incidence and comorbidity profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Vu, Trang; Day, Lesley; Finch, Caroline F

2012-08-01

Studies comparing internally linked (person-identifying) and unlinked (episodes of care) hospital discharge data (HDD) on hip fractures have mainly focused on incidence overestimation by unlinked HDD, but little is known about the impact of overestimation on patient profiles such as comorbidity estimates. In view of the continuing use of unlinked HDD in hip fracture research and the desire to apply research results to hip fracture prevention, we concurrently assessed the accuracy of both incidence and comorbidity estimates derived from unlinked HDD compared to those estimated from internally linked HDD. We analysed unlinked and internally linked HDD between 01 July 2005 and 30 June 2008, inclusive, from Victoria, Australia to estimate the incidence of hospital admission for fall-related hip fracture in community-dwelling older people aged 65+ years and determine the prevalence of comorbidity in patients. Community-dwelling status was defined as living in private residence, supported residential facilities or special accommodation but not in nursing homes. We defined internally linked HDD as the reference standard and calculated measures of accuracy of fall-related hip fracture incidence by unlinked HDD using standard definitions. The extent to which comorbidity prevalence estimates by unlinked HDD differed from those by the reference standard was assessed in absolute terms. The sensitivity and specificity of a standard approach for estimating fall-related hip fracture incidence using unlinked HDD (i.e. omitting records of in-hospital deaths, inter-hospital transfers and readmissions within 30 days of discharge) were 94.4% and 97.5%, respectively. The standard approach and its variants underestimated the prevalence of some comorbidities and altered their ranking. The use of more stringent selection criteria led to major improvements in all measures of accuracy as well as overall and specific comorbidity estimates. This study strongly supports the use of linked

Estimates of the Lightning NOx Profile in the Vicinity of the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array

Science.gov (United States)

Koshak, William J.; Peterson, Harold S.; McCaul, Eugene W.; Blazar, Arastoo

2010-01-01

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Lightning Nitrogen Oxides Model (LNOM) is applied to August 2006 North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) data to estimate the (unmixed and otherwise environmentally unmodified) vertical source profile of lightning nitrogen oxides, NOx = NO + NO2. Data from the National Lightning Detection Network (Trademark) (NLDN) is also employed. This is part of a larger effort aimed at building a more realistic lightning NOx emissions inventory for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system. Overall, special attention is given to several important lightning variables including: the frequency and geographical distribution of lightning in the vicinity of the NALMA network, lightning type (ground or cloud flash), lightning channel length, channel altitude, channel peak current, and the number of strokes per flash. Laboratory spark chamber results from the literature are used to convert 1-meter channel segments (that are located at a particular known altitude; i.e., air density) to NOx concentration. The resulting lightning NOx source profiles are discussed.

An improved ATAC-seq protocol reduces background and enables interrogation of frozen tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Corces, M Ryan; Trevino, Alexandro E; Hamilton, Emily G; Greenside, Peyton G; Sinnott-Armstrong, Nicholas A; Vesuna, Sam; Satpathy, Ansuman T; Rubin, Adam J; Montine, Kathleen S; Wu, Beijing; Kathiria, Arwa; Cho, Seung Woo; Mumbach, Maxwell R; Carter, Ava C; Kasowski, Maya; Orloff, Lisa A; Risca, Viviana I; Kundaje, Anshul; Khavari, Paul A; Montine, Thomas J; Greenleaf, William J; Chang, Howard Y

2017-10-01

We present Omni-ATAC, an improved ATAC-seq protocol for chromatin accessibility profiling that works across multiple applications with substantial improvement of signal-to-background ratio and information content. The Omni-ATAC protocol generates chromatin accessibility profiles from archival frozen tissue samples and 50-μm sections, revealing the activities of disease-associated DNA elements in distinct human brain structures. The Omni-ATAC protocol enables the interrogation of personal regulomes in tissue context and translational studies.

An Estimate of Solar Wind Velocity Profiles in a Coronal Hole and a Coronal Streamer Area (6-40 R(radius symbol)

Science.gov (United States)

Patzold, M.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Bird, M. K.

1995-01-01

Total electron content data obtained from the Ulysses Solar Corona Experiment (SCE) in 1991 were used to select two data sets, one associated with a coronal hole and the other with coronal streamer crossings. (This is largely equatorial data shortly after solar maximum.) The solar wind velocity profile is estimated for these areas.

UD-WCMA: An Energy Estimation and Forecast Scheme for Solar Powered Wireless Sensor Networks

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Ahmad H.

2017-04-11

Energy estimation and forecast represents an important role for energy management in solar-powered wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In general, the energy in such networks is managed over a finite time horizon in the future based on input solar power forecasts to enable continuous operation of the WSNs and achieve the sensing objectives while ensuring that no node runs out of energy. In this article, we propose a dynamic version of the weather conditioned moving average technique (UD-WCMA) to estimate and predict the variations of the solar power in a wireless sensor network. The presented approach combines the information from the real-time measurement data and a set of stored profiles representing the energy patterns in the WSNs location to update the prediction model. The UD-WCMA scheme is based on adaptive weighting parameters depending on the weather changes which makes it flexible compared to the existing estimation schemes without any precalibration. A performance analysis has been performed considering real irradiance profiles to assess the UD-WCMA prediction accuracy. Comparative numerical tests to standard forecasting schemes (EWMA, WCMA, and Pro-Energy) shows the outperformance of the new algorithm. The experimental validation has proven the interesting features of the UD-WCMA in real time low power sensor nodes.

Ultrasound elastographic imaging of thermal lesions and temperature profiles during radiofrequency ablation

Science.gov (United States)

Techavipoo, Udomchai

Manual palpation to sense variations in tissue stiffness for disease diagnosis has been regularly performed by clinicians for centuries. However, it is generally limited to large and superficial structures and the ability of the physician performing the palpation. Imaging of tissue stiffness or elastic properties via the aid of modern imaging such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, referred to as elastography, enhances the capability for disease diagnosis. In addition, elastography could be used for monitoring tissue response to minimally invasive ablative therapies, which are performed percutaneously to destruct tumors with minimum damage to surrounding tissue. Monitoring tissue temperature during ablation is another approach to estimate tissue damage. The ultimate goal of this dissertation is to improve the image quality of elastograms and temperature profiles for visualizing thermal lesions during and after ablative therapies. Elastographic imaging of thermal lesions is evaluated by comparison of sizes, shapes, and volumes with the results obtained using gross pathology. Semiautomated segmentation of lesion boundaries on elastograms is also developed. It provides comparable results to those with manual segmentation. Elastograms imaged during radiofrequency ablation in vitro show that the impact of gas bubbles during ablation on the ability to delineate the thermal lesion is small. Two novel methods to reduce noise artifacts in elastograms, and an accurate estimation of displacement vectors are proposed. The first method applies wavelet-denoising algorithms to the displacement estimates. The second method utilizes angular compounding of the elastograms generated using ultrasound signal frames acquired from different insonification angles. These angular frames are also utilized to estimate all tissue displacement vector components in response to a deformation. These enable the generation of normal and shear strain elastograms and Poisson's ratio

Modeling the vertical soil organic matter profile using Bayesian parameter estimation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braakhekke, M.C.; Wutzler, T.; Beer, C.; Kattge, J.; Schrumpf, M.; Schöning, I.; Hoosbeek, M.R.; Kruijt, B.; Kabat, P.

2012-01-01

The vertical distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) in the profile may constitute a significant factor for soil carbon cycling. However, the formation of the SOM profile is currently poorly understood due to equifinality, caused by the entanglement of several processes: input from roots, mixing

Modeling the vertical soil organic matter profile using Bayesian parameter estimation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braakhekke, M.C.; Wutzler, T.; Beer, C.; Kattge, J.; Schrumpf, M.; Ahrens, B.; Schoning, I.; Hoosbeek, M.R.; Kruijt, B.; Kabat, P.; Reichstein, M.

2013-01-01

The vertical distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) in the profile may constitute an important factor for soil carbon cycling. However, the formation of the SOM profile is currently poorly understood due to equifinality, caused by the entanglement of several processes: input from roots, mixing

Identification and uncertainty estimation of vertical reflectivity profiles using a Lagrangian approach to support quantitative precipitation measurements by weather radar

Science.gov (United States)

Hazenberg, P.; Torfs, P. J. J. F.; Leijnse, H.; Delrieu, G.; Uijlenhoet, R.

2013-09-01

This paper presents a novel approach to estimate the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) from volumetric weather radar data using both a traditional Eulerian as well as a newly proposed Lagrangian implementation. For this latter implementation, the recently developed Rotational Carpenter Square Cluster Algorithm (RoCaSCA) is used to delineate precipitation regions at different reflectivity levels. A piecewise linear VPR is estimated for either stratiform or neither stratiform/convective precipitation. As a second aspect of this paper, a novel approach is presented which is able to account for the impact of VPR uncertainty on the estimated radar rainfall variability. Results show that implementation of the VPR identification and correction procedure has a positive impact on quantitative precipitation estimates from radar. Unfortunately, visibility problems severely limit the impact of the Lagrangian implementation beyond distances of 100 km. However, by combining this procedure with the global Eulerian VPR estimation procedure for a given rainfall type (stratiform and neither stratiform/convective), the quality of the quantitative precipitation estimates increases up to a distance of 150 km. Analyses of the impact of VPR uncertainty shows that this aspect accounts for a large fraction of the differences between weather radar rainfall estimates and rain gauge measurements.

PC and monitor night status: Power management enabling and manual turn-off

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordman, Bruce; Meier, Alan; Piette, Mary Ann

1998-01-01

While office equipment accounts for about 7 percent of commercial building energy use, this reflects considerable energy savings from the use of automatic power management. Most of these savings were gained through the use of low-power modes that meet the criteria of the U.S. EPA's Energy Star program. Despite this success, there are large amounts of additional savings that could be gained if all equipment capable of power management use were enabled and functioning. A considerable portion of equipment is not enabled for power management at all, enabled only partially, or is enabled but prevented from functioning. Additional savings could be gained if more equipment were turned off at night manually. We compiled results from 17 studies from the office equipment literature addressing PCs and monitors. Some factors important for annual energy use, such as power levels, have been documented elsewhere and are not covered. We review methods for estimating office equipment use patterns and energy use, and present findings on night status-power management and manual turn-off rates. In early studies, PC power management was often found to function in 25 percent or less of the Energy Star compliant units (10 percent of all PCs). However, recent assessments have found higher rates, and we estimate that for Energy Star models, 35 percent of PC CPUs and 65 percent of PC monitors are enabled for power management. While the data lack statistical rigor, they can be used to estimate the magnitude of current and potential power management savings, which we did for major types of office equipment. The data also make clear that the topic of enabling rates, and the factors which influence them, deserve greater scrutiny

Wheel set run profile renewing method effectiveness estimation

OpenAIRE

Somov, Dmitrij; Bazaras, Žilvinas; Žukauskaite, Orinta

2010-01-01

At all the repair enterprises, despite decreased rim wear-off resistance, after every grinding only geometry wheel profile parameters are renewed. Exploit wheel rim work edge decrease tendency is noticed what induces acquiring new wheels. This is related to considerable axle load and train speed increase and also because of wheel work edge repair method imperfection.

Variance of discharge estimates sampled using acoustic Doppler current profilers from moving boats

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Carlos M.; Tarrab, Leticia; Oberg, Kevin; Szupiany, Ricardo; Cantero, Mariano I.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a model for quantifying the random errors (i.e., variance) of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) discharge measurements from moving boats for different sampling times. The model focuses on the random processes in the sampled flow field and has been developed using statistical methods currently available for uncertainty analysis of velocity time series. Analysis of field data collected using ADCP from moving boats from three natural rivers of varying sizes and flow conditions shows that, even though the estimate of the integral time scale of the actual turbulent flow field is larger than the sampling interval, the integral time scale of the sampled flow field is on the order of the sampling interval. Thus, an equation for computing the variance error in discharge measurements associated with different sampling times, assuming uncorrelated flow fields is appropriate. The approach is used to help define optimal sampling strategies by choosing the exposure time required for ADCPs to accurately measure flow discharge.

Estimation of Hypertension Risk from Lifestyle Factors and Health Profile: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhuoyuan Zheng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hypertension is a highly prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and it can also lead to other diseases which seriously harm the human health. Screening the risks and finding a clinical model for estimating the risk of onset, maintenance, or the prognosis of hypertension are of great importance to the prevention or treatment of the disease, especially if the indicator can be derived from simple health profile. In this study, we investigate a chronic disease questionnaire data set of 6563 rural citizens in East China and find out a clinical signature that can assess the risk of hypertension easily and accurately. The signature achieves an accuracy of about 83% on the external test dataset, with an AUC of 0.91. Our study demonstrates that a combination of simple lifestyle features can sufficiently reflect the risk of hypertension onset. This finding provides potential guidance for disease prevention and control as well as development of home care and home-care technologies.

POSTER: Privacy-Preserving Profile Similarity Computation in Online Social Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jeckmans, Arjan; Tang, Qiang; Hartel, Pieter H.

2011-01-01

Currently, none of the existing online social networks (OSNs) enables its users to make new friends without revealing their private information. This leaves the users in a vulnerable position when searching for new friends. We propose a solution which enables a user to compute her profile similarity

Soil microbial community profiles and functional diversity in limestone cedar glades

Science.gov (United States)

Cartwright, Jennifer M.; Dzantor, E. Kudjo; Momen, Bahram

2016-01-01

Rock outcrop ecosystems, such as limestone cedar glades (LCGs), are known for their rare and endemic plant species adapted to high levels of abiotic stress. Soils in LCGs are thin (< 25 cm), soil-moisture conditions fluctuate seasonally between xeric and saturated, and summer soil temperatures commonly exceed 48 °C. The effects of these stressors on soil microbial communities (SMC) remain largely unstudied, despite the importance of SMC-plant interactions in regulating the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. SMC profiles and functional diversity were characterized in LCGs using community level physiological profiling (CLPP) and plate-dilution frequency assays (PDFA). Most-probable number (MPN) estimates and microbial substrate-utilization diversity (H) were positively related to soil thickness, soil organic matter (OM), soil water content, and vegetation density, and were diminished in alkaline soil relative to circumneutral soil. Soil nitrate showed no relationship to SMCs, suggesting lack of N-limitation. Canonical correlation analysis indicated strong correlations between microbial CLPP patterns and several physical and chemical properties of soil, primarily temperature at the ground surface and at 4-cm depth, and secondarily soil-water content, enabling differentiation by season. Thus, it was demonstrated that several well-described abiotic determinants of plant community structure in this ecosystem are also reflected in SMC profiles.

The Potential of The Synergy of Sunphotometer and Lidar Data to Validate Vertical Profiles of The Aerosol Mass Concentration Estimated by An Air Quality Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siomos N.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Vertical profiles of the aerosol mass concentration derived by the Lidar/Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC, that uses combined sunphotometer and lidar data, were used in order to validate the aerosol mass concentration profiles estimated by the air quality model CAMx. Lidar and CIMEL measurements performed at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (40.5N, 22.9E from the period 2013-2014 were used in this study.

Influence of the ozone profile above Madrid (Spain) on Brewer estimation of ozone air mass factor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anton, M. [Univ. de Extremadura, Badajoz (Spain). Dept. de Fisica; Evora Univ. (PT). Goephysics Centre of Evora (CGE); Lopez, M.; Banon, M. [Agenica Estatal de Meteorologia (AEMET), Madrid (Spain); Costa, M.J.; Silva, A.M. [Evora Univ. (PT). Goephysics Centre of Evora (CGE); Evora Univ. (Portugal). Dept. of Physics; Serrano, A. [Univ. de Extremadura, Badajoz (Spain). Dept. de Fisica; Bortoli, D. [Evora Univ. (PT). Goephysics Centre of Evora (CGE); Vilaplana, J.M. [Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Huelva (Spain). Estacion de Sondeos Atmosferico ' ' El Arenosillo' '

2009-07-01

The methodology used by Brewer spectroradiometers to estimate the ozone column is based on differential absorption spectroscopy. This methodology employs the ozone air mass factor (AMF) to derive the total ozone column from the slant path ozone amount. For the calculating the ozone AMF, the Brewer algorithm assumes that the ozone layer is located at a fixed height of 22 km. However, for a real specific site the ozone presents a certain profile, which varies spatially and temporally depending on the latitude, altitude and dynamical conditions of the atmosphere above the site of measurements. In this sense, this work address the reliability of the mentioned assumption and analyses the influence of the ozone profiles measured above Madrid (Spain) in the ozone AMF calculations. The approximated ozone AMF used by the Brewer algorithm is compared with simulations obtained using the libRadtran radiative transfer model code. The results show an excellent agreement between the simulated and the approximated AMF values for solar zenith angle lower than 75 . In addition, the relative differences remain lower than 2% at 85 . These good results are mainly due to the fact that the altitude of the ozone layer assumed constant by the Brewer algorithm for all latitudes notably can be considered representative of the real profile of ozone above Madrid (average value of 21.7{+-}1.8 km). The operational ozone AMF calculations for Brewer instruments are limited, in general, to SZA below 80 . Extending the usable SZA range is especially relevant for Brewer instruments located at high mid-latitudes. (orig.)

Real-time tunability of chip-based light source enabled by microfluidic mixing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Brian Bilenberg; Rasmussen, Torben; Balslev, Søren

2006-01-01

We demonstrate real-time tunability of a chip-based liquid light source enabled by microfluidic mixing. The mixer and light source are fabricated in SU-8 which is suitable for integration in SU-8-based laboratory-on-a-chip microsystems. The tunability of the light source is achieved by changing...... the concentration of rhodamine 6G dye inside two integrated vertical resonators, since both the refractive index and the gain profile are influenced by the dye concentration. The effect on the refractive index and the gain profile of rhodamine 6G in ethanol is investigated and the continuous tuning of the laser...

Steel Energy and Environmental Profile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2000-08-01

Major steelmaking processes (from ironmaking through fabrication and forming) and their associated energy requirements have been profiled in this 2001 report (PDF 582 KB). This profile by Energetics, Inc. also describes the waste streams generated by each process and estimates annual emissions of CO₂ and criteria pollutants.

Towards Current Profile Control in ITER: Potential Approaches and Research Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, E.; Barton, J. E.; Wehner, W. P.

2014-10-01

Many challenging plasma control problems still need to be addressed in order for the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) to be able to successfully achieve the ITER project goals. For instance, setting up a suitable toroidal current density profile is key for one possible advanced scenario characterized by noninductive sustainment of the plasma current and steady-state operation. The nonlinearity and high dimensionality exhibited by the plasma demand a model-based current-profile control synthesis procedure that can accommodate this complexity through embedding the known physics within the design. The development of a model capturing the dynamics of the plasma relevant for control design enables not only the design of feedback controllers for regulation or tracking but also the design of optimal feedforward controllers for a systematic model-based approach to scenario planning, the design of state estimators for a reliable real-time reconstruction of the plasma internal profiles based on limited and noisy diagnostics, and the development of a fast predictive simulation code for closed-loop performance evaluation before implementation. Progress towards control-oriented modeling of the current profile evolution and associated control design has been reported following both data-driven and first-principles-driven approaches. An overview of these two approaches will be provided, as well as a discussion on research needs associated with each one of the model applications described above. Supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-SC0001334 and DE-SC0010661.

Uncertainty enabled Sensor Observation Services

Science.gov (United States)

Cornford, Dan; Williams, Matthew; Bastin, Lucy

2010-05-01

Almost all observations of reality are contaminated with errors, which introduce uncertainties into the actual observation result. Such uncertainty is often held to be a data quality issue, and quantification of this uncertainty is essential for the principled exploitation of the observations. Many existing systems treat data quality in a relatively ad-hoc manner, however if the observation uncertainty is a reliable estimate of the error on the observation with respect to reality then knowledge of this uncertainty enables optimal exploitation of the observations in further processes, or decision making. We would argue that the most natural formalism for expressing uncertainty is Bayesian probability theory. In this work we show how the Open Geospatial Consortium Sensor Observation Service can be implemented to enable the support of explicit uncertainty about observations. We show how the UncertML candidate standard is used to provide a rich and flexible representation of uncertainty in this context. We illustrate this on a data set of user contributed weather data where the INTAMAP interpolation Web Processing Service is used to help estimate the uncertainty on the observations of unknown quality, using observations with known uncertainty properties. We then go on to discuss the implications of uncertainty for a range of existing Open Geospatial Consortium standards including SWE common and Observations and Measurements. We discuss the difficult decisions in the design of the UncertML schema and its relation and usage within existing standards and show various options. We conclude with some indications of the likely future directions for UncertML in the context of Open Geospatial Consortium services.

DFT-based channel estimation and noise variance estimation techniques for single-carrier FDMA

OpenAIRE

Huang, G; Nix, AR; Armour, SMD

2010-01-01

Practical frequency domain equalization (FDE) systems generally require knowledge of the channel and the noise variance to equalize the received signal in a frequency-selective fading channel. Accurate channel estimate and noise variance estimate are thus desirable to improve receiver performance. In this paper we investigate the performance of the denoise channel estimator and the approximate linear minimum mean square error (A-LMMSE) channel estimator with channel power delay profile (PDP) ...

Exact estimation of biodiesel cetane number (CN) from its fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profile using partial least square (PLS) adapted by artificial neural network (ANN)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseinpour, Soleiman; Aghbashlo, Mortaza; Tabatabaei, Meisam; Khalife, Esmail

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Estimating the biodiesel CN from its FAMEs profile using ANN-based PLS approach. • Comparing the capability of ANN-adapted PLS approach with the standard PLS model. • Exact prediction of biodiesel CN from it FAMEs profile using ANN-based PLS method. • Developing an easy-to-use software using ANN-PLS model for computing the biodiesel CN. - Abstract: Cetane number (CN) is among the most important properties of biodiesel because it quantifies combustion speed or in better words, ignition quality. Experimental measurement of biodiesel CN is rather laborious and expensive. However, the high proportionality of biodiesel fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profile with its CN is very appealing to develop straightforward and inexpensive computerized tools for biodiesel CN estimation. Unfortunately, correlating the chemical structure of biodiesel to its CN using conventional statistical and mathematical approaches is very difficult. To solve this issue, partial least square (PLS) adapted by artificial neural network (ANN) was introduced and examined herein as an innovative approach for the exact estimation of biodiesel CN from its FAMEs profile. In the proposed approach, ANN paradigm was used for modeling the inner relation between the input and the output PLS score vectors. In addition, the capability of the developed method in predicting the biodiesel CN was compared with the basal PLS method. The accuracy of the developed approaches for computing the biodiesel CN was assessed using three statistical criteria, i.e., coefficient of determination (R"2), mean-squared error (MSE), and percentage error (PE). The ANN-adapted PLS method predicted the biodiesel CN with an R"2 value higher than 0.99 demonstrating the fidelity of the developed model over the classical PLS method with a markedly lower R"2 value of about 0.85. In order to facilitate the use of the proposed model, an easy-to-use computer program was also developed on the basis of ANN-adapted PLS

Inverse methods for estimating primary input signals from time-averaged isotope profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Passey, Benjamin H.; Cerling, Thure E.; Schuster, Gerard T.; Robinson, Todd F.; Roeder, Beverly L.; Krueger, Stephen K.

2005-08-01

Mammalian teeth are invaluable archives of ancient seasonality because they record along their growth axes an isotopic record of temporal change in environment, plant diet, and animal behavior. A major problem with the intra-tooth method is that intra-tooth isotope profiles can be extremely time-averaged compared to the actual pattern of isotopic variation experienced by the animal during tooth formation. This time-averaging is a result of the temporal and spatial characteristics of amelogenesis (tooth enamel formation), and also results from laboratory sampling. This paper develops and evaluates an inverse method for reconstructing original input signals from time-averaged intra-tooth isotope profiles. The method requires that the temporal and spatial patterns of amelogenesis are known for the specific tooth and uses a minimum length solution of the linear system Am = d, where d is the measured isotopic profile, A is a matrix describing temporal and spatial averaging during amelogenesis and sampling, and m is the input vector that is sought. Accuracy is dependent on several factors, including the total measurement error and the isotopic structure of the measured profile. The method is shown to accurately reconstruct known input signals for synthetic tooth enamel profiles and the known input signal for a rabbit that underwent controlled dietary changes. Application to carbon isotope profiles of modern hippopotamus canines reveals detailed dietary histories that are not apparent from the measured data alone. Inverse methods show promise as an effective means of dealing with the time-averaging problem in studies of intra-tooth isotopic variation.

Multi-omic data integration enables discovery of hidden biological regularities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ebrahim, Ali; Brunk, Elizabeth; Tan, Justin

2016-01-01

Rapid growth in size and complexity of biological data sets has led to the 'Big Data to Knowledge' challenge. We develop advanced data integration methods for multi- level analysis of genomic, transcriptomic, ribosomal profiling, proteomic and fluxomic data. First, we show that pairwise integration...... of primary omics data reveals regularities that tie cellular processes together in Escherichia coli: the number of protein molecules made per mRNA transcript and the number of ribosomes required per translated protein molecule. Second, we show that genome- scale models, based on genomic and bibliomic data......, enable quantitative synchronization of disparate data types. Integrating omics data with models enabled the discovery of two novel regularities: condition invariant in vivo turnover rates of enzymes and the correlation of protein structural motifs and translational pausing. These regularities can...

Beam shaping as an enabler for new applications

Science.gov (United States)

Guertler, Yvonne; Kahmann, Max; Havrilla, David

2017-02-01

For many years, laser beam shaping has enabled users to achieve optimized process results as well as manage challenging applications. The latest advancements in industrial lasers and processing optics have taken this a step further as users are able to adapt the beam shape to meet specific application requirements in a very flexible way. TRUMPF has developed a wide range of experience in creating beam profiles at the work piece for optimized material processing. This technology is based on the physical model of wave optics and can be used with ultra short pulse lasers as well as multi-kW cw lasers. Basically, the beam shape can be adapted in all three dimensions in space, which allows maximum flexibility. Besides adaption of intensity profile, even multi-spot geometries can be produced. This approach is very cost efficient, because a standard laser source and (in the case of cw lasers) a standard fiber can be used without any special modifications. Based on this innovative beam shaping technology, TRUMPF has developed new and optimized processes. Two of the most recent application developments using these techniques are cutting glass and synthetic sapphire with ultra-short pulse lasers and enhanced brazing of hot dip zinc coated steel for automotive applications. Both developments lead to more efficient and flexible production processes, enabled by laser technology and open the door to new opportunities. They also indicate the potential of beam shaping techniques since they can be applied to both single-mode laser sources (TOP Cleave) and multi-mode laser sources (brazing).

Real-Time Personalized Monitoring to Estimate Occupational Heat Stress in Ambient Assisted Working

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Pancardo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Ambient Assisted Working (AAW is a discipline aiming to provide comfort and safety in the workplace through customization and technology. Workers’ comfort may be compromised in many labor situations, including those depending on environmental conditions, like extremely hot weather conduces to heat stress. Occupational heat stress (OHS happens when a worker is in an uninterrupted physical activity and in a hot environment. OHS can produce strain on the body, which leads to discomfort and eventually to heat illness and even death. Related ISO standards contain methods to estimate OHS and to ensure the safety and health of workers, but they are subjective, impersonal, performed a posteriori and even invasive. This paper focuses on the design and development of real-time personalized monitoring for a more effective and objective estimation of OHS, taking into account the individual user profile, fusing data from environmental and unobtrusive body sensors. Formulas employed in this work were taken from different domains and joined in the method that we propose. It is based on calculations that enable continuous surveillance of physical activity performance in a comfortable and healthy manner. In this proposal, we found that OHS can be estimated by satisfying the following criteria: objective, personalized, in situ, in real time, just in time and in an unobtrusive way. This enables timely notice for workers to make decisions based on objective information to control OHS.

Unsupervised Power Profiling for Mobile Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun; Blunck, Henrik

Today, power consumption is a main limitation for mobile phones. To minimize the power consumption of popular and traditionally power-hungry location-based services requires knowledge of how individual phone features consume power, so that those features can be utilized intelligently for optimal...... power savings while at the same time maintaining good quality of service. This paper proposes an unsupervised API-level method for power profiling mobile phones based on genetic algorithms. The method enables accurate profiling of the power consumption of devices and thereby provides the information...

Unsupervised Power Profiling for Mobile Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun; Blunck, Henrik

2011-01-01

Today, power consumption is a main limitation for mobile phones. To minimize the power consumption of popular and traditionally power-hungry location-based services requires knowledge of how individual phone features consume power, so that those features can be utilized intelligently for optimal...... power savings while at the same time maintaining good quality of service. This paper proposes an unsupervised API-level method for power profiling mobile phones based on genetic algorithms. The method enables accurate profiling of the power consumption of devices and thereby provides the information...

Algorithm-enabled partial-angular-scan configurations for dual-energy CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Buxin; Zhang, Zheng; Xia, Dan; Sidky, Emil Y; Pan, Xiaochuan

2018-05-01

We seek to investigate an optimization-based one-step method for image reconstruction that explicitly compensates for nonlinear spectral response (i.e., the beam-hardening effect) in dual-energy CT, to investigate the feasibility of the one-step method for enabling two dual-energy partial-angular-scan configurations, referred to as the short- and half-scan configurations, on standard CT scanners without involving additional hardware, and to investigate the potential of the short- and half-scan configurations in reducing imaging dose and scan time in a single-kVp-switch full-scan configuration in which two full rotations are made for collection of dual-energy data. We use the one-step method to reconstruct images directly from dual-energy data through solving a nonconvex optimization program that specifies the images to be reconstructed in dual-energy CT. Dual-energy full-scan data are generated from numerical phantoms and collected from physical phantoms with the standard single-kVp-switch full-scan configuration, whereas dual-energy short- and half-scan data are extracted from the corresponding full-scan data. Besides visual inspection and profile-plot comparison, the reconstructed images are analyzed also in quantitative studies based upon tasks of linear-attenuation-coefficient and material-concentration estimation and of material differentiation. Following the performance of a computer-simulation study to verify that the one-step method can reconstruct numerically accurately basis and monochromatic images of numerical phantoms, we reconstruct basis and monochromatic images by using the one-step method from real data of physical phantoms collected with the full-, short-, and half-scan configurations. Subjective inspection based upon visualization and profile-plot comparison reveals that monochromatic images, which are used often in practical applications, reconstructed from the full-, short-, and half-scan data are largely visually comparable except for some

Integrative structural modeling with small angle X-ray scattering profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schneidman-Duhovny Dina

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Recent technological advances enabled high-throughput collection of Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS profiles of biological macromolecules. Thus, computational methods for integrating SAXS profiles into structural modeling are needed more than ever. Here, we review specifically the use of SAXS profiles for the structural modeling of proteins, nucleic acids, and their complexes. First, the approaches for computing theoretical SAXS profiles from structures are presented. Second, computational methods for predicting protein structures, dynamics of proteins in solution, and assembly structures are covered. Third, we discuss the use of SAXS profiles in integrative structure modeling approaches that depend simultaneously on several data types.

BWR AXIAL PROFILE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huffer, J.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this calculation is to develop axial profiles for estimating the axial variation in burnup of a boiling water reactor (BWR) assembly spent nuclear fuel (SNF) given the average burnup of an assembly. A discharged fuel assembly typically exhibits higher burnup in the center and lower burnup at the ends of the assembly. Criticality safety analyses taking credit for SNF burnup must account for axially varying burnup relative to calculations based on uniformly distributed assembly average burnup due to the under-burned tips. Thus, accounting for axially varying burnup in criticality analyses is also referred to as accounting for the ''end effect'' reactivity. The magnitude of the reactivity change due to ''end effect'' is dependent on the initial assembly enrichment, the assembly average burnup, and the particular axial profile characterizing the burnup distribution. The set of bounding axial profiles should incorporate multiple BWR core designs and provide statistical confidence (95 percent confidence that 95 percent of the population is bound by the profile) that end nodes are conservatively represented. The profiles should also conserve the overall burnup of the fuel assembly. More background on BWR axial profiles is provided in Attachment I

Somatic symptom profiles in the general population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eliasen, Marie; Jørgensen, Torben; Schröder, Andreas

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify and describe somatic symptom profiles in the general adult population in order to enable further epidemiological research within multiple somatic symptoms. METHODS: Information on 19 self-reported common somatic symptoms was achieved from a population...

Market projections of cellulose nanomaterial-enabled products-- Part 2: Volume estimates

Science.gov (United States)

John Cowie; E.M. (Ted) Bilek; Theodore H. Wegner; Jo Anne Shatkin

2014-01-01

Nanocellulose has enormous potential to provide an important materials platform in numerous product sectors. This study builds on previous work by the same authors in which likely high-volume, low-volume, and novel applications for cellulosic nanomaterials were identified. In particular, this study creates a transparent methodology and estimates the potential annual...

TES/Aura L2 Summary Profiles V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Atmospheric vertical profile estimates, along with retrieved surface temperature, cloud effective optical depth, column estimates, quality flags, and a priori...

TES/Aura L2 Summary Profiles V003

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Atmospheric vertical profile estimates, along with retrieved surface temperature, cloud effective optical depth, column estimates, quality flags, and a priori...

Water-mediated interactions enable smooth substrate transport in a bacterial efflux pump.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargiu, Attilio Vittorio; Ramaswamy, Venkata Krishnan; Malvacio, Ivana; Malloci, Giuliano; Kleinekathöfer, Ulrich; Ruggerone, Paolo

2018-04-01

Efflux pumps of the Resistance-Nodulation-cell Division superfamily confer multi-drug resistance to Gram-negative bacteria. The most-studied polyspecific transporter belonging to this class is the inner-membrane trimeric antiporter AcrB of Escherichia coli. In previous studies, a functional rotation mechanism was proposed for its functioning, according to which the three monomers undergo concerted conformational changes facilitating the extrusion of substrates. However, the molecular determinants and the energetics of this mechanism still remain unknown, so its feasibility must be proven mechanistically. A computational protocol able to mimic the functional rotation mechanism in AcrB was developed. By using multi-bias molecular dynamics simulations we characterized the translocation of the substrate doxorubicin driven by conformational changes of the protein. In addition, we estimated for the first time the free energy profile associated to this process. We provided a molecular view of the process in agreement with experimental data. Moreover, we showed that the conformational changes occurring in AcrB enable the formation of a layer of structured waters on the internal surface of the transport channel. This water layer, in turn, allows for a fairly constant hydration of the substrate, facilitating its diffusion over a smooth free energy profile. Our findings reveal a new molecular mechanism of polyspecific transport whereby water contributes by screening potentially strong substrate-protein interactions. We provided a mechanistic understanding of a fundamental process related to multi-drug transport. Our results can help rationalizing the behavior of other polyspecific transporters and designing compounds avoiding extrusion or inhibitors of efflux pumps. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Collaborative eHealth Meets Security: Privacy-Enhancing Patient Profile Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez-Guerrero, Rosa; Mendoza, Florina Almenarez; Diaz-Sanchez, Daniel; Cabarcos, Patricia Arias; Lopez, Andres Marin

2017-11-01

Collaborative healthcare environments offer potential benefits, including enhancing the healthcare quality delivered to patients and reducing costs. As a direct consequence, sharing of electronic health records (EHRs) among healthcare providers has experienced a noteworthy growth in the last years, since it enables physicians to remotely monitor patients' health and enables individuals to manage their own health data more easily. However, these scenarios face significant challenges regarding security and privacy of the extremely sensitive information contained in EHRs. Thus, a flexible, efficient, and standards-based solution is indispensable to guarantee selective identity information disclosure and preserve patient's privacy. We propose a privacy-aware profile management approach that empowers the patient role, enabling him to bring together various healthcare providers as well as user-generated claims into an unique credential. User profiles are represented through an adaptive Merkle Tree, for which we formalize the underlying mathematical model. Furthermore, performance of the proposed solution is empirically validated through simulation experiments.

Objective measurement of inhaler inhalation flow profile using acoustic methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacalle, H.; Taylor, T.E.; Marco, S.; Reilly, R.B.

2016-07-01

Patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are mostly treated with inhalers that deliver medication directly to their airways. Drug delivery from dry powder inhalers (DPIs) is very much reliant on the inhalation manoeuvre, specifically the peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR), inspiratory capacity (IC) and inhalation rise time (IRT) of the inhalation. It has been widely reported that patients may not follow correct inhalation technique while using their inhaler. In this study, a novel acoustic method is proposed to accurately estimate inhalation flow profile using only one inhalation recording for calibration. An Ellipta DPI was placed inside an airtight container with a spirometer connected in order to measure inhalation flow parameters. An acoustic recording device (Inhaler Compliance Assessment (INCA)) was also attached to the DPI. Inhalation audio and flow signals were recorded simultaneously. The data were collected from 20 healthy subjects while performing inhaler inhalations at a range of inspiratory flow rates. A power law regression model was computed to obtain the relationship between the acoustic envelope of the inhalation and flow profile of each recording. Each model was tested on the remaining audio signals to estimate flow profile. The average estimation error was found to be 10.5±0.3% for estimating flow profile from audio signals. Inhalation flow profile parameters (PIFR, IC and IRT) could then be measured from the estimated flow profile with high accuracy giving information on user inhalation technique. This method may assist in improving patient inhaler adherence and overall disease control. (Author)

Maximum profile likelihood estimation of differential equation parameters through model based smoothing state estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, D A; Chkrebtii, O

2013-12-01

Statistical inference for biochemical models often faces a variety of characteristic challenges. In this paper we examine state and parameter estimation for the JAK-STAT intracellular signalling mechanism, which exemplifies the implementation intricacies common in many biochemical inference problems. We introduce an extension to the Generalized Smoothing approach for estimating delay differential equation models, addressing selection of complexity parameters, choice of the basis system, and appropriate optimization strategies. Motivated by the JAK-STAT system, we further extend the generalized smoothing approach to consider a nonlinear observation process with additional unknown parameters, and highlight how the approach handles unobserved states and unevenly spaced observations. The methodology developed is generally applicable to problems of estimation for differential equation models with delays, unobserved states, nonlinear observation processes, and partially observed histories. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gamma-ray emission profile measurements during JET ICRH discharges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarvis, O N; Marcus, F B; Sadler, G; Van Belle, P [Commission of the European Communities, Abingdon (United Kingdom). JET Joint Undertaking; Howarth, P J.A. [Birmingham Univ. (United Kingdom); Adams, J M; Bond, D S [UKAEA Harwell Lab. (United Kingdom). Energy Technology Div.

1994-07-01

Gamma-ray emission from plasma-impurity reactions caused by minority ICRH accelerating fuel ions to MeV energies has been measured using the JET neutron profile monitor. A successful data analysis technique has been used to isolate the RF-induced gamma-ray emission that was detected, enabling profiles of gamma-ray emission to be obtained. The 2-d gamma-ray emission profiles show that virtually all the radiation originates from the low field side of the RF resonance layer, as expected from RF-induced pitch angle diffusion. The emission profiles indicate the presence of a small population of resonant {sup 3}He ions that possess orbits lying near the passing-trapped boundary. 6 refs., 4 figs.

Access Based Cost Estimation for Beddown Analysis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Pennington, Jasper E

2006-01-01

The purpose of this research is to develop an automated web-enabled beddown estimation application for Air Mobility Command in order to increase the effectiveness and enhance the robustness of beddown estimates...

A 3D Lumped Thermal Network Model for Long-term Load Profiles Analysis in High Power IGBT Modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahman, Amir Sajjad; Ma, Ke; Ghimire, Pramod

2016-01-01

)-based simulation is another method which is often used to analyze the steady-state thermal distribution of IGBT modules, but it is not possible to be used for long-term analysis of load profiles of power converter, which is needed for reliability assessments and better thermal design. This paper proposes a novel...... enables both accurate and fast temperature estimation of high power IGBT modules in the real loading conditions of the converter; meanwhile the critical details of the thermal dynamics and thermal distribution are also maintained. The proposed thermal model is verified by both FEM simulation......The conventional RC lumped thermal networks are widely used to estimate the temperature of power devices, but they are lack of accuracy in addressing detailed thermal behaviors/couplings in different locations and layers of the high power IGBT modules. On the other hand, Finite Element (FE...

Multiscale estimation of excess mass from gravity data

Science.gov (United States)

Castaldo, Raffaele; Fedi, Maurizio; Florio, Giovanni

2014-06-01

We describe a multiscale method to estimate the excess mass of gravity anomaly sources, based on the theory of source moments. Using a multipole expansion of the potential field and considering only the data along the vertical direction, a system of linear equations is obtained. The choice of inverting data along a vertical profile can help us to reduce the interference effects due to nearby anomalies and will allow a local estimate of the source parameters. A criterion is established allowing the selection of the optimal highest altitude of the vertical profile data and truncation order of the series expansion. The inversion provides an estimate of the total anomalous mass and of the depth to the centre of mass. The method has several advantages with respect to classical methods, such as the Gauss' method: (i) we need just a 1-D inversion to obtain our estimates, being the inverted data sampled along a single vertical profile; (ii) the resolution may be straightforward enhanced by using vertical derivatives; (iii) the centre of mass is also estimated, besides the excess mass; (iv) the method is very robust versus noise; (v) the profile may be chosen in such a way to minimize the effects from interfering anomalies or from side effects due to the a limited area extension. The multiscale estimation of excess mass method can be successfully used in various fields of application. Here, we analyse the gravity anomaly generated by a sulphide body in the Skelleftea ore district, North Sweden, obtaining source mass and volume estimates in agreement with the known information. We show also that these estimates are substantially improved with respect to those obtained with the classical approach.

A statistical approach to plasma profile analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kardaun, O.J.W.F.; McCarthy, P.J.; Lackner, K.; Riedel, K.S.

1990-05-01

A general statistical approach to the parameterisation and analysis of tokamak profiles is presented. The modelling of the profile dependence on both the radius and the plasma parameters is discussed, and pertinent, classical as well as robust, methods of estimation are reviewed. Special attention is given to statistical tests for discriminating between the various models, and to the construction of confidence intervals for the parameterised profiles and the associated global quantities. The statistical approach is shown to provide a rigorous approach to the empirical testing of plasma profile invariance. (orig.)

Enabling interoperability, accessibility and reusability of virtual patients across Europe - design and implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zary, Nabil; Hege, Inga; Heid, Jörn; Woodham, Luke; Donkers, Jeroen; Kononowicz, Andrzej A

2009-01-01

Virtual Patients (VPs) have successfully been integrated into medical and healthcare curricula for a number of years. Lack of time and resources is a frequently reported problem encountered when developing VPs for teaching and learning. Consequently there is a need for cross-institutional repositories of VPs. The aims of the study were two-fold: to enable interoperability between virtual patient systems and to investigate if (and how) an application profile is implemented in four different types of VP systems. This European collaborative implementation of a blend of several specifications (Medbiquitous VP XML, Medbiquitous Healthcare LOM, and SCORM) is innovative and the study has shown a variation in how the application profile could be implemented.

