Remote Laser Diffraction PSD Analyzer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Batcheller, T.A.; Huestis, G.M.; Bolton, S.M.
2000-01-01
Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis of radioactive slurry samples were obtained using a modified off-the-shelf classical laser light scattering particle size analyzer. A Horiba Instruments Inc. Model La-300 PSD analyzer, which has a 0.1 to 600 micron measurement range, was modified for remote application in a hot cell (gamma radiation) environment. The general details of the modifications to this analyzer are presented in this paper. This technology provides rapid and simple PSD analysis, especially down in the fine and microscopic particle size regime. Particle size analysis of these radioactive slurries down in this smaller range was not achievable - making this technology far superior than the traditional methods used previously. Remote deployment and utilization of this technology is in an exploratory stage. The risk of malfunction in this radiation environment is countered by gaining of this tremendously useful fundamental engineering data. Successful acquisition of this data, in conjunction with other characterization analyses, provides important information that can be used in the myriad of potential radioactive waste management alternatives
Remote Laser Diffraction PSD Analyzer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Batcheller, Thomas Aquinas; Huestis, Gary Michael; Bolton, Steven Michael
2000-01-01
Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis of radioactive slurry samples were obtained using a modified ''off-the-shelf'' classical laser light scattering particle size analyzer. A Horiba Instruments Inc. Model La-300 PSD analyzer, which has a 0.1 to 600 micron measurement range, was modified for remote application in a ''hot cell'' (gamma radiation) environment. The general details of the modifications to this analyzer are presented in this paper. This technology provides rapid and simple PSD analysis, especially down in the fine and microscopic particle size regime. Particle size analysis of these radioactive slurries down in this smaller range was not achievable--making this technology far superior than the traditional methods used previously. Remote deployment and utilization of this technology is in an exploratory stage. The risk of malfunction in this radiation environment is countered by gaining of this tremendously useful fundamental engineering data. Successful acquisition of this data, in conjunction with other characterization analyses, provides important information that can be used in the myriad of potential radioactive waste management alternatives
Durable fear memories require PSD-95
Fitzgerald, Paul J.; Pinard, Courtney R.; Camp, Marguerite C.; Feyder, Michael; Sah, Anupam; Bergstrom, Hadley; Graybeal, Carolyn; Liu, Yan; Schlüter, Oliver; Grant, Seth G.N.; Singewald, Nicolas; Xu, Weifeng; Holmes, Andrew
2014-01-01
Traumatic fear memories are highly durable but also dynamic, undergoing repeated reactivation and rehearsal over time. While overly persistent fear memories underlie anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, the key neural and molecular mechanisms underlying fear memory durability remain unclear. Post-synaptic density 95 (PSD-95) is a synaptic protein regulating glutamate receptor anchoring, synaptic stability and certain types of memory. Employing a loss-of-function mutant mouse lacking the guanylate kinase domain of PSD-95 (PSD-95GK), we analyzed the contribution of PSD-95 to fear memory formation and retrieval, and sought to identify the neural basis of PSD-95-mediated memory maintenance using ex vivo immediate-early gene mapping, in vivo neuronal recordings and viral-mediated knockdown approaches. We show that PSD-95 is dispensable for the formation and expression of recent fear memories, but essential for the formation of precise and flexible fear memories and for the maintenance of memories at remote time points. The failure of PSD-95GK mice to retrieve remote cued fear memories was associated with hypoactivation of the infralimbic cortex (IL) (not anterior cingulate (ACC) or prelimbic cortex), reduced IL single-unit firing and bursting, and attenuated IL gamma and theta oscillations. Adeno-associated PSD-95 virus-mediated knockdown in the IL, not ACC, was sufficient to impair recent fear extinction and remote fear memory, and remodel IL dendritic spines. Collectively, these data identify PSD-95 in the IL as a critical mechanism supporting the durability of fear memories over time. These preclinical findings have implications for developing novel approaches to treating trauma-based anxiety disorders that target the weakening of overly persistent fear memories. PMID:25510511
The investigation of fatigue load on a PSD using finite element method
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Choi, Mood Duck; Cho, Chong Du; Choi, Won June [Inha Univ., Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung Yup [Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)
2008-07-01
Subway railway systems are being increasingly adopted in metro cities to ease the passenger transportation. But there are some concerns related to the safety of the passengers. Nowadays, PSD(Platform Screen Doors) are commonly used to assure the safety of passengers. PSD is used to prevent the fire disasters, air turbulence, and dust which may pose a threat to the passenger's safety. Moreover the design of PSD itself has to take some parameters into consideration, crowd loading, wind pressure, etc. In our present study we perform a fatigue analysis considering these parameters. Commercial finite element software package ANSYS Workbench 11.0 has been used for the structural analysis. In correlation with this analysis, the structural safety of the testing PSD equipment was confirmed, and the critical load condition was found.
The investigation of fatigue load on a PSD using finite element method
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Choi, Mood Duck; Cho, Chong Du; Choi, Won June; Kim, Jung Yup
2008-01-01
Subway railway systems are being increasingly adopted in metro cities to ease the passenger transportation. But there are some concerns related to the safety of the passengers. Nowadays, PSD(Platform Screen Doors) are commonly used to assure the safety of passengers. PSD is used to prevent the fire disasters, air turbulence, and dust which may pose a threat to the passenger's safety. Moreover the design of PSD itself has to take some parameters into consideration, crowd loading, wind pressure, etc. In our present study we perform a fatigue analysis considering these parameters. Commercial finite element software package ANSYS Workbench 11.0 has been used for the structural analysis. In correlation with this analysis, the structural safety of the testing PSD equipment was confirmed, and the critical load condition was found
TrkB and PKMζ regulate synaptic localization of PSD-95 in developing cortex
Yoshii, Akira; Murata, Yasunobu; Kim, Jihye; Zhang, Chao; Shokat, Kevan M.; Constantine-Paton, Martha
2011-01-01
Post-synaptic density 95 (PSD-95), the major scaffold at excitatory synapses, is critical for synapse maturation and learning. In rodents, eye opening, the onset of pattern vision, triggers a rapid movement of PSD-95 from visual neuron somata to synapses. We previously showed that the PI3 kinase-Akt pathway downstream of BDNF/TrkB signaling stimulates synaptic delivery of PSD-95 via vesicular transport. However, vesicular transport requires PSD-95 palmitoylation to attach it to a lipid membrane. Also PSD-95 insertion at synapses is known to require this lipid modification. Here, we show that BDNF/TrkB signaling is also necessary for PSD-95 palmitoylation and its transport to synapses in mouse visual cortical layer 2/3 neurons. However, palmitoylation of PSD-95 requires the activation of another pathway downstream of BDNF/TrkB, namely signaling through PLCγ and the brain-specific PKC variant PKMζ. We find that PKMζ selectively regulates phosphorylation of the palmitoylation enzyme ZDHHC8. Inhibition of PKMζ results in a reduction of synaptic PSD-95 accumulation in vivo, which can be rescued by over-expression ZDHHC8. Therefore, TrkB and PKMζ, two critical regulators of synaptic plasticity, facilitate PSD-95 targeting to synapses. These results also indicate that palmitoylation can be regulated by a trophic factor. Our findings have implications for neurodevelopmental disorders as well as ageing brains. PMID:21849550
Data acquisition system for linear PSD based neutron diffractometer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pande, S.S.; Borkar, S.P.; Behere, Anita; Ghodgaonkar, M.D.
2001-01-01
Single or multi-PSD configurations are used in different neutron diffractometer setups. A data acquisition system is developed to serve the gross requirements of all the diffractometer setups. It is also customized to specific requirements of different setups. The hardware is developed as a Transputer based add-on card. Most of the hardware functionality is handled in the Transputer program thus improving throughput of the system. The card can handle 16 RDCs, a few motor controls and on/off controls. The software comprises of a front-end Windows98 application, a Transputer program and a device driver. The data acquisition system performs data acquisition, analysis, display and storage. Analysis includes converting raw data of linear PSD to equiangular format, merging and clubbing the data to make a continuous equiangular spectrum. Calibration of individual PSD is a crucial activity in correctly merging the data coming from PSDs. (author)
Capping of the N-terminus of PSD-95 by calmodulin triggers its postsynaptic release
Zhang, Yonghong; Matt, Lucas; Patriarchi, Tommaso; Malik, Zulfiqar A; Chowdhury, Dhrubajyoti; Park, Deborah K; Renieri, Alessandra; Ames, James B; Hell, Johannes W
2014-01-01
Postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) is a central element of the postsynaptic architecture of glutamatergic synapses. PSD-95 mediates postsynaptic localization of AMPA receptors and NMDA receptors and plays an important role in synaptic plasticity. PSD-95 is released from postsynaptic membranes in response to Ca2+ influx via NMDA receptors. Here, we show that Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM) binds at the N-terminus of PSD-95. Our NMR structure reveals that both lobes of CaM collapse onto a helical structure of PSD-95 formed at its N-terminus (residues 1–16). This N-terminal capping of PSD-95 by CaM blocks palmitoylation of C3 and C5, which is required for postsynaptic PSD-95 targeting and the binding of CDKL5, a kinase important for synapse stability. CaM forms extensive hydrophobic contacts with Y12 of PSD-95. The PSD-95 mutant Y12E strongly impairs binding to CaM and Ca2+-induced release of PSD-95 from the postsynaptic membrane in dendritic spines. Our data indicate that CaM binding to PSD-95 serves to block palmitoylation of PSD-95, which in turn promotes Ca2+-induced dissociation of PSD-95 from the postsynaptic membrane. PMID:24705785
Novel Method of Detecting Movement of the Interference Fringes Using One-Dimensional PSD
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Qi Wang
2015-06-01
Full Text Available In this paper, a method of using a one-dimensional position-sensitive detector (PSD by replacing charge-coupled device (CCD to measure the movement of the interference fringes is presented first, and its feasibility is demonstrated through an experimental setup based on the principle of centroid detection. Firstly, the centroid position of the interference fringes in a fiber Mach-Zehnder (M-Z interferometer is solved in theory, showing it has a higher resolution and sensitivity. According to the physical characteristics and principles of PSD, a simulation of the interference fringe’s phase difference in fiber M-Z interferometers and PSD output is carried out. Comparing the simulation results with the relationship between phase differences and centroid positions in fiber M-Z interferometers, the conclusion that the output of interference fringes by PSD is still the centroid position is obtained. Based on massive measurements, the best resolution of the system is achieved with 5.15, 625 μm. Finally, the detection system is evaluated through setup error analysis and an ultra-narrow-band filter structure. The filter structure is configured with a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing positive and negative refraction material, which can eliminate background light in the PSD detection experiment. This detection system has a simple structure, good stability, high precision and easily performs remote measurements, which makes it potentially useful in material small deformation tests, refractivity measurements of optical media and optical wave front detection.
Psd1 Effects on Candida albicans Planktonic Cells and Biofilms
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sónia Gonçalves
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Candida albicans is an important human pathogen, causing opportunistic infections. The adhesion of planktonic cells to a substrate is the first step for biofilm development. The antimicrobial peptide (AMP Psd1 is a defensin isolated from Pisum sativum seeds. We tested the effects of this AMP on C. albicans biofilms and planktonic cells, comparing its activity with amphotericin B and fluconazole. Three C. albicans variants were studied, one of them a mutant deficient in glucosylceramide synthase, conferring resistance to Psd1 antifungal action. Atomic force microscopy (AFM was used to assess morphological and biomechanical changes on fungal cells. Surface alterations, with membrane disruption and leakage of cellular contents, were observed. Cytometry assays and confocal microscopy imaging showed that Psd1 causes cell death, in a time and concentration-dependent manner. These results demonstrate Psd1 pleiotropic action against a relevant fungal human pathogen, suggesting its use as natural antimycotic agent.
Thermodynamics of TMPC/PSd/Fullerene Nanocomposites: SANS Study
Chua, Yang-Choo; Chan, Alice; Wong, Him-Cheng; Higgins, Julia S.; Cabral, João T.
2010-01-01
) analysis demonstrate that 1-2 mass % of C60 fullerenes destabilizes a highly interacting mixture of poly(tetramethyl bisphenol A polycarbonate) and deuterated polystyrene (TMPC/PSd). We unequivocally corroborate these findings with time-resolved temperature
Neutron beam applications; development of texture measuring technique using 1-dimensional PSD
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Park, No Jin; Lee, Moon Kyu; Joung, Tae Won; Lee, In Sung [Kumoh National University of Technology, Kumi (Korea)
2002-03-01
The new developed materials have often a low crystal symmetry or/and multi-phase state. Because the diffraction patterns of those materials are very complex and some peaks are overlapped, the measured pole figures with a conventional detector (0-dimensional detector) are not sufficient to use for the texture analysis. And also the widely broaden diffraction patterns caused by sever deformation, can only measured with lots of measuring errors using 0-dimensional detector. In this study the 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional position sensitive detector(PSD) is used such pattern to analyse. With PSD the more accurate pole figures can be measured, and the texture analysis, the estimation of the properties are determined more precisely. The measurement using PSD needs special technique for the analysis of the measured pattern. In this study the measuring and analysing technique is developed and compared with the conventional detector. 11 refs., 92 figs., 21 tabs. (Author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hashimoto, T.; Sato, K.; Yoneyama, Y.; Fukuyama, N.
1997-01-01
Some improvements of the detection sensitivity in pulse time interval analysis (TIA) based on selective extraction of successively α-α correlated decay events within millisecond order from random or background events, were established by the utilization of PSD, to reject β/γ-pulses from α-ones and a simple chemical procedure of radium separation, together with the use of well resolved scintillator. By applying the PSD, the contribution of β-decay events was completely eliminated in both the α-spectra and the TIA distribution curves as well as the improvement into clear energy resolution and the enhancement of detection sensitivity for the TIA. As a result, the TIA and α-spectrometric analysis of 226 Ra-extract showed the existence of 223 Ra (Ac-series) and β/α-correlated events with correlated life (due to 0.16 ms due to 214 Bi(β)-> 214 Po(α)->) along with a singly well resolved α-peak to be useful for the determination of 226 Ra (U-series). The difference of half-lives (145 and 1.78 ms) due to 216 Po and 215 Po (direct daughters of 224 Ra for Th-series and 223 Ra for Ac-series, respectively) was also proven for the possibility of the simultaneous determination of both correlated events by using the TIA/PSD combined with chemical separation and liquid scintillation counting method. Finally, the simultaneous determination of three natural decay series, which include U-, Th- and Ac-series nuclides, have been conveniently carried out for some environmental samples using the present method combined with 225 Ra yield tracer (Np-series). (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Jang, Yong Jun; Kim, Jin Ho; Park, Sung Huk; Koo, Dong Hoe [Korea Railroad Research Institute, Uiwang (Korea, Republic of)
2015-11-15
Large eddy simulation (LES) method is applied to systematically investigate the cooling fluid flow and the temperature distribution under the operating of air conditioning in the deeply underground subway station. The Shin-Gum-Ho subway station in Seoul which is the 8{sup th} floor and 43.6 m deep is selected for this analysis. The entire station is covered for simulation. The ventilation mode for air conditioning is kept as ordinary state. Different operating conditions for Platform screen door (PSD) are applied. First one is PSD is completely close and second one is PSD is regularly open and close which imitate the actual circumstances in the platform. The ventilation diffusers are modeled as 95 square shapes in the lobby and 222 squares in the platform. The temperature variations and flow behaviors are numerically simulated after operating of air conditioning for the whole station and the calculated results are compared with experimental data. LES method solves the momentum and thermal equations. Werner-Wengle wall law is applied to viscous sub layers for near wall resolution. The total grid numbers are 7.5 million and the whole domain is divided to 22 blocks. Multi blocks are computed in parallel using MPI. The results show the temperature difference in the platform between PSD-close and PSD-regularly open and close cases is 3-4 .deg. C.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jang, Yong Jun; Kim, Jin Ho; Park, Sung Huk; Koo, Dong Hoe
2015-01-01
Large eddy simulation (LES) method is applied to systematically investigate the cooling fluid flow and the temperature distribution under the operating of air conditioning in the deeply underground subway station. The Shin-Gum-Ho subway station in Seoul which is the 8"t"h floor and 43.6 m deep is selected for this analysis. The entire station is covered for simulation. The ventilation mode for air conditioning is kept as ordinary state. Different operating conditions for Platform screen door (PSD) are applied. First one is PSD is completely close and second one is PSD is regularly open and close which imitate the actual circumstances in the platform. The ventilation diffusers are modeled as 95 square shapes in the lobby and 222 squares in the platform. The temperature variations and flow behaviors are numerically simulated after operating of air conditioning for the whole station and the calculated results are compared with experimental data. LES method solves the momentum and thermal equations. Werner-Wengle wall law is applied to viscous sub layers for near wall resolution. The total grid numbers are 7.5 million and the whole domain is divided to 22 blocks. Multi blocks are computed in parallel using MPI. The results show the temperature difference in the platform between PSD-close and PSD-regularly open and close cases is 3-4 .deg. C
Hadron calorimeter (PSD) with new photo-detectors (MPPC) in NA61 experiment at CERN
Golubeva, M.; Guber, F.; Ivashkin, A.; Izvestnyy, A.; Kurepin, A.; Morozov, S.; Petukhov, O.; Selyuzhenkov, I.; Svintsov, I.; Taranenko, A.
2017-01-01
The Projectile Spectator Detector (PSD) is a segmented hadron calorimeter used in NA61 experiment (CERN) to determine a collision centrality as well as an event plane orientation in nucleus-nucleus collisions. The main goal of the experiment includes studying the onset of de-confinement and searching for the critical point of strongly interacting matter. It is of crucial importance to have a precise characterization of the event class with the PSD for the analysis of event-by-event observables. The PSD has been already used for centrality selection on trigger level in measurements of Be+Be and Ar+Sc reactions at beam energies 13 - 158 AGeV and Pb+Pb reaction at beam energy 30 AGeV. In 2016, the central modules of PSD have been equipped with new Hamamatsu MPPC silicon photo-detectors in order to extend dynamic range for studying Pb+Pb reaction at the full energy range 13 - 158 AGeV. Results of the PSD response on proton and lead beams are presented.
IB-11PSEUDO-PROGRESSION (PsdPg) IS A HARBINGER OF A MORE EFFECTIVE ANTI-TUMOR RESPONSE
Sturla, Lisa; Donahue, John; Machan, Jason; Delamonte, Suzanne; Jeyapalan, Suriya
2014-01-01
BACKGROUND: PsdPg is the increased contrast enhancement, high choline/creatine ratio and increased perfusion observed in the residual tumor bed of high-grade glioma patients after completion of temozolomide/radiation. It resolves within 3-6 months and incidence ranges from 10 - 31%. Though correlated with longer patient survival, its pathological basis is unclear. We used a cytokine/chemokine focused approach to compare the tumor microenvironment in pre- and post-treatment tumor tissue from patients with PsdPg to patients with true progression (TP). METHODS: We obtained pre-treatment formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue from 35 GBM patients and post-treatment FFPE tissue from five patients with PsdPg and TP. A quantitative PCR array and custom Quantigene 2.0 multiplex was used to quantify gene expression corresponding to major cytokines/chemokines. An 18-gene signature was used to determine the macrophage polarization score (cumulative M2-associated cytokine expression - cumulative M1-associated cytokine expression). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to confirm significantly different targets at the protein level. RESULTS: IHC revealed 7-fold higher B-cell infiltration in TP patients as compared to patients with PsdPg (p = 0.003). Macrophage and T-cell infiltration were not significantly different between the two groups. Nevertheless, the cytokines associated with macrophage polarization indicated pro-tumorigenic (M2) polarization in TP patients while PsdPg patients exhibited classical anti-tumorigenic (M1) polarization. TP patients had a 10-fold higher M2 score (p = 0.03) compared to PsdPg patients. The M1 score of tissue from PsdPg patients post-treatment was 25-fold higher than their pre-treatment tissue (p = 0.01). Analysis of a 7-gene signature associated with natural killer (NK) cell recruitment and activation showed a 8-fold higher expression in pre-treatment tissue from PsdPg patients compared to TP patients (p = 0.009) suggesting that NK cells
Miyata, Non; Miyoshi, Takuya; Yamaguchi, Takanori; Nakazono, Toshimitsu; Tani, Motohiro; Kuge, Osamu
2015-12-15
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is synthesized through decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine (PS), catalysed by PS decarboxylase 1 (Psd1p) and 2 (Psd2p) and the cytidine 5'-diphosphate (CDP)-ethanolamine (CDP-Etn) pathway. PSD1 null (psd1Δ) and PSD2 null (psd2Δ) mutants are viable in a synthetic minimal medium, but a psd1Δ psd2Δ double mutant exhibits Etn auxotrophy, which is incorporated into PE through the CDP-Etn pathway. We have previously shown that psd1Δ is synthetic lethal with deletion of VID22 (vid22Δ) [Kuroda et al. (2011) Mol. Microbiol. 80: , 248-265]. In the present study, we found that vid22Δ mutant exhibits Etn auxotrophy under PSD1-depressed conditions. Deletion of VID22 in wild-type and PSD1-depressed cells caused partial defects in PE formation through decarboxylation of PS. The enzyme activity of PS decarboxylase in an extract of vid22Δ cells was ∼70% of that in wild-type cells and similar to that in psd2Δ cells and the PS decarboxylase activity remaining in the PSD1-depressed cells became almost negligible with deletion of VID22. Thus, the vid22Δ mutation was suggested to cause a defect in the Psd2p activity. Furthermore, vid22Δ cells were shown to be defective in expression of the PSD2 gene tagged with 6×HA, the defect being ameliorated by replacement of the native promoter of the PSD2 gene with a CYC1 promoter. In addition, an α-galactosidase reporter assay revealed that the activity of the promoter of the PSD2 gene in vid22Δ cells was ∼5% of that in wild-type cells. These results showed that VID22 is required for transcriptional activation of the PSD2 gene. © 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ardehali, M.M.; Saboori, M.; Teshnelab, M.
2004-01-01
Energy efficiency enhancement is achieved by utilizing control algorithms that reduce overshoots and undershoots as well as unnecessary fluctuations in the amount of energy input to energy consuming systems during transient operation periods. It is hypothesized that application of control methodologies with characteristics that change with time and according to the system dynamics, identified as dynamic energy efficiency measures (DEEM), achieves the desired enhancement. The objective of this study is to simulate and analyze the effects of fuzzy logic based tuning of proportional integral derivative (F-PID) and proportional sum derivative (F-PSD) controllers for a heating and cooling energy system while accounting for the dynamics of the major system components. The procedure to achieve the objective includes utilization of fuzzy logic rules to determine the PID and PSD controllers gain coefficients so that the control laws for regulating the heat exchangers heating or cooling energy inputs are determined in each time step of the operation period. The performances of the F-PID and F-PSD controllers are measured by means of two cost functions that are based on quadratic forms of the energy input and deviation from a set point temperature. It is found that application of the F-PID control algorithm, as a DEEM, results in lower costs for energy input and deviation from a set point temperature by 24% and 17% as compared to a PID and 13% and 8% as compared to a PSD, respectively. It is also shown that the F-PSD performance is better than that of the F-PID controller
Gsell, Martina; Mascher, Gerald; Schuiki, Irmgard; Ploier, Birgit; Hrastnik, Claudia; Daum, Günther
2013-01-01
In the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the synthesis of the essential phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is accomplished by a network of reactions which comprises four different pathways. The enzyme contributing most to PE formation is the mitochondrial phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 1 (Psd1p) which catalyzes conversion of phosphatidylserine (PS) to PE. To study the genome wide effect of an unbalanced cellular and mitochondrial PE level and in particular the contribution of Psd1p to this depletion we performed a DNA microarray analysis with a ∆psd1 deletion mutant. This approach revealed that 54 yeast genes were significantly up-regulated in the absence of PSD1 compared to wild type. Surprisingly, marked down-regulation of genes was not observed. A number of different cellular processes in different subcellular compartments were affected in a ∆psd1 mutant. Deletion mutants bearing defects in all 54 candidate genes, respectively, were analyzed for their growth phenotype and their phospholipid profile. Only three mutants, namely ∆gpm2, ∆gph1 and ∆rsb1, were affected in one of these parameters. The possible link of these mutations to PE deficiency and PSD1 deletion is discussed.
Structure of the first PDZ domain of human PSD-93
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fiorentini, Monica; Nielsen, Ann Kallehauge; Kristensen, Ole
2009-01-01
The crystal structure of the PDZ1 domain of human PSD-93 has been determined to 2.0 A resolution. The PDZ1 domain forms a crystallographic trimer that is also predicted to be stable in solution. The main contributions to the stabilization of the trimer seem to arise from interactions involving...... the PDZ1-PDZ2 linker region at the extreme C-terminus of PDZ1, implying that the oligomerization that is observed is not of biological significance in full-length PSD-93. Comparison of the structures of the binding cleft of PSD-93 PDZ1 with the previously reported structures of PSD-93 PDZ2 and PDZ3...
On-orbit Status and Light Attenuation Behavior of the DAMPE-PSD
Li, Y.; Zhang, Y. P.; Zhang, Y. J.; Sun, Z. Y.; Yu, Y. H.; Dong, T. K.; Ma, P. X.; Wang, Y. P.; Yuan, Q.
2017-11-01
The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a high-resolution multi-purpose space-borne device for detecting the high-energy cosmic-rays like e±, γ-rays, protons, and heavy-ions, which was launched on 2015 December 17th. The Plastic Scintillator Detector (PSD) is the top-most sub-detector of DAMPE. The PSD is designed to measure the charge of incident high-energy particles, and to serve as a veto detector for discriminating γ-rays from the charged particles. In this paper, the on-orbit status of the PSD after launching in terms of high voltage (HV) and temperature stabilities is presented. The temperature and the HV variations of the PSD are less than 1°C and 0.5%, respectively. By using the on-orbit data, the attenuation lengths of PSD bars are obtained according to an empirical formula. A preliminary charge spectrum reconstructed from the X-layer of the PSD is obtained.
Quantitative analysis and efficiency study of PSD methods for a LaBr{sub 3}:Ce detector
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zeng, Ming; Cang, Jirong [Key Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging(Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education (China); Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zeng, Zhi, E-mail: zengzhi@tsinghua.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging(Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education (China); Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Yue, Xiaoguang; Cheng, Jianping; Liu, Yinong; Ma, Hao; Li, Junli [Key Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging(Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education (China); Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
2016-03-21
The LaBr{sub 3}:Ce scintillator has been widely studied for nuclear spectroscopy because of its optimal energy resolution (<3%@ 662 keV) and time resolution (~300 ps). Despite these promising properties, the intrinsic radiation background of LaBr{sub 3}:Ce is a critical issue, and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) has been shown to be an efficient potential method to suppress the alpha background from the {sup 227}Ac. In this paper, the charge comparison method (CCM) for alpha and gamma discrimination in LaBr{sub 3}:Ce is quantitatively analysed and compared with two other typical PSD methods using digital pulse processing. The algorithm parameters and discrimination efficiency are calculated for each method. Moreover, for the CCM, the correlation between the CCM feature value distribution and the total charge (energy) is studied, and a fitting equation for the correlation is inferred and experimentally verified. Using the equations, an energy-dependent threshold can be chosen to optimize the discrimination efficiency. Additionally, the experimental results show a potential application in low-activity high-energy γ measurement by suppressing the alpha background.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Esperanza Fernández
2017-10-01
Full Text Available Arc is an activity-regulated neuronal protein, but little is known about its interactions, assembly into multiprotein complexes, and role in human disease and cognition. We applied an integrated proteomic and genetic strategy by targeting a tandem affinity purification (TAP tag and Venus fluorescent protein into the endogenous Arc gene in mice. This allowed biochemical and proteomic characterization of native complexes in wild-type and knockout mice. We identified many Arc-interacting proteins, of which PSD95 was the most abundant. PSD95 was essential for Arc assembly into 1.5-MDa complexes and activity-dependent recruitment to excitatory synapses. Integrating human genetic data with proteomic data showed that Arc-PSD95 complexes are enriched in schizophrenia, intellectual disability, autism, and epilepsy mutations and normal variants in intelligence. We propose that Arc-PSD95 postsynaptic complexes potentially affect human cognitive function.
A low cost PSD-based monocular motion capture system
Ryu, Young Kee; Oh, Choonsuk
2007-10-01
This paper describes a monocular PSD-based motion capture sensor to employ with commercial video game systems such as Microsoft's XBOX and Sony's Playstation II. The system is compact, low-cost, and only requires a one-time calibration at the factory. The system includes a PSD(Position Sensitive Detector) and active infrared (IR) LED markers that are placed on the object to be tracked. The PSD sensor is placed in the focal plane of a wide-angle lens. The micro-controller calculates the 3D position of the markers using only the measured intensity and the 2D position on the PSD. A series of experiments were performed to evaluate the performance of our prototype system. From the experimental results we see that the proposed system has the advantages of the compact size, the low cost, the easy installation, and the high frame rates to be suitable for high speed motion tracking in games.
Ocular Dominance Plasticity after Stroke Was Preserved in PSD-95 Knockout Mice.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Franziska Greifzu
Full Text Available Neuronal plasticity is essential to enable rehabilitation when the brain suffers from injury, such as following a stroke. One of the most established models to study cortical plasticity is ocular dominance (OD plasticity in the primary visual cortex (V1 of the mammalian brain induced by monocular deprivation (MD. We have previously shown that OD-plasticity in adult mouse V1 is absent after a photothrombotic (PT stroke lesion in the adjacent primary somatosensory cortex (S1. Exposing lesioned mice to conditions which reduce the inhibitory tone in V1, such as raising animals in an enriched environment or short-term dark exposure, preserved OD-plasticity after an S1-lesion. Here we tested whether modification of excitatory circuits can also be beneficial for preserving V1-plasticity after stroke. Mice lacking postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95, a signaling scaffold present at mature excitatory synapses, have lifelong juvenile-like OD-plasticity caused by an increased number of AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid -silent synapses in V1 but unaltered inhibitory tone. In fact, using intrinsic signal optical imaging, we show here that OD-plasticity was preserved in V1 of adult PSD-95 KO mice after an S1-lesion but not in PSD-95 wildtype (WT-mice. In addition, experience-enabled enhancement of the optomotor reflex of the open eye after MD was compromised in both lesioned PSD-95 KO and PSD-95 WT mice. Basic V1-activation and retinotopic map quality were, however, not different between lesioned PSD-95 KO mice and their WT littermates. The preserved OD-plasticity in the PSD-95 KO mice indicates that V1-plasticity after a distant stroke can be promoted by either changes in excitatory circuitry or by lowering the inhibitory tone in V1 as previously shown. Furthermore, the present data indicate that an increased number of AMPA-silent synapses preserves OD-plasticity not only in the healthy brain, but also in another experimental
The IPEN/CNEN-SP PSD neutron diffractometer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Parente, Carlos Benedicto Ramos; Mazzocchi, Vera Lucia; Mascarenhas, Yvonne Primerano
2004-01-01
Full text: A new IPEN-CNEN/SP neutron powder diffractometer is under construction at the 4 MW thermal IEA-R1m research reactor. It is an upgrading of the old IPEN-CNEN/SP multipurpose neutron diffractometer. The main modifications introduced in the old instrument are: installation of a position sensitive detector (PSD) and a bent perfect single crystal monochromator (a focusing Si monochromator). The PSD is formed by eleven linear detector elements, clamped together at each end to form a rigid plane. The PSD is installed in a detector shielding which is supported by two arms fixed in a large rotary table. This table provides the instrument with the 2θ angular movement. A smaller rotary table, placed underneath and concentric with the larger one, provides the ω(θ) movement. Both tables are driven by a computer controlled geared mechanism. The computer also makes the data acquisition. A rotating-oscillating collimator, placed at the entrance to the detector shielding, eliminates parasitic scattering from furnace or cryorefrigerator heat shields in the vicinity of the sample. The collimator also makes the PSD less sensitive to ambient background. The PSD spans an angular range of 20 deg of a diffraction pattern, resulting in a quite good resolution for the instrument. An extended powder diffraction pattern can be obtained by moving the detector and collecting the data in 20 deg segments. With a take-off angle of 84 deg, the monochromator can be positioned to produce 4 different wavelengths, namely 1.111, 1.399, 1.667 and 2.191 A. Other parts constructed for the new instrument are: a in-pile collimator, a monochromatic beam collimator and a neutron shield, large enough to accommodate the monochromator, a beam shutter and the monochromatic beam collimator. In comparison to the former instrument, the new diffractometer will have better resolution and will be ca. 600 times faster in data acquisition. At the present time, the new instrument is in the final steps of
Zhu, Yong-Chuan; Li, Dan; Wang, Lu; Lu, Bin; Zheng, Jing; Zhao, Shi-Lin; Zeng, Rong; Xiong, Zhi-Qi
2013-05-28
The X-linked gene cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) is mutated in severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including some forms of atypical Rett syndrome, but the function and regulation of CDKL5 protein in neurons remain to be elucidated. Here, we show that CDKL5 binds to the scaffolding protein postsynaptic density (PSD)-95, and that this binding promotes the targeting of CDKL5 to excitatory synapses. Interestingly, this binding is not constitutive, but governed by palmitate cycling on PSD-95. Furthermore, pathogenic mutations that truncate the C-terminal tail of CDKL5 diminish its binding to PSD-95 and synaptic accumulation. Importantly, down-regulation of CDKL5 by RNA interference (RNAi) or interference with the CDKL5-PSD-95 interaction inhibits dendritic spine formation and growth. These results demonstrate a critical role of the palmitoylation-dependent CDKL5-PSD-95 interaction in localizing CDKL5 to synapses for normal spine development and suggest that disruption of this interaction by pathogenic mutations may be implicated in the pathogenesis of CDKL5-related disorders.
Tank Farm WM-182 and WM-183 Heel Slurry Samples PSD Results
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Batcheller, T.A.; Huestis, G.M.
2000-01-01
Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis of INTEC Tank Farm WM-182 and WM-183 heel slurry samples were performed using a modified Horiba LA-300 PSD analyzer at the RAL facility. There were two types of testing performed: typical PSD analysis, and setting rate testing. Although the heel slurry samples were obtained from two separate vessels, the particle size distribution results were quite similar. The slurry solids were from approximately a minimum particle size of 0.5 mm to a maximum of 230 mm with about 90% of the material between 2-to-133 mm, and the cumulative 50% value at approximately 20 mm. This testing also revealed that high frequency sonication with an ultrasonic element may break-up larger particles in the WM-182 and WM-183 tank from heel slurries. This finding represents useful information regarding ultimate tank heel waste processing. Settling rate testing results were also fairly consistent with material from both vessels in that it appears that most of the mass of solids settle to an agglomerated, yet easily redispersed layer at the bottom. A dispersed and suspended material remained in the ''clear'' layer above the settled layer after about one-half an hour of settling time. This material had a statistical mode of approximately 5 mm and a maximum particle size of 30 mm
Practical Findings from Applying the PSD Model for Evaluating Software Design Specifications
Räisänen, Teppo; Lehto, Tuomas; Oinas-Kukkonen, Harri
This paper presents practical findings from applying the PSD model to evaluating the support for persuasive features in software design specifications for a mobile Internet device. On the one hand, our experiences suggest that the PSD model fits relatively well for evaluating design specifications. On the other hand, the model would benefit from more specific heuristics for evaluating each technique to avoid unnecessary subjectivity. Better distinction between the design principles in the social support category would also make the model easier to use. Practitioners who have no theoretical background can apply the PSD model to increase the persuasiveness of the systems they design. The greatest benefit of the PSD model for researchers designing new systems may be achieved when it is applied together with a sound theory, such as the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Using the ELM together with the PSD model, one may increase the chances for attitude change.
Maximum Likelihood PSD Estimation for Speech Enhancement in Reverberation and Noise
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kuklasinski, Adam; Doclo, Simon; Jensen, Søren Holdt
2016-01-01
In this contribution we focus on the problem of power spectral density (PSD) estimation from multiple microphone signals in reverberant and noisy environments. The PSD estimation method proposed in this paper is based on the maximum likelihood (ML) methodology. In particular, we derive a novel ML...... instrumental measures and is shown to be higher than when the competing estimator is used. Moreover, we perform a speech intelligibility test where we demonstrate that both the proposed and the competing PSD estimators lead to similar intelligibility improvements......., it is shown numerically that the mean squared estimation error achieved by the proposed method is near the limit set by the corresponding Cram´er-Rao lower bound. The speech dereverberation performance of a multi-channel Wiener filter (MWF) based on the proposed PSD estimators is measured using several...
Zhu, Yong-Chuan; Li, Dan; Wang, Lu; Lu, Bin; Zheng, Jing; Zhao, Shi-Lin; Zeng, Rong; Xiong, Zhi-Qi
2013-01-01
The X-linked gene cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) is mutated in severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including some forms of atypical Rett syndrome, but the function and regulation of CDKL5 protein in neurons remain to be elucidated. Here, we show that CDKL5 binds to the scaffolding protein postsynaptic density (PSD)-95, and that this binding promotes the targeting of CDKL5 to excitatory synapses. Interestingly, this binding is not constitutive, but governed by palmitate cycling on PSD-95. Furthermore, pathogenic mutations that truncate the C-terminal tail of CDKL5 diminish its binding to PSD-95 and synaptic accumulation. Importantly, down-regulation of CDKL5 by RNA interference (RNAi) or interference with the CDKL5–PSD-95 interaction inhibits dendritic spine formation and growth. These results demonstrate a critical role of the palmitoylation-dependent CDKL5–PSD-95 interaction in localizing CDKL5 to synapses for normal spine development and suggest that disruption of this interaction by pathogenic mutations may be implicated in the pathogenesis of CDKL5-related disorders. PMID:23671101
Caraccioli, Paul; Varnedoe, Tom; Smith, Randy; McCarter, Mike; Wilson, Barry; Porter, Richard
2006-01-01
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Propulsion Systems Department (PSD) is four months into a fifteen month Knowledge Management (KM) initiative to support enhanced engineering decision making and analyses, faster resolution of anomalies (near-term) and effective, efficient knowledge infused engineering processes, reduced knowledge attrition, and reduced anomaly occurrences (long-term). The near-term objective of this initiative is developing a KM Pilot project, within the context of a 3-5 year KM strategy, to introduce and evaluate the use of KM within PSD. An internal NASA/MSFC PSD KM team was established early in project formulation to maintain a practitioner, user-centric focus throughout the conceptual development, planning and deployment of KM technologies and capabilities within the PSD. The PSD internal team is supported by the University of Alabama's Aging Infrastructure Systems Center of Excellence (AISCE), lntergraph Corporation, and The Knowledge Institute. The principle product of the initial four month effort has been strategic planning of PSD KNI implementation by first determining the "as is" state of KM capabilities and developing, planning and documenting the roadmap to achieve the desired "to be" state. Activities undertaken to suppoth e planning phase have included data gathering; cultural surveys, group work-sessions, interviews, documentation review, and independent research. Assessments and analyses have beon pedormed including industry benchmarking, related local and Agency initiatives, specific tools and techniques used and strategies for leveraging existing resources, people and technology to achieve common KM goals. Key findings captured in the PSD KM Strategic Plan include the system vision, purpose, stakeholders, prioritized strategic objectives mapped to the top ten practitioner needs and analysis of current resource usage. Opportunities identified from research, analyses, cultural1KM surveys and practitioner interviews include
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Multi-channel PSD Estimators for Speech Dereverberation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kuklasinski, Adam; Doclo, Simon; Gerkmann, Timo
2015-01-01
densities (PSDs). We first derive closed-form expressions for the mean square error (MSE) of both PSD estimators and then show that one estimator – previously used for speech dereverberation by the authors – always yields a better MSE. Only in the case of a two microphone array or for special spatial...... distributions of the interference both estimators yield the same MSE. The theoretically derived MSE values are in good agreement with numerical simulation results and with instrumental speech quality measures in a realistic speech dereverberation task for binaural hearing aids....
POWER SPECTRUM DENSITY (PSD ANALYSIS OF AUTOMOTIVE PEDAL-PAD
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
AHMED RITHAUDDEEN YUSOFF
2016-04-01
Full Text Available Vibration at the pedal-pad may contribute to discomfort of foot plantar fascia during driving. This is due to transmission of vibration to the mount, chassis, pedal, and then to the foot plantar fascia. This experimental study is conducted to determine the estimation of peak value using the power spectral density of the vertical vibration input at the foot. The power spectral density value is calculated based on the frequency range between 13 Hz to 18 Hz. This experiment was conducted using 12 subjects testing on three size of pedal-pads; small, medium and large. The result shows that peak value occurs at resonance frequency of 15 Hz. The PSD values at that resonance frequency are 0.251 (m/s2 2/Hz for small pedal-pad, followed by the medium pedal-pad is at 0.387 (m/s2 2/Hz and lastly for the large pedal-pad is at 0.483 (m/s22/Hz. The resultsindicate that during driving, the foot vibration when interact with the large pedal-pad contributed higher stimulus compared with the small and medium pedal-pad. The pedal-pad size plays an important role in the pedal element designs in terms of vibration-transfer from pedal-pads on the feet, particularly to provide comfort to the driver while driving.
75 FR 70254 - PSD and Title V Permitting Guidance for Greenhouse Gases
2010-11-17
... Guidance for Greenhouse Gases AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability..., ``PSD and Title V Permitting Guidance for Greenhouse Gases'' on its significant guidance Internet Web... guidance titled, ``PSD and Title V Permitting Guidance for Greenhouse Gases.'' This document has been...
Neutron-gamma discrimination via PSD plastic scintillator and SiPMs
Taggart, M. P.; Payne, C.; Sellin, P. J.
2016-10-01
The reduction in availability and inevitable increase in cost of traditional neutron detectors based on the 3He neutron capture reaction has resulted in a concerted effort to seek out new techniques and detection media to meet the needs of national nuclear security. Traditionally, the alternative has been provided through pulse shape discrimination (PSD) using liquid scintillators. However, these are not without their own inherent issues, primarily concerning user safety and ongoing maintenance. A potential system devised to separate neutron and gamma ray pulses utilising the PSD technique takes advantage of recent improvements in silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) technology and the development of plastic scintillators exhibiting the PSD phenomena. In this paper we present the current iteration of this ongoing work having achieved a Figure of Merit (FoM) of 1.39 at 1.5 MeVee.
Multi-beam synchronous measurement based on PSD phase detection using frequency-domain multiplexing
Duan, Ying; Qin, Lan; Xue, Lian; Xi, Feng; Mao, Jiubing
2013-10-01
According to the principle of centroid measurement, position-sensitive detectors (PSD) are commonly used for micro displacement detection. However, single-beam detection method cannot satisfy such tasks as multi-dimension position measurement, three dimension vision reconstruction, and robot precision positioning, which require synchronous measurement of multiple light beams. Consequently, we designed PSD phase detection method using frequency-domain multiplexing for synchronous detection of multiple modulated light beams. Compared to previous PSD amplitude detection method, the phase detection method using FDM has advantages of simplified measuring system, low cost, high capability of resistance to light interference as well as improved resolution. The feasibility of multi-beam synchronous measurement based on PSD phase detection using FDM was validated by multi-beam measuring experiments. The maximum non-linearity error of the multi-beam synchronous measurement is 6.62%.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Huang Kejin; Shan Lan; Zhu Qunxiong; Qian Jixin
2008-01-01
This paper studies the economical effect of considering rectifying/stripping section type heat integration in a pressure-swing distillation (PSD) process separating a binary homogeneous pressure-sensitive azeotrope. The schemes for arranging heat integration between the rectifying section and the stripping section of the high- and low-pressure distillation columns, respectively, are derived and an effective procedure is devised for the conceptual process design of the heat-integrated PSD processes. In terms of the separation of a binary azeotropic mixture of acetonitrile and water, intensive comparisons are made between the conventional and heat-integrated PSD processes. It is demonstrated that breaking a pressure-sensitive azeotropic mixture can be made more economical than the current practice with the conventional PSD process. For boosting further the thermodynamic efficiency of a PSD process, it is strongly suggested to consider simultaneously the condenser/reboiler type heat integration with the rectifying/stripping section type heat integration in process synthesis and design
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Huang Kejin [School of Information Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Chaoyang-qu, Beijing-shi, Beijing 100029 (China)], E-mail: huangkj@mail.buct.edu.cn; Shan Lan; Zhu Qunxiong [School of Information Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Chaoyang-qu, Beijing-shi, Beijing 100029 (China); Qian Jixin [School of Information Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Xihu-qu, Hangzhou-shi, Zhejiang 300027 (China)
2008-06-15
This paper studies the economical effect of considering rectifying/stripping section type heat integration in a pressure-swing distillation (PSD) process separating a binary homogeneous pressure-sensitive azeotrope. The schemes for arranging heat integration between the rectifying section and the stripping section of the high- and low-pressure distillation columns, respectively, are derived and an effective procedure is devised for the conceptual process design of the heat-integrated PSD processes. In terms of the separation of a binary azeotropic mixture of acetonitrile and water, intensive comparisons are made between the conventional and heat-integrated PSD processes. It is demonstrated that breaking a pressure-sensitive azeotropic mixture can be made more economical than the current practice with the conventional PSD process. For boosting further the thermodynamic efficiency of a PSD process, it is strongly suggested to consider simultaneously the condenser/reboiler type heat integration with the rectifying/stripping section type heat integration in process synthesis and design.
2011-02-10
... Collection; Comment Request; Prohibited Species Donation (PSD) Program AGENCY: National Oceanic and... species donation (PSD) program for Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut has effectively reduced regulatory... individuals through tax-exempt organizations. Vessels and processing plants participating in the donation...
PSD Increment Consumption Guidance
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
PSD Increment Consumption Question
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Zhu, Yong-Chuan; Li, Dan; Wang, Lu; Lu, Bin; Zheng, Jing; Zhao, Shi-Lin; Zeng, Rong; Xiong, Zhi-Qi
2013-01-01
The X-linked gene cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) is mutated in severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including some forms of atypical Rett syndrome, but the function and regulation of CDKL5 protein in neurons remain to be elucidated. Here, we show that CDKL5 binds to the scaffolding protein postsynaptic density (PSD)-95, and that this binding promotes the targeting of CDKL5 to excitatory synapses. Interestingly, this binding is not constitutive, but governed by palmitate cycling on PSD...
Puffy skin disease (PSD) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum): a case definition.
Maddocks, C E; Nolan, E T; Feist, S W; Crumlish, M; Richards, R H; Williams, C F
2015-07-01
Puffy skin disease (PSD) is a disease that causes skin pathology in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Incidence of PSD in UK fish farms and fisheries has increased sharply in the last decade, with growing concern from both industry sectors. This paper provides the first comprehensive case definition of PSD, combining clinical and pathological observations of diseased rainbow trout from both fish farms and fisheries. The defining features of PSD, as summarized in the case definition, were focal lateral flank skin lesions that appeared as cutaneous swelling with pigment loss and petechiae. These were associated with lethargy, poor body condition, inappetance and low level mortality. Epidermal hyperplasia and spongiosis, oedema of the dermis stratum spongiosum and a mild diffuse inflammatory cellularity were typical in histopathology of skin. A specific pathogen or aetiology was not identified. Prevalence and severity of skin lesions was greatest during late summer and autumn, with the highest prevalence being 95%. Atypical lesions seen in winter and spring were suggestive of clinical resolution. PSD holds important implications for both trout aquaculture and still water trout fisheries. This case definition will aid future diagnosis, help avoid confusion with other skin conditions and promote prompt and consistent reporting. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Application of PSD for low level alpha counting using liquid scintillation counting
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Krishnamachari, G.; Vaze, P.K.; Iyer, M.R.
1989-01-01
In the liquid scintillator the light produced by alpha particles decays differently than those produced by electrons. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) methods are employed to estimate low levels of alpha emitting radionuclides by reducing the background due to either beta or gamma events. An attempt is being made to develop a liquid scintillation counting sytem using a simple PSD circuit to achieve a background of 0.01 counts/min. The PSD circuit is based on measuring zero cross over points to differentiate particle types. The input signal is first differentiated by a delay line and subsequently by a RC circuit. The width of the initial part of the doubly differentiated pulse is different for alpha and beta pulses. This width is converted to amplitude by a time-to-amplitude converter (TAC). The higher amplitude pulses from the TAC are due to alpha particles and they are separated by an integral discriminator. The output from the integral discriminator opens a linear gate to record the pulse height spectrum. The figure of merit of the PSD circuit and background in the alpha energy channel have been worked out using different scintillator types. (author). 4 figs
Satriani, W. H.; Redjeki, S.; Kartinah, N. T.
2017-08-01
Increased neuroplasticity induced by complex aerobic physical exercise is associated with improved cognitive function in adult mice. Increased cognitive function is assumed to be based on increased synapse formation. One of the regions of the brain that is important in cognitive function is the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory formation. Post synaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is an adhesion protein of the post-synaptic density scaffolding that is essential to synaptic stabilization. As we age, the PSD-95 molecule matures the synapses needed for the formation of the basic circuitry of the nervous system in the brain. However, during the growth period, synapse elimination is higher than its formation. This study aims to determine whether complex aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function and PSD-95 levels in the hippocampus of juvenile mice during their growth stage. The mice performed complex aerobic exercise starting at five weeks of age and continuing for seven weeks with a gradual increase of 8 m/min. At eight weeks it was increased to 10 m/min. The exercise was done for five days of each week. The subjects of the study were tested for cognition one week before being sacrificed (at 12 weeks). The PSD-95 in the hippocampus was measured with ELISA. The results showed that there was a significant difference in cognitive function, where p cognitive ability in adulthood but does not increase the levels of PSD-95 in adults.
Mathematical Model and Calibration Procedure of a PSD Sensor Used in Local Positioning Systems.
Rodríguez-Navarro, David; Lázaro-Galilea, José Luis; Bravo-Muñoz, Ignacio; Gardel-Vicente, Alfredo; Domingo-Perez, Francisco; Tsirigotis, Georgios
2016-09-15
Here, we propose a mathematical model and a calibration procedure for a PSD (position sensitive device) sensor equipped with an optical system, to enable accurate measurement of the angle of arrival of one or more beams of light emitted by infrared (IR) transmitters located at distances of between 4 and 6 m. To achieve this objective, it was necessary to characterize the intrinsic parameters that model the system and obtain their values. This first approach was based on a pin-hole model, to which system nonlinearities were added, and this was used to model the points obtained with the nA currents provided by the PSD. In addition, we analyzed the main sources of error, including PSD sensor signal noise, gain factor imbalances and PSD sensor distortion. The results indicated that the proposed model and method provided satisfactory calibration and yielded precise parameter values, enabling accurate measurement of the angle of arrival with a low degree of error, as evidenced by the experimental results.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fiorentini, Monica; Bach, Anders; Strømgaard, Kristian
2013-01-01
PSD-93 (chapsyn-110, DLG2) is a member of the family of membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) proteins. The MAGUK proteins are involved in receptor localization and signalling pathways. The best characterized MAGUK protein, PSD-95, is known to be involved in NMDA receptor signalling via it...