Intercomparison of methods for the estimation of displacement height and roughness length from single-level eddy covariance data

Science.gov (United States)

Graf, Alexander; van de Boer, Anneke; Schüttemeyer, Dirk; Moene, Arnold; Vereecken, Harry

2013-04-01

The displacement height d and roughness length z0 are parameters of the logarithmic wind profile and as such these are characteristics of the surface, that are required in a multitude of meteorological modeling applications. Classically, both parameters are estimated from multi-level measurements of wind speed over a terrain sufficiently homogeneous to avoid footprint-induced differences between the levels. As a rule-of thumb, d of a dense, uniform crop or forest canopy is 2/3 to 3/4 of the canopy height h, and z0 about 10% of canopy height in absence of any d. However, the uncertainty of this rule-of-thumb becomes larger if the surface of interest is not "dense and uniform", in which case a site-specific determination is required again. By means of the eddy covariance method, alternative possibilities to determine z0 and d have become available. Various authors report robust results if either several levels of sonic anemometer measurements, or one such level combined with a classic wind profile is used to introduce direct knowledge on the friction velocity into the estimation procedure. At the same time, however, the eddy covariance method to measure various fluxes has superseded the profile method, leaving many current stations without a wind speed profile with enough levels sufficiently far above the canopy to enable the classic estimation of z0 and d. From single-level eddy covariance measurements at one point in time, only one parameter can be estimated, usually z0 while d is assumed to be known. Even so, results tend to scatter considerably. However, it has been pointed out, that the use of multiple points in time providing different stability conditions can enable the estimation of both parameters, if they are assumed constant over the time period regarded. These methods either rely on flux-variance similarity (Weaver 1990 and others following), or on the integrated universal function for momentum (Martano 2000 and others following). In both cases

Freedom of expression: cell-type-specific gene profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Otsuki, Leo; Cheetham, Seth W; Brand, Andrea H

2014-01-01

Cell fate and behavior are results of differential gene regulation, making techniques to profile gene expression in specific cell types highly desirable. Many methods now enable investigation at the DNA, RNA and protein level. This review introduces the most recent and popular techniques, and discusses key issues influencing the choice between these such as ease, cost and applicability of information gained. Interdisciplinary collaborations will no doubt contribute further advances, including not just in single cell type but single-cell expression profiling. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Post Data Processing Software DAPS-LV

Science.gov (United States)

Beyon, Jeffrey Y. (Inventor); Koch, Grady J. (Inventor); Kavaya, Michael J. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Systems, methods, and devices of the present invention enable post processing of airborne Doppler wind LIDAR data. In an embodiment, airborne Doppler wind LIDAR data software written in LabVIEW may be provided and may run two versions of different airborne wind profiling algorithms. A first algorithm may be the Airborne Wind Profiling Algorithm for Doppler Wind LIDAR ("APOLO") using airborne wind LIDAR data from two orthogonal directions to estimate wind parameters, and a second algorithm may be a five direction based method using pseudo inverse functions to estimate wind parameters. The various embodiments may enable wind profiles to be compared using different algorithms, may enable wind profile data for long haul color displays to be generated, may display long haul color displays, and/or may enable archiving of data at user-selectable altitudes over a long observation period for data distribution and population.

Proteome Profiling Outperforms Transcriptome Profiling for Coexpression Based Gene Function Prediction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Jing; Ma, Zihao; Carr, Steven A.; Mertins, Philipp; Zhang, Hui; Zhang, Zhen; Chan, Daniel W.; Ellis, Matthew J. C.; Townsend, R. Reid; Smith, Richard D.; McDermott, Jason E.; Chen, Xian; Paulovich, Amanda G.; Boja, Emily S.; Mesri, Mehdi; Kinsinger, Christopher R.; Rodriguez, Henry; Rodland, Karin D.; Liebler, Daniel C.; Zhang, Bing

2016-11-11

Coexpression of mRNAs under multiple conditions is commonly used to infer cofunctionality of their gene products despite well-known limitations of this “guilt-by-association” (GBA) approach. Recent advancements in mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies have enabled global expression profiling at the protein level; however, whether proteome profiling data can outperform transcriptome profiling data for coexpression based gene function prediction has not been systematically investigated. Here, we address this question by constructing and analyzing mRNA and protein coexpression networks for three cancer types with matched mRNA and protein profiling data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC). Our analyses revealed a marked difference in wiring between the mRNA and protein coexpression networks. Whereas protein coexpression was driven primarily by functional similarity between coexpressed genes, mRNA coexpression was driven by both cofunction and chromosomal colocalization of the genes. Functionally coherent mRNA modules were more likely to have their edges preserved in corresponding protein networks than functionally incoherent mRNA modules. Proteomic data strengthened the link between gene expression and function for at least 75% of Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes and 90% of KEGG pathways. A web application Gene2Net (http://cptac.gene2net.org) developed based on the three protein coexpression networks revealed novel gene-function relationships, such as linking ERBB2 (HER2) to lipid biosynthetic process in breast cancer, identifying PLG as a new gene involved in complement activation, and identifying AEBP1 as a new epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker. Our results demonstrate that proteome profiling outperforms transcriptome profiling for coexpression based gene function prediction. Proteomics should be integrated if not preferred in gene function and human disease studies

The impact of in-canopy wind profile formulations on heat flux estimation in an open orchard using the remote sensing-based two-source model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Cammalleri

2010-12-01

Full Text Available For open orchard and vineyard canopies containing significant fractions of exposed soil (>50%, typical of Mediterranean agricultural regions, the energy balance of the vegetation elements is strongly influenced by heat exchange with the bare soil/substrate. For these agricultural systems a "two-source" approach, where radiation and turbulent exchange between the soil and canopy elements are explicitly modelled, appears to be the only suitable methodology for reliably assessing energy fluxes. In strongly clumped canopies, the effective wind speed profile inside and below the canopy layer can strongly influence the partitioning of energy fluxes between the soil and vegetation components. To assess the impact of in-canopy wind profile on model flux estimates, an analysis of three different formulations is presented, including algorithms from Goudriaan (1977, Massman (1987 and Lalic et al. (2003. The in-canopy wind profile formulations are applied to the thermal-based two-source energy balance (TSEB model developed by Norman et al. (1995 and modified by Kustas and Norman (1999. High resolution airborne remote sensing images, collected over an agricultural area located in the western part of Sicily (Italy comprised primarily of vineyards, olive and citrus orchards, are used to derive all the input parameters needed to apply the TSEB. The images were acquired from June to October 2008 and include a relatively wide range of meteorological and soil moisture conditions. A preliminary sensitivity analysis of the three wind profile algorithms highlights the dependence of wind speed just above the soil/substrate to leaf area index and canopy height over the typical range of canopy properties encountered in these agricultural areas. It is found that differences among the models in wind just above the soil surface are most significant under sparse and medium fractional cover conditions (15–50%. The TSEB model heat flux estimates are compared with micro

A design of speed reducer with trapezoidal tooth profile for robot manipulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nam, Won Ki; Oh, Se Hoon [Chung-Ang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-15

Robots are increasingly performing human work as manufacturing is automated. Accordingly, the use of precision speed reducers has become essential for achieving precise control of the robot arm position. Curved tooth profiles, such as cycloid or involute tooth profiles, are generally used in precision speed reducers. Speed reducers with cycloid tooth profiles, which enable high precision control, are widely used to manipulate robot systems. This study proposes a speed reducer that has a trapezoidal tooth profile with straight lines. In this work, we mechanically analyzed trapezoidal tooth profiles, and then measured performance was by various tests using a prototype manufactured specifically for this study.

A design of speed reducer with trapezoidal tooth profile for robot manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Won Ki; Oh, Se Hoon

2011-01-01

Robots are increasingly performing human work as manufacturing is automated. Accordingly, the use of precision speed reducers has become essential for achieving precise control of the robot arm position. Curved tooth profiles, such as cycloid or involute tooth profiles, are generally used in precision speed reducers. Speed reducers with cycloid tooth profiles, which enable high precision control, are widely used to manipulate robot systems. This study proposes a speed reducer that has a trapezoidal tooth profile with straight lines. In this work, we mechanically analyzed trapezoidal tooth profiles, and then measured performance was by various tests using a prototype manufactured specifically for this study

Efficient mining of myxobacterial metabolite profiles enabled by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and compound-based principal component analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krug, Daniel; Zurek, Gabriela; Schneider, Birgit; Garcia, Ronald; Mueller, Rolf

2008-01-01

Bacteria producing secondary metabolites are an important source of natural products with highly diverse structures and biological activities. Developing methods to efficiently mine procaryotic secondary metabolomes for the presence of potentially novel natural products is therefore of considerable interest. Modern mass spectrometry-coupled liquid chromatography can effectively capture microbial metabolic diversity with ever improving sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, computational and statistical tools increasingly enable the targeted analysis and exploration of information-rich LC-MS datasets. In this article, we describe the use of such techniques for the characterization of myxobacterial secondary metabolomes. Using accurate mass data from high-resolution ESI-TOF measurements, target screening has facilitated the rapid identification of known myxobacterial metabolites in extracts from nine Myxococcus species. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA), implementing an advanced compound-based bucketing approach, readily revealed the presence of further compounds which contribute to variation among the metabolite profiles under investigation. The generation of molecular formulae for putative novel compounds with high confidence due to evaluation of both exact mass position and isotopic pattern, is exemplified as an important key for de-replication and prioritization of candidates for further characterization

PHM Enabled Autonomous Propellant Loading Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Mark; Figueroa, Fernando

2017-01-01

The utility of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) software capability applied to Autonomous Operations (AO) remains an active research area within aerospace applications. The ability to gain insight into which assets and subsystems are functioning properly, along with the derivation of confident predictions concerning future ability, reliability, and availability, are important enablers for making sound mission planning decisions. When coupled with software that fully supports mission planning and execution, an integrated solution can be developed that leverages state assessment and estimation for the purposes of delivering autonomous operations. The authors have been applying this integrated, model-based approach to the autonomous loading of cryogenic spacecraft propellants at Kennedy Space Center.

User Profiling in Online Marketplaces and Security

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Byungwan

2011-01-01

The advent of information technology has enabled firms to collect significant amounts of data about individuals and mine the data for developing their strategies. Profiling of individuals is one common use of data collected about them. It refers to using known or inferred information to categorize the type of an individual and to tailor specific…

An improved estimation and focusing scheme for vector velocity estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Munk, Peter

1999-01-01

to reduce spatial velocity dispersion. Examples of different velocity vector conditions are shown using the Field II simulation program. A relative accuracy of 10.1 % is obtained for the lateral velocity estimates for a parabolic velocity profile for a flow perpendicular to the ultrasound beam and a signal...

Estimation of measurement variances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

In the previous two sessions, it was assumed that the measurement error variances were known quantities when the variances of the safeguards indices were calculated. These known quantities are actually estimates based on historical data and on data generated by the measurement program. Session 34 discusses how measurement error parameters are estimated for different situations. The various error types are considered. The purpose of the session is to enable participants to: (1) estimate systematic error variances from standard data; (2) estimate random error variances from data as replicate measurement data; (3) perform a simple analysis of variances to characterize the measurement error structure when biases vary over time

Traditional and IS-Enabled Customer Acquisition on the Internet

OpenAIRE

Jeonghye Choi; David R. Bell; Leonard M. Lodish

2012-01-01

Geographic variation in consumer use of Internet retailers is partly explained by variation in offline shopping costs. Explanations for geographic variation in the efficacy of different customer acquisition methods including traditional methods of offline word-of-mouth (WOM) and magazine advertising and information systems (IS)-enabled methods of online WOM and online search remain unexplored. We estimate a multivariate negative binomial distribution (NBD) model on zip code-level customer cou...

Sparsity enabled cluster reduced-order models for control

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, Eurika; Morzyński, Marek; Daviller, Guillaume; Kutz, J. Nathan; Brunton, Bingni W.; Brunton, Steven L.

2018-01-01

Characterizing and controlling nonlinear, multi-scale phenomena are central goals in science and engineering. Cluster-based reduced-order modeling (CROM) was introduced to exploit the underlying low-dimensional dynamics of complex systems. CROM builds a data-driven discretization of the Perron-Frobenius operator, resulting in a probabilistic model for ensembles of trajectories. A key advantage of CROM is that it embeds nonlinear dynamics in a linear framework, which enables the application of standard linear techniques to the nonlinear system. CROM is typically computed on high-dimensional data; however, access to and computations on this full-state data limit the online implementation of CROM for prediction and control. Here, we address this key challenge by identifying a small subset of critical measurements to learn an efficient CROM, referred to as sparsity-enabled CROM. In particular, we leverage compressive measurements to faithfully embed the cluster geometry and preserve the probabilistic dynamics. Further, we show how to identify fewer optimized sensor locations tailored to a specific problem that outperform random measurements. Both of these sparsity-enabled sensing strategies significantly reduce the burden of data acquisition and processing for low-latency in-time estimation and control. We illustrate this unsupervised learning approach on three different high-dimensional nonlinear dynamical systems from fluids with increasing complexity, with one application in flow control. Sparsity-enabled CROM is a critical facilitator for real-time implementation on high-dimensional systems where full-state information may be inaccessible.

The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator: enabling science through a transatlantic lightpath.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellisman, M; Hutton, T; Kirkland, A; Lin, A; Lin, C; Molina, T; Peltier, S; Singh, R; Tang, K; Trefethen, A E; Wallom, D C H; Xiong, X

2009-07-13

The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator project has been designed to enable concurrent and remote usage of world-class electron microscopes located in Oxford and San Diego. The project has constructed a network consisting of microscopes and computational and data resources that are all connected by a dedicated network infrastructure using the UK Lightpath and US Starlight systems. Key science drivers include examples from both materials and biological science. The resulting system is now a permanent link between the Oxford and San Diego microscopy centres. This will form the basis of further projects between the sites and expansion of the types of systems that can be remotely controlled, including optical, as well as electron, microscopy. Other improvements will include the updating of the Microsoft cluster software to the high performance computing (HPC) server 2008, which includes the HPC basic profile implementation that will enable the development of interoperable clients.

The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator: enabling science through a transatlantic lightpath

Science.gov (United States)

Ellisman, M.; Hutton, T.; Kirkland, A.; Lin, A.; Lin, C.; Molina, T.; Peltier, S.; Singh, R.; Tang, K.; Trefethen, A.E.; Wallom, D.C.H.; Xiong, X.

2009-01-01

The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator project has been designed to enable concurrent and remote usage of world-class electron microscopes located in Oxford and San Diego. The project has constructed a network consisting of microscopes and computational and data resources that are all connected by a dedicated network infrastructure using the UK Lightpath and US Starlight systems. Key science drivers include examples from both materials and biological science. The resulting system is now a permanent link between the Oxford and San Diego microscopy centres. This will form the basis of further projects between the sites and expansion of the types of systems that can be remotely controlled, including optical, as well as electron, microscopy. Other improvements will include the updating of the Microsoft cluster software to the high performance computing (HPC) server 2008, which includes the HPC basic profile implementation that will enable the development of interoperable clients. PMID:19487201

New density estimation methods for charged particle beams with applications to microbunching instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terzic, B.; Bassi, G.

2011-01-01

In this paper we discuss representations of charge particle densities in particle-in-cell simulations, analyze the sources and profiles of the intrinsic numerical noise, and present efficient methods for their removal. We devise two alternative estimation methods for charged particle distribution which represent significant improvement over the Monte Carlo cosine expansion used in the 2D code of Bassi et al. (G. Bassi, J.A. Ellison, K. Heinemann and R. Warnock Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12 080704 (2009)G. Bassi and B. Terzic, in Proceedings of the 23rd Particle Accelerator Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 2009 (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 2009), TH5PFP043), designed to simulate coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) in charged particle beams. The improvement is achieved by employing an alternative beam density estimation to the Monte Carlo cosine expansion. The representation is first binned onto a finite grid, after which two grid-based methods are employed to approximate particle distributions: (i) truncated fast cosine transform; and (ii) thresholded wavelet transform (TWT). We demonstrate that these alternative methods represent a staggering upgrade over the original Monte Carlo cosine expansion in terms of efficiency, while the TWT approximation also provides an appreciable improvement in accuracy. The improvement in accuracy comes from a judicious removal of the numerical noise enabled by the wavelet formulation. The TWT method is then integrated into the CSR code (G. Bassi, J.A. Ellison, K. Heinemann and R. Warnock Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12 080704 (2009)), and benchmarked against the original version. We show that the new density estimation method provides a superior performance in terms of efficiency and spatial resolution, thus enabling high-fidelity simulations of CSR effects, including microbunching instability.

Direct and indirect effects of enablers on HIV testing, initiation and retention in antiretroviral treatment and AIDS related mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Safarnejad, Ali; Izazola-Licea, Jose-Antonio

2017-01-01

An enabling environment is believed to have significant and critical effects on HIV and AIDS program implementation and desired outcomes. This paper estimates the paths, directionality, and direct and indirect associations between critical enablers with antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage and to AIDS-related mortality. Frameworks that consider the role of enablers in HIV and AIDS programs were systematically reviewed to develop a conceptual model of interaction. Measurements for constructs of the model were pooled from the latest publicly available data. A hypothetical model, including latent/unobserved factors and interaction of enablers, program activities and outcomes, was analyzed cross-sectionally with structural equation modeling. Coefficients of the model were used to estimate the indirect associations of enablers to treatment coverage and the subsequent associated impact on AIDS related mortality. The model's fit was adequate (RMSEA = 0·084, 90% CI [0·062, 0·104]) and the indirect effects of enablers on outcomes were measured. Enablers having significant associations with increased ART coverage were social/financial protection, governance, anti-discrimination, gender equality, domestic AIDS spending, testing service delivery, and logistics. Critical enablers are significantly correlated to outcomes like ART coverage and AIDS related mortality. Even while this model does not allow inference on causality, it provides directionality and magnitude of the significant associations.

Evaluation of Standards for Access Control Enabling PHR-S Federation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mense, Alexander; Urbauer, Philipp; Sauermann, Stefan

2017-01-01

The adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile applications in the healthcare may transform the healthcare industry by offering better disease tracking and management as well as patient empowerment. Unfortunately, almost all of these new systems set up their own ecosystem and to be really valuable for the care process they need to be integrated or federated with user managed access control services based on international standards and profiles to enable interoperability. Thus, this work presents the results of an evaluation of available specifications for federated authorization, based on a set of basic requirements.

Global Validation of MODIS Atmospheric Profile-Derived Near-Surface Air Temperature and Dew Point Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Famiglietti, C.; Fisher, J.; Halverson, G. H.

2017-12-01

This study validates a method of remote sensing near-surface meteorology that vertically interpolates MODIS atmospheric profiles to surface pressure level. The extraction of air temperature and dew point observations at a two-meter reference height from 2001 to 2014 yields global moderate- to fine-resolution near-surface temperature distributions that are compared to geographically and temporally corresponding measurements from 114 ground meteorological stations distributed worldwide. This analysis is the first robust, large-scale validation of the MODIS-derived near-surface air temperature and dew point estimates, both of which serve as key inputs in models of energy, water, and carbon exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. Results show strong linear correlations between remotely sensed and in-situ near-surface air temperature measurements (R2 = 0.89), as well as between dew point observations (R2 = 0.77). Performance is relatively uniform across climate zones. The extension of mean climate-wise percent errors to the entire remote sensing dataset allows for the determination of MODIS air temperature and dew point uncertainties on a global scale.

Vertical profiles of urban aerosol complex refractive index in the frame of ESQUIF airborne measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Raut, J.-C.; Chazette, P.

2008-02-01

A synergy between lidar, sunphotometer and in situ measurements has been applied to airborne observations performed during the Etude et Simulation de la QUalité de l'air en Ile-de-France (ESQUIF), enabling the retrieval of vertical profiles for the aerosol complex refractive index (ACRI) and single-scattering albedo with a vertical resolution of 200 m over Paris area. The averaged value over the entire planetary boundary layer (PBL) for the ACRI is close to 1.51(±0.02)-i0.017(±0.003) at 532 nm. The single-scattering albedo of the corresponding aerosols is found to be ~0.9 at the same wavelength. A good agreement is found with previous studies for urban aerosols. A comparison of vertical profiles of ACRI with simulations combining in situ measurements and relative humidity (RH) profiles has highlighted a modification in aerosol optical properties linked to their history and the origin of the air mass. The determination of ACRI in the atmospheric column enabled to retrieve vertical profiles of extinction coefficient in accordance with lidar profiles measurements.

Small field depth dose profile of 6 MV photon beam in a simple air-water heterogeneity combination: A comparison between anisotropic analytical algorithm dose estimation with thermoluminescent dosimeter dose measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Abhijit; Ram, Chhape; Mourya, Ankur; Singh, Navin

2017-01-01

To establish trends of estimation error of dose calculation by anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) with respect to dose measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) in air-water heterogeneity for small field size photon. TLDs were irradiated along the central axis of the photon beam in four different solid water phantom geometries using three small field size single beams. The depth dose profiles were estimated using AAA calculation model for each field sizes. The estimated and measured depth dose profiles were compared. The over estimation (OE) within air cavity were dependent on field size (f) and distance (x) from solid water-air interface and formulated as OE = - (0.63 f + 9.40) x2+ (-2.73 f + 58.11) x + (0.06 f2 - 1.42 f + 15.67). In postcavity adjacent point and distal points from the interface have dependence on field size (f) and equations are OE = 0.42 f2 - 8.17 f + 71.63, OE = 0.84 f2 - 1.56 f + 17.57, respectively. The trend of estimation error of AAA dose calculation algorithm with respect to measured value have been formulated throughout the radiation path length along the central axis of 6 MV photon beam in air-water heterogeneity combination for small field size photon beam generated from a 6 MV linear accelerator.

QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF VOLUMETRIC ICE CONTENT IN FROZEN GROUND BY DIPOLE ELECTROMAGNETIC PROFILING METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. G. Neradovskiy

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Volumetric estimation of the ice content in frozen soils is known as one of the main problems in the engineering geocryology and the permafrost geophysics. A new way to use the known method of dipole electromagnetic profiling for the quantitative estimation of the volumetric ice content in frozen soils is discussed. Investigations of foundation of the railroad in Yakutia (i.e. in the permafrost zone were used as an example for this new approach. Unlike the conventional way, in which the permafrost is investigated by its resistivity and constructing of geo-electrical cross-sections, the new approach is aimed at the study of the dynamics of the process of attenuation in the layer of annual heat cycle in the field of high-frequency vertical magnetic dipole. This task is simplified if not all the characteristics of the polarization ellipse are measured but the only one which is the vertical component of the dipole field and can be the most easily measured. Collected data of the measurements were used to analyze the computational errors of the average values of the volumetric ice content from the amplitude attenuation of the vertical component of the dipole field. Note that the volumetric ice content is very important for construction. It is shown that usually the relative error of computation of this characteristic of a frozen soil does not exceed 20% if the works are performed by the above procedure using the key-site methodology. This level of accuracy meets requirements of the design-and-survey works for quick, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly zoning of built-up remote and sparsely populated territories of the Russian permafrost zone according to a category of a degree of the ice content in frozen foundations of engineering constructions.

New geometric design consistency model based on operating speed profiles for road safety evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Camacho-Torregrosa, Francisco J; Pérez-Zuriaga, Ana M; Campoy-Ungría, J Manuel; García-García, Alfredo

2013-12-01

To assist in the on-going effort to reduce road fatalities as much as possible, this paper presents a new methodology to evaluate road safety in both the design and redesign stages of two-lane rural highways. This methodology is based on the analysis of road geometric design consistency, a value which will be a surrogate measure of the safety level of the two-lane rural road segment. The consistency model presented in this paper is based on the consideration of continuous operating speed profiles. The models used for their construction were obtained by using an innovative GPS-data collection method that is based on continuous operating speed profiles recorded from individual drivers. This new methodology allowed the researchers to observe the actual behavior of drivers and to develop more accurate operating speed models than was previously possible with spot-speed data collection, thereby enabling a more accurate approximation to the real phenomenon and thus a better consistency measurement. Operating speed profiles were built for 33 Spanish two-lane rural road segments, and several consistency measurements based on the global and local operating speed were checked. The final consistency model takes into account not only the global dispersion of the operating speed, but also some indexes that consider both local speed decelerations and speeds over posted speeds as well. For the development of the consistency model, the crash frequency for each study site was considered, which allowed estimating the number of crashes on a road segment by means of the calculation of its geometric design consistency. Consequently, the presented consistency evaluation method is a promising innovative tool that can be used as a surrogate measure to estimate the safety of a road segment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the automated optimization of profile extrusion dies by applying appropriate optimization areas and strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Hopmann, Ch.; Windeck, C.; Kurth, K.; Behr, M.; Siegbert, R.; Elgeti, S.

2014-05-01

The rheological design of profile extrusion dies is one of the most challenging tasks in die design. As no analytical solution is available, the quality and the development time for a new design highly depend on the empirical knowledge of the die manufacturer. Usually, prior to start production several time-consuming, iterative running-in trials need to be performed to check the profile accuracy and the die geometry is reworked. An alternative are numerical flow simulations. These simulations enable to calculate the melt flow through a die so that the quality of the flow distribution can be analyzed. The objective of a current research project is to improve the automated optimization of profile extrusion dies. Special emphasis is put on choosing a convenient starting geometry and parameterization, which enable for possible deformations. In this work, three commonly used design features are examined with regard to their influence on the optimization results. Based on the results, a strategy is derived to select the most relevant areas of the flow channels for the optimization. For these characteristic areas recommendations are given concerning an efficient parameterization setup that still enables adequate deformations of the flow channel geometry. Exemplarily, this approach is applied to a L-shaped profile with different wall thicknesses. The die is optimized automatically and simulation results are qualitatively compared with experimental results. Furthermore, the strategy is applied to a complex extrusion die of a floor skirting profile to prove the universal adaptability.

EnableATIS strategy assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

Enabling Advanced Traveler Information Systems (EnableATIS) is the traveler information component of the Dynamic Mobility Application (DMA) program. The objective of : the EnableATIS effort is to foster transformative traveler information application...

Microphysical retrievals from simultaneous polarimetric and profiling radar observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. P. Morris

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The character of precipitation detected at the surface is the final product of many microphysical interactions in the cloud above, the combined effects of which may be characterized by the observed drop size distribution (DSD. This necessitates accurate retrieval of the DSD from remote sensing data, especially radar as it offers large areal coverage, high spatial resolution, and rigorous quality control and testing. Combined instrument observations with a UHF wind profiler, an S-band polarimetric weather radar, and a video disdrometer are analyzed for two squall line events occuring during the calendar year 2007. UHF profiler Doppler velocity spectra are used to estimate the DSD aloft, and are complemented by DSDs retrieved from an exponential model applied to polarimetric data. Ground truth is provided by the disdrometer. A complicating factor in the retrieval from UHF profiler spectra is the presence of ambient air motion, which can be corrected using the method proposed by Teshiba et al. (2009, in which a comparison between idealized Doppler spectra calculated from the DSDs retrieved from KOUN and those retrieved from contaminated wind profiler spectra is performed. It is found that DSDs measured using the distrometer at the surface and estimated using the wind profiler and polarimetric weather radar generally showed good agreement. The DSD retrievals using the wind profiler were improved when the estimates of the vertical wind were included into the analysis, thus supporting the method of Teshiba et al. (2009. Furthermore, the the study presents a method of investigating the time and height structure of DSDs.

Global mapping of vertical injection profiles of wild-fire emission

Science.gov (United States)

Sofiev, M.; Vankevich, R.; Ermakova, T.; Hakkarainen, J.

2012-08-01

A problem of a characteristic vertical profile of smoke released from wild-land fires is considered. A methodology for bottom-up evaluation of this profile is suggested and a corresponding global dataset is calculated. The profile estimation is based on: (i) a semi-empirical formula for plume-top height recently suggested by the authors, (ii) MODIS satellite observations of active wild-land fires, and (iii) meteorological conditions evaluated at each fireplace using output of ECMWF weather prediction model. Plumes from all fires recorded globally during two arbitrarily picked years 2001 and 2008 are evaluated and their smoke injection profiles are estimated with a time step of 3 h. The resulting 4-dimensional dataset is split to day- and night-time subsets. Each of the subsets is projected to global grid with resolution 1° × 1° × 500 m, averaged to monthly level, and normalised with total emission. Evaluation of the obtained dataset was performed at several levels. Firstly, the quality of the semi-empirical formula for plume-top computations was evaluated using recent additions to the MISR fire plume-height dataset. Secondly, the obtained maps of injection profiles are compared with another global distribution available from literature. Thirdly, the upper percentiles of the profiles are compared with an independent dataset of space-based lidar CALIOP. Finally, the stability of the calculated profiles with regard to inter-annual variations of the fire activity and meteorological conditions is roughly estimated by comparing the sub-sets for 2001 and 2008.

Monte Carlo simulation of single accident airport risk profile

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

A computer simulation model was developed for estimating the potential economic impacts of a carbon fiber release upon facilities within an 80 kilometer radius of a major airport. The model simulated the possible range of release conditions and the resulting dispersion of the carbon fibers. Each iteration of the model generated a specific release scenario, which would cause a specific amount of dollar loss to the surrounding community. By repeated iterations, a risk profile was generated, showing the probability distribution of losses from one accident. Using accident probability estimates, the risks profile for annual losses was derived. The mechanics are described of the simulation model, the required input data, and the risk profiles generated for the 26 large hub airports.

Synthesis and inversion of Stokes spectral profiles. Thesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, G.A.

1990-01-01

Observations of Stokes spectral profiles enable the magnetic fields on the Sun's surface to be determined. Inversion is the process whereby the profiles are reduced to magnetic field vectors. One of the most robust, accurate and rapid methods available for inversion uses the least-squares fitting of analytical Stokes profiles. As this technique is suitable for the automated reduction of large sets of data, it has been adopted for use with the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter, presently under development. The limitations of inversion by analytical profile fitting have not been firmly established. Confident analysis of magnet field vectors depends upon the precise interpretation of reduced data. In this work, a framework is introduced which allows such an assessment to be made. The magnetofluid-static sunspot models presented here provide a self-consistent range of physical conditions similar to those in sunspots. Inversion can then be carried out on Stokes profiles synthesized from these known realistic conditions. The capabilities of an inversion technique can be evaluated by comparison between the models and the deduced values

Lifetime Stable isotopes profiles in whale earplug: assessment of foraging and migrations in the Northern Hemisphere

Science.gov (United States)

Mansouri, F.; Crain, D.; Winfield, Z.; Trumble, S.; Usenko, S.

2017-12-01

Whale earplugs, historically used for aging, were used to reconstruct lifetime stable isotope profiles for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) for individual whales by delaminating lamina within the earplug. These stable isotope profile, which provide Continuous lifetime records of feeding, foraging ecology, and migration, were determined for 20 individuals from 4 baleen species including fin, minke, humpback, and blue whales spanning more than a century (1869 - 2014) using stable isotope analysis. Approximately 1 mg tissue from each lamina (n=1200) was analyzed for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope using continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (CF-IRMS). This research using whale earplugs have combined age estimates with stable isotope measurements to reconstruct lifetime foraging profiles with a 6-month resolution, providing an unprecedented opportunity to assess periods and trends in dietary fluctuations as well as migration between different foraging area which have distinct isotope values. Trends with these profiles suggest long-term changing in migration, while annual variability highlights seasonal fasting and feeding. Isotopic ratios were also used to identify subpopulations of Atlantic fin whales, which enabled us to assign unidentified humpback and minke whales to the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. This historical archive of data provides us an unprecedented tool to assess long term marine ecosystem and subsequently marine organism transition to alternate foraging area and shed light on the whale's population status in the Northern hemisphere.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Profile of Undergraduate Biomedical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... for developing sedentary habits, which could lead to reduced cardiorespiratory fitness. ... This study therefore examined the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) profile of ... A modified sub-maximal cycle ergometer protocol was used to estimate ...

Direct and indirect effects of enablers on HIV testing, initiation and retention in antiretroviral treatment and AIDS related mortality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Safarnejad

Full Text Available An enabling environment is believed to have significant and critical effects on HIV and AIDS program implementation and desired outcomes. This paper estimates the paths, directionality, and direct and indirect associations between critical enablers with antiretroviral treatment (ART coverage and to AIDS-related mortality.Frameworks that consider the role of enablers in HIV and AIDS programs were systematically reviewed to develop a conceptual model of interaction. Measurements for constructs of the model were pooled from the latest publicly available data. A hypothetical model, including latent/unobserved factors and interaction of enablers, program activities and outcomes, was analyzed cross-sectionally with structural equation modeling. Coefficients of the model were used to estimate the indirect associations of enablers to treatment coverage and the subsequent associated impact on AIDS related mortality.The model's fit was adequate (RMSEA = 0·084, 90% CI [0·062, 0·104] and the indirect effects of enablers on outcomes were measured. Enablers having significant associations with increased ART coverage were social/financial protection, governance, anti-discrimination, gender equality, domestic AIDS spending, testing service delivery, and logistics.Critical enablers are significantly correlated to outcomes like ART coverage and AIDS related mortality. Even while this model does not allow inference on causality, it provides directionality and magnitude of the significant associations.

Raman lidar water vapor profiling over Warsaw, Poland

Science.gov (United States)

Stachlewska, Iwona S.; Costa-Surós, Montserrat; Althausen, Dietrich

2017-09-01

Water vapor mixing ratio and relative humidity profiles were derived from the multi-wavelength Raman PollyXT lidar at the EARLINET site in Warsaw, using the Rayleigh molecular extinction calculation based on atmospheric temperature and pressure from three different sources: i) the standard atmosphere US 62, ii) the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) model output, and iii) the WMO 12374 radiosoundings launched at Legionowo. With each method, 136 midnight relative humidity profiles were obtained for lidar observations from July 2013 to August 2015. Comparisons of these profiles showed in favor of the latter method (iii), but it also indicated that the other two data sources could replace it, if necessary. Such use was demonstrated for an automated retrieval of water vapor mixing ratio from dusk until dawn on 19/20 March 2015; a case study related to an advection of biomass burning aerosol from forest fires over Ukraine. Additionally, an algorithm that applies thresholds to the radiosounding relative humidity profiles to estimate macro-physical cloud vertical structure was used for the first time on the Raman lidar relative humidity profiles. The results, based on a subset of 66 profiles, indicate that below 6 km cloud bases/tops can be successfully obtained in 53% and 76% cases from lidar and radiosounding profiles, respectively. Finally, a contribution of the lidar derived mean relative humidity to cloudy conditions within the range of 0.8 to 6.2 km, in comparison to clear-sky conditions, was estimated.

Using machine learning to identify air pollution exposure profiles associated with early cognitive skills among U.S. children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stingone, Jeanette A.; Pandey, Om P.; Claudio, Luz; Pandey, Gaurav

2017-01-01

Data-driven machine learning methods present an opportunity to simultaneously assess the impact of multiple air pollutants on health outcomes. The goal of this study was to apply a two-stage, data-driven approach to identify associations between air pollutant exposure profiles and children's cognitive skills. Data from 6900 children enrolled in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, a national study of children born in 2001 and followed through kindergarten, were linked to estimated concentrations of 104 ambient air toxics in the 2002 National Air Toxics Assessment using ZIP code of residence at age 9 months. In the first-stage, 100 regression trees were learned to identify ambient air pollutant exposure profiles most closely associated with scores on a standardized mathematics test administered to children in kindergarten. In the second-stage, the exposure profiles frequently predicting lower math scores were included within linear regression models and adjusted for confounders in order to estimate the magnitude of their effect on math scores. This approach was applied to the full population, and then to the populations living in urban and highly-populated urban areas. Our first-stage results in the full population suggested children with low trichloroethylene exposure had significantly lower math scores. This association was not observed for children living in urban communities, suggesting that confounding related to urbanicity needs to be considered within the first-stage. When restricting our analysis to populations living in urban and highly-populated urban areas, high isophorone levels were found to predict lower math scores. Within adjusted regression models of children in highly-populated urban areas, the estimated effect of higher isophorone exposure on math scores was −1.19 points (95% CI −1.94, −0.44). Similar results were observed for the overall population of urban children. This data-driven, two-stage approach can be

Formal Modeling and Verification of Opportunity-enabled Risk Management

OpenAIRE

Aldini, Alessandro; Seigneur, Jean-Marc; Ballester Lafuente, Carlos; Titi, Xavier; Guislain, Jonathan

2015-01-01

With the advent of the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) trend, mobile work is achieving a widespread diffusion that challenges the traditional view of security standard and risk management. A recently proposed model, called opportunity-enabled risk management (OPPRIM), aims at balancing the analysis of the major threats that arise in the BYOD setting with the analysis of the potential increased opportunities emerging in such an environment, by combining mechanisms of risk estimation with trust an...

The effect of sediment thermal conductivity on vertical groundwater flux estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Sebok, Eva; Müller, Sascha; Engesgaard, Peter; Duque, Carlos

2015-04-01

The interaction between groundwater and surface water is of great importance both from ecological and water management perspective. The exchange fluxes are often estimated based on vertical temperature profiles taken from shallow sediments assuming a homogeneous standard value of sediment thermal conductivity. Here we report on a field investigation in a stream and in a fjord, where vertical profiles of sediment thermal conductivity and temperatures were measured in order to, (i) define the vertical variability in sediment thermal conductivity, (ii) quantify the effect of heterogeneity in sediment thermal conductivity on the estimated vertical groundwater fluxes. The study was carried out at field sites located in Ringkøbing fjord and Holtum stream in Western Denmark. Both locations have soft, sandy sediments with an upper organic layer at the fjord site. First 9 and 12 vertical sediment temperature profiles up to 0.5 m depth below the sediment bed were collected in the fjord and in the stream, respectively. Later sediment cores of 0.05 m diameter were removed at the location of the temperature profiles. Sediment thermal conductivity was measured in the sediment cores at 0.1 m intervals with a Decagon KD2 Pro device. A 1D flow and heat transport model (HydroGeoSphere) was set up and vertical groundwater fluxes were estimated based on the measured vertical sediment temperature profiles by coupling the model with PEST. To determine the effect of heterogeneity in sediment thermal conductivity on estimated vertical groundwater fluxes, the model was run by assigning (i) a homogeneous thermal conductivity for all sediment layers, calculated as the average sediment thermal conductivity of the profile, (ii) measured sediment thermal conductivities to the different model layers. The field survey showed that sediment thermal conductivity over a 0.5 m profile below the sediment bed is not uniform, having the largest variability in the fjord where organic sediments were also

Atmospheric Turbulence Estimates from a Pulsed Lidar

Science.gov (United States)

Pruis, Matthew J.; Delisi, Donald P.; Ahmad, Nash'at N.; Proctor, Fred H.

2013-01-01

Estimates of the eddy dissipation rate (EDR) were obtained from measurements made by a coherent pulsed lidar and compared with estimates from mesoscale model simulations and measurements from an in situ sonic anemometer at the Denver International Airport and with EDR estimates from the last observation time of the trailing vortex pair. The estimates of EDR from the lidar were obtained using two different methodologies. The two methodologies show consistent estimates of the vertical profiles. Comparison of EDR derived from the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) mesoscale model with the in situ lidar estimates show good agreement during the daytime convective boundary layer, but the WRF simulations tend to overestimate EDR during the nighttime. The EDR estimates from a sonic anemometer located at 7.3 meters above ground level are approximately one order of magnitude greater than both the WRF and lidar estimates - which are from greater heights - during the daytime convective boundary layer and substantially greater during the nighttime stable boundary layer. The consistency of the EDR estimates from different methods suggests a reasonable ability to predict the temporal evolution of a spatially averaged vertical profile of EDR in an airport terminal area using a mesoscale model during the daytime convective boundary layer. In the stable nighttime boundary layer, there may be added value to EDR estimates provided by in situ lidar measurements.

Pilot-scale data provide enhanced estimates of the life cycle energy and emissions profile of algae biofuels produced via hydrothermal liquefaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaowei; Saydah, Benjamin; Eranki, Pragnya; Colosi, Lisa M; Greg Mitchell, B; Rhodes, James; Clarens, Andres F

2013-11-01

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used widely to estimate the environmental implications of deploying algae-to-energy systems even though no full-scale facilities have yet to be built. Here, data from a pilot-scale facility using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is used to estimate the life cycle profiles at full scale. Three scenarios (lab-, pilot-, and full-scale) were defined to understand how development in the industry could impact its life cycle burdens. HTL-derived algae fuels were found to have lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than petroleum fuels. Algae-derived gasoline had significantly lower GHG emissions than corn ethanol. Most algae-based fuels have an energy return on investment between 1 and 3, which is lower than petroleum biofuels. Sensitivity analyses reveal several areas in which improvements by algae bioenergy companies (e.g., biocrude yields, nutrient recycle) and by supporting industries (e.g., CO2 supply chains) could reduce the burdens of the industry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A method for measuring the inductive electric field profile and noninductive current profiles on DIII-D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forest, C.B.; Luce, T.C.; Politzer, P.A.; Lao, L.L.; Kupfer, K.; Wroblewski, D.

1994-07-01

A new technique for determining the parallel electric field profile and noninductive current profile in tokamak plasmas has been developed and applied to two DIII-D tokamak discharges. Central to this technique is the determination of the current density profile, J(ρ), and poloidal flux, ψ(ρ), from equilibrium reconstructions. From time sequences of the reconstructions, the flux surface averaged, parallel electric field can be estimated from appropriate derivatives of the poloidal flux. With a model for the conductivity and measurements of T e and Z eff , the noninductive fraction of the current can be determined. Such a technique gives the possibility of measuring directly the bootstrap current profile and the noninductively driven current from auxiliary heating such as neutral beam injection or fast wave current drive. Furthermore, if the noninductively driven current is small or if the noninductive current profile is assumed to be known, this measurement provides a local test of the conductivity model under various conditions

Revised Line Profile Function for Hydrogenic Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sapar A.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Analytical series expansions for the hydrogenic spectral line profile functions are derived starting from the three single expressions, obtained by integrating twice the convolution of the Holtsmark, Lorentz and Doppler line profile functions. We get well converging series expansions for the line wings and centers by reducing the number of arguments in the profile function by one, introducing the module of the Holtsmark and Lorentz profiles as a new argument. In the intermediate part of the line, the parabolic cylinder functions expressed via the confluent hypergeometric series, are used. The multi-component Stark splitting of the hydrogenic spectral lines and the modeled stochastic electron transitions in the electric field of the adjacent ions generate wide Doppler plateaux at the line centers, with the characteristic widths estimated from the fit to the characteristic width of the Holtsmark profile. This additional Doppler broadening of the line profile function removes the central dip typical to the Holtsmark profile.

Explicit estimating equations for semiparametric generalized linear latent variable models

KAUST Repository

Ma, Yanyuan; Genton, Marc G.

2010-01-01

which is similar to that of a sufficient complete statistic, which enables us to simplify the estimating procedure and explicitly to formulate the semiparametric estimating equations. We further show that the explicit estimators have the usual root n

Toward genome-enabled mycology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hibbett, David S; Stajich, Jason E; Spatafora, Joseph W

2013-01-01

Genome-enabled mycology is a rapidly expanding field that is characterized by the pervasive use of genome-scale data and associated computational tools in all aspects of fungal biology. Genome-enabled mycology is integrative and often requires teams of researchers with diverse skills in organismal mycology, bioinformatics and molecular biology. This issue of Mycologia presents the first complete fungal genomes in the history of the journal, reflecting the ongoing transformation of mycology into a genome-enabled science. Here, we consider the prospects for genome-enabled mycology and the technical and social challenges that will need to be overcome to grow the database of complete fungal genomes and enable all fungal biologists to make use of the new data.

NSR-seq transcriptional profiling enables identification of a gene signature of Plasmodium falciparum parasites infecting children

OpenAIRE

Vignali, Marissa; Armour, Christopher D.; Chen, Jingyang; Morrison, Robert; Castle, John C.; Biery, Matthew C.; Bouzek, Heather; Moon, Wonjong; Babak, Tomas; Fried, Michal; Raymond, Christopher K.; Duffy, Patrick E.