PSD Determination, Portland Cement Plant
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
United Salt Northeast PSD Determination
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ioan Alexandru Ivan
2012-12-01
Full Text Available When related to a single and good contrast object or a laser spot, position sensing, or sensitive, detectors (PSDs have a series of advantages over the classical camera sensors, including a good positioning accuracy for a fast response time and very simple signal conditioning circuits. To test the performance of this kind of sensor for microrobotics, we have made a comparative analysis between a precise but slow video camera and a custom-made fast PSD system applied to the tracking of a diffuse-reflectivity object transported by a pneumatic microconveyor called Smart-Surface. Until now, the fast system dynamics prevented the full control of the smart surface by visual servoing, unless using a very expensive high frame rate camera. We have built and tested a custom and low cost PSD-based embedded circuit, optically connected with a camera to a single objective by means of a beam splitter. A stroboscopic light source enhanced the resolution. The obtained results showed a good linearity and a fast (over 500 frames per second response time which will enable future closed-loop control by using PSD.
Data acquisition and processing software for linear PSD based neutron diffractometers
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pande, S.S.; Borkar, S.P.; Ghodgaonkar, M.D.
2003-01-01
As a part of data acquisition system for various single and multi-PSD diffractometers software is developed to acquire the data and support the requirements of diffraction experiments. The software is a front-end Windows 98 application on PC and a transputer program on the MPSD card. The front-end application provides entire user interface required for data acquisition, control, presentation and system setup. Data is acquired and the diffraction spectra are generated in the transputer program. All the required hardware control is also implemented in the transputer program. The two programs communicate using a device driver named VTRANSPD. The software plays a vital role in customizing and integrating the data acquisition system for various diffractometer setups. Also the experiments are effectively automated in the software which has helped in making best use of available beam time. These and other features of the data acquisition and processing software are presented here. This software is being used along with the data acquisition system at a few single PSD and multi-PSD diffractometers. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Song, H X; Wang, X D; Ma, L Q; Cai, M Z; Cao, T Z
2006-01-01
By using PSD as sensitive element, and laser diode as emitting element, laser displacement sensor based on triangulation method has been widely used. From the point of view of design, sensor and its performance were studied. Two different sensor configurations were described. Determination of the dimension, sensing resolution and comparison of the two different configurations were presented. The factors affecting the performance of the laser displacement sensor were discussed and two methods, which can eliminate the affection of dark current and environment light, are proposed
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Iwanowska-Hanke, J; Moszynski, M; Swiderski, L; Sibczynski, P; Szczesniak, T; Krakowski, T; Schotanus, P
2014-01-01
In the paper we reported on the scintillation properties and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) performance of new plastic scintillators. The samples with dimension of 2 inches × 2 inches were tested: EJ299-34, EJ299-34G, EJ299-33 and EJ299-33G. They are the first commercially available plastics with neutron/gamma discrimination properties. The paper covers the measurements of emission spectra, photoelectron yield, analysis of the light pulse shapes originating from events related to gamma-rays and fast neutrons as well as neutron/gamma discrimination. The tested plastics are characterized by a photoelectron yield on a level of approximately 1600-2500 phe/MeV, depending on the sample. The highest value, measured for EJ299-34, is similar to the number of photoelectrons measured for EJ309 (2600 phe/MeV). The figure of merit (FOM) calculated for narrow energy cuts — indicating the PSD performance — showed that the PSD capabilities of the plastics are significantly lower than of EJ309. These scintillators are still under development in order to optimize the composition and manufacturing procedures. At this time the results obtained with the new plastics suggest their possible use as an alternative for liquid scintillators, especially if we consider their inflammability and non-toxicity
Maximum likelihood PSD estimation for speech enhancement in reverberant and noisy conditions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kuklasinski, Adam; Doclo, Simon; Jensen, Jesper
2016-01-01
of the estimator is in speech enhancement algorithms, such as the Multi-channel Wiener Filter (MWF) and the Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) beamformer. We evaluate these two algorithms in a speech dereverberation task and compare the performance obtained using the proposed and a competing PSD...... estimator. Instrumental performance measures indicate an advantage of the proposed estimator over the competing one. In a speech intelligibility test all algorithms significantly improved the word intelligibility score. While the results suggest a minor advantage of using the proposed PSD estimator...
5-1 Beam Test of the PSD EQM at CERN
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Zhou; Yong[1; Sun; Zhiyu[1; Yu; Yuhong[1; Fang; Fang[1; Zhang; Yongjie[1
2014-01-01
Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a powerful space telescope for high energy cosmic rays detectionsuch as -ray, electron and heavy ions. The main motivation of DAMPE is to find the evidence of dark matterexistence, and the satellite is scheduled for launching before the end of 2015.The Plastic Scintillator Detector (PSD), which is oneof the key components of the DAMPE system, has twomajor functionalities: distinguish photons from chargedparticles by anti-coincidence and measure the charge ofheavy ions. The PSD is designed and fabricated by theinstitute of modern physics, CAS. It consists of 82 plasticscintillator strips, each of which is readout by PMTat both ends, and a double-dynode readout scheme forPMT is utilized in order to cover the large dynamicrange (from H to Ca).
PSD - Routine Maintenance Repair and Replacement
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Baseline Value for PSD Increment Consumption
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
PSD-95 is post-transcriptionally repressed during early neural development by PTBP1 and PTBP2
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Zheng, Sika; Gray, Erin E; Chawla, Geetanjali
2012-01-01
. The loss of first PTBP1 and then of PTBP2 during embryonic development allowed splicing of exon 18 and expression of PSD-95 late in neuronal maturation. Re-expression of PTBP1 or PTBP2 in differentiated neurons inhibited PSD-95 expression and impaired the development of glutamatergic synapses. Thus...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pedersen, Søren W; Albertsen, Louise; Moran, Griffin E
2017-01-01
The postsynaptic density protein of 95 kDa (PSD-95) is a key scaffolding protein that controls signaling at synapses in the brain through interactions of its PDZ domains with the C-termini of receptors, ion channels, and enzymes. PSD-95 is highly regulated by phosphorylation. To explore the effec...
Thermodynamics of TMPC/PSd/Fullerene Nanocomposites: SANS Study
Chua, Yang-Choo
2010-11-23
Wereport a small angle neutron scattering study of the thermodynamics of a polymer mixture in the presence of nanoparticles, both in equilibrium and during phase separation. Neutron cloud point measurements and random phase approximation (RPA) analysis demonstrate that 1-2 mass % of C60 fullerenes destabilizes a highly interacting mixture of poly(tetramethyl bisphenol A polycarbonate) and deuterated polystyrene (TMPC/PSd). We unequivocally corroborate these findings with time-resolved temperature jump experiments that, in identical conditions, result in phase separation for the nanocomposite and stability for the neat polymer mixture. At lower C 60 loadings (viz. 0.2-0.5 mass %), stabilization of the mixture is observed. The nonmonotonic variation of the spinodal temperature with fullerene addition suggests a competitive interplay of asymmetric component interactions and nanoparticle dispersion. The stability line shift depends critically on particle dispersion and vanishes upon nanoparticle agglomeration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schneeberger, B.; Breuleux, R.
1977-01-01
Assuming that earthquake ground motion is a stationary time function, the seismic analysis of a linear structure can be done by probailistic methods using the 'power spectral density function' (PSD), instead of applying the more traditional time-step-integration using earthquake time histories (TH). A given structure was analysed both by PSD and TH methods computing and comparing 'floor response spectra'. The analysis using TH was performed for two different TH and different frequency intervals for the 'floor-response-spectra'. The analysis using PSD first produced PSD functions of the responses of the floors and these were then converted into 'foor-response-spectra'. Plots of the resulting 'floor-response-spectra' show: (1) The agreement of TH and PSD results is quite close. (2) The curves produced by PSD are much smoother than those produced by TH and mostly form an enelope of the latter. (3) The curves produced by TH are quite jagged with the location and magnitude of the peaks depending on the choice of frequencies at which the 'floor-response-spectra' were evaluated and on the choice of TH. (Auth.)
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sommer, Jens Bak; Bach, Anders; Rytter, Hana Malá
2017-01-01
Therapeutic effects of PSD-95 inhibition have been demonstrated in numerous studies of stroke; however only few studies have assessed the effects of PSD-95 inhibitors in traumatic brain injury (TBI). As the pathophysiology of TBI partially overlaps with that of stroke, PSD-95 inhibition may also...... assessed in a water maze at two weeks post-trauma, and at four weeks lesion volumes were estimated. Overall, UCCB01-144 did not protect against NMDA-toxicity in neuronal cultures or experimental TBI in rats. Important factors that should be investigated further in future studies assessing the effects...... be an effective therapeutic strategy in TBI. The objectives of the present study were to assess the effects of a dimeric inhibitor of PSD-95, UCCB01-144, on excitotoxic cell death in vitro and outcome after experimental TBI in rats in vivo. In addition, the pharmacokinetic parameters of UCCB01-144 were...
PSD Permit for the Marblehead Lime Company
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Classification of Ethanol Fuel Plants under PSD
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Influence of peri-implant artifacts on bone morphometric analysis with micro-computed tomography.
Song, Jin Wook; Cha, Jung Yul; Bechtold, Till Edward; Park, Young Chel
2013-01-01
To determine the optimal dilation pixel size distance from the mini-implant interface needed to compensate for the metal artifact on micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for bone morphometric analysis. A total of 72 self-drilling mini-implants were placed into the buccal alveolar bone of six male beagle dogs. After 12 weeks of orthodontic loading, specimens were harvested and scanned with micro-CT (Skyscan 1076) at a resolution of 9 μm. Using the reload plug-in and dilation procedure of CTAn, the percentage of bone-implant contact (BIC) and bone volume density (BV/TV, bone volume/total volume), respectively, were measured from one to seven pixels from the metal implant surface. Each pixel size of dilation (PSD) were compared with that of a ground histologic section, and the optimal PSD for bone morphometric analysis using micro-CT was determined. BIC values from micro-CT analysis decreased when the PSD increased (P micro-CT showed the highest correlation coefficient with BIC from histologic slides when the PSD was 5 to 7 (P micro-CT showed a very high correlation with BV/TV from histologic slides in all ranges (P micro-CT, at least 5 PSD from the metal implant surface is needed.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Shin, Ji-Yong; Kim, Eun-Hee [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)
2015-05-15
Radon is the major source of public exposure to natural radiation and is also known to cause lung cancer. Platform screen doors (PSD) were installed primarily for passenger's safety purposes. Radon concentration and aerosol distribution have been changed since PSD installation. In this study, we have assessed the annual effective dose of regular subway passengers, before and after PSD installation, by employing current available data on air concentration of radon in Seoul subways with aerosol size distributions taken into account. ICRP recommends that the reference value for internal dose from radon be between 1.0 and 20.0 mSv. Korean Ministry of Environment enacted the indoor radon regulation, which requires the indoor radon level should not exceed 148 Bq/m{sup 3}. Radon concentrations in Seoul subways and annual dose estimates meet the requirements.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shin, Ji-Yong; Kim, Eun-Hee
2015-01-01
Radon is the major source of public exposure to natural radiation and is also known to cause lung cancer. Platform screen doors (PSD) were installed primarily for passenger's safety purposes. Radon concentration and aerosol distribution have been changed since PSD installation. In this study, we have assessed the annual effective dose of regular subway passengers, before and after PSD installation, by employing current available data on air concentration of radon in Seoul subways with aerosol size distributions taken into account. ICRP recommends that the reference value for internal dose from radon be between 1.0 and 20.0 mSv. Korean Ministry of Environment enacted the indoor radon regulation, which requires the indoor radon level should not exceed 148 Bq/m 3 . Radon concentrations in Seoul subways and annual dose estimates meet the requirements
Fuzzy norm method for evaluating random vibration of airborne platform from limited PSD data
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wang Zhongyu
2014-12-01
Full Text Available For random vibration of airborne platform, the accurate evaluation is a key indicator to ensure normal operation of airborne equipment in flight. However, only limited power spectral density (PSD data can be obtained at the stage of flight test. Thus, those conventional evaluation methods cannot be employed when the distribution characteristics and priori information are unknown. In this paper, the fuzzy norm method (FNM is proposed which combines the advantages of fuzzy theory and norm theory. The proposed method can deeply dig system information from limited data, which probability distribution is not taken into account. Firstly, the FNM is employed to evaluate variable interval and expanded uncertainty from limited PSD data, and the performance of FNM is demonstrated by confidence level, reliability and computing accuracy of expanded uncertainty. In addition, the optimal fuzzy parameters are discussed to meet the requirements of aviation standards and metrological practice. Finally, computer simulation is used to prove the adaptability of FNM. Compared with statistical methods, FNM has superiority for evaluating expanded uncertainty from limited data. The results show that the reliability of calculation and evaluation is superior to 95%.
Ding, Saidan; Zhuge, Weishan; Wang, Xuebao; Yang, Jianjing; Lin, Yuanshao; Wang, Chengde; Hu, Jiangnan; Zhuge, Qichuan
2017-01-01
Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) has been positively correlated with cognitive ability. Cognitive decline in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) was shown to be induced by elevated intracranial dopamine (DA). The beneficial effect of IGF-I signaling in MHE remains unknown. In this study, we found that IGF-I content was reduced in MHE rats and that IGF-I administration mitigated cognitive decline of MHE rats. A protective effect of IGF-I on the DA-induced interaction between postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) was found in neurons. Ribosomal S6 protein kinase (RSK) phosphorylated nNOS in response to IGF-I by recruiting extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2). In turn, DA inactivated the ERK1/2/RSK pathway and stimulated the PSD95-nNOS interaction by downregulating IGF-I. Inhibition of the interaction between PSD95 and nNOS ameliorated DA-induced memory impairment. As DA induced deficits in the ERK1/2/RSK pathway and the interaction between PSD95 and nNOS in MHE brains, IGF-I administration exerted a protective effect via interruption of the interaction between PSD95 and nNOS. These results suggest that IGF-I antagonizes DA-induced cognitive loss by disrupting PSD95-nNOS interactions in MHE.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Saidan Ding
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I has been positively correlated with cognitive ability. Cognitive decline in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE was shown to be induced by elevated intracranial dopamine (DA. The beneficial effect of IGF-I signaling in MHE remains unknown. In this study, we found that IGF-I content was reduced in MHE rats and that IGF-I administration mitigated cognitive decline of MHE rats. A protective effect of IGF-I on the DA-induced interaction between postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS was found in neurons. Ribosomal S6 protein kinase (RSK phosphorylated nNOS in response to IGF-I by recruiting extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2. In turn, DA inactivated the ERK1/2/RSK pathway and stimulated the PSD95–nNOS interaction by downregulating IGF-I. Inhibition of the interaction between PSD95 and nNOS ameliorated DA-induced memory impairment. As DA induced deficits in the ERK1/2/RSK pathway and the interaction between PSD95 and nNOS in MHE brains, IGF-I administration exerted a protective effect via interruption of the interaction between PSD95 and nNOS. These results suggest that IGF-I antagonizes DA-induced cognitive loss by disrupting PSD95–nNOS interactions in MHE.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Grégory Giannone
2013-06-01
Full Text Available Adhesion between neurexin-1β (Nrx1β and neuroligin-1 (Nlg1 induces early recruitment of the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95 scaffold; however, the associated signaling mechanisms are unknown. To dissociate the effects of ligand binding and receptor multimerization, we compared conditions in which Nlg1 in neurons was bound to Nrx1β or nonactivating HA antibodies. Time-lapse imaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, and single-particle tracking demonstrated that in addition to aggregating Nlg1, Nrx1β binding stimulates the interaction between Nlg1 and PSD-95. Phosphotyrosine immunoblots and pull-down of gephyrin by Nlg1 peptides in vitro showed that Nlg1 can be phosphorylated at a unique tyrosine (Y782, preventing gephyrin binding. Expression of Nlg1 point mutants in neurons indicated that Y782 phosphorylation controls the preferential binding of Nlg1 to PSD-95 versus gephyrin, and accordingly the formation of inhibitory and excitatory synapses. We propose that ligand-induced changes in the Nlg1 phosphotyrosine level control the balance between excitatory and inhibitory scaffold assembly during synapse formation and stabilization.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Liu, G.; Yang, J.; Luo, X.L.; Lin, C.B.; Peng, J.X.; Yang, Y.
2013-01-01
Although the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) based pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method, realized by transforming the digitized scintillation pulses into frequency coefficients by using DFT, has been proven to effectively discriminate neutrons and γ rays, its discrimination performance depends strongly on the selection of the discrimination parameter obtained by the combination of these frequency coefficients. In order to thoroughly understand and apply the DFT-based PSD in organic scintillation detectors, a comparison of three different discrimination parameters, i.e. the amplitude of zero-frequency component, the amplitude difference between the amplitude of zero-frequency component and the amplitude of base-frequency component, and the ratio of the amplitude of base-frequency component to the amplitude of zero-frequency component, is described in this paper. An experimental setup consisting of an Americium–Beryllium (Am–Be) source, a BC501A liquid scintillator detector, and a 5Gsample/s 8-bit oscilloscope was built to assess the performance of the DFT-based PSD with each of these discrimination parameters in terms of the figure-of-merit (based on the separation of the event distributions). The third technique, which uses the ratio of the amplitude of base-frequency component to the amplitude of zero-frequency component as the discrimination parameter, is observed to provide the best discrimination performance in this research. - Highlights: • The spectrum difference between neutron pulse and γ-ray pulse was investigated. • The DFT-based PSD with different parameter definitions was assessed. • The way of using the ratio of magnitude spectrum provides the best performance. • The performance differences were explained from noise suppression features
ASIC2 Subunits Target Acid-Sensing Ion Channels to the Synapse via an Association with PSD-95
Zha, Xiang-ming; Costa, Vivian; Harding, Anne Marie S.; Reznikov, Leah; Benson, Christopher J.; Welsh, Michael J.
2009-01-01
Acid-sensing ion channel-1a (ASIC1a) mediates H+-gated current to influence normal brain physiology and impact several models of disease. Although ASIC2 subunits are widely expressed in brain and modulate ASIC1a current, their function remains poorly understood. We identified ASIC2a in dendrites, dendritic spines, and brain synaptosomes. This localization largely relied on ASIC2a binding to PSD-95 and matched that of ASIC1a, which does not co-immunoprecipitate with PSD-95. We found that ASIC2...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kucharz, Krzysztof; Søndergaard Rasmussen, Ida; Bach, Anders
2017-01-01
during the first hour after i.v. injection. The Tat-N-dimer suppressed stimulation-evoked synaptic activity by 2-20%, while cortical blood flow and cerebral oxygen metabolic (CMRO2) responses were preserved. During cortical spreading depression, the Tat-N-dimer reduced the average amplitude...... depression on cortical blood flow and CMRO2 We suggest that uncoupling of PSD-95 from NMDA receptors reduces overall neuronal excitability and the amplitude of the spreading depolarisation wave. These findings may be of interest for understanding the neuroprotective effects of the nNOS/PSD-95 uncoupling...
National Asphalt Pavement Association Questions and Answers on PSD
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Classification of the Bardstown Fuel Alcohol Company under PSD
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Ocean thermal energy conversion power system development. Final design report: PSD-I, Phase II
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
None
1980-06-30
The PSD-I program provides a heat exchanger sytem consisting of an evaporator, condenser and various ancillaries with ammonia used as a working fluid in a closed simulated Rankine cycle. It is to be installed on the Chepachet Research Vessel for test and evaluation of a number of OTEC concepts in a true ocean environment. It is one of several test articles to be tested. Primary design concerns include control of biofouling, corrosion and erosion of aluminum tubes, selection of materials, and the development of a basis for scale-up to large heat exchangers so as to ultimately demonstrate economic feasibility on a commercial scale. The PSD-I test article is devised to verify thermodynamic, environmental, and mechanical performance of basic design concepts. The detailed design, development, fabrication, checklist, delivery, installation support, and operation support for the Test Article Heat Exchangers are described. (WHK)
Chagas, Aline Garcia da Rosa; Spinelli, Eliani; Fiaux, Sorele Batista; Barreto, Adriana da Silva; Rodrigues, Silvana Vianna
2017-08-01
Different types of hair were submitted to different milling procedures and their resulting powders were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser diffraction (LD). SEM results were qualitative whereas LD results were quantitative and accurately characterized the hair powders through their particle size distribution (PSD). Different types of hair were submitted to an optimized milling conditions and their PSD was quite similar. A good correlation was obtained between PSD results and ketamine concentration in a hair sample analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Hair samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen for 5min and pulverized at 25Hz for 10min, resulting in 61% of particles sample extracted after pulverization comparing with the same sample cut in 1mm fragments. When milling time was extended to 25min, >90% of particles were sample retesting and quality control procedures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region PSD Permit Completeness Determination
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Applicability of PSD to Pennsylvania Power and Light Auxiliary Boiler
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Request for Guidance on PSD Applicability Determinations for Boiler Emissions
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Simulations of a PSD Plastic Neutron Collar for Assaying Fresh Fuel
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hausladen, Paul [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Newby, Jason [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); McElroy, Robert Dennis [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2016-11-01
The potential performance of a notional active coincidence collar for assaying uranium fuel based on segmented detectors constructed from the new PSD plastic fast organic scintillator with pulse shape discrimination capability was investigated in simulation. Like the International Atomic Energy Agency's present Uranium Neutron Collar for LEU (UNCL), the PSD plastic collar would also function by stimulating fission in the 235U content of the fuel with a moderated 241Am/Li neutron source and detecting instances of induced fission via neutron coincidence counting. In contrast to the moderated detectors of the UNCL, the fast time scale of detection in the scintillator eliminates statistical errors due to accidental coincidences that limit the performance of the UNCL. However, the potential to detect a single neutron multiple times historically has been one of the properties of organic scintillator detectors that has prevented their adoption for international safeguards applications. Consequently, as part of the analysis of simulated data, a method was developed by which true neutron-neutron coincidences can be distinguished from inter-detector scatter that takes advantage of the position and timing resolution of segmented detectors. Then, the performance of the notional simulated coincidence collar was evaluated for assaying a variety of fresh fuels, including some containing burnable poisons and partial defects. In these simulations, particular attention was paid to the analysis of fast mode measurements. In fast mode, a Cd liner is placed inside the collar to shield the fuel from the interrogating source and detector moderators, thereby eliminating the thermal neutron flux that is most sensitive to the presence of burnable poisons that are ubiquitous in modern nuclear fuels. The simulations indicate that the predicted precision of fast mode measurements is similar to what can be achieved by the present UNCL in thermal mode. For example, the
Analysis on risk factors for post-stroke emotional incontinence
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiao-chun ZHANG
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Objective To investigate the occurrence rate and related risk factors for post-stroke emotional incontinence (PSEI. Methods The clinical data [sex, age, body mass index (BMI, education, marital status, medical history (hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipemia, smoking and drinking and family history of stroke] of 162 stroke patients were recorded. Serum homocysteine (Hcy level was examined. Head CT and/or MRI were used to indicate stroke subtype, site of lesion and number of lesion. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-Ⅴ Chinese version and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 Items (HAMD-17 were used to evaluate the degree of depression. House diagnostic standard was used to diagnose PSEI. Univariate and multivariate backward Logistic regression analysis was used to screen related risk factor for PSEI. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to discuss the correlation between PSEI and post-stroke depression (PSD. Results Among 162 stroke patients, 12 cases were diagnosed as PSEI (7.41% . The ratio of age < 60 years in PSEI group was significantly higher than non-PSEI group (P = 0.045. The ratio of smoking in PSEI group was significantly lower than non-PSEI group (P = 0.036. Univariate and multivariate backward Logistic regression analysis showed age < 60 years was independent risk factor for PSEI (OR = 4.000, 95%CI: 1.149-13.924; P = 0.029. Ten cases were combined with PSD in 12 PSEI patients, and the co-morbidity rate of PSEI and PSD was83.33%. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed PSEI was positively related to PSD (rs = 0.305, P = 0.000. Conclusions PSEI is common affective disorder in stroke patients, which easily happens in patients under 60 years of age. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.12.010
Analysis Spectrum of ECG Signal and QRS Detection during Running on Treadmill
Agung Suhendra, M.; Ilham R., M.; Simbolon, Artha I.; Faizal A., M.; Munandar, A.
2018-03-01
The heart is an important organ in our metabolism in which it controls circulatory and oxygen. The heart exercise is needed one of them using the treadmill to prevent health. To analysis, it using electrocardiograph (ECG) to investigating and diagnosing anomalies of the heart. In this paper, we would like to analysis ECG signals during running on the treadmill with kinds of speeds. There are two analysis ECG signals i.e. QRS detection and power spectrum density (PSD). The result of PSD showed that subject 3 has highly for all subject and the result of QRS detection using pan Tomkins algorithm that a percentage of failed detection is an approaching to 0 % for all subject.
2010-05-18
... once the delay is no longer necessary. ADDRESSES: Docket: The final rule, the petition for...): Aggregation AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Delay of effective date. SUMMARY: EPA is delaying the effective date of the final rule titled ``Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and...
PSD Determination: Sun Oil Company and the Definition of Major Modification
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Interim Policy Determination Related to NSR/PSD Significance Level for ODS
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Takeuchi, Hiroyoshi; Fervaha, Gagan; Lee, Jimmy; Agid, Ofer; Remington, Gary
2016-09-01
Brief assessments have the potential to be widely adopted as outcome measures in research but also routine clinical practice. Existing brief rating scales that assess symptoms of schizophrenia or psychosis have a number of limitations including inability to capture five symptom domains of psychosis and a lack of clearly defined operational anchor points for scoring. We developed a new brief rating scale for five symptom domains of psychosis with clearly defined operational anchor points - the Brief Evaluation of Psychosis Symptom Domains (BE-PSD). To examine the psychometric properties of the BE-PSD, fifty patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were included in this preliminary cross-sectional study. To test the convergent and discriminant validity of the BE-PSD, correlational analyses were employed using the consensus Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) five-factor model. To examine the inter-rater reliability of the BE-PSD, single measures intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for 11 patients. The BE-PSD domain scores demonstrated high convergent validity with the corresponding PANSS factor score (rs = 0.81-0.93) as well as good discriminant validity, as evidenced by lower correlations with the other PANSS factors (rs = 0.23-0.62). The BE-PSD also demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability for each of the domain scores and the total scores (ICC(2,1) = 0.79-0.96). The present preliminary study found the BE-PSD measure to be valid and reliable; however, further studies are needed to establish the psychometric properties of the BE-PSD because of the limitations such as the small sample size and lacking data on test-retest reliability or sensitivity to change. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Zhang, Jun-You; Qi, Hong; Ren, Ya-Tao; Ruan, Li-Ming
2018-04-01
An accurate and stable identification technique is developed to retrieve the optical constants and particle size distributions (PSDs) of particle system simultaneously from the multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance signals by using the improved quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm. The Mie theory are selected to calculate the directional laser intensity scattered by particles and the spectral collimated transmittance. The sensitivity and objective function distribution analysis were conducted to evaluate the mathematical properties (i.e. ill-posedness and multimodality) of the inverse problems under three different optical signals combinations (i.e. the single-wavelength multi-angle light scattering signal, the single-wavelength multi-angle light scattering and spectral transmittance signal, and the multi-angle light scattering and spectral transmittance signal). It was found the best global convergence performance can be obtained by using the multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance signals. Meanwhile, the present technique have been tested under different Gaussian measurement noise to prove its feasibility in a large solution space. All the results show that the inverse technique by using multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance signals is effective and suitable for retrieving the optical complex refractive indices and PSD of particle system simultaneously.
Risk Factors for Post-stroke Depression: A Meta-analysis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yu Shi
2017-07-01
Full Text Available Background: Stroke not only impacts patients physically but also economically. Post-stroke depression (PSD, as a common complication of stroke, always obstructs the process of stroke rehabilitation. Accordingly, defining the risk factors associated with PSD has extraordinary importance. Although there have been many studies investigating the risk factors for PSD, the results are inconsistent.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the risk factors for PSD by evidence-based medicine.Data sources: A systematic and comprehensive database search was performed of PubMed, Medline, CENTRAL, EMBASE.com, the Cochrane library and Web of Science for Literature, covering publications from January 1, 1998 to November 19, 2016.Study Selection: Studies on risk factors for PSD were identified, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The risk of bias tool, described in the Cochrane Handbook version 5.1.0, was used to assess the quality of each study. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.Results: Thirty-six studies were included for review. A history of mental illness was the highest ranking modifiable risk factor; other risk factors for PSD were female gender, age (<70 years, neuroticism, family history, severity of stroke, and level of handicap. Social support was a protective factor for PSD.Conclusion: There are many factors that have effects on PSD. The severity of stroke is an important factor in the occurrence of PSD. Mental history is a possible predictor of PSD. Prevention of PSD requires social and family participation.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andreasen, Jesper T.; Bach, Anders; Gynther, Mikko
2013-01-01
Excessive N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent production of nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the development and maintenance of chronic pain states, and is mediated by postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95). By binding to both the NMDAR and neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), PSD-95 mediates...... a specific coupling between NMDAR activation and NO production. NMDAR antagonism shows anti-nociceptive action in humans and animal models of chronic pain but is associated with severe disturbances of cognitive and motor functions. An alternative approach to modulate the NMDAR-related activity is to perturb......'s adjuvant (CFA) model of inflammatory pain. To examine side-effect profiles we also compared the effects of UCCB01-125 and MK-801 in tests of attention, long-term memory, and motor performance. When administered concurrently with CFA, both MK-801 and UCCB01-125 prevented the development of CFA...
The research of PSD location method in micro laser welding fields
Zhang, Qiue; Zhang, Rong; Dong, Hua
2010-11-01
In the field of micro laser welding, besides the special requirement in the parameter of lasers, the locating in welding points accurately is very important. The article adopt position sensitive detector (PSD) as hard core, combine optic system, electric circuits and PC and software processing, confirm the location of welding points. The signal detection circuits adopt the special integrate circuit H-2476 to process weak signal. It is an integrated circuit for high-speed, high-sensitivity optical range finding, which has stronger noiseproof feature, combine digital filter arithmetic, carry out repair the any non-ideal factors, increasing the measure precision. The amplifier adopt programmable amplifier LTC6915. The system adapt two dimension stepping motor drive the workbench, computer and corresponding software processing, make sure the location of spot weld. According to different workpieces to design the clamps. The system on-line detect PSD 's output signal in the moving processing. At the workbench moves in the X direction, the filaments offset is detected dynamic. Analyze the X axes moving sampling signal direction could be estimate the Y axes moving direction, and regulate the Y axes moving values. The workbench driver adopt A3979, it is a stepping motor driver with insert transducer and operate easily. It adapts the requirement of location in micro laser welding fields, real-time control to adjust by computer. It can be content up 20 μm's laser micro welding requirement on the whole. Using laser powder cladding technology achieve inter-penetration welding of high quality and reliability.
Contingency Plan for FGD Systems During Downtime as a Function of PSD
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
PSD Applicability of SO2 Emissions from Incineration of Total Reduced Sulfur
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
PSD Applicability for Ashland Chemical's Maleic Anhydride Plant in Neal, West Virginia
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Tire Derived Fuel Classified as Municipal Solid Waste for a PSD Exemption
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
On-line evaluation of position-sensitive detector (PSD) diffraction data
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Stansfield, R.F.D.; McIntyre, G.J.
1985-01-01
The amount of raw data accumulated in a single-crystal diffraction experiment using a two-dimensional Position Sensitive Detector is usually so large that it is impracticable to store it. It is therefore necessary to reduce each local three-dimensional array of counts to a Bragg intensity, in a time not longer than the average time that one reflection is active. The statistically optimum procedure comprises an estimation of the background from a large number of counts, and an integration of peak intensity within a suitable three-dimensional envelope. A typical on-line method is described, using as an example the D19 diffractometer at the Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL) high-flux reactor. Current methods of PSD data reduction are reviewed. These fall into three groups according to the basis of the method used to find the integration envelope: (a) statistical criteria, (b) three-dimensional sigma(I)/I analysis, and (c) pre-calculation of the resolution function. On-line data reduction imposes special requirements on diagnostics to check the precision of the reduced data, especially at the start of an experiment, when any peculiarities must be identified and allowed for in the data-reduction procedure. The diagnostic possibilities resulting from the comparison of local with global characteristics of the background and the integration envelope are discussed. (author)
Application of PSD Review to a Portland Cement Manufacturing Operation, Texas Industries, Inc.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Automatic or Blanket Exemptions for Excess Emissions During Startup, and Shutdowns Under PSD
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
PSD Applicability Determination for Multiple Owner/Operator Point Sources Within a Single Facility
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Instrumentation for PSD based neutron diffractometers at Dhruva reactor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pande, S.S.; Borkar, S.P.; Prafulla, S.; Srivastava, V.D.; Behare, A.; Mukhopadhyay, P.K.; Ghodgaonkar, M.D.; Kataria, S.K.
2004-01-01
Linear position sensitive detectors (PSDs) are widely used to configure neutron diffractometers and other instruments. Necessary front-end electronics and a data acquisition system is developed to cater to such instruments built around the Dhruva research reactor in BARC. These include three diffractometers with multiple PSDs and four with single PSD. The front-end electronics consists of high voltage units, preamplifiers, shaping amplifiers, ratio ADCs (RDC). The data acquisition system consists of an interface card and software. Commercially available hardware like temperature controller or stepper motor controller connected over GPIB or RS232 are also integrated in the data acquisition system. The data acquisition is automated so that it can continue unattended for control parameter like temperature, thus enabling optimum utilization of available beam time. The instrumentation is scalable and can be easily configured for various instrumental requirements. The front-end electronics and the data acquisition system are described here. (author)
Integrating neural network technology and noise analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Uhrig, R.E.; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
1995-01-01
The integrated use of neural network and noise analysis technologies offers advantages not available by the use of either technology alone. The application of neural network technology to noise analysis offers an opportunity to expand the scope of problems where noise analysis is useful and unique ways in which the integration of these technologies can be used productively. The two-sensor technique, in which the responses of two sensors to an unknown driving source are related, is used to demonstration such integration. The relationship between power spectral densities (PSDs) of accelerometer signals is derived theoretically using noise analysis to demonstrate its uniqueness. This relationship is modeled from experimental data using a neural network when the system is working properly, and the actual PSD of one sensor is compared with the PSD of that sensor predicted by the neural network using the PSD of the other sensor as an input. A significant deviation between the actual and predicted PSDs indicate that system is changing (i.e., failing). Experiments carried out on check values and bearings illustrate the usefulness of the methodology developed. (Author)
The measurement and analysis of wavefront structure from large aperture ICF optics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wolfe, C.R.; Lawson, J.K.
1995-01-01
This paper discusses the techniques, developed over the past year, for high spatial resolution measurement and analysis of the transmitted and/or reflected wavefront of large aperture ICF optical components. Parts up to 400 mm x 750 mm have been measured and include: laser slabs, windows, KDP crystals and lenses. The measurements were performed using state-of-the-art commercial phase shifting interferometers at a wavelength of 633 μm. Both 1 and 2-D Fourier analysis have been used to characterize the wavefront; specifically the Power Spectral Density, (PSD), function was calculated. The PSDs of several precision optical components will be shown. The PSD(V) is proportional to the (amplitude) 2 of components of the Fourier frequency spectrum. The PSD describes the scattered intensity and direction as a function of scattering angle in the wavefront. The capability of commercial software is limited to 1-D Fourier analysis only. We are developing our own 2-D analysis capability in support of work to revise specifications for NIF optics. 2-D analysis uses the entire wavefront phase map to construct 2D PSD functions. We have been able to increase the signal-to-noise relative to 1-D and can observe very subtle wavefront structure
Methods for the Quasi-Periodic Variability Analysis in Blazars Y. Liu ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
the variability analysis in blazars in optical and radio bands, to search for possible quasi-periodic signals. 2. Power spectral density (PSD). In statistical signal processing and physics, the power spectral density (PSD) is a positive real function of a frequency variable associated with a stationary stochas- tic process. Intuitively ...
Instrumentation for PSD-based neutron diffractometers at Dhruva reactor
Pande, S. S.; Borkar, S. P.; Prafulla, S.; Srivastava, V. D.; Behare, A.; Mukhopadhyay, P. K.; Ghodgaonkar, M. D.; Kataria, S. K.
2004-08-01
Linear position sensitive detectors (PSDs) are widely used to configure neutron diffractometers and other instruments. Necessary front-end electronics and a data acquisition system [1] is developed to cater to such instruments built around the Dhruva research reactor in BARC. These include three diffractometers with multiple PSDs and four with single PSD. The front-end electronics consists of high voltage units, preamplifiers [2], shaping amplifiers, ratio ADCs (RDC) [3]. The data acquisition system consists of an interface card and software. Commercially available hardware like temperature controller or stepper motor controller connected over GPIB or RS232 are also integrated in the data acquisition system. The data acquisition is automated so that it can continue unattended for control parameter like temperature, thus enabling optimum utilization of available beam time. The instrumentation is scalable and can be easily configured for various instrumental requirements. The front-end electronics and the data acquisition system are described here.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Development of the laser alignment system with PSD used for shaft calibration
Jiao, Guohua; Li, Yulin; Hu, Baowen
2006-02-01
Shaft calibration is an important technique during installation and maintenance of a rotating machine. It requires unique and high-precision measurement instruments with calculation capability, and relies on experience on heavy, high-speed, or high-temperature machines. A high-precision laser alignment system has been designed using PSD (Position Sensing Detector) to change traditional manual way of shaft calibration and to make the measurement easier and more accurate. The system is comprised of two small measuring units (Laser transmitter and detector) and a hand operated control unit or a PC. Such a laser alignment system has been used in some actual shaft alignment with offset resolution 1.5μm and angular resolution 0.1°.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Request for Clarification of EPA Guidance on the Alternative Fuels Exemption under the PSD Program
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Response to Letter Requesting the EPA Repeal the Alternative Fuels Exemption in the PSD Regulations
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Applicability of the PSD Regulations to Certain Modifications Made by Cooper Tire and Rubber Company
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Design and Experiment of a Differential-Based Power Split Device
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiaohua Zeng
2014-04-01
Full Text Available Hybrid electric vehicles have excellent energy efficiency and emission performance. Power split device (PSD is a key component that directly affects the control strategy of power systems, the economic consumption of fuel, and the dynamic performance of vehicles. A differential-based PSD was proposed in this paper. A traditional differential was taken as the prototype and a new design method is proposed to retrofit the differential into a PSD. First, a comprehensive approach that includes theoretical analysis and software simulation was used to analyze the possibility as well as the necessity of retrofitting the differential into PSD. Then the differential was retrofitted. Finally, finite element analysis and bench test were conducted. Results showed that applying the retrofitted differential as PSD is practicable.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ono, Masayoshi; Tasaki, Seiji; Okamoto, Sunao
1989-01-01
A data acquisition system having the various modern electronic devices was designed and tested for practical use of neutron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements with multiple counters. The system is principally composed of TOF logic units (load-able up to 128 units) with a control unit and a conventional micro-computer. The TOF logic unit (main memory, 2048 ch, 24 bits/ch) demonstrates about 1.7 times higher efficiency for neutron counting rate per channel than the one by a conventional TOF logic unit. Meanwhile, some data-access functions of the TOF logic unit were applied to position sensitive analyzer of one-dimensional neutron PSD for small angle scattering. The analyzer was tested with use of pulse generator. The result shows good linearity. (author)
Anisotropic characterization of rock fracture surfaces subjected to profile analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhou, H.W.; Xie, H.
2004-01-01
The mechanical parameters of a rock fracture are dependent on its surface roughness anisotropy. In this Letter, we show how quantitatively describe the anisotropy of a rock fracture surface. A parameter, referred to as the index for the accumulation power spectral density psd*, is proposed to characterize the anisotropy of a rock fracture surface. Variation of psd*, with orientation angle θ of sampling, is also discussed
Bonte, M.H.A.; de Boer, Andries; Liebregts, R.
This paper provides a new formula to take into account phase differences in the determination of an equivalent von Mises stress power spectral density (PSD) from multiple random inputs. The obtained von Mises PSD can subsequently be used for fatigue analysis. The formula was derived for use in the
Soil texture analysis by laser diffraction - standardization needed
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Callesen, Ingeborg; Palviainen, M.; Kjønaas, O. Janne
2017-01-01
Soil texture is a central soil quality property. Laser diffraction (LD) for determination of particle size distribution (PSD) is now widespread due to easy analysis and low cost. However, pretreatment methods and interpretation of the resulting soil PSD’s are not standardized. Comparison of LD data...... with sedimentation and sieving data may cause misinterpretation and confusion. In literature that reports PSD’s based on LD, pretreatment methods, operating procedures and data methods are often underreported or not reported, although literature stressing the importance exists (e.g. Konert and Vandenberghe, 1997...... and many newer; ISO 13320:2009). PSD uncertainty caused by pretreatments and PSD bias caused by plate-shaped clay particles still calls for more method standardization work. If LD is used more generally, new pedotransfer functions for other soil properties (e.g water retention) based on sieving...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Spiekerman, G.
1988-09-01
A partial blockage of the cooling channels of a fuel element in a swimming pool reactor could lead to vapour generation and to burn-out. To detect such anomalies, a pattern recognition algorithm based on power spectra density (PSD) proposed by Piety was further developed and implemented on a PDP 11/23 for on-line applications. This algorithm identifies anomalies by measuring the PSD on the process signal and comparing them with a standard baseline previously formed. Up to 8 decision discriminants help to recognize spectral changes due to anomalies. In our application, to detect boiling as quickly as possible with sufficient sensitivity, Piety's algorithm was modified using overlapped Fast-Fourier-Transform-Processing and the averaging of the PSDs over a large sample of preceding instantaneous PSDs. This processing allows high sensitivity in detecting weak disturbances without reducing response time. The algorithm was tested with simulation-of-boiling experiments where nitrogen in a cooling channel of a mock-up of a fuel element was injected. Void fractions higher than 30 % in the channel can be detected. In the case of boiling, it is believed that this limit is lower because collapsing bubbles could give rise to stronger fluctuations. The algorithm was also tested with a boiling experiment where the reactor coolant flow was actually reduced. The results showed that the discriminant D5 of Piety's algorithm based on neutron noise obtained from the existing neutron chambers of the reactor control system could sensitively recognize boiling. The detection time amounts to 7-30 s depending on the strength of the disturbances. Other events, which arise during a normal reactor run like scrams, removal of isotope elements without scramming or control rod movements and which could lead to false alarms, can be distinguished from boiling. 49 refs., 104 figs., 5 tabs
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Schutte, R.; Thompson, G.R.; Donkor, K.K. [New Caledonia College, Prince George, BC (Canada). Dept. of Chemistry; Duke, M.J.M. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). SLOWPOKE Nuclear Reactor Facility; Cowles, R. [Syncrude Canada, Edmonton, AB (Canada); Li, X.P.; Kratochvil, B. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemistry
1999-10-01
Knowledge concerning the particle size distribution (PSD) of oil sands is necessary for optimal extraction of bitumen from the sand, and it indicates ore quality, gives a measure of process performance during bitumen extraction, and yields information useful for tailings management. Oil sands with mainly coarse particulates are usually bitumen rich and easy to process in the conventional hot water extraction process. These ores do not require the addition of sodium hydroxide as a process aid, and tailings volumes are minimal in contrast to high fines oil sands. Compared to the methods currently in use for determining the PSD in the oil sand industry, a method is described that is rapid, simple to carry out, and does not involve the use of organic solvents with attendant disposal problems. The principle behind the method is the development of a set of correlations by applying regression analysis to a large set of PSD and elemental analysis data. Predicted PSDs compare favorably with results obtained by existing methods. Each of the three PSD methods currently in use could be simulated by the INAA method. The INAA-based model that predicts hydrometer equivalent data was only applicable above certain lower limits for the amount of the fine size fractions present because of the limited sensitivity of the hydrometer method for PSD determination of fine fractions. For all six particle sizes studied, the INAA model had lower overall uncertainty than the corresponding Microtrac and Coulter instrument methods; the instrument repeatability of the INAA fell between those of Microtrac and Coulter. For Athabasca oil sands, the INAA-based method for PSD determination at and below 44 microm afforded results comparable to current Microtrac and Coulter methods. 13 refs., 9 tabs., 2 figs.
Depression after Stroke in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Ojagbemi, Akin; Akpa, Onoja; Elugbadebo, Fisayo; Owolabi, Mayowa; Ovbiagele, Bruce
2017-01-01
We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and characteristics of poststroke depression (PSD) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We searched Medline, PsycINFO, and African Journals OnLine using keywords for stroke and depression and the .mp. operator for all 54 SSA countries/regions. Further information was retrieved through a manual search of references from relevant published and unpublished articles. We included only peer-reviewed original studies with epidemiological or experimental designs, conducted random-effect meta-analysis, and identified the most commonly associated factors by weight (inverse of variance method). Seventeen studies, comprising 1483 stroke survivors, met the criteria for syntheses. The pooled frequency of clinically diagnosed PSD was 31% (95% CI = 26%-36%), versus 13.9% in healthy control pairs. Prevalence did not vary much across healthcare settings but was affected by methods of depression ascertainment. PSD was significantly associated with low education, cognitive impairment, physical disability, poor quality of life, and divorced marital status. Almost 1 in 3 individuals with stroke in SSA has clinical depression. Despite limitations around quality of identified studies, results of the present systematic review overlap with findings in the global literature and highlight useful targets for the design and trial of tailored intervention for PSD in SSA.
Identification of nuclear reactor characteristics by the reactor noise analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yashima, Hideyuki
1980-01-01
Reactor noise analysis method was applied to TRIGA II Research Reactor (Atomic Research Laboratory, Musashi Institute of Technology) and computed power spectral density (PSD) from the CIC current record. PSD has provided many valuable informations regarding to the reactor kinetics, including the effect of control rods vibration. Another information of neutron physics parameters were obtained and this result was compared with the parameter which was formerly measured by the Feynman-α experiment. Through these experiments we could find overall frequency characteristics of TRIGA II Reactor. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Behringer, K.; Spiekerman, G.; Yadigaroglu, G.
1984-11-01
The neutron noise signal of an initiation-of-boiling experiment performed at the SAPHIR reactor has been analyzed by the PSD-pattern recognition algorithm of Piety (1977); the results indicate that the onset of boiling can be detected by this method. Improved confidence statements for the statistical decision discriminants are given. (Auth.)
Heo, Dong Won; Kim, Kyoung Nam; Lee, Min Woo; Lee, Sung Bok; Kim, Chang-Sik
2017-01-01
To evaluate the properties of pattern standard deviation (PSD) according to localization of the glaucomatous optic neuropathy. We enrolled 242 eyes of 242 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, with a best-corrected visual acuity ≥ 20/25, and no media opacity. Patients were examined via dilated fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and Humphrey visual field examination, and divided into those with hemi-optic neuropathy (superior or inferior) and bi-optic neuropathy (both superior and inferior). We assessed the relationship between mean deviation (MD) and PSD. Using broken stick regression analysis, the tipping point was identified, i.e., the point at which MD became significantly associated with a paradoxical reversal of PSD. In 91 patients with hemi-optic neuropathy, PSD showed a strong correlation with MD (r = -0.973, β = -0.965, p < 0.001). The difference between MD and PSD ("-MD-PSD") was constant (mean, -0.32 dB; 95% confidence interval, -2.48~1.84 dB) regardless of visual field defect severity. However, in 151 patients with bi-optic neuropathy, a negative correlation was evident between "-MD-PSD" and MD (r2 = 0.907, p < 0.001). Overall, the MD tipping point was -14.0 dB, which was close to approximately 50% damage of the entire visual field (p < 0.001). Although a false decrease of PSD usually begins at approximately 50% visual field damage, in patients with hemi-optic neuropathy, the PSD shows no paradoxical decrease and shows a linear correlation with MD.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Power Spectral Density Specification and Analysis of Large Optical Surfaces
Sidick, Erkin
2009-01-01
The 2-dimensional Power Spectral Density (PSD) can be used to characterize the mid- and the high-spatial frequency components of the surface height errors of an optical surface. We found it necessary to have a complete, easy-to-use approach for specifying and evaluating the PSD characteristics of large optical surfaces, an approach that allows one to specify the surface quality of a large optical surface based on simulated results using a PSD function and to evaluate the measured surface profile data of the same optic in comparison with those predicted by the simulations during the specification-derivation process. This paper provides a complete mathematical description of PSD error, and proposes a new approach in which a 2-dimentional (2D) PSD is converted into a 1-dimentional (1D) one by azimuthally averaging the 2D-PSD. The 1D-PSD calculated this way has the same unit and the same profile as the original PSD function, thus allows one to compare the two with each other directly.
Analysis of Beamformer Directed Single-Channel Noise Reduction System for Hearing Aid Applications
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Jesper; Pedersen, Michael Syskind
2015-01-01
We study multi-microphone noise reduction systems consisting of a beamformer and a single-channel (SC) noise reduction stage. In particular, we present and analyse a maximum likelihood (ML) method for jointly estimating the target and noise power spectral densities (psd's) entering the SC filter....... We show that the estimators are minimum variance and unbiased, and provide closed-form expressions for their mean-square error (MSE). Furthermore, we show that the MSE of the noise psd estimator is particularly simple: it is independent of target signal characteristics, frequency, and microphone...
Depression after Stroke in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Akin Ojagbemi
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Objective. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and characteristics of poststroke depression (PSD in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA. Methods. We searched Medline, PsycINFO, and African Journals OnLine using keywords for stroke and depression and the .mp. operator for all 54 SSA countries/regions. Further information was retrieved through a manual search of references from relevant published and unpublished articles. We included only peer-reviewed original studies with epidemiological or experimental designs, conducted random-effect meta-analysis, and identified the most commonly associated factors by weight (inverse of variance method. Results. Seventeen studies, comprising 1483 stroke survivors, met the criteria for syntheses. The pooled frequency of clinically diagnosed PSD was 31% (95% CI = 26%–36%, versus 13.9% in healthy control pairs. Prevalence did not vary much across healthcare settings but was affected by methods of depression ascertainment. PSD was significantly associated with low education, cognitive impairment, physical disability, poor quality of life, and divorced marital status. Conclusion. Almost 1 in 3 individuals with stroke in SSA has clinical depression. Despite limitations around quality of identified studies, results of the present systematic review overlap with findings in the global literature and highlight useful targets for the design and trial of tailored intervention for PSD in SSA.
Li, Riqing; Xia, Jixing; Xu, Yiwei; Zhao, Xiucai; Liu, Yao-Guang; Chen, Yuanling
2014-01-01
Plant height is an important agronomic trait for crop architecture and yield. Most known factors determining plant height function in gibberellin or brassinosteroid biosynthesis or signal transduction. Here, we report a japonica rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) dominant dwarf mutant, Photoperiod-sensitive dwarf 1 (Psd1). The Psd1 mutant showed impaired cell division and elongation, and a severe dwarf phenotype under long-day conditions, but nearly normal growth in short-day. The plant height of Psd1 mutant could not be rescued by gibberellin or brassinosteroid treatment. Genetic analysis with R1 and F2 populations determined that Psd1 phenotype was controlled by a single dominant locus. Linkage analysis with 101 tall F2 plants grown in a long-day season, which were derived from a cross between Psd1 and an indica cultivar, located Psd1 locus on chromosome 1. Further fine-mapping with 1017 tall F2 plants determined this locus on an 11.5-kb region. Sequencing analysis of this region detected a mutation site in a gene encoding a putative lipid transfer protein; the mutation produces a truncated C-terminus of the protein. This study establishes the genetic foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating plant cell division and elongation mediated by interaction between genetic and environmental factors.
An Update on the NASA Planetary Science Division Research and Analysis Program
Richey, Christina; Bernstein, Max; Rall, Jonathan
2015-01-01
Introduction: NASA's Planetary Science Division (PSD) solicits its Research and Analysis (R&A) programs each year in Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES). Beginning with the 2014 ROSES solicitation, PSD will be changing the structure of the program elements under which the majority of planetary science R&A is done. Major changes include the creation of five core research program elements aligned with PSD's strategic science questions, the introduction of several new R&A opportunities, new submission requirements, and a new timeline for proposal submissionROSES and NSPIRES: ROSES contains the research announcements for all of SMD. Submission of ROSES proposals is done electronically via NSPIRES: http://nspires.nasaprs.com. We will present further details on the proposal submission process to help guide younger scientists. Statistical trends, including the average award size within the PSD programs, selections rates, and lessons learned, will be presented. Information on new programs will also be presented, if available.Review Process and Volunteering: The SARA website (http://sara.nasa.gov) contains information on all ROSES solicitations. There is an email address (SARA@nasa.gov) for inquiries and an area for volunteer reviewers to sign up. The peer review process is based on Scientific/Technical Merit, Relevance, and Level of Effort, and will be detailed within this presentation.ROSES 2014 submission changes: All PSD programs will use a two-step proposal submission process. A Step-1 proposal is required and must be submitted electronically by the Step-1 due date. The Step-1 proposal should include a description of the science goals and objectives to be addressed by the proposal, a brief description of the methodology to be used to address the science goals and objectives, and the relevance of the proposed research to the call submitted to.Additional Information: Additional details will be provided on the Cassini Data Analysis Program, the
Ricciardi, Sara; Ungaro, Federica; Hambrock, Melanie; Rademacher, Nils; Stefanelli, Gilda; Brambilla, Dario; Sessa, Alessandro; Magagnotti, Cinzia; Bachi, Angela; Giarda, Elisa; Verpelli, Chiara; Kilstrup-Nielsen, Charlotte; Sala, Carlo; Kalscheuer, Vera M; Broccoli, Vania
2012-09-01
Mutations of the cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) and netrin-G1 (NTNG1) genes cause a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with clinical features that are closely related to Rett syndrome, including intellectual disability, early-onset intractable epilepsy and autism. We report here that CDKL5 is localized at excitatory synapses and contributes to correct dendritic spine structure and synapse activity. To exert this role, CDKL5 binds and phosphorylates the cell adhesion molecule NGL-1. This phosphorylation event ensures a stable association between NGL-1 and PSD95. Accordingly, phospho-mutant NGL-1 is unable to induce synaptic contacts whereas its phospho-mimetic form binds PSD95 more efficiently and partially rescues the CDKL5-specific spine defects. Interestingly, similarly to rodent neurons, iPSC-derived neurons from patients with CDKL5 mutations exhibit aberrant dendritic spines, thus suggesting a common function of CDKL5 in mice and humans.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Diabetes mellitus is associated with late-onset post-stroke depression.
Zhang, Yu; He, Ji-Rong; Liang, Huai-Bin; Lu, Wen-Jing; Yang, Guo-Yuan; Liu, Jian-Rong; Zeng, Li-Li
2017-10-15
To explore the associated factors of late-onset post-stroke depression (PSD). A total of 251 patients with acute ischemic stroke were recruited. The evaluation of depression was performed 2 weeks after ischemia. 206 patients showing no depression in 2 weeks were followed up. They were divided into late-onset PSD group and non-depressed group by clinical interview with Hamilton depression scale score 3 months after stroke. On the first day following hospitalization, the clinical data including age, gender, educational level and vascular risk factors were recorded. The severity, etiological subtype and location of stroke were evaluated. The inflammatory mediators, glucose and lipid levels were recorded on the day of admission. The association between clinical factors and late-onset PSD was explored by logistic regression analysis. The ROC analysis was performed to evaluate the predicting power of the clinical factors. 187 of 206 patients completed the assessment 3 months after stroke. 19 (10.16%) patients were diagnosed as late onset PSD. Diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor for late-onset PSD (OR 2.675, p = 0.047). ROC analysis demonstrated that glucose and HbA1C could predict late-onset PSD with specificity of 84.4%. The sample of our study was small. The results should be further confirmed in a larger cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke. The acute ischemic stroke patients with diabetes mellitus were more tendered to suffer late-onset PSD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An Integrated Nonlinear Analysis library - (INA) for solar system plasma turbulence
Munteanu, Costel; Kovacs, Peter; Echim, Marius; Koppan, Andras
2014-05-01
We present an integrated software library dedicated to the analysis of time series recorded in space and adapted to investigate turbulence, intermittency and multifractals. The library is written in MATLAB and provides a graphical user interface (GUI) customized for the analysis of space physics data available online like: Coordinated Data Analysis Web (CDAWeb), Automated Multi Dataset Analysis system (AMDA), Planetary Science Archive (PSA), World Data Center Kyoto (WDC), Ulysses Final Archive (UFA) and Cluster Active Archive (CAA). Three main modules are already implemented in INA : the Power Spectral Density (PSD) Analysis, the Wavelet and Intemittency Analysis and the Probability Density Functions (PDF) analysis.The layered structure of the software allows the user to easily switch between different modules/methods while retaining the same time interval for the analysis. The wavelet analysis module includes algorithms to compute and analyse the PSD, the Scalogram, the Local Intermittency Measure (LIM) or the Flatness parameter. The PDF analysis module includes algorithms for computing the PDFs for a range of scales and parameters fully customizable by the user; it also computes the Flatness parameter and enables fast comparison with standard PDF profiles like, for instance, the Gaussian PDF. The library has been already tested on Cluster and Venus Express data and we will show relevant examples. Research supported by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 313038/STORM, and a grant of the Romanian Ministry of National Education, CNCS UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID PCE-2012-4-0418.
A large 2D PSD for thermal neutron detection
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Knott, R.B.; Watt, G.; Boldeman, J.W.; Smith, G.C.
1996-01-01
A 2D PSD based on a MWPC has been constructed for a small angle neutron scattering instrument. The active area of the detector was 640 x 640 mm 2 . To meet the specifications for neutron detection efficiency and spatial resolution, and to minimize parallax, the gas mixture was 190 kPa 3 He plus 100 kPa CF 4 and the active volume had a thickness of 30 mm. The design maximum neutron count-rate of the detector was 10 5 events per second. The (calculated) neutron detection efficiency was 60% for 2 angstrom neutrons and the (measured) neutron energy resolution on the anode grid was typically 20% (fwhm). The location of a neutron detection event within the active area was determined using the wire-by-wire method: the spatial resolution (5 x 5 mm 2 ) was thereby defined by the wire geometry. A 16 channel charge-sensitive preamplifier/amplifier/comparator module has been developed with a channel sensitivity of 0.1 V/fC, noise linewidth of 0.4 fC (fwhm) and channel-to-channel cross-talk of less than 5%. The Proportional Counter Operating System (PCOS III) (LeCroy Corp USA) was used for event encoding. The ECL signals produced by the 16 channel modules were latched in PCOS III by a trigger pulse from the anode and the fast encoders produce a position and width for each event. The information was transferred to a UNIX workstation for accumulation and online display
Bonte, M. H. A.; de Boer, A.; Liebregts, R.
2007-04-01
This paper provides a new formula to take into account phase differences in the determination of an equivalent von Mises stress power spectral density (PSD) from multiple random inputs. The obtained von Mises PSD can subsequently be used for fatigue analysis. The formula was derived for use in the commercial vehicle business and was implemented in combination with Finite Element software to predict and analyse fatigue failure in the frequency domain.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andreasen, Jesper T; Nasser, Arafat; Caballero-Puntiverio, Maitane
2016-01-01
NOS interaction has therefore been proposed as an alternative analgesic mechanism. We recently reported that UCCB01-125, a dimeric PSD-95 inhibitor with limited blood-brain-barrier permeability, reduced mechanical hypersensitivity in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) inflammatory pain model, without disrupting...... of neuropathic pain. Potential cognitive effects of UCCB01-144 were examined using the social transmission of food preference (STFP) test and the V-maze test, and motor coordination was assessed with the rotarod test. UCCB01-144 (10mg/kg) reversed CFA-induced mechanical hypersensitivity after 1h, and completely...
Di Bartolomeo, Francesca; Doan, Kim Nguyen; Athenstaedt, Karin; Becker, Thomas; Daum, Günther
2017-07-01
In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mitochondrial phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 1 (Psd1p) produces the largest amount of cellular phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Psd1p is synthesized as a larger precursor on cytosolic ribosomes and then imported into mitochondria in a three-step processing event leading to the formation of an α-subunit and a β-subunit. The α-subunit harbors a highly conserved motif, which was proposed to be involved in phosphatidylserine (PS) binding. Here, we present a molecular analysis of this consensus motif for the function of Psd1p by using Psd1p variants bearing either deletions or point mutations in this region. Our data show that mutations in this motif affect processing and stability of Psd1p, and consequently the enzyme's activity. Thus, we conclude that this consensus motif is essential for structural integrity and processing of Psd1p. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Applications of wavelet transforms for nuclear power plant signal analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Seker, S.; Turkcan, E.; Upadhyaya, B.R.; Erbay, A.S.
1998-01-01
The safety of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) may be enhanced by the timely processing of information derived from multiple process signals from NPPs. The most widely used technique in signal analysis applications is the Fourier transform in the frequency domain to generate power spectral densities (PSD). However, the Fourier transform is global in nature and will obscure any non-stationary signal feature. Lately, a powerful technique called the Wavelet Transform, has been developed. This transform uses certain basis functions for representing the data in an effective manner, with capability for sub-band analysis and providing time-frequency localization as needed. This paper presents a brief overview of wavelets applied to the nuclear industry for signal processing and plant monitoring. The basic theory of Wavelets is also summarized. In order to illustrate the application of wavelet transforms data were acquired from the operating nuclear power plant Borssele in the Netherlands. The experimental data consist of various signals in the power plant and are selected from a stationary power operation. Their frequency characteristics and the mutual relations were investigated using MATLAB signal processing and wavelet toolbox for computing their PSDs and coherence functions by multi-resolution analysis. The results indicate that the sub-band PSD matches with the original signal PSD and enhances the estimation of coherence functions. The Wavelet analysis demonstrates the feasibility of application to stationary signals to provide better estimates in the frequency band of interest as compared to the classical FFT approach. (author)
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bach, Anders*; Clausen, Bettina H; Møller, Magda
2012-01-01
Inhibition of the ternary protein complex of the synaptic scaffolding protein postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is a potential strategy for treating ischemic brain damage, but high-affinity inhibitors are ...... of Tat-N-dimer (3 nmol/g) to mice subjected to focal cerebral ischemia reduces infarct volume with 40% and restores motor functions. Thus, Tat-N-dimer is a highly efficacious neuroprotective agent with therapeutic potential in stroke....
A large 2D PSD for thermal neutron detection
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Knott, R.B.; Watt, G.; Boldeman, J.W. [Australian Nucl. Sci. and Tech. Organ., Menai, NSW (Australia). Phys. Div.; Smith, G.C. [Instrumentation Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States)
1997-06-21
A 2D PSD based on a MWPC has been constructed for a small angle neutron scattering instrument. The active area of the detector was 640 x 640 mm{sup 2}. To meet the specifications for neutron detection efficiency and spatial resolution, and to minimise parallax, the gas mixture was 190 kPa {sup 3}He plus 100 kPa CF{sub 4}, and the active volume had a thickness of 30 mm. The design maximum neutron count rate of the detector was 10{sup 5} events per second. The (calculated) neutron detection efficiency was 60% for 2 A neutrons and the (measured) neutron energy resolution on the anode grid was typically 20% (fwhm). The location of a neutron detection event within the active area was determined using the wire-by-wire method: the spatial resolution (5 x 5 mm{sup 2}) was thereby defined by the wire geometry. A 16-channel charge-sensitive preamplifier/amplifier/comparator module has been developed with a channel sensitivity of 0.1 V/fC, noise line width of 0.4 fC (fwhm) and channel-to-channel cross-talk of less than 5%. The proportional counter operating system (PCOS III) (LeCroy Corp, USA) was used for event encoding. The ECL signals produced by the 16 channel modules were latched in PCOS III by a trigger pulse from the anode and the fast encoders produce a position and width for each event. The information was transferred to a UNIX workstation for accumulation and online display. (orig.).
Resonance detection of EEG signals using two-layer wavelet analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Abdallah, H. M; Odeh, F.S.
2000-01-01
This paper presents the hybrid quadrature mirror filter (HQMF) algorithm applied to the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal during mental activity. The information contents of this signal, i.e., its medical diagnosis, lie in its power spectral density (PSD). The HQMF algorithm is a modified technique that is based on the shape and the details of the signal. If applied efficiently, the HQMF algorithm will produce much better results than conventional wavelet methods in detecting (diagnosing) the information of the EEG signal from its PSD. This technique is applicable not only to EEG signals, but is highly recommended to compression analysis and de noising techniques. (authors). 16 refs., 9 figs
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiao J
2016-08-01
Full Text Available Jianqi Xiao,1,* Jie Zhang,2,* Dan Sun,3,* Lin Wang,4,* Lijun Yu,5 Hongjing Wu,5 Dan Wang,5 Xuerong Qiu5 1Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of Qiqihar City, Qiqihar, 2Department of Internal Medicine, Central Hospital of Jiamusi City, Jiamusi, 3Department of Geriatrics, General Hospital of Daqing Oil Field, Daqing, 4Department of Nursing, 5Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Qiqihar City, Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Poststroke depression (PSD, the most common psychiatric disease that stroke survivors face, is estimated to affect ~30% of poststroke patients. However, there are still no objective methods to diagnose PSD. In this study, to explore the differential metabolites in the urine of PSD subjects and to identify a potential biomarker panel for PSD diagnosis, the nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabonomic method was applied. Ten differential metabolites responsible for discriminating PSD subjects from healthy control (HC and stroke subjects were found, and five of these metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers (lactate, α-hydroxybutyrate, phenylalanine, formate, and arabinitol. The panel consisting of these five metabolites provided excellent performance in discriminating PSD subjects from HC and stroke subjects, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.946 in the training set (43 HC, 45 stroke, and 62 PSD subjects. Moreover, this panel could classify the blinded samples from the test set (31 HC, 33 stroke, and 32 PSD subjects with an area under the curve of 0.946. These results laid a foundation for the future development of urine-based objective methods for PSD diagnosis and investigation of PSD pathogenesis. Keywords: poststroke depression, PSD, stroke, nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, metabonomic
Provider self-disclosure during contraceptive counseling.
McLean, Merritt; Steinauer, Jody; Schmittdiel, Julie; Chan, Pamela; Dehlendorf, Christine
2017-02-01
Provider self-disclosure (PSD) - defined as providers making statements regarding personal information to patients - has not been well characterized in the context of contraceptive counseling. In this study, we describe the incidence, content and context of contraceptive PSD. This mixed methods analysis used data from the Provider-Patient Contraceptive Counseling study, for which 349 family planning patients were recruited from 2009 to 2012 from six clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area. Audio-recordings from their visits were analyzed for the presence or absence of PSD, and those visits with evidence of PSD were analyzed using qualitative methods. The associations of patient and provider demographics and patient satisfaction measures, obtained from survey data, with PSD were analyzed using bivariable and multivariable analyses. Thirty-seven percent of providers showed evidence of PSD during at least one visit, and PSD occurred in 9% of clinic visits. Fifty-four percent of PSD statements were about intrauterine devices. About half of PSD statements occurred prior to the final selection of the contraceptive method and appeared to influence the choice of method. In post-visit surveys, all patients who reported receiving PSD considered it to be appropriate, and patient-reported PSD was not statistically associated with measures of patient satisfaction. This study provides some support for the appropriateness of PSD during family planning encounters, at least as practiced during the sampled visits. Further research could explore whether this counseling strategy has an impact on patients' ability to identify the best contraceptive methods for them. In this study, PSD did not have a demonstrated negative effect on the provider-patient relationship. In almost half of visits, PSD appeared to influence patients' choice of a method; whether this influence is beneficial needs further research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Kepler Light Curves of AGN: A Detailed Analysis
Smith, Krista Lynne; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Boyd, Patricia T.; Malkan, Matt; Howell, Steve B.; Gelino, Dawn M.
2018-04-01
We present a comprehensive analysis of 21 light curves of Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the Kepler spacecraft. First, we describe the necessity and development of a customized pipeline for treating Kepler data of stochastically variable sources like AGN. We then present the light curves, power spectral density functions (PSDs), and flux histograms. The light curves display an astonishing variety of behaviors, many of which would not be detected in ground-based studies, including switching between distinct flux levels. Six objects exhibit PSD flattening at characteristic timescales that roughly correlate with black hole mass. These timescales are consistent with orbital timescales or free-fall accretion timescales. We check for correlations of variability and high-frequency PSD slope with accretion rate, black hole mass, redshift, and luminosity. We find that bolometric luminosity is anticorrelated with both variability and steepness of the PSD slope. We do not find evidence of the linear rms–flux relationships or lognormal flux distributions found in X-ray AGN light curves, indicating that reprocessing is not a significant contributor to optical variability at the 0.1%–10% level.
Study on coordination of ventricular contraction by a phase analysis method in tetralogy of Fallot
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chen Xianying; Zhu Hongyu; Li Xinmin; Wang Zhiguo; Zhang Guoxu; Zhang Zhaozhong; Wang Kaigeng
2001-01-01
Objective: Quantitative study on the characters of left ventricular (LV) wall motion and assessing degree of satisfaction of surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot with phase standard deviation (PSD). Methods: PSD was calculated by equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography in 24 normal controls and 59 patients of tetralogy of Fallot before and after operation. Results: LV PSD was (9.7 +- 2.8) degree in 24 normal controls and (20.5 +- 15.5) degree and (10.0 +- 7.2) degree in 51(86.4%) of 59 patients of tetralogy of Fallot before and after surgical repair, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). LV PSD was (11.2 +- 7.8) degree and (21.3 +- 9.3) degree, respectively before and after surgical repair in the remaining 8(13.4%) patients and the LV PSD was increased significantly after operation (P < 0.05). Conclusions: LV PSD is coordinate with improving degree of ventricular wall motion and heart function after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot. PSD is one of the heart function parameters for reflecting the degree of satisfaction of the surgical repair
Information theoretic analysis of canny edge detection in visual communication
Jiang, Bo; Rahman, Zia-ur
2011-06-01
In general edge detection evaluation, the edge detectors are examined, analyzed, and compared either visually or with a metric for specific an application. This analysis is usually independent of the characteristics of the image-gathering, transmission and display processes that do impact the quality of the acquired image and thus, the resulting edge image. We propose a new information theoretic analysis of edge detection that unites the different components of the visual communication channel and assesses edge detection algorithms in an integrated manner based on Shannon's information theory. The edge detection algorithm here is considered to achieve high performance only if the information rate from the scene to the edge approaches the maximum possible. Thus, by setting initial conditions of the visual communication system as constant, different edge detection algorithms could be evaluated. This analysis is normally limited to linear shift-invariant filters so in order to examine the Canny edge operator in our proposed system, we need to estimate its "power spectral density" (PSD). Since the Canny operator is non-linear and shift variant, we perform the estimation for a set of different system environment conditions using simulations. In our paper we will first introduce the PSD of the Canny operator for a range of system parameters. Then, using the estimated PSD, we will assess the Canny operator using information theoretic analysis. The information-theoretic metric is also used to compare the performance of the Canny operator with other edge-detection operators. This also provides a simple tool for selecting appropriate edgedetection algorithms based on system parameters, and for adjusting their parameters to maximize information throughput.
Importance Performance Analysis as a Trade Show Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking Tool
Tafesse, Wondwesen; Skallerud, Kåre; Korneliussen, Tor
2010-01-01
Author's accepted version (post-print). The purpose of this study is to introduce importance performance analysis as a trade show performance evaluation and benchmarking tool. Importance performance analysis considers exhibitors’ performance expectation and perceived performance in unison to evaluate and benchmark trade show performance. The present study uses data obtained from exhibitors of an international trade show to demonstrate how importance performance analysis can be used to eval...
AFM analysis of bleaching effects on dental enamel microtopography
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Pedreira de Freitas, Ana Carolina, E-mail: anacarolfreitas@usp.br [Departamento de Dentistica, Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05508-000, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Cardoso Espejo, Luciana, E-mail: luespejo@hotmail.com [Departamento de Dentistica, Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05508-000, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Brossi Botta, Sergio, E-mail: sbbotta@usp.br [Departamento de Dentistica, Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05508-000, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Sa Teixeira, Fernanda de, E-mail: nandast@if.usp.br [Laboratorio de Filmes Finos, Instituto de Fisica da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao, Travessa R, 187 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05314-970, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Cerqueira, Luz Maria Aparecida A., E-mail: maacluz@usp.br [Departamento de Dentistica, Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05508-000, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Garone-Netto, Narciso, E-mail: ngarone@usp.br [Departamento de Dentistica, Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05508-000, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Bona Matos, Adriana, E-mail: bona@usp.br [Departamento de Dentistica, Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05508-000, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Barbosa da Silveira Salvadori, Maria Cecilia, E-mail: mcsalva@if.usp.br [Laboratorio de Filmes Finos, Instituto de Fisica da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao, Travessa R, 187 - Cidade Universitaria, CEP 05314-970, Sao Paulo (Brazil)
2010-02-15
The purpose of this in vitro study was to test a new methodology to evaluate the effects of 35% hydrogen peroxide agent on the microtopography of sound enamel using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The buccal sound surfaces of three extracted human lower incisors were used, without polishing the surfaces to maintain them with natural morphology. These unpolished surfaces were subjected to bleaching procedure with 35% hydrogen peroxide that consisted of 4 applications of the bleaching agent on enamel surfaces for 10 min each application. Surface images were obtained in a 15 {mu}m x 15 {mu}m area using an AFM. The roughness (Ra and RMS) and the power spectral density (PSD) were obtained before and after the bleaching treatment. As results we could inquire that the PSD analyses were very suitable to identifying the morphological changes on the surfaces, while the Ra and RMS parameters were insufficient to represent the morphological alterations promoted by bleaching procedure on enamel. The morphological wavelength in the range of visible light spectrum (380-750 nm) was analyzed, showing a considerable increase of the PSD with the bleaching treatment.
AFM analysis of bleaching effects on dental enamel microtopography
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pedreira de Freitas, Ana Carolina; Cardoso Espejo, Luciana; Brossi Botta, Sergio; Sa Teixeira, Fernanda de; Cerqueira, Luz Maria Aparecida A.; Garone-Netto, Narciso; Bona Matos, Adriana; Barbosa da Silveira Salvadori, Maria Cecilia
2010-01-01
The purpose of this in vitro study was to test a new methodology to evaluate the effects of 35% hydrogen peroxide agent on the microtopography of sound enamel using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The buccal sound surfaces of three extracted human lower incisors were used, without polishing the surfaces to maintain them with natural morphology. These unpolished surfaces were subjected to bleaching procedure with 35% hydrogen peroxide that consisted of 4 applications of the bleaching agent on enamel surfaces for 10 min each application. Surface images were obtained in a 15 μm x 15 μm area using an AFM. The roughness (Ra and RMS) and the power spectral density (PSD) were obtained before and after the bleaching treatment. As results we could inquire that the PSD analyses were very suitable to identifying the morphological changes on the surfaces, while the Ra and RMS parameters were insufficient to represent the morphological alterations promoted by bleaching procedure on enamel. The morphological wavelength in the range of visible light spectrum (380-750 nm) was analyzed, showing a considerable increase of the PSD with the bleaching treatment.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Properties of autoregressive model in reactor noise analysis, 1
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yamada, Sumasu; Kishida, Kuniharu; Bekki, Keisuke.
1987-01-01
Under appropriate conditions, stochastic processes are described by the ARMA model, however, the AR model is popularly used in reactor noise analysis. Hence, the properties of AR model as an approximate representation of the ARMA model should be made clear. Here, convergence of AR-parameters and PSD of AR model were studied through numerical analysis on specific examples such as the neutron noise in subcritical reactors, and it was found that : (1) The convergence of AR-parameters and AR model PSD is governed by the ''zero nearest to the unit circle in the complex plane'' (μ -1 ,|μ| M . (3) The AR model of the neutron noise of subcritical reactors needs a large model order because of an ARMA-zero very close to unity corresponding to the decay constant of the 6-th group of delayed neutron precursors. (4) In applying AR model for system identification, much attention has to be paid to a priori unknown error as an approximate representation of the ARMA model in addition to the statistical errors. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sakairi, M.; Shimoyama, Y.; Nagasawa, D.
2008-01-01
A new type of electrochemical random signal (electrochemical noise) analysis technique was applied to localized corrosion of anodic oxide film formed 1100 aluminum alloy in 0.5 kmol/m 3 H 3 BO 4 /0.05 kmol/m 3 Na 2 B 4 O 7 with 0.01 kmol/m 3 NaCl. The effect of anodic oxide film structure, barrier type, porous type, and composite type on galvanic corrosion resistance was also examined. Before localized corrosion started, incubation period for pitting corrosion, both current and potential slightly change as initial value with time. The incubation period of porous type anodic oxide specimens are longer than that of barrier type anodic oxide specimens. While pitting corrosion, the current and potential were changed with fluctuations and the potential and the current fluctuations show a good correlation. The records of the current and potential were processed by calculating the power spectrum density (PSD) by the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method. The potential and current PSD decrease with increasing frequency, and the slopes are steeper than or equal to minus one (-1). This technique allows observation of electrochemical impedance changes during localized corrosion
McDonough, Patrick M; Prigozhina, Natalie L; Basa, Ranor C B; Price, Jeffrey H
2017-07-01
Postchemotherapy cognitive impairment (PCCI) is commonly exhibited by cancer patients treated with a variety of chemotherapeutic agents, including the endocrine disruptor tamoxifen (TAM). The etiology of PCCI is poorly understood. Our goal was to develop high-throughput assay methods to test the effects of chemicals on neuronal function applicable to PCCI. Rat hippocampal neurons (RHNs) were plated in 96- or 384-well dishes and exposed to test compounds (forskolin [FSK], 17β-estradiol [ES]), TAM or fulvestrant [FUL], aka ICI 182,780) for 6-14 days. Kinetic Image Cytometry™ (KIC™) methods were developed to quantify spontaneously occurring intracellular calcium transients representing the activity of the neurons, and high-content analysis (HCA) methods were developed to quantify the expression, colocalization, and puncta formed by synaptic proteins (postsynaptic density protein-95 [PSD-95] and presynaptic protein Synapsin-1 [Syn-1]). As quantified by KIC, FSK increased the occurrence and synchronization of the calcium transients indicating stimulatory effects on RHN activity, whereas TAM had inhibitory effects. As quantified by HCA, FSK also increased PSD-95 puncta and PSD-95:Syn-1 colocalization, whereas ES increased the puncta of both PSD-95 and Syn-1 with little effect on colocalization. The estrogen receptor antagonist FUL also increased PSD-95 puncta. In contrast, TAM reduced Syn-1 and PSD-95:Syn-1 colocalization, consistent with its inhibitory effects on the calcium transients. Thus TAM reduced activity and synapse formation by the RHNs, which may relate to the ability of this agent to cause PCCI. The results illustrate that KIC and HCA can be used to quantify neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects of chemicals in RHNs to investigate mechanisms and potential therapeutics for PCCI.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Daniel P. Venâncio
2012-01-01
Full Text Available We investigated the effect of 96 h paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD and 21-day sleep restriction (SR on prostate morphology using stereological assays in male rats. After euthanasia, the rat ventral prostate was removed, weighed, and prepared for conventional light microscopy. Microscopic analysis of the prostate reveals that morphology of this gland was altered after 96 h of PSD and 21 days of SR, with the most important alterations occurring in the epithelium and stroma in the course of both procedures compared with the control group. Both 96 h PSD and 21-day SR rats showed lower serum testosterone and higher corticosterone levels than control rats. The significance of our result referring to the sleep deprivation was responsible for deep morphological alterations in ventral prostate tissue, like to castration microscopic modifications. This result is due to the marked alterations in hormonal status caused by PSD and SR.
Venâncio, Daniel P.; Andersen, Monica L.; Vilamaior, Patricia S. L.; Santos, Fernanda C.; Zager, Adriano; Tufik, Sérgio; Taboga, Sebastião R.; De Mello, Marco T.
2012-01-01
We investigated the effect of 96 h paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and 21-day sleep restriction (SR) on prostate morphology using stereological assays in male rats. After euthanasia, the rat ventral prostate was removed, weighed, and prepared for conventional light microscopy. Microscopic analysis of the prostate reveals that morphology of this gland was altered after 96 h of PSD and 21 days of SR, with the most important alterations occurring in the epithelium and stroma in the course of both procedures compared with the control group. Both 96 h PSD and 21-day SR rats showed lower serum testosterone and higher corticosterone levels than control rats. The significance of our result referring to the sleep deprivation was responsible for deep morphological alterations in ventral prostate tissue, like to castration microscopic modifications. This result is due to the marked alterations in hormonal status caused by PSD and SR. PMID:22927719
Progesterone reduces erectile dysfunction in sleep-deprived spontaneously hypertensive rats
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tufik Sergio
2007-03-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD associated with cocaine has been shown to enhance genital reflexes (penile erection-PE and ejaculation-EJ in Wistar rats. Since hypertension predisposes males to erectile dysfunction, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of PSD on genital reflexes in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR compared to the Wistar strain. We also extended our study to examine how PSD affect steroid hormone concentrations involved in genital events in both experimental models. Methods The first experiment investigated the effects of PSD on genital reflexes of Wistar and SHR rats challenged by saline and cocaine (n = 10/group. To further examine the impact of the PSD on concentrations of sexual hormones, we performed a hormonal analysis of testosterone and progesterone in the Wistar and in SHR strains. Since after PSD progesterone concentrations decreased in the SHR compared to the Wistar PSD group we extended our study by investigating whether progesterone (25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg or testosterone (0.5 mg/kg or 1.0 mg/kg administration during PSD would have a facilitator effect on the occurrence of genital reflexes in this hypertensive strain. Results A 4-day period of PSD induced PE in 50% of the Wistar rats against 10% for the SHR. These genital reflexes was potentiated by cocaine in Wistar rats whereas this scenario did not promote significant enhancement in PE and EJ in hypertensive rats, and the percentage of SHR displaying genital reflexes still figured significantly lower than that of the Wistar strain. As for hormone concentrations, both sleep-deprived Wistar and SHR showed lower testosterone concentrations than their respective controls. Sleep deprivation promoted an increase in concentrations of progesterone in Wistar rats, whereas no significant alterations were found after PSD in the SHR strain, which did not present enhancement in erectile responses. In order to explore the role
Evaluation of Visual Field Progression in Glaucoma: Quasar Regression Program and Event Analysis.
Díaz-Alemán, Valentín T; González-Hernández, Marta; Perera-Sanz, Daniel; Armas-Domínguez, Karintia
2016-01-01
To determine the sensitivity, specificity and agreement between the Quasar program, glaucoma progression analysis (GPA II) event analysis and expert opinion in the detection of glaucomatous progression. The Quasar program is based on linear regression analysis of both mean defect (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD). Each series of visual fields was evaluated by three methods; Quasar, GPA II and four experts. The sensitivity, specificity and agreement (kappa) for each method was calculated, using expert opinion as the reference standard. The study included 439 SITA Standard visual fields of 56 eyes of 42 patients, with a mean of 7.8 ± 0.8 visual fields per eye. When suspected cases of progression were considered stable, sensitivity and specificity of Quasar, GPA II and the experts were 86.6% and 70.7%, 26.6% and 95.1%, and 86.6% and 92.6% respectively. When suspected cases of progression were considered as progressing, sensitivity and specificity of Quasar, GPA II and the experts were 79.1% and 81.2%, 45.8% and 90.6%, and 85.4% and 90.6% respectively. The agreement between Quasar and GPA II when suspected cases were considered stable or progressing was 0.03 and 0.28 respectively. The degree of agreement between Quasar and the experts when suspected cases were considered stable or progressing was 0.472 and 0.507. The degree of agreement between GPA II and the experts when suspected cases were considered stable or progressing was 0.262 and 0.342. The combination of MD and PSD regression analysis in the Quasar program showed better agreement with the experts and higher sensitivity than GPA II.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Verónica Lamas
Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the top-down control of sound processing in the auditory brainstem of rats. Short latency evoked responses were analyzed after unilateral or bilateral ablation of auditory cortex. This experimental paradigm was also used towards analyzing the long-term evolution of post-lesion plasticity in the auditory system and its ability to self-repair. METHOD: Auditory cortex lesions were performed in rats by stereotactically guided fine-needle aspiration of the cerebrocortical surface. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR were recorded at post-surgery day (PSD 1, 7, 15 and 30. Recordings were performed under closed-field conditions, using click trains at different sound intensity levels, followed by statistical analysis of threshold values and ABR amplitude and latency variables. Subsequently, brains were sectioned and immunostained for GAD and parvalbumin to assess the location and extent of lesions accurately. RESULTS: Alterations in ABR variables depended on the type of lesion and post-surgery time of ABR recordings. Accordingly, bilateral ablations caused a statistically significant increase in thresholds at PSD1 and 7 and a decrease in waves amplitudes at PSD1 that recover at PSD7. No effects on latency were noted at PSD1 and 7, whilst recordings at PSD15 and 30 showed statistically significant decreases in latency. Conversely, unilateral ablations had no effect on auditory thresholds or latencies, while wave amplitudes only decreased at PSD1 strictly in the ipsilateral ear. CONCLUSION: Post-lesion plasticity in the auditory system acts in two time periods: short-term period of decreased sound sensitivity (until PSD7, most likely resulting from axonal degeneration; and a long-term period (up to PSD7, with changes in latency responses and recovery of thresholds and amplitudes values. The cerebral cortex may have a net positive gain on the auditory pathway response to sound.
Sick of inequality: gender and support for paid sick days.
Lindemann, Danielle J; Houser, Linda; White, Karen
2015-01-01
The availability of paid sick days (PSD) is on the forefront of policy issues relating to women's health and well-being. Previous research regarding PSD and other forms of family-work balance legislation has linked access to paid time off from work for addressing one's own or another's health concerns to a range of health benefits for working women and their families. In general, public support for such policies is high, but little work has tested the extent to which support extends to PSD. Researchers have yet to engage in a rigorous statistical analysis of public opinion on PSD, including whether opinion varies by gender. Using data from a 2013 poll of adults in New Jersey (n = 925), we bridged this research gap by conducting the first multivariate analysis of public attitudes toward PSD. As expected, we found markedly high levels of support for PSD across all respondents, with a preponderance of most sociodemographic categories supporting proposed PSD legislation in New Jersey. We also found that gender was a strong predictor of support for PSD, with women significantly (odds ratio, 1.916; p ≤ .01) more likely than men to be in favor of such legislation. We discuss the implications of our findings for future work on PSD as well as for research concerning women, wellness, and work-life legislation more broadly. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Mabilde, Lisa; De Neve, Stefaan; Sleutel, Steven
2017-12-01
Historic long-term P application to sandy soils in NW-Europe has resulted in abundant sorption, saturation and eventually leaching of P from soil to the groundwater. Although many studies recognize the control of site-specific factors like soil texture and phosphate saturation degree (PSD), the regional-scaled relevance of effects exerted by single factors controlling P leaching is unclear. Very large observational datasets of soil and groundwater P content are furthermore required to reveal indirect controls of soil traits through mediating soil variables. We explored co-variation of phreatic groundwater orthophosphate (o-P) concentration and soil factors in sandy soils in Flanders, Belgium. Correlation analyses were complemented with an exploratory model derived using 'path analysis'. Data of oxalate-extractable Al, Fe, P and pH KCl , phosphate sorption capacity (PSC) and PSD in three depth layers (0-30, 30-60, 60-90 cm), topsoil SOC, % clay and groundwater depth (fluctuation) were interpolated to predict soil properties on exact locations of a very extensive net of groundwater monitoring wells. The mean PSD was only poorly correlated to groundwater o-P concentration, indicating the overriding control of other factors in the transport of P to the groundwater. A significant (P soil pH and groundwater table depth than by PSD indicates the likely oversimplification of the latter index to measure the long-term potential risk of P leaching. Accounting for controls on leaching not included in PSD via an alternative index, however, seems problematic as in Flanders for example groundwater o-P turned out to be higher in finer textured soils or soils with higher pedogenic Fe content, probably because of their lower pedogenic Al content and higher soil pH. Path analysis of extensive soil and groundwater datasets seems a viable way to identify prime local determinants of soil P leaching and could be further on used for 'ground-truthing' more complex P-migration simulation
Performance of coincidence-based PSD on LiF/ZnS Detectors for Multiplicity Counting
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Robinson, Sean M.; Stave, Sean C.; Lintereur, Azaree; Siciliano, Edward R.; Cowles, Christian C.; Kouzes, Richard T.; Behling, Richard S.
2016-10-06
Abstract: Mass accountancy measurement is a nuclear nonproliferation application which utilizes coincidence and multiplicity counters to verify special nuclear material declarations. With a well-designed and efficient detector system, several relevant parameters of the material can be verified simultaneously. 6LiF/ZnS scintillating sheets may be used for this purpose due to a combination of high efficiency and short die-away times in systems designed with this material, but involve choices of detector geometry and exact material composition (e.g., the addition of Ni-quenching in the material) that must be optimized for the application. Multiplicity counting for verification of declared nuclear fuel mass involves neutron detection in conditions where several neutrons arrive in a short time window, with confounding gamma rays. This paper considers coincidence-based Pulse-Shape Discrimination (PSD) techniques developed to work under conditions of high pileup, and the performance of these algorithms with different detection materials. Simulated and real data from modern LiF/ZnS scintillator systems are evaluated with these techniques and the relationship between the performance under pileup and material characteristics (e.g., neutron peak width and total light collection efficiency) are determined, to allow for an optimal choice of detector and material.
Stübinger, Stefan; Nuss, Katja; Bürki, Alexander; Mosch, Isabel; le Sidler, Miché; Meikle, Steve T; von Rechenberg, Brigitte; Santin, Matteo
2015-02-01
The aim of this study was to analyse the osseointegrative potential of phosphoserine-tethered dendrons when applied as surface functionalisation molecules on titanium implants in a sheep model after 2 and 8 weeks of implantation. Uncoated and dendron-coated implants were implanted in six sheep. Sandblasted and etched (SE) or porous additive manufactured (AM) implants with and without additional dendron functionalisation (SE-PSD; AM-PSD) were placed in the pelvic bone. Three implants per group were examined histologically and six implants were tested biomechanically. After 2 and 8 weeks the bone-to-implant contact (BIC) total values of SE implants (43.7±12.2; 53.3±9.0%) and SE-PSD (46.7±4.5; 61.7±4.9%) as well as AM implants (20.49±5.1; 43.9±9.7%) and AM-PSD implants (19.7±3.5; 48.3±15.6%) showed no statistically significant differences. For SE-PSD and AM-PSD a separate analysis of only the cancellous BIC demonstrated a statistically significant difference after 2 and 8 weeks. Biomechanical findings proved the overall increased stability of the porous implants after 8 weeks. Overall, the great effect of implant macro design on osseointegration was further supported by additional phosphoserine-tethered dendrons for SE and AM implants.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sommer, Jens Bak; Bach, Anders; Rytter, Hana Malá
2017-01-01
weeks post-trauma, spatial learning and memory were assessed in a water maze, and at 3 months, brains were removed for estimation of lesion volumes. Overall, neither treatment with UCCB01-147 nor MK-801 resulted in significant improvements of cognition and histopathology after CCI. Although MK-801......PSD-95 inhibitors have been shown to be neuroprotective in stroke, but have only to a very limited extent been evaluated in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that has pathophysiological mechanisms in common with stroke. The aims of the current study were to assess the effects of a novel...
Development of Software to Model AXAF-I Image Quality
Geary, Joseph; Hawkins, Lamar; Ahmad, Anees; Gong, Qian
1997-01-01
This report describes work conducted on Delivery Order 181 between October 1996 through June 1997. During this period software was written to: compute axial PSD's from RDOS AXAF-I mirror surface maps; plot axial surface errors and compute PSD's from HDOS "Big 8" axial scans; plot PSD's from FITS format PSD files; plot band-limited RMS vs axial and azimuthal position for multiple PSD files; combine and organize PSD's from multiple mirror surface measurements formatted as input to GRAZTRACE; modify GRAZTRACE to read FITS formatted PSD files; evaluate AXAF-I test results; improve and expand the capabilities of the GT x-ray mirror analysis package. During this period work began on a more user-friendly manual for the GT program, and improvements were made to the on-line help manual.
Sun, Suli; Kim, Moon Young; Van, Kyujung; Lee, Yin-Won; Li, Baodu; Lee, Suk-Ha
2013-08-01
Phomopsis seed decay (PSD), primarily caused by Phomopsis longicolla, is a major contributor to poor soybean seed quality and significant yield loss, particularly in early maturing soybean genotypes. However, it is not yet known whether PSD resistance is associated with early maturity. This study was conducted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for resistance to PSD and days to maturity using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between the PSD-resistant Taekwangkong and the PSD-susceptible SS2-2. Based on a genetic linkage map incorporating 117 simple sequence repeat markers, QTL analysis revealed two and three QTLs conferring PSD resistance and days to maturity, respectively, in the RIL population. Two QTLs (PSD-6-1 and PSD-10-2) for PSD resistance were identified in the intervals of Satt100-Satt460 and Sat_038-Satt243 on chromosomes 6 and 10, respectively. Two QTLs explained phenotypic variances in PSD resistance of 46.3 and 14.1 %, respectively. At the PSD-6-1 QTL, the PSD-resistant cultivar Taekwangkong contributed the allele with negative effect decreasing the infection rate of PSD and this QTL does not overlap with any previously reported loci for PSD resistance in other soybean genotypes. Among the three QTLs for days to maturity, two (Mat-6-2 and Mat-10-3) were located at positions similar to the PSD-resistance QTLs. The identification of the QTLs linked to both PSD resistance and days to maturity indicates a biological correlation between these two traits. The newly identified QTL for resistance to PSD associated with days to maturity in Taekwangkong will help improve soybean resistance to P. longicolla.
Alu-mediated large deletion of the CDSN gene as a cause of peeling skin disease.
Wada, T; Matsuda, Y; Muraoka, M; Toma, T; Takehara, K; Fujimoto, M; Yachie, A
2014-10-01
Peeling skin disease (PSD) is an autosomal recessive skin disorder caused by mutations in CDSN and is characterized by superficial peeling of the upper epidermis. Corneodesmosin (CDSN) is a major component of corneodesmosomes that plays an important role in maintaining epidermis integrity. Herein, we report a patient with PSD caused by a novel homozygous large deletion in the 6p21.3 region encompassing the CDSN gene, which abrogates CDSN expression. Several genes including C6orf15, PSORS1C1, PSORS1C2, CCHCR1, and TCF19 were also deleted, however, the patient showed only clinical features typical of PSD. The deletion size was 59.1 kb. Analysis of the sequence surrounding the breakpoint showed that both telomeric and centromeric breakpoints existed within Alu-S sequences that were oriented in opposite directions. These results suggest an Alu-mediated recombination event as the mechanism underlying the deletion in our patient. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Transform and filtration methods in fluctuation analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Saxe, R.F.
1976-01-01
Digitized fluctuation signals from an ex-core ion-chamber of a PWR were analysed to produce a Power Spectral Density, (PSD), curve by two means: (1) by digital filter techniques and (2) by a Fast Fourier Transform program. For both these methods, the effects of the precision of the input data were investigated and it is shown that reasonably good PSD curves may be obtained using very poor input precision. (author)
Gerek, Z. Nevin; Ozkan, S. Banu
2011-01-01
The allosteric mechanism plays a key role in cellular functions of several PDZ domain proteins (PDZs) and is directly linked to pharmaceutical applications; however, it is a challenge to elaborate the nature and extent of these allosteric interactions. One solution to this problem is to explore the dynamics of PDZs, which may provide insights about how intramolecular communication occurs within a single domain. Here, we develop an advancement of perturbation response scanning (PRS) that couples elastic network models with linear response theory (LRT) to predict key residues in allosteric transitions of the two most studied PDZs (PSD-95 PDZ3 domain and hPTP1E PDZ2 domain). With PRS, we first identify the residues that give the highest mean square fluctuation response upon perturbing the binding sites. Strikingly, we observe that the residues with the highest mean square fluctuation response agree with experimentally determined residues involved in allosteric transitions. Second, we construct the allosteric pathways by linking the residues giving the same directional response upon perturbation of the binding sites. The predicted intramolecular communication pathways reveal that PSD-95 and hPTP1E have different pathways through the dynamic coupling of different residue pairs. Moreover, our analysis provides a molecular understanding of experimentally observed hidden allostery of PSD-95. We show that removing the distal third alpha helix from the binding site alters the allosteric pathway and decreases the binding affinity. Overall, these results indicate that (i) dynamics plays a key role in allosteric regulations of PDZs, (ii) the local changes in the residue interactions can lead to significant changes in the dynamics of allosteric regulations, and (iii) this might be the mechanism that each PDZ uses to tailor their binding specificities regulation. PMID:21998559
Shariati, Seyed Ramin Pajoum; Bonakdarpour, Babak; Zare, Nasim; Ashtiani, Farzin Zokaee
2011-09-01
The use of membrane sequencing batch reactors, operated at HRT of 8, 16 and 24h, was considered for the treatment of a synthetic petroleum wastewater. Increase in HRT resulted in statistically significant decrease in MLSS. Removal efficiencies higher than 97% were found for the three model hydrocarbon pollutants at all HRTs, with air stripping making a small contribution to overall removal. Particle size distribution (PSD) and microscopic analysis showed reduction in the protozoan populations in the activated sludge with decreasing HRT. PSD analysis also showed a higher proportion of larger and smaller sized particles at the lowest HRT. The rate of membrane fouling was found to increase with decreasing HRT; SMP, especially carbohydrate SMP, and mixed liquor apparent viscosity also showed a pronounced increase with decreasing HRT, whereas the concentration of EPS and its components decreased. FTIR analysis identified organic compounds as the main component of membrane pore fouling. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Azarpour, Masoumeh; Enzner, Gerald
2017-12-01
Binaural noise reduction, with applications for instance in hearing aids, has been a very significant challenge. This task relates to the optimal utilization of the available microphone signals for the estimation of the ambient noise characteristics and for the optimal filtering algorithm to separate the desired speech from the noise. The additional requirements of low computational complexity and low latency further complicate the design. A particular challenge results from the desired reconstruction of binaural speech input with spatial cue preservation. The latter essentially diminishes the utility of multiple-input/single-output filter-and-sum techniques such as beamforming. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive and effective signal processing configuration with which most of the aforementioned criteria can be met suitably. This relates especially to the requirement of efficient online adaptive processing for noise estimation and optimal filtering while preserving the binaural cues. Regarding noise estimation, we consider three different architectures: interaural (ITF), cross-relation (CR), and principal-component (PCA) target blocking. An objective comparison with two other noise PSD estimation algorithms demonstrates the superiority of the blocking-based noise estimators, especially the CR-based and ITF-based blocking architectures. Moreover, we present a new noise reduction filter based on minimum mean-square error (MMSE), which belongs to the class of common gain filters, hence being rigorous in terms of spatial cue preservation but also efficient and competitive for the acoustic noise reduction task. A formal real-time subjective listening test procedure is also developed in this paper. The proposed listening test enables a real-time assessment of the proposed computationally efficient noise reduction algorithms in a realistic acoustic environment, e.g., considering time-varying room impulse responses and the Lombard effect. The listening test outcome
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Annalisa Alfieri
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Altered synaptic function has been associated with neurological and psychiatric conditions including intellectual disability, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD. Amongst the recently discovered synaptic proteins is p140Cap, an adaptor that localizes at dendritic spines and regulates their maturation and physiology. We recently showed that p140Cap knockout mice have cognitive deficits, impaired long-term potentiation (LTP and long-term depression (LTD, and immature, filopodia-like dendritic spines. Only a few p140Cap interacting proteins have been identified in the brain and the molecular complexes and pathways underlying p140Cap synaptic function are largely unknown. Here, we isolated and characterized the p140Cap synaptic interactome by co-immunoprecipitation from crude mouse synaptosomes, followed by mass spectrometry-based proteomics. We identified 351 p140Cap interactors and found that they cluster to sub complexes mostly located in the postsynaptic density (PSD. p140Cap interactors converge on key synaptic processes, including transmission across chemical synapses, actin cytoskeleton remodeling and cell-cell junction organization. Gene co-expression data further support convergent functions: the p140Cap interactors are tightly co-expressed with each other and with p140Cap. Importantly, the p140Cap interactome and its co-expression network show strong enrichment in genes associated with schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder, intellectual disability and epilepsy, supporting synaptic dysfunction as a shared biological feature in brain diseases. Overall, our data provide novel insights into the molecular organization of the synapse and indicate that p140Cap acts as a hub for postsynaptic complexes relevant to psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ying Zhang
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD is a kind of serious neurologic complications and dexmedetomidine has a certain effect on POCD. However, functional mechanism of dexmedetomidine on POCD still remains unclear, so the research mainly studied the effect of dexmedetomidine on cognitive function and protein expression in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex cerebrospinal fluid after extracorporeal circulation operation in aged rats. We Found that, compared with POCD group, the cognitive function was improved in POCD + Dex group. We speculate that dexmedetomidine could improve the cognitive function after extracorporeal circulation operation in aged rats and Aβ, p-Tau, and PSD95 protein might have contributed to this favorable outcome.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jovanovic, S.; Stormark, E.