2011-01-01

Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum results in approximately 1 million annual deaths worldwide, with young children and pregnant mothers at highest risk. Disease severity might be related to parasite virulence factors, but expression profiling studies of parasites to test this hypothesis have been hindered by extensive sequence variation in putative virulence genes and a prep...

Electron shower transverse profile measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lednev, A.A.

1993-01-01

A method to measure the shower transverse profile is described. Calibration data of the lead-glass spectrometer GAMS collected in a wide electron beam without any additional coordinate detector are used. The method may be used for the measurements in both cellular- and projective-type spectrometers. The results of measuring the 10 GeV electron shower profile in the GAMS spectrometer, without optical grease between the lead-glass radiators and photomultipliers, are approximated with an analytical function. The estimate of the coordinate accuracy is obtained. 5 refs., 8 figs

In vivo sensitivity estimation and imaging acceleration with rotating RF coil arrays at 7 Tesla

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingyan; Jin, Jin; Zuo, Zhentao; Liu, Feng; Trakic, Adnan; Weber, Ewald; Zhuo, Yan; Xue, Rong; Crozier, Stuart

2015-03-01

Using a new rotating SENSitivity Encoding (rotating-SENSE) algorithm, we have successfully demonstrated that the rotating radiofrequency coil array (RRFCA) was capable of achieving a significant reduction in scan time and a uniform image reconstruction for a homogeneous phantom at 7 Tesla. However, at 7 Tesla the in vivo sensitivity profiles (B1-) become distinct at various angular positions. Therefore, sensitivity maps at other angular positions cannot be obtained by numerically rotating the acquired ones. In this work, a novel sensitivity estimation method for the RRFCA was developed and validated with human brain imaging. This method employed a library database and registration techniques to estimate coil sensitivity at an arbitrary angular position. The estimated sensitivity maps were then compared to the acquired sensitivity maps. The results indicate that the proposed method is capable of accurately estimating both magnitude and phase of sensitivity at an arbitrary angular position, which enables us to employ the rotating-SENSE algorithm to accelerate acquisition and reconstruct image. Compared to a stationary coil array with the same number of coil elements, the RRFCA was able to reconstruct images with better quality at a high reduction factor. It is hoped that the proposed rotation-dependent sensitivity estimation algorithm and the acceleration ability of the RRFCA will be particularly useful for ultra high field MRI.

In vivo sensitivity estimation and imaging acceleration with rotating RF coil arrays at 7 Tesla.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingyan; Jin, Jin; Zuo, Zhentao; Liu, Feng; Trakic, Adnan; Weber, Ewald; Zhuo, Yan; Xue, Rong; Crozier, Stuart

2015-03-01

Using a new rotating SENSitivity Encoding (rotating-SENSE) algorithm, we have successfully demonstrated that the rotating radiofrequency coil array (RRFCA) was capable of achieving a significant reduction in scan time and a uniform image reconstruction for a homogeneous phantom at 7 Tesla. However, at 7 Tesla the in vivo sensitivity profiles (B1(-)) become distinct at various angular positions. Therefore, sensitivity maps at other angular positions cannot be obtained by numerically rotating the acquired ones. In this work, a novel sensitivity estimation method for the RRFCA was developed and validated with human brain imaging. This method employed a library database and registration techniques to estimate coil sensitivity at an arbitrary angular position. The estimated sensitivity maps were then compared to the acquired sensitivity maps. The results indicate that the proposed method is capable of accurately estimating both magnitude and phase of sensitivity at an arbitrary angular position, which enables us to employ the rotating-SENSE algorithm to accelerate acquisition and reconstruct image. Compared to a stationary coil array with the same number of coil elements, the RRFCA was able to reconstruct images with better quality at a high reduction factor. It is hoped that the proposed rotation-dependent sensitivity estimation algorithm and the acceleration ability of the RRFCA will be particularly useful for ultra high field MRI. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Web User Profiling Based on Browsing Behavior Analysis

OpenAIRE

Fan , Xiao-Xi; Chow , Kam-Pui; Xu , Fei

2014-01-01

Part 1: Internet Crime Investigations; International audience; Determining the source of criminal activity requires a reliable means to estimate a criminal’s identity. One way to do this is to use web browsing history to build a profile of an anonymous user. Since an individual’s web use is unique, matching the web use profile to known samples provides a means to identify an unknown user. This paper describes a model for web user profiling and identification. Two aspects of browsing behavior ...

Quantifying IT estimation risks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kulk, G.P.; Peters, R.J.; Verhoef, C.

2009-01-01

A statistical method is proposed for quantifying the impact of factors that influence the quality of the estimation of costs for IT-enabled business projects. We call these factors risk drivers as they influence the risk of the misestimation of project costs. The method can effortlessly be

Enabling Rapid Naval Architecture Design Space Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Michael A.; Dufresne, Stephane; Balestrini-Robinson, Santiago; Mavris, Dimitri

2011-01-01

Well accepted conceptual ship design tools can be used to explore a design space, but more precise results can be found using detailed models in full-feature computer aided design programs. However, defining a detailed model can be a time intensive task and hence there is an incentive for time sensitive projects to use conceptual design tools to explore the design space. In this project, the combination of advanced aerospace systems design methods and an accepted conceptual design tool facilitates the creation of a tool that enables the user to not only visualize ship geometry but also determine design feasibility and estimate the performance of a design.

A real-time intercepting beam-profile monitor for a medical cyclotron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendriks, C.; Uittenbosch, T.; Cameron, D.; Kellogg, S.; Gray, D.; Buckley, K.; Schaffer, P.; Verzilov, V.; Hoehr, C. [TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3 (Canada)

2013-11-15

There is a lack of real-time continuous beam-diagnostic tools for medical cyclotrons due to high power deposition during proton irradiation. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a profile monitor that is capable of providing continuous feedback about beam shape and current in real time while it is inserted in the beam path. This enables users to optimize the beam profile and observe fluctuations in the beam over time with periodic insertion of the monitor.

Instantaneous variance scaling of AIRS thermodynamic profiles using a circular area Monte Carlo approach

Science.gov (United States)

Dorrestijn, Jesse; Kahn, Brian H.; Teixeira, João; Irion, Fredrick W.

2018-05-01

Satellite observations are used to obtain vertical profiles of variance scaling of temperature (T) and specific humidity (q) in the atmosphere. A higher spatial resolution nadir retrieval at 13.5 km complements previous Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) investigations with 45 km resolution retrievals and enables the derivation of power law scaling exponents to length scales as small as 55 km. We introduce a variable-sized circular-area Monte Carlo methodology to compute exponents instantaneously within the swath of AIRS that yields additional insight into scaling behavior. While this method is approximate and some biases are likely to exist within non-Gaussian portions of the satellite observational swaths of T and q, this method enables the estimation of scale-dependent behavior within instantaneous swaths for individual tropical and extratropical systems of interest. Scaling exponents are shown to fluctuate between β = -1 and -3 at scales ≥ 500 km, while at scales ≤ 500 km they are typically near β ≈ -2, with q slightly lower than T at the smallest scales observed. In the extratropics, the large-scale β is near -3. Within the tropics, however, the large-scale β for T is closer to -1 as small-scale moist convective processes dominate. In the tropics, q exhibits large-scale β between -2 and -3. The values of β are generally consistent with previous works of either time-averaged spatial variance estimates, or aircraft observations that require averaging over numerous flight observational segments. The instantaneous variance scaling methodology is relevant for cloud parameterization development and the assessment of time variability of scaling exponents.

Lidar sprectroscopy instrument (LISSI: An infrastructure facility for chemical aerosol profiling at the University of Hertfordshire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tesche Matthias

2018-01-01

The new facility will open new avenues for chemical profiling of aerosol pollution from measurements of Raman scattering by selected chemical compounds, provide data that allow to close the gap between optical and microphysical aerosol profiling with lidar and enables connecting lidar measurements to parameters used in atmospheric modelling.

Environmental isotope profiles and evaporation in shallow water table soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussein, M.F.; Froehlich, K.; Nada, A.

2001-01-01

Environmental isotope methods have been employed to evaluate the processes of evaporation and soil salinisation in the Nile Delta. Stable isotope profiles (δ 18 O and δ 2 H) from three sites were analysed using a published isothermal model that analyses the steady-state isotopic profile in the unsaturated zone and provides an estimate of the evaporation rate. Evaporation rates estimated by this method at the three sites range between 60 and 98 mm y -1 which translates to an estimate of net water loss of one billion cubic meters per year from fallow soils on the Nile delta. Capillary rise of water through the root zone during the crop growing season is estimated to be three times greater than evaporation rate estimate and a modified water management strategy could be adopted in order to optimize water use and its management on the regional scale. (author)

Country Demographic Profiles: Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of the Census (DOC), Suitland, MD. Population Div.

This profile of the population of Thailand contains 35 tables of selected demographic information, including size of population and estimates of fertility and mortality, beginning in 1950. An adjusted distribution of the population by age and sex is given for the latest census year, as well as for 1976. Projections of the number of women of…

Classifications within molecular subtypes enables identification of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers by RNA tumor profiling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Martin J; Kruse, Torben A; Tan, Qihua

2013-01-01

Pathogenic germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 are detected in less than one third of families with a strong history of breast cancer. It is therefore expected that mutations still remain undetected by currently used screening methods. In addition, a growing number of BRCA1/2 sequence variants...... of unclear pathogen significance are found in the families, constituting an increasing clinical challenge. New methods are therefore needed to improve the detection rate and aid the interpretation of the clinically uncertain variants. In this study we analyzed a series of 33 BRCA1, 22 BRCA2, and 128 sporadic...... tumors by RNA profiling to investigate the classification potential of RNA profiles to predict BRCA1/2 mutation status. We found that breast tumors from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers display characteristic RNA expression patterns, allowing them to be distinguished from sporadic tumors. The majority...

Modelling baryonic effects on galaxy cluster mass profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Shirasaki, Masato; Lau, Erwin T.; Nagai, Daisuke

2018-06-01

Gravitational lensing is a powerful probe of the mass distribution of galaxy clusters and cosmology. However, accurate measurements of the cluster mass profiles are limited by uncertainties in cluster astrophysics. In this work, we present a physically motivated model of baryonic effects on the cluster mass profiles, which self-consistently takes into account the impact of baryons on the concentration as well as mass accretion histories of galaxy clusters. We calibrate this model using the Omega500 hydrodynamical cosmological simulations of galaxy clusters with varying baryonic physics. Our model will enable us to simultaneously constrain cluster mass, concentration, and cosmological parameters using stacked weak lensing measurements from upcoming optical cluster surveys.

Modelling Baryonic Effects on Galaxy Cluster Mass Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Shirasaki, Masato; Lau, Erwin T.; Nagai, Daisuke

2018-03-01

Gravitational lensing is a powerful probe of the mass distribution of galaxy clusters and cosmology. However, accurate measurements of the cluster mass profiles are limited by uncertainties in cluster astrophysics. In this work, we present a physically motivated model of baryonic effects on the cluster mass profiles, which self-consistently takes into account the impact of baryons on the concentration as well as mass accretion histories of galaxy clusters. We calibrate this model using the Omega500 hydrodynamical cosmological simulations of galaxy clusters with varying baryonic physics. Our model will enable us to simultaneously constrain cluster mass, concentration, and cosmological parameters using stacked weak lensing measurements from upcoming optical cluster surveys.

Sensitivity of Landsat 8 Surface Temperature Estimates to Atmospheric Profile Data: A Study Using MODTRAN in Dryland Irrigated Systems

KAUST Repository

Rosas, Jorge; Houborg, Rasmus; McCabe, Matthew

2017-01-01

The land surface temperature (LST) represents a critical element in efforts to characterize global surface energy and water fluxes, as well as being an essential climate variable in its own right. Current satellite platforms provide a range of spatial and temporal resolution radiance data from which LST can be determined. One of the most complete records of data comes via the Landsat series of satellites, which provide a continuous sequence that extends back to 1982. However, for much of this time, Landsat thermal data were provided through a single broadband thermal channel, making surface temperature retrieval challenging. To fully exploit the valuable time-series of thermal information that is available from these satellites requires efforts to better describe and understand the accuracy of temperature retrievals. Here, we contribute to these efforts by examining the impact of atmospheric correction on the estimation of LST, using atmospheric profiles derived from a range of in-situ, reanalysis, and satellite data. Radiance data from the thermal infrared (TIR) sensor onboard Landsat 8 was converted to LST by using the MODTRAN version 5.2 radiative transfer model, allowing the production of an LST time series based upon 28 Landsat overpasses. LST retrievals were then evaluated against in-situ thermal measurements collected over an arid zone farmland comprising both bare soil and vegetated surface types. Atmospheric profiles derived from AIRS, MOD07, ECMWF, NCEP, and balloon-based radiosonde data were used to drive the MODTRAN simulations. In addition to examining the direct impact of using various profile data on LST retrievals, randomly distributed errors were introduced into a range of forcing variables to better understand retrieval uncertainty. Results indicated differences in LST of up to 1 K for perturbations in emissivity and profile measurements, with the analysis also highlighting the challenges in modeling aerosol optical depth (AOD) over arid lands and

Sensitivity of Landsat 8 Surface Temperature Estimates to Atmospheric Profile Data: A Study Using MODTRAN in Dryland Irrigated Systems

KAUST Repository

Rosas, Jorge

2017-09-26

The land surface temperature (LST) represents a critical element in efforts to characterize global surface energy and water fluxes, as well as being an essential climate variable in its own right. Current satellite platforms provide a range of spatial and temporal resolution radiance data from which LST can be determined. One of the most complete records of data comes via the Landsat series of satellites, which provide a continuous sequence that extends back to 1982. However, for much of this time, Landsat thermal data were provided through a single broadband thermal channel, making surface temperature retrieval challenging. To fully exploit the valuable time-series of thermal information that is available from these satellites requires efforts to better describe and understand the accuracy of temperature retrievals. Here, we contribute to these efforts by examining the impact of atmospheric correction on the estimation of LST, using atmospheric profiles derived from a range of in-situ, reanalysis, and satellite data. Radiance data from the thermal infrared (TIR) sensor onboard Landsat 8 was converted to LST by using the MODTRAN version 5.2 radiative transfer model, allowing the production of an LST time series based upon 28 Landsat overpasses. LST retrievals were then evaluated against in-situ thermal measurements collected over an arid zone farmland comprising both bare soil and vegetated surface types. Atmospheric profiles derived from AIRS, MOD07, ECMWF, NCEP, and balloon-based radiosonde data were used to drive the MODTRAN simulations. In addition to examining the direct impact of using various profile data on LST retrievals, randomly distributed errors were introduced into a range of forcing variables to better understand retrieval uncertainty. Results indicated differences in LST of up to 1 K for perturbations in emissivity and profile measurements, with the analysis also highlighting the challenges in modeling aerosol optical depth (AOD) over arid lands and

Consumption of seafood and its estimated heavy metals are associated with lipid profile and oxidative lipid damage on healthy adults from a Spanish Mediterranean area: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Aranda, N; Valls, R M; Romeu, M; Sánchez-Martos, V; Albaladejo, R; Fernández-Castillejo, S; Nogués, R; Catalán, Ú; Pedret, A; Espinel, A; Delgado, M A; Arija, V; Sola, R; Giralt, M

2017-07-01

The association between the consumption of seafood and its benefits on cardiovascular (CVD) risk can be challenged by its heavy metal (HM) content. This study aimed to explore the association of seafood consumption and its estimated HM contents with the lipid profile and lipid oxidation biomarkers in adults from a Spanish Mediterranean area who do not present risk factors for CVD. In this cross-sectional study, the clinical history, three-day dietary record, lipid profile (LDLc, HDLc, APOB/A, and triglyceride levels), plasma oxidised LDL (oxLDL) and 8-isoprostane levels of 81 adults without risk factors for CVD [43% men, with a mean age of 43.6 years (95%CI: 40.1-47.1)] were assessed. The HM [arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb)] contents of seafood were estimated according to data from analyses of marine species in the same Mediterranean area. Moderate adherence to the Mediterranean diet (score: 4.6 of 9) with a mean seafood consumption of 74.9g/day (95%CI: 59.9-89.9), including 22.7g of shellfish per day (95%CI: 13.5-31.9), was observed. The estimated HM contents were lower than the provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs): 21.12µg/kg/week As, 0.57µg/kg/week InAs, 0.15µg/kg/week Cd, 1.11µg/kg/week Hg and 0.28µg/kg/week Pb. After adjusting by confounder variables, an increase in shellfish consumption was associated with increases in the levels of LDLc (P=0.013), non-HDLc (P=0.015), APOB/A (P=0.02) and plasma oxLDL (P=0.002). Moreover, an increase in the estimated As and Hg levels in shellfish was associated with an increase in LDLc (P=0.015 and P=0.018, respectively), non-HDLc (Pconsumption, even by a moderate amount, could favour a pro-atherogenic lipid profile and a higher level of oxidised LDL. These associations are likely influenced by the estimated exposure to As and Hg from shellfish despite these values are lower than the PTWIs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulation of annual electric lighting demand using various occupancy profiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iversen, Anne; Andersen, Philip Hvidthøft Delff; Svendsen, Svend

2013-01-01

This paper describes an investigation of the effect on electric lighting demand of applying occupancy models of various resolution to climate-based daylight modelling. The lighting demand was evaluated for a building zone with the occupant always present, with occupancy corresponding to absence...... factors, based on an estimated annual mean occupancy, based on estimated 1-hour mean occupancy, and based on 2-min occupancy intervals. The results showed little difference in the annual electric lighting demand when the same occupancy profile was used every day, as opposed to when profiles were used...... where occupancy varied every day. Furthermore, the results showed that annual electric lighting demand was evaluated slightly conservatively when a mean absence factor was applied as opposed to using dynamic occupancy profiles....

Compressive Sound Speed Profile Inversion Using Beamforming Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youngmin Choo

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Sound speed profile (SSP significantly affects acoustic propagation in the ocean. In this work, the SSP is inverted using compressive sensing (CS combined with beamforming to indicate the direction of arrivals (DOAs. The travel times and the positions of the arrivals can be approximately linearized using their Taylor expansion with the shape function coefficients that parameterize the SSP. The linear relation between the travel times/positions and the shape function coefficients enables CS to reconstruct the SSP. The conventional objective function in CS is modified to simultaneously exploit the information from the travel times and positions. The SSP is estimated using CS with beamforming of ray arrivals in the SWellEx-96 experimental environment, and the performance is evaluated using the correlation coefficient and mean squared error (MSE between the true and recovered SSPs, respectively. Five hundred synthetic SSPs were generated by randomly choosing the SSP dictionary components, and more than 80 percent of all the cases have correlation coefficients over 0.7 and MSE along depth is insignificant except near the sea surface, which shows the validity of the proposed method.

Estimating the biological value of soft-bottom sediments with sediment profile imaging and grab sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hoey, Gert; Birchenough, Silvana N. R.; Hostens, Kris

2014-02-01

Biological value estimation is based on a set of assessment questions and several thresholds to delineate areas of ecological importance (e.g. biodiversity). An existing framework, that was specifically designed to assess the ecosystem biodiversity, was expanded by adding new questions on the productivity, functionality and biogeochemical status of benthic habitats. The additional ecological and sedimentological information was collected by using sediment profile imagery (SPI) and grab sampling. Additionally, information on the performance and comparability of both techniques is provided in this study. The research idea was tested at a site near the harbor of Zeebrugge, an area under consideration as a new disposal site for dredged material from the harbor entrance. The sedimentology of the area can be adequately described based on the information from both SPI and Van Veen grab samples, but only the SPI revealed structural information on the physical habitat (layering, a-RPD). The latter information represented the current status of the benthic habitat, which was confirmed by the Van Veen grab samples. All information was summarized through the biological valuation framework, and provided clear evidence of the differences in biological value for the different sediment types within the area. We concluded that the installation of a new dredged material disposal site in this area was not in conflict with the benthic ecology. This area has a low biological value and the benthic system is adapted to changing conditions, which was signaled by the dominance of mobile, short living and opportunistic species. This study showed that suitable sedimentological and ecological information can be gathered by these traditional and complementary techniques, to estimate the biological value of an area in the light of marine spatial planning and environmental impact assessments.

Trends and Potentials of the Smart Grid Infrastructure: From ICT Sub-System to SDN-Enabled Smart Grid Architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaebeom Kim

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Context and situational awareness are key features and trends of the smart grid and enable adaptable, flexible and extendable smart grid services. However, the traditional hardware-dependent communication infrastructure is not designed to identify the flow and context of data, and it focuses only on packet forwarding using a pre-defined network configuration profile. Thus, the current network infrastructure may not dynamically adapt the various business models and services of the smart grid system. To solve this problem, software-defined networking (SDN is being considered in the smart grid, but the design, architecture and system model need to be optimized for the smart grid environment. In this paper, we investigate the state-of-the-art smart grid information subsystem, communication infrastructure and its emerging trends and potentials, called an SDN-enabled smart grid. We present an abstract business model, candidate SDN applications and common architecture of the SDN-enabled smart grid. Further, we compare recent studies into the SDN-enabled smart grid depending on its service functionalities, and we describe further challenges of the SDN-enabled smart grid network infrastructure.

Diode-laser-based water vapor differential absorption lidar (DIAL) profiler evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Spuler, S.; Weckwerth, T.; Repasky, K. S.; Nehrir, A. R.; Carbone, R.

2012-12-01

We are in the process of evaluating the performance of an eye-safe, low-cost, diode-laser-based, water vapor differential absorption lidar (DIAL) profiler. This class of instrument may be capable of providing continuous water vapor and aerosol backscatter profiles at high vertical resolution in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) for periods of months to years. The technology potentially fills a national long term observing facility gap and could greatly benefit micro- and meso-meteorology, water cycle, carbon cycle and, more generally, biosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere interaction research at both weather and climate variability time scales. For the evaluation, the Montana State University 3rd generation water vapor DIAL was modified to enable unattended operation for a period of several weeks. The performance of this V3.5 version DIAL was tested at MSU and NCAR in June and July of 2012. Further tests are currently in progress with Howard University at Beltsville, Maryland; and with the National Weather Service and Oklahoma University at Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. The presentation will include a comparison of DIAL profiles against meteorological "truth" at the aforementioned locations including: radiosondes, Raman lidars, microwave and IR radiometers, AERONET and SUOMINET systems. Instrument reliability, uncertainty, systematic biases, detection height statistics, and environmental complications will be evaluated. Performance will be judged in the context of diverse scientific applications that range from operational weather prediction and seasonal climate variability, to more demanding climate system process studies at the land-canopy-ABL interface. Estimating the extent to which such research and operational applications can be satisfied with a low cost autonomous network of similar instruments is our principal objective.

Beam profile effects on NPB [neutral particle beam] performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LeClaire, R.J. Jr.

1988-03-01

A comparison of neutral particle beam brightness for various neutral beam profiles indicates that the widely used assumption of a Gaussian profile may be misleading for collisional neutralizers. An analysis of available experimental evidence shows that lower peaks and higher tails, compared to a Gaussian beam profile, are observed out of collisional neutralizers, which implies that peak brightness is over estimated, and for a given NPB platform-to-target range, the beam current (power), dwell time or some combination of such engagement parameters would have to be altered to maintain a fixed dose on target. Based on the present analysis, this factor is nominally about 2.4 but may actually be as low as 1.8 or as high as 8. This is an important consideration in estimating NPB constellation performance in SDI engagement contexts. 2 refs., 6 figs

State estimation for wave energy converters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bacelli, Giorgio; Coe, Ryan Geoffrey

2017-04-01

This report gives a brief discussion and examples on the topic of state estimation for wave energy converters (WECs). These methods are intended for use to enable real-time closed loop control of WECs.

Visualizing molecular profiles of glioblastoma with GBM-BioDP.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orieta Celiku

Full Text Available Validation of clinical biomarkers and response to therapy is a challenging topic in cancer research. An important source of information for virtual validation is the datasets generated from multi-center cancer research projects such as The Cancer Genome Atlas project (TCGA. These data enable investigation of genetic and epigenetic changes responsible for cancer onset and progression, response to cancer therapies, and discovery of the molecular profiles of various cancers. However, these analyses often require bulk download of data and substantial bioinformatics expertise, which can be intimidating for investigators. Here, we report on the development of a new resource available to scientists: a data base called Glioblastoma Bio Discovery Portal (GBM-BioDP. GBM-BioDP is a free web-accessible resource that hosts a subset of the glioblastoma TCGA data and enables an intuitive query and interactive display of the resultant data. This resource provides visualization tools for the exploration of gene, miRNA, and protein expression, differential expression within the subtypes of GBM, and potential associations with clinical outcome, which are useful for virtual biological validation. The tool may also enable generation of hypotheses on how therapies impact GBM molecular profiles, which can help in personalization of treatment for optimal outcome. The resource can be accessed freely at http://gbm-biodp.nci.nih.gov (a tutorial is included.

Atmospheric turbulence profiling with unknown power spectral density

Science.gov (United States)

Helin, Tapio; Kindermann, Stefan; Lehtonen, Jonatan; Ramlau, Ronny

2018-04-01

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology in modern ground-based optical telescopes to compensate for the wavefront distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence. One method that allows to retrieve information about the atmosphere from telescope data is so-called SLODAR, where the atmospheric turbulence profile is estimated based on correlation data of Shack-Hartmann wavefront measurements. This approach relies on a layered Kolmogorov turbulence model. In this article, we propose a novel extension of the SLODAR concept by including a general non-Kolmogorov turbulence layer close to the ground with an unknown power spectral density. We prove that the joint estimation problem of the turbulence profile above ground simultaneously with the unknown power spectral density at the ground is ill-posed and propose three numerical reconstruction methods. We demonstrate by numerical simulations that our methods lead to substantial improvements in the turbulence profile reconstruction compared to the standard SLODAR-type approach. Also, our methods can accurately locate local perturbations in non-Kolmogorov power spectral densities.

Analysis for the Curricular Design of Tourism Studies in the Dominican Republic: Competences and Professional Profiles to Enable the Prospective Development of the Tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Peguero Manzanares

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a research project launched by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic in 2011 with the aim of drawing up a formal and methodological basis that is used as a guideline to redefine the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism. The main strategic lines of action derived from two essential requirements: the need to cater for a wider range of professional profiles and the need for curricular touristification. On the one hand, the focus was on the development of the graduates’ competences in all the cognitive areas involved in tourism to enable them to set up and manage tourist companies, products and destinations. This would generate innovative options of economic revitalization, decentralizing the current focus on the hospitality industry and incorporating new professional contexts with growth potential in the Dominican tourism sector. On the other hand, tourism-related subjects were reinforced and close cooperation with professionals on active service was highly recommended. Given the heterogeneity of current and potential local tourist destinations, the idiosyncrasy of each regional educational setting was taken into account to encourage entrepreneurship by empowering future managers of small and medium sized companies to make the most of their resources.

Solar line Lsub(α) profile and an interstellar wind dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgin, M.S.

1978-01-01

Analytical theory of interstellar hydrogen atom motion into the region of solar Lsub(α)-radiation is given. Hydrogen distribution in the Solar system is calculated with an account of the Lsub(α) solar line profile difference from a flat one. The effect of the profile form on the scattered radiation intensity is estimated. Calculation errors of the scattered radiation intensity, connected with the difference between a line profile and a flat one, do not exceed 5% for the real Lsub(α) solar line profile

Field profile tailoring in a-Si:H radiation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujieda, I.; Cho, G.; Conti, M.; Drewery, J.; Kaplan, S.N.; Perez-Mendez, V.; Quershi, S.; Wildermuth, D.; Street, R.A.

1990-03-01

The capability of tailoring the field profile in reverse-biased a-Si:H diodes by doping and/or manipulating electrode shapes opens a way to many interesting device structures. Charge collection in a-Si:H radiation detectors is improved for high LET particle detection by inserting thin doped layers into the i-layer of the usual p-i-n diode. This buried p-i-n structure enables us to apply higher reverse-bias and the electric field is enhanced in the mid i-layer. Field profiles of the new structures are calculated and the improved charge collection process is discussed. Also discussed is the possibility of field profile tailoring by utilizing the fixed space charges in i-layers and/or manipulating electrode shapes of the reverse-biased p-i-n diodes. 10 refs., 7 figs

RBiomirGS: an all-in-one miRNA gene set analysis solution featuring target mRNA mapping and expression profile integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background With the continuous discovery of microRNA’s (miRNA association with a wide range of biological and cellular processes, expression profile-based functional characterization of such post-transcriptional regulation is crucial for revealing its significance behind particular phenotypes. Profound advancement in bioinformatics has been made to enable in depth investigation of miRNA’s role in regulating cellular and molecular events, resulting in a huge quantity of software packages covering different aspects of miRNA functional analysis. Therefore, an all-in-one software solution is in demand for a comprehensive yet highly efficient workflow. Here we present RBiomirGS, an R package for a miRNA gene set (GS analysis. Methods The package utilizes multiple databases for target mRNA mapping, estimates miRNA effect on the target mRNAs through miRNA expression profile and conducts a logistic regression-based GS enrichment. Additionally, human ortholog Entrez ID conversion functionality is included for target mRNAs. Results By incorporating all the core steps into one package, RBiomirGS eliminates the need for switching between different software packages. The modular structure of RBiomirGS enables various access points to the analysis, with which users can choose the most relevant functionalities for their workflow. Conclusions With RBiomirGS, users are able to assess the functional significance of the miRNA expression profile under the corresponding experimental condition by minimal input and intervention. Accordingly, RBiomirGS encompasses an all-in-one solution for miRNA GS analysis. RBiomirGS is available on GitHub (http://github.com/jzhangc/RBiomirGS. More information including instruction and examples can be found on website (http://kenstoreylab.com/?page_id=2865.

Profile reconstruction from neutron reflectivity data and a priori knowledge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leeb, H.

2008-01-01

The problem of incomplete and noisy information in profile reconstruction from neutron reflectometry data is considered. In particular methods of Bayesian statistics in combination with modelling or inverse scattering techniques are considered in order to properly include the required a priori knowledge to obtain quantitatively reliable estimates of the reconstructed profiles. Applying Bayes theorem the results of different experiments on the same sample can be consistently included in the profile reconstruction

Deriving profiles of incident and scattered neutrons for TOF experiments with the spallation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Hidehiro

1993-01-01

A formula that closely matches the incident profile of epi-thermal and thermal neutrons for time of flight experiments carried out with a spallation neutron source and moderator scheme is derived based on the slowing-down and diffusing-out processes in a moderator. This analytical description also enables us to predict burst-function profiles; these profiles are verified by a comparison with a diffraction pattern. The limits of the analytical model are discussed through the predictable peak position shift brought about by the slowing-down process. (orig.)

Two-dimensional dopant profiling for shallow junctions by TEM and AFM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, K.

2000-01-01

The present work concerns the development of the Etch/TEM and Etch/AFM methods to obtain quantitative 2-D dopant profiles for the ultra shallow p-n junctions of the next generation of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). For these methods, thin foil (TEM) or bulk (AFM) cross-sectional specimens were etched using a dopant selective chemical so that local areas of the dopant implanted source/drain (S/D) regions were etched to different depths. The surface topography of the S/D regions was determined from the thickness fringes for the TEM method and by the direct measurement for the AFM method. The local etched depths were converted to etch rates, and these were then converted to corresponding 1-D and 2-D dopant profiles by the experimentally independent etch rate calibration curves. Shallow junction MOSFET samples were designed and fabricated with junction depths 60nm (n + /p), 80nm (n + /p) and 120nm (p + /n) using 0.25μm process technology. A new method using SOG (Spin-on-Glass) contributed to the high quality XTEM thin foil specimens. Controlled stirring of the etchant increased the dopant concentration selectivity and etching consistency. Computer modelling simulated the isotropic etching behaviours, which can introduce the significant error in dopant profiling for shallow and abrupt junction samples. Comprehensive quantitative results enabled the optimum etching time to be determined for the first time. Etch/TEM method gave 1-D dopant profiles that showed good agreement with 1-D Spreading Resistance Probe (SRP) dopant profiles for determining junction depths. 2-D dopant profiles gave L eff , i.e. the shortest lateral distance between the S/D junctions, of major importance for MOSFET performance. Values for L eff of 161, 159 and 123nm were determined from 60, 80 and 120nm junction depth samples respectively, compared with the 215nm MOSFET gate length. The resolution and accuracy of the Etch/TEM method are estimated as 2 and 10nm

Enhanced closed loop State of Charge estimator for lithium-ion batteries based on Extended Kalman Filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pérez, Gustavo; Garmendia, Maitane; Reynaud, Jean François; Crego, Jon; Viscarret, Unai

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Based on a general model valid in full range of SOC considering varied dynamics. • Integration of an accurate OCV model in EKF taking into account hysteresis effect. • Experimental validation with different current profiles: pulses, EV and lift. • Validated with specifically designed profile demanding accurate OCV modeling. - Abstract: The accurate State of Charge (SOC) estimation in a Li-ion battery requires a suitable model of the cell behavior. In this work an enhanced closed loop estimator based on Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is proposed, considering a precise model of the cell dynamics valid for different current profiles and SOCs, and a complete model of the Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) which takes into account the hysteresis influence. The employed model and proposed estimator are validated with experimental results obtained from the response of a 40 Ah NMC Li-ion cell to several current profiles. These tests include current pulses, FUDS driving cycles, residential lift profiles, and specially designed profiles which demand an accurate modeling of the transitions between OCV boundaries. In each case, it is demonstrated that the enhanced model can reduce the estimation error nearly by half compared to an estimator ignoring the hysteresis effect. Furthermore, the good performance of the cell dynamics model allows an accurate and stable estimation over different conditions

Heuristic and probabilistic wind power availability estimation procedures: Improved tools for technology and site selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nigim, K.A. [University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont. (Canada). Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Parker, Paul [University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont. (Canada). Department of Geography, Environmental Studies

2007-04-15

The paper describes two investigative procedures to estimate wind power from measured wind velocities. Wind velocity data are manipulated to visualize the site potential by investigating the probable wind power availability and its capacity to meet a targeted demand. The first procedure is an availability procedure that looks at the wind characteristics and its probable energy capturing profile. This profile of wind enables the probable maximum operating wind velocity profile for a selected wind turbine design to be predicted. The structured procedures allow for a consequent adjustment, sorting and grouping of the measured wind velocity data taken at different time intervals and hub heights. The second procedure is the adequacy procedure that investigates the probable degree of availability and the application consequences. Both procedures are programmed using MathCAD symbolic mathematical software. The math tool is used to generate a visual interpolation of the data as well as numerical results from extensive data sets that exceed the capacity of conventional spreadsheet tools. Two sites located in Southern Ontario, Canada are investigated using the procedures. Successful implementation of the procedures supports informed decision making where a hill site is shown to have much higher wind potential than that measured at the local airport. The process is suitable for a wide spectrum of users who are considering the energy potential for either a grid-tied or off-grid wind energy system. (author)

An ultra-dense integrated linkage map for hexaploid chrysanthemum enables multi-allelic QTL analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geest, van Geert; Bourke, Peter M.; Voorrips, Roeland E.; Marasek-Ciolakowska, Agnieszka; Liao, Yanlin; Post, Aike; Meeteren, van Uulke; Visser, Richard G.F.; Maliepaard, Chris; Arens, Paul

2017-01-01

Key message: We constructed the first integrated genetic linkage map in a polysomic hexaploid. This enabled us to estimate inheritance of parental haplotypes in the offspring and detect multi-allelic QTL.Abstract: Construction and use of linkage maps are challenging in hexaploids with polysomic

Fractal Analysis of Rock Joint Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Audy, Ondřej; Ficker, Tomáš

2017-10-01

Surface reliefs of rock joints are analyzed in geotechnics when shear strength of rocky slopes is estimated. The rock joint profiles actually are self-affine fractal curves and computations of their fractal dimensions require special methods. Many papers devoted to the fractal properties of these profiles were published in the past but only a few of those papers employed a convenient computational method that would have guaranteed a sound value of that dimension. As a consequence, anomalously low dimensions were presented. This contribution deals with two computational modifications that lead to sound fractal dimensions of the self-affine rock joint profiles. These are the modified box-counting method and the modified yard-stick method sometimes called the compass method. Both these methods are frequently applied to self-similar fractal curves but the self-affine profile curves due to their self-affine nature require modified computational procedures implemented in computer programs.

Experimental analysis of bruises in human volunteers using radiometric depth profiling and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Vidovič, Luka; Milanič, Matija; Majaron, Boris

2015-07-01

We combine pulsed photothermal radiometry (PPTR) depth profiling with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) measurements for a comprehensive analysis of bruise evolution in vivo. While PPTR enables extraction of detailed depth distribution and concentration profiles of selected absorbers (e.g. melanin, hemoglobin), DRS provides information in a wide range of visible wavelengths and thus offers an additional insight into dynamics of the hemoglobin degradation products. Combining the two approaches enables us to quantitatively characterize bruise evolution dynamics. Our results indicate temporal variations of the bruise evolution parameters in the course of bruise self-healing process. The obtained parameter values and trends represent a basis for a future development of an objective technique for bruise age determination.

State coal profiles, January 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-02-02

The purpose of State Coal Profiles is to provide basic information about the deposits, production, and use of coal in each of the 27 States with coal production in 1992. Although considerable information on coal has been published on a national level, there is a lack of a uniform overview for the individual States. This report is intended to help fill that gap and also to serve as a framework for more detailed studies. While focusing on coal output, State Coal Profiles shows that the coal-producing States are major users of coal, together accounting for about three-fourths of total US coal consumption in 1992. Each coal-producing State is profiled with a description of its coal deposits and a discussion of the development of its coal industry. Estimates of coal reserves in 1992 are categorized by mining method and sulfur content. Trends, patterns, and other information concerning production, number of mines, miners, productivity, mine price of coal, disposition, and consumption of coal are detailed in statistical tables for selected years from 1980 through 1992. In addition, coal`s contribution to the State`s estimated total energy consumption is given for 1991, the latest year for which data are available. A US summary of all data is provided for comparing individual States with the Nation as a whole. Sources of information are given at the end of the tables.

Statistical modelling of transcript profiles of differentially regulated genes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergeant Martin J

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The vast quantities of gene expression profiling data produced in microarray studies, and the more precise quantitative PCR, are often not statistically analysed to their full potential. Previous studies have summarised gene expression profiles using simple descriptive statistics, basic analysis of variance (ANOVA and the clustering of genes based on simple models fitted to their expression profiles over time. We report the novel application of statistical non-linear regression modelling techniques to describe the shapes of expression profiles for the fungus Agaricus bisporus, quantified by PCR, and for E. coli and Rattus norvegicus, using microarray technology. The use of parametric non-linear regression models provides a more precise description of expression profiles, reducing the "noise" of the raw data to produce a clear "signal" given by the fitted curve, and describing each profile with a small number of biologically interpretable parameters. This approach then allows the direct comparison and clustering of the shapes of response patterns between genes and potentially enables a greater exploration and interpretation of the biological processes driving gene expression. Results Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR-derived time-course data of genes were modelled. "Split-line" or "broken-stick" regression identified the initial time of gene up-regulation, enabling the classification of genes into those with primary and secondary responses. Five-day profiles were modelled using the biologically-oriented, critical exponential curve, y(t = A + (B + CtRt + ε. This non-linear regression approach allowed the expression patterns for different genes to be compared in terms of curve shape, time of maximal transcript level and the decline and asymptotic response levels. Three distinct regulatory patterns were identified for the five genes studied. Applying the regression modelling approach to microarray-derived time course data

Estimating Gender Wage Gaps

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Judith A.; Thornton, Robert J.

2011-01-01

Course research projects that use easy-to-access real-world data and that generate findings with which undergraduate students can readily identify are hard to find. The authors describe a project that requires students to estimate the current female-male earnings gap for new college graduates. The project also enables students to see to what…

Lebanon: country profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Marfleet, P

1988-05-01

A brief profile of Lebanon's economy, people, health, culture and political situation is presented. Lebanon has an estimated 3.5 million people, with a Maronite Christian elite, a Muslim Shiite majority, and Muslim Sunnis and Druze groups. The infant mortality is estimated at 41/1000; literacy is 69% among women and 86% among men; life expectancy was 66 years, 10 years ago. The economy, previously thriving on banking, manufacturing and agriculture, is now decimated, and Lebanon's once active tourist industry, based on elegant facilities in Beirut and neighboring beaches and ski slopes, is the victim of 15 years of civil strife. Israel has invaded, supporting Maronite Christians, Syria has invaded in support Muslim and Druze militias, and Iran has aggressively supported Shiite factions.

Estimates of Shear Stress and Measurements of Water Levels in the Lower Fox River near Green Bay, Wisconsin

Science.gov (United States)

Westenbroek, Stephen M.

2006-01-01

Turbulent shear stress in the boundary layer of a natural river system largely controls the deposition and resuspension of sediment, as well as the longevity and effectiveness of granular-material caps used to cover and isolate contaminated sediments. This report documents measurements and calculations made in order to estimate shear stress and shear velocity on the Lower Fox River, Wisconsin. Velocity profiles were generated using an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) mounted on a moored vessel. This method of data collection yielded 158 velocity profiles on the Lower Fox River between June 2003 and November 2004. Of these profiles, 109 were classified as valid and were used to estimate the bottom shear stress and velocity using log-profile and turbulent kinetic energy methods. Estimated shear stress ranged from 0.09 to 10.8 dynes per centimeter squared. Estimated coefficients of friction ranged from 0.001 to 0.025. This report describes both the field and data-analysis methods used to estimate shear-stress parameters for the Lower Fox River. Summaries of the estimated values for bottom shear stress, shear velocity, and coefficient of friction are presented. Confidence intervals about the shear-stress estimates are provided.

Use of non-contacting electromagnetic inductive method for estimating soil moisture across a landscape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khakural, B.R.; Robert, P.C.; Hugins, D.R.