1966-01-01
Measurements of reactor parameters the Nora reactor by Power Spectral Density (PSD) method are described. In case of critical reactor this method was applied for direct measurement of β/l ratio, β is the effective yield of delayed neutrons and l is the neutron lifetime. In case of subcritical reactor values of α+β-ρ/l were measured, ρ is the negative reactivity. Out coming PSD was measured by a filter or by ISAC. PSD was registered by ISAC as well as the auto-correlation function [sr
Zhu, Guixian; Liu, Jen-Tsai; Wang, Yuzhen; Zhang, Dechen; Guo, Yi; Tasciotti, Ennio; Hu, Zhongbo; Liu, Xuewu
2016-05-11
Porous silicon nanodisks (PSD) were fabricated by the combination of photolithography and electrochemical etching of silicon. By using PSD as a reducing agent, gold nanorods (AuNR) were in situ synthesized in the nanopores of PSD, forming PSD-supported-AuNR (PSD/AuNR) hybrid particles. The formation mechanism of AuNR in porous silicon (pSi) was revealed by exploring the role of pSi reducibility and each chemical in the reaction. With the PSD support, AuNR exhibited a stable morphology without toxic surface ligands (CTAB). The PSD/AuNR hybrid particles showed enhanced plasmonic property compared to free AuNR. Because high-density "hot spots" can be generated by controlling the distribution of AuNR supported in PSD, surface-enhanced raman scattering (SERS) using PSD/AuNR as particle substrates was demonstrated. A multifunctional vector, PSD/AuNR/DOX, composed of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded PSD/AuNR capped with agarose (agar), was developed for highly efficient, combinatorial cancer treatment. Their therapeutic efficacy was examined using two pancreatic cancer cell lines, PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2. PSD/AuNR/DOX (20 μg Au and 1.25 μg DOX/mL) effectively destroyed these cells under near-IR laser irradiation (810 nm, 15 J·cm(-2) power, 90 s). Overall, we envision that PSD/AuNR may be a promising injectable, multifunctional nanovector for biomedical application.
Optimal design of waveform digitisers for both energy resolution and pulse shape discrimination
Cang, Jirong; Xue, Tao; Zeng, Ming; Zeng, Zhi; Ma, Hao; Cheng, Jianping; Liu, Yinong
2018-04-01
Fast digitisers and digital pulse processing have been widely used for spectral application and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) owing to their advantages in terms of compactness, higher trigger rates, offline analysis, etc. Meanwhile, the noise of readout electronics is usually trivial for organic, plastic, or liquid scintillator with PSD ability because of their poor intrinsic energy resolution. However, LaBr3(Ce) has been widely used for its excellent energy resolution and has been proven to have PSD ability for alpha/gamma particles. Therefore, designing a digital acquisition system for such scintillators as LaBr3(Ce) with both optimal energy resolution and promising PSD ability is worthwhile. Several experimental research studies about the choice of digitiser properties for liquid scintillators have already been conducted in terms of the sampling rate and vertical resolution. Quantitative analysis on the influence of waveform digitisers, that is, fast amplifier (optional), sampling rates, and vertical resolution, on both applications is still lacking. The present paper provides quantitative analysis of these factors and, hence, general rules about the optimal design of digitisers for both energy resolution and PSD application according to the noise analysis of time-variant gated charge integration.
Zhao, Qiang; Guo, Yi; Yang, Dong; Yang, Tiansong; Meng, Xianghui
2016-04-01
Polymorphisms in the 5-HTT and BDNF genes are shown to affect their function at the molecular and serum level. Prior work has tried to correlate the polymorphisms with post-stroke depression (PSD), the results nevertheless remain indefinitive. A plausible reason accounting for the uncertainty relates to the small sample of each published trial. In this study, we have performed a comprehensive meta-analysis in order to evaluate the effects of 5-HTT and BDNF polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR, STin2 VNTR, 5-HTR2a 102 T/C, Val66Met) on genetic risk of PSD. Human case-control trials were identified by computer-assisted and manual searches. The article search was performed until October 2014. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the fixed effects meta-analysis to measure the effects 5-HTT and BDNF polymorphisms exerted on PSD. We also performed test of heterogeneity, test of publication bias, and sensitivity analysis to examine the reliability and stability of combined effects. 5-HTTLPR was clearly associated with genetic risk of PSD. The association seemed to be more pronounced in the homozygous model (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.23-0.51, P(Q-test) = 0.63). Both the heterozygous model and the recessive model showed 50% decreased risk of PSD (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.37-0.67, P(Q-test) = 0.91; OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.36-0.70, P(Q-test) = 0.43, respectively). Such significant association was also detected for Caucasian and Asian. These results were reliable and stable based on related analyses. Taken together, 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the 5-HTT gene seems to protect against the occurrence of PSD. Small sample size for the polymorphisms within 5-HTT and BDNF genes may have caused underestimated associations, and a larger study is required to further assess the relations.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bach, Anders
2015-01-01
ZL006 and IC87201 have been presented as efficient inhibitors of the nNOS/PSD-95 protein-protein interaction and shown great promise in cellular experiments and animal models of ischemic stroke and pain. Here, we investigate the proposed mechanism of action of ZL006 and IC87201 using biochemical...... by interacting with the β-finger of nNOS-PDZ. Our findings have implications for further medicinal chemistry efforts of ZL006, IC87201 and analogues, and challenge the general and widespread view on their mechanism of action....
Cano, Irene; Verner-Jeffreys, David W; van Aerle, Ronny; Paley, Richard K; Peeler, Edmund J; Green, Matthew; Rimmer, Georgina S E; Savage, Jacqueline; Joiner, Claire L; Bayley, Amanda E; Mewett, Jason; Hulland, Jonathan; Feist, Stephen W
2016-01-01
The transmission of puffy skin disease (PSD) to rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum was tested in the laboratory by conducting co-habitation challenges with puffy skin (PS)-affected fish (Trojans) collected from the field. Two separate challenges were conducted using Trojans sourced from two different sites and diploid (first trial) or triploid (second trial) naïve fish. PSD-specific clinical signs were observed in both groups of naïve fish, with 66% of the fish sampled during the challenges showing signs of varying severity. The first clinical features of PSD were presented as white oval skin patches on one or both flanks 15-21 days post-challenge (dpc). The extent of the lesions ranged from 10 to 90% of the body surface, depending on the severity of the lesion. Both the severity and number of affected fish increased during the challenge. Macroscopically, oedema of the skin and multifocal petechial haemorrhaging were observed towards the end of the trials. Abnormal fish behaviour consisting of "flashing" and excessive mucous production was noted from 15 dpc onwards. Fish with severe PSD lesions also displayed inappetence and associated emaciation. Rodlet cells were observed in 41% of the fresh skin scrapes analysed from the second trial. Histologically epidermal oedema was observed in 31% of the naive fish showing gross pathology, with additional 12% displaying epidermal hyperplasia, mostly observed at the end of the challenge. Other concomitant features of the PSD lesions in challenged fish were epithelial erosion and sloughing, and occasionally mild or focal inflammation. No consistent pathology of internal organs was observed. The parasites Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and Ichthyobodo necator were observed in skin samples of a proportion of naïve challenged fish and in Trojans but not in control fish. The presence of these and other known fish pathogens in the skin of PSD-fish was confirmed by high-throughput sequencing analysis. In summary, we have
A comparative analysis of the morphology and evolution of permanent sperm depletion in spiders.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter Michalik
2011-01-01
Full Text Available Once thought to be energetically cheap and easy to produce, empirical work has shown that sperm is a costly and limited resource for males. In some spider species, there is behavioral evidence that sperm are permanently depleted after a single mating. This extreme degree of mating investment appears to co-occur with other reproductive strategies common to spiders, e.g. genital mutilation and sexual cannibalism. Here we corroborate that sperm depletion in the golden orb-web spider Nephila clavipes is permanent by uncovering its mechanistic basis using light and electron microscopy. In addition, we use a phylogeny-based statistical analysis to test the evolutionary relationships between permanent sperm depletion (PSD and other reproductive strategies in spiders. Male testes do not produce sperm during adulthood, which is unusual in spiders. Instead, spermatogenesis is nearly synchronous and ends before the maturation molt. Testis size decreases as males approach their maturation molt and reaches its lowest point after sperm is transferred into the male copulatory organs (pedipalps. As a consequence, the amount of sperm available to males for mating is limited to the sperm contained in the pedipalps, and once it is used, males lose their ability to fertilize eggs. Our data suggest that PSD has evolved independently at least three times within web-building spiders and is significantly correlated with the evolution of other mating strategies that limit males to monogamy, including genital mutilation and sexual cannibalism. We conclude that PSD may be an energy-saving adaptation in species where males are limited to monogamy. This could be particularly important in web-building spiders where extreme sexual size dimorphism results in large, sedentary females and small, searching males who rarely feed as adults and are vulnerable to starvation. Future work will explore possible energetic benefits and the evolutionary lability of PSD relative to other
Uehara, Mayuko; Takagi, Nobuyuki; Muraki, Satoshi; Yanase, Yosuke; Tabuchi, Masaki; Tachibana, Kazutoshi; Miyaki, Yasuko; Ito, Toshiro; Higami, Tetsuya
2015-12-01
Transit-time flow measurement (TTFM) parameters such as mean graft flow (MGF, ml/min), pulsatility index (PI) and diastolic filling (DF, %) have been extensively researched for internal mammary arterial or saphenous vein grafts. In our experience of using the right gastroepiploic arterial (GEA) graft for right coronary artery (RCA) grafting, we observed unique GEA graft flow waveforms. We analysed the GEA graft flow waveforms for their effectiveness in determining GEA graft patency by power spectral analysis. Forty-five patients underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass using the GEA graft for RCA grafting individually. The means of intraoperative MGF, PI and DF were compared between patent and non-patent grafts, postoperatively. Furthermore, the GEA flow data were output and analysed using power spectral analysis. Forty grafts were 'patent' and five were 'non-patent'. There were no significant differences in the mean TTFM parameters between the patent and non-patent grafts (MGF: 22 vs 8 ml/min, respectively, P = 0.068; PI: 3.5 vs 6.5, respectively, P = 0.155; DF: 63 vs 53%, respectively, P = 0.237). Results of the power spectral analysis presented clear differences; the power spectral density (PSD) of patent grafts presented high peaks at frequency levels of 1, 2 and 3 Hz, and the non-patent graft PSD presented high peaks that were not limited to these frequencies. The PSD had a sensitivity and specificity of 80 and 87.5%, respectively. Power spectral analysis of the GEA graft flow is useful to distinguish between non-patent and patent grafts intraoperatively. This should be used as a fourth parameter along with MGF, PI and DF. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.
An Improved Spectral Analysis Method for Fatigue Damage Assessment of Details in Liquid Cargo Tanks
Zhao, Peng-yuan; Huang, Xiao-ping
2018-03-01
Errors will be caused in calculating the fatigue damages of details in liquid cargo tanks by using the traditional spectral analysis method which is based on linear system, for the nonlinear relationship between the dynamic stress and the ship acceleration. An improved spectral analysis method for the assessment of the fatigue damage in detail of a liquid cargo tank is proposed in this paper. Based on assumptions that the wave process can be simulated by summing the sinusoidal waves in different frequencies and the stress process can be simulated by summing the stress processes induced by these sinusoidal waves, the stress power spectral density (PSD) is calculated by expanding the stress processes induced by the sinusoidal waves into Fourier series and adding the amplitudes of each harmonic component with the same frequency. This analysis method can take the nonlinear relationship into consideration and the fatigue damage is then calculated based on the PSD of stress. Take an independent tank in an LNG carrier for example, the accuracy of the improved spectral analysis method is proved much better than that of the traditional spectral analysis method by comparing the calculated damage results with the results calculated by the time domain method. The proposed spectral analysis method is more accurate in calculating the fatigue damages in detail of ship liquid cargo tanks.
Analysis of temporal fluctuations in Bach’s sinfonias
Telesca, Luciano; Lovallo, Michele
2012-06-01
The correlation structures in 15 Bach's sinfonias were analyzed. Each sinfonia is characterized by the superposition of three voices. Each voice is a sequence of pitches. Each voice was transformed in a time series, in which the sampling time was given by the smallest pitch duration in that voice. The scaling properties of the three voices of each sinfonia was quantified by means of the estimate of the scaling exponent, performed using the power spectral density (PSD) and the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). The results show that the voice time series are persistent. The DFA was applied not only to any single voice time series, but also to couples (2-DFA) of voices and to the triple (3-DFA) of voices. It was found that the first voice of each sinfonia modulates the scaling behavior of the whole sinfonia.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bullard, Jeffrey W.; Stutzman, Paul E.
2006-01-01
To test the ability of the Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory (VCCTL) software to predict cement hydration properties, characterization of mineralogy and phase distribution is necessary. Compositional and textural characteristics of Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) cements 151 and 152 were determined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis followed by computer modeling of hydration properties. The general procedure to evaluate a cement is as follows: (1) two-dimensional SEM backscattered electron and X-ray microanalysis images of the cement are obtained, along with a measured particle size distribution (PSD); (2) based on analysis of these images and the measured PSD, three-dimensional microstructures of various water-to-cement ratios are created and hydrated using VCCTL, and (3) the model predictions for degree of hydration under saturated conditions, heat of hydration (ASTM C186), setting time (ASTM C191), and strength development of mortar cubes (ASTM C109) are compared to experimental measurements either performed at NIST or at the participating CCRL proficiency sample evaluation laboratories. For both cements, generally good agreement is observed between the model predictions and the experimental data
Effects of fluoride or nanohydroxiapatite on roughness and gloss of bleached teeth.
Pedreira De Freitas, Ana Carolina; Botta, Sérgio Brossi; Teixeira, Fernanda De Sá; Salvadori, Maria Cecília Barbosa Silveira; Garone-Netto, Narciso
2011-12-01
The aim of this study was to describe roughness and gloss alterations of enamel after treatment with 38% hydrogen peroxide (HP) and after polishing with 2% neutral sodium fluoride (SF) or a dental tooth paste containing nanohydroxiapatite particles (nHA) using power spectral density (PSD) description, roughness parameters (Ra, RMS, and Z range) and gloss analysis. An atomic force microscope (AFM) and a spectrophotometer were used to analyze eighteen specimens of upper incisors. After initial analyses, all specimens were bleached with 38% HP for 135 min. The specimens were analyzed after bleaching. Nine specimens were polished with SF (Group Fluor) and the other nine specimens were polished with nHA (Group nHA), then all specimens were analyzed after polishing. Roughness and gloss were analyzed with ANOVA and Tukey's t-test. No statistical difference was found for Ra and RMS among initial, after bleaching and after polishing in both groups. For Z range, Group nHA showed a significant decrease after polishing. Bleaching with 38% HP did not increase the PSD in the spatial frequency of the visible light spectrum range in both groups. After polishing, nHA group showed a decrease in PSD for all morphological wavelengths. Gloss did not show statistical difference after bleaching in both groups. Gloss showed significant increase after polishing with nHA. bleaching treatment with 38% HP didn't alter enamel surface roughness or gloss. PSD analyses were very suitable to identifying the morphological changes on the surfaces. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Noise analysis role in reactor safety, Spectral analysis (PSD)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jovanovic, S.; Velickovic, Lj.
1967-11-01
Spectral power density of a zero power reactor is frequency dependent and related to transfer function of the reactor and to spectral density of the input disturbance. Measurement of spectral power density of a critical system is used to obtain the ratio (β/l), β is the effective yield of delayed neutrons, and l is the effective mean neutron lifetime. When reactor is subcritical, if the effective yie ald of delayed neutrons, the effective mean neutron lifetime are known, the shutdown margin can be determined by relation α = (1 - k (1- β0)/l, k is the effective multiplication factor. Output neutron spectrum at the RB reactor in Vinca was measured for a few reactor core configurations and for a few levels of heavy water at subcritical state. Measured values were satisfactory when the reactor was critical, but the reactor noise of subcritical system was covered by the white noise of the detector and electronic equipment. The Ra-Be source was under the reactor vessel when measurements of subcritical system were done. More efficient detector or external random stimulus for increasing the intensity of neutron fluctuations would be needed to obtain results for subcritical system
An operational modal analysis method in frequency and spatial domain
Wang, Tong; Zhang, Lingmi; Tamura, Yukio
2005-12-01
A frequency and spatial domain decomposition method (FSDD) for operational modal analysis (OMA) is presented in this paper, which is an extension of the complex mode indicator function (CMIF) method for experimental modal analysis (EMA). The theoretical background of the FSDD method is clarified. Singular value decomposition is adopted to separate the signal space from the noise space. Finally, an enhanced power spectrum density (PSD) is proposed to obtain more accurate modal parameters by curve fitting in the frequency domain. Moreover, a simulation case and an application case are used to validate this method.
Variation in Functional Independence among Stroke Survivors Having Fatigue and Depression.
Badaru, Umaru Muhammad; Ogwumike, Omoyemi Olubunmi; Adeniyi, Ade Fatai; Olowe, Olajide Olubanji
2013-01-01
Objective. This study evaluated variation in functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among individuals with poststroke fatigue (PSF) and poststroke depression (PSD). Methods. A cross-sectional survey involved 65 consenting poststroke survivors who were purposively recruited from physiotherapy clinics of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, and Federal Medical Center, Gusau. Participants were assessed for symptoms of PSD with short geriatric depression scale-15, PSF with fatigue severity scale, ADL with Barthel Index and IADL with Nottingham extended ADL scale. Data analysis was done using Chi-square and unpaired t-test with significance level being 0.05. Results. Participants' age ranged from 58 to 80 years. PSD alone (P = 0.002) and both PSF and PSD (P = 0.02) were significantly associated with ADL, while PSF alone was not (P = 0.233). PSD alone (P = 0.001) and both PSF and PSD (P = 0.001) significantly negatively affected IADL, while PSF alone had no significant effect (P = 0.2). Conclusions. Participants with PSD alone and those with both PSF and PSD had lower functional independence in ADL and IADL.
Variation in Functional Independence among Stroke Survivors Having Fatigue and Depression
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Umaru Muhammad Badaru
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Objective. This study evaluated variation in functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL among individuals with poststroke fatigue (PSF and poststroke depression (PSD. Methods. A cross-sectional survey involved 65 consenting poststroke survivors who were purposively recruited from physiotherapy clinics of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, and Federal Medical Center, Gusau. Participants were assessed for symptoms of PSD with short geriatric depression scale-15, PSF with fatigue severity scale, ADL with Barthel Index and IADL with Nottingham extended ADL scale. Data analysis was done using Chi-square and unpaired t-test with significance level being 0.05. Results. Participants’ age ranged from 58 to 80 years. PSD alone (P=0.002 and both PSF and PSD (P=0.02 were significantly associated with ADL, while PSF alone was not (P=0.233. PSD alone (P=0.001 and both PSF and PSD (P=0.001 significantly negatively affected IADL, while PSF alone had no significant effect (P=0.2. Conclusions. Participants with PSD alone and those with both PSF and PSD had lower functional independence in ADL and IADL.
Power spectral density of a single Brownian trajectory: what one can and cannot learn from it
Krapf, Diego; Marinari, Enzo; Metzler, Ralf; Oshanin, Gleb; Xu, Xinran; Squarcini, Alessio
2018-02-01
The power spectral density (PSD) of any time-dependent stochastic process X t is a meaningful feature of its spectral content. In its text-book definition, the PSD is the Fourier transform of the covariance function of X t over an infinitely large observation time T, that is, it is defined as an ensemble-averaged property taken in the limit T\\to ∞ . A legitimate question is what information on the PSD can be reliably obtained from single-trajectory experiments, if one goes beyond the standard definition and analyzes the PSD of a single trajectory recorded for a finite observation time T. In quest for this answer, for a d-dimensional Brownian motion (BM) we calculate the probability density function of a single-trajectory PSD for arbitrary frequency f, finite observation time T and arbitrary number k of projections of the trajectory on different axes. We show analytically that the scaling exponent for the frequency-dependence of the PSD specific to an ensemble of BM trajectories can be already obtained from a single trajectory, while the numerical amplitude in the relation between the ensemble-averaged and single-trajectory PSDs is a fluctuating property which varies from realization to realization. The distribution of this amplitude is calculated exactly and is discussed in detail. Our results are confirmed by numerical simulations and single-particle tracking experiments, with remarkably good agreement. In addition we consider a truncated Wiener representation of BM, and the case of a discrete-time lattice random walk. We highlight some differences in the behavior of a single-trajectory PSD for BM and for the two latter situations. The framework developed herein will allow for meaningful physical analysis of experimental stochastic trajectories.
Data Series Subtraction with Unknown and Unmodeled Background Noise
Vitale, Stefano; Congedo, Giuseppe; Dolesi, Rita; Ferroni, Valerio; Hueller, Mauro; Vetrugno, Daniele; Weber, William Joseph; Audley, Heather; Danzmann, Karsten; Diepholz, Ingo;
2014-01-01
LISA Pathfinder (LPF), the precursor mission to a gravitational wave observatory of the European Space Agency, will measure the degree to which two test masses can be put into free fall, aiming to demonstrate a suppression of disturbance forces corresponding to a residual relative acceleration with a power spectral density (PSD) below (30 fm/sq s/Hz)(sup 2) around 1 mHz. In LPF data analysis, the disturbance forces are obtained as the difference between the acceleration data and a linear combination of other measured data series. In many circumstances, the coefficients for this linear combination are obtained by fitting these data series to the acceleration, and the disturbance forces appear then as the data series of the residuals of the fit. Thus the background noise or, more precisely, its PSD, whose knowledge is needed to build up the likelihood function in ordinary maximum likelihood fitting, is here unknown, and its estimate constitutes instead one of the goals of the fit. In this paper we present a fitting method that does not require the knowledge of the PSD of the background noise. The method is based on the analytical marginalization of the posterior parameter probability density with respect to the background noise PSD, and returns an estimate both for the fitting parameters and for the PSD. We show that both these estimates are unbiased, and that, when using averaged Welchs periodograms for the residuals, the estimate of the PSD is consistent, as its error tends to zero with the inverse square root of the number of averaged periodograms. Additionally, we find that the method is equivalent to some implementations of iteratively reweighted least-squares fitting. We have tested the method both on simulated data of known PSD and on data from several experiments performed with the LISA Pathfinder end-to-end mission simulator.
The utility of presacral drainage in penetrating rectal injuries in adult and pediatric patients.
Savoie, Kate B; Beazley, Thomas M; Cleveland, Brent; Khaneki, Sina; Markel, Troy A; Hammer, Peter M; Savage, Stephanie; Williams, Regan F
2017-11-01
With changing weaponry associated with injuries in civilian trauma, there is no clinical census on the utility of presacral drainage (PSD) in penetrating rectal injuries (PRIs), particularly in pediatric patients. Patients with PRI from July 2004-June 2014 treated at two free-standing children's hospitals and two adult level 1 trauma centers were compared by age (pediatric patients ≤16 years) and PSD. A stratified analysis was performed based on age. The primary outcome was pelvic/presacral abscess. We identified 81 patients with PRI; 19 pediatric, 62 adult. Forty patients had PSD; only three pediatric patients had a drain. Adult patients were more likely to have sustained gunshot wounds (84%), whereas pediatric patients were more likely to sustain impalement injuries (59%). Pediatric patients were more likely to have distal extraperitoneal injuries (56% versus 27% in adults, P = 0.03). PSD was more common in adult patients (59% versus 14%, P = 0.0004), African-Americans (71% versus 11% Caucasian, P adult and pediatric patients. There were three cases of pelvic/presacral abscess, all in the adult patients (P = 0.31); one patient with PSD and two without PSD (P = 0.58). In stratified analysis, there were no differences in any infectious complication between those with and without PSD. Pelvic/presacral abscess is a rare complication of PRI, especially in pediatric patients. PSD is not associated with decreased rates of infectious complications and may not be necessary in the treatment of PRI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
van Deijk, Anne-Lieke F; Broersen, Laus M; Verkuyl, J Martin; Smit, August B; Verheijen, Mark H G
2017-01-01
Neuronal and synaptic membranes are composed of a phospholipid bilayer. Supplementation with dietary precursors for phospholipid synthesis -docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), uridine and choline- has been shown to increase neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis both in vivo and in vitro . A role for multi-nutrient intervention with specific precursors and cofactors has recently emerged in early Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by decreased synapse numbers in the hippocampus. Moreover, the medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect (FC), improves memory performance in early Alzheimer's disease patients, possibly via maintaining brain connectivity. This suggests an effect of FC on synapses, but the underlying cellular mechanism is not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated the effect of FC (consisting of DHA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), uridine, choline, phospholipids, folic acid, vitamins B12, B6, C and E, and selenium), on synaptogenesis by supplementing it to primary neuron-astrocyte co-cultures, a cellular model that mimics metabolic dependencies in the brain. We measured neuronal developmental processes using high content screening in an automated manner, including neuronal survival, neurite morphology, as well as the formation and maturation of synapses. Here, we show that FC supplementation resulted in increased numbers of neurons without affecting astrocyte number. Furthermore, FC increased postsynaptic PSD95 levels in both immature and mature synapses. These findings suggest that supplementation with FC to neuron-astrocyte co-cultures increased both neuronal survival and the maturation of postsynaptic terminals, which might aid the functional interpretation of FC-based intervention strategies in neurological diseases characterized by neuronal loss and impaired synaptic functioning.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anne-Lieke F. van Deijk
2017-08-01
Full Text Available Neuronal and synaptic membranes are composed of a phospholipid bilayer. Supplementation with dietary precursors for phospholipid synthesis –docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, uridine and choline– has been shown to increase neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. A role for multi-nutrient intervention with specific precursors and cofactors has recently emerged in early Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by decreased synapse numbers in the hippocampus. Moreover, the medical food Souvenaid, containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect (FC, improves memory performance in early Alzheimer's disease patients, possibly via maintaining brain connectivity. This suggests an effect of FC on synapses, but the underlying cellular mechanism is not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated the effect of FC (consisting of DHA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, uridine, choline, phospholipids, folic acid, vitamins B12, B6, C and E, and selenium, on synaptogenesis by supplementing it to primary neuron-astrocyte co-cultures, a cellular model that mimics metabolic dependencies in the brain. We measured neuronal developmental processes using high content screening in an automated manner, including neuronal survival, neurite morphology, as well as the formation and maturation of synapses. Here, we show that FC supplementation resulted in increased numbers of neurons without affecting astrocyte number. Furthermore, FC increased postsynaptic PSD95 levels in both immature and mature synapses. These findings suggest that supplementation with FC to neuron-astrocyte co-cultures increased both neuronal survival and the maturation of postsynaptic terminals, which might aid the functional interpretation of FC-based intervention strategies in neurological diseases characterized by neuronal loss and impaired synaptic functioning.
A Prospective Study on the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Poststroke Depression
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A. De Ryck
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Poststroke depression (PSD is common. Early detection of depressive symptoms and identification of patients at risk for PSD are important as PSD negatively affects stroke outcome and costs of medical care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine incidence and risk factors for PSD at 3 months after stroke. Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal epidemiological study aiming to determine incidence and risk factors for PSD at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months poststroke. The present data analysis covers the convalescent phase of 3 months poststroke. Participants in this study were inpatients, admitted to a stroke unit with first or recurrent stroke. Demographic data and vascular risk factors were collected and patients were evaluated at baseline and 3 months poststroke for functional and cognitive deficits, stroke characteristics, stroke severity and stroke outcome. Signs and symptoms of depression were quantified by means of the Cornell Scale for Depression (CSD and Montgomery and Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS. Significantly associated variables from univariate analysis were analyzed by using multiple linear and logistic regression methods. Results: Data analysis was performed in 135 patients who completed follow-up assessments at 3 months poststroke. Depression (CSD score ≥8 was diagnosed in 28.1% of the patients. Patients with PSD were significantly more dependent with regard to activities of daily living (ADL and displayed more severe physical and cognitive impairment than patients without PSD. A higher prevalence of speech and language dysfunction and apraxia were observed in patients with PSD (36.8 and 34.3%, respectively compared to non-depressed stroke patients (19.6 and 12.4%; p = 0.036 and p = 0.004, respectively. Applying multiple linear regressions, cognitive impairment and reduced mobility as part of the Stroke Impact Scale were independently associated with PSD, as scored using CSD and
Analysis of acoustic emission during abrasive waterjet machining of sheet metals
Mokhtar, Nazrin; Gebremariam, MA; Zohari, H.; Azhari, Azmir
2018-04-01
The present paper reports on the analysis of acoustic emission (AE) produced during abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining process. This paper focuses on the relationship of AE and surface quality of sheet metals. The changes in acoustic emission signals recorded by the mean of power spectral density (PSD) via covariance method in relation to the surface quality of the cut are discussed. The test was made using two materials for comparison namely aluminium 6061 and stainless steel 304 with five different feed rates. The acoustic emission data were captured by Labview and later processed using MATLAB software. The results show that the AE spectrums correlated with different feed rates and surface qualities. It can be concluded that the AE is capable of monitoring the changes of feed rate and surface quality.
Fat stigmatization in television shows and movies: a content analysis.
Himes, Susan M; Thompson, J Kevin
2007-03-01
To examine the phenomenon of fat stigmatization messages presented in television shows and movies, a content analysis was used to quantify and categorize fat-specific commentary and humor. Fat stigmatization vignettes were identified using a targeted sampling procedure, and 135 scenes were excised from movies and television shows. The material was coded by trained raters. Reliability indices were uniformly high for the seven categories (percentage agreement ranged from 0.90 to 0.98; kappas ranged from 0.66 to 0.94). Results indicated that fat stigmatization commentary and fat humor were often verbal, directed toward another person, and often presented directly in the presence of the overweight target. Results also indicated that male characters were three times more likely to engage in fat stigmatization commentary or fat humor than female characters. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first information regarding the specific gender, age, and types of fat stigmatization that occur frequently in movies and television shows. The stimuli should prove useful in future research examining the role of individual difference factors (e.g., BMI) in the reaction to viewing such vignettes.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Qin, Y; Gardner, S; Huang, Y; Kim, J; Wen, N; Chetty, I [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States)
2016-06-15
Purpose: To evaluate the performance of a commercial plastic scintillator detector (PSD) for small-field stereotactic patient-specific quality assurance using flattening-filter-free (FFF) beams. Methods: A total of ten spherical targets (volume range:[0.03cc–2cc]) were planned using Dynamic Conformal Arc(DCA-10 plans) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy(VMAT-10 plans) techniques in Eclipse(AAA v.11, 1mm dose calculation grid size). Additionally, 15 previously-treated cranial and spine SRS plans were evaluated (6 DCA, 9 VMAT, volume range:[0.04cc–119.02cc]). All measurements were acquired using Varian Edge equipped with HDMLC. Three detectors were used: PinPoint ion chamber (PTW;active volume 0.015cc), Exradin W1 PSD (Standard Imaging;active volume 0.002cc), and Gafchromic EBT3 film (Ashland). PinPoint and PSD were positioned perpendicular to beam axis in a Lucy phantom (Standard Imaging). Films were placed at isocenter in solid water. Calibration films were delivered for absolute dose analysis. Results: For large spherical targets(>1.5cc) with DCA, all detectors agreed within 1% of AAA calculations. As target volume decreased, PSD measured higher doses than AAA (maximum difference: 3.3% at 0.03cc target), while PinPoint chamber measured lower doses (maximum difference:-3.8% at 0.03cc target). Inter-detector differences between pinpoint and PSD increased with decreasing target size; differences>5% were observed for targets<0.09cc. Similar trends for inter-detector behavior were observed for clinical plans. For target sizes<0.08cc, PSD measured>5% higher dose than PinPoint chamber (maximum difference: 9.25% at 0.04cc target). Film demonstrated agreement of −0.19±1.47% with PSD for all spherical targets, and agreement within −0.98±2.25% for all 15 clinical targets. Unlike DCA, VMAT plans did not show improved AAA-to-detector agreements for large targets. Conclusion: For all targets, the PSD measurements agreed with film within 1.0%, on average. For small
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Magonette, G.; Renda, V.
2002-01-01
Aim of the work done at JRC has been essentially to investigate the potentiality of the Pseudo-Dynamic (PsD) method to test structures incorporating anti-seismic protection devices based on materials with a strain-rate dependent behaviour. This is of relevant importance due to the interest to perform tests on large-scale mock-ups to assess the behaviour of realistic structure of civil engineering interest. Two specific typologies of protection have been analysed and tested at the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) of JRC Ispra. The first dealing with base isolation and the second with energy dissipation devices. In both cases the protection devices were based on high damping rubber material which is characterised by a moderate dependence from the strain rate of the application of the displacements. To validate a standard procedure to test base isolated structures by the PsD method, a collaboration was set up with the Italian Working Group on Seismic Isolation which includes the national research centre ENEA, the national electricity board ENEL, the industrial research centre ISMES and a manufacturer of isolators ALGA. In the framework of this collaboration it was decided to test at the ELSA laboratory a scaled 5-storey frame structure (provided by ENEL), isolated by means of high damping rubber bearings (HDRBs), which had been tested on the shaking table of ISMES. This experimental activity aimed to compare the results which can be obtained by means of the PsD testing technique with those which can be obtained by means of a truly-dynamic test on a shaking table. To validate a standard procedure to test structures incorporating energy dissipation devices, an international collaboration has been set up with Industries, Research Centres and Universities in the framework of a project partially funded by the European Commission through the General Directorate for Science and Technology. The obtained results show once more that the PsD method, when
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gannon Stromquist-LeVoir
2018-01-01
Full Text Available A feasibility study was conducted to develop a novel method to determine the temporal changes of tensile forces in bridge suspender cables using time-frequency analysis of ambient vibration measurements. An analytical model of the suspender cables was developed to evaluate the power spectral density (PSD function of a cable with consideration of cable flexural stiffness. Discrete-time, short-time Fourier transform (STFT was utilized to analyze the recorded acceleration histories in both time and frequency domains. A mathematical convolution of the analytical PSD function and time-frequency data was completed to evaluate changes in cable tension force over time. The method was implemented using acceleration measurements collected from an in-service steel arch bridge with a suspended deck to calculate the temporal variation in cable forces from the vibration measurements. The observations served as proof of concept that the proposed method may be used for cable fatigue life calculations and bridge weigh-in-motion studies.
The influence of the fractal particle size distribution on the mobility of dry granular materials
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vallejo Luis E.
2017-01-01
Full Text Available This study presents an experimental analysis on the influence of the particle size distribution (psd on the mobility of dry granular materials. The psd obeys a power law of the form: N(L>d=kd-Df, where N is the number of particles with diameter L greater than a given diameter d, k is a proportionality constant, and Df is the fractal dimension of the psd. No laboratory or numerical study has been conducted to date analysing how a fractal psd influences the mobility of granular flows as in the case of rock avalanches. In this study, the flow characteristics of poly-dispersed granular materials that have a fractal psd were investigated in the laboratory. Granular mixtures having different fractal psd values were placed in a hollow cylinder. The cylinder was lifted and the distance of flow of the mixture was measured with respect to the original position of the cylinder. It was determined that the distance of flow of the mixtures was directly related to their fractal psd values. That is, the larger the distance of flow of the mixture, the larger is the fractal psd of the granular mixture tested. Thus, the fractal psd in dry granular mixtures seems to have a large influence on the easiness by which dry granular mixtures move in the field.
Tricomi, Leonardo; Melchiori, Tommaso; Chiaramonti, David; Boulet, Micaël; Lavoie, Jean Michel
2017-01-01
Based upon the two fluid model (TFM) theory, a CFD model was implemented to investigate a cold multiphase-fluidized bubbling bed reactor. The key variable used to characterize the fluid dynamic of the experimental system, and compare it to model predictions, was the time-pressure drop induced by the bubble motion across the bed. This time signal was then processed to obtain the power spectral density (PSD) distribution of pressure fluctuations. As an important aspect of this work, the effect of the sampling time scale on the empirical power spectral density (PSD) was investigated. A time scale of 40 s was found to be a good compromise ensuring both simulation performance and numerical validation consistency. The CFD model was first numerically verified by mesh refinement process, after what it was used to investigate the sensitivity with regards to minimum fluidization velocity (as a calibration point for drag law), restitution coefficient, and solid pressure term while assessing his accuracy in matching the empirical PSD. The 2D model provided a fair match with the empirical time-averaged pressure drop, the relating fluctuations amplitude, and the signal's energy computed as integral of the PSD. A 3D version of the TFM was also used and it improved the match with the empirical PSD in the very first part of the frequency spectrum.
This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.
Baldi, Emilio; Baldi, Claudio; Lithgow, Brian J
2007-01-01
The question whether pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) can affect the heart rhythm is still controversial. This study investigates the effects on the cardiocirculatory system of ELF-PEMFs. It is a follow-up to an investigation made of the possible therapeutic effect ELF-PEMFs, using a commercially available magneto therapeutic unit, had on soft tissue injury repair in humans. Modulation of heart rate (HR) or heart rate variability (HRV) can be detected from changes in periodicity of the R-R interval and/or from changes in the numbers of heart-beat/min (bpm), however, R-R interval analysis gives only a quantitative insight into HRV. A qualitative understanding of HRV can be obtained considering the power spectral density (PSD) of the R-R intervals Fourier transform. In this study PSD is the investigative tool used, more specifically the low frequency (LF) PSD and high frequency (HF) PSD ratio (LF/HF) which is an indicator of sympatho-vagal balance. To obtain the PSD value, variations of the R-R time intervals were evaluated from a continuously recorded ECG. The results show a HR variation in all the subjects when they are exposed to the same ELF-PEMF. This variation can be detected by observing the change in the sympatho-vagal equilibrium, which is an indicator of modulation of heart activity. Variation of the LF/HF PSD ratio mainly occurs at transition times from exposure to nonexposure, or vice versa. Also of interest are the results obtained during the exposure of one subject to a range of different ELF-PEMFs. This pilot study suggests that a full investigation into the effect of ELF-PEMFs on the cardiovascular system is justified.
Rodríguez, Ana R.; O'Neill, Kate M.; Swiatkowski, Przemyslaw; Patel, Mihir V.; Firestein, Bonnie L.
2018-02-01
Objective. This study investigates the effect that overexpression of cytosolic PSD-95 interactor (cypin), a regulator of synaptic PSD-95 protein localization and a core regulator of dendrite branching, exerts on the electrical activity of rat hippocampal neurons and networks. Approach. We cultured rat hippocampal neurons and used lipid-mediated transfection and lentiviral gene transfer to achieve high levels of cypin or cypin mutant (cypinΔPDZ PSD-95 non-binding) expression cellularly and network-wide, respectively. Main results. Our analysis revealed that although overexpression of cypin and cypinΔPDZ increase dendrite numbers and decrease spine density, cypin and cypinΔPDZ distinctly regulate neuronal activity. At the single cell level, cypin promotes decreases in bursting activity while cypinΔPDZ reduces sEPSC frequency and further decreases bursting compared to cypin. At the network level, by using the Fano factor as a measure of spike count variability, cypin overexpression results in an increase in variability of spike count, and this effect is abolished when cypin cannot bind PSD-95. This variability is also dependent on baseline activity levels and on mean spike rate over time. Finally, our spike sorting data show that overexpression of cypin results in a more complex distribution of spike waveforms and that binding to PSD-95 is essential for this complexity. Significance. Our data suggest that dendrite morphology does not play a major role in cypin action on electrical activity.
Hysteresis in suspended sediment to turbidity relations due to changing particle size distributions
Landers, Mark N.; Sturm, Terry W.
2013-01-01
Turbidity (T) is the most ubiquitous of surrogate technologies used to estimate suspended-sediment concentration (SSC). The effects of sediment size on turbidity are well documented; however, effects from changes in particle size distributions (PSD) are rarely evaluated. Hysteresis in relations of SSC-to-turbidity (SSC~T) for single stormflow events was observed and quantified for a data set of 195 concurrent measurements of SSC, turbidity, discharge, velocity, and volumetric PSD collected during five stormflows in 2009–2010 on Yellow River at Gees Mill Road in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Regressions of SSC-normalized turbidity (T/SSC) on concurrently measured PSD percentiles show an inverse, exponential influence of particle size on turbidity that is not constant across the size range of the PSD. The majority of the influence of PSD on T/SSC is from particles of fine-silt and smaller sizes (finer than 16 microns). This study shows that small changes in the often assumed stability of the PSD are significant to SSC~T relations. Changes of only 5 microns in the fine silt and smaller size fractions of suspended sediment PSD can produce hysteresis in the SSC~T rating that can increase error and produce bias. Observed SSC~T hysteresis may be an indicator of changes in sediment properties during stormflows and of potential changes in sediment sources. Trends in the PSD time series indicate that sediment transport is capacity-limited for sand-sized sediment in the channel and supply-limited for fine silt and smaller sediment from the hillslope.
Paradoxical sleep deprivation decreases serum testosterone and Leydig cells in male rats
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fitranto Arjadi
2014-04-01
Full Text Available Background Chronic stress increases glucocorticoid levels and accelerates reduction in Leydig cells functions and numbers. Chronic stress models in the working place comprise sleep deprivation, sedentary stress, and physical stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of various work stress models, such as stress from paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD, immobilization, and footshock, on serum testosterone levels and number of Leydig cells in male albino rats. Methods This study was of experimental randomized post-test only with control group design using 24 male Wistar albino rats (Rattus norvegicus. The sample was divided into 4 groups: K1 (control, K2 (PSD, K3 (immobilization and K4 (footshock, receiving treatment for 25 days. Measured parameters were serum testosterone level and Leydig cell number. Analysis of variance (ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, followed by post hoc LSD. Results Mean serum testosterone levels (0.07 ± 0.08 ng/mL and Leydig cell numbers (4.22 ± l0.96 were lowest in the PSD stress model. Serum testosterone levels differed significantly between controls and PSD group (p=0.014, while there was a significant difference in numbers of Leydig cells between footshock stress and PSD (p=0.011 and between the three stress groups and controls (p=0.006. Conclusion This study demonstrated that PSD, immobilization and footshock stress significantly decreased serum testosterone levels and number of Leydig cells in male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus. The mechanism by which PSD affects serum testosterone is still unclear.
Extension of the pseudo dynamic method to test structures with distributed mass
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Renda, V.; Papa, L.; Bellorini, S.
1993-01-01
The PsD method is a mixed numerical and experimental procedure. At each time step the dynamic deformation of the structure, computed by solving the equation of the motion for a given input signal, is reproduced in the laboratory by means of actuators attached to the sample at specific points. The reaction forces at those points are measured and used to compute the deformation for the next time step. The reaction forces being known, knowledge of the stiffness of the structure is not needed, so that the method can be effective also for deformations leading to strong nonlinear behaviour of the structure. On the contrary, the mass matrix and the applied forces must be well known. For this reason the PsD method can be applied without approximations when the masses can be considered as lumped at the testing points of the sample. The present work investigates the possibility to extend the PsD method to test structures with distributed mass. A standard procedure is proposed to provide an equivalent mass matrix and force vector reduced to the testing points and to verify the reliability of the model. The verification is obtained comparing the results of multi-degrees of freedom dynamic analysis, done by means of a Finite Elements (FE) numerical program, with a simulation of the PsD method based on the reduced degrees of freedom mass matrix and external forces, assuming in place of the experimental reactions, those computed with the general FE model. The method has been applied to a numerical simulation of the behaviour of a realistic and complex structure with distributed mass consisting of a masonry building of two floors. The FE model consists of about two thousand degrees of freedom and the condensation has been made for four testing points. A dynamic analysis has been performed with the general FE model and the reactions of the structure have been recorded in a file and used as input for the PsD simulation with the four degree of freedom model. The comparison between
PANTHER - Polarisation Analysis with Thermal neutron
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Deen, P.P.; Fennell, T.; Schober, H.; Orecchini, A.; Rols, S.; Andersen, K.H.; Stewart, J.R.
2011-01-01
PANTHER will build on the success of IN4, the world's most intense time-of-flight spectrometer. A large position-sensitive detector (PSD) will improve data collection rates significantly, the background will be greatly reduced, and it will incorporate features indispensable for magnetic studies (small angles, polarisation analysis, high magnetic field devices). The new instrument will enable rapid surveys of (Q,ω) space, as well as more detailed studies in fields ranging from magnetism to the structural excitations - phonon densities of states, dispersion of collective modes and molecular vibrations - that govern the behaviour of many important physical and chemical systems. (authors)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Flaska, Marek; Faisal, Muhammad; Wentzloff, David D.; Pozzi, Sara A.
2013-01-01
One of the most important questions to be answered with regard to digital pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) systems based on organic scintillators is: What sampling properties are required for a fast-waveform digitizer used for digitizing neutron/gamma-ray pulses, while an accurate PSD is desired? Answering this question is the main objective of this paper. Specifically, the paper describes the influence of the resolution and sampling frequency of a waveform digitizer on the PSD performance of organic scintillators. The results presented in this paper are meant to help the reader choosing a waveform digitizer with appropriate bit resolution and sampling frequency. The results presented here show that a 12-bit, 250-MHz digitizer is a good choice for applications that require good PSD performance. However, when more accurate PSD performance is the main requirement, this paper presents PSD figures of merit to qualify the impact of further increasing either sampling frequency or resolution of the digitizer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dosemeci, Ayse; Thein, Soe; Yang, Yijung; Reese, Thomas S.; Tao-Cheng, Jung-Hwa
2013-01-01
Highlights: ► CYLD is a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. ► Presence of CYLD in PSDs is established by biochemistry and immunoEM. ► CYLD accumulates on PSDs upon depolarization of neurons. ► Accumulation of CYLD at PSDs may regulate trafficking/degradation of synaptic proteins. -- Abstract: Polyubiquitin chains on proteins flag them for distinct fates depending on the type of polyubiquitin linkage. While lysine48-linked polyubiquitination directs proteins to proteasomal degradation, lysine63-linked polyubiquitination promotes different protein trafficking and is involved in autophagy. Here we show that postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions from adult rat brain contain deubiquitinase activity that targets both lysine48 and lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Comparison of PSD fractions with parent subcellular fractions by Western immunoblotting reveals that CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, is highly enriched in the PSD fraction. Electron microscopic examination of hippocampal neurons in culture under basal conditions shows immunogold label for CYLD at the PSD complex in approximately one in four synapses. Following depolarization by exposure to high K+, the proportion of CYLD-labeled PSDs as well as the labeling intensity of CYLD at the PSD increased by more than eighty percent, indicating that neuronal activity promotes accumulation of CYLD at the PSD. An increase in postsynaptic CYLD following activity would promote removal of lysine63-polyubiquitins from PSD proteins and thus could regulate their trafficking and prevent their autophagic degradation.
Pulse shape discrimination based on fast signals from silicon photomultipliers
Yu, Junhao; Wei, Zhiyong; Fang, Meihua; Zhang, Zixia; Cheng, Can; Wang, Yi; Su, Huiwen; Ran, Youquan; Zhu, Qingwei; Zhang, He; Duan, Kai; Chen, Ming; Liu, Meng
2018-06-01
Recent developments in organic plastic scintillators capable of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) enable a breakthrough in discrimination between neutrons and gammas. Plastic scintillator detectors coupled with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) offer many advantages, such as lower power consumption, smaller volume, and especially insensitivity to magnetic fields, compared with conventional photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). A SensL SiPM has two outputs: a standard output and a fast output. It is known that the charge injected into the fast output electrode is typically approximately 2% of the total charge generated during the avalanche, whereas the charge injected into the standard output electrode is nearly 98% of the total. Fast signals from SiPMs exhibit better performance in terms of timing and time-correlated measurements compared with standard signals. The pulse duration of a standard signal is on the order of hundreds of nanoseconds, whereas the pulse duration of the main monopole waveform of a fast signal is a few tens of nanoseconds. Fast signals are traditionally thought to be suitable for photon counting at very high speeds but unsuitable for PSD due to the partial charge collection. Meanwhile, the standard outputs of SiPMs coupled with discriminating scintillators have yielded nice PSD performances, but there have been no reports on PSD using fast signals. Our analysis shows that fast signals can also provide discrimination if the rate of charge injection into the fast output electrode is fixed for each event, even though only a portion of the charge is collected. In this work, we achieved successful PSD using fast signals; meanwhile, using a coincidence timing window of less 3 nanoseconds between the readouts from both ends of the detector reduced the influence of the high SiPM dark current. We experimentally achieved good timing performance and PSD capability simultaneously.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jones, A; Pasciak, A
2014-01-01
Purpose: Skin dosimetry is important for fluoroscopically-guided interventions, as peak skin doses (PSD) that Result in skin reactions can be reached during these procedures. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of different indirect dose estimates and to determine if PSD can be calculated within ±50% for embolization procedures. Methods: PSD were measured directly using radiochromic film for 41 consecutive embolization procedures. Indirect dose metrics from procedures were collected, including reference air kerma (RAK). Four different estimates of PSD were calculated and compared along with RAK to the measured PSD. The indirect estimates included a standard method, use of detailed information from the RDSR, and two simplified calculation methods. Indirect dosimetry was compared with direct measurements, including an analysis of uncertainty associated with film dosimetry. Factors affecting the accuracy of the indirect estimates were examined. Results: PSD calculated with the standard calculation method were within ±50% for all 41 procedures. This was also true for a simplified method using a single source-to-patient distance (SPD) for all calculations. RAK was within ±50% for all but one procedure. Cases for which RAK or calculated PSD exhibited large differences from the measured PSD were analyzed, and two causative factors were identified: ‘extreme’ SPD and large contributions to RAK from rotational angiography or runs acquired at large gantry angles. When calculated uncertainty limits [−12.8%, 10%] were applied to directly measured PSD, most indirect PSD estimates remained within ±50% of the measured PSD. Conclusions: Using indirect dose metrics, PSD can be determined within ±50% for embolization procedures, and usually to within ±35%. RAK can be used without modification to set notification limits and substantial radiation dose levels. These results can be extended to similar procedures, including vascular and interventional oncology
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lutao Liu
2018-04-01
Full Text Available In this paper, a system for identifying eight kinds of radar waveforms is explored. The waveforms are the binary phase shift keying (BPSK, Costas codes, linear frequency modulation (LFM and polyphase codes (including P1, P2, P3, P4 and Frank codes. The features of power spectral density (PSD, moments and cumulants, instantaneous properties and time-frequency analysis are extracted from the waveforms and three new features are proposed. The classifier is support vector machine (SVM, which is optimized by artificial bee colony (ABC algorithm. The system shows well robustness, excellent computational complexity and high recognition rate under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR situation. The simulation results indicate that the overall recognition rate is 92% when SNR is −4 dB.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dosemeci, Ayse, E-mail: dosemeca@mail.nih.gov [Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Thein, Soe; Yang, Yijung; Reese, Thomas S. [Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Tao-Cheng, Jung-Hwa [EM Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)
2013-01-04
Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CYLD is a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Presence of CYLD in PSDs is established by biochemistry and immunoEM. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CYLD accumulates on PSDs upon depolarization of neurons. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Accumulation of CYLD at PSDs may regulate trafficking/degradation of synaptic proteins. -- Abstract: Polyubiquitin chains on proteins flag them for distinct fates depending on the type of polyubiquitin linkage. While lysine48-linked polyubiquitination directs proteins to proteasomal degradation, lysine63-linked polyubiquitination promotes different protein trafficking and is involved in autophagy. Here we show that postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions from adult rat brain contain deubiquitinase activity that targets both lysine48 and lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Comparison of PSD fractions with parent subcellular fractions by Western immunoblotting reveals that CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, is highly enriched in the PSD fraction. Electron microscopic examination of hippocampal neurons in culture under basal conditions shows immunogold label for CYLD at the PSD complex in approximately one in four synapses. Following depolarization by exposure to high K+, the proportion of CYLD-labeled PSDs as well as the labeling intensity of CYLD at the PSD increased by more than eighty percent, indicating that neuronal activity promotes accumulation of CYLD at the PSD. An increase in postsynaptic CYLD following activity would promote removal of lysine63-polyubiquitins from PSD proteins and thus could regulate their trafficking and prevent their autophagic degradation.