1998-01-01

There is a growing interest in real-time estimation of soil moisture for site-specific crop management. Non-contacting electromagnetic inductive (EMI) methods have potentials to provide real-time estimate of soil profile water contents. Soil profile water contents were monitored with a neutron probe at selected sites. A Geonics LTD EM-38 terrain meter was used to record bulk soil electrical conductivity (EC(A)) readings across a soil-landscape in West central Minnesota with variable moisture regimes. The relationships among EC(A), selected soil and landscape properties were examined. Bulk soil electrical conductivity (0-1.0 and 0-0.5 m) was negatively correlated with relative elevation. It was positively correlated with soil profile (1.0 m) clay content and negatively correlated with soil profile coarse fragments (2 mm) and sand content. There was significant linear relationship between ECA (0-1.0 and 0-0.5) and soil profile water storage. Soil water storage estimated from ECA reflected changes in landscape and soil characteristics

Computational resources for ribosome profiling: from database to Web server and software.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongwei; Wang, Yan; Xie, Zhi

2017-08-14

Ribosome profiling is emerging as a powerful technique that enables genome-wide investigation of in vivo translation at sub-codon resolution. The increasing application of ribosome profiling in recent years has achieved remarkable progress toward understanding the composition, regulation and mechanism of translation. This benefits from not only the awesome power of ribosome profiling but also an extensive range of computational resources available for ribosome profiling. At present, however, a comprehensive review on these resources is still lacking. Here, we survey the recent computational advances guided by ribosome profiling, with a focus on databases, Web servers and software tools for storing, visualizing and analyzing ribosome profiling data. This review is intended to provide experimental and computational biologists with a reference to make appropriate choices among existing resources for the question at hand. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Internal validation of STRmix™ for the interpretation of single source and mixed DNA profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Moretti, Tamyra R; Just, Rebecca S; Kehl, Susannah C; Willis, Leah E; Buckleton, John S; Bright, Jo-Anne; Taylor, Duncan A; Onorato, Anthony J

2017-07-01

The interpretation of DNA evidence can entail analysis of challenging STR typing results. Genotypes inferred from low quality or quantity specimens, or mixed DNA samples originating from multiple contributors, can result in weak or inconclusive match probabilities when a binary interpretation method and necessary thresholds (such as a stochastic threshold) are employed. Probabilistic genotyping approaches, such as fully continuous methods that incorporate empirically determined biological parameter models, enable usage of more of the profile information and reduce subjectivity in interpretation. As a result, software-based probabilistic analyses tend to produce more consistent and more informative results regarding potential contributors to DNA evidence. Studies to assess and internally validate the probabilistic genotyping software STRmix™ for casework usage at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory were conducted using lab-specific parameters and more than 300 single-source and mixed contributor profiles. Simulated forensic specimens, including constructed mixtures that included DNA from two to five donors across a broad range of template amounts and contributor proportions, were used to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the system via more than 60,000 tests comparing hundreds of known contributors and non-contributors to the specimens. Conditioned analyses, concurrent interpretation of amplification replicates, and application of an incorrect contributor number were also performed to further investigate software performance and probe the limitations of the system. In addition, the results from manual and probabilistic interpretation of both prepared and evidentiary mixtures were compared. The findings support that STRmix™ is sufficiently robust for implementation in forensic laboratories, offering numerous advantages over historical methods of DNA profile analysis and greater statistical power for the estimation of evidentiary weight, and

Artificial Neural Network Based State Estimators Integrated into Kalmtool

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bayramoglu, Enis; Ravn, Ole; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

2012-01-01

In this paper we present a toolbox enabling easy evaluation and comparison of dierent ltering algorithms. The toolbox is called Kalmtool and is a set of MATLAB tools for state estimation of nonlinear systems. The toolbox now contains functions for Articial Neural Network Based State Estimation as...

Doping profile measurement on textured silicon surface

Science.gov (United States)

Essa, Zahi; Taleb, Nadjib; Sermage, Bernard; Broussillou, Cédric; Bazer-Bachi, Barbara; Quillec, Maurice

2018-04-01

In crystalline silicon solar cells, the front surface is textured in order to lower the reflection of the incident light and increase the efficiency of the cell. This texturing whose dimensions are a few micrometers wide and high, often makes it difficult to determine the doping profile measurement. We have measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electrochemical capacitance voltage profiling the doping profile of implanted phosphorus in alkaline textured and in polished monocrystalline silicon wafers. The paper shows that SIMS gives accurate results provided the primary ion impact angle is small enough. Moreover, the comparison between these two techniques gives an estimation of the concentration of electrically inactive phosphorus atoms.

Reliability of Bluetooth Technology for Travel Time Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Araghi, Bahar Namaki; Olesen, Jonas Hammershøj; Krishnan, Rajesh

2015-01-01

. However, their corresponding impacts on accuracy and reliability of estimated travel time have not been evaluated. In this study, a controlled field experiment is conducted to collect both Bluetooth and GPS data for 1000 trips to be used as the basis for evaluation. Data obtained by GPS logger is used...... to calculate actual travel time, referred to as ground truth, and to geo-code the Bluetooth detection events. In this setting, reliability is defined as the percentage of devices captured per trip during the experiment. It is found that, on average, Bluetooth-enabled devices will be detected 80% of the time......-range antennae detect Bluetooth-enabled devices in a closer location to the sensor, thus providing a more accurate travel time estimate. However, the smaller the size of the detection zone, the lower the penetration rate, which could itself influence the accuracy of estimates. Therefore, there has to be a trade...

Power Dependence of the Electron Mobility Profile in a Hall Thruster

Science.gov (United States)

Jorns, Benjamin A.; Hofery, Richard H.; Mikellides, Ioannis G.

2014-01-01

The electron mobility profile is estimated in a 4.5 kW commercial Hall thruster as a function of discharge power. Internal measurements of plasma potential and electron temperature are made in the thruster channel with a high-speed translating probe. These measurements are presented for a range of throttling conditions from 150 - 400 V and 0.6 - 4.5 kW. The fluid-based solver, Hall2De, is used in conjunction with these internal plasma parameters to estimate the anomalous collision frequency profile at fixed voltage, 300 V, and three power levels. It is found that the anomalous collision frequency profile does not change significantly upstream of the location of the magnetic field peak but that the extent and magnitude of the anomalous collision frequency downstream of the magnetic peak does change with thruster power. These results are discussed in the context of developing phenomenological models for how the collision frequency profile depends on thruster operating conditions.

Estimating Parameters for the Earth-Ionosphere Waveguide Using VLF Narrowband Transmitters

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, N. C.; Cohen, M.

2017-12-01

Estimating the D-region (60 to 90 km altitude) ionospheric electron density profile has always been a challenge. The D-region's altitude is too high for aircraft and balloons to reach but is too low for satellites to orbit at. Sounding rocket measurements have been a useful tool for directly measuring the ionosphere, however, these types of measurements are infrequent and costly. A more sustainable type of measurement, for characterizing the D-region, is remote sensing with very low frequency (VLF) waves. Both the lower ionosphere and Earth's ground strongly reflect VLF waves. These two spherical reflectors form what is known as the Earth-ionosphere waveguide. As VLF waves propagate within the waveguide, they interact with the D-region ionosphere, causing amplitude and phase changes that are polarization dependent. These changes can be monitored with a spatially distributed array of receivers and D-region properties can be inferred from these measurements. Researchers have previously used VLF remote sensing techniques, from either narrowband transmitters or sferics, to estimate the density profile, but these estimations are typically during a short time frame and over a narrow propagation region. We report on an effort to improve the understanding of VLF wave propagation by estimating the commonly known h' and beta two parameter exponential electron density profile. Measurements from multiple narrowband transmitters at multiple receivers are taken, concurrently, and input into an algorithm. The cornerstone of the algorithm is an artificial neural network (ANN), where input values are the received narrowband amplitude and phase and the outputs are the estimated h' and beta parameters. Training data for the ANN is generated using the Navy's Long-Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC) model. Emphasis is placed on profiling the daytime ionosphere, which has a more stable and predictable profile than the nighttime. Daytime ionospheric disturbances, from high solar

Integration of extracellular RNA profiling data using metadata, biomedical ontologies and Linked Data technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sai Lakshmi Subramanian

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The large diversity and volume of extracellular RNA (exRNA data that will form the basis of the exRNA Atlas generated by the Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium pose a substantial data integration challenge. We here present the strategy that is being implemented by the exRNA Data Management and Resource Repository, which employs metadata, biomedical ontologies and Linked Data technologies, such as Resource Description Framework to integrate a diverse set of exRNA profiles into an exRNA Atlas and enable integrative exRNA analysis. We focus on the following three specific data integration tasks: (a selection of samples from a virtual biorepository for exRNA profiling and for inclusion in the exRNA Atlas; (b retrieval of a data slice from the exRNA Atlas for integrative analysis and (c interpretation of exRNA analysis results in the context of pathways and networks. As exRNA profiling gains wide adoption in the research community, we anticipate that the strategies discussed here will increasingly be required to enable data reuse and to facilitate integrative analysis of exRNA data.

Integration of extracellular RNA profiling data using metadata, biomedical ontologies and Linked Data technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, Sai Lakshmi; Kitchen, Robert R; Alexander, Roger; Carter, Bob S; Cheung, Kei-Hoi; Laurent, Louise C; Pico, Alexander; Roberts, Lewis R; Roth, Matthew E; Rozowsky, Joel S; Su, Andrew I; Gerstein, Mark B; Milosavljevic, Aleksandar

2015-01-01

The large diversity and volume of extracellular RNA (exRNA) data that will form the basis of the exRNA Atlas generated by the Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium pose a substantial data integration challenge. We here present the strategy that is being implemented by the exRNA Data Management and Resource Repository, which employs metadata, biomedical ontologies and Linked Data technologies, such as Resource Description Framework to integrate a diverse set of exRNA profiles into an exRNA Atlas and enable integrative exRNA analysis. We focus on the following three specific data integration tasks: (a) selection of samples from a virtual biorepository for exRNA profiling and for inclusion in the exRNA Atlas; (b) retrieval of a data slice from the exRNA Atlas for integrative analysis and (c) interpretation of exRNA analysis results in the context of pathways and networks. As exRNA profiling gains wide adoption in the research community, we anticipate that the strategies discussed here will increasingly be required to enable data reuse and to facilitate integrative analysis of exRNA data.

A Transformational Approach to Parametric Accumulated-Cost Static Profiling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haemmerlé, Rémy; López García, Pedro; Liqat, Umer

2016-01-01

Traditional static resource analyses estimate the total resource usage of a program, without executing it. In this paper we present a novel resource analysis whose aim is instead the static profiling of accumulated cost, i.e., to discover, for selected parts of the program, an estimate or bound...... of the resource usage accumulated in each of those parts. Traditional resource analyses are parametric in the sense that the results can be functions on input data sizes. Our static profiling is also parametric, i.e., our accumulated cost estimates are also parameterized by input data sizes. Our proposal is based...... on the concept of cost centers and a program transformation that allows the static inference of functions that return bounds on these accumulated costs depending on input data sizes, for each cost center of interest. Such information is much more useful to the software developer than the traditional resource...

A federated semantic metadata registry framework for enabling interoperability across clinical research and care domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinaci, A Anil; Laleci Erturkmen, Gokce B

2013-10-01

In order to enable secondary use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) by bridging the interoperability gap between clinical care and research domains, in this paper, a unified methodology and the supporting framework is introduced which brings together the power of metadata registries (MDR) and semantic web technologies. We introduce a federated semantic metadata registry framework by extending the ISO/IEC 11179 standard, and enable integration of data element registries through Linked Open Data (LOD) principles where each Common Data Element (CDE) can be uniquely referenced, queried and processed to enable the syntactic and semantic interoperability. Each CDE and their components are maintained as LOD resources enabling semantic links with other CDEs, terminology systems and with implementation dependent content models; hence facilitating semantic search, much effective reuse and semantic interoperability across different application domains. There are several important efforts addressing the semantic interoperability in healthcare domain such as IHE DEX profile proposal, CDISC SHARE and CDISC2RDF. Our architecture complements these by providing a framework to interlink existing data element registries and repositories for multiplying their potential for semantic interoperability to a greater extent. Open source implementation of the federated semantic MDR framework presented in this paper is the core of the semantic interoperability layer of the SALUS project which enables the execution of the post marketing safety analysis studies on top of existing EHR systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gamma-ray emission profile measurements during JET ICRH discharges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howarth, P.J.A. [Birmingham Univ. (United Kingdom); Adams, J.M.; Bond, D.S.; Watkins, N. [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom); Jarvis, O.N.; Marcus, F.B.; Sadler, G.; Belle, P. van [Commission of the European Communities, Abingdon (United Kingdom). JET Joint Undertaking

1994-12-31

Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (ICRH) that is tuned to minority fuel ions can induce an energy diffusion of the heated species and create high energy tail temperatures of {approx} 1 MeV. The most energetic of these accelerated minority ions can undergo nuclear reactions with impurity Be and C that produces {gamma}-ray emission from the decay of the excited product nuclei. This RF-induced {gamma}-ray emission has been recorded using the JET neutron emission profile diagnostic which is capable of distinguishing neutrons and {gamma}-rays. Appropriate data processing has enabled the RF-induced {gamma}-ray emission signals to be isolated from the {gamma}-ray emission signals associated with neutron interactions in the material surrounding the profile monitor. The 2-d {gamma}-ray emission profiles show that virtually all the radiation originates from the low field side of the RF resonance layer, as expected from RF-induced pitch angle diffusion. The emission profiles indicate the presence of a small population of resonant {sup 3}He ions that possess orbits lying near the passing-trapped boundary. (author) 6 refs., 4 figs.

Web-enabling technologies for the factory floor: a web-enabling strategy for emanufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Velez, Ricardo; Lastra, Jose L. M.; Tuokko, Reijo O.

2001-10-01

This paper is intended to address the different technologies available for Web-enabling of the factory floor. It will give an overview of the importance of Web-enabling of the factory floor, in the application of the concepts of flexible and intelligent manufacturing, in conjunction with e-commerce. As a last section, it will try to define a Web-enabling strategy for the application in eManufacturing. This is made under the scope of the electronics manufacturing industry, so every application, technology or related matter is presented under such scope.

Estimation of suspended sediment concentration from Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) instrument: A case study of Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi

Science.gov (United States)

Dwinovantyo, Angga; Manik, Henry M.; Prartono, Tri; Susilohadi; Ilahude, Delyuzar

2017-01-01

Measurement of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is one of the parameters needed to determine the characteristics of sediment transport. However, the measurement of SSC nowadays still uses conventional technique and it has limitations; especially in temporal resolution. With advanced technology, the measurement can use hydroacoustic technology such as Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). ADCP measures the intensity of backscatter as echo intensity unit from sediment particles. The frequency of ADCP used in this study was 400 kHz. The samples were measured and collected from Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi. The highest concentration of suspended sediment was 98.89 mg L-1 and the lowest was 45.20 mg L-1. Time series data showed the tidal condition affected the SSC. From the research, we also made correction from sound signal losses effect such as spherical spreading and sound absorption to get more accurate results by eliminating these parameters in echo intensity data. Simple linear regression analysis at echo intensity measured from ADCP to direct measurement of SSC was performed to obtain the estimation of the SSC. The comparison result of estimation of SSC from ADCP measurements and SSC from laboratory analyses was insignificantly different based on t-test statistical analysis with 95% confidence interval percentage.

Geo-Enabled, Mobile Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

2006-01-01

We are witnessing the emergence of a global infrastructure that enables the widespread deployment of geo-enabled, mobile services in practice. At the same time, the research community has also paid increasing attention to data management aspects of mobile services. This paper offers me...

A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Grady, Joseph E.; Halbig, Michael C.; Singh, Mrityunjay

2015-01-01

In a NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) sponsored program entitled "A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing", evaluation of emerging materials and additive manufacturing technologies was carried out. These technologies may enable fully non-metallic gas turbine engines in the future. This paper highlights the results of engine system trade studies which were carried out to estimate reduction in engine emissions and fuel burn enabled due to advanced materials and manufacturing processes. A number of key engine components were identified in which advanced materials and additive manufacturing processes would provide the most significant benefits to engine operation. In addition, feasibility of using additive manufacturing technologies to fabricate gas turbine engine components from polymer and ceramic matrix composite were demonstrated. A wide variety of prototype components (inlet guide vanes (IGV), acoustic liners, engine access door) were additively manufactured using high temperature polymer materials. Ceramic matrix composite components included first stage nozzle segments and high pressure turbine nozzle segments for a cooled doublet vane. In addition, IGVs and acoustic liners were tested in simulated engine conditions in test rigs. The test results are reported and discussed in detail.

Baseline Assessment and Prioritization Framework for IVHM Integrity Assurance Enabling Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Eric G.; DiVito, Benedetto L.; Jacklin, Stephen A.; Miner, Paul S.

2009-01-01

Fundamental to vehicle health management is the deployment of systems incorporating advanced technologies for predicting and detecting anomalous conditions in highly complex and integrated environments. Integrated structural integrity health monitoring, statistical algorithms for detection, estimation, prediction, and fusion, and diagnosis supporting adaptive control are examples of advanced technologies that present considerable verification and validation challenges. These systems necessitate interactions between physical and software-based systems that are highly networked with sensing and actuation subsystems, and incorporate technologies that are, in many respects, different from those employed in civil aviation today. A formidable barrier to deploying these advanced technologies in civil aviation is the lack of enabling verification and validation tools, methods, and technologies. The development of new verification and validation capabilities will not only enable the fielding of advanced vehicle health management systems, but will also provide new assurance capabilities for verification and validation of current generation aviation software which has been implicated in anomalous in-flight behavior. This paper describes the research focused on enabling capabilities for verification and validation underway within NASA s Integrated Vehicle Health Management project, discusses the state of the art of these capabilities, and includes a framework for prioritizing activities.

Automated design system for a rotor with an ellipse lobe profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Sung Yuen; Kim Chul; Han, Seung Moo; Cho, Hae Yong

2009-01-01

An internal lobe pump (ILP) is suitable for machine tool oil hydraulics, automotive engines, compressors, and various other devices. In particular, the ILP is an essential component of an automotive engine, used to feed lubricant oil through the system. The main components of an ILP are its rotors. The outer rotor is typically characterized by lobes with an elliptical shape, and the inner rotor profile is a conjugate to the outer profile. This paper describes a theoretical analysis of an ILP and the development of an integrated automated system for rotor design. This system is composed of three main modules and has been developed using AutoLISP for the AutoCAD program. The system generates a new lobe profile and automatically calculates flow rate and flow rate irregularity according to the lobe profile generated. Results obtained from the analysis can enable oil pump designers and manufacturers to become more efficient

Automated design system for a rotor with an ellipse lobe profile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Sung Yuen; Kim Chul [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Han, Seung Moo [Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Hae Yong [Chungbuk National University, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of)

2009-11-15

An internal lobe pump (ILP) is suitable for machine tool oil hydraulics, automotive engines, compressors, and various other devices. In particular, the ILP is an essential component of an automotive engine, used to feed lubricant oil through the system. The main components of an ILP are its rotors. The outer rotor is typically characterized by lobes with an elliptical shape, and the inner rotor profile is a conjugate to the outer profile. This paper describes a theoretical analysis of an ILP and the development of an integrated automated system for rotor design. This system is composed of three main modules and has been developed using AutoLISP for the AutoCAD program. The system generates a new lobe profile and automatically calculates flow rate and flow rate irregularity according to the lobe profile generated. Results obtained from the analysis can enable oil pump designers and manufacturers to become more efficient

New dynamic NNORSY ozone profile climatology

Science.gov (United States)

Kaifel, A. K.; Felder, M.; Declercq, C.; Lambert, J.-C.

2012-01-01

Climatological ozone profile data are widely used as a-priori information for total ozone using DOAS type retrievals as well as for ozone profile retrieval using optimal estimation, for data assimilation or evaluation of 3-D chemistry-transport models and a lot of other applications in atmospheric sciences and remote sensing. For most applications it is important that the climatology represents not only long term mean values but also the links between ozone and dynamic input parameters. These dynamic input parameters should be easily accessible from auxiliary datasets or easily measureable, and obviously should have a high correlation with ozone. For ozone profile these parameters are mainly total ozone column and temperature profile data. This was the outcome of a user consultation carried out in the framework of developing a new, dynamic ozone profile climatology. The new ozone profile climatology is based on the Neural Network Ozone Retrieval System (NNORSY) widely used for ozone profile retrieval from UV and IR satellite sounder data. NNORSY allows implicit modelling of any non-linear correspondence between input parameters (predictors) and ozone profile target vector. This paper presents the approach, setup and validation of a new family of ozone profile climatologies with static as well as dynamic input parameters (total ozone and temperature profile). The neural network training relies on ozone profile measurement data of well known quality provided by ground based (ozonesondes) and satellite based (SAGE II, HALOE, and POAM-III) measurements over the years 1995-2007. In total, four different combinations (modes) for input parameters (date, geolocation, total ozone column and temperature profile) are available. The geophysical validation spans from pole to pole using independent ozonesonde, lidar and satellite data (ACE-FTS, AURA-MLS) for individual and time series comparisons as well as for analysing the vertical and meridian structure of different modes of

Radioactive waste management profiles. A compilation of data from the Net Enabled Waste Management Database (NEWMDB). No. 7, December 2005 (last updated 2005.12.15)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-12-01

This Profiles report is based on data collected using the NEWMDB from May to October 2005. The report was first published on line within the NEWMDB December 2005. Starting with NEWMDB version II (introduced January 2004) individual reports can be updated after a Profiles report is published. Please refer to the Profiles bookmark; the page that is accessed via this bookmark lists revisions to individual Profiles (if there are any)

Soil Temperature and Moisture Profile (STAMP) System Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cook, David R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-11-01

The soil temperature and moisture profile system (STAMP) provides vertical profiles of soil temperature, soil water content (soil-type specific and loam type), plant water availability, soil conductivity, and real dielectric permittivity as a function of depth below the ground surface at half-hourly intervals, and precipitation at one-minute intervals. The profiles are measured directly by in situ probes at all extended facilities of the SGP climate research site. The profiles are derived from measurements of soil energy conductivity. Atmospheric scientists use the data in climate models to determine boundary conditions and to estimate the surface energy flux. The data are also useful to hydrologists, soil scientists, and agricultural scientists for determining the state of the soil. The STAMP system replaced the SWATS system in early 2016.

RF slice profile effects in magnetic resonance fingerprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Taehwa; Han, Dongyeob; Kim, Min-Oh; Kim, Dong-Hyun

2017-09-01

The radio frequency (RF) slice profile effects on T1 and T2 estimation in magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) are investigated with respect to time-bandwidth product (TBW), flip angle (FA) level and field inhomogeneities. Signal evolutions are generated incorporating the non-ideal slice selective excitation process using Bloch simulation and matched to the original dictionary with and without the non-ideal slice profile taken into account. For validation, phantom and in vivo experiments are performed at 3T. Both simulations and experiments results show that T1 and T2 error from non-ideal slice profile increases with increasing FA level, off-resonance, and low TBW values. Therefore, RF slice profile effects should be compensated for accurate determination of the MR parameters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stratigraphic Profiles for Selected Hanford Site Seismometer Stations and Other Locations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Last, George V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-02-01

Stratigraphic profiles were constructed for eight selected Hanford Site seismometer stations, five Hanford Site facility reference locations, and seven regional three-component broadband seismometer stations. These profiles provide interpretations of the subsurface layers to support estimation of ground motions from past earthquakes, and the prediction of ground motions from future earthquakes. In most cases these profiles terminated at the top of the Wanapum Basalt, but at selected sites profiles were extended down to the top of the crystalline basement. The composite one-dimensional stratigraphic profiles were based primarily on previous interpretations from nearby boreholes, and in many cases the nearest deep borehole is located kilometers away.

Metabolic Profiles of Brain Metastases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tone F. Bathen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Metastasis to the brain is a feared complication of systemic cancer, associated with significant morbidity and poor prognosis. A better understanding of the tumor metabolism might help us meet the challenges in controlling brain metastases. The study aims to characterize the metabolic profile of brain metastases of different origin using high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS to correlate the metabolic profiles to clinical and pathological information. Biopsy samples of human brain metastases (n = 49 were investigated. A significant correlation between lipid signals and necrosis in brain metastases was observed (p < 0.01, irrespective of their primary origin. The principal component analysis (PCA showed that brain metastases from malignant melanomas cluster together, while lung carcinomas were metabolically heterogeneous and overlap with other subtypes. Metastatic melanomas have higher amounts of glycerophosphocholine than other brain metastases. A significant correlation between microscopically visible lipid droplets estimated by Nile Red staining and MR visible lipid signals was observed in metastatic lung carcinomas (p = 0.01, indicating that the proton MR visible lipid signals arise from cytoplasmic lipid droplets. MRS-based metabolomic profiling is a useful tool for exploring the metabolic profiles of metastatic brain tumors.

The Nordic Housing Enabler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helle, T.; Nygren, C.; Slaug, B.

2014-01-01

This study addresses development of a content-valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of its inter-rater reliability when used in occupational therapy rating situations, involving occupational therapists, clients, and their home environments. The instrument was transla......This study addresses development of a content-valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of its inter-rater reliability when used in occupational therapy rating situations, involving occupational therapists, clients, and their home environments. The instrument...... was translated from the original Swedish version of the Housing Enabler, and adapted according to accessibility norms and guidelines for housing design in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. This iterative process involved occupational therapists, architects, building engineers, and professional translators......, resulting in the Nordic Housing Enabler. For reliability testing, the sampling strategy and data collection procedures used were the same in all countries. Twenty voluntary occupational therapists, pair-wise but independently of each other, collected data from 106 cases by means of the Nordic Housing...

Enabling genomic-phenomic association discovery without sacrificing anonymity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raymond D Heatherly

Full Text Available Health information technologies facilitate the collection of massive quantities of patient-level data. A growing body of research demonstrates that such information can support novel, large-scale biomedical investigations at a fraction of the cost of traditional prospective studies. While healthcare organizations are being encouraged to share these data in a de-identified form, there is hesitation over concerns that it will allow corresponding patients to be re-identified. Currently proposed technologies to anonymize clinical data may make unrealistic assumptions with respect to the capabilities of a recipient to ascertain a patients identity. We show that more pragmatic assumptions enable the design of anonymization algorithms that permit the dissemination of detailed clinical profiles with provable guarantees of protection. We demonstrate this strategy with a dataset of over one million medical records and show that 192 genotype-phenotype associations can be discovered with fidelity equivalent to non-anonymized clinical data.

Critical headway estimation under uncertainty and non-ideal communication conditions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kester, L.J.H.M.; Willigen, W. van; Jongh, J.F.C.M de

2014-01-01

This article proposes a safety check extension to Adaptive Cruise Control systems where the critical headway time is estimated in real-time. This critical headway time estimate enables automated reaction to crisis circumstances such as when a preceding vehicle performs an emergency brake. We discuss

Compressive Sound Speed Profile Inversion Using Beamforming Results

OpenAIRE

Youngmin Choo; Woojae Seong

2018-01-01

Sound speed profile (SSP) significantly affects acoustic propagation in the ocean. In this work, the SSP is inverted using compressive sensing (CS) combined with beamforming to indicate the direction of arrivals (DOAs). The travel times and the positions of the arrivals can be approximately linearized using their Taylor expansion with the shape function coefficients that parameterize the SSP. The linear relation between the travel times/positions and the shape function coefficients enables CS...

Simultaneous fecal microbial and metabolite profiling enables accurate classification of pediatric irritable bowel syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Shankar, Vijay; Reo, Nicholas V; Paliy, Oleg

2015-12-09

We previously showed that stool samples of pre-adolescent and adolescent US children diagnosed with diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) had different compositions of microbiota and metabolites compared to healthy age-matched controls. Here we explored whether observed fecal microbiota and metabolite differences between these two adolescent populations can be used to discriminate between IBS and health. We constructed individual microbiota- and metabolite-based sample classification models based on the partial least squares multivariate analysis and then applied a Bayesian approach to integrate individual models into a single classifier. The resulting combined classification achieved 84 % accuracy of correct sample group assignment and 86 % prediction for IBS-D in cross-validation tests. The performance of the cumulative classification model was further validated by the de novo analysis of stool samples from a small independent IBS-D cohort. High-throughput microbial and metabolite profiling of subject stool samples can be used to facilitate IBS diagnosis.

Mission Profile Based Sizing of IGBT Chip Area for PV Inverter Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, Yanfeng; Wang, Huai; Yang, Yongheng

2016-01-01

Maximizing the total energy generation is of importance for Photovoltaic (PV) plants. This paper proposes a method to optimize the IGBT chip area for PV inverters to minimize the annual energy loss of the active switches based on long-term operation conditions (i.e., mission profile). The design...... yearly mission profile. Simulation results are given to verify the thermal characteristics. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo based lifetime evaluation is presented to check the IGBT reliability. The proposed design method enables a reliability-oriented energy optimized sizing of active switches for PV inverter...

Organising to Enable Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brink, Tove

2016-01-01

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to reveal how organising can enable innovation across organisational layers and organisational units. This approach calls for a cross-disciplinary literature review. The aim is to provide an integrated understanding of innovation in an organisational approach....... The findings reveal a continous organising process between individual/ team creativity and organisational structures/control to enable innovation at firm level. Organising provides a dynamic approach and contains the integrated reconstruction of creativity, structures and boundaries for enhanced balance...... of explorative and exploitative learning in uncertain environments. Shedding light on the cross-disciplinary theories to organise innovation provides a contribution at the firm level to enable innovation....

Profiles and Pauses: Two Practical Activities for the Writing Class

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernest Hall

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract : This article describes two classroom activities, "Profiling" and "Pause Analysis", that can be successfully used in ESL writing classes. "Profiling" addresses such problems as poor development of ideas, simplistic ideas, and lack of coherence in written texts. "Pause Analysis" focusses on the thinking processes that students engage in while drafting text, processes such as searching for ideas, evaluat­ing ideas, and postponing ideas. Both activities enable the instructor to assume the role of intervener in the students' writing processes, rather than evaluator of the text produced. In drawing The attention of the student write to both product and process, "Profiling" and "Pause Analysis" help them develop an awareness of the relation-ship between ideas in English expository text and the thinking pro­cesses that writers engage in while drafting such text.

Target biomarker profile for the clinical management of paracetamol overdose

Science.gov (United States)

Vliegenthart, A D Bastiaan; Antoine, Daniel J; Dear, James W

2015-01-01

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose is one of the most common causes of acute liver injury in the Western world. To improve patient care and reduce pressure on already stretched health care providers new biomarkers are needed that identify or exclude liver injury soon after an overdose of paracetamol is ingested. This review highlights the current state of paracetamol poisoning management and how novel biomarkers could improve patient care and save healthcare providers money. Based on the widely used concept of defining a target product profile, a target biomarker profile is proposed that identifies desirable and acceptable key properties for a biomarker in development to enable the improved treatment of this patient population. The current biomarker candidates, with improved hepatic specificity and based on the fundamental mechanistic basis of paracetamol-induced liver injury, are reviewed and their performance compared with our target profile. PMID:26076366

Toxicological Implications of Released Particulate Matter during Thermal Decomposition of Nano-Enabled Thermoplastics.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson-Wright, Christa; Singh, Dilpreet; Demokritou, Philip

2017-01-01

Nano-enabled thermoplastics are part of the growing market of nano-enabled products (NEPs) that have vast utility in several industries and consumer goods. The use and disposal of NEPs at their end of life has raised concerns about the potential release of constituent engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) during thermal decomposition and their impact on environmental health and safety. To investigate this issue, industrially relevant nano-enabled thermoplastics including polyurethane, polycarbonate, and polypropylene containing carbon nanotubes (0.1 and 3% w/v, respectively), polyethylene containing nanoscale iron oxide (5% w/v), and ethylene vinyl acetate containing nanoscale titania (2 and 5% w/v) along with their pure thermoplastic matrices were thermally decomposed using the recently developed lab based Integrated Exposure Generation System (INEXS). The life cycle released particulate matter (called LCPM) was monitored using real time instrumentation, size fractionated, sampled, extracted and prepared for toxicological analysis using primary small airway epithelial cells to assess potential toxicological effects. Various cellular assays were used to assess reactive oxygen species and total glutathione as measurements of oxidative stress along with mitochondrial function, cellular viability, and DNA damage. By comparing toxicological profiles of LCPM released from polymer only (control) with nano-enabled LCPM, potential nanofiller effects due to the use of ENMs were determined. We observed associations between NEP properties such as the percent nanofiller loading, host matrix, and nanofiller chemical composition and the physico-chemical properties of released LCPM, which were linked to biological outcomes. More specifically, an increase in percent nanofiller loading promoted a toxicological response independent of increasing LCPM dose. Importantly, differences in host matrix and nanofiller composition were shown to enhance biological activity and toxicity of LCPM

Novel Method for 5G Systems NLOS Channels Parameter Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladeta Milenkovic

2017-01-01

Full Text Available For the development of new 5G systems to operate in mm bands, there is a need for accurate radio propagation modelling at these bands. In this paper novel approach for NLOS channels parameter estimation will be presented. Estimation will be performed based on LCR performance measure, which will enable us to estimate propagation parameters in real time and to avoid weaknesses of ML and moment method estimation approaches.

Application of the maximum entropy method to profile analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, N.; Kalceff, W.; Cline, J.P.

1999-01-01

Full text: A maximum entropy (MaxEnt) method for analysing crystallite size- and strain-induced x-ray profile broadening is presented. This method treats the problems of determining the specimen profile, crystallite size distribution, and strain distribution in a general way by considering them as inverse problems. A common difficulty faced by many experimenters is their inability to determine a well-conditioned solution of the integral equation, which preserves the positivity of the profile or distribution. We show that the MaxEnt method overcomes this problem, while also enabling a priori information, in the form of a model, to be introduced into it. Additionally, we demonstrate that the method is fully quantitative, in that uncertainties in the solution profile or solution distribution can be determined and used in subsequent calculations, including mean particle sizes and rms strain. An outline of the MaxEnt method is presented for the specific problems of determining the specimen profile and crystallite or strain distributions for the correspondingly broadened profiles. This approach offers an alternative to standard methods such as those of Williamson-Hall and Warren-Averbach. An application of the MaxEnt method is demonstrated in the analysis of alumina size-broadened diffraction data (from NIST, Gaithersburg). It is used to determine the specimen profile and column-length distribution of the scattering domains. Finally, these results are compared with the corresponding Williamson-Hall and Warren-Averbach analyses. Copyright (1999) Australian X-ray Analytical Association Inc

Estimating near-shore wind resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Floors, Rogier Ralph; Hahmann, Andrea N.; Peña, Alfredo

An evaluation and sensitivity study using the WRF mesoscale model to estimate the wind in a coastal area is performed using a unique data set consisting of scanning, profiling and floating lidars. The ability of the WRF model to represent the wind speed was evaluated by running the model for a four...... grid spacings were performed for each of the two schemes. An evaluation of the wind profile using vertical profilers revealed small differences in modelled mean wind speed between the different set-ups, with the YSU scheme predicting slightly higher mean wind speeds. Larger differences between...... the different simulations were observed when comparing the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between modelled and measured wind, with the ERA interim-based simulations having the lowest errors. The simulations with finer horizontal grid spacing had a larger MSE. Horizontal transects of mean wind speed across...

Mechanistic models enable the rational use of in vitro drug-target binding kinetics for better drug effects in patients.

Science.gov (United States)

de Witte, Wilhelmus E A; Wong, Yin Cheong; Nederpelt, Indira; Heitman, Laura H; Danhof, Meindert; van der Graaf, Piet H; Gilissen, Ron A H J; de Lange, Elizabeth C M

2016-01-01

Drug-target binding kinetics are major determinants of the time course of drug action for several drugs, as clearly described for the irreversible binders omeprazole and aspirin. This supports the increasing interest to incorporate newly developed high-throughput assays for drug-target binding kinetics in drug discovery. A meaningful application of in vitro drug-target binding kinetics in drug discovery requires insight into the relation between in vivo drug effect and in vitro measured drug-target binding kinetics. In this review, the authors discuss both the relation between in vitro and in vivo measured binding kinetics and the relation between in vivo binding kinetics, target occupancy and effect profiles. More scientific evidence is required for the rational selection and development of drug-candidates on the basis of in vitro estimates of drug-target binding kinetics. To elucidate the value of in vitro binding kinetics measurements, it is necessary to obtain information on system-specific properties which influence the kinetics of target occupancy and drug effect. Mathematical integration of this information enables the identification of drug-specific properties which lead to optimal target occupancy and drug effect in patients.

Estimation of the Intelligence Quotient Using Wechsler Intelligence Scales in Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Merchan-Naranjo, Jessica; Mayoral, Maria; Rapado-Castro, Marta; Llorente, Cloe; Boada, Leticia; Arango, Celso; Parellada, Mara

2012-01-01

Asperger syndrome (AS) patients show heterogeneous intelligence profiles and the validity of short forms for estimating intelligence has rarely been studied in this population. We analyzed the validity of Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WIS) short forms for estimating full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and assessing intelligence profiles in 29…

The loaded surface profile: a new technique for the investigation of contact surfaces

OpenAIRE

McBride, J.W.

2006-01-01

Contact between rough surfaces produces a complex contact profile. The contact area is usually estimated according to roughness statistics in conjunction withsurface models or by examining the surfaces before and after contact. Most of the existing literature on loaded surface profiles is theoretical or numerical in nature. This paper presents a methodology for a new system to measure the loaded surface profile, based on a non-contact 3D laser profiler. The system allows the measurement of...

Curvature profiles as initial conditions for primordial black hole formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polnarev, Alexander G; Musco, Ilia

2007-01-01

This work is part of an ongoing research programme to study possible primordial black hole (PBH) formation during the radiation-dominated era of the early universe. Working within spherical symmetry, we specify an initial configuration in terms of a curvature profile, which represents initial conditions for the large amplitude metric perturbations, away from the homogeneous Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model, which are required for PBH formation. Using an asymptotic quasi-homogeneous solution, we relate the curvature profile with the density and velocity fields, which at an early enough time, when the length scale of the configuration is much larger than the cosmological horizon, can be treated as small perturbations of the background values. We present general analytic solutions for the density and velocity profiles. These solutions enable us to consider in a self-consistent way the formation of PBHs in a wide variety of cosmological situations with the cosmological fluid being treated as an arbitrary mixture of different components with different equations of state. We obtain the analytical solutions for the density and velocity profiles as functions of the initial time. We then use two different parametrizations for the curvature profile and follow numerically the evolution of initial configurations

Tennessee Valley Region: a year 2000 profile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1978-06-01

A study was undertaken to determine the potential radiological implications of nuclear facilities in the combined watersheds of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, an area covering portions of 7 states of varied topography. The regional population in 1970 was about 4.6 million and is expected to increase to about 7 million by the year 2000. A 1973 projection estimated the installed electric generating capacity of the region to increase from a 1970 value of 45,000 megawatts to a total of 222,000 megawatts by the year 2000. In that year, about 144,000 megawatts were projected to be nuclear plants. The profile of the Tennessee Valley Region in the year 2000, as drawn from this report, contains the essential data for calculation of the radiological dose from operation of nuclear facilities in that year. Those calculations are reported in the companion document, DOE/ET-0064/2. Specifically, Volume I establishes the parameters describing where the people live, what they eat, the activities in which they engage, and the environmental surroundings that enable an evaluation of the potential radiation dose to the population. Airborne radionuclides from nuclear facilities in this zone may enter the study area and be deposited on the ground, on growing food, and on water surfaces. Consideration was not given to waterborne radionuclides external to the study region. 17 references. (MCW)

Tennessee Valley Region: a year 2000 profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-06-01

A study was undertaken to determine the potential radiological implications of nuclear facilities in the combined watersheds of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, an area covering portions of 7 states of varied topography. The regional population in 1970 was about 4.6 million and is expected to increase to about 7 million by the year 2000. A 1973 projection estimated the installed electric generating capacity of the region to increase from a 1970 value of 45,000 megawatts to a total of 222,000 megawatts by the year 2000. In that year, about 144,000 megawatts were projected to be nuclear plants. The profile of the Tennessee Valley Region in the year 2000, as drawn from this report, contains the essential data for calculation of the radiological dose from operation of nuclear facilities in that year. Those calculations are reported in the companion document, DOE/ET-0064/2. Specifically, Volume I establishes the parameters describing where the people live, what they eat, the activities in which they engage, and the environmental surroundings that enable an evaluation of the potential radiation dose to the population. Airborne radionuclides from nuclear facilities in this zone may enter the study area and be deposited on the ground, on growing food, and on water surfaces. Consideration was not given to waterborne radionuclides external to the study region. 17 references

Propagation stability of self-reconstructing Bessel beams enables contrast-enhanced imaging in thick media.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrbach, Florian O; Rohrbach, Alexander

2012-01-17

Laser beams that can self-reconstruct their initial beam profile even in the presence of massive phase perturbations are able to propagate deeper into inhomogeneous media. This ability has crucial advantages for light sheet-based microscopy in thick media, such as cell clusters, embryos, skin or brain tissue or plants, as well as scattering synthetic materials. A ring system around the central intensity maximum of a Bessel beam enables its self-reconstruction, but at the same time illuminates out-of-focus regions and deteriorates image contrast. Here we present a detection method that minimizes the negative effect of the ring system. The beam's propagation stability along one straight line enables the use of a confocal line principle, resulting in a significant increase in image contrast. The axial resolution could be improved by nearly 100% relative to the standard light-sheet techniques using scanned Gaussian beams, while demonstrating self-reconstruction also for high propagation depths.

An Estimation of a Nonlinear Dynamic Process Using Latent Class Extended Mixed Models: Affect Profiles After Terrorist Attacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Burro, Roberto; Raccanello, Daniela; Pasini, Margherita; Brondino, Margherita

2018-01-01

Conceptualizing affect as a complex nonlinear dynamic process, we used latent class extended mixed models (LCMM) to understand whether there were unobserved groupings in a dataset including longitudinal measures. Our aim was to identify affect profiles over time in people vicariously exposed to terrorism, studying their relations with personality traits. The participants were 193 university students who completed online measures of affect during the seven days following two terrorist attacks (Paris, November 13, 2015; Brussels, March 22, 2016); Big Five personality traits; and antecedents of affect. After selecting students whose negative affect was influenced by the two attacks (33%), we analysed the data with the LCMM package of R. We identified two affect profiles, characterized by different trends over time: The first profile comprised students with lower positive affect and higher negative affect compared to the second profile. Concerning personality traits, conscientious-ness was lower for the first profile compared to the second profile, and vice versa for neuroticism. Findings are discussed for both their theoretical and applied relevance.

Inverse estimation for the unknown frost geometry on the external wall of a forced-convection pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, W.-L.; Yang, Y.-C.

2009-01-01

In this study, a conjugate gradient method based inverse algorithm is applied to estimate the unknown frost-layer boundary profile on the external wall of a pipe system using temperature measurements. It is assumed that no prior information is available on the functional form of the unknown profile; hence the procedure is classified as the function estimation in inverse calculation. The temperature data obtained from the direct problem are used to simulate the temperature measurements. The accuracy of the inverse analysis is examined by using simulated exact and inexact temperature measurements. Results show that an excellent estimation on boundary profile can be obtained for the test case considered in this study.

Soil profile property estimation with field and laboratory VNIR spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) soil sensors have the potential to provide rapid, high-resolution estimation of multiple soil properties. Although many studies have focused on laboratory-based visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy of dried soil samples, previous work has demonstrated ...

A Powerful Approach to Estimating Annotation-Stratified Genetic Covariance via GWAS Summary Statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Qiongshi; Li, Boyang; Ou, Derek; Erlendsdottir, Margret; Powles, Ryan L; Jiang, Tony; Hu, Yiming; Chang, David; Jin, Chentian; Dai, Wei; He, Qidu; Liu, Zefeng; Mukherjee, Shubhabrata; Crane, Paul K; Zhao, Hongyu

2017-12-07

Despite the success of large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on complex traits, our understanding of their genetic architecture is far from complete. Jointly modeling multiple traits' genetic profiles has provided insights into the shared genetic basis of many complex traits. However, large-scale inference sets a high bar for both statistical power and biological interpretability. Here we introduce a principled framework to estimate annotation-stratified genetic covariance between traits using GWAS summary statistics. Through theoretical and numerical analyses, we demonstrate that our method provides accurate covariance estimates, thereby enabling researchers to dissect both the shared and distinct genetic architecture across traits to better understand their etiologies. Among 50 complex traits with publicly accessible GWAS summary statistics (N total ≈ 4.5 million), we identified more than 170 pairs with statistically significant genetic covariance. In particular, we found strong genetic covariance between late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), two major neurodegenerative diseases, in single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with high minor allele frequencies and in SNPs located in the predicted functional genome. Joint analysis of LOAD, ALS, and other traits highlights LOAD's correlation with cognitive traits and hints at an autoimmune component for ALS. Copyright © 2017 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating local noise power spectrum from a few FBP-reconstructed CT scans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Rongping, E-mail: rongping.zeng@fda.hhs.gov; Gavrielides, Marios A.; Petrick, Nicholas; Sahiner, Berkman; Li, Qin; Myers, Kyle J. [Division of Imaging, Diagnostics, and Software Reliability, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, CDRH, FDA, Silver Spring, Maryland 20993 (United States)

2016-01-15

Purpose: Traditional ways to estimate 2D CT noise power spectrum (NPS) involve an ensemble average of the power spectrums of many noisy scans. When only a few scans are available, regions of interest are often extracted from different locations to obtain sufficient samples to estimate the NPS. Using image samples from different locations ignores the nonstationarity of CT noise and thus cannot accurately characterize its local properties. The purpose of this work is to develop a method to estimate local NPS using only a few fan-beam CT scans. Methods: As a result of FBP reconstruction, the CT NPS has the same radial profile shape for all projection angles, with the magnitude varying with the noise level in the raw data measurement. This allows a 2D CT NPS to be factored into products of a 1D angular and a 1D radial function in polar coordinates. The polar separability of CT NPS greatly reduces the data requirement for estimating the NPS. The authors use this property and derive a radial NPS estimation method: in brief, the radial profile shape is estimated from a traditional NPS based on image samples extracted at multiple locations. The amplitudes are estimated by fitting the traditional local NPS to the estimated radial profile shape. The estimated radial profile shape and amplitudes are then combined to form a final estimate of the local NPS. We evaluate the accuracy of the radial NPS method and compared it to traditional NPS methods in terms of normalized mean squared error (NMSE) and signal detectability index. Results: For both simulated and real CT data sets, the local NPS estimated with no more than six scans using the radial NPS method was very close to the reference NPS, according to the metrics of NMSE and detectability index. Even with only two scans, the radial NPS method was able to achieve a fairly good accuracy. Compared to those estimated using traditional NPS methods, the accuracy improvement was substantial when a few scans were available

Penetration profiles of particles injected into the crystal under channeling conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozhkov, V.V.