Assessing support packs from an occupational hygiene perspective
CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Pretorius, Cecilia J
2017-07-01
Full Text Available or the PSD. Particle Size Analysis (PSA) using laser light scattering was carried out on the bulk and the fine fraction samples to determine the PSD. The SWeRF method developed by IMA-EU (Pensis et al. 2013) contains the details of the meth- od... and only a brief summary is provided for the benefit of the reader. There are two approaches in SWeRF: Calculation of the fine fraction from the PSA (i.e. SWeRFcalc): the PSD from the laser light scattering method is used in the formula provided...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Qiang Yu
Full Text Available A new learning rule (Precise-Spike-Driven (PSD Synaptic Plasticity is proposed for processing and memorizing spatiotemporal patterns. PSD is a supervised learning rule that is analytically derived from the traditional Widrow-Hoff rule and can be used to train neurons to associate an input spatiotemporal spike pattern with a desired spike train. Synaptic adaptation is driven by the error between the desired and the actual output spikes, with positive errors causing long-term potentiation and negative errors causing long-term depression. The amount of modification is proportional to an eligibility trace that is triggered by afferent spikes. The PSD rule is both computationally efficient and biologically plausible. The properties of this learning rule are investigated extensively through experimental simulations, including its learning performance, its generality to different neuron models, its robustness against noisy conditions, its memory capacity, and the effects of its learning parameters. Experimental results show that the PSD rule is capable of spatiotemporal pattern classification, and can even outperform a well studied benchmark algorithm with the proposed relative confidence criterion. The PSD rule is further validated on a practical example of an optical character recognition problem. The results again show that it can achieve a good recognition performance with a proper encoding. Finally, a detailed discussion is provided about the PSD rule and several related algorithms including tempotron, SPAN, Chronotron and ReSuMe.
Yu, Qiang; Tang, Huajin; Tan, Kay Chen; Li, Haizhou
2013-01-01
A new learning rule (Precise-Spike-Driven (PSD) Synaptic Plasticity) is proposed for processing and memorizing spatiotemporal patterns. PSD is a supervised learning rule that is analytically derived from the traditional Widrow-Hoff rule and can be used to train neurons to associate an input spatiotemporal spike pattern with a desired spike train. Synaptic adaptation is driven by the error between the desired and the actual output spikes, with positive errors causing long-term potentiation and negative errors causing long-term depression. The amount of modification is proportional to an eligibility trace that is triggered by afferent spikes. The PSD rule is both computationally efficient and biologically plausible. The properties of this learning rule are investigated extensively through experimental simulations, including its learning performance, its generality to different neuron models, its robustness against noisy conditions, its memory capacity, and the effects of its learning parameters. Experimental results show that the PSD rule is capable of spatiotemporal pattern classification, and can even outperform a well studied benchmark algorithm with the proposed relative confidence criterion. The PSD rule is further validated on a practical example of an optical character recognition problem. The results again show that it can achieve a good recognition performance with a proper encoding. Finally, a detailed discussion is provided about the PSD rule and several related algorithms including tempotron, SPAN, Chronotron and ReSuMe.
Yuan, Yaochu; Yang, Chenghao; Tseng, Yu-heng; Zhu, Xiao-Hua; Wang, Huiqun; Chen, Hong
2017-08-01
Longer period variation of the Kuroshio into the Luzon Strait (LS) was identified using acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) observations as well as pressure and temperature time series data recorded by two TDs (manufactured by the RBR Ltd.) at mooring station N2 (20°40.441‧N, 120°38.324‧E). The ADCP was deployed at depths of 50-300 m between July 7, 2009 and April 10, 2011, and the TDs at around 340 and 365 m between July 9, 2009 and July 9, 2011. Observations provide strong evidence of longer period variation of the Kuroshio into the LS using the Vector rotary spectra (VRS) and Rectified wavelet power spectra analysis (RWPSA). RWPSA of the observations allowed the identification of two types of dominant periods. The first type, with the strongest power spectral density (PSD), had a dominant period of 112 d and was found throughout the upper 300 m. For example, the maximum PSD for western and northern velocity components time series were 3800 and 3550 at 50 m, respectively. The maximum power spectral density decrease with deeper depths, i.e., the depth dependence of maximum PSD. The 112 d period was also identified in the pressure and temperature time series data, at 340 m and 365 m. Combined RWPSA with VRS and mechanism analysis, it is clear that the occurrence of the most dominant period of 112 d in the upper 300 m is related to the clockwise meandering of the Kuroshio into the LS, which is caused by westward propagating stronger anticyclonic eddies from the interior ocean due to the interaction of Rossby eddies with the Kuroshio. The second type of dominant period, for example a 40 d period, is related to the anticlockwise meandering of the Kuroshio. The final dominant period of 14 d coincides with the fortnightly spring-neap tidal period.
Analysis of relevant risk factors of acute ischemic post-stroke depression%急性缺血性卒中后抑郁的相关危险因素分析
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
杨彩梅; 李雪斌; 王洁; 黄建敏; 蒙兰青; 李保生; 陆皓; 吴为民
2016-01-01
Objective To study the incidence rate of acute ischemic post-stroke depression ( PSD ) and its relevant risk factors .Methods One hundred and eighty-five acute ischemic stroke patients confirmed with CT or MRI were divided into PSD group and non-PSD group by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-V ( DSM-V) criteria and 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAMD) .The influence factors on PSD including social demographic data , vascular risk factors , relevant biochemical indicators , NIHSS, Barthel Index ( BI ) and MMSE were analyzed.Results In this group , the incidence of PSD was 40.54%(75 cases), was mainly composed of mild and moderate depression .Compared with non-PSD group, PSD group had a higher diabetes incidence rate (P=0.044), more severe neural function deficiency and worse activities of daily living (P=0.000, P=0.001), and lower MMSE scores(P=0.000), while high-sensitivity C-reaction protein (hs-CRP) and homocysteine (Hcy) levels increased (P=0.000, P=0.006).BI and MMSE scores were negatively correlated with HAMD scores (all P<0.05), while NIHSS scores, hs-CRP and Hcy levels were positively correlated with HAMD scores ( all P<0.05).The Logistic regression analysis indicated that , low MMSE scores, high NIHSS scores, high hs-CRP and Hcy levels might be independent risk factors of acute ischemic PSD .Conclusions PSD is mainly composed of mild and moderate depression .PSD is closely related with diabetes history , cognition impairment , neural function deficiency degree, hs-CRP and Hcy levels.%目的:探讨急性缺血性卒中后抑郁( PSD)的发生率及其相关危险因素。方法185例经CT或MRI证实的急性缺血性卒中患者根据精神障碍诊断和统计手册第5版( DSM-V)标准和24项Hamilton抑郁量表( HAMD
Assessing a learning process with functional ANOVA estimators of EEG power spectral densities.
Gutiérrez, David; Ramírez-Moreno, Mauricio A
2016-04-01
We propose to assess the process of learning a task using electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements. In particular, we quantify changes in brain activity associated to the progression of the learning experience through the functional analysis-of-variances (FANOVA) estimators of the EEG power spectral density (PSD). Such functional estimators provide a sense of the effect of training in the EEG dynamics. For that purpose, we implemented an experiment to monitor the process of learning to type using the Colemak keyboard layout during a twelve-lessons training. Hence, our aim is to identify statistically significant changes in PSD of various EEG rhythms at different stages and difficulty levels of the learning process. Those changes are taken into account only when a probabilistic measure of the cognitive state ensures the high engagement of the volunteer to the training. Based on this, a series of statistical tests are performed in order to determine the personalized frequencies and sensors at which changes in PSD occur, then the FANOVA estimates are computed and analyzed. Our experimental results showed a significant decrease in the power of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] rhythms for ten volunteers during the learning process, and such decrease happens regardless of the difficulty of the lesson. These results are in agreement with previous reports of changes in PSD being associated to feature binding and memory encoding.
Winter precipitation particle size distribution measurement by Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera
Huang, Gwo-Jong; Kleinkort, Cameron; Bringi, V. N.; Notaroš, Branislav M.
2017-12-01
From the radar meteorology viewpoint, the most important properties for quantitative precipitation estimation of winter events are 3D shape, size, and mass of precipitation particles, as well as the particle size distribution (PSD). In order to measure these properties precisely, optical instruments may be the best choice. The Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC) is a relatively new instrument equipped with three high-resolution cameras to capture the winter precipitation particle images from three non-parallel angles, in addition to measuring the particle fall speed using two pairs of infrared motion sensors. However, the results from the MASC so far are usually presented as monthly or seasonally, and particle sizes are given as histograms, no previous studies have used the MASC for a single storm study, and no researchers use MASC to measure the PSD. We propose the methodology for obtaining the winter precipitation PSD measured by the MASC, and present and discuss the development, implementation, and application of the new technique for PSD computation based on MASC images. Overall, this is the first study of the MASC-based PSD. We present PSD MASC experiments and results for segments of two snow events to demonstrate the performance of our PSD algorithm. The results show that the self-consistency of the MASC measured single-camera PSDs is good. To cross-validate PSD measurements, we compare MASC mean PSD (averaged over three cameras) with the collocated 2D Video Disdrometer, and observe good agreements of the two sets of results.
Pore size control of Pitch-based activated carbon fibers by pyrolytic deposition of propylene
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Xie Jinchuan; Wang Xuhui; Deng Jiyong; Zhang Lixing
2005-01-01
In this paper, we attempted to narrow the pore size of Pitch-based activated carbon fiber (Pitch-ACF) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of propylene at 700 deg. C. The BET equation was used to estimate the specific surface areas. The micropore volumes were determined using DR equation, t-plot and α s -plot, and mesopore surface areas were determined by t-plot and α s -plot. The pore size distribution (PSD) of micropores and mesopore was investigated by micropore analysis method (MP method) and MK method, respectively. The relation between the graphite-like crystal interlayer distance and pore size was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the pore size of Pitch-ACF was gradually narrowed with increasing deposition time. The catalytic activation of Ni was attempted when Pitch-ACF was modified simultaneously by pyrolysis of propylene. The results obtained from the analysis of PSD of micropores, mesopores and macropores in Ni-P-ACF by density function theory (DFT) showed that the pore structure and surface chemistry were greatly changed due to introducing nickel catalyst
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Johns Roger A
2008-10-01
Full Text Available Abstract Postsynaptic density (PSD-93, a neuronal scaffolding protein, binds to and clusters N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR subunits NR2A and NR2B at cellular membranes in vitro. However, the roles of PSD-93 in synaptic NR2A and NR2B targeting in the central nervous system and NMDAR-dependent physiologic and pathologic processes are still unclear. We report here that PSD-93 deficiency significantly decreased the amount of NR2A and NR2B in the synaptosomal membrane fractions derived from spinal cord dorsal horn and forebrain cortex but did not change their levels in the total soluble fraction from either region. However, PSD-93 deficiency did not markedly change the amounts of NR2A and NR2B in either synaptosomal or total soluble fractions from cerebellum. In mice deficient in PSD-93, morphine dose-dependent curve failed to shift significantly rightward as it did in wild type (WT mice after acute and chronic morphine challenge. Unlike WT mice, PSD-93 knockout mice also showed marked losses of NMDAR-dependent morphine analgesic tolerance and associated abnormal sensitivity in response to mechanical, noxious thermal, and formalin-induced inflammatory stimuli after repeated morphine injection. In addition, PSD-93 knockout mice displayed dramatic loss of jumping activity, a typical NMDAR-mediated morphine withdrawal abstinence behavior. These findings indicate that impaired NMDAR-dependent neuronal plasticity following repeated morphine injection in PSD-93 knockout mice is attributed to PSD-93 deletion-induced alterations of synaptic NR2A and NR2B expression in dorsal horn and forebrain cortex neurons. The selective effect of PSD-93 deletion on synaptic NMDAR expression in these two major pain-related regions might provide the better strategies for the prevention and treatment of opioid tolerance and physical dependence.
Evaluation of the autoregression time-series model for analysis of a noisy signal
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Allen, J.W.
1977-01-01
The autoregression (AR) time-series model of a continuous noisy signal was statistically evaluated to determine quantitatively the uncertainties of the model order, the model parameters, and the model's power spectral density (PSD). The result of such a statistical evaluation enables an experimenter to decide whether an AR model can adequately represent a continuous noisy signal and be consistent with the signal's frequency spectrum, and whether it can be used for on-line monitoring. Although evaluations of other types of signals have been reported in the literature, no direct reference has been found to AR model's uncertainties for continuous noisy signals; yet the evaluation is necessary to decide the usefulness of AR models of typical reactor signals (e.g., neutron detector output or thermocouple output) and the potential of AR models for on-line monitoring applications. AR and other time-series models for noisy data representation are being investigated by others since such models require fewer parameters than the traditional PSD model. For this study, the AR model was selected for its simplicity and conduciveness to uncertainty analysis, and controlled laboratory bench signals were used for continuous noisy data. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Srinivasan, Prakash; Sarmah, Ajit K.; Smernik, Ron; Das, Oisik; Farid, Mohammed; Gao, Wei
2015-01-01
In this study, we pyrolysed six waste derived biomass: pine sawdust (PSD), paunch grass (PG), broiler litter (BL), sewage sludge (SS), dewatered pond sludge (DWP), and dissolved air-floatation sludge (DAF) into biochar. Biochars were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, 13 C-solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to evaluate their feasibility for potential agronomic and environmental applications. Syngas produced during the pyrolysis process was also analyzed to determine the energy values. Results show that PSD biochar has the utmost potential for carbon sequestration and contaminant remediation due to its high surface area, aromaticity and carbon content. Additionally given its low ash content, PSD biochar could also potentially be used as filler in wood plastic biocomposites. Low levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in all biochars suggest that biochars are also applicable for land application according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency regulation 40 CFR part 503. The composition of syngas evolved during the pyrolysis of feedstocks showed little difference in the calorific values, ranging from 12–16 MJ/dsm with PSD having the maximum calorific value of 16 MJ/dsm. - Highlights: • PSD biochar was found to have the highest surface, carbon content and lowest ash content. • PSD biochar is suitable for carbon sequestration, remediation and biocomposite construction. • Syngas from PSD and PG pyrolysis yielded syngas having highest calorific values (15-16 MJ/dsm). • BL, PG and SS derived biochars have potential as liming agents due to their high ash content
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Srinivasan, Prakash [Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand); Sarmah, Ajit K., E-mail: a.sarmah@auckland.ac.nz [Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand); Smernik, Ron [School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005 (Australia); Das, Oisik [Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand); Farid, Mohammed; Gao, Wei [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, 20 Symonds Street, Auckland (New Zealand)
2015-04-15
In this study, we pyrolysed six waste derived biomass: pine sawdust (PSD), paunch grass (PG), broiler litter (BL), sewage sludge (SS), dewatered pond sludge (DWP), and dissolved air-floatation sludge (DAF) into biochar. Biochars were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, {sup 13}C-solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to evaluate their feasibility for potential agronomic and environmental applications. Syngas produced during the pyrolysis process was also analyzed to determine the energy values. Results show that PSD biochar has the utmost potential for carbon sequestration and contaminant remediation due to its high surface area, aromaticity and carbon content. Additionally given its low ash content, PSD biochar could also potentially be used as filler in wood plastic biocomposites. Low levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in all biochars suggest that biochars are also applicable for land application according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency regulation 40 CFR part 503. The composition of syngas evolved during the pyrolysis of feedstocks showed little difference in the calorific values, ranging from 12–16 MJ/dsm with PSD having the maximum calorific value of 16 MJ/dsm. - Highlights: • PSD biochar was found to have the highest surface, carbon content and lowest ash content. • PSD biochar is suitable for carbon sequestration, remediation and biocomposite construction. • Syngas from PSD and PG pyrolysis yielded syngas having highest calorific values (15-16 MJ/dsm). • BL, PG and SS derived biochars have potential as liming agents due to their high ash content.
Suresh Kumar, P.; Prot, T.J.F.; Korving, Leon; Keesman, Karel J.; Dugulan, A.I.; van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M.; Witkamp, G.J.
2017-01-01
Adsorption is often suggested for to reach very low phosphate levels in municipal wastewater effluent and even to recover phosphate. Adsorbent performance is usually associated with surface area but the exact role of the pore size distribution (PSD) is unclear. Here, we show the effect of the PSD
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shabeesh Balan
Full Text Available The post-synaptic density (PSD of glutamatergic synapses harbors a multitude of proteins critical for maintaining synaptic dynamics. Alteration of protein expression levels in this matrix is a marked phenomenon of neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, where cognitive functions are impaired. To investigate the genetic relationship of genes expressed in the PSD with schizophrenia, a family-based association analysis of genetic variants in PSD genes such as DLG4, DLG1, PICK1 and MDM2, was performed, using Japanese samples (124 pedigrees, n = 376 subjects. Results showed a significant association of the rs17203281 variant from the DLG4 gene, with preferential transmission of the C allele (p = 0.02, although significance disappeared after correction for multiple testing. Replication analysis of this variant, found no association in a Chinese schizophrenia cohort (293 pedigrees, n = 1163 subjects or in a Japanese case-control sample (n = 4182 subjects. The DLG4 expression levels between postmortem brain samples from schizophrenia patients showed no significant changes from controls. Interestingly, a five marker haplotype in DLG4, involving rs2242449, rs17203281, rs390200, rs222853 and rs222837, was enriched in a population specific manner, where the sequences A-C-C-C-A and G-C-C-C-A accumulated in Japanese (p = 0.0009 and Chinese (p = 0.0007 schizophrenia pedigree samples, respectively. However, this could not be replicated in case-control samples. None of the variants in other examined candidate genes showed any significant association in these samples. The current study highlights a putative role for DLG4 in schizophrenia pathogenesis, evidenced by haplotype association, and warrants further dense screening for variants within these haplotypes.
Peeling skin diseases: 21 cases from Turkey and a review of the literature.
Köse, O; Safali, M; Koç, E; Arca, E; Açikgöz, G; Özmen, I; Yeniay, Y
2012-07-01
Peeling skin diseases (PSD) refer to a group of rare autosomal recessive dermatosis which are characterized by spontaneous, continual peeling of the skin. Three different clinical pictures can be distinguished: Inflammatory PSD also referred to as peeling skin syndrome (PSS) type B, non-inflammatory PSD also referred to as PSS type A, and localized forms i.e. acral type PSS. To characterize the clinical and histopathological features of PSD in Turkey. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and clinical photographs of patients who were given diagnosis of PSD and conducted histopathological evaluation of skin biopsies to identify the site of cleavage. Also we evaluated the cases including age, gender, age onset, clinical and histological findings, family history, associated disorders and PSD type. Twenty-one patients with PSD were seen at Gulhane School of Medicine in Ankara between the years 1994 and 2010 in this retrospective study. All patients were men. Their ages were between 20 and 26 years (22.44±2.30, Mean age±SD). Of the patients, eight cases (40%) were type A, eight cases (40%) were type B, and five cases (20%) were acral type PSS. Eleven cases (52%) had parental consanguinity. Keratoderma, cheilitis, keratosis pilaris, melanonichia, clubbing, hyperhidrosis, onychodystrophy were observed in eight cases as an accompanying disorder. In this case series, PSD occurred rarely and also showed generally mild course of disease in Turkey and most likely related to consanguineous of marriages. Future investigations on PSD will contribute to our progressing alternative targets for pathogenesis-based therapy. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2011 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
Application of noise analysis on the operation of the RSG-GAS reactor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Surian P, Tukiran S
1999-01-01
The RSG-GAS reactor has been operating for radioisotope production and experiments so that it is necessary to perform analysis of the reactor operation. analysis was done based on reactor noise experiment. Neutron noise at low and high power of the RSG-GAS has been analyzed using time and frequency domain with aim to determine the safety of reactor operation. The safety of reactor operation based on two parameters as, prompt neutron decay constant and decay ratio. The parameters are useful for reactor operation, so it is necessary to determine accurately. For determining prompt neutron decay constant, neutron density in the core of reactor which operated at 10 k W, was collected by using Fission Chamber detectors (FC). Based on power spectral density (PSD) was achieved break frequency about 23 Hz, so that the prompt neutron decay constant is about 151 sec -1 . While at at high power 20 MW, neutron density was collected by using Compensated Ionization Chamber (CIC) detector. The result at high power showed that there is reactivity effect in the core because of fluctuation in temperature and density of the coolant, and the decay ratio of 0.20, showed that the reactor is still operation in stable
Comparisons of Particulate Size Distributions from Multiple Combustion Strategies
Zhang, Yizhou
In this study, a comparison of particle size distribution (PSD) measurements from eight different combustion strategies was conducted at four different load-speed points. The PSDs were measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) together with a condensation particle counter (CPC). To study the influence of volatile particles, PSD measurements were performed with and without a volatile particle remover (thermodenuder, TD) at both low and high dilution ratios. The common engine platform utilized in the experiment helps to eliminate the influence of background particulate and ensures similarity in dilution conditions. The results show a large number of volatile particles were present under LDR sample conditions for most of the operating conditions. The use of a TD, especially when coupled with HDR, was demonstrated to be effective at removing volatile particles and provided consistent measurements across all combustion strategies. The PSD comparison showed that gasoline premixed combustion strategies such as HCCI and GCI generally have low PSD magnitudes for particle sizes greater than the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) cutoff diameter (23 nm), and the PSDs were highly nuclei-mode particle dominated. The strategies using diesel as the only fuel (DLTC and CDC) generally showed the highest particle number emissions for particles larger than 23 nm and had accumulation-mode particle dominated PSDs. A consistent correlation between the increase of the direct-injection of diesel fuel and a higher fraction of accumulation-mode particles was observed over all combustion strategies. A DI fuel substitution study and injector nozzle geometry study were conducted to better understand the correlation between PSD shape and DI fueling. It was found that DI fuel properties has a clear impact on PSD behavior for CDC and NG DPI. Fuel with lower density and lower sooting tendency led to a nuclei-mode particle dominated PSD shape. For NG RCCI, accumulation
Fatigue of wind turbines in the frequency domain
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bishop, N W.M. [Univ. College London (United Kingdom)
1996-09-01
Fatigue damage is traditionally determined from time signals of loading, usually in the form of stress or strain. However, there are three design scenarios when a spectral form of loading is more appropriate. In this case the loading is defined in terms of its magnitude at different frequencies in the form of a Power Spectral Density (PSD) plot. First, the measurement engineer recording responses from in-service components or structures may be interested in PSD`s because they are a efficient way of defining a random stress or strain time history. Secondly, the test engineer assessing the reliability of prototypes may be interested in spectral tools because such an approach allows the structural condition of the component to be monitored by continuous inspection of the system transfer function. However, the most important benefit of working with PSD`s is relevant to the structural analysis or designer because of the more sophisticated analysis options with which they can be use. For all three of these design scenarios the fatigue designer is presented with a PSD of stress or strain with which to perform his fatigue calculation. There is therefore a requirement for a reliable, accurate and robust spectral fatigue design tool. Such a tool allows the designer to estimate the rainflow range content and hence content and hence fatigue damage from the PSD. (EG)
How accurately can the peak skin dose in fluoroscopy be determined using indirect dose metrics?
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jones, A. Kyle; Ensor, Joe E.; Pasciak, Alexander S.
2014-01-01
Purpose: Skin dosimetry is important for fluoroscopically-guided interventions, as peak skin doses (PSD) that result in skin reactions can be reached during these procedures. There is no consensus as to whether or not indirect skin dosimetry is sufficiently accurate for fluoroscopically-guided interventions. However, measuring PSD with film is difficult and the decision to do so must be madea priori. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of different types of indirect dose estimates and to determine if PSD can be calculated within ±50% using indirect dose metrics for embolization procedures. Methods: PSD were measured directly using radiochromic film for 41 consecutive embolization procedures at two sites. Indirect dose metrics from the procedures were collected, including reference air kerma. Four different estimates of PSD were calculated from the indirect dose metrics and compared along with reference air kerma to the measured PSD for each case. The four indirect estimates included a standard calculation method, the use of detailed information from the radiation dose structured report, and two simplified calculation methods based on the standard method. Indirect dosimetry results were compared with direct measurements, including an analysis of uncertainty associated with film dosimetry. Factors affecting the accuracy of the different indirect estimates were examined. Results: When using the standard calculation method, calculated PSD were within ±35% for all 41 procedures studied. Calculated PSD were within ±50% for a simplified method using a single source-to-patient distance for all calculations. Reference air kerma was within ±50% for all but one procedure. Cases for which reference air kerma or calculated PSD exhibited large (±35%) differences from the measured PSD were analyzed, and two main causative factors were identified: unusually small or large source-to-patient distances and large contributions to reference air kerma from cone
Varenne, Fanny; Makky, Ali; Gaucher-Delmas, Mireille; Violleau, Frédéric; Vauthier, Christine
2016-05-01
Evaluation of particle size distribution (PSD) of multimodal dispersion of nanoparticles is a difficult task due to inherent limitations of size measurement methods. The present work reports the evaluation of PSD of a dispersion of poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles decorated with dextran known as multimodal and developed as nanomedecine. The nine methods used were classified as batch particle i.e. Static Light Scattering (SLS) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), single particle i.e. Electron Microscopy (EM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) and separative particle i.e. Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation coupled with DLS (AsFlFFF) size measurement methods. The multimodal dispersion was identified using AFM, TRPS and NTA and results were consistent with those provided with the method based on a separation step prior to on-line size measurements. None of the light scattering batch methods could reveal the complexity of the PSD of the dispersion. Difference between PSD obtained from all size measurement methods tested suggested that study of the PSD of multimodal dispersion required to analyze samples by at least one of the single size particle measurement method or a method that uses a separation step prior PSD measurement.
How Far Is Quasar UV/Optical Variability from a Damped Random Walk at Low Frequency?
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Guo Hengxiao; Wang Junxian; Cai Zhenyi; Sun Mouyuan, E-mail: hengxiaoguo@gmail.com, E-mail: jxw@ustc.edu.cn [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China)
2017-10-01
Studies have shown that UV/optical light curves of quasars can be described using the prevalent damped random walk (DRW) model, also known as the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. A white noise power spectral density (PSD) is expected at low frequency in this model; however, a direct observational constraint to the low-frequency PSD slope is difficult due to the limited lengths of the light curves available. Meanwhile, quasars show scatter in their DRW parameters that is too large to be attributed to uncertainties in the measurements and dependence on the variation of known physical factors. In this work we present simulations showing that, if the low-frequency PSD deviates from the DRW, the red noise leakage can naturally produce large scatter in the variation parameters measured from simulated light curves. The steeper the low-frequency PSD slope, the larger scatter we expect. Based on observations of SDSS Stripe 82 quasars, we find that the low-frequency PSD slope should be no steeper than −1.3. The actual slope could be flatter, which consequently requires that the quasar variabilities should be influenced by other unknown factors. We speculate that the magnetic field and/or metallicity could be such additional factors.
Classification of the Correct Quranic Letters Pronunciation of Male and Female Reciters
Khairuddin, Safiah; Ahmad, Salmiah; Embong, Abdul Halim; Nur Wahidah Nik Hashim, Nik; Altamas, Tareq M. K.; Nuratikah Syd Badaruddin, Syarifah; Shahbudin Hassan, Surul
2017-11-01
Recitation of the Holy Quran with the correct Tajweed is essential for every Muslim. Islam has encouraged Quranic education since early age as the recitation of the Quran correctly will represent the correct meaning of the words of Allah. It is important to recite the Quranic verses according to its characteristics (sifaat) and from its point of articulations (makhraj). This paper presents the identification and classification analysis of Quranic letters pronunciation for both male and female reciters, to obtain the unique representation of each letter by male as compared to female expert reciters. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was used as the classifier to classify the data with Formants and Power Spectral Density (PSD) as the acoustic features. The result shows that linear classifier of PSD with band 1 and band 2 power spectral combinations gives a high percentage of classification accuracy for most of the Quranic letters. It is also shown that the pronunciation by male reciters gives better result in the classification of the Quranic letters.
Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
2016-01-27
Jan 27, 2016 ... Then we discuss the stochastic resonance (SR) phenomenon in PSD curves for different parameter values of viscosity coefficient, accretion rate, mass of black hole and outer radius of the disk. The results show that our simulated PSD curves of luminosity for disk oscillation have the same profile as the ...
Simulation study of effects of initial particle size distribution on dissolution
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wang, G.; Xu, D.S.; Ma, N.; Zhou, N.; Payton, E.J.; Yang, R.; Mills, M.J.; Wang, Y.
2009-01-01
Dissolution kinetics of γ' particles in binary Ni-Al alloys with different initial particle size distributions (PSD) is studied using a three-dimensional (3D) quantitative phase field model. By linking model inputs directly to thermodynamic and atomic mobility databases, microstructural evolution during dissolution is simulated in real time and length scales. The model is first validated against analytical solution for dissolution of a single γ' particle in 1D and numerical solution in 3D before it is applied to investigate the effects of initial PSD on dissolution kinetics. Four different types of PSD, uniform, normal, log-normal and bimodal, are considered. The simulation results show that the volume fraction of γ' particles decreases exponentially with time, while the temporal evolution of average particle size depends strongly on the initial PSD
Recent developments in plastic scintillators with pulse shape discrimination
Zaitseva, N. P.; Glenn, A. M.; Mabe, A. N.; Carman, M. L.; Hurlbut, C. R.; Inman, J. W.; Payne, S. A.
2018-05-01
The paper reports results of studies conducted to improve scintillation performance of plastic scintillators capable of neutron/gamma pulse-shape discrimination (PSD). Compositional modifications made with the polymer matrix improved physical stability, allowing for increased loads of the primary dye that, in combination with selected secondary dyes, provided enhanced PSD especially important for the lower energy ranges. Additional measurements were made with a newly-introduced PSD plastic EJ-276, that replaces the first commercially produced EJ-299. Comparative studies conducted with the new materials and EJ-309 liquids at large scale (up to 10 cm) show that current plastics may provide scintillation and PSD performance sufficient for the replacement of liquid scintillators. Comparison to stilbene single crystals compliments the information about the status of the solid-state materials recently developed for fast neutron detection applications.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gusmano, G.; Montesperelli, G.; De Grandis, A.
1998-01-01
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the electrochemical noise analysis to detect the onset of corrosion phenomena in a very high resistivity medium. Tests were carried out on carbon steel electrodes immersed in a water/mineral oil two phases environment with high concentration of CO 2 , different aqueous/organic phase ratio, sulphide content between 0 and 0.5 g/l and pH between 1 and 5. The evolution of corrosion phenomena were followed by collecting current and potential noise between three nominally identical electrodes. The noise data were analysed in the time and in the frequency domain. In spite of a great loss of sensitivity of the method with respect to tests performed in aqueous solution, the data indicate a good agreement between the standard deviations and the power level of power spectra density (PSD) of current and potential noise signals and corrosion rates by means of weight loss. The values of the PSD slope, indicate the form of corrosion. The effect of water/oil ratio, sulphide concentration and pH on the corrosion rate was determined. Finally two methods to increase the sensitivity of the electrochemical noise are proposed. (orig.)
Distinct effects of acute and chronic sleep loss on DNA damage in rats.
Andersen, M L; Ribeiro, D A; Bergamaschi, C T; Alvarenga, T A; Silva, A; Zager, A; Campos, R R; Tufik, S
2009-04-30
The aim of this investigation was to evaluate genetic damage induced in male rats by experimental sleep loss for short-term (24 and 96 h) and long-term (21 days) intervals, as well as their respective recovery periods in peripheral blood, brain, liver and heart tissue by the single cell gel (comet) assay. Rats were paradoxically deprived of sleep (PSD) by the platform technique for 24 or 96 h, or chronically sleep-restricted (SR) for 21 days. We also sought to verify the time course of their recovery after 24 h of rebound sleep. The results showed DNA damage in blood cells of rats submitted to PSD for 96 h. Brain tissue showed extensive genotoxic damage in PSD rats (both 24 and 96 h), though the effect was more pronounced in the 96 h group. Rats allowed to recover from the PSD-96 h and SR-21 days treatments showed DNA damage as compared to negative controls. Liver and heart did not display any genotoxicity activity. Corticosterone concentrations were increased after PSD (24 and 96 h) relative to control rats, whereas these levels were unaffected in the SR group. Collectively, these findings reveal that sleep loss was able to induce genetic damage in blood and brain cells, especially following acute exposure. Since DNA damage is an important step in events leading to genomic instability, this study represents a relevant contribution to the understanding of the potential health risks associated with sleep deprivation.
Oh, Seok-Geun; Suh, Myoung-Seok
2017-07-01
The projection skills of five ensemble methods were analyzed according to simulation skills, training period, and ensemble members, using 198 sets of pseudo-simulation data (PSD) produced by random number generation assuming the simulated temperature of regional climate models. The PSD sets were classified into 18 categories according to the relative magnitude of bias, variance ratio, and correlation coefficient, where each category had 11 sets (including 1 truth set) with 50 samples. The ensemble methods used were as follows: equal weighted averaging without bias correction (EWA_NBC), EWA with bias correction (EWA_WBC), weighted ensemble averaging based on root mean square errors and correlation (WEA_RAC), WEA based on the Taylor score (WEA_Tay), and multivariate linear regression (Mul_Reg). The projection skills of the ensemble methods improved generally as compared with the best member for each category. However, their projection skills are significantly affected by the simulation skills of the ensemble member. The weighted ensemble methods showed better projection skills than non-weighted methods, in particular, for the PSD categories having systematic biases and various correlation coefficients. The EWA_NBC showed considerably lower projection skills than the other methods, in particular, for the PSD categories with systematic biases. Although Mul_Reg showed relatively good skills, it showed strong sensitivity to the PSD categories, training periods, and number of members. On the other hand, the WEA_Tay and WEA_RAC showed relatively superior skills in both the accuracy and reliability for all the sensitivity experiments. This indicates that WEA_Tay and WEA_RAC are applicable even for simulation data with systematic biases, a short training period, and a small number of ensemble members.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yuki Motomura
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Many modern people suffer from sleep debt that has accumulated in everyday life but is not subjectively noticed [potential sleep debt (PSD]. Our hypothesis for this study was that resolution of PSD through sleep extension optimizes mood regulation by altering the functional connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Fifteen healthy male participants underwent an experiment consisting of a baseline (BL evaluation followed by two successive interventions, namely, a 9-day sleep extension followed by one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD. Tests performed before and after the interventions included a questionnaire on negative mood and neuroimaging with arterial spin labeling MRI for evaluating regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF and functional connectivity. Negative mood and amygdala rCBF were significantly reduced after sleep extension compared with BL. The amygdala had a significant negative functional connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex (FCamg–MPFC, and this negative connectivity was greater after sleep extension than at BL. After TSD, these indices reverted to the same level as at BL. An additional path analysis with structural equation modeling showed that the FCamg–MPFC significantly explained the amygdala rCBF and that the amygdala rCBF significantly explained the negative mood. These findings suggest that the use of our sleep extension protocol normalized amygdala activity via negative amygdala–MPFC functional connectivity. The resolution of unnoticed PSD may improve mood by enhancing frontal suppression of hyperactivity in the amygdala caused by PSD accumulating in everyday life.
Mallet, A; Kypriotou, M; George, K; Leclerc, E; Rivero, D; Mazereeuw-Hautier, J; Serre, G; Huber, M; Jonca, N; Hohl, D
2013-12-01
Peeling skin disease (PSD), a generalized inflammatory form of peeling skin syndrome, is caused by autosomal recessive nonsense mutations in the corneodesmosin gene (CDSN). To investigate a novel mutation in CDSN. A 50-year-old white woman showed widespread peeling with erythema and elevated serum IgE. DNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry, Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses of skin biopsies were performed in order to study the genetics and to characterize the molecular profile of the disease. Histology showed hyperkeratosis and acanthosis of the epidermis, and inflammatory infiltrates in the dermis. DNA sequencing revealed a homozygous mutation leading to a premature termination codon in CDSN: p.Gly142*. Protein analyses showed reduced expression of a 16-kDa corneodesmosin mutant in the upper epidermal layers, whereas the full-length protein was absent. These results are interesting regarding the genotype-phenotype correlations in diseases caused by CDSN mutations. The PSD-causing CDSN mutations identified heretofore result in total corneodesmosin loss, suggesting that PSD is due to full corneodesmosin deficiency. Here, we show for the first time that a mutant corneodesmosin can be stably expressed in some patients with PSD, and that this truncated protein is very probably nonfunctional. © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists.
SU-F-P-44: A Direct Estimate of Peak Skin Dose for Interventional Fluoroscopy Procedures
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Weir, V; Zhang, J
2016-01-01
Purpose: There is an increasing demand for medical physicist to calculate peak skin dose (PSD) for interventional fluoroscopy procedures. The dose information (Dose-Area-Product and Air Kerma) displayed in the console cannot directly be used for this purpose. Our clinical experience shows that the use of the existing methods may overestimate or underestimate PSD. This study attempts to develop a direct estimate of PSD from the displayed dose metrics. Methods: An anthropomorphic torso phantom was used for dose measurements for a common fluoroscopic procedure. Entrance skin doses were measured with a Piranha solid state point detector placed on the table surface below the torso phantom. An initial “reference dose rate” (RE) measurement was conducted by comparing the displayed dose rate (mGy/min) to the dose rate measured. The distance from table top to focal spot was taken as the reference distance (RD at the RE. Table height was then adjusted. The displayed air kerma and DAP were recorded and sent to three physicists to estimate PSD. An inverse square correction was applied to correct displayed air kerma at various table heights. The PSD estimated by physicists and the PSD by the proposed method were then compared with the measurements. The estimated DAPs were compared to displayed DAP readings (mGycm2). Results: The difference between estimated PSD by the proposed method and direct measurements was less than 5%. For the same set of data, the estimated PSD by each of three physicists is different from measurements by ±52%. The DAP calculated by the proposed method and displayed DAP readings in the console is less than 20% at various table heights. Conclusion: PSD may be simply estimated from displayed air kerma or DAP if the distance between table top and tube focal spot or if x-ray beam area on table top is available.
SU-F-P-44: A Direct Estimate of Peak Skin Dose for Interventional Fluoroscopy Procedures
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Weir, V [Baylor Scott and White Healthcare System, Dallas, TX (United States); Zhang, J [University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States)
2016-06-15
Purpose: There is an increasing demand for medical physicist to calculate peak skin dose (PSD) for interventional fluoroscopy procedures. The dose information (Dose-Area-Product and Air Kerma) displayed in the console cannot directly be used for this purpose. Our clinical experience shows that the use of the existing methods may overestimate or underestimate PSD. This study attempts to develop a direct estimate of PSD from the displayed dose metrics. Methods: An anthropomorphic torso phantom was used for dose measurements for a common fluoroscopic procedure. Entrance skin doses were measured with a Piranha solid state point detector placed on the table surface below the torso phantom. An initial “reference dose rate” (RE) measurement was conducted by comparing the displayed dose rate (mGy/min) to the dose rate measured. The distance from table top to focal spot was taken as the reference distance (RD at the RE. Table height was then adjusted. The displayed air kerma and DAP were recorded and sent to three physicists to estimate PSD. An inverse square correction was applied to correct displayed air kerma at various table heights. The PSD estimated by physicists and the PSD by the proposed method were then compared with the measurements. The estimated DAPs were compared to displayed DAP readings (mGycm2). Results: The difference between estimated PSD by the proposed method and direct measurements was less than 5%. For the same set of data, the estimated PSD by each of three physicists is different from measurements by ±52%. The DAP calculated by the proposed method and displayed DAP readings in the console is less than 20% at various table heights. Conclusion: PSD may be simply estimated from displayed air kerma or DAP if the distance between table top and tube focal spot or if x-ray beam area on table top is available.
Heterodyne quasi-elastic light-scattering instrument for biomedical diagnostics.
Lebedev, A D; Ivanova, M A; Lomakin, A V; Noskin, V A
1997-10-20
The heterodyne technique has a number of advantages over the homodyne technique when an accurate characterization of particle-size distribution (PSD) of heterogeneous systems is required. However, there are problems related to acoustic vibrations that make it difficult to take advantage of the heterodyne technique. An instrument developed for quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) that uses the optical heterodyning principle is described. Vibration-related problems are considerably reduced because of the incorporation of all optical elements into one solid optical block. A real-time correlation analysis of the photocurrent fluctuations is performed by a PC-embedded analog-to-digital converter card with a digital signal processor. Investigation of the PSD in biological fluids for medical diagnostics is presented as a typical application. A diagnostic analysis of the PSD requires a simultaneous processing of a huge number of QELS data. An original statistical algorithm to accomplish this analysis has been developed. Technical specifications of instrumentation for heterodyne QELS measurement are discussed.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
R.C.S Martins
2008-01-01
Full Text Available Sleep loss is both common and critically relevant to our society and might lead to the abuse of psychostimulants such as amphetamines, cocaine and modafinil. Since psychoactive substance abuse often occurs within a scenario of sleep deficit, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the sleep patterns of rats challenged with cocaine (7 mg/kg, ip, methamphetamine (7 mg/kg, ip, or modafinil (100 mg/kg, ip subsequent to paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD for 96 h. Our results show that, immediately after 96 h of PSD, rats (10 per group that were injected with a psychostimulant presented lower percentages of paradoxical sleep compared to those injected with saline (P < 0.01. Regarding slow wave sleep (SWS, rats injected with psychostimulants after PSD presented a late rebound (on the second night subsequent to the injection in the percentage of this phase of sleep when compared to PSD rats injected with saline (P < 0.05. In addition, the current study has produced evidence of the characteristic effect of each drug on sleep architecture. Home cage control rats injected with modafinil and methamphetamine showed a reduction in SWS compared with the saline group. Methamphetamine affected sleep patterns most, since it significantly reduced paradoxical sleep, SWS and sleep efficiency before and after PSD compared to control (P < 0.05. Cocaine was the psychostimulant causing the least changes in sleep pattern in relation to those observed after saline injection. Therefore, our results suggest that abuse of these psychostimulants in a PSD paradigm aggravates their impact on sleep patterns.
An Efficient Digital Pulse Shape Discrimination Technique for Scintillation Detectors Based on FPGA
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kamel, M.S.
2014-01-01
Different techniques for pulse discrimination (PSD) of the scintillation pulses have been developed. The PSD of scintillation pulese can been used in several applications as Positron Emission Topography (PET) system. Each technique analyzes the resulting pulses from the absorption of radiation in the scintillation pulses were filtered and digitized then it is captured using DAQ, and it sent to the host computer for processing. The spatial resolution of images that generated in PET system can be improved by applying the proposed PSD. In this thesis various digital PSD techniques are proposed to discriminate the scintillation pulses. These techniques are based on discrete sine transform (DST). discrete cosine transform (DCT). Discrete hartley transform (DHT), Discrete Goertzel transform (DGT),and principal component analysis (PCA). Then the output coefficients of the discrete transforms are classified using one of the following classifiers T-test,tuned, or support vector machine (SVM).
Andrews, Ross N; Serio, Joseph; Muralidharan, Govindarajan; Ilavsky, Jan
2017-06-01
Intermetallic γ' precipitates typically strengthen nickel-based superalloys. The shape, size and spatial distribution of strengthening precipitates critically influence alloy strength, while their temporal evolution characteristics determine the high-temperature alloy stability. Combined ultra-small-, small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS-SAXS-WAXS) analysis can be used to evaluate the temporal evolution of an alloy's precipitate size distribution (PSD) and phase structure during in situ heat treatment. Analysis of PSDs from USAXS-SAXS data employs either least-squares fitting of a preordained PSD model or a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approach, the latter avoiding a priori definition of a functional form of the PSD. However, strong low- q scattering from grain boundaries and/or structure factor effects inhibit MaxEnt analysis of typical alloys. This work describes the extension of Bayesian-MaxEnt analysis methods to data exhibiting structure factor effects and low- q power law slopes and demonstrates their use in an in situ study of precipitate size evolution during heat treatment of a model Ni-Al-Si alloy.
Siddiqi, Ariba; Arjunan, Sridhar Poosapadi; Kumar, Dinesh Kant
2016-01-01
Age-related neuromuscular change of Tibialis Anterior (TA) is a leading cause of muscle strength decline among the elderly. This study has established the baseline for age-associated changes in sEMG of TA at different levels of voluntary contraction. We have investigated the use of Gaussianity and maximal power of the power spectral density (PSD) as suitable features to identify age-associated changes in the surface electromyogram (sEMG). Eighteen younger (20-30 years) and 18 older (60-85 years) cohorts completed two trials of isometric dorsiflexion at four different force levels between 10% and 50% of the maximal voluntary contraction. Gaussianity and maximal power of the PSD of sEMG were determined. Results show a significant increase in sEMG's maximal power of the PSD and Gaussianity with increase in force for both cohorts. It was also observed that older cohorts had higher maximal power of the PSD and lower Gaussianity. These age-related differences observed in the PSD and Gaussianity could be due to motor unit remodelling. This can be useful for noninvasive tracking of age-associated neuromuscular changes.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, Hau-Wei; Chen, Chieh-Li
2009-01-01
This paper presents a two-dimensional tracking measurement system with a tracking module, which consists of two stepping motors, two laser diodes and a four separated active areas segmented position sensitive detector (PSD). The PSD was placed on a two-dimensional moving stage and used as a tracking target. The two laser diodes in the tracking module were directly rotated to keep the laser spots on the origin of the PSD. The two-dimensional position of the target PSD on the moving stage is determined from the distance between the two motors and the tracking angles of the two laser diodes, which are rotated by the two stepping motors, respectively. In order to separate the four positional values of the two laser spots on one PSD, the laser diodes were modulated by two distinct frequencies. Multiple-laser spot position measurement technology was used to separate the four positional values of the two laser spots on the PSD. The experimental results show that the steady-state voltage shift rate is about 0.2% and dynamic cross-talk rate is smaller than 2% when the two laser spots are projected on one PSD at the same time. The measurement errors of the x and y axial positions of the two-dimensional tracking system were less than 1% in the measuring range of 20 mm. The results demonstrate that multiple-laser spot position measurement technology can be employed in a two-dimensional tracking measurement system
Effect of sildenafil (Viagra® on the genital reflexes of paradoxical sleep-deprived male rats
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M.L. Andersen
2007-11-01
Full Text Available Since there is evidence that paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD elicits penile erection (PE and ejaculation (EJ, and that the erectile response of rats is mediated by nitric oxide, the present study sought to extend the latter finding by assessing the effects of sildenafil on the genital reflexes of male Wistar rats subjected to PSD. We also determined the influence of sildenafil on hormone concentrations. In the first experiment, sildenafil at doses ranging from 0.08 to 0.32 mg/kg was administered intraperitoneally to rats that had been deprived of sleep for 4 days and to home cage controls (N = 8-10/group. The frequency of PE and EJ was measured for 60 min. PSD alone induced PE in 50% of the animals; however, a single injection of sildenafil did not significantly increase the percentage of rats displaying PE compared to PSD-saline or to home cage groups. PSD alone also induced spontaneous EJ, but this response was not potentiated by sildenafil in the dose range tested. Testosterone concentrations were significantly lower in PSD rats (137 ± 22 ng/dL than in controls (365 ± 38 ng/dL, whereas progesterone (0.9 ± 0.1 vs 5.4 ± 1 ng/mL and plasma dopamine (103.4 ± 30 vs 262.6 ± 77 pg/mL increased. These changes did not occur after sildenafil treatment. The data show that although sildenafil did not alter the frequency of genital reflexes, it antagonized hormonal (testosterone and progesterone and plasma dopamine changes induced by PSD. The stimulation of the genital reflexes by sildenafil did not result in potentiating effects in PSD rats.
Ni, Binbin; Shprits, Yuri; Nagai, Tsugunobu; Thorne, Richard; Chen, Yue; Kondrashov, Dmitri; Kim, Hee-jeong
2009-05-01
Data assimilation techniques provide algorithms that allow for blending of incomplete and inaccurate data with physics-based dynamic models to reconstruct the electron phase space density (PSD) in the radiation belts. In this study, we perform reanalyses of the radial PSD profile using two independent data sources from the nearly equatorial CRRES Medium Electron A (MEA) observations and the polar-orbiting Akebono Radiation Monitor (RDM) measurements for a 50-day period from 18 August to 6 October 1990. We utilize the University of California, Los Angeles, One-Dimensional Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (UCLA 1-D VERB) code and a Kalman filtering approach. Comparison of the reanalyses obtained independently using the CRRES MEA and Akebono RDM measurements shows that the dynamics of the PSD can be accurately reconstructed using Kalman filtering even when available data are sparse, inaccurate, and contaminated by random errors. The reanalyses exhibit similarities in the locations and magnitudes of peaks in radial profiles of PSD and the rate and radial extent of the dropouts during storms. This study shows that when unidirectional data are not available, pitch angle averaged flux measurements can be used to infer the long-term behavior (climatology) of the radiation belts. The methodology of obtaining PSD from pitch angle averaged and unidirectional fluxes using the Tsyganenko and Stern (1996) magnetic field model is described in detail.
Party website – instrument of political communication. Case study: www.psd.ro
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Monica Pătruţ
2012-06-01
Full Text Available Romanian political parties’ websites have developed especially after 2000 and have been used to disseminate information about candidates, campaigns and political agendas. Combining the quantitative content analysis with well-known models I will quantify the degree in which the Romanian Social Democratic Party website contributes to informing, connecting, involving, and mobilizing visitors. Another objective of the analysis is to pinpoint the place that websites occupy on the trajectory web 1.0 – web 2.0. The findings show that the political website is used more to inform and less to involve or mobilize visitors and that the SDP website is far from the web 2.0. taking account the virtual practices performed.
Performance analysis of power swing blocking feature in ABB 670 series impedance relays
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maciej Łosiński
2012-12-01
Full Text Available This paper presents test results of a distance protection’s PSD power swing detection feature in ABB 670 series relays. A RED670 relay was tested, which is part of the hydroelectric set protection in Żarnowiec Pumped Storage Plant. The power swing blocking feature’s performance was analysed on the basis of the results of object tests made with an Omicron digital tester. Also presented are simulation results that illustrate the PSD feature’s response to power swings caused by a disturbance in the power system. It is also shown how a distance protection may react to the same fault, depending on its settings.
Proteome Analysis of the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Monilinia laxa Showing Host Specificity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Olja Bregar
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Brown rot fungus Monilinia laxa (Aderh. & Ruhl. Honey is an important plant pathogen in stone and pome fruits in Europe. We applied a proteomic approach in a study of M. laxa isolates obtained from apples and apricots in order to show the host specifity of the isolates and to analyse differentially expressed proteins in terms of host specifity, fungal pathogenicity and identification of candidate proteins for diagnostic marker development. Extracted mycelium proteins were separated by 2-D electrophoresis (2-DE and visualized by Coomassie staining in a non-linear pH range of 3–11 and Mr of 14–116 kDa. We set up a 2-DE reference map of M. laxa, resolving up to 800 protein spots, and used it for image analysis. The average technical coefficient of variance (13 % demonstrated a high reproducibility of protein extraction and 2-D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE PAGE, and the average biological coefficient of variance (23 % enabled differential proteomic analysis of the isolates. Multivariate statistical analysis (principal component analysis discriminated isolates from two different hosts, providing new data that support the existence of a M. laxa specialized form f. sp. mali, which infects only apples. A total of 50 differentially expressed proteins were further analyzed by LC-MS/MS, yielding 41 positive identifications. The identified mycelial proteins were functionally classified into 6 groups: amino acid and protein metabolism, energy production, carbohydrate metabolism, stress response, fatty acid metabolism and other proteins. Some proteins expressed only in apple isolates have been described as virulence factors in other fungi. The acetolactate synthase was almost 11-fold more abundant in apple-specific isolates than in apricot isolates and it might be implicated in M. laxa host specificity. Ten proteins identified only in apple isolates are potential candidates for the development of M. laxa host-specific diagnostic markers.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kwon, Deukwoo; Little, Mark P.; Miller, Donald L.
2011-01-01
Purpose: To determine more accurate regression formulas for estimating peak skin dose (PSD) from reference air kerma (RAK) or kerma-area product (KAP). Methods: After grouping of the data from 21 procedures into 13 clinically similar groups, assessments were made of optimal clustering using the Bayesian information criterion to obtain the optimal linear regressions of (log-transformed) PSD vs RAK, PSD vs KAP, and PSD vs RAK and KAP. Results: Three clusters of clinical groups were optimal in regression of PSD vs RAK, seven clusters of clinical groups were optimal in regression of PSD vs KAP, and six clusters of clinical groups were optimal in regression of PSD vs RAK and KAP. Prediction of PSD using both RAK and KAP is significantly better than prediction of PSD with either RAK or KAP alone. The regression of PSD vs RAK provided better predictions of PSD than the regression of PSD vs KAP. The partial-pooling (clustered) method yields smaller mean squared errors compared with the complete-pooling method.Conclusion: PSD distributions for interventional radiology procedures are log-normal. Estimates of PSD derived from RAK and KAP jointly are most accurate, followed closely by estimates derived from RAK alone. Estimates of PSD derived from KAP alone are the least accurate. Using a stochastic search approach, it is possible to cluster together certain dissimilar types of procedures to minimize the total error sum of squares.
Postsynaptic density protein 95 in the striosome and matrix compartments of the human neostriatum.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ryoma eMorigaki
2015-11-01
Full Text Available The human neostriatum consists of two functional subdivisions referred to as the striosome (patch and matrix compartments. The striosome-matrix dopamine systems play a central role in cortico-thalamo-basal ganglia circuits, and their involvement is thought to underlie the genesis of multiple movement and behavioral disorders, and of drug addiction. Human neuropathology also has shown that striosomes and matrix have differential vulnerability patterns in several striatal neurodegenerative diseases. Postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95, also known as DLG4, is a major scaffolding protein in the postsynaptic densities of dendritic spines. PSD-95 is now known to negatively regulate not only N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate signaling, but also dopamine D1 signals at sites of postsynaptic transmission. Accordingly, a neuroprotective role for PSD-95 against dopamine D1 receptor (D1R-mediated neurotoxicity in striatal neurodegeneration also has been suggested. Here, we used a highly sensitive immunohistochemistry technique to show that in the human neostriatum, PSD-95 is differentially concentrated in the striosome and matrix compartments, with a higher density of PSD-95 labeling in the matrix compartment than in the striosomes. This compartment-specific distribution of PSD-95 was strikingly complementary to that of D1R. In addition to the possible involvement of PSD-95-mediated synaptic function in compartment-specific dopamine signals, we suggest that the striosomes might be more susceptible to D1R-mediated neurotoxicity than the matrix compartment. This notion may provide new insight into the compartment-specific vulnerability of MSNs in striatal neurodegeneration.
Technical Note: Out-of-field dose measurement at near surface with plastic scintillator detector.
Bourgouin, Alexandra; Varfalvy, Nicolas; Archambault, Louis
2016-09-08
Out-of-field dose depends on multiple factors, making peripheral dosimetry com-plex. Only a few dosimeters have the required features for measuring peripheral dose. Plastic scintillator dosimeters (PSDs) offer numerous dosimetric advantages as required for out-of-field dosimetry. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential of using PSD as a surface peripheral dosimeter. Measurements were performed with a parallel-plate ion chamber, a small volume ion chamber, and with a PSD. Lateral-dose measurements (LDM) at 0.5 cm depth and depth-dose curve (PDD) were made and compared to the dose calculation provided by a treatment planning system (TPS). This study shows that a PSD can measure a dose as low as 0.51 ± 0.17 cGy for photon beam and 0.58 ± 0.20 cGy for electron beam with a difference of 0.2 and 0.1 cGy compared to a parallel-plate ion chamber. This study demonstrates the potential of using PSD as an out-of-field dosimeter since measure-ments with PSD avoid averaging over a too-large depth, at 1 mm diameter, and can make precise measurement at very low dose. Also, electronic equilibrium is easier to reach with PSD due to its small sensitive volume and its water equivalence. © 2016 The Authors.
Pulse shape analysis of enriched BEGe detectors in vacuum cryostat and liquid argon
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wagner, Victoria [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration
2013-07-01
The Gerda experiment searches for the lepton number violating neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. Germanium diodes of BEGe type (Canberra, Belgium) made from isotopically modified material have been procured for Phase II of Gerda. They will improve the sensitivity of the experiment by additional target mass, improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination (PSD) against background events. The PSD efficiencies of the new enriched BEGe detectors were studied in vacuum cryostats as part of the characterization campaign at the HADES underground laboratory. For a deeper understanding of the pulse shape performance of the enriched BEGe detectors, detailed {sup 241}Am surface scans were performed. Unexpectedly high position-dependence of the pulse shape parameter Amplitude-over-Energy was found for some of the detectors. With further investigation this effect was traced to surface charge effects specific to the operational configuration of the detectors inside the vacuum cryostats. The standard behavior is restored when they are operated in liquid argon in the configuration intended for Gerda Phase II. Finally, five of the enriched BEGe diodes were installed in the Gerda liquid argon cryostat prior to the full upgrade. They show a good performance and are able to reject efficiently multi-site-events as well as β- and α-particles.
BACT analysis under the Clean Air Act's PCD program
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Simms, P.; Walke, J. [National Resources Development Council, Washington, DC (United States)
2006-11-15
Before a company may build a new major industrial source of air pollution, or make modifications to an existing major source in the USA it must apply for and receive a Clean Air Act (CAA) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit. State environmental agencies typically issue such permits, either under state law or by exercising delegated authority to implement the federal PSD program. To fully comply with the CAA, the emissions limits identified as BACT must incorporate consideration of more than just add-on emissions control technology, they must also reflect appropriate considerations of fuel quality (e.g. low-sulfur coal) and process changes (e.g. advanced combustion techniques) as a means of controlling emissions, and must consider the other environmental and public welfare benefits of the identified emissions control options. Several states including New Mexico and Illinois have already determined that innovated technologies, such as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), must be considered in connection with the BACT analysis for new coal-fired power plants. Even the notion that BACT is categorically limited in scope to the general type of facility proposed is contrary to EPA precedent. For example, the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) has explained that permitting authorities retain the discretion under the definition of BACT to require dramatically different facility designs (e.g. a natural gas plant instead of a coal-fired power plant). The best advice for any permit applicant is to include in the BACT analysis a careful and honest examination of better performing alternative processes and/or innovative combustion techniques and to aggressively pursue such options wherever feasible. 17 refs.
Systematic observability and detectablity analysis of industrial batch crystallizers
Porru, M.; Ozkan, L.
Motivated by the lack of hardware analysers for particle size distribution (PSD) and solute concentration measurements in industrial crystallizers, this work investigates the feasibility of designing alternative monitoring tools based on state observers. The observability and detectability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ariba Siddiqi
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Age-related neuromuscular change of Tibialis Anterior (TA is a leading cause of muscle strength decline among the elderly. This study has established the baseline for age-associated changes in sEMG of TA at different levels of voluntary contraction. We have investigated the use of Gaussianity and maximal power of the power spectral density (PSD as suitable features to identify age-associated changes in the surface electromyogram (sEMG. Eighteen younger (20–30 years and 18 older (60–85 years cohorts completed two trials of isometric dorsiflexion at four different force levels between 10% and 50% of the maximal voluntary contraction. Gaussianity and maximal power of the PSD of sEMG were determined. Results show a significant increase in sEMG’s maximal power of the PSD and Gaussianity with increase in force for both cohorts. It was also observed that older cohorts had higher maximal power of the PSD and lower Gaussianity. These age-related differences observed in the PSD and Gaussianity could be due to motor unit remodelling. This can be useful for noninvasive tracking of age-associated neuromuscular changes.
Yu, Ke-He; Hong, Jian-Jun; Guo, Xiao-Shan; Zhou, Dong-Sheng
2015-09-22
The objective of this study is to compare the biomechanical properties and clinical outcomes of Tile B1 type pubic symphysis diastasis (PSD) treated by percutaneous cannulated screw fixation (PCSF) and reconstruction plate screw fixation (RPSF). Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to compare the biomechanical properties between PCSF and RPSF. CT scan data of one PSD patient were used for three-dimensional reconstructions. After a validated pelvic finite element model was established, both PCSF and RPSF were simulated, and a vertical downward load of 600 N was loaded. The distance of pubic symphysis and stress were tested. Then, 51 Tile type B1 PSD patients (24 in the PCSF group; 27 in the RPSF group) were reviewed. Intra-operative blood loss, operative time, and the length of the skin scar were recorded. The distance of pubic symphysis was measured, and complications of infection, implant failure, and revision surgery were recorded. The Majeed scoring system was also evaluated. The maximum displacement of the pubic symphysis was 0.408 and 0.643 mm in the RPSF and PCSF models, respectively. The maximum stress of the plate in RPSF was 1846 MPa and that of the cannulated screw in PCSF was 30.92 MPa. All 51 patients received follow-up at least 18 months post-surgery (range 18-54 months). Intra-operative blood loss, operative time, and the length of the skin scar in the PCSF group were significantly different than those in the RPSF group. No significant differences were found in wound infection, implant failure, rate of revision surgery, distance of pubic symphysis, and Majeed score. PCSF can provide comparable biomechanical properties to RPSF in the treatment of Tile B1 type PSD. Meanwhile, PCSF and RPSF have similar clinical and radiographic outcomes. Furthermore, PCSF also has the advantages of being minimally invasive, has less blood loss, and has shorter operative time and skin scar.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lazzaro, Andrea; Agostini, Matteo; Budjas, Dusan; Schoenert, Stefan [Physik-Department E15, Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration
2013-07-01
In 2013 the Gerda experiment will be upgraded to its second phase with more than double of the current {sup 76}Ge mass. The additional diodes are custom made Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors. This design has been chosen to enhance the pulse shape discrimination (PSD) capability, with respect to the Phase I coaxial detectors. The goal of Phase II is to improve by one order of magnitude the current background index; the PSD will bring a major contribution to this result. Since summer 2012 the first set of five enriched BEGe detectors are operated in Gerda Phase I. This offers us the possibility to test the PSD performances and the signal analysis in an environment as close as possible to the Gerda Phase II configuration. In this talk I present the A/E analysis, the calibration of the cut parameters and the results in terms of background reduction for the data taken with these enriched BEGe.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Behringer, K.
2001-08-01
A novel auto-correlation function (ACF) method has been investigated for determining the oscillation frequency and the decay ratio in BWR stability analyses. The report describes not only the method but also documents comprehensively the used and developed FORTRAN codes. The neutron signals are band-pass filtered to separate the oscillation peak in the power spectral density (PSD) from background. Two linear second-order oscillation models are considered. The ACF of each model, corrected for signal filtering and with the inclusion of a background term under the peak in the PSD, is then least-squares fitted to the ACF estimated on the previously filtered neutron signals, in order to determine the oscillation frequency and the decay ratio. The procedures of filtering and ACF estimation use fast Fourier transform techniques with signal segmentation. Gliding 'short-time' ACF estimates along a signal record allow the evaluation of uncertainties. Some numerical results are given which have been obtained from neutron signal data offered by the recent Forsmark I and Forsmark II NEA benchmark project. They are compared with those from other benchmark participants using different other analysis methods. (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Behringer, K
2001-08-01
A novel auto-correlation function (ACF) method has been investigated for determining the oscillation frequency and the decay ratio in BWR stability analyses. The report describes not only the method but also documents comprehensively the used and developed FORTRAN codes. The neutron signals are band-pass filtered to separate the oscillation peak in the power spectral density (PSD) from background. Two linear second-order oscillation models are considered. The ACF of each model, corrected for signal filtering and with the inclusion of a background term under the peak in the PSD, is then least-squares fitted to the ACF estimated on the previously filtered neutron signals, in order to determine the oscillation frequency and the decay ratio. The procedures of filtering and ACF estimation use fast Fourier transform techniques with signal segmentation. Gliding 'short-time' ACF estimates along a signal record allow the evaluation of uncertainties. Some numerical results are given which have been obtained from neutron signal data offered by the recent Forsmark I and Forsmark II NEA benchmark project. They are compared with those from other benchmark participants using different other analysis methods. (author)
Rezaei, Sajjad; Asgari Mobarake, Karim; Saberi, Alia; Keshavarz, Parvaneh; Leili, Ehsan Kazemnejad
2016-06-01
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism is associated with functional and cognitive outcomes of stroke and plays a key role in preventing neuronal death. This study aimed to answer the following question: does BDNF Val66Met polymorphism prognosticate survival status and risk of post-stroke dementia (PSD)? In a retrospective cohort study, 206 patients with ischemic stroke (IS) entered the study. They were consecutively being admitted to the neurology clinic in Poursina Hospital (northern Iran) from 2012 to 2014. The diagnosis of PSD was based on DSM-5 criteria. The current and the premorbid cognitive statuses of the patients were respectively assessed through the third edition of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism was determined by PCR-RFLP. On average, 48 patients (23.3 %) developed PSD 6 months after IS. Log-rank test showed that the survival rate of at least one Val-allele carriers was significantly lower than that of Met/Met homozygotes (P = 0.0005), and the former developed PSD sooner than the latter (375, 492 days, respectively). Cox model showed that heterozygous carriers of Val/Met were at greater risk of PSD over time (HR 2.280, 95 % CI 1.566-4.106, P = 0.006). However, the risk ratio of patients with PSD among different BDNF genotypes decreased after adjusting demographic, clinical, and vascular risk factors, and was no longer statistically significant (AHR 2.434, 95 % CI 0.597-9.926, P = 0.215). Val-allele carriers or Val/Met genotypes were more quickly diagnosed as having dementia after IS. However, this genetic vulnerability became more destructive when it was added to demographic, clinical, and vascular risk factors.
Analysis of two-phase flow induced vibrations in perpendiculary supported U-type piping systems
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hiramatsu, Tsutomu; Komura, Yoshiaki; Ito, Atsushi.
1984-01-01
The perpose of this analysis is to predict the vibration level of a pipe conveying a two-phase flowing fluid. Experiments were carried out with a perpendiculary supported U-type piping system, conveying an air-water two-phase flow in a steady state condition. Fluctuation signals are observed by a void signal sensor, and power spectral densities and probability density functions are obtained from the void signals. Theoretical studies using FEM and an estimation of the exciting forces from the PSD of void signals, provided a good predictional estimation of vibration responses of the piping system. (author)
Gialafos, Elias J; Dilaveris, Polychronis E; Synetos, Andreas G; Tsolakidis, George F; Papaioannou, Theodoros G; Andrikopoulos, George K; Richter, Dimitris J; Triposkiadis, Filippos; Gialafos, John E
2003-01-01
P wave analysis from the 12-lead ECG is a recent contribution of noninvasive electrocardiology. P wave analysis indices (maximum and minimum P wave duration, P wave dispersion [Pdis = Pmax-Pmin], adjusted P wave dispersion [APdis = Pdis/square root of measured leads], summated P wave duration [Psum], standard deviation of P wave duration [Psd], mean P wave duration [Pmean]) can predict atrial arrhythmias. However, the definitions of all these indices are based on few studies. The aim of this analysis was to define normal values of these indices and the examine possible associations between P wave indices and clinical variables. The study included 1,353 healthy men, 24 +/- 3 years of age, who answered a questionnaire and underwent a detailed physical examination and a digitized 12-lead surface ECG. All P wave indices were analyzed by two independent investigators. Mean values of the ECG indices were: Pmax: 96 +/- 11 ms, Pmin: 57 +/- 9 ms, Pdis: 38 +/- 10 ms, Psum: 924 +/- 96 ms, Psd: 12 +/- 3, APdis: 11 +/- 3 ms, and Pmean: 77 +/- 8 ms. Age was significantly related with Pmax (r = 0.277, P < 0.01), Pmin (r = 0.255, P < 0.001), Psum (r = 0.074, P < 0.01), and Pmean (r = 0.074, P < 0.01). All ECG indices were significantly associated with the R-R interval, and among each other. This study defined normal indices of wave duration and correlations among them. These markers may play an important predictive role in patients with atrial conduction abnormalities.
One-dimensional position sensitive detector based on photonic crystals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Xi Feng; Qin Lan; Xue Lian; Duan Ying
2013-01-01
Position sensitive detectors (PSDs) are an important class of optical sensors which utilizes the lateral photovoltaic effect (LPVE). According to the operation principle of PSD, we demonstrate that LPVE can be enhanced by lengthening the lifetime of photo-generated carriers. A PSD based on photonic crystals (PCs) composed of MgF 2 and InP is proposed and designed. The transmittances of the defect PC and the reflectance of the perfect PC in the PSD are obtained with transfer matrix method. The theoretical research on the designed device shows that LPVE is enhanced by improving the transmittance of the defect PC and the reflectance of the perfect PC to lengthen the lifetime of photo-generated carriers. (authors)
The biochemical anatomy of cortical inhibitory synapses.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Elizabeth A Heller
Full Text Available Classical electron microscopic studies of the mammalian brain revealed two major classes of synapses, distinguished by the presence of a large postsynaptic density (PSD exclusively at type 1, excitatory synapses. Biochemical studies of the PSD have established the paradigm of the synapse as a complex signal-processing machine that controls synaptic plasticity. We report here the results of a proteomic analysis of type 2, inhibitory synaptic complexes isolated by affinity purification from the cerebral cortex. We show that these synaptic complexes contain a variety of neurotransmitter receptors, neural cell-scaffolding and adhesion molecules, but that they are entirely lacking in cell signaling proteins. This fundamental distinction between the functions of type 1 and type 2 synapses in the nervous system has far reaching implications for models of synaptic plasticity, rapid adaptations in neural circuits, and homeostatic mechanisms controlling the balance of excitation and inhibition in the mature brain.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang Youhong
2011-01-01
The All Sky Monitor (ASM) on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer has continuously monitored a number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with similar sampling rates for 14 years, from 1996 January to 2009 December. Utilizing the archival ASM data of 27 AGNs, we calculate the normalized excess variances of the 300-day binned X-ray light curves on the longest timescale (between 300 days and 14 years) explored so far. The observed variance appears to be independent of AGN black-hole mass and bolometric luminosity. According to the scaling relation of black-hole mass (and bolometric luminosity) from galactic black hole X-ray binaries (GBHs) to AGNs, the break timescales that correspond to the break frequencies detected in the power spectral density (PSD) of our AGNs are larger than the binsize (300 days) of the ASM light curves. As a result, the singly broken power-law (soft-state) PSD predicts the variance to be independent of mass and luminosity. Nevertheless, the doubly broken power-law (hard-state) PSD predicts, with the widely accepted ratio of the two break frequencies, that the variance increases with increasing mass and decreases with increasing luminosity. Therefore, the independence of the observed variance on mass and luminosity suggests that AGNs should have soft-state PSDs. Taking into account the scaling of the break timescale with mass and luminosity synchronously, the observed variances are also more consistent with the soft-state than the hard-state PSD predictions. With the averaged variance of AGNs and the soft-state PSD assumption, we obtain a universal PSD amplitude of 0.030 ± 0.022. By analogy with the GBH PSDs in the high/soft state, the longest timescale variability supports the standpoint that AGNs are scaled-up GBHs in the high accretion state, as already implied by the direct PSD analysis.
Ghojogh, Jalal Neshat; Esmaili, Mohammad; Noruzi-Masir, Behrooz; Bakhshi, Puyan
2017-12-01
Pore size distribution (PSD) is an important factor for controlling fluid transport through porous media. The study of PSD can be applicable in areas such as hydrocarbon storage, contaminant transport, prediction of multiphase flow, and analysis of the formation damage by mud infiltration. Nitrogen adsorption, centrifugation method, mercury injection, and X-ray computed tomography are commonly used to measure the distribution of pores. A core sample is occasionally not available because of the unconsolidated nature of reservoirs, high cost of coring operation, and program limitations. Magnetic resonance imaging logging (MRIL) is a proper logging technique that allows the direct measurement of the relaxation time of protons in pore fluids and correlating T 2 distribution to PSD using proper mathematical equations. It is nondestructive and fast and does not require core samples. In this paper, 8 core samples collected from the Dalan reservoir in South Pars Gas Field were studied by processing MRIL data and comparing them by PSD determined in the laboratory. By using the MRIL method, variation in PSD corresponding to the depth for the entire logged interval was determined. Moreover, a detailed mineralogical composition of the reservoir samples related to T 2 distribution was obtained. A good correlation between MRIL and mercury injection data was observed. High degree of similarity was also observed between T 2 distribution and PSD (R 2 = 0.85 to 0.91). Based on the findings from the MRIL method, the obtained values for clay bond water varied between 1E-6 and 1E-3µm, a range that is comprehended from an extra peak on the PSD curve. The frequent pore radius was determined to be 1µm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Methodological issues concerning the application of reliable laser particle sizing in soils
de Mascellis, R.; Impagliazzo, A.; Basile, A.; Minieri, L.; Orefice, N.; Terribile, F.
2009-04-01
During the past decade, the evolution of technologies has enabled laser diffraction (LD) to become a much widespread means of particle size distribution (PSD), replacing sedimentation and sieve analysis in many scientific fields mainly due to its advantages of versatility, fast measurement and high reproducibility. Despite such developments of the last decade, the soil scientist community has been quite reluctant to replace the good old sedimentation techniques (ST); possibly because of (i) the large complexity of the soil matrix inducing different types of artefacts (aggregates, deflocculating dynamics, etc.), (ii) the difficulties in relating LD results with results obtained through sedimentation techniques and (iii) the limited size range of most LD equipments. More recently LD granulometry is slowly gaining appreciation in soil science also because of some innovations including an enlarged size dynamic range (0,01-2000 m) and the ability to implement more powerful algorithms (e.g. Mie theory). Furthermore, LD PSD can be successfully used in the application of physically based pedo-transfer functions (i.e., Arya and Paris model) for investigations of soil hydraulic properties, due to the direct determination of PSD in terms of volume percentage rather than in terms of mass percentage, thus eliminating the need to adopt the rough approximation of a single value for soil particle density in the prediction process. Most of the recent LD work performed in soil science deals with the comparison with sedimentation techniques and show the general overestimation of the silt fraction following a general underestimation of the clay fraction; these well known results must be related with the different physical principles behind the two techniques. Despite these efforts, it is indeed surprising that little if any work is devoted to more basic methodological issues related to the high sensitivity of LD to the quantity and the quality of the soil samples. Our work aims to
Hot-stage microscopy for determination of API particles in a formulated tablet.
Simek, Michal; Grünwaldová, Veronika; Kratochvíl, Bohumil
2014-01-01
Although methods exist to readily determine the particle size distribution (PSD) of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) before its formulation into a final product, the primary challenge is to develop a method to determine the PSD of APIs in a finished tablet. To address the limitations of existing PSD methods, we used hot-stage microscopy to observe tablet disintegration during temperature change and, thus, reveal the API particles in a tablet. Both mechanical and liquid disintegration were evaluated after we had identified optimum milling time for mechanical disintegration and optimum volume of water for liquid disintegration. In each case, hot-stage micrographs, taken before and after the API melting point, were compared with image analysis software to obtain the PSDs. Then, the PSDs of the APIs from the disintegrated tablets were compared with the PSDs of raw APIs. Good agreement was obtained, thereby confirming the robustness of our methodology. The availability of such a method equips pharmaceutical scientists with an in vitro assessment method that will more reliably determine the PSD of active substances in finished tablets.
Hot-Stage Microscopy for Determination of API Particles in a Formulated Tablet
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Michal Šimek
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Although methods exist to readily determine the particle size distribution (PSD of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API before its formulation into a final product, the primary challenge is to develop a method to determine the PSD of APIs in a finished tablet. To address the limitations of existing PSD methods, we used hot-stage microscopy to observe tablet disintegration during temperature change and, thus, reveal the API particles in a tablet. Both mechanical and liquid disintegration were evaluated after we had identified optimum milling time for mechanical disintegration and optimum volume of water for liquid disintegration. In each case, hot-stage micrographs, taken before and after the API melting point, were compared with image analysis software to obtain the PSDs. Then, the PSDs of the APIs from the disintegrated tablets were compared with the PSDs of raw APIs. Good agreement was obtained, thereby confirming the robustness of our methodology. The availability of such a method equips pharmaceutical scientists with an in vitro assessment method that will more reliably determine the PSD of active substances in finished tablets.
Bidari, Ali; Ghavidel-Parsa, Banafsheh; Amir Maafi, Alireza; Montazeri, Ali; Ghalehbaghi, Babak; Hassankhani, Amir; Aarabi, Yasaman; Haghdoost, Afrooz
2015-12-01
The aim of this study was to assess validity of the fibromyalgia survey questionnaire (FSQ) and polysymptomatic distress scale (PSD) in an Iranian population. We also sought to classify the severity levels of fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms according to the PSD scale. Participants were divided into FM and non-FM chronic pain disorder groups according to expert physician diagnosis. Patients in both groups answered to Persian-translated version of FSQ, fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) and Short-Form-12 (SF-12). Both 1990 ACR criteria and FSDC were assessed in participates of two groups. Internal consistency and construct validity were evaluated. There was good internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha (0.814 for FSQ). FSQ and its subscales correlated significantly with FIQ scores and SF-12 subscales, indicating acceptable construct validity. The concordance rates of FSQ with 1990 ACR criteria and expert diagnosis were 61.2 and 75.7, respectively (convergence validity). The mean score of PSD and its components in FM group were significantly more than in control groups (discriminative validity). Using lower PSD score cutoff (≥8.5) for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia appeared to be the most effective approach in our population. ROC analysis of the PSD scores revealed 8.5-11.5, 11.5-15 and more than 15, respectively, as a mild, moderate and severe FM. Persian version of FSQ was a valid instrument for application in survey research among Iranian patients with chronic pain disorders. The current study revealed that PSD could be used as a valid tool for assessment of symptoms intensity regardless of fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Equivalence Testing of Complex Particle Size Distribution Profiles Based on Earth Mover's Distance.
Hu, Meng; Jiang, Xiaohui; Absar, Mohammad; Choi, Stephanie; Kozak, Darby; Shen, Meiyu; Weng, Yu-Ting; Zhao, Liang; Lionberger, Robert
2018-04-12
Particle size distribution (PSD) is an important property of particulates in drug products. In the evaluation of generic drug products formulated as suspensions, emulsions, and liposomes, the PSD comparisons between a test product and the branded product can provide useful information regarding in vitro and in vivo performance. Historically, the FDA has recommended the population bioequivalence (PBE) statistical approach to compare the PSD descriptors D50 and SPAN from test and reference products to support product equivalence. In this study, the earth mover's distance (EMD) is proposed as a new metric for comparing PSD particularly when the PSD profile exhibits complex distribution (e.g., multiple peaks) that is not accurately described by the D50 and SPAN descriptor. EMD is a statistical metric that measures the discrepancy (distance) between size distribution profiles without a prior assumption of the distribution. PBE is then adopted to perform statistical test to establish equivalence based on the calculated EMD distances. Simulations show that proposed EMD-based approach is effective in comparing test and reference profiles for equivalence testing and is superior compared to commonly used distance measures, e.g., Euclidean and Kolmogorov-Smirnov distances. The proposed approach was demonstrated by evaluating equivalence of cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion PSDs that were manufactured under different conditions. Our results show that proposed approach can effectively pass an equivalent product (e.g., reference product against itself) and reject an inequivalent product (e.g., reference product against negative control), thus suggesting its usefulness in supporting bioequivalence determination of a test product to the reference product which both possess multimodal PSDs.
Are endogenous sex hormones related to DNA damage in paradoxically sleep-deprived female rats?
Andersen, Monica L; Ribeiro, Daniel A; Alvarenga, Tathiana A; Silva, Andressa; Araujo, Paula; Zager, Adriano; Tenorio, Neuli M; Tufik, Sergio
2010-02-01
The aim of this investigation was to evaluate overall DNA damage induced by experimental paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) in estrous-cycling and ovariectomized female rats to examine possible hormonal involvement during DNA damage. Intact rats in different phases of the estrous cycle (proestrus, estrus, and diestrus) or ovariectomized female Wistar rats were subjected to PSD by the single platform technique for 96 h or were maintained for the equivalent period as controls in home-cages. After this period, peripheral blood and tissues (brain, liver, and heart) were collected to evaluate genetic damage using the single cell gel (comet) assay. The results showed that PSD caused extensive genotoxic effects in brain cells, as evident by increased DNA migration rates in rats exposed to PSD for 96 h when compared to negative control. This was observed for all phases of the estrous cycle indistinctly. In ovariectomized rats, PSD also led to DNA damage in brain cells. No significant statistically differences were detected in peripheral blood, the liver or heart for all groups analyzed. In conclusion, our data are consistent with the notion that genetic damage in the form of DNA breakage in brain cells induced by sleep deprivation overrides the effects related to endogenous female sex hormones. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Synapse geometry and receptor dynamics modulate synaptic strength.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dominik Freche
Full Text Available Synaptic transmission relies on several processes, such as the location of a released vesicle, the number and type of receptors, trafficking between the postsynaptic density (PSD and extrasynaptic compartment, as well as the synapse organization. To study the impact of these parameters on excitatory synaptic transmission, we present a computational model for the fast AMPA-receptor mediated synaptic current. We show that in addition to the vesicular release probability, due to variations in their release locations and the AMPAR distribution, the postsynaptic current amplitude has a large variance, making a synapse an intrinsic unreliable device. We use our model to examine our experimental data recorded from CA1 mice hippocampal slices to study the differences between mEPSC and evoked EPSC variance. The synaptic current but not the coefficient of variation is maximal when the active zone where vesicles are released is apposed to the PSD. Moreover, we find that for certain type of synapses, receptor trafficking can affect the magnitude of synaptic depression. Finally, we demonstrate that perisynaptic microdomains located outside the PSD impacts synaptic transmission by regulating the number of desensitized receptors and their trafficking to the PSD. We conclude that geometrical modifications, reorganization of the PSD or perisynaptic microdomains modulate synaptic strength, as the mechanisms underlying long-term plasticity.
Yue, Wei; Xiang, Lei; Zhang, Ya-Jing; Ji, Yong; Li, Xin
2014-11-01
Our aim was to determine whether there was a relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH] D) and post-stroke depression (PSD). Two hundred and forty-four ischemic stroke patients admitted to the hospital within the first 24 h after stroke onset were consecutively recruited and followed up for 6 months. Clinical information was collected. Serum 25[OH] D levels were measured at baseline. Based on the symptoms, diagnoses of depression were made in accordance with DSM-IV criteria for depression at 6-month after stroke. At 6-month, 91 patients (37.3 %) showed depression and in 60 patients (24.6 %) this depression was classified as major. There was a significant difference in median serum 25[OH] D levels between PSD patients and no depression cases [8.3 (IQR, 6.8-9.5) vs. 15.6 (IQR, 13.2-20.3) ng/ml, respectively; P < 0.001]. Serum 25[OH] D levels ≤ 11.2 ng/ml were independently associated with PSD [odds ratio 10.32, 95 % confidence interval 4.97-28.63; P < 0.001], after adjusting for possible confounders. Serum 25[OH] D levels reduced at admission was found to be associated with PSD. Additional research is needed on vitamin D supplementation to improve the outcome of patients with PSD.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ba M
2014-12-01
administration twice daily for 22 days to parkinsonian rats shortened the rotational duration and increased the peak turning responses. The altered rotational responses were attenuated by PSD-95 ASO pretreatment. Meanwhile, PSD-95 ASO pretreatment decreased the level of PSD-95 protein expression and reduced both the augmented NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation and interactions of Fyn with NR2B triggered during the levodopa administration in the lesioned striatum of PD rats. However, the protein levels of Fyn and NR2B showed no difference under the above conditions. Conclusion: The data demonstrate that the inhibition of PSD-95 protein expression suppressed the interactions of Fyn with NR2B and NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation and subsequently downregulated NMDA receptor overactivation, thus providing benefit for the therapy of LID. Therefore, PSD-95 is important for overactivity of NMDA receptor function due to facilitating NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation dependent on Fyn kinase by regulating interactions of Fyn with NR2B under the pathological conditions of LID. Keywords: PSD-95 ASO, NMDA, rotational response
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Shih-Cheng Hu; Jen-Ho Lee [National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei (China). Dept. of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
2004-03-01
This investigation studies how platform screen doors (PSD) affect the energy consumption of the environmental control system of a mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Taipei. The environmental parameter simulation was conducted using the subway environmental simulation (SES) program, while the associated air conditioning (A/C) cooling load was predicted with the carrier E20-II program. Results show that PSD can significantly decrease average and peak cooling load, thus reducing the capacity/size of cooling equipment and allowing the chiller cooling load to be abridged. However, electricity consumption by ventilation equipment increases notably when PSD are used, particularly the electricity consumption by the under platform exhaust (UPE) fan, and thus, ultimately, little difference exists in the overall energy consumption with and without UPE. (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hu, S.-C. E-mail: f10870@ntut.edu.tw; Lee, J.-H
2004-03-01
This investigation studies how platform screen doors (PSD) affect the energy consumption of the environmental control system of a mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Taipei. The environmental parameter simulation was conducted using the subway environmental simulation (SES) program, while the associated air conditioning (A/C) cooling load was predicted with the carrier E20-II program. Results show that PSD can significantly decrease average and peak cooling load, thus reducing the capacity/size of cooling equipment and allowing the chiller cooling load to be abridged. However, electricity consumption by ventilation equipment increases notably when PSD are used, particularly the electricity consumption by the under platform exhaust (UPE) fan, and thus, ultimately, little difference exists in the overall energy consumption with and without UPE.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hu, S.-C.; Lee, J.-H.
2004-01-01
This investigation studies how platform screen doors (PSD) affect the energy consumption of the environmental control system of a mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Taipei. The environmental parameter simulation was conducted using the subway environmental simulation (SES) program, while the associated air conditioning (A/C) cooling load was predicted with the carrier E20-II program. Results show that PSD can significantly decrease average and peak cooling load, thus reducing the capacity/size of cooling equipment and allowing the chiller cooling load to be abridged. However, electricity consumption by ventilation equipment increases notably when PSD are used, particularly the electricity consumption by the under platform exhaust (UPE) fan, and thus, ultimately, little difference exists in the overall energy consumption with and without UPE
Remote Laser Diffraction Particle Size Distribution Analyzer
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Batcheller, Thomas Aquinas; Huestis, Gary Michael; Bolton, Steven Michael
2001-03-01
In support of a radioactive slurry sampling and physical characterization task, an “off-the-shelf” laser diffraction (classical light scattering) particle size analyzer was utilized for remote particle size distribution (PSD) analysis. Spent nuclear fuel was previously reprocessed at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC—formerly recognized as the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant) which is on DOE’s INEEL site. The acidic, radioactive aqueous raffinate streams from these processes were transferred to 300,000 gallon stainless steel storage vessels located in the INTEC Tank Farm area. Due to the transfer piping configuration in these vessels, complete removal of the liquid can not be achieved. Consequently, a “heel” slurry remains at the bottom of an “emptied” vessel. Particle size distribution characterization of the settled solids in this remaining heel slurry, as well as suspended solids in the tank liquid, is the goal of this remote PSD analyzer task. A Horiba Instruments Inc. Model LA-300 PSD analyzer, which has a 0.1 to 600 micron measurement range, was modified for remote application in a “hot cell” (gamma radiation) environment. This technology provides rapid and simple PSD analysis, especially down in the fine and microscopic particle size regime. Particle size analysis of these radioactive slurries down in this smaller range was not previously achievable—making this technology far superior than the traditional methods used. Successful acquisition of this data, in conjunction with other characterization analyses, provides important information that can be used in the myriad of potential radioactive waste management alternatives.
Zhao, LiYing; Sakagami, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Tatsuo
2014-10-01
We systematically investigated the purification process of post-synaptic density (PSD) and post-synaptic membrane rafts (PSRs) from the rat forebrain synaptic plasma membranes by examining the components and the structures of the materials obtained after the treatment of synaptic plasma membranes with TX-100, n-octyl β-d-glucoside (OG) or 3-([3-cholamidopropyl]dimethylammonio)-2-hydroxy-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPSO). These three detergents exhibited distinct separation profiles for the synaptic subdomains. Type I and type II PSD proteins displayed mutually exclusive distribution. After TX-100 treatment, type I PSD was recovered in two fractions: a pellet and an insoluble fraction 8, which contained partially broken PSD-PSR complexes. Conventional PSD was suggested to be a mixture of these two PSD pools and did not contain type II PSD. An association of type I PSD with PSRs was identified in the TX-100 treatment, and those with type II PSD in the OG and CHAPSO treatments. An association of GABA receptors with gephyrin was easily dissociated. OG at a high concentration solubilized the type I PSD proteins. CHAPSO treatment resulted in a variety of distinct fractions, which contained certain novel structures. Two different pools of GluA, either PSD or possibly raft-associated, were identified in the OG and CHAPSO treatments. These results are useful in advancing our understanding of the structural organization of synapses at the molecular level. We systematically investigated the purification process of post-synaptic density (PSD) and synaptic membrane rafts by examining the structures obtained after treatment of the SPMs with TX-100, n-octyl β-d-glucoside or CHAPSO. Differential distribution of type I and type II PSD, synaptic membrane rafts, and other novel subdomains in the SPM give clues to understand the structural organization of synapses at the molecular level. © 2014 International Society for Neurochemistry.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fitranto Arjadi
2015-08-01
Full Text Available BACKGROUND Sleep deprivation is a significant problem among adult men and is considered as a risk factor for several diseases. Paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD induces Leydig cell apoptosis through elevation of corticosterone, with testicular malondialdehyde (MDA and Leydig cell caspase-3 expression as parameters. The aim of this study was to observe testicular MDA level and caspase-3 expression treated with paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD, immobilization, and footshock stress and to determine the stress model with a significant effect in white male rats (Rattus norvegicus . METHODS This experimental randomized study of posttest only with control group design was conducted on 24 white male Wistar strain rats, randomly allocated into four treatment groups, i.e. control (K1 without any stress treatment, PSD (KII, immobilization (KIII, and footshock stress (KIV. Treatments were given for 25 days to produce chronic stress. Testicular MDA concentration was examined by the ELISA method while caspase-3 was examined by the TUNEL method. RESULTS Mean testicular MDA concentration with one-way ANOVA test showed differences in means between the groups (p=0.000 and post hoc Tukey-HSD test showed significant results between PSD stress group versus control, immobilization and footshock stress groups. One-way ANOVA test showed a significant difference in caspase-3 expression in at least two treatment groups (p=0.008 and post-hoc Tuckey-LSD test showed significant differences between controls and all stress groups. CONCLUSION Sleep deprivation is a type of stress inducing changes in testicular MDA concentration and caspase-3 expression in male rat testes.
Su, Xinyun; Wang, Chunhua; Wang, Xiuhua; Han, Fang; Lv, Changjun; Zhang, Xiuli
2016-05-01
Sweet dream oral liquid (SDOL), a traditional Chinese herbal compound contains 17 traditional Chinese medicines. It has various pharmacological effects, such as improving brain dysfunction and increasing sleeping quality. This study investigated the neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanisms of SDOL-impaired hippocampus learning and memory-induced paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) in rats. Sixty Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups. Before PSD, SDOL treatment group rats were intragastrically administered SDOL for 25 days at dose of 2.1, 4.2, and 8.4 mL/kg body weight per day. Normal control group, large platform control group, and PSD groups were treated with normal saline instead of SDOL. After 25 days treatment, PSD and SDOL groups were deprived of paradoxical sleep for 72 h. Then two behavioral studies were conducted to test the spatial learning and memory ability using the open field test and Morris water maze test. Expression of the c-fos, c-jun, cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)/ERK kinase (MEK), and p-CREB, p-ERK, and p-MEK in the hippocampus were also assayed by western blot. In this study, PSD decreased the levels of p-CREB, p-ERK, p-MEK, c-fos, and c-jun. However, SDOL treatment increased expressions of these proteins. Our results showed that SDOL improved 72-h PSD-induced cognitive impairment. These affects may be mediated by increasing the contents of c-fos, c-jun, and p-CREB/ERK signaling.
Modeling and analysis of neutron noise from an ex-core detector at a pressurized water reactor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wood, R.T.; Perez, R.B.
1991-01-01
Two applications of a noise diagnostic methodology were performed using ex-core neutron detector data from a pressurized water reactor (PWR). A feedback dynamics model of the neutron power spectral density (PSD) was derived from a low-order whole-plant physical model made stochastic using the Langevin technique. From a functional fit to plant data, the response of the dynamic system to changes in important physical parameters was evaluated by a direct sensitivity analysis. In addition, changes in monitored spectra were related to changes in physical parameters and detection thresholds using common surveillance discriminants were determined. A resonance model was developed from perturbation theory to give the ex-core neutron detector response for small in-core mechanical motions in terms of a pole-strength factor, a resonance asymmetry (or skewness) factor, a vibration damping factor, and a frequency of vibration. The mechanical motion parameters for several resonances were determined by a functional fit of the model to plant data taken at various times during a fuel cycle and were tracked to determine trends that indicated vibrational changes of reactor internals. In addition, the resonance model gave the ability to separate the resonant components of the PSD after the parameters had been identified. As a result, the behavior of several vibration peaks were monitored over a fuel cycle. 9 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Blanc, Pauline; Hamel, Matthieu; Dehé-Pittance, Chrystèle; Rocha, Licinio; Pansu, Robert B.; Normand, Stéphane
2014-01-01
This work deals with the preparation and evaluation of plastic scintillators for neutron/gamma pulse shape discrimination (PSD). We succeeded in developing a plastic scintillator with good neutron/gamma discrimination properties in the range of what is already being commercialized. Several combinations of primary and secondary fluorophores were implemented in chemically modified polymers. These scintillators were fully characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy and under neutron irradiation. The materials proved to be stable for up to 5 years without any degradation of PSD properties. They were then classified in terms of their PSD capabilities and light yield. Our best candidate, 28.6 wt% of primary fluorophore with a small amount of secondary fluorophore, shows promising PSD results and is particularly suited to industrial development, because its preparation does not involve the use of expensive or exotic compounds. Furthermore, even at the highest prepared concentration, high stability over time was observed. As a proof of concept, one sample with dimensions 109 mm ∅×114 mm height (≈1 L) was prepared
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Blanc, Pauline [CEA, LIST, Laboratoire Capteurs et Architectures Électroniques, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Laboratoire de Photophysique et Photochimie Supramoléculaires et Macromoléculaires (CNRS UMR 8531), École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, 61 Avenue du Président Wilson, F-94235 Cachan cedex (France); Hamel, Matthieu, E-mail: matthieu.hamel@cea.fr [CEA, LIST, Laboratoire Capteurs et Architectures Électroniques, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Dehé-Pittance, Chrystèle; Rocha, Licinio [CEA, LIST, Laboratoire Capteurs et Architectures Électroniques, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Pansu, Robert B. [Laboratoire de Photophysique et Photochimie Supramoléculaires et Macromoléculaires (CNRS UMR 8531), École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, 61 Avenue du Président Wilson, F-94235 Cachan cedex (France); Normand, Stéphane [CEA, LIST, Laboratoire Capteurs et Architectures Électroniques, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
2014-06-01
This work deals with the preparation and evaluation of plastic scintillators for neutron/gamma pulse shape discrimination (PSD). We succeeded in developing a plastic scintillator with good neutron/gamma discrimination properties in the range of what is already being commercialized. Several combinations of primary and secondary fluorophores were implemented in chemically modified polymers. These scintillators were fully characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy and under neutron irradiation. The materials proved to be stable for up to 5 years without any degradation of PSD properties. They were then classified in terms of their PSD capabilities and light yield. Our best candidate, 28.6 wt% of primary fluorophore with a small amount of secondary fluorophore, shows promising PSD results and is particularly suited to industrial development, because its preparation does not involve the use of expensive or exotic compounds. Furthermore, even at the highest prepared concentration, high stability over time was observed. As a proof of concept, one sample with dimensions 109 mm ∅×114 mm height (≈1 L) was prepared.
Greffier, J; Van Ngoc Ty, C; Bonniaud, G; Moliner, G; Ledermann, B; Schmutz, L; Cornillet, L; Cayla, G; Beregi, J P; Pereira, F
2017-06-01
To compare the use of a dose mapping software to Gafchromic film measurement for a simplified peak skin dose (PSD) estimation in interventional cardiology procedure. The study was conducted on a total of 40 cardiac procedures (20 complex coronary angioplasty of chronic total occlusion (CTO) and 20 coronary angiography and coronary angioplasty (CA-PTCA)) conducted between January 2014 to December 2015. PSD measurement (PSD Film ) was obtained by placing XR-RV3 Gafchromic under the patient's back for each procedure. PSD (PSD em.dose ) was computed with the software em.dose©. The calculation was performed on the dose metrics collected from the private dose report of each procedure. Two calculation methods (method A: fluoroscopic kerma equally spread on cine acquisition and B: fluoroscopic kerma is added to one air Kerma cine acquisition that contributes to the PSD) were used to calculate the fluoroscopic dose contribution as fluoroscopic data were not recorded in our interventional room. Statistical analyses were carried out to compare PSD Film and PSD em.dose . The PSD Film median (1st quartile; 3rd quartile) was 0.251(0.190;0.336)Gy for CA-PTCA and 1.453(0.767;2.011)Gy for CTO. For method-A, the PSD em.dose was 0.248(0.182;0.369)Gy for CA-PTCA and 1.601(0.892;2.178)Gy for CTO, and 0.267(0.223;0.446)Gy and 1.75 (0.912;2.584)Gy for method-B, respectively. For the two methods, the correlation between PSD Film and PSD em.dose was strong. For all cardiology procedures investigated, the mean deviation between PSD Film and PSD em.dose was 3.4±21.1% for method-A and 17.3%±23.9% for method-B. The dose mapping software is convenient to calculate peak skin dose in interventional cardiology. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Statistical properties of the ice particle distribution in stratiform clouds
Delanoe, J.; Tinel, C.; Testud, J.