1980-01-01

A new method of calculating profiles of channeled parricle implantation is proposed. The profile calculation by the method proposed requires only standard computer programs and, consequently, little of the computer time. An analytical expression has been obtained for profiles of the channelled particle implantation under some simplifying allowances, the value of the error due to the allowances being estimated. An analytical formula is also obtained for the distribution function of dechanneling depths with taking account of deceleration of particles in a channel

Maximum-likelihood estimation of the hyperbolic parameters from grouped observations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jens Ledet

1988-01-01

a least-squares problem. The second procedure Hypesti first approaches the maximum-likelihood estimate by iterating in the profile-log likelihood function for the scale parameter. Close to the maximum of the likelihood function, the estimation is brought to an end by iteration, using all four parameters...

Interpreting Repeated Temperature-Depth Profiles for Groundwater Flow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bense, Victor F.; Kurylyk, Barret L.; Daal, van Jonathan; Ploeg, van der Martine J.; Carey, Sean K.

2017-01-01

Temperature can be used to trace groundwater flows due to thermal disturbances of subsurface advection. Prior hydrogeological studies that have used temperature-depth profiles to estimate vertical groundwater fluxes have either ignored the influence of climate change by employing steady-state

The Nordic Housing Enabler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helle, Tina; Slaug, Bjørn; Brandt, Åse

2010-01-01

This study addresses development of a content valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of its inter-rater reliability when used in occupational therapy rating situations, involving occupational therapists, clients and their home environments. The instrument was translated...... from the original Swedish version of the Housing Enabler, and adapted according to accessibility norms and guidelines for housing design in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. This iterative process involved occupational therapists, architects, building engineers and professional translators......, resulting in the Nordic Housing Enabler. For reliability testing, the sampling strategy and data collection procedures used were the same in all countries. Twenty voluntary occupational therapists, pair-wise but independently from each other, collected data from 106 cases by means of the Nordic Housing...

Estimation of pattern shape based on CD-SEM image by using MPPC method

Science.gov (United States)

Onozuka, T.; Ojima, Y.; Meessen, J.; Rijpers, B.

2006-03-01

This study demonstrates the MPPC (Multiple Parameters Profile Characterization) measurement method utilizing ArF photo resist patterns. MPPC is a technique for estimating the three dimensional profile of patterns which are imaged and measured on the CD-SEM (critical dimension scanning electron microscope). MPPC utilizes the secondary electron signal to calculate several indices including top CD, peak CD, top rounding, bottom footing, etc. This primary focused of this study is to understand the variations in pattern profile caused by changes in exposure condition. The results demonstrate the ability to extract pattern profile shape information by MPPC measurement that could not otherwise be detected by a conventional bottom CD measurement method. Furthermore, the results were compared to cross sectional images collected by STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope) to verify the accuracy of the MPPC technique. The peak CD results accurately estimate the pattern width when the sidewall angle of the feature is nearly vertical. Additionally, line edge roughness (LER) caused by pattern profile variations was evaluated utilizing MPPC. The results suggest that MPPC may be utilized to evaluate the roughness over the entire profile.

Soil moisture and temperature profile effects on microwave emission at low frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raju, S.; Chanzy, A.; Wigneron, J.P.; Calvet, J.C.; Kerr, Y.; Laguerre, L.

1995-01-01

Soil moisture and temperature vertical profiles vary quickly during the day and may have a significant influence on the soil microwave emission. The objective of this work is to quantify such an influence and the consequences in soil moisture estimation from microwave radiometric information. The analysis is based on experimental data collected by the ground-based PORTOS radiometer at 1.4, 5.05, and 10.65 GHz and data simulated by a coherent model of microwave emission from layered media [Wilheit model (1978)]. In order to simulate diurnal variations of the brightness temperature (TB), the Wilheit model is coupled to a mechanistic model of heat and water flows in the soil. The Wilheit model is validated on experimental data and its performances for estimating TB are compared to those of a simpler approach based on a description of the soil media as a single layer (Fresnel model). When the depth of this single layer (hereafter referred to as the sampling depth) is determined to fit the experimental data, similar accuracy in TB estimation is found with both the Wilheit and Fresnel models. The soil microwave emission is found to be strongly affected by the diurnal variations of soil moisture and temperature profiles. Consequently, the TB sensitivity to soil moisture and temperature profiles has an influence on the estimation, from microwave observations, of the surface soil moisture in a surface layer with a fixed depth (05): the accuracy of θs retrievals and the optimal sampling depth depends both on the variation in soil moisture and temperature profile shape. (author)

Improvement of Depth Profiling into Biotissues Using Micro Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy on a Needle with Selective Passivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Joho; Kim, Hyeon Woo; Lee, Jong-Hyun

2016-12-21

A micro electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)-on-a-needle for depth profiling (μEoN-DP) with a selective passivation layer (SPL) on a hypodermic needle was recently fabricated to measure the electrical impedance of biotissues along with the penetration depths. The SPL of the μEoN-DP enabled the sensing interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) to contribute predominantly to the measurement by reducing the relative influence of the connection lines on the sensor output. The discrimination capability of the μEoN-DP was verified using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at various concentration levels. The resistance and capacitance extracted through curve fitting were similar to those theoretically estimated based on the mixing ratio of PBS and deionized water; the maximum discrepancies were 8.02% and 1.85%, respectively. Depth profiling was conducted using four-layered porcine tissue to verify the effectiveness of the discrimination capability of the μEoN-DP. The magnitude and phase between dissimilar porcine tissues (fat and muscle) were clearly discriminated at the optimal frequency of 1 MHz. Two kinds of simulations, one with SPL and the other with complete passivation layer (CPL), were performed, and it was verified that the SPL was advantageous over CPL in the discrimination of biotissues in terms of sensor output.

Improvement of Depth Profiling into Biotissues Using Micro Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy on a Needle with Selective Passivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joho Yun

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A micro electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS-on-a-needle for depth profiling (μEoN-DP with a selective passivation layer (SPL on a hypodermic needle was recently fabricated to measure the electrical impedance of biotissues along with the penetration depths. The SPL of the μEoN-DP enabled the sensing interdigitated electrodes (IDEs to contribute predominantly to the measurement by reducing the relative influence of the connection lines on the sensor output. The discrimination capability of the μEoN-DP was verified using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS at various concentration levels. The resistance and capacitance extracted through curve fitting were similar to those theoretically estimated based on the mixing ratio of PBS and deionized water; the maximum discrepancies were 8.02% and 1.85%, respectively. Depth profiling was conducted using four-layered porcine tissue to verify the effectiveness of the discrimination capability of the μEoN-DP. The magnitude and phase between dissimilar porcine tissues (fat and muscle were clearly discriminated at the optimal frequency of 1 MHz. Two kinds of simulations, one with SPL and the other with complete passivation layer (CPL, were performed, and it was verified that the SPL was advantageous over CPL in the discrimination of biotissues in terms of sensor output.

NEW CONCEPTS AND TEST METHODS OF CURVE PROFILE AREA DENSITY IN SURFACE: ESTIMATION OF AREAL DENSITY ON CURVED SPATIAL SURFACE

OpenAIRE

Hong Shen

2011-01-01

The concepts of curve profile, curve intercept, curve intercept density, curve profile area density, intersection density in containing intersection (or intersection density relied on intersection reference), curve profile intersection density in surface (or curve intercept intersection density relied on intersection of containing curve), and curve profile area density in surface (AS) were defined. AS expressed the amount of curve profile area of Y phase in the unit containing surface area, S...

Accurate depth profiling for ultra-shallow implants using backside-SIMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hongo, Chie; Tomita, Mitsuhiro; Takenaka, Miyuki

2004-01-01

We studied methods for accurate depth profiling for ultra-shallow implants using backside-SIMS. For the measurement of ultra-shallow profiles, the effects of surface transient and atomic mixing are not negligible. Therefore, we applied backside-SIMS to analyze ultra-shallow doping in order to exclude these effects. Backside-SIMS profiles show a sharper ion implantation tail than surface-side-SIMS profiles. In addition, the primary ion energy dependence becomes weaker when backside-SIMS is used [Surf. Interf. Anal. 29 (2000) 362; Appl. Surf. Sci. 203-204 (2003) 264; J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 21 (2003) 1422]. However, the peak concentration of the backside sample was lower than that of the surface-side sample. Therefore, the sample flatness was estimated using the SIMS response function. Furthermore, SIMS profiles were simulated using SIMS response functions. This simulation shows how the sample flatness affects the SIMS profile

Estimation of the internal structure of Trans-Mexican volcanic belt by gravimetric data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores R, J.H.

1994-01-01

The regional gravimetric data of Trans-Mexican volcanic belt and surroundings, has been analyzed in order to estimate the depth of its internal structure. The short profiles with N-S orientation give a model of four shells with an average depth in the rank 24, 34, 56 and 83 kilometers. Only the profiles included between 97 West degrees to 102 West degrees give a depth of crust larger than the rest of the profiles with the same orientation. This profiles are associated with that of the Valleys of Toluca, D.F. and Puebla where the maximum crust thickness was estimated. The 3 long profiles with S-W orientation, give a model of 3 shells. The tendency of the first shell has a cortical thickness of 38 kilometers in the latitude of 18 North degrees. This tendency to increase the depth in the crust is associated with the minimum gravimetric in the map of Bouguer anomaly. (Author)

Consequences of varied soil hydraulic and meteorological complexity on unsaturated zone time lag estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Vero, S E; Ibrahim, T G; Creamer, R E; Grant, J; Healy, M G; Henry, T; Kramers, G; Richards, K G; Fenton, O

2014-12-01

The true efficacy of a programme of agricultural mitigation measures within a catchment to improve water quality can be determined only after a certain hydrologic time lag period (subsequent to implementation) has elapsed. As the biophysical response to policy is not synchronous, accurate estimates of total time lag (unsaturated and saturated) become critical to manage the expectations of policy makers. The estimation of the vertical unsaturated zone component of time lag is vital as it indicates early trends (initial breakthrough), bulk (centre of mass) and total (Exit) travel times. Typically, estimation of time lag through the unsaturated zone is poor, due to the lack of site specific soil physical data, or by assuming saturated conditions. Numerical models (e.g. Hydrus 1D) enable estimates of time lag with varied levels of input data. The current study examines the consequences of varied soil hydraulic and meteorological complexity on unsaturated zone time lag estimates using simulated and actual soil profiles. Results indicated that: greater temporal resolution (from daily to hourly) of meteorological data was more critical as the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil decreased; high clay content soils failed to converge reflecting prevalence of lateral component as a contaminant pathway; elucidation of soil hydraulic properties was influenced by the complexity of soil physical data employed (textural menu, ROSETTA, full and partial soil water characteristic curves), which consequently affected time lag ranges; as the importance of the unsaturated zone increases with respect to total travel times the requirements for high complexity/resolution input data become greater. The methodology presented herein demonstrates that decisions made regarding input data and landscape position will have consequences for the estimated range of vertical travel times. Insufficiencies or inaccuracies regarding such input data can therefore mislead policy makers regarding

Electricity demand profile with high penetration of heat pumps in Nordic area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Zhaoxi; Wu, Qiuwei; Nielsen, Arne Hejde

2013-01-01

This paper presents the heat pump (HP) demand profile with high HP penetration in the Nordic area in order to achieve the carbon neutrality power system. The calculation method in the European Standard EN14825 was used to estimate the HP electricity demand profile. The study results show...... there will be high power demand from HPs and the selection of supplemental heating for heat pumps has a big impact on the peak electrical power load of heating. The study in this paper gives an estimate of the scale of the electricity demand with high penetration of heat pumps in the Nordic area....

RNA-Seq of Tumor-Educated Platelets Enables Blood-Based Pan-Cancer, Multiclass, and Molecular Pathway Cancer Diagnostics.

Science.gov (United States)

Best, Myron G; Sol, Nik; Kooi, Irsan; Tannous, Jihane; Westerman, Bart A; Rustenburg, François; Schellen, Pepijn; Verschueren, Heleen; Post, Edward; Koster, Jan; Ylstra, Bauke; Ameziane, Najim; Dorsman, Josephine; Smit, Egbert F; Verheul, Henk M; Noske, David P; Reijneveld, Jaap C; Nilsson, R Jonas A; Tannous, Bakhos A; Wesseling, Pieter; Wurdinger, Thomas

2015-11-09

Tumor-educated blood platelets (TEPs) are implicated as central players in the systemic and local responses to tumor growth, thereby altering their RNA profile. We determined the diagnostic potential of TEPs by mRNA sequencing of 283 platelet samples. We distinguished 228 patients with localized and metastasized tumors from 55 healthy individuals with 96% accuracy. Across six different tumor types, the location of the primary tumor was correctly identified with 71% accuracy. Also, MET or HER2-positive, and mutant KRAS, EGFR, or PIK3CA tumors were accurately distinguished using surrogate TEP mRNA profiles. Our results indicate that blood platelets provide a valuable platform for pan-cancer, multiclass cancer, and companion diagnostics, possibly enabling clinical advances in blood-based "liquid biopsies". Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electron density profile measurements by microwave reflectometry on Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clairet, F.; Paume, M.; Chareau, J.M.

1995-01-01

A proposal is presented developing reflectometry diagnostic for electron density profile measurements as routine diagnostic without manual intervention as achieved at JET. Since density fluctuations seriously perturb the reflected signal and the measurement of the group delay, a method is described to overcome the irrelevant results with the help of an adaptive filtering technique. Accurate profiles are estimated for about 70% of the shots. (author) 3 refs.; 6 figs

OPTIMIZATION OF I-SECTION PROFILE DESIGN BY THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patryk Różyło

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the problem of design optimization for an I-section profile. The optimization process was performed using the Abaqus program. The numerical analysis of a strictly static problem was based on the finite element method. The scope of the analysis involved both determination of stresses and displacements in the profile and structure topology optimization. The main focus of the numerical analysis was put on reducing profile volume while maintaining the same load and similar stresses prior to and after optimization. The solution of the optimization problem is just an example of the potential of using this method in combination with the finite element method in the Abaqus environment. Nowadays numerical analysis is the most effective cost-reducing alternative to experimental tests and it enables structure examination by means of a computer.

The Development of Early Profiles of Temperament: Characterization, Continuity, and Etiology

Science.gov (United States)

Beekman, Charles; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Buss, Kristin A.; Loken, Eric; Moore, Ginger A.; Leve, Leslie D.; Ganiban, Jody M.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Reiss, David

2015-01-01

This study used a data-driven, person-centered approach to examine the characterization, continuity, and etiology of child temperament from infancy to toddlerhood. Data from 561 families who participated in an ongoing prospective adoption study, the Early Growth and Development Study, were used to estimate latent profiles of temperament at 9, 18, and 27 months. Results indicated that four profiles of temperament best fit the data at all three points of assessment. The characterization of profiles was stable over time while membership in profiles changed across age. Facets of adoptive parent and birth mother personality were predictive of children’s profile membership at each age, providing preliminary evidence for specific environmental and genetic influences on patterns of temperament development from infancy to toddlerhood. PMID:26332208

Highly multiplexed and quantitative cell-surface protein profiling using genetically barcoded antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollock, Samuel B; Hu, Amy; Mou, Yun; Martinko, Alexander J; Julien, Olivier; Hornsby, Michael; Ploder, Lynda; Adams, Jarrett J; Geng, Huimin; Müschen, Markus; Sidhu, Sachdev S; Moffat, Jason; Wells, James A

2018-03-13

Human cells express thousands of different surface proteins that can be used for cell classification, or to distinguish healthy and disease conditions. A method capable of profiling a substantial fraction of the surface proteome simultaneously and inexpensively would enable more accurate and complete classification of cell states. We present a highly multiplexed and quantitative surface proteomic method using genetically barcoded antibodies called phage-antibody next-generation sequencing (PhaNGS). Using 144 preselected antibodies displayed on filamentous phage (Fab-phage) against 44 receptor targets, we assess changes in B cell surface proteins after the development of drug resistance in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and in adaptation to oncogene expression in a Myc-inducible Burkitt lymphoma model. We further show PhaNGS can be applied at the single-cell level. Our results reveal that a common set of proteins including FLT3, NCR3LG1, and ROR1 dominate the response to similar oncogenic perturbations in B cells. Linking high-affinity, selective, genetically encoded binders to NGS enables direct and highly multiplexed protein detection, comparable to RNA-sequencing for mRNA. PhaNGS has the potential to profile a substantial fraction of the surface proteome simultaneously and inexpensively to enable more accurate and complete classification of cell states. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Mis-estimation and bias of hyperpolarized apparent diffusion coefficient measurements due to slice profile effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Jeremy W; Milshteyn, Eugene; Marco-Rius, Irene; Ohliger, Michael; Vigneron, Daniel B; Larson, Peder E Z

2017-09-01

The purpose of this work was to explore the impact of slice profile effects on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping of hyperpolarized (HP) substrates. Slice profile effects were simulated using a Gaussian radiofrequency (RF) pulse with a variety of flip angle schedules and b-value ordering schemes. A long T 1 water phantom was used to validate the simulation results, and ADC mapping of HP [ 13 C, 15 N 2 ]urea was performed on the murine liver to assess these effects in vivo. Slice profile effects result in excess signal after repeated RF pulses, causing bias in HP measurements. The largest error occurs for metabolites with small ADCs, resulting in up to 10-fold overestimation for metabolites that are in more-restricted environments. A mixed b-value scheme substantially reduces this bias, whereas scaling the slice-select gradient can mitigate it completely. In vivo, the liver ADC of hyperpolarized [ 13 C, 15 N 2 ]urea is nearly 70% lower (0.99 ± 0.22 vs 1.69 ± 0.21 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s) when slice-select gradient scaling is used. Slice profile effects can lead to bias in HP ADC measurements. A mixed b-value ordering scheme can reduce this bias compared to sequential b-value ordering. Slice-select gradient scaling can also correct for this deviation, minimizing bias and providing more-precise ADC measurements of HP substrates. Magn Reson Med 78:1087-1092, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Measurement-based performance profiles and dynamics of UDT over dedicated connections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foster, Ian [University of Chicago; Kettimuthu, R. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Wu, Qishi [University of Memphis; Yun, Daqing [Harrisburg University; Rao, Nageswara S. [ORNL; Liu, Qiang [ORNL

2016-11-01

Wide-area data transfers in high-performance computing and big data scenarios are increasingly being carried over dedicated network connections that provide high capacities at low loss rates. UDP-based transport protocols are expected to be particularly well-suited for such transfers but their performance is relatively unexplored over a wide range of connection lengths, compared to TCP over shared connections. We present extensive throughput measurements of UDP-based Data Transfer (UDT) over a suite of physical and emulated 10 Gbps connections. In sharp contrast to current UDT analytical models, these measurements indicate much more complex throughput dynamics that are sensitive to the connection modality, protocol parameters, and round-trip times. Lyapunov exponents estimated from the Poincare maps of UDT traces clearly indicate regions of instability and complex dynamics. We propose a simple model based on the ramp-up and sustainment regimes of a generic transport protocol, which qualitatively illustrates the dominant monotonicity and concavity properties of throughput profiles and relates them to Lyapunov exponents. These measurements and analytical results together enable us to comprehensively evaluate UDT performance and select parameters to achieve high throughput, and they also provide guidelines for designing effective transport protocols for dedicated connections.

Biogenic nonmethane hydrocarbon emissions estimated from tethered balloon observations

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, K. J.; Lenschow, D. H.; Zimmerman, P. R.

1994-01-01

A new technique for estimating surface fluxes of trace gases, the mixed-layer gradient technique, is used to calculate isoprene and terpene emissions from forests. The technique is applied to tethered balloon measurements made over the Amazon forest and a pine-oak forest in Alabama at altitudes up to 300 m. The observations were made during the dry season Amazon Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE 2A) and the Rural Oxidants in the Southern Environment 1990 experiment (ROSE I). Results from large eddy simulations of scalar transport in the clear convective boundary layer are used to infer fluxes from the balloon profiles. Profiles from the Amazon give a mean daytime emission of 3630 +/- 1400 micrograms isoprene sq m/h, where the uncertainty represents the standard deviation of the mean of eight flux estimates. Twenty profiles from Alabama give emissions of 4470 +/- 3300 micrograms isoprene sq m/h, 1740 +/- 1060 micrograms alpha-pinene sq m/h, and 790 +/- 560 micrograms beta-pinene sq m/h, respectively. These results are in agreement with emissions derived from chemical budgets. The emissions may be overestimated because of uncertainty about how to incorporate the effects of the canopy on the mixed-layer gradients. The large variability in these emission estimates is probably due to the relatively short sampling times of the balloon profiles, though spatially heterogeneous emissions may also play a role. Fluxes derived using this technique are representative of an upwind footprint of several kilometers and are independent of hydrocarbon oxidation rate and mean advection.

Relationships between methane production and milk fatty acid profiles in dairy cattle

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, J.; Zijderveld, van S.M.; Apajalahti, J.A.; Bannink, A.; Gerrits, W.J.J.; Newbold, J.R.; Perdok, H.B.; Berends, H.

2011-01-01

There is a need to develop simple ways of quantifying and estimating CH4 production in cattle. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between CH4 production and milk fatty acid (FA) profile in order to use milk FA profiles to predict CH4 production in dairy cattle. Data from 3 experiments with

An Algorithm for Induction Motor Stator Flux Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

STOJIC, D. M.

2012-08-01

Full Text Available A new method for the induction motor stator flux estimation used in the sensorless IM drive applications is presented in this paper. Proposed algorithm advantageously solves problems associated with the pure integration, commonly used for the stator flux estimation. An observer-based structure is proposed based on the stator flux vector stationary state, in order to eliminate the undesired DC offset component present in the integrator based stator flux estimates. By using a set of simulation runs it is shown that the proposed algorithm enables the DC-offset free stator flux estimated for both low and high stator frequency induction motor operation.

Concentration profiles near an activated enzyme.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Soohyung; Agmon, Noam

2008-09-25

When a resting enzyme is activated, substrate concentration profile evolves in its vicinity, ultimately tending to steady state. We use modern theories for many-body effects on diffusion-influenced reactions to derive approximate analytical expressions for the steady-state profile and the Laplace transform of the transient concentration profiles. These show excellent agreement with accurate many-particle Brownian-dynamics simulations for the Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The steady-state profile has a hyperbolic dependence on the distance of the substrate from the enzyme, albeit with a prefactor containing the complexity of the many-body effects. These are most conspicuous for the substrate concentration at the surface of the enzyme. It shows an interesting transition as a function of the enzyme turnover rate. When it is high, the contact concentration decays monotonically to steady state. However, for slow turnover it is nonmonotonic, showing a minimum due to reversible substrate binding, then a maximum due to diffusion of new substrate toward the enzyme, and finally decay to steady state. Under certain conditions one can obtain a good estimate for the critical value of the turnover rate constant at the transition.

Metabolomic Profiling as a Possible Reverse Engineering Tool for Estimating Processing Conditions of Dry-Cured Hams.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Masahiro; Obiya, Shinichi; Kaneko, Miku; Enomoto, Ayame; Honma, Mayu; Wakayama, Masataka; Soga, Tomoyoshi; Tomita, Masaru

2017-01-18

Dry-cured hams are popular among consumers. To increase the attractiveness of the product, objective analytical methods and algorithms to evaluate the relationship between observable properties and consumer acceptability are required. In this study, metabolomics, which is used for quantitative profiling of hundreds of small molecules, was applied to 12 kinds of dry-cured hams from Japan and Europe. In total, 203 charged metabolites, including amino acids, organic acids, nucleotides, and peptides, were successfully identified and quantified. Metabolite profiles were compared for the samples with different countries of origin and processing methods (e.g., smoking or use of a starter culture). Principal component analysis of the metabolite profiles with sensory properties revealed significant correlations for redness, homogeneity, and fat whiteness. This approach could be used to design new ham products by objective evaluation of various features.

Mission-profile-based stress analysis of bond-wires in SiC power modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahman, Amir Sajjad; Iannuzzo, Francesco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a novel mission-profile-based reliability analysis approach for stress on bond wires in Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET power modules using statistics and thermo-mechanical FEM analysis. In the proposed approach, both the operational and environmental thermal stresses are taken...... into account. The approach uses a two-dimension statistical analysis of the operating conditions in a real one-year mission profile sampled at time frames 5 minutes long. For every statistical bin corresponding to a given operating condition, the junction temperature evolution is estimated by a thermal network...... and the mechanical stress on bond wires is consequently extracted by finite-element simulations. In the final step, the considered mission profile is translated in a stress sequence to be used for Rainflow counting calculation and lifetime estimation....

Annual nitrate drawdown observed by SOCCOM profiling floats and the relationship to annual net community production

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Kenneth S.; Plant, Joshua N.; Dunne, John P.; Talley, Lynne D.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.

2017-08-01

Annual nitrate cycles have been measured throughout the pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean, including regions with seasonal ice cover and southern hemisphere subtropical zones. Vertically resolved nitrate measurements were made using in situ ultraviolet spectrophotometer (ISUS) and submersible ultraviolet nitrate analyzer (SUNA) optical nitrate sensors deployed on profiling floats. Thirty-one floats returned 40 complete annual cycles. The mean nitrate profile from the month with the highest winter nitrate minus the mean profile from the month with the lowest nitrate yields the annual nitrate drawdown. This quantity was integrated to 200 m depth and converted to carbon using the Redfield ratio to estimate annual net community production (ANCP) throughout the Southern Ocean south of 30°S. A well-defined, zonal mean distribution is found with highest values (3-4 mol C m-2 yr-1) from 40 to 50°S. Lowest values are found in the subtropics and in the seasonal ice zone. The area weighted mean was 2.9 mol C m-2 yr-1 for all regions south of 40°S. Cumulative ANCP south of 50°S is 1.3 Pg C yr-1. This represents about 13% of global ANCP in about 14% of the global ocean area.Plain Language SummaryThis manuscript reports on 40 annual cycles of nitrate observed by chemical sensors on SOCCOM profiling floats. The annual drawdown in nitrate concentration by phytoplankton is used to assess the spatial variability of annual net community production in the Southern Ocean. This ANCP is a key component of the global carbon cycle and it exerts an important control on atmospheric carbon dioxide. We show that the results are consistent with our prior understanding of Southern Ocean ANCP, which has required decades of observations to accumulate. The profiling floats now enable annual resolution of this key process. The results also highlight spatial variability in ANCP in the Southern Ocean.

State Estimation for Tensegrity Robots

Science.gov (United States)

Caluwaerts, Ken; Bruce, Jonathan; Friesen, Jeffrey M.; Sunspiral, Vytas

2016-01-01

Tensegrity robots are a class of compliant robots that have many desirable traits when designing mass efficient systems that must interact with uncertain environments. Various promising control approaches have been proposed for tensegrity systems in simulation. Unfortunately, state estimation methods for tensegrity robots have not yet been thoroughly studied. In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of a state estimator for tensegrity robots. This state estimator will enable existing and future control algorithms to transfer from simulation to hardware. Our approach is based on the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and combines inertial measurements, ultra wideband time-of-flight ranging measurements, and actuator state information. We evaluate the effectiveness of our method on the SUPERball, a tensegrity based planetary exploration robotic prototype. In particular, we conduct tests for evaluating both the robot's success in estimating global position in relation to fixed ranging base stations during rolling maneuvers as well as local behavior due to small-amplitude deformations induced by cable actuation.

Nonparametric estimation of location and scale parameters

KAUST Repository

Potgieter, C.J.

2012-12-01

Two random variables X and Y belong to the same location-scale family if there are constants μ and σ such that Y and μ+σX have the same distribution. In this paper we consider non-parametric estimation of the parameters μ and σ under minimal assumptions regarding the form of the distribution functions of X and Y. We discuss an approach to the estimation problem that is based on asymptotic likelihood considerations. Our results enable us to provide a methodology that can be implemented easily and which yields estimators that are often near optimal when compared to fully parametric methods. We evaluate the performance of the estimators in a series of Monte Carlo simulations. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electron number density profiles derived from radio occultation on the CASSIOPE spacecraft

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shume, E. B.; Vergados, P.; Komjathy, A.

2017-01-01

This paper presents electron number density profiles derived from high resolution Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) observations performed using the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e-POP) payload on the high inclination CAScade, Smallsat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE...... good agreement with density profiles estimated from ionosonde data, measured over nearby stations to the latitude and longitude of the RO tangent points, (2) in good agreement with density profiles inferred from GPS RO measured by the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere...

Pulsed Direct Current Electrospray: Enabling Systematic Analysis of Small Volume Sample by Boosting Sample Economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Zhenwei; Xiong, Xingchuang; Guo, Chengan; Si, Xingyu; Zhao, Yaoyao; He, Muyi; Yang, Chengdui; Xu, Wei; Tang, Fei; Fang, Xiang; Zhang, Sichun; Zhang, Xinrong

2015-11-17

We had developed pulsed direct current electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (pulsed-dc-ESI-MS) for systematically profiling and determining components in small volume sample. Pulsed-dc-ESI utilized constant high voltage to induce the generation of single polarity pulsed electrospray remotely. This method had significantly boosted the sample economy, so as to obtain several minutes MS signal duration from merely picoliter volume sample. The elongated MS signal duration enable us to collect abundant MS(2) information on interested components in a small volume sample for systematical analysis. This method had been successfully applied for single cell metabolomics analysis. We had obtained 2-D profile of metabolites (including exact mass and MS(2) data) from single plant and mammalian cell, concerning 1034 components and 656 components for Allium cepa and HeLa cells, respectively. Further identification had found 162 compounds and 28 different modification groups of 141 saccharides in a single Allium cepa cell, indicating pulsed-dc-ESI a powerful tool for small volume sample systematical analysis.

Antimicrobial breakpoint estimation accounting for variability in pharmacokinetics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nekka Fahima

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD indices are increasingly being used in the microbiological field to assess the efficacy of a dosing regimen. In contrast to methods using MIC, PK/PD-based methods reflect in vivo conditions and are more predictive of efficacy. Unfortunately, they entail the use of one PK-derived value such as AUC or Cmax and may thus lead to biased efficiency information when the variability is large. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment by adjusting classical breakpoint estimation methods to the situation of variable PK profiles. Methods and results We propose a logical generalisation of the usual AUC methods by introducing the concept of "efficiency" for a PK profile, which involves the efficacy function as a weight. We formulated these methods for both classes of concentration- and time-dependent antibiotics. Using drug models and in silico approaches, we provide a theoretical basis for characterizing the efficiency of a PK profile under in vivo conditions. We also used the particular case of variable drug intake to assess the effect of the variable PK profiles generated and to analyse the implications for breakpoint estimation. Conclusion Compared to traditional methods, our weighted AUC approach gives a more powerful PK/PD link and reveals, through examples, interesting issues about the uniqueness of therapeutic outcome indices and antibiotic resistance problems.

Angle of arrival estimation using spectral interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, Z.W.; Harrington, C.; Thiel, C.W.; Babbitt, W.R.; Krishna Mohan, R.

2010-01-01

We have developed a correlative signal processing concept based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and spatial-spectral (S2) materials that enables direct mapping of RF spectral phase as well as power spectral recording. This configuration can be used for precise frequency resolved time delay estimation between signals received by a phased antenna array system that in turn could be utilized to estimate the angle of arrival. We present an analytical theoretical model and a proof-of-principle demonstration of the concept of time difference of arrival estimation with a cryogenically cooled Tm:YAG crystal that operates on microwave signals modulated onto a stabilized optical carrier at 793 nm.

Angle of arrival estimation using spectral interferometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barber, Z.W.; Harrington, C.; Thiel, C.W.; Babbitt, W.R. [Spectrum Lab, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States); Krishna Mohan, R., E-mail: krishna@spectrum.montana.ed [Spectrum Lab, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States)

2010-09-15

We have developed a correlative signal processing concept based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and spatial-spectral (S2) materials that enables direct mapping of RF spectral phase as well as power spectral recording. This configuration can be used for precise frequency resolved time delay estimation between signals received by a phased antenna array system that in turn could be utilized to estimate the angle of arrival. We present an analytical theoretical model and a proof-of-principle demonstration of the concept of time difference of arrival estimation with a cryogenically cooled Tm:YAG crystal that operates on microwave signals modulated onto a stabilized optical carrier at 793 nm.

Direct transverse load profile determination using the polarization-dependent loss spectral response of a chirped fiber Bragg grating.

Science.gov (United States)

Descamps, Frédéric; Bette, Sébastien; Kinet, Damien; Caucheteur, Christophe

2016-06-01

The determination of stress profiles created by transverse loads was proved to be important in different domains, such as structural health monitoring and biomechanics, and, more specifically, in the prostheses domain. In this paper, we report an original method to estimate the transverse load profile from the polarization-dependent loss (PDL) spectrum of a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG). This method makes use of the relationship between the integration of the PDL of a CFBG, and the force profile has the advantage of not requiring any iterative method to estimate the transverse load profile. The relationship linking the integration of the PDL and the force profile is demonstrated using an analytical approximation of the transmission spectrum of CFBGs. The validity of this method for the determination of non-uniform load profiles is then shown using a numerical analysis. An experimental demonstration is finally reported using a 48 mm-long CFBG subject to different step transverse load profiles.

Using bremsstrahlung for electron density estimation and correction in EAST tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yingjie, E-mail: bestfaye@gmail.com; Wu, Zhenwei; Gao, Wei; Jie, Yinxian; Zhang, Jizong; Huang, Juan; Zhang, Ling; Zhao, Junyu

2013-11-15

Highlights: • The visible bremsstrahlung diagnostic provides a simple and effective tool for electron density estimation in steady state discharges. • This method can make up some disadvantages of present FIR and TS diagnostics in EAST tokamak. • Line averaged electron density has been deduced from central VB signal. The results can also be used for FIR n{sub e} correction. • Typical n{sub e} profiles have been obtained with T{sub e} and reconstructed bremsstrahlung profiles. -- Abstract: In EAST electron density (n{sub e}) is measured by the multi-channel far-infrared (FIR) hydrogen cyanide (HCN) interferometer and Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostics. However, it is difficult to obtain accurate n{sub e} profile for that there are many problems existing in current electron density diagnostics. Since the visible bremsstrahlung (VB) emission coefficient has a strong dependence on electron density, the visible bremsstrahlung measurement system developed to determine the ion effective charge (Z{sub eff}) may also be used for n{sub e} estimation via inverse operations. With assumption that Z{sub eff} has a flat profile and does not change significantly in steady state discharges, line averaged electron density (n{sup ¯}{sub e}) has been deduced from VB signals in L-mode and H-mode discharges in EAST. The results are in good coincidence with n{sup ¯}{sub e} from FIR, which proves that VB measurement is an effective tool for n{sub e} estimation. VB diagnostic is also applied to n{sup ¯}{sub e} correction when FIR n{sup ¯}{sub e} is wrong for the laser phase shift reversal together with noise causes errors when electron density changed rapidly in the H-mode discharges. Typical n{sub e} profiles in L-mode and H-mode phase are also deduced with reconstructed bremsstrahlung profiles.

Revised soil parameter estimates for the soil types of the world

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Batjes, N.H.

2002-01-01

A revised set of physical and chemical parameter estimates is presented for the soil units of the world, as described by the two FAO soil legends (version 1974 and 1988). The study is based on 9607 soil profiles, which include profiles held in version 1.0 of the WISE database. Upon a screening of

Using the profile method for evaluationthe beer quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Bocharova

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The expediency of using the profile method of analysis for assessing the influence of technological factors on the quality of beer has been established. The characteristics for the evaluation of beer quality by the profile method are chosen. The results obtained using the profile method give a more complete picture of the properties of beer than the results of the scoring method. Each of the samples was analyzed and studied. The results of analysis of such criteria as aroma, flavor, appearance and physicochemical parameters are demonstrated on profilograms. Estimation of flavor is the most difficult, since this concept includes a complex sensation of taste, aroma and consistency, determined in the oral cavity. To confirm the organoleptic properties of the «body» of the best sort of beer, rheological analysis data were presented. Such an integrated approach will allow fully studying the properties of a low-alcohol beverage and clearly demonstrating the advantages of a profile method of analysis.

Progress in motion estimation for video format conversion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haan, de G.

2000-01-01

There are now two generations of ICs for motion-compensated video format conversion (MC-VFC). Real-time DSP software for MC-VFC has previously been demonstrated, with the breakthroughs enabling this progress coming from motion estimation. The paper gives an overview.

Effects of RF pulse profile and intra-voxel phase dispersion on MR fingerprinting with balanced SSFP readout.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Su-Chin; Lin, Te-Ming; Lin, Jyh-Miin; Chung, Hsiao-Wen; Ko, Cheng-Wen; Büchert, Martin; Bock, Michael

2017-09-01

To investigate possible errors in T1 and T2 quantification via MR fingerprinting with balanced steady-state free precession readout in the presence of intra-voxel phase dispersion and RF pulse profile imperfections, using computer simulations based on Bloch equations. A pulse sequence with TR changing in a Perlin noise pattern and a nearly sinusoidal pattern of flip angle following an initial 180-degree inversion pulse was employed. Gaussian distributions of off-resonance frequency were assumed for intra-voxel phase dispersion effects. Slice profiles of sinc-shaped RF pulses were computed to investigate flip angle profile influences. Following identification of the best fit between the acquisition signals and those established in the dictionary based on known parameters, estimation errors were reported. In vivo experiments were performed at 3T to examine the results. Slight intra-voxel phase dispersion with standard deviations from 1 to 3Hz resulted in prominent T2 under-estimations, particularly at large T2 values. T1 and off-resonance frequencies were relatively unaffected. Slice profile imperfections led to under-estimations of T1, which became greater as regional off-resonance frequencies increased, but could be corrected by including slice profile effects in the dictionary. Results from brain imaging experiments in vivo agreed with the simulation results qualitatively. MR fingerprinting using balanced SSFP readout in the presence of intra-voxel phase dispersion and imperfect slice profile leads to inaccuracies in quantitative estimations of the relaxation times. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic velocity profiling rheometry based on a widened circular Couette flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiratori, Takahisa; Tasaka, Yuji; Oishi, Yoshihiko; Murai, Yuichi

2015-01-01

We propose a new rheometry for characterizing the rheological properties of fluids. The technique produces flow curves, which represent the relationship between the fluid shear rate and shear stress. Flow curves are obtained by measuring the circumferential velocity distribution of tested fluids in a circular Couette system, using an ultrasonic velocity profiling technique. By adopting a widened gap of concentric cylinders, a designed range of the shear rate is obtained so that velocity profile measurement along a single line directly acquires flow curves. To reduce the effect of ultrasonic noise on resultant flow curves, several fitting functions and variable transforms are examined to best approximate the velocity profile without introducing a priori rheological models. Silicone oil, polyacrylamide solution, and yogurt were used to evaluate the applicability of this technique. These substances are purposely targeted as examples of Newtonian fluids, shear thinning fluids, and opaque fluids with unknown rheological properties, respectively. We find that fourth-order Chebyshev polynomials provide the most accurate representation of flow curves in the context of model-free rheometry enabled by ultrasonic velocity profiling. (paper)

A new retrieval algorithm for tropospheric temperature, humidity and pressure profiling based on GNSS radio occultation data

Science.gov (United States)

Kirchengast, Gottfried; Li, Ying; Scherllin-Pirscher, Barbara; Schwärz, Marc; Schwarz, Jakob; Nielsen, Johannes K.

2017-04-01

The GNSS radio occultation (RO) technique is an important remote sensing technique for obtaining thermodynamic profiles of temperature, humidity, and pressure in the Earth's troposphere. However, due to refraction effects of both dry ambient air and water vapor in the troposphere, retrieval of accurate thermodynamic profiles at these lower altitudes is challenging and requires suitable background information in addition to the RO refractivity information. Here we introduce a new moist air retrieval algorithm aiming to improve the quality and robustness of retrieving temperature, humidity and pressure profiles in moist air tropospheric conditions. The new algorithm consists of four steps: (1) use of prescribed specific humidity and its uncertainty to retrieve temperature and its associated uncertainty; (2) use of prescribed temperature and its uncertainty to retrieve specific humidity and its associated uncertainty; (3) use of the previous results to estimate final temperature and specific humidity profiles through optimal estimation; (4) determination of air pressure and density profiles from the results obtained before. The new algorithm does not require elaborated matrix inversions which are otherwise widely used in 1D-Var retrieval algorithms, and it allows a transparent uncertainty propagation, whereby the uncertainties of prescribed variables are dynamically estimated accounting for their spatial and temporal variations. Estimated random uncertainties are calculated by constructing error covariance matrices from co-located ECMWF short-range forecast and corresponding analysis profiles. Systematic uncertainties are estimated by empirical modeling. The influence of regarding or disregarding vertical error correlations is quantified. The new scheme is implemented with static input uncertainty profiles in WEGC's current OPSv5.6 processing system and with full scope in WEGC's next-generation system, the Reference Occultation Processing System (rOPS). Results from

Atomistic minimal model for estimating profile of electrodeposited nanopatterns

Science.gov (United States)

Asgharpour Hassankiadeh, Somayeh; Sadeghi, Ali

2018-06-01

We develop a computationally efficient and methodologically simple approach to realize molecular dynamics simulations of electrodeposition. Our minimal model takes into account the nontrivial electric field due a sharp electrode tip to perform simulations of the controllable coating of a thin layer on a surface with an atomic precision. On the atomic scale a highly site-selective electrodeposition of ions and charged particles by means of the sharp tip of a scanning probe microscope is possible. A better understanding of the microscopic process, obtained mainly from atomistic simulations, helps us to enhance the quality of this nanopatterning technique and to make it applicable in fabrication of nanowires and nanocontacts. In the limit of screened inter-particle interactions, it is feasible to run very fast simulations of the electrodeposition process within the framework of the proposed model and thus to investigate how the shape of the overlayer depends on the tip-sample geometry and dielectric properties, electrolyte viscosity, etc. Our calculation results reveal that the sharpness of the profile of a nano-scale deposited overlayer is dictated by the normal-to-sample surface component of the electric field underneath the tip.

A Profile of Mpumalanga: Demographics, Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment

OpenAIRE

Pauw, Kalie

2005-01-01

This paper forms part of a series of papers that present profiles of South Africa's provinces, with a specific focus on key demographic statistics, poverty and inequality estimates, and estimates of unemployment. In this volume comparative statistics are presented for agricultural and non-agricultural households, as well as households from different racial groups, locations (metropolitan, urban and rural areas) and district municipalities of Mpumalanga. Most of the data presented are drawn fr...

A Profile of Gauteng: Demographics, Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment

OpenAIRE

Pauw, Kalie

2005-01-01

This paper forms part of a series of papers that present profiles of South Africa's provinces, with a specific focus on key demographic statistics, poverty and inequality estimates, and estimates of unemployment. In this volume comparative statistics are presented for agricultural and non-agricultural households, as well as households from different racial groups, locations (metropolitan, urban and rural areas) and district municipalities of Gauteng. Most of the data presented are drawn from ...

Thermal Simulation of the Component Rework Profile Temperature

OpenAIRE

Nurminen, Janne

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to clarify the possibilities and feasibility of the ther-mal simulation for the modeling of the rework process. The rework process modeling could enable an easy and fast access to the component and PWB level thermally critical effects like over and under heating of the component during the rework process. The modeling could also be used as a help of the real rework profile definition at an early phase of the electrical device development. The work includes a...

[Safety profile of dolutegravir].

Science.gov (United States)

Rivero, Antonio; Domingo, Pere

2015-03-01

Integrase inhibitors are the latest drug family to be added to the therapeutic arsenal against human immunodeficiency virus infection. Drugs in this family that do not require pharmacological boosting are characterized by a very good safety profile. The latest integrase inhibitor to be approved for use is dolutegravir. In clinical trials, dolutegravir has shown an excellent tolerability profile, both in antiretroviral-naïve and previously treated patients. Discontinuation rates due to adverse effects were 2% and 3%, respectively. The most frequent adverse effects were nausea, headache, diarrhea and sleep disturbance. A severe hypersensitivity reaction has been reported in only one patient. In patients coinfected with hepatropic viruses, the safety profile is similar to that in patients without coinfection. The lipid profile of dolutegravir is similar to that of raltegravir and superior to those of Atripla® and darunavir/ritonavir. Dolutegravir induces an early, predictable and non-progressive increase in serum creatinine of around 10% of baseline values in treatment-naïve patients and of 14% in treatment-experienced patients. This increase is due to inhibition of tubular creatinine secretion through the OCT2 receptor and does not lead to a real decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate with algorithms that include serum creatinine. The effect of the combination of dolutegravir plus Kivexa(®) on biomarkers of bone remodeling is lower than that of Atripla(®). Dolutegravir has an excellent tolerability profile with no current evidence of long-term adverse effects. Its use is accompanied by an early and non-progressive increase in serum creatinine due to OCT2 receptor inhibition. In combination with abacavir/lamivudine, dolutegravir has a lower impact than enofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz on bone remodelling markers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Review on Millimeter Wave Antennas- Potential Candidate for 5G Enabled Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Matin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The millimeter wave (mmWave band is considered as the potential candidate for high speed communication services in 5G networks due to its huge bandwidth. Moreover, mmWave frequencies lead to miniaturization of RF front end including antennas. In this article, we provide an overview of recent research achievements of millimeter-wave antenna design along with the design considerations for compact antennas and antennas in package/on chip, mostly in the 60 GHz band is described along with their inherent benefits and challenges. A comparative analysis of various designs is also presented. The antennas with wide bandwidth, high-gain, compact size and low profile with easiness of integration in-package or on-chip with other components are required for 5G enabled applications.

A simplified 137Cs transport model for estimating erosion rates in undisturbed soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xinbao; Long Yi; He Xiubin; Fu Jiexiong; Zhang Yunqi

2008-01-01

137 Cs is an artificial radionuclide with a half-life of 30.12 years which released into the environment as a result of atmospheric testing of thermo-nuclear weapons primarily during the period of 1950s-1970s with the maximum rate of 137 Cs fallout from atmosphere in 1963. 137 Cs fallout is strongly and rapidly adsorbed by fine particles in the surface horizons of the soil, when it falls down on the ground mostly with precipitation. Its subsequent redistribution is associated with movements of the soil or sediment particles. The 137 Cs nuclide tracing technique has been used for assessment of soil losses for both undisturbed and cultivated soils. For undisturbed soils, a simple profile-shape model was developed in 1990 to describe the 137 Cs depth distribution in profile, where the maximum 137 Cs occurs in the surface horizon and it exponentially decreases with depth. The model implied that the total 137 Cs fallout amount deposited on the earth surface in 1963 and the 137 Cs profile shape has not changed with time. The model has been widely used for assessment of soil losses on undisturbed land. However, temporal variations of 137 Cs depth distribution in undisturbed soils after its deposition on the ground due to downward transport processes are not considered in the previous simple profile-shape model. Thus, the soil losses are overestimated by the model. On the base of the erosion assessment model developed by Walling, D.E., He, Q. [1999. Improved models for estimating soil erosion rates from cesium-137 measurements. Journal of Environmental Quality 28, 611-622], we discuss the 137 Cs transport process in the eroded soil profile and make some simplification to the model, develop a method to estimate the soil erosion rate more expediently. To compare the soil erosion rates calculated by the simple profile-shape model and the simple transport model, the soil losses related to different 137 Cs loss proportions of the reference inventory at the Kaixian site of the

Nuclear material inventory estimation in solvent extraction contractors II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beyerlein, A.

1987-11-01

The effectiveness of near-real-time nuclear materials accounting in reprocessing facilities can be limited by inventory variations in the separations contactors. Investigations are described in three areas: (i) Improvements in the model that the authors have described previously for the steady state inventory estimation in mixer-settler contactors, (ii) extension for the model for steady state inventory estimation to transient inventory estimation for non-steady state conditions, and (iii) the development of a computer model CUSEP (Clemson University Solvent Extraction Program) for simulating the concentration profiles and nuclear material inventories in pulsed column contactors. Improvements in the steady state model that are described in this report are the simplification of the methods for evaluating model parameters and development of methods for reducing the equation which estimates the total inventory of the set of contactors directly. The pulsed column computer model CUSEP (Clemson University Solvent Extraction Program) was developed. Concentration profiles and inventories calculated from CUSEP are compared with measured data from pilot scale contactors containing uranium. Excellent agreement between measured and simulated data for both the concentration profile and inventories is obtained, demonstrating that the program correctly predicts the concentration dispersion caused by pulsing and the dispersed phase holdup within the contactor. Further research to investigate (i) correction of the MUF (Material Unaccounted For) and CUMUF (Cumulative Material Unaccounted For) tests for mixer-settler contactor inventory using the simplified model developed in this work, (ii) development of a simple inventory estimation model for pulsed column contactors similar to that developed for mixer-settler contactors using CUSEP to provide necessary database, and (iii) sources of bias appearing in the MUF and CUMUF tests using computer simulation techniques are planned. Refs

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Coronal Loops Using Seismology of Damped Kink Oscillations and Forward Modeling of EUV Intensity Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Pascoe, D. J.; Anfinogentov, S. A.; Goddard, C. R.; Nakariakov, V. M.

2018-06-01

The shape of the damping profile of kink oscillations in coronal loops has recently allowed the transverse density profile of the loop to be estimated. This requires accurate measurement of the damping profile that can distinguish the Gaussian and exponential damping regimes, otherwise there are more unknowns than observables. Forward modeling of the transverse intensity profile may also be used to estimate the width of the inhomogeneous layer of a loop, providing an independent estimate of one of these unknowns. We analyze an oscillating loop for which the seismological determination of the transverse structure is inconclusive except when supplemented by additional spatial information from the transverse intensity profile. Our temporal analysis describes the motion of a coronal loop as a kink oscillation damped by resonant absorption, and our spatial analysis is based on forward modeling the transverse EUV intensity profile of the loop under the isothermal and optically thin approximations. We use Bayesian analysis and Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to apply our spatial and temporal models both individually and simultaneously to our data and compare the results with numerical simulations. Combining the two methods allows both the inhomogeneous layer width and density contrast to be calculated, which is not possible for the same data when each method is applied individually. We demonstrate that the assumption of an exponential damping profile leads to a significantly larger error in the inferred density contrast ratio compared with a Gaussian damping profile.

A Novel Application of the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) Method for Estimating the Critical Zone Thicknes

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, S.; Yaede, J.; McBride, J. H.; Park, C.; Turnbull, S. J.; Tingey, D. G.

2014-12-01

MASW approaches are suitable for the accurate measurement of variably thick weathering profiles by producing shear-wave (Vs) profiles. The critical zone (CZ) base is usually a transitional boundary, which is captured by MASW but not by conventional seismic reflection techniques. Modified MASW methods were used in Hawaii, USA to extend the investigative depth of saprolite (kaolin clays, Fe-oxides) thickness calibrated against wells with geologic logs. Active-source ± passive dispersion curves produced improved low-frequency fundamental modes by combining records with varying source-receiver offsets, enabling the generation of Vs profiles to >50 m depth. The top of unaltered bedrock occurs at a Vs of >~500 m/s. Intra-saprolite high Vs zones probably represent aa flow interiors with fewer primary discontinuities (vesicles and fractures), therefore imparting higher secondary stiffness than altered pahoehoe and pyroclastic material. The MASW approach permits measuring CZ thicknesses at discrete locations rapidly, inexpensively, and without drilling. For example, employed on slopes of the Koolau Volcano (neither aggrading nor degrading), the downward rate of advance of the weathering front of the CZ varies from 0.02 to 0.03 mm/yr in wet and ~0.01 mm/yr in dry areas. This compares well with recent work based on solute mass fluxes averaged over large areas. MASW can be deployed in a variety of settings where rapid estimation of the CZ thickness at particular locations is desired.

How well Can We Classify SWOT-derived Water Surface Profiles?

Science.gov (United States)

Frasson, R. P. M.; Wei, R.; Picamilh, C.; Durand, M. T.

2015-12-01

The upcoming Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will detect water bodies and measure water surface elevation throughout the globe. Within its continental high resolution mask, SWOT is expected to deliver measurements of river width, water elevation and slope of rivers wider than ~50 m. The definition of river reaches is an integral step of the computation of discharge based on SWOT's observables. As poorly defined reaches can negatively affect the accuracy of discharge estimations, we seek strategies to break up rivers into physically meaningful sections. In the present work, we investigate how accurately we can classify water surface profiles based on simulated SWOT observations. We assume that most river sections can be classified as either M1 (mild slope, with depth larger than the normal depth), or A1 (adverse slope with depth larger than the critical depth). This assumption allows the classification to be based solely on the second derivative of water surface profiles, with convex profiles being classified as A1 and concave profiles as M1. We consider a HEC-RAS model of the Sacramento River as a representation of the true state of the river. We employ the SWOT instrument simulator to generate a synthetic pass of the river, which includes our best estimates of height measurement noise and geolocation errors. We process the resulting point cloud of water surface heights with the RiverObs package, which delineates the river center line and draws the water surface profile. Next, we identify inflection points in the water surface profile and classify the sections between the inflection points. Finally, we compare our limited classification of simulated SWOT-derived water surface profile to the "exact" classification of the modeled Sacramento River. With this exercise, we expect to determine if SWOT observations can be used to find inflection points in water surface profiles, which would bring knowledge of flow regimes into the definition of river reaches.

Paper, Profile, Petrarch

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foote, Jonathan

2018-01-01

, the antique lexicon). By working them out together on the same sheet, the boundaries erode between whittling lines of poetry and carving blocks of stone. Unlike previous attempts to connect Michelangelo's architecture and poetry, this paper focuses on the materiality of the paper as a meeting point between...... the question of what might be discovered by looking closer at these three paper modani (Corpus 536, 538, 539). The verses on the modani are merely fragments and revisions, part of a lineage of multiple and incomplete sources. At the same time, as 1:1 scaled templates, the modani empowered in a unique way...... Michelangelo's well-known propensity toward the fragmentation and re-assembly of the profile line. What emerges is how the paper enabled parallel processes of iteration, cutting and substitution, each operating within rather strict formal boundaries (for the poem, the Petrarchan sonnet; for the architecture...

The influence of humidity fluxes on offshore wind speed profiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barthelmie, Rebecca Jane; Sempreviva, Anna Maria; Pryor, Sara

2010-01-01

extrapolation from lower measurements. With humid conditions and low mechanical turbulence offshore, deviations from the traditional logarithmic wind speed profile become significant and stability corrections are required. This research focuses on quantifying the effect of humidity fluxes on stability corrected...... wind speed profiles. The effect on wind speed profiles is found to be important in stable conditions where including humidity fluxes forces conditions towards neutral. Our results show that excluding humidity fluxes leads to average predicted wind speeds at 150 m from 10 m which are up to 4% higher...... than if humidity fluxes are included, and the results are not very sensitive to the method selected to estimate humidity fluxes....

Predicting multi-class customer profiles based on transactions : a case study in food sales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Apeh, E.; Zliobaite, I.; Pechenizkiy, M.; Gabrys, B.; Bramer, M.; Petridis, M.

2012-01-01

Predicting the class of customer profiles is a key task in marketing, which enables businesses to approach the customers in a right way to satisfy the customer’s evolving needs. However, due to costs, privacy and/or data protection, only the business’ owned transactional data is typically available

Cognitive profiles and heritability estimates in the Old Order Amish.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuehner, Ryan M; Kochunov, Peter; Nugent, Katie L; Jurius, Deanna E; Savransky, Anya; Gaudiot, Christopher; Bruce, Heather A; Gold, James; Shuldiner, Alan R; Mitchell, Braxton D; Hong, L Elliot

2016-08-01

This study aimed to establish the applicability of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) in the Old Order Amish (OOA) and to assess the genetic contribution toward the RBANS total score and its cognitive domains using a large family-based sample of OOA. RBANS data were collected in 103 OOA individuals from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, including 85 individuals without psychiatric illness and 18 individuals with current psychiatric diagnoses. The RBANS total score and all five cognitive domains of in nonpsychiatric OOA were within half a SD of the normative data of the general population. The RBANS total score was highly heritable (h=0.51, P=0.019). OOA with psychiatric diagnoses had a numerically lower RBANS total score and domain scores compared with the nonpsychiatric participants. The RBANS appears to be a suitable cognitive battery for the OOA population as measurements obtained from the OOA are comparable with normative data in the US population. The heritability estimated from the OOA is in line with heritabilities of other cognitive batteries estimated in other populations. These results support the use of RBANS in cognitive assessment, clinical care, and behavioral genetic studies of neuropsychological functioning in this population.

Direct and simultaneous estimation of cardiac four chamber volumes by multioutput sparse regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Xiantong; Zhang, Heye; Islam, Ali; Bhaduri, Mousumi; Chan, Ian; Li, Shuo

2017-02-01

Cardiac four-chamber volume estimation serves as a fundamental and crucial role in clinical quantitative analysis of whole heart functions. It is a challenging task due to the huge complexity of the four chambers including great appearance variations, huge shape deformation and interference between chambers. Direct estimation has recently emerged as an effective and convenient tool for cardiac ventricular volume estimation. However, existing direct estimation methods were specifically developed for one single ventricle, i.e., left ventricle (LV), or bi-ventricles; they can not be directly used for four chamber volume estimation due to the great combinatorial variability and highly complex anatomical interdependency of the four chambers. In this paper, we propose a new, general framework for direct and simultaneous four chamber volume estimation. We have addressed two key issues, i.e., cardiac image representation and simultaneous four chamber volume estimation, which enables accurate and efficient four-chamber volume estimation. We generate compact and discriminative image representations by supervised descriptor learning (SDL) which can remove irrelevant information and extract discriminative features. We propose direct and simultaneous four-chamber volume estimation by the multioutput sparse latent regression (MSLR), which enables jointly modeling nonlinear input-output relationships and capturing four-chamber interdependence. The proposed method is highly generalized, independent of imaging modalities, which provides a general regression framework that can be extensively used for clinical data prediction to achieve automated diagnosis. Experiments on both MR and CT images show that our method achieves high performance with a correlation coefficient of up to 0.921 with ground truth obtained manually by human experts, which is clinically significant and enables more accurate, convenient and comprehensive assessment of cardiac functions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier

Restoration of gait for spinal cord injury patients using HAL with intention estimator for preferable swing speed.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukahara, Atsushi; Hasegawa, Yasuhisa; Eguchi, Kiyoshi; Sankai, Yoshiyuki

2015-03-01

This paper proposes a novel gait intention estimator for an exoskeleton-wearer who needs gait support owing to walking impairment. The gait intention estimator not only detects the intention related to the start of the swing leg based on the behavior of the center of ground reaction force (CoGRF), but also infers the swing speed depending on the walking velocity. The preliminary experiments categorized into two stages were performed on a mannequin equipped with the exoskeleton robot [Hybrid Assistive Limb: (HAL)] including the proposed estimator. The first experiment verified that the gait support system allowed the mannequin to walk properly and safely. In the second experiment, we confirmed the differences in gait characteristics attributed to the presence or absence of the proposed swing speed profile. As a feasibility study, we evaluated the walking capability of a severe spinal cord injury patient supported by the system during a 10-m walk test. The results showed that the system enabled the patient to accomplish a symmetrical walk from both spatial and temporal standpoints while adjusting the speed of the swing leg. Furthermore, the critical differences of gait between our system and a knee-ankle-foot orthosis were obtained from the CoGRF distribution and the walking time. Through the tests, we demonstrated the effectiveness and practical feasibility of the gait support algorithms.

Optimizing UV laser focus profiles for improved MALDI performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Holle, Armin; Haase, Andreas; Kayser, Markus; Höhndorf, Jens

2006-06-01

Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) applications, such as proteomics, genomics, clinical profiling and MALDI imaging, have created a growing demand for faster instrumentation. Since the commonly used nitrogen lasers have throughput and life span limitations, diode-pumped solid-state lasers are an alternative. Unfortunately this type of laser shows clear performance limitations in MALDI in terms of sensitivity, resolution and ease of use, for applications such as thin-layer sample preparations, acceptance of various matrices (e.g. DHB for glycopeptides) and MALDI imaging. While it is obvious that the MALDI process has some dependence on the characteristics of the laser used, it is unclear which features are the most critical in determining laser performance for MALDI. In this paper we show, for the first time, that a spatially structured laser beam profile in lieu of a Gaussian profile is of striking importance. This result enabled us to design diode-pumped Nd : YAG lasers that on various critical applications perform as well for MALDI as the nitrogen lasers and in some respects even better. The modulation of the beam profile appears to be a new parameter for optimizing the MALDI process. In addition, the results trigger new questions directing us to a better understanding of the MALDI process. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tectonic and lithological controls on fluvial landscape development in central-eastern Portugal: Insights from long profile tributary stream analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, António A.; Cabral, João; Cunha, Pedro P.; Stokes, Martin; Borges, José; Caldeira, Bento; Martins, A. Cardoso

2017-01-01

This study examines the long profiles of tributaries of the Tagus and Zêzere rivers in Portugal (West Iberia) in order to provide new insights into patterns, timing, and controls on drainage development during the Quaternary incision stage. The studied streams are incised into a relict culminant fluvial surface, abandoned at the beginning of the incision stage. The streams flow through a landscape with bedrock variations in lithology (mainly granites and metasediments) and faulted blocks with distinct uplift rates. The long profiles of the analyzed streams record an older transitory knickpoint/knickzone separating (1) an upstream relict graded profile, with lower steepness and higher concavity, that reflects a long period of quasi-equilibrium conditions reached after the beginning of the incision stage, and (2) a downstream rejuvenated long profile, with steeper gradient and lower concavity, particularly for the final reach, which is often convex. The rejuvenated reaches testify to the upstream propagation of several incision waves, interpreted as the response of each stream to increasing crustal uplift and prolonged periods of base-level lowering by the trunk drainages, coeval with low sea level conditions. The morphological configurations of the long profiles enabled spatial and relative temporal patterns of incisions to be quantified. The incision values of streams flowing on the Portuguese Central Range (PCR; ca. 380-150 m) are variable but generally higher than the incision values of streams flowing on the adjacent South Portugal Planation Surface (SPPS; ca. 220-110 m), corroborating differential uplift of the PCR relative to the SPPS. Owing to the fact that the relict graded profiles can be correlated with the Tagus River T1 terrace (1.1-0.9 My) present in the study area, incision rates can be estimated (1) for the streams located in the PCR, 0.38-0.15 m/ky and (2) for the streams flowing on the SPPS, 0.22-0.12 m/ky. The differential uplift inferred in the

Nordic Housing Enabler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helle, Tina; Brandt, Åse

Development and reliability testing of the Nordic Housing Enabler – an instrument for accessibility assessment of the physical housing. Tina Helle & Åse Brandt University of Lund, Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine (SE) and University College Northern Jutland, Occupational Therapy department (DK......). Danish Centre for Assistive Technology. Abstract. For decades, accessibility to the physical housing environment for people with functional limitations has been of interest politically, professionally and for the users. Guidelines and norms on accessible housing design have gradually been developed......, however, the built environment shows serious deficits when it comes to accessibility. This study addresses development of a content valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of inter-rater reliability, when used in occupational therapy practice. The instrument was translated from...

An interim UK response to revised risk estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaver, P.F.; Bines, W.P.

1992-01-01

This paper describes the legal framework in place when the revised risk estimates were announced by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) in 1987 and how an addition to that framework enabled the revised risk estimates to be taken into account when making decisions about radiation protection practice both at plant and individual worker level. It is suggested that this a may be an early example of the use of a constraint applied generically. (author)

From the chlorophyll a in the surface layer to its vertical profile: a Greenland Sea relationship for satellite applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Cherkasheva

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Current estimates of global marine primary production range over a factor of two. Improving these estimates requires an accurate knowledge of the chlorophyll vertical profiles, since they are the basis for most primary production models. At high latitudes, the uncertainty in primary production estimates is larger than globally, because here phytoplankton absorption shows specific characteristics due to the low-light adaptation, and in situ data and ocean colour observations are scarce. To date, studies describing the typical chlorophyll profile based on the chlorophyll in the surface layer have not included the Arctic region, or, if it was included, the dependence of the profile shape on surface concentration was neglected. The goal of our study was to derive and describe the typical Greenland Sea chlorophyll profiles, categorized according to the chlorophyll concentration in the surface layer and further monthly resolved profiles. The Greenland Sea was chosen because it is known to be one of the most productive regions of the Arctic and is among the regions in the Arctic where most chlorophyll field data are available. Our database contained 1199 chlorophyll profiles from R/Vs Polarstern and Maria S. Merian cruises combined with data from the ARCSS-PP database (Arctic primary production in situ database for the years 1957–2010. The profiles were categorized according to their mean concentration in the surface layer, and then monthly median profiles within each category were calculated. The category with the surface layer chlorophyll (CHL exceeding 0.7 mg C m−3 showed values gradually decreasing from April to August. A similar seasonal pattern was observed when monthly profiles were averaged over all the surface CHL concentrations. The maxima of all chlorophyll profiles moved from the greater depths to the surface from spring to late summer respectively. The profiles with the smallest surface values always showed a subsurface chlorophyll

Radial-rotation profile forming: A new processing technology of incremental sheet metal forming

Science.gov (United States)

Laue, Robert; Härtel, Sebastian; Awiszus, Birgit

2018-05-01

Incremental forming processes (i.e., spinning) of sheet metal blanks into cylindrical cups are suitable for lower lot sizes. The produced cups were frequently used as preforms to produce workpieces in further forming steps with additional functions like profiled hollow parts [1]. The incremental forming process radial-rotation profile forming has been developed to enable the production of profiled hollow parts with low sheet thinning and good geometrical accuracy. The two principal forming steps are the production of the preform by rotational swing-folding [2] and the subsequent radial profiling of the hollow part in one clamping position. The rotational swing-folding process is based on a combination of conventional spinning and swing-folding. Therefore, a round blank rotates on a profiled mandrel and due to the swinging of a cylindrical forming tool, the blank is formed to a cup with low sheet thinning. In addition, thickening results at the edge of the blank and wrinkling occurs. However, the wrinkles are formed into the indentation of the profiled mandrel and can be reshaped as an advantage in the second process step, the radial profiling. Due to the rotation and continuous radial feed of a profiled forming tool to the profiled mandrel, the axial profile is formed in the second process step. Because of the minor relative movement in axial direction between tool and blank, low sheet thinning occurs. This is an advantage of the principle of the process.

Validation of mixing height determined from vertical profiles of wind and temperature from the DMI-HIRLAM NWP model in comparison with readiosoundings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rasmussen, A.; Soerensen, J.H.; Nielsen, N.W. [Danish Meteorological Inst., DMI, Copenhagen (Denmark)

1997-10-01

A sensitivity study is performed of vertical profiles from the numerical weather prediction model DMI-HIRLAM (DMI-HIgh Resolution Limited Area Model). The study involves profiles of horizontal wind, temperature and humidity in the lower troposphere up to 2500 meter. Detailed comparisons of analysed as well as forecast profiles are made with measured data from several radio-sonde stations throughout Europe. Methods for estimating the Mixing Height (MH) based on a bulk Richardson number method, the Vogelezang and Holtslag method and parcel methods are also studied. The methods are inter-compared, and MH based on data from DMI-HIRLAM are compared with the corresponding MH based on radiosonde data. For convective conditions the MH estimates are also compared with subjective estimates of the MH. In this paper preliminary results mainly based on data from Jaegersborg (Copenhagen) are presented. Results based on data from 1994-95 show that the resemblance between measured profiles and the DMI-HIRLAM profiles is fairly good in general. Also the estimates of the MH based on DMI-HIRLAM data is in general of nearly the same quality as estimations based on observed data. However, especially in convective conditions there is a tendency by DMI-HIRLAM to underestimate the strength of the mixing and thereby relatively large errors in the estimates of the MH can occur. (au)

Somatic symptom profiles in the general population: a latent class analysis in a Danish population-based health survey

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eliasen, Marie; Torben, Jørgensen; Schröder, Andreas Bak

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify and describe somatic symptom profiles in the general adult population in order to enable further epidemiological research within multiple somatic symptoms. METHODS: Information on 19 self-reported common somatic symptoms was achieved from a population....... The profiles were further described by their association with age, sex, chronic disease, and self-perceived health. RESULTS: We identified 10 different somatic symptom profiles defined by number, type, and site of the symptoms. The majority of the population (74.0%) had a profile characterized......, and self-perceived health. CONCLUSION: The identified somatic symptom profiles could be distinguished by number, type, and site of the symptoms. The profiles have the potential to be used in further epidemiological studies on risk factors and prognosis of somatic symptoms but should be confirmed in other...

Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage 2008 - 2012 Market Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

These reports provide economic profile information on sectors producing and using pesticides covered by FIFRA mandated regulatory programs. The reports contain contemporary and historical data estimating values and amounts of active ingredients used here.

Error estimates for ice discharge calculated using the flux gate approach

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro, F. J.; Sánchez Gámez, P.

2017-12-01

Ice discharge to the ocean is usually estimated using the flux gate approach, in which ice flux is calculated through predefined flux gates close to the marine glacier front. However, published results usually lack a proper error estimate. In the flux calculation, both errors in cross-sectional area and errors in velocity are relevant. While for estimating the errors in velocity there are well-established procedures, the calculation of the error in the cross-sectional area requires the availability of ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles transverse to the ice-flow direction. In this contribution, we use IceBridge operation GPR profiles collected in Ellesmere and Devon Islands, Nunavut, Canada, to compare the cross-sectional areas estimated using various approaches with the cross-sections estimated from GPR ice-thickness data. These error estimates are combined with those for ice-velocities calculated from Sentinel-1 SAR data, to get the error in ice discharge. Our preliminary results suggest, regarding area, that the parabolic cross-section approaches perform better than the quartic ones, which tend to overestimate the cross-sectional area for flight lines close to the central flowline. Furthermore, the results show that regional ice-discharge estimates made using parabolic approaches provide reasonable results, but estimates for individual glaciers can have large errors, up to 20% in cross-sectional area.

Canonical sound speed profile for the central Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Murty, T.V.R.; PrasannaKumar, S.; Somayajulu, Y.K.; Sastry, J.S.; De Figueiredo, R.J.P.

Following Munk's canonical theory, an algorithm has been presented for computing sound channel parameters in the western and southern Bay of Bengal. The estimated canonical sound speed profile using these parameters has been compared with computed...

The Development of Early Profiles of Temperament: Characterization, Continuity, and Etiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Beekman, Charles; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Buss, Kristin A; Loken, Eric; Moore, Ginger A; Leve, Leslie D; Ganiban, Jody M; Shaw, Daniel S; Reiss, David

2015-01-01

This study used a data-driven, person-centered approach to examine the characterization, continuity, and etiology of child temperament from infancy to toddlerhood. Data from 561 families who participated in an ongoing prospective adoption study, the Early Growth and Development Study, were used to estimate latent profiles of temperament at 9, 18, and 27 months. Results indicated that four profiles of temperament best fit the data at all three points of assessment. The characterization of profiles was stable over time, while membership in profiles changed across age. Facets of adoptive parent and birth mother personality were predictive of children's profile membership at each age, providing preliminary evidence for specific environmental and genetic influences on patterns of temperament development from infancy to toddlerhood. © 2015 The Authors. Child Development © 2015 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Reserves' potential of sedimentary basin: modeling and estimation; Potentiel de reserves d'un bassin petrolier: modelisation et estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lepez, V

2002-12-01

The aim of this thesis is to build a statistical model of oil and gas fields' sizes distribution in a given sedimentary basin, for both the fields that exist in:the subsoil and those which have already been discovered. The estimation of all the parameters of the model via estimation of the density of the observations by model selection of piecewise polynomials by penalized maximum likelihood techniques enables to provide estimates of the total number of fields which are yet to be discovered, by class of size. We assume that the set of underground fields' sizes is an i.i.d. sample of unknown population with Levy-Pareto law with unknown parameter. The set of already discovered fields is a sub-sample without replacement from the previous which is 'size-biased'. The associated inclusion probabilities are to be estimated. We prove that the probability density of the observations is the product of the underlying density and of an unknown weighting function representing the sampling bias. An arbitrary partition of the sizes' interval being set (called a model), the analytical solutions of likelihood maximization enables to estimate both the parameter of the underlying Levy-Pareto law and the weighting function, which is assumed to be piecewise constant and based upon the partition. We shall add a monotonousness constraint over the latter, taking into account the fact that the bigger a field, the higher its probability of being discovered. Horvitz-Thompson-like estimators finally give the conclusion. We then allow our partitions to vary inside several classes of models and prove a model selection theorem which aims at selecting the best partition within a class, in terms of both Kuilback and Hellinger risk of the associated estimator. We conclude by simulations and various applications to real data from sedimentary basins of four continents, in order to illustrate theoretical as well as practical aspects of our model. (author)

Stokes profile analysis and vector magnetic fields. I. Inversion of photospheric lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skumanich, A.; Lites, B.W.

1987-01-01

Improvements are proposed for the Auer et al. (1977) method for the analytic inversion of Stokes profiles via nonlinear least squares. The introduction of additional physics into the Mueller absorption matrix (by including damping wings and magnetooptical birefringence, and by decoupling the intensity profile from the three-vector polarization profile in the analysis) is found to result in a more robust inversion method, providing more reliable and accurate estimates of sunspot vector magnetic fields without significant loss of economy. The method is applied to sunspot observations obtained with the High Altitude Observatory polarimeter. 29 references

Integrating uncertainty propagation in GNSS radio occultation retrieval: from excess phase to atmospheric bending angle profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Jakob; Kirchengast, Gottfried; Schwaerz, Marc

2018-05-01

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) observations are highly accurate, long-term stable data sets and are globally available as a continuous record from 2001. Essential climate variables for the thermodynamic state of the free atmosphere - such as pressure, temperature, and tropospheric water vapor profiles (involving background information) - can be derived from these records, which therefore have the potential to serve as climate benchmark data. However, to exploit this potential, atmospheric profile retrievals need to be very accurate and the remaining uncertainties quantified and traced throughout the retrieval chain from raw observations to essential climate variables. The new Reference Occultation Processing System (rOPS) at the Wegener Center aims to deliver such an accurate RO retrieval chain with integrated uncertainty propagation. Here we introduce and demonstrate the algorithms implemented in the rOPS for uncertainty propagation from excess phase to atmospheric bending angle profiles, for estimated systematic and random uncertainties, including vertical error correlations and resolution estimates. We estimated systematic uncertainty profiles with the same operators as used for the basic state profiles retrieval. The random uncertainty is traced through covariance propagation and validated using Monte Carlo ensemble methods. The algorithm performance is demonstrated using test day ensembles of simulated data as well as real RO event data from the satellite missions CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP); Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC); and Meteorological Operational Satellite A (MetOp). The results of the Monte Carlo validation show that our covariance propagation delivers correct uncertainty quantification from excess phase to bending angle profiles. The results from the real RO event ensembles demonstrate that the new uncertainty estimation chain performs robustly. Together

Estimation of soil profile properties using field and laboratory VNIR spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) soil sensors have the potential to provide rapid, high-resolution estimation of multiple soil properties. Although many studies have focused on laboratory-based visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy of dried soil samples, previous work has demonstrated ...

sORFs.org: a repository of small ORFs identified by ribosome profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Olexiouk, Volodimir; Crappé, Jeroen; Verbruggen, Steven; Verhegen, Kenneth; Martens, Lennart; Menschaert, Gerben

2016-01-04

With the advent of ribosome profiling, a next generation sequencing technique providing a "snap-shot'' of translated mRNA in a cell, many short open reading frames (sORFs) with ribosomal activity were identified. Follow-up studies revealed the existence of functional peptides, so-called micropeptides, translated from these 'sORFs', indicating a new class of bio-active peptides. Over the last few years, several micropeptides exhibiting important cellular functions were discovered. However, ribosome occupancy does not necessarily imply an actual function of the translated peptide, leading to the development of various tools assessing the coding potential of sORFs. Here, we introduce sORFs.org (http://www.sorfs.org), a novel database for sORFs identified using ribosome profiling. Starting from ribosome profiling, sORFs.org identifies sORFs, incorporates state-of-the-art tools and metrics and stores results in a public database. Two query interfaces are provided, a default one enabling quick lookup of sORFs and a BioMart interface providing advanced query and export possibilities. At present, sORFs.org harbors 263 354 sORFs that demonstrate ribosome occupancy, originating from three different cell lines: HCT116 (human), E14_mESC (mouse) and S2 (fruit fly). sORFs.org aims to provide an extensive sORFs database accessible to researchers with limited bioinformatics knowledge, thus enabling easy integration into personal projects. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

MR fingerprinting with simultaneous B1 estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Buonincontri, Guido; Sawiak, Stephen J

2016-10-01

MR fingerprinting (MRF) can be used for quantitative estimation of physical parameters in MRI. Here, we extend the method to incorporate B1 estimation. The acquisition is based on steady state free precession MR fingerprinting with a Cartesian trajectory. To increase the sensitivity to the B1 profile, abrupt changes in flip angle were introduced in the sequence. Slice profile and B1 effects were included in the dictionary and the results from two- and three-dimensional (3D) acquisitions were compared. Acceleration was demonstrated using retrospective undersampling in the phase encode directions of 3D data exploiting redundancy between MRF frames at the edges of k-space. Without B1 estimation, T2 and B1 were inaccurate by more than 20%. Abrupt changes in flip angle improved B1 maps. T1 and T2 values obtained with the new MRF methods agree with classical spin echo measurements and are independent of the B1 field profile. When using view sharing reconstruction, results remained accurate (error Reson Med 76:1127-1135, 2016. © 2015 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2015 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Indexed variation graphs for efficient and accurate resistome profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Will P M; Winn, Martyn D

2018-05-14

Antimicrobial resistance remains a major threat to global health. Profiling the collective antimicrobial resistance genes within a metagenome (the "resistome") facilitates greater understanding of antimicrobial resistance gene diversity and dynamics. In turn, this can allow for gene surveillance, individualised treatment of bacterial infections and more sustainable use of antimicrobials. However, resistome profiling can be complicated by high similarity between reference genes, as well as the sheer volume of sequencing data and the complexity of analysis workflows. We have developed an efficient and accurate method for resistome profiling that addresses these complications and improves upon currently available tools. Our method combines a variation graph representation of gene sets with an LSH Forest indexing scheme to allow for fast classification of metagenomic sequence reads using similarity-search queries. Subsequent hierarchical local alignment of classified reads against graph traversals enables accurate reconstruction of full-length gene sequences using a scoring scheme. We provide our implementation, GROOT, and show it to be both faster and more accurate than a current reference-dependent tool for resistome profiling. GROOT runs on a laptop and can process a typical 2 gigabyte metagenome in 2 minutes using a single CPU. Our method is not restricted to resistome profiling and has the potential to improve current metagenomic workflows. GROOT is written in Go and is available at https://github.com/will-rowe/groot (MIT license). will.rowe@stfc.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Photonic compressive sensing enabled data efficient time stretch optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Mididoddi, Chaitanya K.; Wang, Chao

2018-03-01

Photonic time stretch (PTS) has enabled real time spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). However, this method generates a torrent of massive data at GHz stream rate, which requires capturing as per Nyquist principle. If the OCT interferogram signal is sparse in Fourier domain, which is always true for samples with limited number of layers, it can be captured at lower (sub-Nyquist) acquisition rate as per compressive sensing method. In this work we report a data compressed PTS-OCT system based on photonic compressive sensing with 66% compression with low acquisition rate of 50MHz and measurement speed of 1.51MHz per depth profile. A new method has also been proposed to improve the system with all-optical random pattern generation, which completely avoids electronic bottleneck in traditional binary pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) generators.

Pilot project as enabler?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neisig, Margit; Glimø, Helle; Holm, Catrine Granzow

This article deals with a systemic perspective on transition. The field of study addressed is a pilot project as enabler of transition in a highly complex polycentric context. From a Luhmannian systemic approach, a framework is created to understand and address barriers of change occurred using...... pilot projects as enabler of transition. Aspects of how to create trust and deal with distrust during a transition are addressed. The transition in focus is the concept of New Public Management and how it is applied in the management of the Employment Service in Denmark. The transition regards...

A simple way of characterizing X-ray downwards-deflecting mirror-bender assemblies using the long trace profiler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assoufid, L.; Her, P.

1999-01-01

A simple device composed of a modular double-pentaprism system that enables the long trace profiler (LTP) to measure mirrors in nonconventional ways, i.e., in the vertical-downward and sideways positions, has been devised and implemented in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) long trace profiler (LTP II). The systems is very useful in calibrating mirror-bender assemblies. This paper describes the system and gives results of measurements performed with it on a mirror used at the APS

Cohort profile: Examining Neighbourhood Activities in Built Living Environments in London: the ENABLE London—Olympic Park cohort

Science.gov (United States)

Ram, Bina; Nightingale, Claire M; Hudda, Mohammed T; Kapetanakis, Venediktos V; Ellaway, Anne; Cooper, Ashley R; Page, Angie; Lewis, Daniel; Cummins, Steven; Giles-Corti, Billie; Whincup, Peter H; Cook, Derek G; Rudnicka, Alicja R; Owen, Christopher G

2016-01-01

Purpose The Examining Neighbourhood Activities in Built Living Environments in London (ENABLE London) project is a natural experiment which aims to establish whether physical activity and other health behaviours show sustained changes among individuals and families relocating to East Village (formerly the London 2012 Olympics Athletes' Village), when compared with a control population living outside East Village throughout. Participants Between January 2013 and December 2015, 1497 individuals from 1006 households were recruited and assessed (at baseline) (including 392 households seeking social housing, 421 seeking intermediate and 193 seeking market rent homes). The 2-year follow-up rate is 62% of households to date, of which 57% have moved to East Village. Findings to date Assessments of physical activity (measured objectively using accelerometers) combined with Global Positioning System technology and Geographic Information System mapping of the local area are being used to characterise physical activity patterns and location among study participants and assess the attributes of the environments to which they are exposed. Assessments of body composition, based on weight, height and bioelectrical impedance, have been made and detailed participant questionnaires provide information on socioeconomic position, general health/health status, well-being, anxiety, depression, attitudes to leisure time activities and other personal, social and environmental influences on physical activity, including the use of recreational space and facilities in their residential neighbourhood. Future plans The main analyses will examine the changes in physical activity, health and well-being observed in the East Village group compared with controls and the influence of specific elements of the built environment on observed changes. The ENABLE London project exploits a unique opportunity to evaluate a ‘natural experiment’, provided by the building and rapid occupation of East

A fast pulse phase estimation method for X-ray pulsar signals based on epoch folding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue Mengfan

2016-06-01

Full Text Available X-ray pulsar-based navigation (XPNAV is an attractive method for autonomous deep-space navigation in the future. The pulse phase estimation is a key task in XPNAV and its accuracy directly determines the navigation accuracy. State-of-the-art pulse phase estimation techniques either suffer from poor estimation accuracy, or involve the maximization of generally non-convex object function, thus resulting in a large computational cost. In this paper, a fast pulse phase estimation method based on epoch folding is presented. The statistical properties of the observed profile obtained through epoch folding are developed. Based on this, we recognize the joint probability distribution of the observed profile as the likelihood function and utilize a fast Fourier transform-based procedure to estimate the pulse phase. Computational complexity of the proposed estimator is analyzed as well. Experimental results show that the proposed estimator significantly outperforms the currently used cross-correlation (CC and nonlinear least squares (NLS estimators, while significantly reduces the computational complexity compared with NLS and maximum likelihood (ML estimators.