2003-04-01
This paper presents an extensive analysis of several microphysical data bases CEPEX, EUCREX, CLARE and CARL to determine statistical properties of the Particle Size Distribution (PSD). The data base covers different type of stratiform clouds : tropical cirrus (CEPEX), mid-latitude cirrus (EUCREX) and mid-latitude cirrus and stratus (CARL,CLARE) The approach for analysis uses the concept of normalisation of the PSD developed by Testud et al. (2001). The normalization aims at isolating three independent characteristics of the PSD : its "intrinsic" shape, the "average size" of the spectrum and the ice water content IWC, "average size" is meant the mean mass weighted diameter. It is shown that concentration should be normalized by N_0^* proportional to IWC/D_m^4. The "intrinsic" shape is defined as F(Deq/D_m)=N(Deq)/N_0^* where Deq is the equivalent melted diameter. The "intrinsic" shape is found to be very stable in the range 001.5, more scatter is observed, but future analysis should decide if it is representative of real physical variation or statistical "error" due to counting problem. Considering an overall statistics over the full data base, a large scatter of the N_0^* against Dm plot is found. But in the case of a particular event or a particular leg of a flight, the N_0^* vs. Dm plot is much less scattered and shows a systematic trend for decaying of N_0^* when Dm increases. This trend is interpreted as the manifestation of the predominance of the aggregation process. Finally an important point for cloud remote sensing is investigated : the normalised relationships IWC/N_0^* against Z/N_0^* is much less scattered that the classical IWC against Z the radar reflectivity factor.
Gagnon, Jean-Christophe; Thériault, Dany; Guillot, Mathieu; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc
2012-01-01
To compare the performance of plastic scintillation detectors (PSD) for quality assurance (QA) in stereotactic radiosurgery conditions to a microion-chamber (IC), Gafchromic EBT2 films, 60 008 shielded photon diode (SD) and unshielded diodes (UD), and assess a new 2D crosshair array prototype adapted to small field dosimetry. The PSD consists of a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm long scintillating fiber (BCF-60, Saint-Gobain, Inc.) coupled to a polymethyl-methacrylate optical fiber (Eska premier, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Output factors (S(c,p)) for apertures used in radiosurgery ranging from 4 to 40 mm in diameter have been measured. The PSD crosshair array (PSDCA) is a water equivalent device made up of 49 PSDs contained in a 1.63 cm radius area. Dose profiles measurements were taken for radiosurgery fields using the PSDCA and were compared to other dosimeters. Moreover, a typical stereotactic radiosurgery treatment using four noncoplanar arcs was delivered on a spherical phantom in which UD, IC, or PSD was placed. Using the Xknife planning system (Integra Radionics Burlington, MA), 15 Gy was prescribed at the isocenter, where each detector was positioned. Output Factors measured by the PSD have a mean difference of 1.3% with Gafchromic EBT2 when normalized to a 10 × 10 cm(2) field, and 1.0% when compared with UD measurements normalized to the 35 mm diameter cone. Dose profiles taken with the PSD crosshair array agreed with other single detectors dose profiles in spite of the presence of the 49 PSDs. Gamma values comparing 1D dose profiles obtained with PSD crosshair array with Gafchromic EBT2 and UD measured profiles shows 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, of detector passing the gamma acceptance criteria of 0.3 mm and 2%. The dose measured by the PSD for a complete stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is comparable to the planned dose corrected for its SD-based S(c,p) within 1.4% and 0.7% for 5 and 35 mm diameter cone, respectively. Furthermore
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gagnon, Jean-Christophe; Theriault, Dany; Guillot, Mathieu; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc [Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d' Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec G1K 7P4 (Canada) and Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada); Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada); Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d' Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec G1K 7P4 (Canada) and Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada); Department of Radiation Physics, Unit 94, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States); Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d' Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec G1K 7P4 (Canada) and Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada)
2012-01-15
Purpose: To compare the performance of plastic scintillation detectors (PSD) for quality assurance (QA) in stereotactic radiosurgery conditions to a microion-chamber (IC), Gafchromic EBT2 films, 60 008 shielded photon diode (SD) and unshielded diodes (UD), and assess a new 2D crosshair array prototype adapted to small field dosimetry. Methods: The PSD consists of a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm long scintillating fiber (BCF-60, Saint-Gobain, Inc.) coupled to a polymethyl-methacrylate optical fiber (Eska premier, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Output factors (S{sub c,p}) for apertures used in radiosurgery ranging from 4 to 40 mm in diameter have been measured. The PSD crosshair array (PSDCA) is a water equivalent device made up of 49 PSDs contained in a 1.63 cm radius area. Dose profiles measurements were taken for radiosurgery fields using the PSDCA and were compared to other dosimeters. Moreover, a typical stereotactic radiosurgery treatment using four noncoplanar arcs was delivered on a spherical phantom in which UD, IC, or PSD was placed. Using the Xknife planning system (Integra Radionics Burlington, MA), 15 Gy was prescribed at the isocenter, where each detector was positioned. Results: Output Factors measured by the PSD have a mean difference of 1.3% with Gafchromic EBT2 when normalized to a 10 x 10 cm{sup 2} field, and 1.0% when compared with UD measurements normalized to the 35 mm diameter cone. Dose profiles taken with the PSD crosshair array agreed with other single detectors dose profiles in spite of the presence of the 49 PSDs. Gamma values comparing 1D dose profiles obtained with PSD crosshair array with Gafchromic EBT2 and UD measured profiles shows 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, of detector passing the gamma acceptance criteria of 0.3 mm and 2%. The dose measured by the PSD for a complete stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is comparable to the planned dose corrected for its SD-based S{sub c,p} within 1.4% and 0.7% for 5 and 35 mm diameter cone
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gagnon, Jean-Christophe; Theriault, Dany; Guillot, Mathieu; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc
2012-01-01
Purpose: To compare the performance of plastic scintillation detectors (PSD) for quality assurance (QA) in stereotactic radiosurgery conditions to a microion-chamber (IC), Gafchromic EBT2 films, 60 008 shielded photon diode (SD) and unshielded diodes (UD), and assess a new 2D crosshair array prototype adapted to small field dosimetry. Methods: The PSD consists of a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm long scintillating fiber (BCF-60, Saint-Gobain, Inc.) coupled to a polymethyl-methacrylate optical fiber (Eska premier, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Output factors (S c,p ) for apertures used in radiosurgery ranging from 4 to 40 mm in diameter have been measured. The PSD crosshair array (PSDCA) is a water equivalent device made up of 49 PSDs contained in a 1.63 cm radius area. Dose profiles measurements were taken for radiosurgery fields using the PSDCA and were compared to other dosimeters. Moreover, a typical stereotactic radiosurgery treatment using four noncoplanar arcs was delivered on a spherical phantom in which UD, IC, or PSD was placed. Using the Xknife planning system (Integra Radionics Burlington, MA), 15 Gy was prescribed at the isocenter, where each detector was positioned. Results: Output Factors measured by the PSD have a mean difference of 1.3% with Gafchromic EBT2 when normalized to a 10 x 10 cm 2 field, and 1.0% when compared with UD measurements normalized to the 35 mm diameter cone. Dose profiles taken with the PSD crosshair array agreed with other single detectors dose profiles in spite of the presence of the 49 PSDs. Gamma values comparing 1D dose profiles obtained with PSD crosshair array with Gafchromic EBT2 and UD measured profiles shows 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, of detector passing the gamma acceptance criteria of 0.3 mm and 2%. The dose measured by the PSD for a complete stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is comparable to the planned dose corrected for its SD-based S c,p within 1.4% and 0.7% for 5 and 35 mm diameter cone, respectively
Brianza-Padilla, Malinalli; Bonilla-Jaime, Herlinda; Almanza-Pérez, Julio César; López-López, Ana Laura; Sánchez-Muñoz, Fausto; Vázquez-Palacios, Gonzalo
2016-03-01
Sleep has a fundamental role in the regulation of energy balance, and it is an essential and natural process whose precise impacts on health and disease have not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of different periods of paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and recovery from PSD on lipid profile, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results, and changes in insulin, corticosterone, ghrelin, and leptin concentrations. Three-month-old male Wistar rats weighing 250-350 g were submitted to 24, 96, or 192 h of PSD or 192 h of PSD with 480 h of recovery. The PSD was induced by the multiple platforms method. Subsequently, the animals were submitted to an OGTT. One day later, the animals were killed and the levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, lipoproteins (low-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein), insulin, ghrelin, leptin, and corticosterone in plasma were quantified. There was a progressive decrease in body weight with increasing duration of PSD. The PSD induced basal hypoglycemia over all time periods evaluated. Evaluation of areas under the curve revealed progressive hypoglycemia only after 96 and 192 h of PSD. There was an increase in corticosterone levels after 192 h of PSD. We conclude that PSD induces alterations in metabolism that are reversed after a recovery period of 20 days.
Limitations of the pulse-shape technique for particle discrimination in planar Si detectors
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pausch, G.; Seidel, W.; Lampert, M.O.; Rohr, P.
1996-11-01
Limitations of the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique - a promising method to identify the charged particles stopped in planar Si-detectors - have been investigated. The particle resolution turned out to be basically determined by resistivity fluctuations in the bulk silicon which cause the charge-collection time to depend on the point of impact. Detector maps showing these fluctuations have been measured and are discussed. Furthermore we present a simple method to test the performance of detectors with respect to PSD. Another limitation of the PSD technique is the finite energy threshold for particle identification. This threshold is caused by an unexpected decrease of the total charge-collection time for ions with a short range, in spite of the fact that the particle tracks are located in a region of very low electric field. (orig.)
Statistical measurement of power spectrum density of large aperture optical component
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Xu Jiancheng; Xu Qiao; Chai Liqun
2010-01-01
According to the requirement of ICF, a method based on statistical theory has been proposed to measure the power spectrum density (PSD) of large aperture optical components. The method breaks the large-aperture wavefront into small regions, and obtains the PSD of the large-aperture wavefront by weighted averaging of the PSDs of the regions, where the weight factor is each region's area. Simulation and experiment demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. They also show that, the obtained PSDs of the large-aperture wavefront by statistical method and sub-aperture stitching method fit well, when the number of small regions is no less than 8 x 8. The statistical method is not sensitive to translation stage's errors and environment instabilities, thus it is appropriate for PSD measurement during the process of optical fabrication. (authors)
Gliozzi, Mario; Papadakis, Iossif E.; Eracleous, Michael; Sambruna, Rita M.; Ballantyne, David R.; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James N.
2009-09-01
We investigate the short-term variability properties and the power spectral density (PSD) of the broad-line radio galaxy (BLRG) 3C 390.3 using observations made by XMM-Newton, RXTE, and Suzaku on several occasions between 2004 October and 2006 December. The main aim of this work is to derive model-independent constraints on the origin of the X-ray emission and on the nature of the central engine in 3C 390.3. On timescales of the order of few hours, probed by uninterrupted XMM-Newton light curves, the flux of 3C 390.3 is consistent with being constant in all energy bands. On longer timescales, probed by the 2-day RXTE and Suzaku observations, the flux variability becomes significant. The latter observation confirms that the spectral variability behavior of 3C 390.3 is consistent with the spectral evolution observed in (radio-quiet) Seyfert galaxies: the spectrum softens as the source brightens. The correlated variability between soft and hard X-rays, observed during the Suzaku exposure and between the two XMM-Newton pointings, taken 1 week apart, argues against scenarios characterized by the presence of two distinct variable components in the 0.5-10 keV X-ray band. A detailed PSD analysis carried out over five decades in frequency suggests the presence of a break at T br = 43+34 -25 days at a 92% confidence level. This is the second tentative detection of a PSD break in a radio-loud, non-jet dominated active galactic nucleus (AGN), after the BLRG 3C 120, and appears to be in general agreement with the relation between T br, M BH, and L bol, followed by Seyfert galaxies. Our results indicate that the X-ray variability properties of 3C 390.3 are broadly consistent with those of radio-quiet AGN, suggesting that the X-ray emission mechanism in 3C 390.3 is similar to that of nearby Seyfert galaxies without any significant contribution from a jet component.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gliozzi, Mario; Papadakis, Iossif E.; Eracleous, Michael; Sambruna, Rita M.; Ballantyne, David R.; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James N.
2009-01-01
We investigate the short-term variability properties and the power spectral density (PSD) of the broad-line radio galaxy (BLRG) 3C 390.3 using observations made by XMM-Newton, RXTE, and Suzaku on several occasions between 2004 October and 2006 December. The main aim of this work is to derive model-independent constraints on the origin of the X-ray emission and on the nature of the central engine in 3C 390.3. On timescales of the order of few hours, probed by uninterrupted XMM-Newton light curves, the flux of 3C 390.3 is consistent with being constant in all energy bands. On longer timescales, probed by the 2-day RXTE and Suzaku observations, the flux variability becomes significant. The latter observation confirms that the spectral variability behavior of 3C 390.3 is consistent with the spectral evolution observed in (radio-quiet) Seyfert galaxies: the spectrum softens as the source brightens. The correlated variability between soft and hard X-rays, observed during the Suzaku exposure and between the two XMM-Newton pointings, taken 1 week apart, argues against scenarios characterized by the presence of two distinct variable components in the 0.5-10 keV X-ray band. A detailed PSD analysis carried out over five decades in frequency suggests the presence of a break at T br = 43 +34 -25 days at a 92% confidence level. This is the second tentative detection of a PSD break in a radio-loud, non-jet dominated active galactic nucleus (AGN), after the BLRG 3C 120, and appears to be in general agreement with the relation between T br , M BH , and L bol , followed by Seyfert galaxies. Our results indicate that the X-ray variability properties of 3C 390.3 are broadly consistent with those of radio-quiet AGN, suggesting that the X-ray emission mechanism in 3C 390.3 is similar to that of nearby Seyfert galaxies without any significant contribution from a jet component.
Rübsam, Heinrich; Becker, Thomas; Gastl, Martina
2017-06-01
The changes on the molecular weight distribution (MWD) and particle size distribution (PSD) during hydrolysis of barley malt in isothermal mashing procedures were determined using asymmetrical flow field flow fractionation coupled to multiangle laser light scattering and refractive index (AF4/MALS/RI). Mash/trials were focused on amylolytic starch degradation. Therefore, temperatures (65, 70, and 75 °C) were selected according to α- and β-amylases range of activity. Samples were produced by triplicate, tracking amylolytic processes over time periods from 10 to 90 min in each mash/trial. AF4/MALS/RI analysis demonstrated significant differences on the values of the MWD and PSD according to the temperature/time profile used. At mashing times over 30 min at a temperature of 65 °C, when α- and β-amylase are both active, the decrease over time of the MWD and PSD was significantly higher (P < 0.005) than at 70 °C when mainly α-amylase is active. At 75 °C, also the activity of α-amylase decreased and the MWD and PSD were significantly lower (P < 0.005) than at 70 or 65 °C at any time of the procedure. The MWD and PSD of beer components influence beer palate fullness, thus AF4/ MALS/RI would be a powerful tool for breweries to adapt their technological processes to obtain beers with particular sensorial attributes. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.
Vibration Analysis of 5-DOF Vehicle Model under Stochastic Road Surface Excitation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zhang Yanlong
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Considering human body vertical motion, vehicle body vertical motion, pitch movement and vertical jump of front and rear wheels, a five-degree-of-freedom vehicle model is established to study basic driving characteristics of the vehicle. Using Fourier transform method, acceleration power spectral density of the seat and the mean square value curves of seat vertical weighted acceleration are obtained by numerical simulation. Combined with comfort provision standards, the influence of vehicle model parameters and speed on seat acceleration power spectral density and vertical root-mean-square value of seat weighted acceleration are analyzed. Results show that the stiffness and damping of the seat have no significant effect on seat acceleration power spectral density, and seat acceleration PSD increases with increasing front or rear suspension stiffness, but it decreases with increasing front or rear suspension damping. It should also be concluded that the model stiffness and the mean square value of seat vertical weighted acceleration present positive correlation in general, but seat vertical weighted acceleration decrease first and then increase when model damping increase. Such analysis results can provide reference for the parameter optimization design of the automobile.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mandar Dave
2017-12-01
Full Text Available The differential expression of two closelyassociated cyclooxygenase isozymes, COX-1 and COX-2, exhibited functions beyond eicosanoid metabolism. We hypothesized that COX-1 or COX-2 knockout lung fibroblasts may display altered protein profiles which may allow us to further differentiate the functional roles of these isozymes at the molecular level. Proteomic analysis shows constitutive production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF in lung fibroblasts derived from COX-2−/− but not wild-type (WT or COX-1−/− mice. MIF was spontaneously released in high levels into the extracellular milieu of COX2−/− fibroblasts seemingly from the preformed intracellular stores, with no change in the basal gene expression of MIF. The secretion and regulation of MIF in COX-2−/− was “prostaglandin-independent.” GO analysis showed that concurrent with upregulation of MIF, there is a significant surge in expression of genes related to fibroblast growth, FK506 binding proteins, and isomerase activity in COX-2−/− cells. Furthermore, COX-2−/− fibroblasts also exhibit a significant increase in transcriptional activity of various regulators, antagonists, and co-modulators of p53, as well as in the expression of oncogenes and related transcripts. Integrative Oncogenomics Cancer Browser (IntroGen analysis shows downregulation of COX-2 and amplification of MIF and/or p53 activity during development of glioblastomas, ependymoma, and colon adenomas. These data indicate the functional role of the MIF-COX-p53 axis in inflammation and cancer at the genomic and proteomic levels in COX-2-ablated cells. This systematic analysis not only shows the proinflammatory state but also unveils a molecular signature of a pro-oncogenic state of COX-1 in COX-2 ablated cells.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wagner, Victoria Elisabeth
2017-01-25
The GERDA experiment searches for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge using high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors operated in liquid argon (LAr). The aim is to explore half-lives of the order of 10{sup 26} yr. Therefore, GERDA relies on improved active background reduction techniques such as pulse shape discrimination (PSD) in which the time structure of the germanium signals is analyzed to discriminate signal- from background-like events. Two types of HPGe detectors are operated: semi-coaxial detectors previously used in the Heidelberg-Moscow and IGEX experiments and new Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors which feature an improved energy resolution and enhanced PSD. In Phase I of the experiment, five enriched BEGe detectors were used for the first time in the search for 0νββ decay. A PSD based on a single parameter, the ratio of the maximum current amplitude over the energy A/E is applied. 83% of the background events in a 232 keV region around Q{sub ββ} are rejected with a high signal efficiency of (92.1 ± 1.9) %. The achieved background index (BI) is (5.4{sup +4.1}{sub -3.4}) . 10{sup -3} (counts)/(keV.kg.yr). This is an improvement by a factor of 10 compared to previous germanium based 0νββ experiments. Phase II of the experiment includes a major upgrade: for further background rejection, the LAr cryostat is instrumented to detect argon scintillation light. Additional 25 BEGe detectors are installed. After PSD and LAr veto a BI of (0.7{sup +1.3}{sub -0.5}) . 10{sup -3} (counts)/(keV.kg.yr) is achieved. This is the best BI achieved in 0νββ experiments so far. A frequentist statistical analysis is performed on the combined data collected in GERDA Phase I and the first Phase II release. A new limit on the half-life of 0νββ decay of {sup 76}Ge is set to T{sup 0ν}{sub 1/2}>5.3.10{sup 25} yr at 90% C.L., with a median sensitivity of T{sup 0ν}{sub 1/2}>4.0.10{sup 25} yr at 90% C.L.
Singh, Bhupinder; Smith, Stacey J; Jensen, David S; Jones, Hodge F; Dadson, Andrew E; Farnsworth, Paul B; Vanfleet, Richard; Farrer, Jeffrey K; Linford, Matthew R
2016-02-01
Here, we report the most comprehensive characterization of nanodiamonds (NDs) yet undertaken. Five different samples from three different vendors were analyzed by a suite of analytical techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, and particle size distribution (PSD) measurements. XPS revealed the elemental compositions of the ND surfaces (83-87 at.% carbon and 12-14 at.% oxygen) with varying amounts of nitrogen (0.4-1.8 at.%), silicon (0.1-0.7 at.%), and tungsten (0.3 at.% only in samples from one vendor). ToF-SIMS and ICP showed metal impurities (Al, Fe, Ni, Cr, etc. with unexpectedly high amounts of W in one vendor's samples: ca. 900 ppm). Principal component analyses were performed on the ToF-SIMS and ICP data. DRIFT showed key functional groups (-OH, C=O, C-O, and C=C). BET showed surface areas of 50-214 m(2)/g. XRD and TEM revealed PSD (bimodal distribution and a wide PSD, 5-100 nm, for one vendor's samples). XRD also provided particle sizes (2.7-27 nm) and showed the presence of graphite. EELS gave the sp(2)/sp(3) contents of the materials (37-88% sp(3)). PSD measurements were performed via differential sedimentation of the particles (mean particle size ca. 17-50 nm). This comprehensive understanding should allow for improved construction of nanodiamond-based materials.
MAGUKs: multifaceted synaptic organizers.
Won, Sehoon; Levy, Jon M; Nicoll, Roger A; Roche, Katherine W
2017-04-01
The PSD-95 family of proteins, known as MAGUKs, have long been recognized to be central building blocks of the PSD. They are categorized as scaffolding proteins, which link surface-expressed receptors to the intracellular signaling molecules. Although the four members of the PSD-95 family (PSD-95, PSD-93, SAP102, and SAP97) have many shared roles in regulating synaptic function, recent studies have begun to delineate specific binding partners and roles in plasticity. In the current review, we will highlight the conserved and unique roles of these proteins. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vera Perricone
2018-06-01
Full Text Available Following the concepts of precision feeding, the right components balance (Sova et al., 2014 and the correct particle size distribution (PSD, Khan et al., 2014 of total mixed ration (TMR are essential for a complete homogeneity of the diet and are strongly influenced by adopted mixing time (MT, Humer et al., 2018, Schingoethe et al.,2017. The aim of the trial was to determine the influence of two MTs (MT1≤7min and MT2>7min on the chemical homogeneity and PSD along the feeding alley. Diets were performed with a horizontal cutter-mixer wagon (Gulliver 4016, Sgariboldi, and TMR samples were collected from the beginning, middle and end of the feeding alley after discharge. Triplicate samples of the diet were collected for chemical composition analyses (moisture, CP, Ash, EE, NDF and ADF and PSD evaluation (Heinrichs and Kononoff, 2002 over two months (two sampling/week. Statistical analysis was performed by a PROC MIXED for repeated measurements of SAS. MT1 evidenced a non-uniform distribution of moisture content along the feeding alley (P=0.05: lower moisture was found at the end than at the beginning and in the middle (47.55 vs 51.13 and 51.00%, respectively; P<0.01. No significant effects of MTs were recorded for other chemical parameters. The PSD showed trend to a higher retained amount of fibre in MT1 upper sieve (14.79 vs. 10.14%; P=0.06, while lower amount of feed was found in middle and bottom sieve than MT2 (38.9 and 12.81 vs 42.17 and 14.32%, respectively; P=0.08 and P=0.06. With respect to TMR distribution along the feeding alley, no differences were found between MT1 and MT2. Day of sampling evidenced significant variation both in chemical and physical composition (P<0.05. Obtained preliminary data evidenced the influence of MTs on composition and on PSD of the provided diet; results suggest to daily measure moisture of raw material in order to avoid negative changes in dry matter intake.
Analysis of tokamak plasma confinement modes using the fast ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
2016-10-20
Oct 20, 2016 ... ruby laser technology have been extended to deter- mine q. The edge radial electric field is known to ... The control of the shear layer is therefore important to modify transport in tokamaks [26–33]. A ... The calculation of PSD is directly accomplished by the FFT technique presented in the MATLAB software.
High hole mobility p-type GaN with low residual hydrogen concentration prepared by pulsed sputtering
Arakawa, Yasuaki; Ueno, Kohei; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Ohta, Jitsuo; Fujioka, Hiroshi
2016-08-01
We have grown Mg-doped GaN films with low residual hydrogen concentration using a low-temperature pulsed sputtering deposition (PSD) process. The growth system is inherently hydrogen-free, allowing us to obtain high-purity Mg-doped GaN films with residual hydrogen concentrations below 5 × 1016 cm-3, which is the detection limit of secondary ion mass spectroscopy. In the Mg profile, no memory effect or serious dopant diffusion was detected. The as-deposited Mg-doped GaN films showed clear p-type conductivity at room temperature (RT) without thermal activation. The GaN film doped with a low concentration of Mg (7.9 × 1017 cm-3) deposited by PSD showed hole mobilities of 34 and 62 cm2 V-1 s-1 at RT and 175 K, respectively, which are as high as those of films grown by a state-of-the-art metal-organic chemical vapor deposition apparatus. These results indicate that PSD is a powerful tool for the fabrication of GaN-based vertical power devices.
Development of a numerical model for vehicle-bridge interaction analysis of railway bridges
Kim, Hee Ju; Cho, Eun Sang; Ham, Jun Su; Park, Ki Tae; Kim, Tae Heon
2016-04-01
In the field of civil engineering, analyzing dynamic response was main concern for a long time. These analysis methods can be divided into moving load analysis method and moving mass analysis method, and formulating each an equation of motion has recently been studied after dividing vehicles and bridges. In this study, the numerical method is presented, which can consider the various train types and can solve the equations of motion for a vehicle-bridge interaction analysis by non-iteration procedure through formulating the coupled equations for motion. Also, 3 dimensional accurate numerical models was developed by KTX-vehicle in order to analyze dynamic response characteristics. The equations of motion for the conventional trains are derived, and the numerical models of the conventional trains are idealized by a set of linear springs and dashpots with 18 degrees of freedom. The bridge models are simplified by the 3 dimensional space frame element which is based on the Euler-Bernoulli theory. The rail irregularities of vertical and lateral directions are generated by PSD functions of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Vibration analysis of cooling system of upgraded PARR-1: (primary pumps)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ayazuddin, S.K.; Baig, R.; Pervez, S.
1992-12-01
During the conversion and up gradation of PARR-1, major changes were made in the cooling system of the reactor with the addition of new heat exchanger assemblies and cooling tower. It was therefore, planned to perform vibration analysis on the cooling system to check proper installation and investigate any abnormality in the operation. As a first step, vibration measurements was made on the primary pumps PW-P1 and PW-P2. Power spectral density (PSD) or frequency spectrum of the signal produced from an accelerometer placed on the pump motor assembly was analysed to identify faults which are commonly found in rotating and reciprocating machinery such as unbalance, shaft misalignment and bearing instability. The root mean square (RMS) of the signal was compared with the vibration criterion chart to determine the operating condition of the pump motor assembly. The procedure used for the analysis and faults detected in the primary pump-motor system are discussed. 9 figs. (author)
Della Sala, Grazia; Putignano, Elena; Chelini, Gabriele; Melani, Riccardo; Calcagno, Eleonora; Michele Ratto, Gian; Amendola, Elena; Gross, Cornelius T; Giustetto, Maurizio; Pizzorusso, Tommaso
2016-08-15
CDKL5 (cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5) is mutated in many severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including atypical Rett syndrome. CDKL5 was shown to interact with synaptic proteins, but an in vivo analysis of the role of CDKL5 in dendritic spine dynamics and synaptic molecular organization is still lacking. In vivo two-photon microscopy of the somatosensory cortex of Cdkl5(-/y) mice was applied to monitor structural dynamics of dendritic spines. Synaptic function and plasticity were measured using electrophysiological recordings of excitatory postsynaptic currents and long-term potentiation in brain slices and assessing the expression of synaptic postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95). Finally, we studied the impact of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) treatment on CDKL5 null mice to restore the synaptic deficits. Adult mutant mice showed a significant reduction in spine density and PSD-95-positive synaptic puncta, a reduction of persistent spines, and impaired long-term potentiation. In juvenile mutants, short-term spine elimination, but not formation, was dramatically increased. Exogenous administration of IGF-1 rescued defective rpS6 phosphorylation, spine density, and PSD-95 expression. Endogenous cortical IGF-1 levels were unaffected by CDKL5 deletion. These data demonstrate that dendritic spine stabilization is strongly regulated by CDKL5. Moreover, our data suggest that IGF-1 treatment could be a promising candidate for clinical trials in CDKL5 patients. Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Valvassori, Samira S; Resende, Wilson R; Dal-Pont, Gustavo; Sangaletti-Pereira, Heron; Gava, Fernanda F; Peterle, Bruna R; Carvalho, André F; Varela, Roger B; Dal-Pizzol, Felipe; Quevedo, João
2017-06-01
The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of lithium administration on behavior, oxidative stress parameters and cytokine levels in the periphery and brain of mice subjected to an animal model of mania induced by paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD). Male C57 mice were treated with saline or lithium for 7 days. The sleep deprivation protocol started on the 5th day during for the last 36 hours of the treatment period. Immediately after the sleep deprivation protocol, animals locomotor activity was evaluated and serum and brain samples was extracted to evaluation of corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone circulating levels, oxidative stress parameters and citokynes levels. The results showed that PSD induced hyperactivity in mice, which is considered a mania-like behavior. PSD increased lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage to DNA, as well as causing alterations to antioxidant enzymes in the frontal cortex, hippocampus and serum of mice. In addition, PSD increased the levels of cytokines in the brains of mice. Treatment with lithium prevented the mania-like behavior, oxidative damage and cytokine alterations induced by PSD. Improving our understanding of oxidative damage in biomolecules, antioxidant mechanisms and the inflammatory system - alterations presented in the animal models of mania - is important in helping us to improve our knowledge concerning the pathophysiology of BD, and the mechanisms of action employed by mood stabilizers. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Advertising Discourse Analysis of FES stores: Killing Love, Cowards Show
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cristian Venegas Ahumada
2013-08-01
Full Text Available The objective is to analyze the structural and photographic discourse of the Autumn-Winter campaign 2008 of FES stores for young people. This was done by a semiotic theory and a critical-structural methodology of discourse. An analysis of 4 advertising photographs was done, and at once an analysis of the discourse “FES says no to violence against Women”, which explains the campaign’s target. The result is: The discourse was subjected to production condition (society of control and makes advertising a way to homogenize subjectivity of masses to consume. Recognition conditions demonstrate that this advertising discourse of symbolic violence means a type of violation of Men and Women Rights. An action like this requires commitment of Psychology in order to promote the social humanizing change, by means of university teaching and professional tasks.
Flame analysis using image processing techniques
Her Jie, Albert Chang; Zamli, Ahmad Faizal Ahmad; Zulazlan Shah Zulkifli, Ahmad; Yee, Joanne Lim Mun; Lim, Mooktzeng
2018-04-01
This paper presents image processing techniques with the use of fuzzy logic and neural network approach to perform flame analysis. Flame diagnostic is important in the industry to extract relevant information from flame images. Experiment test is carried out in a model industrial burner with different flow rates. Flame features such as luminous and spectral parameters are extracted using image processing and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Flame images are acquired using FLIR infrared camera. Non-linearities such as thermal acoustic oscillations and background noise affect the stability of flame. Flame velocity is one of the important characteristics that determines stability of flame. In this paper, an image processing method is proposed to determine flame velocity. Power spectral density (PSD) graph is a good tool for vibration analysis where flame stability can be approximated. However, a more intelligent diagnostic system is needed to automatically determine flame stability. In this paper, flame features of different flow rates are compared and analyzed. The selected flame features are used as inputs to the proposed fuzzy inference system to determine flame stability. Neural network is used to test the performance of the fuzzy inference system.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A. Moosavian
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Vibration analysis is an accepted method in condition monitoring of machines, since it can provide useful and reliable information about machine working condition. This paper surveys a new scheme for fault diagnosis of main journal-bearings of internal combustion (IC engine based on power spectral density (PSD technique and two classifiers, namely, K-nearest neighbor (KNN and artificial neural network (ANN. Vibration signals for three different conditions of journal-bearing; normal, with oil starvation condition and extreme wear fault were acquired from an IC engine. PSD was applied to process the vibration signals. Thirty features were extracted from the PSD values of signals as a feature source for fault diagnosis. KNN and ANN were trained by training data set and then used as diagnostic classifiers. Variable K value and hidden neuron count (N were used in the range of 1 to 20, with a step size of 1 for KNN and ANN to gain the best classification results. The roles of PSD, KNN and ANN techniques were studied. From the results, it is shown that the performance of ANN is better than KNN. The experimental results dèmonstrate that the proposed diagnostic method can reliably separate different fault conditions in main journal-bearings of IC engine.
Power spectral density analysis of wind-shear turbulence for related flight simulations. M.S. Thesis
Laituri, Tony R.
1988-01-01
Meteorological phenomena known as microbursts can produce abrupt changes in wind direction and/or speed over a very short distance in the atmosphere. These changes in flow characteristics have been labelled wind shear. Because of its adverse effects on aerodynamic lift, wind shear poses its most immediate threat to flight operations at low altitudes. The number of recent commercial aircraft accidents attributed to wind shear has necessitated a better understanding of how energy is transferred to an aircraft from wind-shear turbulence. Isotropic turbulence here serves as the basis of comparison for the anisotropic turbulence which exists in the low-altitude wind shear. The related question of how isotropic turbulence scales in a wind shear is addressed from the perspective of power spectral density (psd). The role of the psd in related Monte Carlo simulations is also considered.
Ishizawa, Yoshiki; Dobashi, Suguru; Kadoya, Noriyuki; Ito, Kengo; Chiba, Takahito; Takayama, Yoshiki; Sato, Kiyokazu; Takeda, Ken
2018-05-17
An accurate source model of a medical linear accelerator is essential for Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculations. This study aims to propose an analytical photon source model based on particle transport in parameterized accelerator structures, focusing on a more realistic determination of linac photon spectra compared to existing approaches. We designed the primary and secondary photon sources based on the photons attenuated and scattered by a parameterized flattening filter. The primary photons were derived by attenuating bremsstrahlung photons based on the path length in the filter. Conversely, the secondary photons were derived from the decrement of the primary photons in the attenuation process. This design facilitates these sources to share the free parameters of the filter shape and be related to each other through the photon interaction in the filter. We introduced two other parameters of the primary photon source to describe the particle fluence in penumbral regions. All the parameters are optimized based on calculated dose curves in water using the pencil-beam-based algorithm. To verify the modeling accuracy, we compared the proposed model with the phase space data (PSD) of the Varian TrueBeam 6 and 15 MV accelerators in terms of the beam characteristics and the dose distributions. The EGS5 Monte Carlo code was used to calculate the dose distributions associated with the optimized model and reference PSD in a homogeneous water phantom and a heterogeneous lung phantom. We calculated the percentage of points passing 1D and 2D gamma analysis with 1%/1 mm criteria for the dose curves and lateral dose distributions, respectively. The optimized model accurately reproduced the spectral curves of the reference PSD both on- and off-axis. The depth dose and lateral dose profiles of the optimized model also showed good agreement with those of the reference PSD. The passing rates of the 1D gamma analysis with 1%/1 mm criteria between the model and PSD were 100% for 4
Lachugin, V. F.; Panfilov, D. I.; Akhmetov, I. M.; Astashev, M. G.; Shevelev, A. V.
2014-12-01
Problems of functioning of differential current protection systems of phase shifting devices (PSD) with mechanically changed coefficient of transformation of shunt transformer are analyzed. Requirements for devices of protection of PSD with thyristor switch are formulated. Based on use of nonlinear models of series-wound and shunt transformers of PSD modes of operation of major protection during PSD, switching to zero load operation and to operation under load and during short circuit operation were studied for testing PSD with failures. Use of the principle of duplicating by devices of differential current protection (with realization of functions of breaking) of failures of separate pares of PSD with thyristor switch was substantiated. To ensure protection sensitivity to the shunt transformer winding short circuit, in particular, to a short circuit that is not implemented in the current differential protection for PSD with mechanical switch, the differential current protection reacting to the amount of primary ampere-turns of high-voltage and low-voltage winding of this transformer was designed. Studies have shown that the use of differential current cutoff instead of overcurrent protection for the shunt transformer wndings allows one to provide the sensitivity during thyristor failure with the formation of a short circuit. The results of simulation mode for the PSD with switch thyristor designed to be installed as switching point of Voskhod-Tatarskaya-Barabinsk 220 kV transmission line point out the efficiency of the developed solutions that ensure reliable functioning of the PSD.
On the Compliance of Simbol-X Mirror Roughness with its Effective Area Requirements
Spiga, D.; Basso, S.; Cotroneo, V.; Pareschi, G.; Tagliaferri, G.
2009-05-01
Surface microroughness of X-ray mirrors is a key issue for the angular resolution of Simbol-X to comply with the required one (Simbol-X mirrors, in order to satisfy the required imaging capability, has already been derived in terms of its PSD (Power Spectral Density). However, also the Effective Area of the telescope is affected by the mirror roughness. In this work we will show how the expected effective area of the Simbol-X mirror module can be computed from the roughness PSD tolerance, checking its compliance with the requirements.
Walker, Kimberly K; Burns, Kelli
2018-04-27
This study is a content analysis of health professionals' and educators' tweets about a popular Netflix show that depicts teen suicide: 13 Reasons Why. A content analysis of 740 tweets was conducted to determine the main themes associated with professionals' and educators' tweets about the show, as well as the valence of the tweets. Additionally, a thematic analysis of linked content in tweets (n = 178) was conducted to explore additional content shared about the show and modeling outcomes. Results indicated the largest percentage of tweets was related to social learning, particularly about outcomes that could occur from viewing the show. The valence of the tweets about outcomes was more positive than negative. However, linked materials commonly circulated in tweets signified greater concern with unintended learning outcomes. Some of the linked content included media guidelines for reporting on suicide with recommendations that entertainment producers follow the guidelines. This study emphasizes the importance of including social learning objectives in future typologies of Twitter uses and demonstrates the importance of examining linked content in Twitter studies.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Guimaraes, Carla Aiolfi, E-mail: carlaaiolfi@usp.br [Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000 (Brazil); Menaa, Farid [Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg 97080 (Germany); Fluorotronics, Inc., 1425 Russ Bvld, San Diego Technology Incubator, San Diego, CA 92101 (United States); Menaa, Bouzid, E-mail: bouzid.menaa@gmail.com [Fluorotronics, Inc., 1425 Russ Bvld, San Diego Technology Incubator, San Diego, CA 92101 (United States); Quenca-Guillen, Joyce S. [Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000 (Brazil); Matos, Jivaldo do Rosario [Department of Fundamental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000 (Brazil); Mercuri, Lucildes Pita [Department of Exact and Earth Sciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Diadema, SP 09972-270 (Brazil); Braz, Andre Borges [Department of Engineering of Mines and Oil, Polytechnical School, University of Sao Paulo, SP 05508-900 (Brazil); Rossetti, Fabia Cristina [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP 14015-120 (Brazil); Kedor-Hackmann, Erika Rosa Maria; Santoro, Maria Ines Rocha Miritello [Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000 (Brazil)
2010-06-10
Isotretinoin is the drug of choice for the management of severe recalcitrant nodular acne. Nevertheless, some of its physical-chemical properties are still poorly known. Hence, the aim of our study consisted to comparatively evaluate the particle size distribution (PSD) and characterize the thermal behavior of the three encapsulated isotretinoin products in oil suspension (one reference and two generics) commercialized in Brazil. Here, we show that the PSD, estimated by laser diffraction and by polarized light microscopy, differed between the generics and the reference product. However, the thermal behavior of the three products, determined by thermogravimetry (TGA), differential thermal (DTA) analyses and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), displayed no significant changes and were more thermostable than the isotretinoin standard used as internal control. Thus, our study suggests that PSD analyses in isotretinoin lipid-based formulations should be routinely performed in order to improve their quality and bioavailability.
Zhang, Lili; Wang, Haibo; Fan, Zhaomin; Han, Yuechen; Xu, Lei; Zhang, Haiyan
2011-01-01
To study the changes in facial nerve function, morphology and neurotrophic factor III (NT-3) expression following three types of facial nerve injury. Changes in facial nerve function (in terms of blink reflex (BF), vibrissae movement (VM) and position of nasal tip) were assessed in 45 rats in response to three types of facial nerve injury: partial section of the extratemporal segment (group one), partial section of the facial canal segment (group two) and complete transection of the facial canal segment lesion (group three). All facial nerves specimen were then cut into two parts at the site of the lesion after being taken from the lesion site on 1st, 7th, 21st post-surgery-days (PSD). Changes of morphology and NT-3 expression were evaluated using the improved trichrome stain and immunohistochemistry techniques ,respectively. Changes in facial nerve function: In group 1, all animals had no blink reflex (BF) and weak vibrissae movement (VM) at the 1st PSD; The blink reflex in 80% of the rats recovered partly and the vibrissae movement in 40% of the rats returned to normal at the 7th PSD; The facial nerve function in 600 of the rats was almost normal at the 21st PSD. In group 2, all left facial nerve paralyzed at the 1st PSD; The blink reflex partly recovered in 40% of the rats and the vibrissae movement was weak in 80% of the rats at the 7th PSD; 8000 of the rats'BF were almost normal and 40% of the rats' VM completely recovered at the 21st PSD. In group 3, The recovery couldn't happen at anytime. Changes in morphology: In group 1, the size of nerve fiber differed in facial canal segment and some of myelin sheath and axons degenerated at the 7th PSD; The fibres' degeneration turned into regeneration at the 21st PSD; In group 2, the morphologic changes in this group were familiar with the group 1 while the degenerated fibers were more and dispersed in transection at the 7th PSD; Regeneration of nerve fibers happened at the 21st PSD. In group 3, most of the fibers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Réno Michelle Gandhi
2014-03-01
Full Text Available Fragile X syndrome (FXS is caused by the lack of expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP, which results in intellectual disability and other debilitating symptoms including impairment of visual-spatial functioning. FXS is the only single-gene disorder that is highly co-morbid with autism spectrum disorder and can therefore provide insight into its pathophysiology. Lack of FMRP results in altered group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR signalling, which is a target for putative treatments. The Hebb-Williams (H-W mazes are a set of increasingly complex spatial navigation problems that depend on intact hippocampal and thus mGluR-5 functioning. In the present investigation, we examined whether an antagonist of mGluR-5 would reverse previously described behavioural deficits in Fmr1 KO mice. Mice were trained on a subset of the H-W mazes and then treated with either 20 mg/kg of an mGluR-5 antagonist, 2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl pyridine (MPEP; n = 11 or an equivalent dose of saline (n = 11 prior to running test mazes. Latency and errors were dependent variables recorded during the test phase. Immediately after completing each test, marble-burying behavior was assessed which confirmed that the drug treatment was pharmacologically active during maze learning. Although latency was not statistically different between the groups, MPEP treated Fmr1 KO mice made significantly fewer errors on mazes deemed more difficult suggesting a reversal of the behavioural deficit. MPEP treated mice were also less perseverative and impulsive when navigating mazes. Furthermore, MPEP treatment reversed PSD-95 protein deficits in Fmr1 KO treated mice, whereas levels of a control protein (β-tubulin remained unchanged. These data further validate MPEP as a potentially beneficial treatment for FXS. Our findings also suggest that adapted H-W mazes may be a useful tool to document alterations in behavioural functioning following pharmacological
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of the soybean pathogen Phomopsis longicolla
Phomopsis seed decay (PSD) of soybean is caused primarily by the fungal pathogen Phomopsis longicolla. PSD impairs seed germination, reduces seedling vigor, and can substantially reduce stand establishment. In hot and humid conditions, PSD can cause significant yield losses. Few studies have explore...
Analyzing coastal environments by means of functional data analysis
Sierra, Carlos; Flor-Blanco, Germán; Ordoñez, Celestino; Flor, Germán; Gallego, José R.
2017-07-01
Here we used Functional Data Analysis (FDA) to examine particle-size distributions (PSDs) in a beach/shallow marine sedimentary environment in Gijón Bay (NW Spain). The work involved both Functional Principal Components Analysis (FPCA) and Functional Cluster Analysis (FCA). The grainsize of the sand samples was characterized by means of laser dispersion spectroscopy. Within this framework, FPCA was used as a dimension reduction technique to explore and uncover patterns in grain-size frequency curves. This procedure proved useful to describe variability in the structure of the data set. Moreover, an alternative approach, FCA, was applied to identify clusters and to interpret their spatial distribution. Results obtained with this latter technique were compared with those obtained by means of two vector approaches that combine PCA with CA (Cluster Analysis). The first method, the point density function (PDF), was employed after adapting a log-normal distribution to each PSD and resuming each of the density functions by its mean, sorting, skewness and kurtosis. The second applied a centered-log-ratio (clr) to the original data. PCA was then applied to the transformed data, and finally CA to the retained principal component scores. The study revealed functional data analysis, specifically FPCA and FCA, as a suitable alternative with considerable advantages over traditional vector analysis techniques in sedimentary geology studies.
Nasrullah, Izza; Butt, Azeem M; Tahir, Shifa; Idrees, Muhammad; Tong, Yigang
2015-08-26
The Marburg virus (MARV) has a negative-sense single-stranded RNA genome, belongs to the family Filoviridae, and is responsible for several outbreaks of highly fatal hemorrhagic fever. Codon usage patterns of viruses reflect a series of evolutionary changes that enable viruses to shape their survival rates and fitness toward the external environment and, most importantly, their hosts. To understand the evolution of MARV at the codon level, we report a comprehensive analysis of synonymous codon usage patterns in MARV genomes. Multiple codon analysis approaches and statistical methods were performed to determine overall codon usage patterns, biases in codon usage, and influence of various factors, including mutation pressure, natural selection, and its two hosts, Homo sapiens and Rousettus aegyptiacus. Nucleotide composition and relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis revealed that MARV shows mutation bias and prefers U- and A-ended codons to code amino acids. Effective number of codons analysis indicated that overall codon usage among MARV genomes is slightly biased. The Parity Rule 2 plot analysis showed that GC and AU nucleotides were not used proportionally which accounts for the presence of natural selection. Codon usage patterns of MARV were also found to be influenced by its hosts. This indicates that MARV have evolved codon usage patterns that are specific to both of its hosts. Moreover, selection pressure from R. aegyptiacus on the MARV RSCU patterns was found to be dominant compared with that from H. sapiens. Overall, mutation pressure was found to be the most important and dominant force that shapes codon usage patterns in MARV. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed codon usage analysis of MARV and extends our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to codon usage and evolution of MARV.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Qi Hong
2015-01-01
Full Text Available The particle size distribution (PSD plays an important role in environmental pollution detection and human health protection, such as fog, haze and soot. In this study, the Attractive and Repulsive Particle Swarm Optimization (ARPSO algorithm and the basic PSO were applied to retrieve the PSD. The spectral extinction technique coupled with the Anomalous Diffraction Approximation (ADA and the Lambert-Beer Law were employed to investigate the retrieval of the PSD. Three commonly used monomodal PSDs, i.e. the Rosin-Rammer (R-R distribution, the normal (N-N distribution, the logarithmic normal (L-N distribution were studied in the dependent model. Then, an optimal wavelengths selection algorithm was proposed. To study the accuracy and robustness of the inverse results, some characteristic parameters were employed. The research revealed that the ARPSO showed more accurate and faster convergence rate than the basic PSO, even with random measurement error. Moreover, the investigation also demonstrated that the inverse results of four incident laser wavelengths showed more accurate and robust than those of two wavelengths. The research also found that if increasing the interval of the selected incident laser wavelengths, inverse results would show more accurate, even in the presence of random error.
Lin, Dai-Hua; Zhang, Xiang-Rong; Ye, Dong-Qing; Xi, Guang-Jun; Hui, Jiao-Jie; Liu, Shan-Shan; Li, Lin-Jiang; Zhang, Zhi-Jun
2015-06-01
Poststroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common neuropsychiatric complications after stroke. TREK-1, a two-pore-domain potassium channel, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke and depression. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TREK-1 plays a role in the therapeutic effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram in a rat PSD model. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was performed to assess the effect of escitalopram on recombinant TREK-1 currents in HEK293 cells. The expression of TREK-1 mRNA and protein was measured in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC), and neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation was detected in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) in PSD rats after 3 weeks of escitalopram administration. Escitalopram reversibly inhibited TREK-1 currents in a concentration-dependent manner. Chronic treatment with escitalopram significantly reversed the reductions in weight gain, locomotor activity, and sucrose preference in PSD rats. The expressions of TREK-1 mRNA and protein were significantly increased in hippocampal CA1, CA3, DG, and PFC in PSD rats, with the exception of TREK-1 mRNA in hippocampal CA1. NSC proliferation was significantly decreased in hippocampal DG of PSD rats. Escitalopram significantly reversed the regional increases of TREK-1 expression and the reduction of hippocampal NSC proliferation in PSD rats. TREK-1 plays an important role in the therapeutic effects of the SSRI escitalopram in PSD model, making TREK-1 an attractive candidate molecule for further understanding the pathophysiology and treatment of PSD. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wurtz, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Kaplan, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
2015-10-28
Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) is a variety of statistical classifier. Fully-realized statistical classifiers rely on a comprehensive set of tools for designing, building, and implementing. PSD advances rely on improvements to the implemented algorithm. PSD advances can be improved by using conventional statistical classifier or machine learning methods. This paper provides the reader with a glossary of classifier-building elements and their functions in a fully-designed and operational classifier framework that can be used to discover opportunities for improving PSD classifier projects. This paper recommends reporting the PSD classifier’s receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and its behavior at a gamma rejection rate (GRR) relevant for realistic applications.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rasmussen, Charlotte; Dalsgaard, Kristian
Sieving and sedimentation analyses by pipette or hydrometer are historically the traditional methods for determining particle size distributions (PSD). A more informative and faster alternative has for years been laser diffraction (LD). From 2003 to 2013 the authors of this paper have worked...... intensively with PSD and performed various tests and investigations, using LD, sedimentation (by pipette) and sieving. The aim was to improve and understand the relationship between these various techniques, pre-treatment effects and preferably find a unifying correlation factor. As a result, method...... comparisons of LD and sieving/sedimentation are difficult, as LD is a 3D optical volume measurement, sieving is a 2D width measurement, and sedimentation is density dependent. Platy particles like clay are generally measured to be coarser than traditional methods when LD is used. For LD the clay...