Vertical profiles of aerosol absorption coefficient from micro-Aethalometer data and Mie calculation over Milan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrero, L; Mocnik, G; Ferrini, B S; Perrone, M G; Sangiorgi, G; Bolzacchini, E

2011-06-15

Vertical profiles of aerosol number-size distribution and black carbon (BC) concentration were measured between ground-level and 500m AGL over Milan. A tethered balloon was fitted with an instrumentation package consisting of the newly-developed micro-Aethalometer (microAeth® Model AE51, Magee Scientific, USA), an optical particle counter, and a portable meteorological station. At the same time, PM(2.5) samples were collected both at ground-level and at a high altitude sampling site, enabling particle chemical composition to be determined. Vertical profiles and PM(2.5) data were collected both within and above the mixing layer. Absorption coefficient (b(abs)) profiles were calculated from the Aethalometer data: in order to do so, an optical enhancement factor (C), accounting for multiple light-scattering within the filter of the new microAeth® Model AE51, was determined for the first time. The value of this parameter C (2.05±0.03 at λ=880nm) was calculated by comparing the Aethalometer attenuation coefficient and aerosol optical properties determined from OPC data along vertical profiles. Mie calculations were applied to the OPC number-size distribution data, and the aerosol refractive index was calculated using the effective medium approximation applied to aerosol chemical composition. The results compare well with AERONET data. The BC and b(abs) profiles showed a sharp decrease at the mixing height (MH), and fairly constant values of b(abs) and BC were found above the MH, representing 17±2% of those values measured within the mixing layer. The BC fraction of aerosol volume was found to be lower above the MH: 48±8% of the corresponding ground-level values. A statistical mean profile was calculated, both for BC and b(abs), to better describe their behaviour; the model enabled us to compute their average behaviour as a function of height, thus laying the foundations for valid parametrizations of vertical profile data which can be useful in both remote sensing

Accurate, fully-automated NMR spectral profiling for metabolomics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siamak Ravanbakhsh

Full Text Available Many diseases cause significant changes to the concentrations of small molecules (a.k.a. metabolites that appear in a person's biofluids, which means such diseases can often be readily detected from a person's "metabolic profile"-i.e., the list of concentrations of those metabolites. This information can be extracted from a biofluids Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR spectrum. However, due to its complexity, NMR spectral profiling has remained manual, resulting in slow, expensive and error-prone procedures that have hindered clinical and industrial adoption of metabolomics via NMR. This paper presents a system, BAYESIL, which can quickly, accurately, and autonomously produce a person's metabolic profile. Given a 1D 1H NMR spectrum of a complex biofluid (specifically serum or cerebrospinal fluid, BAYESIL can automatically determine the metabolic profile. This requires first performing several spectral processing steps, then matching the resulting spectrum against a reference compound library, which contains the "signatures" of each relevant metabolite. BAYESIL views spectral matching as an inference problem within a probabilistic graphical model that rapidly approximates the most probable metabolic profile. Our extensive studies on a diverse set of complex mixtures including real biological samples (serum and CSF, defined mixtures and realistic computer generated spectra; involving > 50 compounds, show that BAYESIL can autonomously find the concentration of NMR-detectable metabolites accurately (~ 90% correct identification and ~ 10% quantification error, in less than 5 minutes on a single CPU. These results demonstrate that BAYESIL is the first fully-automatic publicly-accessible system that provides quantitative NMR spectral profiling effectively-with an accuracy on these biofluids that meets or exceeds the performance of trained experts. We anticipate this tool will usher in high-throughput metabolomics and enable a wealth of new applications of

Net-erosion profile model and simulation experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagara, Akio

2001-01-01

Estimation of net-erosion profile is requisite for evaluating the lifetime of divertor plates under high heat and particle fluxes of fusion plasmas. As a reference in benchmark tests of numerical calculation codes, a self-consistent analytical solution is presented for a simplified divertor condition, wherein the magnetic field line is normal to the target plate and the ionization mean free path of sputtered particles is assumed constant. The primary flux profile of hydrogen and impurities are externally given as well as the return ratio of sputtered atoms to the target. In the direction along the divertor trace, all conditions are uniform. The analytical solution is compared with net-erosion experiments carried out using the Compact Helical System (CHS). The deposition profiles of Ti and O impurities are in very good agreement with the analytical predictions. Recent preliminary results observed on divertor plates in the Large Helical Device (LHD) are briefly presented. (author)

Estimating the returns to education from a non-stationary dynamic programming model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Belzil, Christian; Hansen, Jörgen

1997-01-01

ability at school and in the labor market which can be estimated non-parametrically. The construction of the likelihood based on eduction choices and wage data enables us to estimate the wage returns to education as well as the effect of education on non-wage benefits and/or job quality...

Industrial production and professional application of manufactured nanomaterials-enabled end products in Dutch industries: potential for exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekker, Cindy; Brouwer, Derk H; Tielemans, Erik; Pronk, Anjoeka

2013-04-01

In order to make full use of the opportunities while responsibly managing the risks of working with manufactured nanomaterials (MNM), we need to gain insight into the potential level of exposure to MNM in the industry. Therefore, the goal of this study was to obtain an overview of the potential MNM exposure scenarios within relevant industrial sectors, applied exposure controls, and number of workers potentially exposed to MNM in Dutch industrial sectors producing and applying MNM-enabled end products in the Netherlands. A survey was conducted in three phases: (i) identification of MNM-enabled end products; (ii) identification of relevant industrial sectors; and (iii) a tiered telephone survey to estimate actual use of the products among 40 sector organizations/knowledge centres (Tier 1), 350 randomly selected companies (Tier 2), and 110 actively searched companies (Tier 3). The most dominant industrial sectors producing or applying MNM-enabled end products (market penetration >5%) are shoe repair shops, automotive, construction, paint, metal, and textile cleaning industry. In the majority of the companies (76%), potential risks related to working with MNM are not a specific point of interest. The total number of workers potentially exposed to MNM during the production or application of MNM-enabled end products was estimated at approximately 3000 workers in the Netherlands. The results of this study will serve as a basis for in-depth exposure and health surveys that are currently planned in the Netherlands. In addition, the results can be used to identify the most relevant sectors for policy makers and future studies focussing on evaluating the risks of occupational exposure to MNM.

Brillouin Scattering Spectrum Analysis Based on Auto-Regressive Spectral Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Mengyun; Li, Wei; Liu, Zhangyun; Cheng, Linghao; Guan, Bai-Ou

2018-06-01

Auto-regressive (AR) spectral estimation technology is proposed to analyze the Brillouin scattering spectrum in Brillouin optical time-domain refelectometry. It shows that AR based method can reliably estimate the Brillouin frequency shift with an accuracy much better than fast Fourier transform (FFT) based methods provided the data length is not too short. It enables about 3 times improvement over FFT at a moderate spatial resolution.

Brillouin Scattering Spectrum Analysis Based on Auto-Regressive Spectral Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Mengyun; Li, Wei; Liu, Zhangyun; Cheng, Linghao; Guan, Bai-Ou

2018-03-01

Auto-regressive (AR) spectral estimation technology is proposed to analyze the Brillouin scattering spectrum in Brillouin optical time-domain refelectometry. It shows that AR based method can reliably estimate the Brillouin frequency shift with an accuracy much better than fast Fourier transform (FFT) based methods provided the data length is not too short. It enables about 3 times improvement over FFT at a moderate spatial resolution.

Costs of regulatory compliance: categories and estimating techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulte, S.C.; McDonald, C.L.; Wood, M.T.; Cole, R.M.; Hauschulz, K.

1978-10-01

Use of the categorization scheme and cost estimating approaches presented in this report can make cost estimates of regulation required compliance activities of value to policy makers. The report describes a uniform assessment framework that when used would assure that cost studies are generated on an equivalent basis. Such normalization would make comparisons of different compliance activity cost estimates more meaningful, thus enabling the relative merits of different regulatory options to be more effectively judged. The framework establishes uniform cost reporting accounts and cost estimating approaches for use in assessing the costs of complying with regulatory actions. The framework was specifically developed for use in a current study at Pacific Northwest Laboratory. However, use of the procedures for other applications is also appropriate

Digital sorting of complex tissues for cell type-specific gene expression profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Yi; Wan, Ying-Wooi; Pang, Kaifang; Chow, Lionel M L; Liu, Zhandong

2013-03-07

Cellular heterogeneity is present in almost all gene expression profiles. However, transcriptome analysis of tissue specimens often ignores the cellular heterogeneity present in these samples. Standard deconvolution algorithms require prior knowledge of the cell type frequencies within a tissue or their in vitro expression profiles. Furthermore, these algorithms tend to report biased estimations. Here, we describe a Digital Sorting Algorithm (DSA) for extracting cell-type specific gene expression profiles from mixed tissue samples that is unbiased and does not require prior knowledge of cell type frequencies. The results suggest that DSA is a specific and sensitivity algorithm in gene expression profile deconvolution and will be useful in studying individual cell types of complex tissues.

Application of Electromagnetic Induction to Monitor Changes in Soil Electrical Conductivity Profiles in Arid Agriculture

KAUST Repository

Jadoon, K.Z.

2015-09-06

In this research, multi-configuration electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements were conducted in a corn field to estimate variation in soil electrical conductivity profiles in the roots zone. Electromagnetic forward model based on the full solution of Maxwell\\'s equation was used to simulate the apparent electrical conductivity measured with EMI system (the CMD mini-Explorer). Joint inversion of multi-configuration EMI measurements were performed to estimate the vertical soil electrical conductivity profiles. The inversion minimizes the misfit between the measured and modeled soil apparent electrical conductivity by DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm, which is based on Bayesain approach. Results indicate that soil electrical conductivity profiles have low values close to the corn plants, which indicates loss of soil moisture due to the root water uptake. These results offer valuable insights into future potential and emerging challenges in the development of joint analysis of multi-configuration EMI measurements to retrieve effective soil electrical conductivity profiles.

Plutonium, americium, and uranium concentrations in Nevada Test Site soil profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Essington, E.H.; Gilbert, R.O.; Eberhardt, L.L.; Fowler, E.B.

1975-01-01

Many soil profile samples were collected by the Nevada Applied Ecology Group from five nuclear safety test sites on the Nevada Test Site and Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, U.S.A. The profile samples were analyzed for 239 Pu, 240 Pu, 241 Am, and in some cases 235 U and 238 U, in order to estimate the depth of radionuclide penetration and level of contamination at specific sampling depths after an extended period of time since deposition on the surface. Nearly 70 individual profiles were examined. About one-half of the profiles exhibited a smooth leaching pattern with more than 95 percent of the plutonium in the top 5 cm. Other profile patterns are discussed relative to mechanical disturbance of the profile after the initial deposition, accumulation of plutonium in specific zones within the soil profile, and occurrence of large amounts of plutonium in the deepest parts of the soil profile. The implications of these observations are discussed with respect to redistribution of radioactivity by wind, water, and burrowing animals, ingestion by burrowing and grazing animals, uptake by vegetation, and cleanup operations. (auth)

Adaptive vehicle motion estimation and prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Thorpe, Chuck E.

1999-01-01

Accurate motion estimation and reliable maneuver prediction enable an automated car to react quickly and correctly to the rapid maneuvers of the other vehicles, and so allow safe and efficient navigation. In this paper, we present a car tracking system which provides motion estimation, maneuver prediction and detection of the tracked car. The three strategies employed - adaptive motion modeling, adaptive data sampling, and adaptive model switching probabilities - result in an adaptive interacting multiple model algorithm (AIMM). The experimental results on simulated and real data demonstrate that our tracking system is reliable, flexible, and robust. The adaptive tracking makes the system intelligent and useful in various autonomous driving tasks.

Accurate 3-D Profile Extraction of Skull Bone Using an Ultrasound Matrix Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajian, Mehdi; Gaspar, Robert; Maev, Roman Gr

2017-12-01

The present study investigates the feasibility, accuracy, and precision of 3-D profile extraction of the human skull bone using a custom-designed ultrasound matrix transducer in Pulse-Echo. Due to the attenuative scattering properties of the skull, the backscattered echoes from the inner surface of the skull are severely degraded, attenuated, and at some points overlapped. Furthermore, the speed of sound (SOS) in the skull varies significantly in different zones and also from case to case; if considered constant, it introduces significant error to the profile measurement. A new method for simultaneous estimation of the skull profiles and the sound speed value is presented. The proposed method is a two-folded procedure: first, the arrival times of the backscattered echoes from the skull bone are estimated using multi-lag phase delay (MLPD) and modified space alternating generalized expectation maximization (SAGE) algorithms. Next, these arrival times are fed into an adaptive sound speed estimation algorithm to compute the optimal SOS value and subsequently, the skull bone thickness. For quantitative evaluation, the estimated bone phantom thicknesses were compared with the mechanical measurements. The accuracies of the bone thickness measurements using MLPD and modified SAGE algorithms combined with the adaptive SOS estimation were 7.93% and 4.21%, respectively. These values were 14.44% and 10.75% for the autocorrelation and cross-correlation methods. Additionally, the Bland-Altman plots showed the modified SAGE outperformed the other methods with -0.35 and 0.44 mm limits of agreement. No systematic error that could be related to the skull bone thickness was observed for this method.

A novel technique for real-time estimation of edge pedestal density gradients via reflectometer time delay data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, L., E-mail: zeng@fusion.gat.com; Doyle, E. J.; Rhodes, T. L.; Wang, G.; Sung, C.; Peebles, W. A. [Physics and Astronomy Department, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States); Bobrek, M. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6006 (United States)

2016-11-15

A new model-based technique for fast estimation of the pedestal electron density gradient has been developed. The technique uses ordinary mode polarization profile reflectometer time delay data and does not require direct profile inversion. Because of its simple data processing, the technique can be readily implemented via a Field-Programmable Gate Array, so as to provide a real-time density gradient estimate, suitable for use in plasma control systems such as envisioned for ITER, and possibly for DIII-D and Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. The method is based on a simple edge plasma model with a linear pedestal density gradient and low scrape-off-layer density. By measuring reflectometer time delays for three adjacent frequencies, the pedestal density gradient can be estimated analytically via the new approach. Using existing DIII-D profile reflectometer data, the estimated density gradients obtained from the new technique are found to be in good agreement with the actual density gradients for a number of dynamic DIII-D plasma conditions.

Nonlinear estimation and control of automotive drivetrains

CERN Document Server

Chen, Hong

2014-01-01

Nonlinear Estimation and Control of Automotive Drivetrains discusses the control problems involved in automotive drivetrains, particularly in hydraulic Automatic Transmission (AT), Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) and Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). Challenging estimation and control problems, such as driveline torque estimation and gear shift control, are addressed by applying the latest nonlinear control theories, including constructive nonlinear control (Backstepping, Input-to-State Stable) and Model Predictive Control (MPC). The estimation and control performance is improved while the calibration effort is reduced significantly. The book presents many detailed examples of design processes and thus enables the readers to understand how to successfully combine purely theoretical methodologies with actual applications in vehicles. The book is intended for researchers, PhD students, control engineers and automotive engineers. Hong Chen is a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Automotive Simulation and...

Equatorial bottom and topside electron density profiles and comparison with IRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinisch, B.W.; Huang, X.; Conway, J.; Komjathy, A.

2001-01-01

A new technique of estimating the ionospheric topside profile from the information contained in the groundbased ionograms is described. The electron density profile above the F2 layer peak is approximated by an α-Chapman function with a constant scale height that is derived from the bottomside profile shape near the F2 peak. The scale height is obtained from the bottomside profile by representing the latter in terms of α-Chapman functions with scale heights H(h) that vary as a function of height. The scale height at the layer peak is then used for the topside profile. The bottomside and topside electron contents is obtained by integrating the electron density from h=0 to hmF2 and from hmF2 to ∞. The ionogram derived electron content values for Jicamarca in 1998 are compared with the respective IRI values. (author)

In situ biological dose mapping estimates the radiation burden delivered to 'spared' tissue between synchrotron X-ray microbeam radiotherapy tracks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Rothkamm

Full Text Available Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT using high doses of synchrotron X-rays can destroy tumours in animal models whilst causing little damage to normal tissues. Determining the spatial distribution of radiation doses delivered during MRT at a microscopic scale is a major challenge. Film and semiconductor dosimetry as well as Monte Carlo methods struggle to provide accurate estimates of dose profiles and peak-to-valley dose ratios at the position of the targeted and traversed tissues whose biological responses determine treatment outcome. The purpose of this study was to utilise γ-H2AX immunostaining as a biodosimetric tool that enables in situ biological dose mapping within an irradiated tissue to provide direct biological evidence for the scale of the radiation burden to 'spared' tissue regions between MRT tracks. Γ-H2AX analysis allowed microbeams to be traced and DNA damage foci to be quantified in valleys between beams following MRT treatment of fibroblast cultures and murine skin where foci yields per unit dose were approximately five-fold lower than in fibroblast cultures. Foci levels in cells located in valleys were compared with calibration curves using known broadbeam synchrotron X-ray doses to generate spatial dose profiles and calculate peak-to-valley dose ratios of 30-40 for cell cultures and approximately 60 for murine skin, consistent with the range obtained with conventional dosimetry methods. This biological dose mapping approach could find several applications both in optimising MRT or other radiotherapeutic treatments and in estimating localised doses following accidental radiation exposure using skin punch biopsies.

Functionalized Graphene Enables Highly Efficient Solar Thermal Steam Generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Junlong; Pang, Yunsong; Huang, Weixin; Shaw, Scott K; Schiffbauer, Jarrod; Pillers, Michelle Anne; Mu, Xin; Luo, Shirui; Zhang, Teng; Huang, Yajiang; Li, Guangxian; Ptasinska, Sylwia; Lieberman, Marya; Luo, Tengfei

2017-06-27

The ability to efficiently utilize solar thermal energy to enable liquid-to-vapor phase transition has great technological implications for a wide variety of applications, such as water treatment and chemical fractionation. Here, we demonstrate that functionalizing graphene using hydrophilic groups can greatly enhance the solar thermal steam generation efficiency. Our results show that specially functionalized graphene can improve the overall solar-to-vapor efficiency from 38% to 48% at one sun conditions compared to chemically reduced graphene oxide. Our experiments show that such an improvement is a surface effect mainly attributed to the more hydrophilic feature of functionalized graphene, which influences the water meniscus profile at the vapor-liquid interface due to capillary effect. This will lead to thinner water films close to the three-phase contact line, where the water surface temperature is higher since the resistance of thinner water film is smaller, leading to more efficient evaporation. This strategy of functionalizing graphene to make it more hydrophilic can be potentially integrated with the existing macroscopic heat isolation strategies to further improve the overall solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency.

Technical Note: Variance-covariance matrix and averaging kernels for the Levenberg-Marquardt solution of the retrieval of atmospheric vertical profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Ceccherini

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The variance-covariance matrix (VCM and the averaging kernel matrix (AKM are widely used tools to characterize atmospheric vertical profiles retrieved from remote sensing measurements. Accurate estimation of these quantities is essential for both the evaluation of the quality of the retrieved profiles and for the correct use of the profiles themselves in subsequent applications such as data comparison, data assimilation and data fusion. We propose a new method to estimate the VCM and AKM of vertical profiles retrieved using the Levenberg-Marquardt iterative technique. We apply the new method to the inversion of simulated limb emission measurements. Then we compare the obtained VCM and AKM with those resulting from other methods already published in the literature and with accurate estimates derived using statistical and numerical estimators. The proposed method accounts for all the iterations done in the inversion and provides the most accurate VCM and AKM. Furthermore, it correctly estimates the VCM and the AKM also if the retrieval iterations are stopped when a physically meaningful convergence criterion is fulfilled, i.e. before achievement of the numerical convergence at machine precision. The method can be easily implemented in any Levenberg-Marquardt iterative retrieval scheme, either constrained or unconstrained, without significant computational overhead.

Lidar sprectroscopy instrument (LISSI): An infrastructure facility for chemical aerosol profiling at the University of Hertfordshire

Science.gov (United States)

Tesche, Matthias; Tatarov, Boyan; Noh, Youngmin; Müller, Detlef

2018-04-01

The lidar development at the University of Hertfordshire explores the feasibility of using Raman backscattering for chemical aerosol profiling. This paper provides an overview of the new facility. A high-power Nd:YAG/OPO setup is used to excite Raman backscattering at a wide range of wavelengths. The receiver combines a spectrometer with a 32-channel detector or an ICCD camera to resolve Raman signals of various chemical compounds. The new facility will open new avenues for chemical profiling of aerosol pollution from measurements of Raman scattering by selected chemical compounds, provide data that allow to close the gap between optical and microphysical aerosol profiling with lidar and enables connecting lidar measurements to parameters used in atmospheric modelling.

Optimization of the temperature profiles due to a nitrogen jet impinging on a TLD detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, I.; Bar-Kohany, T.; German, U.; Ziskind, G.

2014-01-01

A study was conducted to simulate the temperature profiles during readout in a typical, commercial thermo-luminescence dosimeter (TLD) chip and to optimize the readout conditions. The study makes use of a previously developed numerical model which calculates the crystal's temperature profile evolution inside a TLD crystal compound. The calculated profiles were implemented in the Randall-Wilkins equation to obtain the estimated glow curve. A number of jet temperature profiles were investigated in order to optimize the readout process. - Highlights: • The temperature profiles in a TLD chip compound were simulated. • Some non-routine heating profiles are proposed. • A better efficiency and shorter time can be obtained with these profiles. • The resulting glow curves were evaluated as well

Estimation method of the cohesion degree for the users’ profiles of social network based on open data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina A. Kataeva

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of research was to study the existing methods of determining the degree of cohesion of two users of social network, identifying their shortcomings and developing a new method. The research identified shortcomings of existing methods and proposed a new method for assessing the degree of cohesion of social network profiles based on open data from a social network. Under the degree of cohesion of users’ profiles is understood the probability of communication (interaction of profile owners in real life, it is calculated for two users of the social network and expressed in percent. The work of the method is demonstrated on the example of the social network “In contact”. This method includes the sequence of the following stages: the first stage is data collection about users of the social network with API and the formation of tuples of users’ profile characteristics. A tuple of characteristics of social network profiles is the data, collected for each user, stored in a structured form.The next step is the analysis of the collected information. For each characteristic of the tuple of profiles, i.e. the possible element of interaction of users in the social network, the coefficient of cohesion by the characteristic is calculated. In addition, for each feature, its informativeness is calculated, i.e. how important is this or that feature in this social network. At the final stage, the results are generated, using the formula for the probability of communication between two users, derived during the investigation. Obtained as a result of the application of the method, the probability of communication between two users can be used to optimize the activities of the operative-search services and special bodies.In addition, the received degree of cohesion of two users can be interpreted as the probability of a channel of information leakage between them. The role of the user of the method can be any private or state organization that cares

Genome-enabled predictions for binomial traits in sugar beet populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Biscarini, Filippo; Stevanato, Piergiorgio; Broccanello, Chiara; Stella, Alessandra; Saccomani, Massimo

2014-07-22

Genomic information can be used to predict not only continuous but also categorical (e.g. binomial) traits. Several traits of interest in human medicine and agriculture present a discrete distribution of phenotypes (e.g. disease status). Root vigor in sugar beet (B. vulgaris) is an example of binomial trait of agronomic importance. In this paper, a panel of 192 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) was used to genotype 124 sugar beet individual plants from 18 lines, and to classify them as showing "high" or "low" root vigor. A threshold model was used to fit the relationship between binomial root vigor and SNP genotypes, through the matrix of genomic relationships between individuals in a genomic BLUP (G-BLUP) approach. From a 5-fold cross-validation scheme, 500 testing subsets were generated. The estimated average cross-validation error rate was 0.000731 (0.073%). Only 9 out of 12326 test observations (500 replicates for an average test set size of 24.65) were misclassified. The estimated prediction accuracy was quite high. Such accurate predictions may be related to the high estimated heritability for root vigor (0.783) and to the few genes with large effect underlying the trait. Despite the sparse SNP panel, there was sufficient within-scaffold LD where SNPs with large effect on root vigor were located to allow for genome-enabled predictions to work.

Metabolome Profiling of Partial and Fully Reprogrammed Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Soon-Jung; Lee, Sang A; Prasain, Nutan; Bae, Daekyeong; Kang, Hyunsu; Ha, Taewon; Kim, Jong Soo; Hong, Ki-Sung; Mantel, Charlie; Moon, Sung-Hwan; Broxmeyer, Hal E; Lee, Man Ryul

2017-05-15

Acquisition of proper metabolomic fate is required to convert somatic cells toward fully reprogrammed pluripotent stem cells. The majority of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are partially reprogrammed and have a transcriptome different from that of the pluripotent stem cells. The metabolomic profile and mitochondrial metabolic functions required to achieve full reprogramming of somatic cells to iPSC status have not yet been elucidated. Clarification of the metabolites underlying reprogramming mechanisms should enable further optimization to enhance the efficiency of obtaining fully reprogrammed iPSCs. In this study, we characterized the metabolites of human fully reprogrammed iPSCs, partially reprogrammed iPSCs, and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, we found that 89% of analyzed metabolites were similarly expressed in fully reprogrammed iPSCs and human ESCs (hESCs), whereas partially reprogrammed iPSCs shared only 74% similarly expressed metabolites with hESCs. Metabolomic profiling analysis suggested that converting mitochondrial respiration to glycolytic flux is critical for reprogramming of somatic cells into fully reprogrammed iPSCs. This characterization of metabolic reprogramming in iPSCs may enable the development of new reprogramming parameters for enhancing the generation of fully reprogrammed human iPSCs.

A robust fibre laser system for electro-optic electron bunch profile measurements at FLASH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wissmann, Laurens-Georg

2012-08-15

For the electro-optic measurement of electron bunch profiles at FLASH a robust ytterbium doped fibre laser (YDFL) system has been developed consisting of a laser oscillator and a two-staged amplifier. The oscillator is designed to meet the specifications of high reliability and low noise operation. The amplifier makes use of tailored nonlinearity to enhance the spectral bandwidth of the output laser pulses. Active repetition rate control enables sub-picosecond synchronisation of the laser to the accelerator reference RF. Using a two-stage gating scheme the output pulse train repetition rate is adopted to the accelerator repetition rate. An experimental site used for electro-optic electron bunch diagnostics has been redesigned to support single-shot bunch profile measurements based on spectral decoding. An existing bunch profile monitor with a similar laser system was upgraded and electro-optic bunch profile measurements were conducted, allowing for a comparison with measurements done with other longitudinal electron bunch diagnostics and with former measurements.

A robust fibre laser system for electro-optic electron bunch profile measurements at FLASH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wissmann, Laurens-Georg

2012-08-01

For the electro-optic measurement of electron bunch profiles at FLASH a robust ytterbium doped fibre laser (YDFL) system has been developed consisting of a laser oscillator and a two-staged amplifier. The oscillator is designed to meet the specifications of high reliability and low noise operation. The amplifier makes use of tailored nonlinearity to enhance the spectral bandwidth of the output laser pulses. Active repetition rate control enables sub-picosecond synchronisation of the laser to the accelerator reference RF. Using a two-stage gating scheme the output pulse train repetition rate is adopted to the accelerator repetition rate. An experimental site used for electro-optic electron bunch diagnostics has been redesigned to support single-shot bunch profile measurements based on spectral decoding. An existing bunch profile monitor with a similar laser system was upgraded and electro-optic bunch profile measurements were conducted, allowing for a comparison with measurements done with other longitudinal electron bunch diagnostics and with former measurements.

Estimating the actual subject-specific genetic correlations in behavior genetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, Peter C M

2012-10-01

Generalization of the standard behavior longitudinal genetic factor model for the analysis of interindividual phenotypic variation to a genetic state space model for the analysis of intraindividual variation enables the possibility to estimate subject-specific heritabilities.

Lifetime estimation for the power semiconductors considering mission profiles in wind power converter

OpenAIRE

Ma, Ke; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

As a key component in the wind turbine system, power electronic converter and its power semiconductors suffer from adverse power loadings related to environment, and are proven to have certain failure rates. Therefore, correct lifetime estimation of wind power converter is crucial for the reliability improvement and also for cost reduction of wind power technology. Unfortunately, the existing lifetime estimation methods for the power electronic converter are not yet suitable in the wind power...

OGC® Sensor Web Enablement Standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Percivall

2006-09-01

Full Text Available This article provides a high-level overview of and architecture for the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC standards activities that focus on sensors, sensor networks, and a concept called the “Sensor Web”. This OGC work area is known as Sensor Web Enablement (SWE. This article has been condensed from "OGC® Sensor Web Enablement: Overview And High Level Architecture," an OGC White Paper by Mike Botts, PhD, George Percivall, Carl Reed, PhD, and John Davidson which can be downloaded from http://www.opengeospatial.org/pt/15540. Readers interested in greater technical and architecture detail can download and read the OGC SWE Architecture Discussion Paper titled “The OGC Sensor Web Enablement Architecture” (OGC document 06-021r1, http://www.opengeospatial.org/pt/14140.

Informing the Selection of Screening Hit Series with in Silico Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity Profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, John M; Beshore, Douglas C; Culberson, J Christopher; Fells, James I; Imbriglio, Jason E; Gunaydin, Hakan; Haidle, Andrew M; Labroli, Marc; Mattioni, Brian E; Sciammetta, Nunzio; Shipe, William D; Sheridan, Robert P; Suen, Linda M; Verras, Andreas; Walji, Abbas; Joshi, Elizabeth M; Bueters, Tjerk

2017-08-24

High-throughput screening (HTS) has enabled millions of compounds to be assessed for biological activity, but challenges remain in the prioritization of hit series. While biological, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET), purity, and structural data are routinely used to select chemical matter for further follow-up, the scarcity of historical ADMET data for screening hits limits our understanding of early hit compounds. Herein, we describe a process that utilizes a battery of in-house quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to generate in silico ADMET profiles for hit series to enable more complete characterizations of HTS chemical matter. These profiles allow teams to quickly assess hit series for desirable ADMET properties or suspected liabilities that may require significant optimization. Accordingly, these in silico data can direct ADMET experimentation and profoundly impact the progression of hit series. Several prospective examples are presented to substantiate the value of this approach.

[The profile of neonaticide mothers in legal expertise].

Science.gov (United States)

Vellut, N; Simmat-Durand, L; Tursz, A

2013-10-01

relational foundations were insecure. The "classic" profile of the neonaticidal mother as being young, single, and primiparous is not confirmed in this study. Recent American and European studies reach similar conclusions. More than half of these mothers already had other children; more than half were living with a partner. Nor did these mothers have an evident psychopathological profile, and even less so a psychopathic profile. This study suggests a "psycho-relational" profile for the neonaticidal mother: immature, affectively dependent, expressing herself very little, and experiencing considerable affective isolation. These neonaticidal mothers did not present any specific socio-demographic or evident psychopathological profile. The study nevertheless enabled definition of a "psycho-relational" profile. Copyright © 2012 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Enabling Open Innovation: Lessons from Haier

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Arie Y.Lewin; Liisa V(a)likangas; Jin Chen

2017-01-01

Open innovation has become a dominant innovation paradigm.However,the actual adoption of open innovation organizational designs and practices remains elusive,and ongoing examples of large companies practicing open innovation in mature industries or beyond R&D activities are rare.Despite the continuing interest in open innovation and the surging research on the topic,not much is documented about how,in particular,large companies interpret and implement open innovation or develop and sustain an innovation-enabling culture.This paper reports on a study of Haier's adoption of six radical innovations as it implements an open innovation organization over a period of seven years.The study is unique in that the cases reveal how open innovation is enabled by the socially enabling mechanisms developed under Chairman Ruimin Zhang's leadership.These varied enabling mechanisms open the organization to serendipity at every level,from the bottom up to suppliers.Most importantly,the mechanisms imprint and sustain an open innovation culture recognized as important-yet often left unarticulated in terms of how it is practiced-in the prior literature.The paper contributes to and highlights the centrality of socially enabling mechanisms underlying an organization's innovation absorptive capacity.

A new approach towards biomarker selection in estimation of human exposure to chiral chemicals: a case study of mephedrone.

Science.gov (United States)

Castrignanò, Erika; Mardal, Marie; Rydevik, Axel; Miserez, Bram; Ramsey, John; Shine, Trevor; Pantoș, G Dan; Meyer, Markus R; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

2017-11-02

Wastewater-based epidemiology is an innovative approach to estimate public health status using biomarker analysis in wastewater. A new compound detected in wastewater can be a potential biomarker of an emerging trend in public health. However, it is currently difficult to select new biomarkers mainly due to limited human metabolism data. This manuscript presents a new framework, which enables the identification and selection of new biomarkers of human exposure to drugs with scarce or unknown human metabolism data. Mephedrone was targeted to elucidate the assessment of biomarkers for emerging drugs of abuse using a four-step analytical procedure. This framework consists of: (i) identification of possible metabolic biomarkers present in wastewater using an in-vivo study; (ii) verification of chiral signature of the target compound; (iii) confirmation of human metabolic residues in in-vivo/vitro studies and (iv) verification of stability of biomarkers in wastewater. Mephedrone was selected as a suitable biomarker due to its high stability profile in wastewater. Its enantiomeric profiling was studied for the first time in biological and environmental matrices, showing stereoselective metabolism of mephedrone in humans. Further biomarker candidates were also proposed for future investigation: 4'-carboxy-mephedrone, 4'-carboxy-normephedrone, 1-dihydro-mephedrone, 1-dihydro-normephedrone and 4'-hydroxy-normephedrone.

Neural networks for the dimensionality reduction of GOME measurement vector in the estimation of ozone profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Frate, F.; Iapaolo, M.; Casadio, S.; Godin-Beekmann, S.; Petitdidier, M.

2005-01-01

Dimensionality reduction can be of crucial importance in the application of inversion schemes to atmospheric remote sensing data. In this study the problem of dimensionality reduction in the retrieval of ozone concentration profiles from the radiance measurements provided by the instrument Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on board of ESA satellite ERS-2 is considered. By means of radiative transfer modelling, neural networks and pruning algorithms, a complete procedure has been designed to extract the GOME spectral ranges most crucial for the inversion. The quality of the resulting retrieval algorithm has been evaluated by comparing its performance to that yielded by other schemes and co-located profiles obtained with lidar measurements

Phylo_dCor: distance correlation as a novel metric for phylogenetic profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Sferra, Gabriella; Fratini, Federica; Ponzi, Marta; Pizzi, Elisabetta

2017-09-05

Elaboration of powerful methods to predict functional and/or physical protein-protein interactions from genome sequence is one of the main tasks in the post-genomic era. Phylogenetic profiling allows the prediction of protein-protein interactions at a whole genome level in both Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes. For this reason it is considered one of the most promising methods. Here, we propose an improvement of phylogenetic profiling that enables handling of large genomic datasets and infer global protein-protein interactions. This method uses the distance correlation as a new measure of phylogenetic profile similarity. We constructed robust reference sets and developed Phylo-dCor, a parallelized version of the algorithm for calculating the distance correlation that makes it applicable to large genomic data. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli genome datasets, we showed that Phylo-dCor outperforms phylogenetic profiling methods previously described based on the mutual information and Pearson's correlation as measures of profile similarity. In this work, we constructed and assessed robust reference sets and propose the distance correlation as a measure for comparing phylogenetic profiles. To make it applicable to large genomic data, we developed Phylo-dCor, a parallelized version of the algorithm for calculating the distance correlation. Two R scripts that can be run on a wide range of machines are available upon request.

Processing methods for differential analysis of LC/MS profile data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orešič Matej

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC/MS has been widely used in proteomics and metabolomics research. In this context, the technology has been increasingly used for differential profiling, i.e. broad screening of biomolecular components across multiple samples in order to elucidate the observed phenotypes and discover biomarkers. One of the major challenges in this domain remains development of better solutions for processing of LC/MS data. Results We present a software package MZmine that enables differential LC/MS analysis of metabolomics data. This software is a toolbox containing methods for all data processing stages preceding differential analysis: spectral filtering, peak detection, alignment and normalization. Specifically, we developed and implemented a new recursive peak search algorithm and a secondary peak picking method for improving already aligned results, as well as a normalization tool that uses multiple internal standards. Visualization tools enable comparative viewing of data across multiple samples. Peak lists can be exported into other data analysis programs. The toolbox has already been utilized in a wide range of applications. We demonstrate its utility on an example of metabolic profiling of Catharanthus roseus cell cultures. Conclusion The software is freely available under the GNU General Public License and it can be obtained from the project web page at: http://mzmine.sourceforge.net/.

Accurate estimation of indoor travel times

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prentow, Thor Siiger; Blunck, Henrik; Stisen, Allan

2014-01-01

The ability to accurately estimate indoor travel times is crucial for enabling improvements within application areas such as indoor navigation, logistics for mobile workers, and facility management. In this paper, we study the challenges inherent in indoor travel time estimation, and we propose...... the InTraTime method for accurately estimating indoor travel times via mining of historical and real-time indoor position traces. The method learns during operation both travel routes, travel times and their respective likelihood---both for routes traveled as well as for sub-routes thereof. InTraTime...... allows to specify temporal and other query parameters, such as time-of-day, day-of-week or the identity of the traveling individual. As input the method is designed to take generic position traces and is thus interoperable with a variety of indoor positioning systems. The method's advantages include...

Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007 Market Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

These reports provide economic profile information on sectors producing and using pesticides covered by FIFRA mandated regulatory programs. The reports contain contemporary and historical data estimating values and amounts of active ingredients used here.

Strong profiling is not mathematically optimal for discovering rare malfeasors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Press, William H [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2008-01-01

In a large population of individuals labeled j = 1,2,...,N, governments attempt to find the rare malfeasor j = j, (terrorist, for example) by making use of priors p{sub j} that estimate the probability of individual j being a malfeasor. Societal resources for secondary random screening such as airport search or police investigation are concentrated against individuals with the largest priors. They may call this 'strong profiling' if the concentration is at least proportional to p{sub j} for the largest values. Strong profiling often results in higher probability, but otherwise innocent, individuals being repeatedly subjected to screening. They show here that, entirely apart from considerations of social policy, strong profiling is not mathematically optimal at finding malfeasors. Even if prior probabilities were accurate, their optimal use would be only as roughly the geometric mean between a strong profiling and a completely uniform sampling of the population.

Assessment of beating parameters in human induced pluripotent stem cells enables quantitative in vitro screening for cardiotoxicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sirenko, Oksana, E-mail: oksana.sirenko@moldev.com [Molecular Devices LLC, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 (United States); Cromwell, Evan F., E-mail: evan.cromwell@moldev.com [Molecular Devices LLC, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 (United States); Crittenden, Carole [Molecular Devices LLC, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 (United States); Wignall, Jessica A. [Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States); Wright, Fred A. [Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States); Rusyn, Ivan [Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States)

2013-12-15

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes show promise for screening during early drug development. Here, we tested a hypothesis that in vitro assessment of multiple cardiomyocyte physiological parameters enables predictive and mechanistically-interpretable evaluation of cardiotoxicity in a high-throughput format. Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes were exposed for 30 min or 24 h to 131 drugs, positive (107) and negative (24) for in vivo cardiotoxicity, in up to 6 concentrations (3 nM to 30 uM) in 384-well plates. Fast kinetic imaging was used to monitor changes in cardiomyocyte function using intracellular Ca{sup 2+} flux readouts synchronous with beating, and cell viability. A number of physiological parameters of cardiomyocyte beating, such as beat rate, peak shape (amplitude, width, raise, decay, etc.) and regularity were collected using automated data analysis. Concentration–response profiles were evaluated using logistic modeling to derive a benchmark concentration (BMC) point-of-departure value, based on one standard deviation departure from the estimated baseline in vehicle (0.3% dimethyl sulfoxide)-treated cells. BMC values were used for cardiotoxicity classification and ranking of compounds. Beat rate and several peak shape parameters were found to be good predictors, while cell viability had poor classification accuracy. In addition, we applied the Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi) approach to integrate and display data across many collected parameters, to derive “cardiosafety” ranking of tested compounds. Multi-parameter screening of beating profiles allows for cardiotoxicity risk assessment and identification of specific patterns defining mechanism-specific effects. These data and analysis methods may be used widely for compound screening and early safety evaluation in drug development. - Highlights: • Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are promising in vitro models. • We tested if evaluation

Assessment of beating parameters in human induced pluripotent stem cells enables quantitative in vitro screening for cardiotoxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sirenko, Oksana; Cromwell, Evan F.; Crittenden, Carole; Wignall, Jessica A.; Wright, Fred A.; Rusyn, Ivan

2013-01-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes show promise for screening during early drug development. Here, we tested a hypothesis that in vitro assessment of multiple cardiomyocyte physiological parameters enables predictive and mechanistically-interpretable evaluation of cardiotoxicity in a high-throughput format. Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes were exposed for 30 min or 24 h to 131 drugs, positive (107) and negative (24) for in vivo cardiotoxicity, in up to 6 concentrations (3 nM to 30 uM) in 384-well plates. Fast kinetic imaging was used to monitor changes in cardiomyocyte function using intracellular Ca 2+ flux readouts synchronous with beating, and cell viability. A number of physiological parameters of cardiomyocyte beating, such as beat rate, peak shape (amplitude, width, raise, decay, etc.) and regularity were collected using automated data analysis. Concentration–response profiles were evaluated using logistic modeling to derive a benchmark concentration (BMC) point-of-departure value, based on one standard deviation departure from the estimated baseline in vehicle (0.3% dimethyl sulfoxide)-treated cells. BMC values were used for cardiotoxicity classification and ranking of compounds. Beat rate and several peak shape parameters were found to be good predictors, while cell viability had poor classification accuracy. In addition, we applied the Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi) approach to integrate and display data across many collected parameters, to derive “cardiosafety” ranking of tested compounds. Multi-parameter screening of beating profiles allows for cardiotoxicity risk assessment and identification of specific patterns defining mechanism-specific effects. These data and analysis methods may be used widely for compound screening and early safety evaluation in drug development. - Highlights: • Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are promising in vitro models. • We tested if evaluation of

Phytosterol Profiles of Common Foods and Estimated Natural Intake of Different Structures and Forms in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mengmeng; Huang, Weisu; Hu, Yinzhou; Zhang, Liangxiao; Shao, Yafang; Wang, Meng; Zhang, Fang; Zhao, Ziyan; Mei, Xiaohong; Li, Tao; Wang, Donghui; Liang, Ying; Li, Jing; Huang, Yining; Zhang, Liuquan; Xu, Tao; Song, Huaxin; Zhong, Yongheng; Lu, Baiyi

2018-03-21

Phytosterols are well-known for their cholesterol-lowering effects, and the structures and forms of phytosterols affect their bioactivity. We aimed to illustrate the phytosterol profiles in common foods and estimate their natural intake in five geographical regions and among different age groups in China. In total, 12 phytosterols in free and esterified forms of 119 foods from five regions across China were examined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Then, the dietary intake of phytosterols was calculated combined with the dietary foods intake data of Chinese people. The total phytosterol content was highest in vegetable oils (150.4-1230.9 mg/100 g), followed by legumes (129.6-275.6 mg/100 g), nuts (18.9-255.2 mg/100 g), and cereals (11.9-93.8 mg/100 g). Vegetables and fruits contained lower contents of total phytosterols. Phytosterols were mainly esterified in most common foods except in nuts. The predominant phytosterols were β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, all of which belonged to plant sterols and 4-desmethylsterols. Total phytosterol intake varied across different regions, ranging between 257.7 and 473.7 mg/standard-person (sp)/day, with the highest intake in Beijing, followed by Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, and Guangzhou. However, phytosterol proportion was similar across regions, with β-sitosterol accounting for 46.5-50.3% of the natural intake. Phytosterol intake was mainly constituted by plant sterols and 4-desmethylsterols in esterified form (61.9-74.6%). At the age of 2-70 years, phytosterol intake ranged from 154.3 mg/day to 348.0 mg/day in the national scale.

Cohort profile: Examining Neighbourhood Activities in Built Living Environments in London: the ENABLE London-Olympic Park cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Ram, Bina; Nightingale, Claire M; Hudda, Mohammed T; Kapetanakis, Venediktos V; Ellaway, Anne; Cooper, Ashley R; Page, Angie; Lewis, Daniel; Cummins, Steven; Giles-Corti, Billie; Whincup, Peter H; Cook, Derek G; Rudnicka, Alicja R; Owen, Christopher G

2016-10-28

The Examining Neighbourhood Activities in Built Living Environments in London (ENABLE London) project is a natural experiment which aims to establish whether physical activity and other health behaviours show sustained changes among individuals and families relocating to East Village (formerly the London 2012 Olympics Athletes' Village), when compared with a control population living outside East Village throughout. Between January 2013 and December 2015, 1497 individuals from 1006 households were recruited and assessed (at baseline) (including 392 households seeking social housing, 421 seeking intermediate and 193 seeking market rent homes). The 2-year follow-up rate is 62% of households to date, of which 57% have moved to East Village. Assessments of physical activity (measured objectively using accelerometers) combined with Global Positioning System technology and Geographic Information System mapping of the local area are being used to characterise physical activity patterns and location among study participants and assess the attributes of the environments to which they are exposed. Assessments of body composition, based on weight, height and bioelectrical impedance, have been made and detailed participant questionnaires provide information on socioeconomic position, general health/health status, well-being, anxiety, depression, attitudes to leisure time activities and other personal, social and environmental influences on physical activity, including the use of recreational space and facilities in their residential neighbourhood. The main analyses will examine the changes in physical activity, health and well-being observed in the East Village group compared with controls and the influence of specific elements of the built environment on observed changes. The ENABLE London project exploits a unique opportunity to evaluate a 'natural experiment', provided by the building and rapid occupation of East Village. Findings from the study will be generalisable to

Using multi-locus allelic sequence data to estimate genetic divergence among four Lilium (Liliaceae) cultivars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shahin, A.; Smulders, M.J.M.; Tuyl, van J.M.; Arens, P.F.P.; Bakker, F.T.

2014-01-01

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) may enable estimating relationships among genotypes using allelic variation of multiple nuclear genes simultaneously. We explored the potential and caveats of this strategy in four genetically distant Lilium cultivars to estimate their genetic divergence from

Study of Profile Changes during Mechanical Polishing using Relocation Profilometry

Science.gov (United States)

Kumaran, S. Chidambara; Shunmugam, M. S.

2017-10-01

Mechanical polishing is a finishing process practiced conventionally to enhance quality of surface. Surface finish is improved by mechanical cutting action of abrasive particles on work surface. Polishing is complex in nature and research efforts have been focused on understanding the polishing mechanism. Study of changes in profile is a useful method of understanding behavior of the polishing process. Such a study requires tracing same profile at regular process intervals, which is a tedious job. An innovative relocation technique is followed in the present work to study profile changes during mechanical polishing of austenitic stainless steel specimen. Using special locating fixture, micro-indentation mark and cross-correlation technique, the same profile is traced at certain process intervals. Comparison of different parameters of profiles shows the manner in which metal removal takes place in the polishing process. Mass removal during process estimated by the same relocation technique is checked with that obtained using weight measurement. The proposed approach can be extended to other micro/nano finishing processes and favorable process conditions can be identified.

Reliability and precision of pellet-group counts for estimating landscape-level deer density

Science.gov (United States)

David S. deCalesta

2013-01-01

This study provides hitherto unavailable methodology for reliably and precisely estimating deer density within forested landscapes, enabling quantitative rather than qualitative deer management. Reliability and precision of the deer pellet-group technique were evaluated in 1 small and 2 large forested landscapes. Density estimates, adjusted to reflect deer harvest and...

Estimating bioenergy potentials of common African agricultural residues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Sune Tjalfe; Kádár, Zsófia; Schmidt, Jens Ejbye

, North America or Brazil. For that reason, it is difficult to estimate bioenergy potentials in the African region. As a part of an on‐going research collaboration investigating production of 2g biofuels in Ghana, this study have analysed 13 common African agricultural residues: yam peelings, cassava...... peelings, cassava stalks, plantain peelings, plantain trunks, plantain leaves, cocoa husks, cocoa pods, maize cobs, maize stalks, rice straw, groundnut straw and oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB). This was done to establish detailed compositional mass balances, enabling estimations of accurate bioenergy...

Reserves' potential of sedimentary basin: modeling and estimation; Potentiel de reserves d'un bassin petrolier: modelisation et estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lepez, V.

2002-12-01

The aim of this thesis is to build a statistical model of oil and gas fields' sizes distribution in a given sedimentary basin, for both the fields that exist in:the subsoil and those which have already been discovered. The estimation of all the parameters of the model via estimation of the density of the observations by model selection of piecewise polynomials by penalized maximum likelihood techniques enables to provide estimates of the total number of fields which are yet to be discovered, by class of size. We assume that the set of underground fields' sizes is an i.i.d. sample of unknown population with Levy-Pareto law with unknown parameter. The set of already discovered fields is a sub-sample without replacement from the previous which is 'size-biased'. The associated inclusion probabilities are to be estimated. We prove that the probability density of the observations is the product of the underlying density and of an unknown weighting function representing the sampling bias. An arbitrary partition of the sizes' interval being set (called a model), the analytical solutions of likelihood maximization enables to estimate both the parameter of the underlying Levy-Pareto law and the weighting function, which is assumed to be piecewise constant and based upon the partition. We shall add a monotonousness constraint over the latter, taking into account the fact that the bigger a field, the higher its probability of being discovered. Horvitz-Thompson-like estimators finally give the conclusion. We then allow our partitions to vary inside several classes of models and prove a model selection theorem which aims at selecting the best partition within a class, in terms of both Kuilback and Hellinger risk of the associated estimator. We conclude by simulations and various applications to real data from sedimentary basins of four continents, in order to illustrate theoretical as well as practical aspects of our model. (author)

Global Properties of M31's Stellar Halo from the SPLASH Survey. I. Surface Brightness Profile

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Karoline M.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Beaton, Rachael L.; Bullock, James; Geha, Marla C.; Kalirai, Jason S.; Kirby, Evan N.; Majewski, Steven R.; Ostheimer, James C.; Patterson, Richard J.; Tollerud, Erik J.; Tanaka, Mikito; Chiba, Masashi

2012-11-01

We present the surface brightness profile of M31's stellar halo out to a projected radius of 175 kpc. The surface brightness estimates are based on confirmed samples of M31 red giant branch stars derived from Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic observations. A set of empirical spectroscopic and photometric M31 membership diagnostics is used to identify and reject foreground and background contaminants. This enables us to trace the stellar halo of M31 to larger projected distances and fainter surface brightnesses than previous photometric studies. The surface brightness profile of M31's halo follows a power law with index -2.2 ± 0.2 and extends to a projected distance of at least ~175 kpc (~2/3 of M31's virial radius), with no evidence of a downward break at large radii. The best-fit elliptical isophotes have b/a = 0.94 with the major axis of the halo aligned along the minor axis of M31's disk, consistent with a prolate halo, although the data are also consistent with M31's halo having spherical symmetry. The fact that tidal debris features are kinematically cold is used to identify substructure in the spectroscopic fields out to projected radii of 90 kpc and investigate the effect of this substructure on the surface brightness profile. The scatter in the surface brightness profile is reduced when kinematically identified tidal debris features in M31 are statistically subtracted; the remaining profile indicates that a comparatively diffuse stellar component to M31's stellar halo exists to large distances. Beyond 90 kpc, kinematically cold tidal debris features cannot be identified due to small number statistics; nevertheless, the significant field-to-field variation in surface brightness beyond 90 kpc suggests that the outermost region of M31's halo is also comprised to a significant degree of stars stripped from accreted objects. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California

In Vitro Tests for Aerosol Deposition. V: Using Realistic Testing to Estimate Variations in Aerosol Properties at the Trachea.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xiangyin; Hindle, Michael; Delvadia, Renishkumar R; Byron, Peter R

2017-10-01

The dose and aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD) of drug aerosols' exiting models of the mouth and throat (MT) during a realistic inhalation profile (IP) may be estimated in vitro and designated Total Lung Dose, TLD in vitro , and APSD TLDin vitro , respectively. These aerosol characteristics likely define the drug's regional distribution in the lung. A general method was evaluated to enable the simultaneous determination of TLD in vitro and APSD TLDin vitro for budesonide aerosols' exiting small, medium and large VCU-MT models. Following calibration of the modified next generation pharmaceutical impactor (NGI) at 140 L/min, variations in aerosol dose and size exiting MT were determined from Budelin ® Novolizer ® across the IPs reported by Newman et al., who assessed drug deposition from this inhaler by scintigraphy. Values for TLD in vitro from the test inhaler determined by the general method were found to be statistically comparable to those using a filter capture method. Using new stage cutoffs determined by calibration of the modified NGI at 140 L/min, APSD TLDin vitro profiles and mass median aerodynamic diameters at the MT exit (MMAD TLDin vitro ) were determined as functions of MT geometric size across Newman's IPs. The range of mean values (n ≥ 5) for TLD in vitro and MMAD TLDin vitro for this inhaler extended from 6.2 to 103.0 μg (3.1%-51.5% of label claim) and from 1.7 to 3.6 μm, respectively. The method enables reliable determination of TLD in vitro and APSD TLDin vitro for aerosols likely to enter the trachea of test subjects in the clinic. By simulating realistic IPs and testing in different MT models, the effects of major variables on TLD in vitro and APSD TLDin vitro may be studied using the general method described in this study.

Profile-likelihood Confidence Intervals in Item Response Theory Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Chalmers, R Philip; Pek, Jolynn; Liu, Yang

2017-01-01

Confidence intervals (CIs) are fundamental inferential devices which quantify the sampling variability of parameter estimates. In item response theory, CIs have been primarily obtained from large-sample Wald-type approaches based on standard error estimates, derived from the observed or expected information matrix, after parameters have been estimated via maximum likelihood. An alternative approach to constructing CIs is to quantify sampling variability directly from the likelihood function with a technique known as profile-likelihood confidence intervals (PL CIs). In this article, we introduce PL CIs for item response theory models, compare PL CIs to classical large-sample Wald-type CIs, and demonstrate important distinctions among these CIs. CIs are then constructed for parameters directly estimated in the specified model and for transformed parameters which are often obtained post-estimation. Monte Carlo simulation results suggest that PL CIs perform consistently better than Wald-type CIs for both non-transformed and transformed parameters.

Integrating uncertainty propagation in GNSS radio occultation retrieval: from excess phase to atmospheric bending angle profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Schwarz

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS radio occultation (RO observations are highly accurate, long-term stable data sets and are globally available as a continuous record from 2001. Essential climate variables for the thermodynamic state of the free atmosphere – such as pressure, temperature, and tropospheric water vapor profiles (involving background information – can be derived from these records, which therefore have the potential to serve as climate benchmark data. However, to exploit this potential, atmospheric profile retrievals need to be very accurate and the remaining uncertainties quantified and traced throughout the retrieval chain from raw observations to essential climate variables. The new Reference Occultation Processing System (rOPS at the Wegener Center aims to deliver such an accurate RO retrieval chain with integrated uncertainty propagation. Here we introduce and demonstrate the algorithms implemented in the rOPS for uncertainty propagation from excess phase to atmospheric bending angle profiles, for estimated systematic and random uncertainties, including vertical error correlations and resolution estimates. We estimated systematic uncertainty profiles with the same operators as used for the basic state profiles retrieval. The random uncertainty is traced through covariance propagation and validated using Monte Carlo ensemble methods. The algorithm performance is demonstrated using test day ensembles of simulated data as well as real RO event data from the satellite missions CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP; Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC; and Meteorological Operational Satellite A (MetOp. The results of the Monte Carlo validation show that our covariance propagation delivers correct uncertainty quantification from excess phase to bending angle profiles. The results from the real RO event ensembles demonstrate that the new uncertainty estimation chain performs

Explicit estimating equations for semiparametric generalized linear latent variable models

KAUST Repository

Ma, Yanyuan

2010-07-05

We study generalized linear latent variable models without requiring a distributional assumption of the latent variables. Using a geometric approach, we derive consistent semiparametric estimators. We demonstrate that these models have a property which is similar to that of a sufficient complete statistic, which enables us to simplify the estimating procedure and explicitly to formulate the semiparametric estimating equations. We further show that the explicit estimators have the usual root n consistency and asymptotic normality. We explain the computational implementation of our method and illustrate the numerical performance of the estimators in finite sample situations via extensive simulation studies. The advantage of our estimators over the existing likelihood approach is also shown via numerical comparison. We employ the method to analyse a real data example from economics. © 2010 Royal Statistical Society.

Quantitative estimation of carbonation and chloride penetration in reinforced concrete by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Eto, Shuzo; Matsuo, Toyofumi; Matsumura, Takuro; Fujii, Takashi; Tanaka, Masayoshi Y.

2014-11-01

The penetration profile of chlorine in a reinforced concrete (RC) specimen was determined by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The concrete core was prepared from RC beams with cracking damage induced by bending load and salt water spraying. LIBS was performed using a specimen that was obtained by splitting the concrete core, and the line scan of laser pulses gave the two-dimensional emission intensity profiles of 100 × 80 mm2 within one hour. The two-dimensional profile of the emission intensity suggests that the presence of the crack had less effect on the emission intensity when the measurement interval was larger than the crack width. The chlorine emission spectrum was measured without using the buffer gas, which is usually used for chlorine measurement, by collinear double-pulse LIBS. The apparent diffusion coefficient, which is one of the most important parameters for chloride penetration in concrete, was estimated using the depth profile of chlorine emission intensity and Fick's law. The carbonation depth was estimated on the basis of the relationship between carbon and calcium emission intensities. When the carbon emission intensity was statistically higher than the calcium emission intensity at the measurement point, we determined that the point was carbonated. The estimation results were consistent with the spraying test results using phenolphthalein solution. These results suggest that the quantitative estimation by LIBS of carbonation depth and chloride penetration can be performed simultaneously.

Autism spectrum disorder profile in neurofibromatosis type I.

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Shruti; Plasschaert, Ellen; Descheemaeker, Mie-Jef; Huson, Susan; Borghgraef, Martine; Vogels, Annick; Evans, D Gareth; Legius, Eric; Green, Jonathan

2015-06-01

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant single-gene disorder, in which the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has attracted considerable research interest recently with prevalence estimates of 21-40%. However, detailed characterization of the ASD behavioral phenotype in NF1 is still lacking. This study characterized the phenotypic profile of ASD symptomatology presenting in 4-16 year old children with NF1 (n = 36) using evidence from parent-rated Social Responsiveness Scale and researcher autism diagnostic observation Scale-2. Compared to IQ-matched reference groups of children with autism and ASD, the NF1 profile shows overall similarity but improved eye contact, less repetitive behaviors and better language skills.

Infrared thermography for wood density estimation

Science.gov (United States)

López, Gamaliel; Basterra, Luis-Alfonso; Acuña, Luis

2018-03-01

Infrared thermography (IRT) is becoming a commonly used technique to non-destructively inspect and evaluate wood structures. Based on the radiation emitted by all objects, this technique enables the remote visualization of the surface temperature without making contact using a thermographic device. The process of transforming radiant energy into temperature depends on many parameters, and interpreting the results is usually complicated. However, some works have analyzed the operation of IRT and expanded its applications, as found in the latest literature. This work analyzes the effect of density on the thermodynamic behavior of timber to be determined by IRT. The cooling of various wood samples has been registered, and a statistical procedure that enables one to quantitatively estimate the density of timber has been designed. This procedure represents a new method to physically characterize this material.

Compact plane illumination plugin device to enable light sheet fluorescence imaging of multi-cellular organisms on an inverted wide-field microscope

OpenAIRE

Guan, Zeyi; Lee, Juhyun; Jiang, Hao; Dong, Siyan; Jen, Nelson; Hsiai, Tzung; Ho, Chih-Ming; Fei, Peng

2015-01-01

We developed a compact plane illumination plugin (PIP) device which enabled plane illumination and light sheet fluorescence imaging on a conventional inverted microscope. The PIP device allowed the integration of microscope with tunable laser sheet profile, fast image acquisition, and 3-D scanning. The device is both compact, measuring approximately 15 by 5 by 5 cm, and cost-effective, since we employed consumer electronics and an inexpensive device molding method. We demonstrated that PIP pr...

Analysis of residual transverse stresses in a thick UD glass/polyester pultruded profile using hole drilling with strain gage and digital image correlation

Science.gov (United States)

Yuksel, Onur; Baran, Ismet; Ersoy, Nuri; Akkerman, Remko

2018-05-01

Process induced stresses inherently exist in fiber reinforced polymer composites particularly in thick parts due to the presence of non-uniform cure, shrinkage and thermal expansion/contraction during manufacturing. In order to increase the reliability and the performance of the composite materials, process models are developed to predict the residual stress formation. The accuracy of the process models is dependent on the geometrical (micro to macro), material and process parameters as well as the numerical implementation. Therefore, in order to have reliable process modelling framework, there is a need for validation and if necessary calibration of the developed models. This study focuses on measurement of the transverse residual stresses in a relatively thick pultruded profile (20×20 mm) made of glass/polyester. Process-induced residual stresses in the middle of the profile are examined with different techniques which have never been applied for transverse residual stresses in thick unidirectional composites. Hole drilling method with strain gage and digital image correlation are employed. Strain values measured from measurements are used in a finite element model (FEM) to simulate the hole drilling process and predict the residual stress level. The measured released strain is found to be approximately 180 μm/m from the strain gage. The tensile residual stress at the core of the profile is estimated approximately as 7-10 MPa. Proposed methods and measured values in this study will enable validation and calibration of the process models based on the residual stresses.

An Internet enabled impact limiter material database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W.

1998-09-01

This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an interest enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The technique used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience.

An Internet enabled impact limiter material database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W.

1998-01-01

This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an interest enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The technique used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience

Aerodynamic Profiles of Women with Muscle Tension Dysphonia/Aphonia

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Amanda I.; Gartner-Schmidt, Jackie; Rubinstein, Elaine N.; Abbott, Katherine Verdolini

2013-01-01

Purpose: In this study, the authors aimed to (a) determine whether phonatory airflows and estimated subglottal pressures (est-P[subscript sub]) for women with primary muscle tension dysphonia/aphonia (MTD/A) differ from those for healthy speakers; (b) identify different aerodynamic profile patterns within the MTD/A subject group; and (c) determine…

Effect of the Enabling Perception of Costing Systems by Managers in the Performance of their Tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Eduardo de Souza

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study is to analyze the effect of the enabling perception of costing systems by managers in the performance of their tasks, mediated by the intensity in of use of these costing systems and the level of psychological empowerment. The research was carried out through a survey of 62 companies listed in the Perfil das Empresas com Projetos Aprovados ou em Implantação na Zona Franca de Manaus Profile of Companies, in 2014. With a view to analyzing the hypotheses replicated from Mahama’s and Cheng’s (2013 study, the Structural Equations Modeling technique wasused. The research results show that the managers’ enabling perception of costing systems does not affect their  intensity of use, but it impacts on psychological empowerment, and this is directly reflected in the performance of tasks, indicating that the greater the empowerment, the better manager performance will be. It isconcluded that the model partially supports the relationships delineated and that the antecedents related to the costing systems require further study.

A Profile of KwaZulu-Natal: Demographics, Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment

OpenAIRE

Pauw, Kalie

2005-01-01

This paper forms part of a series of papers that present profiles of South Africa's provinces, with a specific focus on key demographic statistics, poverty and inequality estimates, and estimates of unemployment. In this volume comparative statistics are presented for agricultural and non-agricultural households, as well as households from different racial groups, locations (metropolitan, urban and rural areas) and district municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal. Most of the data presented are drawn...

A Profile of the Limpopo Province: Demographics, Poverty, Inequality, and Unemployment

OpenAIRE

Pauw, Kalie

2005-01-01

This paper forms part of a series of papers that present profiles of South Africa's provinces, with a specific focus on key demographic statistics, poverty and inequality estimates, and estimates of unemployment. In this volume comparative statistics are presented for agricultural and non-agricultural households, as well as households from different racial groups, locations (metropolitan, urban and rural areas) and district municipalities of Limpopo. Most of the data presented are drawn from ...

A case study using kinematic quantities derived from a triangle of VHF Doppler wind profilers

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Catherine A.; Forbes, Gregory S.

1989-01-01

Horizontal divergence, relative vorticity, kinematic vertical velocity, and geostrophic and ageostrophic winds are computed from Colorado profiler network data to investigate an upslope snowstorm in northeastern Colorado. Horizontal divergence and relative vorticity are computed using the Gauss and Stokes theorems, respectively. Kinematic vertical velocities are obtained from the surface to 9 km by vertically integrating the continuity equation. The geostrophic and ageostrophic winds are computed by applying a finite differencing technique to evaluate the derivatives in the horizontal equations of motion. Comparison of the synoptic-scale data with the profiler network data reveals that the two datasets are generally consistent. Also, the profiler-derived quantities exhibit coherent vertical and temporal patterns consistent with conceptual and theoretical flow fields of various meteorological phenomena. It is suggested that the profiler-derived quantities are of potential use to weather forecasters in that they enable the dynamic and kinematic interpretation of weather system structure to be made and thus have nowcasting and short-term forecasting value.

PROFIL VEGETASI PEKARANGAN DI DESA JABON MEKAR, KECAMATAN PARUNG, BOGOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Budi Prasetyo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Jabon Mekar village is well-known by people as the central of fruit producing at subdistrict of Parung. However it was estimated as a buffer zone of Jakarta and subject of the urban development. The aim of the research is to study the vegetation profile and the tree of model architecture at home-garden of community in the village of Jabon Mekar. The methods used for vegetation analysis were the quadrate method and the vegetation profile architecture method. The result of the vegetation profile at home-garden research shows that according to their formation of canopy coat, there were five stratums. Based on the vertical and horizontal of profile diagram, the dominant species of plants is Gnetum gnemon, with Fagerlind model of architecture; and the co-dominant species of plants is Musa sp., with Tomlinson model of architecture. The domination of these two trees of architecture models will give a limited chance of having an erotion process at the home-garden society.

Star Tracker Performance Estimate with IMU

Science.gov (United States)

Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot D.; Swank, Aaron J.

2015-01-01

A software tool for estimating cross-boresight error of a star tracker combined with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) was developed to support trade studies for the Integrated Radio and Optical Communication project (iROC) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center. Typical laser communication systems, such as the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) and the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD), use a beacon to locate ground stations. iROC is investigating the use of beaconless precision laser pointing to enable laser communication at Mars orbits and beyond. Precision attitude knowledge is essential to the iROC mission to enable high-speed steering of the optical link. The preliminary concept to achieve this precision attitude knowledge is to use star trackers combined with an IMU. The Star Tracker Accuracy (STAcc) software was developed to rapidly assess the capabilities of star tracker and IMU configurations. STAcc determines the overall cross-boresight error of a star tracker with an IMU given the characteristic parameters: quantum efficiency, aperture, apparent star magnitude, exposure time, field of view, photon spread, detector pixels, spacecraft slew rate, maximum stars used for quaternion estimation, and IMU angular random walk. This paper discusses the supporting theory used to construct STAcc, verification of the program and sample results.

Smoothing internal migration age profiles for comparative research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aude Bernard

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Age patterns are a key dimension to compare migration between countries and over time. Comparative metrics can be reliably computed only if data capture the underlying age distribution of migration. Model schedules, the prevailing smoothing method, fit a composite exponential function, but are sensitive to function selection and initial parameter setting. Although non-parametric alternatives exist, their performance is yet to be established. Objective: We compare cubic splines and kernel regressions against model schedules by assessingwhich method provides an accurate representation of the age profile and best performs on metrics for comparing aggregate age patterns. Methods: We use full population microdata for Chile to perform 1,000 Monte-Carlo simulations for nine sample sizes and two spatial scales. We use residual and graphic analysis to assess model performance on the age and intensity at which migration peaks and the evolution of migration age patterns. Results: Model schedules generate a better fit when (1 the expected distribution of the age profile is known a priori, (2 the pre-determined shape of the model schedule adequately describes the true age distribution, and (3 the component curves and initial parameter values can be correctly set. When any of these conditions is not met, kernel regressions and cubic splines offer more reliable alternatives. Conclusions: Smoothing models should be selected according to research aims, age profile characteristics, and sample size. Kernel regressions and cubic splines enable a precise representation of aggregate migration age profiles for most sample sizes, without requiring parameter setting or imposing a pre-determined distribution, and therefore facilitate objective comparison.

5G-Enabled Tactile Internet

OpenAIRE

Simsek, Meryem; Aijaz, Adnan; Dohler, Mischa; Sachs, Joachim; Fettweis, Gerhard

2016-01-01

The long-term ambition of the Tactile Internet is to enable a democratization of skill, and how it is being delivered globally. An integral part of this is to be able to transmit touch in perceived real-time, which is enabled by suitable robotics and haptics equipment at the edges, along with an unprecedented communications network. The fifth generation (5G) mobile communications systems will underpin this emerging Internet at the wireless edge. This paper presents the most important technolo...

An internet enabled impact limiter material database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1998-07-01

This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an internet enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The techniques used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience. (authors)

An internet enabled impact limiter material database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W.

1998-01-01

This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an internet enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The techniques used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience. (authors)

Validation of a Robust Neural Real-Time Voltage Estimator for Active Distribution Grids on Field Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pertl, Michael; Douglass, Philip James; Heussen, Kai

2018-01-01

network approach for voltage estimation in active distribution grids by means of measured data from two feeders of a real low voltage distribution grid. The approach enables a real-time voltage estimation at locations in the distribution grid, where otherwise only non-real-time measurements are available......The installation of measurements in distribution grids enables the development of data driven methods for the power system. However, these methods have to be validated in order to understand the limitations and capabilities for their use. This paper presents a systematic validation of a neural...

Photodegradation of wood and depth profile analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kataoka, Y.

2008-01-01

Photochemical degradation is a key process of the weathering that occurs when wood is exposed outdoors. It is also a major cause of the discoloration of wood in indoor applications. The effects of sunlight on the chemical composition of wood are superficial in nature, but estimates of the depth at which photodegradation occurs in wood vary greatly from 80 microm to as much as 2540 mic rom. Better understanding of the photodegradation of wood through depth profile analysis is desirable because it would allow the development of more effective photo-protective treatments that target the surface layers of wood most susceptible to photodegradation. This paper briefly describes fundamental aspects of photodegradation of wood and reviews progress made in the field of depth profile study on the photodegradation of wood. (author)

Exploration of deep S-wave velocity structure using microtremor array technique to estimate long-period ground motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Hiroaki; Higashi, Sadanori; Sato, Kiyotaka

2007-01-01

In this study, microtremor array measurements were conducted at 9 sites in the Niigata plain to explore deep S-wave velocity structures for estimation of long-period earthquake ground motion. The 1D S-wave velocity profiles in the Niigata plain are characterized by 5 layers with S-wave velocities of 0.4, 0.8, 1.5, 2.1 and 3.0 km/s, respectively. The depth to the basement layer is deeper in the Niigata port area located at the Japan sea side of the Niigata plain. In this area, the basement depth is about 4.8 km around the Seirou town and about 4.1 km around the Niigata city, respectively. These features about the basement depth in the Niigata plain are consistent with the previous surveys. In order to verify the profiles derived from microtremor array exploration, we estimate the group velocities of Love wave for four propagation paths of long-period earthquake ground motion during Niigata-ken tyuetsu earthquake by multiple filter technique, which were compared with the theoretical ones calculated from the derived profiles. As a result, it was confirmed that the group velocities from the derived profiles were in good agreement with the ones from long-period earthquake ground motion records during Niigata-ken tyuetsu earthquake. Furthermore, we applied the estimation method of design basis earthquake input for seismically isolated nuclear power facilities by using normal mode solution to estimate long-period earthquake ground motion during Niigata-ken tyuetsu earthquake. As a result, it was demonstrated that the applicability of the above method for the estimation of long-period earthquake ground motion were improved by using the derived 1D S-wave velocity profile. (author)

Estimating and comparing microbial diversity in the presence of sequencing errors

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Chun-Huo

2016-01-01

Estimating and comparing microbial diversity are statistically challenging due to limited sampling and possible sequencing errors for low-frequency counts, producing spurious singletons. The inflated singleton count seriously affects statistical analysis and inferences about microbial diversity. Previous statistical approaches to tackle the sequencing errors generally require different parametric assumptions about the sampling model or about the functional form of frequency counts. Different parametric assumptions may lead to drastically different diversity estimates. We focus on nonparametric methods which are universally valid for all parametric assumptions and can be used to compare diversity across communities. We develop here a nonparametric estimator of the true singleton count to replace the spurious singleton count in all methods/approaches. Our estimator of the true singleton count is in terms of the frequency counts of doubletons, tripletons and quadrupletons, provided these three frequency counts are reliable. To quantify microbial alpha diversity for an individual community, we adopt the measure of Hill numbers (effective number of taxa) under a nonparametric framework. Hill numbers, parameterized by an order q that determines the measures’ emphasis on rare or common species, include taxa richness (q = 0), Shannon diversity (q = 1, the exponential of Shannon entropy), and Simpson diversity (q = 2, the inverse of Simpson index). A diversity profile which depicts the Hill number as a function of order q conveys all information contained in a taxa abundance distribution. Based on the estimated singleton count and the original non-singleton frequency counts, two statistical approaches (non-asymptotic and asymptotic) are developed to compare microbial diversity for multiple communities. (1) A non-asymptotic approach refers to the comparison of estimated diversities of standardized samples with a common finite sample size or sample completeness. This

Estimation of maternal and neonatal mortality at the subnational level in Liberia.

Science.gov (United States)

Moseson, Heidi; Massaquoi, Moses; Bawo, Luke; Birch, Linda; Dahn, Bernice; Zolia, Yah; Barreix, Maria; Gerdts, Caitlin

2014-11-01

To establish representative local-area baseline estimates of maternal and neonatal mortality using a novel adjusted sisterhood method. The status of maternal and neonatal health in Bomi County, Liberia, was investigated in June 2013 using a population-based survey (n=1985). The standard direct sisterhood method was modified to account for place and time of maternal death to enable calculation of subnational estimates. The modified method of measuring maternal mortality successfully enabled the calculation of area-specific estimates. Of 71 reported deaths of sisters, 18 (25.4%) were due to pregnancy-related causes and had occurred in the past 3 years in Bomi County. The estimated maternal mortality ratio was 890 maternal deaths for every 100 000 live births (95% CI, 497-1301]. The neonatal mortality rate was estimated to be 47 deaths for every 1000 live births (95% CI, 42-52). In total, 322 (16.9%) of 1900 women with accurate age data reported having had a stillbirth. The modified direct sisterhood method may be useful to other countries seeking a more regionally nuanced understanding of areas in which neonatal and maternal mortality levels still need to be reduced to meet Millennium Development Goals. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

'Ethos' Enabling Organisational Knowledge Creation

Science.gov (United States)

Matsudaira, Yoshito

This paper examines knowledge creation in relation to improvements on the production line in the manufacturing department of Nissan Motor Company and aims to clarify embodied knowledge observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation will be clarified. For that purpose, this study adopts an approach that adds a first, second, and third-person's viewpoint to the theory of knowledge creation. Embodied knowledge, observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation, is the continued practice of 'ethos' (in Greek) founded in Nissan Production Way as an ethical basis. Ethos is knowledge (intangible) assets for knowledge creating companies. Substantiated analysis classifies ethos into three categories: the individual, team and organisation. This indicates the precise actions of the organisational members in each category during the knowledge creation process. This research will be successful in its role of showing the indispensability of ethos - the new concept of knowledge assets, which enables knowledge creation -for future knowledge-based management in the knowledge society.

A Canadian upland forest soil profile and carbon stocks database.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Cindy; Hilger, Arlene; Filiatrault, Michelle; Kurz, Werner

2018-04-01

"A Canadian upland forest soil profile and carbon stocks database" was compiled in phases over a period of 10 years to address various questions related to modeling upland forest soil carbon in a national forest carbon accounting model. For 3,253 pedons, the SITES table contains estimates for soil organic carbon stocks (Mg/ha) in organic horizons and mineral horizons to a 100-cm depth, soil taxonomy, leading tree species, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, province or territory, terrestrial ecozone, and latitude and longitude, with an assessment of the quality of information about location. The PROFILES table contains profile data (16,167 records by horizon) used to estimate the carbon stocks that appear in the SITES table, plus additional soil chemical and physical data, where provided by the data source. The exceptions to this are estimates for soil carbon stocks based on Canadian National Forest Inventory data (NFI [2006] in REFERENCES table), where data were collected by depth increment rather than horizon and, therefore, total soil carbon stocks were calculated separately before being entered into the SITES table. Data in the PROFILES table include the carbon stock estimate for each horizon (corrected for coarse fragment content), and the data used to calculate the carbon stock estimate, such as horizon thickness, bulk density, and percent organic carbon. The PROFILES table also contains data, when reported by the source, for percent carbonate carbon, pH, percent total nitrogen, particle size distribution (percent sand, silt, clay), texture class, exchangeable cations, cation and total exchange capacity, and percent Fe and Al. An additional table provides references (REFERENCES table) for the source data. Earlier versions of the database were used to develop national soil carbon modeling categories based on differences in carbon stocks linked to soil taxonomy and to examine the potential of using soil taxonomy and leading tree species to improve

MetAssimulo:Simulation of Realistic NMR Metabolic Profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

De Iorio Maria

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Probing the complex fusion of genetic and environmental interactions, metabolic profiling (or metabolomics/metabonomics, the study of small molecules involved in metabolic reactions, is a rapidly expanding 'omics' field. A major technique for capturing metabolite data is 1H-NMR spectroscopy and this yields highly complex profiles that require sophisticated statistical analysis methods. However, experimental data is difficult to control and expensive to obtain. Thus data simulation is a productive route to aid algorithm development. Results MetAssimulo is a MATLAB-based package that has been developed to simulate 1H-NMR spectra of complex mixtures such as metabolic profiles. Drawing data from a metabolite standard spectral database in conjunction with concentration information input by the user or constructed automatically from the Human Metabolome Database, MetAssimulo is able to create realistic metabolic profiles containing large numbers of metabolites with a range of user-defined properties. Current features include the simulation of two groups ('case' and 'control' specified by means and standard deviations of concentrations for each metabolite. The software enables addition of spectral noise with a realistic autocorrelation structure at user controllable levels. A crucial feature of the algorithm is its ability to simulate both intra- and inter-metabolite correlations, the analysis of which is fundamental to many techniques in the field. Further, MetAssimulo is able to simulate shifts in NMR peak positions that result from matrix effects such as pH differences which are often observed in metabolic NMR spectra and pose serious challenges for statistical algorithms. Conclusions No other software is currently able to simulate NMR metabolic profiles with such complexity and flexibility. This paper describes the algorithm behind MetAssimulo and demonstrates how it can be used to simulate realistic NMR metabolic profiles with

Remote sensing estimates of impervious surfaces for pluvial flood modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaspersen, Per Skougaard; Drews, Martin

This paper investigates the accuracy of medium resolution (MR) satellite imagery in estimating impervious surfaces for European cities at the detail required for pluvial flood modelling. Using remote sensing techniques enables precise and systematic quantification of the influence of the past 30...

Nutrient Intake and Nutritional Status Profile of HIV-Positive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The intake of sufficient nutrients is important for maintaining the functional compounds of the immune system. The main aim of this study was to assess the nutrient intake and nutritional status profile of HIV positive individuals. Home dietary recall and six days\\' food intake from the nutrition center was used to estimate the ...

Problems of estimation of water content history of loesses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rendell, H.M.

1983-01-01

The estimation of 'mean water content' is a major source of error in the TL dating of many sediments. The engineering behaviour of loesses can be used, under certain circumstances, to interfer their content history. The construction of 'stress history' for particular loesses is therefore proposed in order to establish the critical conditions of moisture and applied stress (overburden) at which irreversible structural change occurs. A programme of field and laboratory tests should enable more precise estimates of water content history to be made. (author)

Performance Measurement of Location Enabled e-Government Processes: A Use Case on Traffic Safety Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Vandenbroucke, D.; Vancauwenberghe, G.

2016-12-01

The European Union Location Framework (EULF), as part of the Interoperable Solutions for European Public Administrations (ISA) Programme of the EU (EC DG DIGIT), aims to enhance the interactions between governments, businesses and citizens by embedding location information into e-Government processes. The challenge remains to find scientific sound and at the same time practicable approaches to estimate or measure the impact of location enablement of e-Government processes on the performance of the processes. A method has been defined to estimate process performance in terms of variables describing the efficiency, effectiveness, as well as the quality of the output of the work processes. A series of use cases have been identified, corresponding to existing e-Government work processes in which location information could bring added value. In a first step, the processes are described by means of BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) to better understand the process steps, the actors involved, the spatial data flows, as well as the required input and the generated output. In a second step the processes are assessed in terms of the (sub-optimal) use of location information and the potential enhancement of the process by better integrating location information and services. The process performance is measured ex ante (before using location enabled e-Government services) and ex-post (after the integration of such services) in order to estimate and measure the impact of location information. The paper describes the method for performance measurement and highlights how the method is applied to one use case, i.e. the process of traffic safety monitoring. The use case is analysed and assessed in terms of location enablement and its potential impact on process performance. The results of applying the methodology on the use case revealed that performance is highly impacted by factors such as the way location information is collected, managed and shared throughout the

Enabling Searches on Wavelengths in a Hyperspectral Indices Database

Science.gov (United States)

Piñuela, F.; Cerra, D.; Müller, R.

2017-10-01

Spectral indices derived from hyperspectral reflectance measurements are powerful tools to estimate physical parameters in a non-destructive and precise way for several fields of applications, among others vegetation health analysis, coastal and deep water constituents, geology, and atmosphere composition. In the last years, several micro-hyperspectral sensors have appeared, with both full-frame and push-broom acquisition technologies, while in the near future several hyperspectral spaceborne missions are planned to be launched. This is fostering the use of hyperspectral data in basic and applied research causing a large number of spectral indices to be defined and used in various applications. Ad hoc search engines are therefore needed to retrieve the most appropriate indices for a given application. In traditional systems, query input parameters are limited to alphanumeric strings, while characteristics such as spectral range/ bandwidth are not used in any existing search engine. Such information would be relevant, as it enables an inverse type of search: given the spectral capabilities of a given sensor or a specific spectral band, find all indices which can be derived from it. This paper describes a tool which enables a search as described above, by using the central wavelength or spectral range used by a given index as a search parameter. This offers the ability to manage numeric wavelength ranges in order to select indices which work at best in a given set of wavelengths or wavelength ranges.

Prevalence and Genetic Profile of Duchene and Becker Muscular Dystrophy in Puerto Rico.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Edwardo; Conde, José G; Berrios, Rafael Arias; Pardo, Sherly; Gómez, Omar; Mas Rodríguez, Manuel F

2016-05-27

Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DMD and BMD, respectively), are common forms of inherited muscle disease. Information regarding the epidemiology of these conditions, including genotype, is still sparse. To establish the prevalence and genetic profile of DMD and BMD in Puerto Rico. We collected data from medical records in all Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) clinics in Puerto Rico in order to estimate the prevalence of DMD and BMD and to describe the genotypic profile of these patients. Patients selected for data analysis matched "definite", "probable" and "possible" case definitions as established by MD STARnet. A total of 141 patients matched the inclusion criteria, with 64.5% and 35.5% being categorized into DMD and BMD, respectively. DMD and BMD prevalence in Puerto Rico was estimated at 5.18 and 2.84 per 100,000 males, respectively. Deletion was the most common form of mutation (66.7%) in the dystrophin gene, with exons in segment 45 to 47 being the most frequently affected. This is the first report of the prevalence and genetic profile characteristics of DMD and BMD in Puerto Rico. Prevalence of DMD was similar to that reported worldwide, while prevalence of BMD was higher. Genetic profile was consistent with that reported in the literature.

Profiles of intestinal polyparasitism in a community of the Colombian Amazon region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julián A. Fernández-Niño

2017-09-01

Conclusion: Several intestinal polyparasitism profiles were found, although in most cases fewer than six parasites were involved. Better prevalence estimations and identification of determinant factors will allow to priorize and direct resources to control these infections.

Radial plasma profile and neutron yield in an adiabatic trap with fast atom injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panov, D.A.

1988-01-01

Radial profiles of ion densities depending on two dimensionless parameters, which values are determined by the trap, plasma and injected beam parameters are found in dimensionless units for a plasma generated by fast atom injection in an adiabatic trap. The calculated profiles are used for determining the neutron yield. Simple approximated dimensional relations permitting to estimate quickly neutron yield, required injection power, flux of charge exchange atoms on the wall around the plasma in a wide energy range of injected atoms, trap field modulud, injection angle, trap radius and length are determined. The energetic efficiency of neutron production is estimated and it is shown that it grows with the injection energy. 7 refs.; 7 figs

The ``Micro'' Aethalometer - an enabling technology for new applications in the measurement of Aerosol Black Carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, A. D.; Močnik, G.

2010-12-01

Aerosol Black Carbon (BC) is a tracer for combustion emissions; a primary indicator of adverse health effects; and the second leading contributor to Global Climate Change. The “Micro” Aethalometer is a recently-developed miniature instrument that makes a real-time measurement of BC on a very short timebase in a self-contained, battery-powered package that is lightweight and pocket sized. This technological development critically enables new areas of research: Measurements of the vertical profile of BC, by carrying the sampler aloft on a balloon (tethered or released) or aircraft (piloted or UAV); Estimates of the concentration of BC in the troposphere and lower stratosphere in the 8 - 12 km. altitude range, by measurements in the passenger cabin during commercial air travel; Epidemiological studies of personal exposure to BC, by carrying the sampler on a subject person in health studies; Measurements of the concentration of BC in rural and remote regions, by means of a small, battery-powered instrument that is convenient to deploy; measurements of high concentrations of “smoke” in indoor and outdoor environments in developing countries; Unobtrusive monitoring of BC infiltration into indoor environments, by means of a small, quiet instrument that can be placed in publicly-used spaces, school classrooms, museums, and other potentially-impacted locations; Adaptation of the technology to the direct source measurement of BC concentrations in emissions from diesel exhausts, combustion plumes, and other sources. We will show examples of data from various recent projects to illustrate the capabilities and applications of this new instrument.

INTEGRATED SPEED ESTIMATION MODEL FOR MULTILANE EXPREESSWAYS

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Sungjoon; Oguchi, Takashi

In this paper, an integrated speed-estimation model is developed based on empirical analyses for the basic sections of intercity multilane expressway un der the uncongested condition. This model enables a speed estimation for each lane at any site under arb itrary highway-alignment, traffic (traffic flow and truck percentage), and rainfall conditions. By combin ing this model and a lane-use model which estimates traffic distribution on the lanes by each vehicle type, it is also possible to es timate an average speed across all the lanes of one direction from a traffic demand by vehicle type under specific highway-alignment and rainfall conditions. This model is exp ected to be a tool for the evaluation of traffic performance for expressways when the performance me asure is travel speed, which is necessary for Performance-Oriented Highway Planning and Design. Regarding the highway-alignment condition, two new estimators, called effective horizo ntal curvature and effective vertical grade, are proposed in this paper which take into account the influence of upstream and downstream alignment conditions. They are applied to the speed-estimation model, and it shows increased accuracy of the estimation.

Robust estimation for ordinary differential equation models.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, J; Wang, L; Xu, J

2011-12-01

Applied scientists often like to use ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to model complex dynamic processes that arise in biology, engineering, medicine, and many other areas. It is interesting but challenging to estimate ODE parameters from noisy data, especially when the data have some outliers. We propose a robust method to address this problem. The dynamic process is represented with a nonparametric function, which is a linear combination of basis functions. The nonparametric function is estimated by a robust penalized smoothing method. The penalty term is defined with the parametric ODE model, which controls the roughness of the nonparametric function and maintains the fidelity of the nonparametric function to the ODE model. The basis coefficients and ODE parameters are estimated in two nested levels of optimization. The coefficient estimates are treated as an implicit function of ODE parameters, which enables one to derive the analytic gradients for optimization using the implicit function theorem. Simulation studies show that the robust method gives satisfactory estimates for the ODE parameters from noisy data with outliers. The robust method is demonstrated by estimating a predator-prey ODE model from real ecological data. © 2011, The International Biometric Society.

Comparison of predicted and measured pulsed-column profiles and inventories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostenak, C.A.; Cermak, A.F.

1983-01-01

Nuclear materials accounting and process control in fuels reprocessing plants can be improved by near-real-time estimation of the in-process inventory in solvent-extraction contactors. Experimental studies were conducted on pilot- and plant-scale pulsed columns by Allied-General Nuclear Service (AGNS), and the extensive uranium concentration-profile and inventory data were analyzed by Los Alamos and AGNS to develop and evaluate different predictive inventory techniques. Preliminary comparisons of predicted and measured pulsed-column profiles and inventories show promise for using these predictive techniques to improve nuclear materials accounting and process control in fuels reprocessing plants