Hendrie, Gilly A; Coveney, John; Cox, David N
2011-12-01
To characterise the family activity environment in a questionnaire format, assess the questionnaire's reliability and describe its predictive ability by examining the relationships between the family activity environment and children's health behaviours - physical activity, screen time and fruit and vegetable intake. This paper describes the creation of a tool, based on previously validated scales, adapted from the food domain. Data are from 106 children and their parents (Adelaide, South Australia). Factor analysis was used to characterise factors within the family activity environment. Pearson-Product Moment correlations between the family environment and child outcomes, controlling for demographic variation, were examined. Three factors described the family activity environment - parental activity involvement, opportunity for role modelling and parental support for physical activity - and explained 37.6% of the variance. Controlling for demographic factors, the scale was significantly correlated with children's health behaviour - physical activity (r=0.27), screen time (r=-0.24) and fruit and vegetable intake (r=0.34). The family activity environment questionnaire shows high internal consistency and moderate predictive ability. This study has built on previous research by taking a more comprehensive approach to measuring the family activity environment. This research suggests the family activity environment should be considered in family-based health promotion interventions. © 2011 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2011 Public Health Association of Australia.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lei Zhang
2017-03-01
Full Text Available Objective: To identify the molecular mechanism of post-stroke depression (PSD, and observe the therapeutic effects of cerebellar fastigial nucleus electrical stimulation (FNS on the behaviors and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF in a PSD rat model. Methods: Healthy SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (sham, stroke, post-stroke depress and FNS group. Sham group (n = 6 underwent sham operation. The other three groups (n = 6*3 underwent MCAO. Rats were examined twice a week in open filed test. Moreover, neuroprotective effect on cerebellar Purkinje cells and expression of cytokines in hippocampal tissue were examined. Results: The PSD group showed a significant weight loss, decreased consumption of sucrose water, reduced rearing and locomotor activities. The FNS significantly alleviates the body weight loss and sucrose preference, locomotor and rearing activities. The bilateral rCBF was also restored after FNS treatment. Moreover, FNS improved the neuroprotection via suppressing apoptosis of cerebellar Purkinje cells. And the inflammatory cytokines mRNA level in hippocampus was significantly decreased. Conclusion: FNS treatment alleviates depressive-like behaviors and rCBF in PSD rats model, which could be attributed to its ability to protect cerebellar Purkinje cells and decrease the mRNA level of inflammatory cytokines.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiang Niu
2015-12-01
Full Text Available Based on fractal theory, the fractal characteristics of soil particle size distribution (PSD and soil water retention curve (WRC under the five vegetation types were studied in the mountainous land of Northern China. Results showed that: (1 the fractal parameters of soil PSD and soil WRC varied greatly under each different vegetation type, with Quercus acutissima Carr. and Robina pseudoacacia Linn. mixed plantation (QRM > Pinus thunbergii Parl. and Pistacia chinensis Bunge mixed plantation (PPM > Pinus thunbergii Parl. (PTP > Juglans rigia Linn. (JRL > abandoned grassland (ABG; (2 the soil fractal dimensions of woodlands (QRM, PPM, PTP and JRL were significantly higher than that in ABG, and mixed forests (QRM and PPM were higher than that in pure forests (PTP and JRL; (3 the fractal dimension of soil was positively correlated with the silt and clay content but negatively correlated with the sand content; and (4 the fractal dimension of soil PSD was positively correlated with the soil WRC. These indicated that the fractal parameters of soil PSD and soil WRC could act as quantitative indices to reflect the physical properties of the soil, and could be used to describe the influences of the Return Farmland to Forests Projects on soil structure.
Niu, Xiang; Gao, Peng; Wang, Bing; Liu, Yu
2015-01-01
Based on fractal theory, the fractal characteristics of soil particle size distribution (PSD) and soil water retention curve (WRC) under the five vegetation types were studied in the mountainous land of Northern China. Results showed that: (1) the fractal parameters of soil PSD and soil WRC varied greatly under each different vegetation type, with Quercus acutissima Carr. and Robina pseudoacacia Linn. mixed plantation (QRM) > Pinus thunbergii Parl. and Pistacia chinensis Bunge mixed plantation (PPM) > Pinus thunbergii Parl. (PTP) > Juglans rigia Linn. (JRL) > abandoned grassland (ABG); (2) the soil fractal dimensions of woodlands (QRM, PPM, PTP and JRL) were significantly higher than that in ABG, and mixed forests (QRM and PPM) were higher than that in pure forests (PTP and JRL); (3) the fractal dimension of soil was positively correlated with the silt and clay content but negatively correlated with the sand content; and (4) the fractal dimension of soil PSD was positively correlated with the soil WRC. These indicated that the fractal parameters of soil PSD and soil WRC could act as quantitative indices to reflect the physical properties of the soil, and could be used to describe the influences of the Return Farmland to Forests Projects on soil structure. PMID:26633458
Oohashi, Tsutomu; Ueno, Osamu; Maekawa, Tadao; Kawai, Norie; Nishina, Emi; Honda, Manabu
2009-01-01
Under the AChem paradigm and the programmed self-decomposition (PSD) model, we propose a hierarchical model for the biomolecular covalent bond (HBCB model). This model assumes that terrestrial organisms arrange their biomolecules in a hierarchical structure according to the energy strength of their covalent bonds. It also assumes that they have evolutionarily selected the PSD mechanism of turning biological polymers (BPs) into biological monomers (BMs) as an efficient biomolecular recycling strategy We have examined the validity and effectiveness of the HBCB model by coordinating two complementary approaches: biological experiments using existent terrestrial life, and simulation experiments using an AChem system. Biological experiments have shown that terrestrial life possesses a PSD mechanism as an endergonic, genetically regulated process and that hydrolysis, which decomposes a BP into BMs, is one of the main processes of such a mechanism. In simulation experiments, we compared different virtual self-decomposition processes. The virtual species in which the self-decomposition process mainly involved covalent bond cleavage from a BP to BMs showed evolutionary superiority over other species in which the self-decomposition process involved cleavage from BP to classes lower than BM. These converging findings strongly support the existence of PSD and the validity and effectiveness of the HBCB model.
Electron transport properties of degenerate n-type GaN prepared by pulsed sputtering
Ueno, Kohei; Fudetani, Taiga; Arakawa, Yasuaki; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Ohta, Jitsuo; Fujioka, Hiroshi
2017-12-01
We report a systematic investigation of the transport properties of highly degenerate electrons in Ge-doped and Si-doped GaN epilayers prepared using the pulsed sputtering deposition (PSD) technique. Secondary-ion mass spectrometry and Hall-effect measurements revealed that the doping efficiency of PSD n-type GaN is close to unity at electron concentrations as high as 5.1 × 1020 cm-3. A record low resistivity for n-type GaN of 0.16 mΩ cm was achieved with an electron mobility of 100 cm2 V-1 s-1 at a carrier concentration of 3.9 × 1020 cm-3. We explain this unusually high electron mobility of PSD n-type GaN within the framework of conventional scattering theory by modifying a parameter related to nonparabolicity of the conduction band. The Ge-doped GaN films show a slightly lower electron mobility compared with Si-doped films with the same carrier concentrations, which is likely a consequence of the formation of a small number of compensation centers. The excellent electrical properties presented in this letter clearly demonstrate the striking advantages of the low-temperature PSD technique for growing high-quality and highly conductive n-type GaN.
Electron transport properties of degenerate n-type GaN prepared by pulsed sputtering
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kohei Ueno
2017-12-01
Full Text Available We report a systematic investigation of the transport properties of highly degenerate electrons in Ge-doped and Si-doped GaN epilayers prepared using the pulsed sputtering deposition (PSD technique. Secondary-ion mass spectrometry and Hall-effect measurements revealed that the doping efficiency of PSD n-type GaN is close to unity at electron concentrations as high as 5.1 × 1020 cm−3. A record low resistivity for n-type GaN of 0.16 mΩ cm was achieved with an electron mobility of 100 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a carrier concentration of 3.9 × 1020 cm−3. We explain this unusually high electron mobility of PSD n-type GaN within the framework of conventional scattering theory by modifying a parameter related to nonparabolicity of the conduction band. The Ge-doped GaN films show a slightly lower electron mobility compared with Si-doped films with the same carrier concentrations, which is likely a consequence of the formation of a small number of compensation centers. The excellent electrical properties presented in this letter clearly demonstrate the striking advantages of the low-temperature PSD technique for growing high-quality and highly conductive n-type GaN.
Asada, Takumi; Kobiki, Mitsuaki; Ochiai, Yasushi; Iwao, Yasunori; Itai, Shigeru
2017-05-15
The aim of this study was to prepare controlled-release (CR) granules with suitable particle strength, flowability, particle size distribution (PSD) and density characteristics for blending with other excipients. We also wanted these CR granules to contain large quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). A high shear mixer was used to mix an API with various polymers at various feed ratios, and the resulting granulated materials were sprayed with solvent. The wet granules were dried using a fluidized bed dryer to give CR granules. The API content of the granules was determined to be 95wt%. The granules were found to be spherical in shape with smooth surfaces by scanning electron microscopy. The inner structure of each granule was determined to be hollow by X-ray computed tomography, highlighting the unusual mechanism of this granulation process. The PSD of the granules was found to be dependent on that of the constituent polymer, and a narrow PSD was obtained by adjusting the PSD of the polymer. The dissolution profile of the granules was also dependent on the constituent polymer. Taken together, these results show that we have successfully developed a new manufacturing technology for the simple and low-cost preparation of ideal CR granules. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
[A case of MM1+2 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a longitudinal study of EEG and MRI].
Katsube, Mizuho; Shiota, Yuri; Harada, Takayuki; Shibata, Hiroshi; Nagai, Atsushi
2013-11-01
We report a case of definite MM1 + 2 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). A 66-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with memory disturbance and disorientation for three months. On admission she presented a progressive cognitive insufficiency. Electroencephalography (EEG) revealed a frontal intermittent rhythmical delta activity (FIRDA) and the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high signal intensities in cerebral cortex on diffusion weighted images (DWI). After four months from the onset, she reached the akinetic mutism state followed by myoclonus. Follow up examination revealed that periodic synchronous discharge (PSD) was found in EEG, and DWI revealed enlargement of high signal intensity lesions in cerebral cortex. At seven months from the onset, PSD and high signal intensities of cortex became unclear with disappearance of myoclonus, and brain white matter lesions were evident on MRI. Serial studies of EEG and MRI revealed that PSD generalized from frontal lobe dominant pattern, while high signal intensity lesions of cortex diffusely increased on DWI. At ten months from the onset patient died. Pathological examination in brain showed moderate and diffuse neuronal cell loss and gliosis in cerebral cortex corresponding with DWI changes. The genotype at codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) was homozygous methionine (MM) and the type of protease-resistant PrP (PrPres) was the mixed type of 1 and 2 in Western blot analysis. It has been rare to analyze the changes of EEG and MRI in the entire stage and to investigate pathological finding in the case of sCJD-MM1 + 2. A longitudinal examination of EEG and MRI is useful for early diagnosis of CJD. Also we could correlate these findings with clinical and histopathological phenotype.
Performance of iPad-based threshold perimetry in glaucoma and controls.
Schulz, Angela M; Graham, Elizabeth C; You, YuYi; Klistorner, Alexander; Graham, Stuart L
2017-10-04
Independent validation of iPad visual field testing software Melbourne Rapid Fields (MRF). To examine the functionality of MRF and compare its performance with Humphrey SITA 24-2 (HVF). Prospective, cross-sectional validation study. Sixty glaucomas (MD:-5.08±5.22); 17 pre-perimetric, 43 HVF field defects and 25 controls. The MRF was compared with HVF for scotoma detection, global indices, regional mean threshold values and sensitivity/specificity. Long-term test-retest variability was assessed after 6 months. Linear regression and Bland Altman analyses of global indices sensitivity/specificity using ROC curves, intraclass correlations. Using a cluster definition of three points at <1% or two at 0.5% to define a scotoma on HVF, MRF detected 39/54 abnormal hemifields with a similar threshold-based criteria. Global indices were highly correlated between MRF and HVF: MD r 2 = 0.80, PSD r 2 = 0.77, VFI r 2 = 0.85 (all P < 0.0001). For manifest glaucoma patients, correlations of regional mean thresholds ranged from r 2 = 0.45-0.78, despite differing array of tested points between devices. ROC analysis of global indices showed reasonable sensitivity/specificity with AUC values of MD:0.89, PSD:0.85 and VFI:0.88. MRF retest variability was low with ICC values at 0.95 (MD and VFI), 0.94 (PSD). However, individual test point variability for mid-range thresholds was higher. MRF perimetry, despite using a completely different test paradigm, shows good performance characteristics compared to HVF for detection of defects, correlation of global indices and regional mean threshold values. Reproducibility for individual points may limit application for monitoring change over time, and fixation monitoring needs improvement. © 2017 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.
Radiographic analysis of odontogenic cysts showing displacement of the mandibular canal
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cho, Bong Hae
2003-01-01
To assess the radiographic findings of odontogenic cysts showing displacement of the mandibular canal using computed tomographic (CT) and panoramic images. CT and panoramic images of 63 odontogenic cysts (27 dentigerous, 16 odontogenic keratocysts, and 20 radicular cysts) were analyzed to evaluate the following parameters: the dimension and shape of the cysts, and the effect of the cysts on the mandibular canal and cortical plates. Of the 63 cysts examined in the study, 35 (55.6%) showed inferior displacement of the mandibular canal and 46 (73.0%) showed perforation of the canal. There were statistically significant differenced between CT and panoramic images in depicting displacement and perforation of the mandibular canal. Cortical expansion was seen in 46 cases (73.0%) and cortical perforation in 23 cases (36.5%). The radicular cysts showed cortical expansion and perforation less frequently than the other cyst groups. Large cysts of mandible should be evaluated by multiplanar CT images in order to detect the mandibular canal and cortical bone involvement.
How does particle size influence caking in lactose powder?
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Carpin, Melanie Anne; Bertelsen, H.; Dalberg, A.
2017-01-01
Particle size distribution (PSD) is known to influence product properties such as flowability and compressibility. When producing crystalline lactose, different steps can affect the PSD of the final powder. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of PSD on caking and the mechanisms...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Natalie S McGuier
2015-02-01
Full Text Available Repeated exposure to ethanol followed by withdrawal leads to the alterations in glutamatergic signaling and impaired synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc in both clinical and preclinical models of ethanol exposure. Homer2 is a member of a family of postsynaptic density (PSD scaffolding proteins that functions in part to cluster NMDA signaling complexes in the PSD, and has been shown to be critically important for plasticity in multiple models of drug and alcohol abuse. Here we used Homer2 KO mice and a chronic intermittent intraperitoneal (IP ethanol injection model to investigate a potential role for the protein in ethanol-induced adaptations in dendritic spine morphology and PSD protein expression. While deletion of Homer2 was associated with increased density of long spines on medium spiny neurons of the NAc core of saline treated mice, ethanol exposure had no effect on dendritic spine morphology in either wild-type (WT or Homer2 KO mice. Western blot analysis of tissue samples from the NAc enriched for PSD proteins revealed a main effect of ethanol treatment on the expression of GluN2B, but there was no effect of genotype or treatment on the expression other glutamate receptor subunits or PSD95. These data indicate that the global deletion of Homer2 leads to aberrant regulation of dendritic spine morphology in the NAc core that is associated with an increased density of long, thin spines. Unexpectedly, intermittent IP ethanol did not affect spine morphology in either WT or KO mice. Together these data implicate Homer2 in the formation of long, thin spines and further supports its role in neuronal structure.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hochel, R C; Hayes, D W [Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, S.C. (USA). Savannah River Lab.
1975-12-01
A pulse-shape analysis (PSA) unit of commercial design has been incorporated into a proportional counting system to determine the effectiveness of pulse-shape discrimination in increasing the sensitivity of tritium counting. It was found that a quantitative determination of tritium could be obtained directly from the PSA time spectrum eliminating the need for beta-ray energy selection used in the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique. The performance of the proportional counting system was tested using the PSA unit and anticoincidence shielding, both singly and combined, under several types of background. A background reduction factor of 169 was obtained from the combined PSA-anticoincidence system with only a 2% loss in tritium counting efficiency. The PSA method was also found to offer significant reductions in noise background.
Appreciative Inquiry for quality improvement in primary care practices.
Ruhe, Mary C; Bobiak, Sarah N; Litaker, David; Carter, Caroline A; Wu, Laura; Schroeder, Casey; Zyzanski, Stephen J; Weyer, Sharon M; Werner, James J; Fry, Ronald E; Stange, Kurt C
2011-01-01
To test the effect of an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) quality improvement strategy on clinical quality management and practice development outcomes. Appreciative inquiry enables the discovery of shared motivations, envisioning a transformed future, and learning around the implementation of a change process. Thirty diverse primary care practices were randomly assigned to receive an AI-based intervention focused on a practice-chosen topic and on improving preventive service delivery (PSD) rates. Medical-record review assessed change in PSD rates. Ethnographic field notes and observational checklist analysis used editing and immersion/crystallization methods to identify factors affecting intervention implementation and practice development outcomes. The PSD rates did not change. Field note analysis suggested that the intervention elicited core motivations, facilitated development of a shared vision, defined change objectives, and fostered respectful interactions. Practices most likely to implement the intervention or develop new practice capacities exhibited 1 or more of the following: support from key leader(s), a sense of urgency for change, a mission focused on serving patients, health care system and practice flexibility, and a history of constructive practice change. An AI approach and enabling practice conditions can lead to intervention implementation and practice development by connecting individual and practice strengths and motivations to the change objective.
Heimbaugh, Richard M.
1987-01-01
Past history, present status, and future of discrete gusts are schematically presented. It is shown that there are two approaches to the gust analysis: discrete and spectral density. The role of these two approaches to gust analysis are discussed. The idea of using power spectral density (PSD) in the analysis of gusts is especially detailed.
Harris, Gabrielle M; Collins-McNeil, Janice; Yang, Qing; Nguyen, Vu Q C; Hirsch, Mark A; Rhoads, Charles F; Guerrier, Tami; Thomas, J George; Pugh, Terrence M; Hamm, Deanna; Pereira, Carol; Prvu Bettger, Janet
2017-01-01
To examine the prevalence of poststroke depression (PSD) among African American stroke survivors and the association of depression with functional status at inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) discharge. Secondary data analysis was conducted of a patient cohort who received care at 3 IRFs in the United States from 2009 to 2011. Functional status was measured by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Multiple linear regression models were used to examine associations of PSD and FIM motor and cognitive scores. Of 458 African American stroke survivors, 48.5% were female, 84% had an ischemic stroke, and the mean age was 60.8 ± 13.6 years. Only 15.4% (n = 71) had documentation of PSD. Bivariate analyses to identify factors associated with depression identified a higher percentage of patients with depression than without who were retired due to disability (17.1% versus 11.6%) or employed (31.4% versus 19.6%) prestroke (P = .041). Dysphagia, cognitive deficits, and a lower admission motor FIM score were also significantly more common among those with depression. There was no significant relationship between depression and functional status after adjusting for patient characteristics. In this study, 15% of the African Americans who received rehabilitation after a stroke had documentation of PSD but this was not associated with functional status at discharge. Copyright © 2017 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Zouari, Inès; Salvioli, Alessandra; Chialva, Matteo; Novero, Mara; Miozzi, Laura; Tenore, Gian Carlo; Bagnaresi, Paolo; Bonfante, Paola
2014-03-21
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) establishes a beneficial symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The formation of the mycorrhizal association in the roots leads to plant-wide modulation of gene expression. To understand the systemic effect of the fungal symbiosis on the tomato fruit, we used RNA-Seq to perform global transcriptome profiling on Moneymaker tomato fruits at the turning ripening stage. Fruits were collected at 55 days after flowering, from plants colonized with Funneliformis mosseae and from control plants, which were fertilized to avoid responses related to nutrient deficiency. Transcriptome analysis identified 712 genes that are differentially expressed in fruits from mycorrhizal and control plants. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of these genes showed 81 overrepresented functional GO classes. Up-regulated GO classes include photosynthesis, stress response, transport, amino acid synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism functions, suggesting a general impact of fungal symbiosis on primary metabolisms and, particularly, on mineral nutrition. Down-regulated GO classes include cell wall, metabolism and ethylene response pathways. Quantitative RT-PCR validated the RNA-Seq results for 12 genes out of 14 when tested at three fruit ripening stages, mature green, breaker and turning. Quantification of fruit nutraceutical and mineral contents produced values consistent with the expression changes observed by RNA-Seq analysis. This RNA-Seq profiling produced a novel data set that explores the intersection of mycorrhization and fruit development. We found that the fruits of mycorrhizal plants show two transcriptomic "signatures": genes characteristic of a climacteric fleshy fruit, and genes characteristic of mycorrhizal status, like phosphate and sulphate transporters. Moreover, mycorrhizal plants under low nutrient conditions produce fruits with a nutrient content similar to those from non-mycorrhizal plants under high nutrient conditions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cho, Sang-Geon; Park, Ki Seong; Kim, Jahae; Kim, Jong Sang; Song, Ho-Chun; Jabin, Zeenat; Kang, Sae-Ryung; Kwon, Seong Young; Jeong, Geum-Cheol; Song, Minchul; Min, Jung-Joon; Bom, Hee-Seung; Cho, Jae Yeong; Kim, Hyun Kuk
2017-01-01
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of additional evaluation of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) by gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (GMPS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and multivessel disease. One hundred and nine acute MI patients with >50 % stenosis in at least one non-culprit artery who underwent GMPS within 2 weeks were enrolled. All patients underwent successful revascularization of the culprit arteries. Those with previous MI, atrial fibrillation, or frequent ventricular premature complexes, cardiac devices, significant patient motion, or procedure-related events were excluded. Phase standard deviation (PSD) and phase histogram bandwidth (PBW) were measured for assessment of LVMD. Patients were followed up for a median of 26 months after index MI, for composite major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which consisted with all-cause death, unplanned hospitalization due to heart failure and severe ventricular arrhythmias (sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation). Independent predictors of MACE were evaluated. MACE occurred in 22 patients (20 %). Stress PSD (53.3 ± 17.3 vs. 35.3 ± 18.9 ; p <0.001), stress PBW (147.6 ± 54.6 vs. 96.8 ± 59.2 ; p = 0.001) and resting PBW (126.8 ± 37.5 vs. 96.6 ± 48.9 ; p = 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with MACE compared to those without. Multivariate analysis revealed that stress PSD ≥45.5 and stress PBW ≥126.0 were predictive of MACE, as well as suboptimal non-culprit artery revascularization (SNR) and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade medication. Higher stress PSD and stress PBW were associated with poorer prognosis both in patients with and without SNR, and those with RAS blockade medication, but not in those without RAS blockade medication. LVMD measured by GMPS showed added prognostic value in acute MI with multivessel disease. GMPS could serve as a comprehensive evaluation imaging
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cho, Sang-Geon; Park, Ki Seong; Kim, Jahae; Kim, Jong Sang; Song, Ho-Chun [Chonnam National University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Gwang-ju (Korea, Republic of); Jabin, Zeenat; Kang, Sae-Ryung; Kwon, Seong Young; Jeong, Geum-Cheol; Song, Minchul; Min, Jung-Joon; Bom, Hee-Seung [Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Jae Yeong; Kim, Hyun Kuk [Chonnam National University Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Gwang-ju (Korea, Republic of)
2017-02-15
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of additional evaluation of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) by gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (GMPS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and multivessel disease. One hundred and nine acute MI patients with >50 % stenosis in at least one non-culprit artery who underwent GMPS within 2 weeks were enrolled. All patients underwent successful revascularization of the culprit arteries. Those with previous MI, atrial fibrillation, or frequent ventricular premature complexes, cardiac devices, significant patient motion, or procedure-related events were excluded. Phase standard deviation (PSD) and phase histogram bandwidth (PBW) were measured for assessment of LVMD. Patients were followed up for a median of 26 months after index MI, for composite major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which consisted with all-cause death, unplanned hospitalization due to heart failure and severe ventricular arrhythmias (sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation). Independent predictors of MACE were evaluated. MACE occurred in 22 patients (20 %). Stress PSD (53.3 ± 17.3 vs. 35.3 ± 18.9 ; p <0.001), stress PBW (147.6 ± 54.6 vs. 96.8 ± 59.2 ; p = 0.001) and resting PBW (126.8 ± 37.5 vs. 96.6 ± 48.9 ; p = 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with MACE compared to those without. Multivariate analysis revealed that stress PSD ≥45.5 and stress PBW ≥126.0 were predictive of MACE, as well as suboptimal non-culprit artery revascularization (SNR) and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade medication. Higher stress PSD and stress PBW were associated with poorer prognosis both in patients with and without SNR, and those with RAS blockade medication, but not in those without RAS blockade medication. LVMD measured by GMPS showed added prognostic value in acute MI with multivessel disease. GMPS could serve as a comprehensive evaluation imaging
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chiara Antinoro
2012-12-01
Full Text Available Application of the Arya and Paris (AP model to estimate the soil water retention curve requires a detailed description of the particlesize distribution (PSD but limited experimental PSD data are generally determined by the conventional sieve-hydrometer (SH method. Detailed PSDs can be obtained by fitting a continuous model to SH data or performing measurements by the laser diffraction (LD method. The AP model was applied to 40 Sicilian soils for which the PSD was measured by both the SH and LD methods. The scale factor was set equal to 1.38 (procedure AP1 or estimated by a logistical model with parameters gathered from literature (procedure AP2. For both SH and LD data, procedure AP2 allowed a more accurate prediction of the water retention than procedure AP1, confirming that it is not convenient to use a unique value of for soils that are very different in texture. Despite the differences in PSDs obtained by the SH and LD methods, the water retention predicted by a given procedure (AP1 or AP2 using SH or LD data was characterized by the same level of accuracy. Discrepancies in the estimated water retention from the two PSD measurement methods were attributed to underestimation of the finest diameter frequency obtained by the LD method. Analysis also showed that the soil water retention estimated using the SH method was affected by an estimation bias that could be corrected by an optimization procedure (OPT. Comparison of a-distributions and water retention shape indices obtained by the two methods (SH or LD indicated that the shape-similarity hypothesis is better verified if the traditional sieve-hydrometer data are used to apply the AP model. The optimization procedure allowed more accurate predictions of the water retention curves than the traditional AP1 and AP2 procedures. Therefore, OPT can be considered a valid alternative to the more complex logistical model for estimating the water retention curve of Sicilian soils.
Power-spectral-density relationship for retarded differential equations
Barker, L. K.
1974-01-01
The power spectral density (PSD) relationship between input and output of a set of linear differential-difference equations of the retarded type with real constant coefficients and delays is discussed. The form of the PSD relationship is identical with that applicable to unretarded equations. Since the PSD relationship is useful if and only if the system described by the equations is stable, the stability must be determined before applying the PSD relationship. Since it is sometimes difficult to determine the stability of retarded equations, such equations are often approximated by simpler forms. It is pointed out that some common approximations can lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the stability of a system and, therefore, to the possibility of obtaining PSD results which are not valid.
Digital pulse shape discrimination
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Miller, L. F.; Preston, J.; Pozzi, S.; Flaska, M.; Neal, J.
2007-01-01
Pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) has been utilised for about 40 years as a method to obtain estimates for dose in mixed neutron and photon fields. Digitizers that operate close to GHz are currently available at a reasonable cost, and they can be used to directly sample signals from photomultiplier tubes. This permits one to perform digital PSD rather than the traditional, and well-established, analogous techniques. One issue that complicates PSD for neutrons in mixed fields is that the light output characteristics of typical scintillators available for PSD, such as BC501A, vary as a function of energy deposited in the detector. This behaviour is more easily accommodated with digital processing of signals than with analogous signal processing. Results illustrate the effectiveness of digital PSD. (authors)
Evaluation of characteristics of a novel real-time dosimeter for patient's skin exposure
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Morishima, Yoshiaki; Katahira, Yoshiaki; Chiba, Hiroo; Chida, Koichi; Takeda, Ken; Onodera, Risa
2011-01-01
Findings are reported concerning the essential characteristics and clinical application of a novel Unfors' PSD (Patient Skin Dosimeter) in comparison with the previous Mcmahorn's SDM (Skin Dose Monitor, now commercially unavailable). The structure of PSD and SDM are essentially the same, in which the sensor (silicon semiconductor) is connected to the dose displaying part with cable. Used were X-ray machine for cardiac catheter of Toshiba KXO-80C (2.6 mm Al filter) under conditions of 15 pulses/sec, duration 3 ms, transillumination 1 min, FID (focus-image intensifier distance) 105 cm and tube voltage 50-125 kV, and 20 cm thick acryl phantom. PSD, SDM and Radcal 6 cc-thimble ionization chamber corrected by Japan Quality Assurance Organization, were placed behind the phantom. Properties were characterized for energy dependency (tube voltage), linearity of dose, reproducibility, irradiation field change (3-10 cm x 14 and 16 cm), and angle dependency. For clinical application, PSD was stuck on 3 sites of the back of 5 patients (4 M/1F, av. age 62 y) undergoing coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention. Results were: PSD, better energy dependency than SDM; PSD and ADM, good linearity up to 2 Gy; both, good reproducibility; less effect of field change in SDM; PSD, better angle dependency than SDM; and cable/ sensor of PSD, imaged on the display at the actual clinical practice. It was concluded that PSD was of performance characteristics equal to or superior to SDM but should be improved further as its cable and sensor images in the display might hinder the operation or treatment site. (author)
Texture discrimination and multi-unit recording in the rat vibrissal nerve
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Décima Emilio E
2006-05-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Rats distinguish objects differing in surface texture by actively moving their vibrissae. In this paper we characterized some aspects of texture sensing in anesthetized rats during active touch. We analyzed the multifiber discharge from a deep vibrissal nerve when the vibrissa sweeps materials (wood, metal, acrylic, sandpaper having different textures. We polished these surfaces with sandpaper (P1000 to obtain close degrees of roughness and we induced vibrissal movement with two-branch facial nerve stimulation. We also consider the change in pressure against the vibrissa as a way to improve the tactile information acquisition. The signals were compared with a reference signal (control – vibrissa sweeping the air – and were analyzed with the Root Mean Square (RMS and the Power Spectrum Density (PSD. Results We extracted the information about texture discrimination hidden in the population activity of one vibrissa innervation, using the RMS values and the PSD. The pressure level 3 produced the best differentiation for RMS values and it could represent the "optimum" vibrissal pressure for texture discrimination. The frequency analysis (PSD provided information only at low-pressure levels and showed that the differences are not related to the roughness of the materials but could be related to other texture parameters. Conclusion Our results suggest that the physical properties of different materials could be transduced by the trigeminal sensory system of rats, as are shown by amplitude and frequency changes. Likewise, varying the pressure could represent a behavioral strategy that improves the information acquisition for texture discrimination.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Behringer, K.; Spiekerman, G.
1984-01-01
Piety (1977) proposed an automated signature analysis of power spectral density data. Eight statistical decision discriminants are introduced. For nearly all the discriminants, improved confidence statements can be made. The statistical characteristics of the last three discriminants, which are applications of non-parametric tests, are considered. (author)
Tomato Fruits Show Wide Phenomic Diversity but Fruit Developmental Genes Show Low Genomic Diversity.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vijee Mohan
Full Text Available Domestication of tomato has resulted in large diversity in fruit phenotypes. An intensive phenotyping of 127 tomato accessions from 20 countries revealed extensive morphological diversity in fruit traits. The diversity in fruit traits clustered the accessions into nine classes and identified certain promising lines having desirable traits pertaining to total soluble salts (TSS, carotenoids, ripening index, weight and shape. Factor analysis of the morphometric data from Tomato Analyzer showed that the fruit shape is a complex trait shared by several factors. The 100% variance between round and flat fruit shapes was explained by one discriminant function having a canonical correlation of 0.874 by stepwise discriminant analysis. A set of 10 genes (ACS2, COP1, CYC-B, RIN, MSH2, NAC-NOR, PHOT1, PHYA, PHYB and PSY1 involved in various plant developmental processes were screened for SNP polymorphism by EcoTILLING. The genetic diversity in these genes revealed a total of 36 non-synonymous and 18 synonymous changes leading to the identification of 28 haplotypes. The average frequency of polymorphism across the genes was 0.038/Kb. Significant negative Tajima'D statistic in two of the genes, ACS2 and PHOT1 indicated the presence of rare alleles in low frequency. Our study indicates that while there is low polymorphic diversity in the genes regulating plant development, the population shows wider phenotype diversity. Nonetheless, morphological and genetic diversity of the present collection can be further exploited as potential resources in future.
Protein Analysis by Mass Spectrometry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cindic, M.
2008-04-01
Full Text Available Soft ionization techniques, electrospray (ESI and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI make the analysis of biomolecules by mass spectrometry (MS possible. MS is used for determination of the molecular weight of peptides and protein, sequence analysis, characterization of protein-ligand interactions etc. The detection limit, resolution and mass accuracy depend on instrument used (Table 1. Impurities (buffers, salts, detergents can reduce the ion intensities or even totally suppress them, so a separation method (chromatography, 2D-gel electrophoresis must be used for purification of the sample.Molecular mass of intact protein can be determined by ESI or MALDI MS. Multiply charged ions are produced by ESI MS, while singly charged ions are predominant in MALDI spectra (Fig. 2.Sequence analysis of proteins by MS can be performed using peptide mass fingerprint. In this method, proteins are separated by 2-D gel electrophoresis and digested with specific protease (Table 2 or digested and then separated by two-dimensional chromatography (Fig. 1. The obtained peptide mixtures are analyzed by MS or MALDI-TOF technique. The masses determined by MS are compared with calculated masses from database entries. Different algorithms have been developed for protein identification. Example of posttranslational modifications (N- and O-glycosylation and protein sequence complex analysis after dual digestion (endoproteinase digestion followed by endoglycosidase digestion is shown in Fig. 3.It is known that detection of peptides by MS is influenced by intrinsic properties like amino acid composition, the basicity of the C-terminal amino acid, hydrophobicity, etc. Arginine-containing peptides dominate in MS spectra of tryptic digest, so the chemical derivatization of lysine terminal residue by O-methilisourea or 2-methoxy-4,5-1H-imidazole was suggested (Fig. 4.The peptide mass fingerprint method can be improved further by peptide fragmentation using tandem
Giri, Veda N.; Coups, Elliot J.; Ruth, Karen; Goplerud, Julia; Raysor, Susan; Kim, Taylor Y.; Bagden, Loretta; Mastalski, Kathleen; Zakrzewski, Debra; Leimkuhler, Suzanne; Watkins-Bruner, Deborah
2009-01-01
Purpose Men with a family history (FH) of prostate cancer (PCA) and African American (AA) men are at higher risk for PCA. Recruitment and retention of these high-risk men into early detection programs has been challenging. We report a comprehensive analysis on recruitment methods, show rates, and participant factors from the Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program (PRAP), which is a prospective, longitudinal PCA screening study. Materials and Methods Men 35–69 years are eligible if they have a FH of PCA, are AA, or have a BRCA1/2 mutation. Recruitment methods were analyzed with respect to participant demographics and show to the first PRAP appointment using standard statistical methods Results Out of 707 men recruited, 64.9% showed to the initial PRAP appointment. More individuals were recruited via radio than from referral or other methods (χ2 = 298.13, p < .0001). Men recruited via radio were more likely to be AA (p<0.001), less educated (p=0.003), not married or partnered (p=0.007), and have no FH of PCA (p<0.001). Men recruited via referrals had higher incomes (p=0.007). Men recruited via referral were more likely to attend their initial PRAP visit than those recruited by radio or other methods (χ2 = 27.08, p < .0001). Conclusions This comprehensive analysis finds that radio leads to higher recruitment of AA men with lower socioeconomic status. However, these are the high-risk men that have lower show rates for PCA screening. Targeted motivational measures need to be studied to improve show rates for PCA risk assessment for these high-risk men. PMID:19758657
On the Compliance of Simbol-X Mirror Roughness with its Effective Area Requirements
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Spiga, D.; Basso, S.; Cotroneo, V.; Pareschi, G.; Tagliaferri, G.
2009-01-01
Surface microroughness of X-ray mirrors is a key issue for the angular resolution of Simbol-X to comply with the required one (<20 arcsec at 30 keV). The maximum tolerable microroughness for Simbol-X mirrors, in order to satisfy the required imaging capability, has already been derived in terms of its PSD (Power Spectral Density). However, also the Effective Area of the telescope is affected by the mirror roughness. In this work we will show how the expected effective area of the Simbol-X mirror module can be computed from the roughness PSD tolerance, checking its compliance with the requirements.
Post-stroke depression: an update.
Espárrago Llorca, G; Castilla-Guerra, L; Fernández Moreno, M C; Ruiz Doblado, S; Jiménez Hernández, M D
2015-01-01
Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common mood disorder following a stroke, and also the main factor limiting recovery and rehabilitation in stroke patients. In addition, it may increase mortality by up to ten times. PSD occurs in 1 in 3 stroke patients and more than half of all cases are neither diagnosed nor treated. Several mechanisms, including biological, behavioral, and social factors, are involved in its pathogenesis. Symptoms usually occur within the first three months after stroke (early onset PSD), and less frequently at a later time (late onset PSD). Symptoms resemble those of other types of depression, although there are some differences: PSD patients experience more sleep disturbances, vegetative symptoms, and social withdrawal. For PSD diagnosis, we recommended vigilance and use of specific diagnostic tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The treatments of choice are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). However, there are still many unanswered questions in the treatment of PSD, such as the best time to start treatment or the effects of antidepressants on cognition and motor function, among others. Neurologists play a pivotal role in the care and management of patients recovering from stroke. They must be familiar with methods for early detection and treatment of PSD, as this can facilitate a patient's functional recovery and social reintegration, and improve quality of life for patients and their families. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.
Fukushiro, Daniela Fukue; Calzavara, Mariana Bendlin; Trombin, Thaís Fernanda; Lopez, Giorgia Batlle; Abílio, Vanessa Costhek; Andersen, Monica Levy; Tufik, Sergio; Frussa-Filho, Roberto
2007-11-23
Environmental enrichment or paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) has been shown to modify some responses elicited by drugs of abuse. The aims of the present study were to examine the effects of environmental enrichment and PSD, conducted separately or in association, on open-field behavior elicited by amphetamine (AMP) in mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to live in either an enriched environmental condition (EC) or a standard environmental condition (SC) for 12 months since weaning. Some of the EC and SC mice were sleep deprived for 48 h, while others were maintained in their home-cages. Immediately after PSD or home-cage stay, the animals received an ip injection of saline, 2.5 mg/kg AMP or 5.0 mg/kg AMP. Fifteen minutes later, their open-field behavior was quantified. Whereas PSD enhanced total and peripheral locomotor activity of acutely AMP-treated mice, environmental enrichment presented only a trend toward enhancement. When PSD and environmental enrichment were combined, an increase in the total and peripheral locomotion frequencies of AMP-treated animals, similar to that observed after PSD, was revealed. In addition, PSD, environmental enrichment or their combination did not modify the effects of AMP on the other open-field behavioral parameters that were analyzed. The present findings demonstrate that some (but not all) of the behavioral effects caused by AMP acute administration can be similarly and specifically enhanced by both environmental enrichment and PSD in C57BL/6 mice.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Saoudi, A.; Pepin, C.M.; Dion, F.; Bentourkia, M.; Lecomte, R.; Dautet, H.
1999-01-01
The measurement of depth of interaction (DOI) within detectors is necessary to improve resolution uniformity across the FOV of small diameter PET scanners. DOI encoding by pulse shape discrimination (PSD) has definite advantages as it requires only one readout per pixel and it allows DOI measurement of photoelectric and Compton events. The PSD time characteristics of various scintillators were studied with avalanche photodiodes (APD) and the identification capability was tested in multi-crystal assemblies with up to four scintillators. In the PSD time spectrum of an APD-GSO/LSO/BGO/CsI(Tl) assembly, four distinct time peaks at 45, 26, 88 and 150 ns relative to a fast test pulse, having resolution of 10.6, 5.2, 20 and 27 ns, can be easily separated. Whereas the number and position of scintillators in the multi-crystal assemblies affect detector performance, the ability to identify crystals is not compromised. Compton events have a significant effect on PSD accuracy, suggesting that photopeak energy gating should be used for better crystal identification. However, more sophisticated PSD techniques using parametric time-energy histograms can also improve crystal identification in cases where PSD time or energy discrimination alone is inadequate. These results confirm the feasibility of PSD DOI encoding with APD-based detectors for PET
THE X-RAY POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY FUNCTION OF THE SEYFERT ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS NGC 7469
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Markowitz, A.
2010-01-01
We present the broadband X-ray power spectral density (PSD) function of the X-ray-luminous Seyfert 1.2 NGC 7469, measured from Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer monitoring data and two XMM-Newton observations. We find significant evidence for a turnover in the 2-10 keV PSD at a temporal frequency of 2.0 +3.0 -0.8 x 10 -6 Hz or 1.0 +3.0 -0.6 x 10 -6 Hz, depending on the exact form of the break (sharply broken or slowly bending power law, respectively). The 'surrogate' Monte Carlo method of Press et al. was used to map out the probability distributions of PSD model parameters and obtain reliable uncertainties (68% confidence limits quoted here). The corresponding break timescale of 5.8 ± 3.5 days or 11.6 +17.5 -8.7 days, respectively, is consistent with the empirical relation between PSD break timescale, black hole mass, and bolometric luminosity of McHardy et al. Compared to the 2-10 keV PSD, the 10-20 keV PSD has a much flatter shape at high temporal frequencies, and no PSD break is significantly detected, suggesting an energy-dependent evolution not unlike that exhibited by several Galactic black hole systems.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hashimoto, T.; Sanada, Y.; Uezu, Y.
2003-01-01
A delayed coincidence method, called a time interval analysis (TIA) method, has been successfully applied to selective determination of the correlated α-α decay events in millisecond order life-time. A main decay process applicable to TIA-treatment is 220 Rn → 216 Po(T 1/2 :145ms) → {Th-series}. The TIA is fundamentally based on the difference of time interval distribution between non-correlated decay events and other events such as background or random events when they were compiled the time interval data within a fixed time (for example, a tenth of concerned half lives). The sensitivity of the TIA-analysis due to correlated α-α decay events could be subsequently improved in respect of background elimination using the pulse shape discrimination technique (PSD with PERALS counter) to reject β/γ-pulses, purging of nitrogen gas into extra scintillator, and applying solvent extraction of Ra. (author)
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maria Giese
2012-09-01
recorded with a portable EEG. Depression severity using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and mood, tiredness and relaxation were assessed with visual analog scales (VASs for psychological functioning at days 1, 2 and 3 (“after recovery night” as well as after one and two weeks of ongoing treatment. Results : Notably, depressive patients who showed an acute HDRS-6 improvement after PSD exhibited a prominent diurnal pattern of serum BDNF levels during the day before PSD whereas acute non-responders did not show such a pattern and BDNF levels were rather constantly expressed. Serum BDNF levels were significantly elevated in acute responders compared to non-responders in the morning at 8.00 am before PSD corrected for Bonferroni (p>0.01. Also responders after two weeks (FU2 exhibited a prominent diurnal serum BDNF pattern before and after PSD on day one and two, while it was more pronounced after PSD. There was no diurnal pattern for non-responders after two weeks before; however, after PSD on day two an even modest diurnal change was visible in this group but less pronounced compared to FU2-responders. We found no association between treatment condition placebo vs. modafinil and response for acute neither response after two weeks. When we linked daily peak BDNF levels from day two at 2 pm with overall HDRS-6 improvement, responders were associated with elevated BDNF levels compared to non-responders on day three after recovery night already. Even after one (FU1 and two (FU2 weeks increased BDNF levels of day two at 2 pm were more prominent in the responder group. This difference between responders and non-responders of peak serum BDNF levels from 2 pm after PSD was statistically significant after two weeks. In addition, HDRS-6 improvement after two weeks of on-going treatment was significantly correlated with elevated serum BDNF levels in all patients. Moreover, peak levels of serum BDNF after PSD on day 2 at 2 pm were correlated with increased relaxation and
Lamers, Susanna L; Gray, Rebecca R; Salemi, Marco; Huysentruyt, Leanne C; McGrath, Michael S
2011-01-01
Brain infection by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been investigated in many reports with a variety of conclusions concerning the time of entry and degree of viral compartmentalization. To address these diverse findings, we sequenced HIV-1 gp120 clones from a wide range of brain, peripheral and meningeal tissues from five patients who died from several HIV-1 associated disease pathologies. High-resolution phylogenetic analysis confirmed previous studies that showed a significant degree of compartmentalization in brain and peripheral tissue subpopulations. Some intermixing between the HIV-1 subpopulations was evident, especially in patients that died from pathologies other than HIV-associated dementia. Interestingly, the major tissue harboring virus from both the brain and peripheral tissues was the meninges. These results show that (1) HIV-1 is clearly capable of migrating out of the brain, (2) the meninges are the most likely primary transport tissues, and (3) infected brain macrophages comprise an important HIV reservoir during highly active antiretroviral therapy. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Modeling loss and backscattering in a photonic-bandgap fiber using strong perturbation
Zamani Aghaie, Kiarash; Digonnet, Michel J. F.; Fan, Shanhui
2013-02-01
We use coupled-mode theory with strong perturbation to model the loss and backscattering coefficients of a commercial hollow-core fiber (NKT Photonics' HC-1550-02 fiber) induced by the frozen-in longitudinal perturbations of the fiber cross section. Strong perturbation is used, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, because the large difference between the refractive indices of the two fiber materials (silica and air) makes conventional weak-perturbation less accurate. We first study the loss and backscattering using the mathematical description of conventional surface-capillary waves (SCWs). This model implicitly assumes that the mechanical waves on the core wall of a PBF have the same power spectral density (PSD) as the waves that develop on an infinitely thick cylindrical tube with the same diameter as the PBF core. The loss and backscattering coefficients predicted with this thick-wall SCW roughness are 0.5 dB/km and 1.1×10-10 mm-1, respectively. These values are more than one order of magnitude smaller than the measured values (20-30 dB/km and ~1.5×10-9 mm-1, respectively). This result suggests that the thick-wall SCW PSD is not representative of the roughness of our fiber. We found that this discrepancy occurs at least in part because the effect of the finite thickness of the silica membranes (only ~120 nm) is neglected. We present a new expression for the PSD that takes into account this finite thickness and demonstrates that the finite thickness substantially increases the roughness. The predicted loss and backscattering coefficients predicted with this thin-film SCW PSD are 30 dB/km and 1.3×10-9 mm-1, which are both close to the measured values. We also show that the thin-film SCW PSD accurately predicts the roughness PSD measured by others in a solid-core photonic-crystal fiber.
Yano, T; Lian, C-S; Afroundeh, R; Shirakawa, K; Yunoki, T
2014-03-01
The purpose of the present study was to compare oscillation of skin blood flow with that of deoxygenation in muscle during light exercise in order to determine the physiological significance of oscillations in deoxygenation. Prolonged exercise with 50% of peak oxygen uptake was performed for 60 min. Skin blood flow (SBF) was measured using a laser blood flow meter on the right vastus lateralis muscle. Deoxygenated haemoglobin/myoglobin (DHb/Mb) concentration in the left vastus lateralis were measured using a near-infrared spectroscopy system. SBF and DHb/Mb during exercise were analysed by fast Fourier transform. We classified frequency bands according to previous studies (Kvernmo et al. 1999, Kvandal et al. 2006) into phase I (0.005-0.0095 and 0.0095-0.02 Hz), phase II (0.02-0.06 Hz: phase II) and phase III (0.06-0.16 Hz). The first peak of power spectra density (PSD) in SBF appeared at 0.0078 Hz in phase I. The second peak of PSD in SBF appeared at 0.035 Hz. The third peak of PSD in SBF appeared at 0.078 Hz. The first peak of PSD in DHb/Mb appeared at 0.0039 Hz, which was out of phase I. The second peak of PSD in DHb/Mb appeared at 0.016 Hz. The third peak of PSD in DHb/Mb appeared at 0.035 Hz. The coefficient of cross correlation was very low. Cross power spectra density showed peaks of 0.0039, 0.016 and 0.035 Hz. It is concluded that a peak of 0.016 Hz in oscillations of DHb/Mb observed in muscle during exercise is associated with endothelium-dependent vasodilation (phase I) and that a peak of 0.035 Hz in DHb/Mb is associated with sympathetic nerve activity (phase II). It is also confirmed that each peak of SBF oscillations is observed in each phase.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
T. Yano
2014-07-01
Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to compare oscillation of skin blood flow with that of deoxygenation in muscle during light exercise in order to determine the physiological significance of oscillations in deoxygenation. Prolonged exercise with 50% of peak oxygen uptake was performed for 60 min. Skin blood flow (SBF was measured using a laser blood flow meter on the right vastus lateralis muscle. Deoxygenated haemoglobin/myoglobin (DHb/Mb concentration in the left vastus lateralis were measured using a near-infrared spectroscopy system. SBF and DHb/Mb during exercise were analysed by fast Fourier transform. We classified frequency bands according to previous studies (Kvernmo et al. 1999, Kvandal et al. 2006 into phase I (0.005-0.0095 and 0.0095-0.02 Hz, phase II (0.02-0.06 Hz: phase II and phase III (0.06-0.16 Hz. The first peak of power spectra density (PSD in SBF appeared at 0.0078 Hz in phase I. The second peak of PSD in SBF appeared at 0.035 Hz. The third peak of PSD in SBF appeared at 0.078 Hz. The first peak of PSD in DHb/Mb appeared at 0.0039 Hz, which was out of phase I. The second peak of PSD in DHb/Mb appeared at 0.016 Hz. The third peak of PSD in DHb/Mb appeared at 0.035 Hz. The coefficient of cross correlation was very low. Cross power spectra density showed peaks of 0.0039, 0.016 and 0.035 Hz. It is concluded that a peak of 0.016 Hz in oscillations of DHb/Mb observed in muscle during exercise is associated with endothelium-dependent vasodilation (phase I and that a peak of 0.035 Hz in DHb/Mb is associated with sympathetic nerve activity (phase II. It is also confirmed that each peak of SBF oscillations is observed in each phase.
BEGe detectors in GERDA Phase I - performance, physics analysis and surface events
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lazzaro, Andrea [Physik-Department E15, Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration
2014-07-01
The Phase I of the Gerda experiment, which has concluded its data taking in Summer 2013, was based on coaxial HPGe detectors already used for IGEX and HdM experiments. In the upcoming Phase II customized Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors will provide the major contribution to the total exposure. The first set of BEGe detectors has been deployed in Gerda since June 2012. The data collected in Phase I show the performance achieved in terms of spectroscopy and pulse shape discrimination. In particular the strongest background source, the {sup 42}K beta decay from the liquid argon surrounding the detectors, has been effectively rejected. The signals due to beta decay on the detector surface are indeed characterized by a longer charge collection time. This talk focuses on this key feature of the BEGe-PSD.
Development of new Polysiloxane Based Liquid Scintillators
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dalla Palma, M.; Quaranta, A. [Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento,Via Sommarive, 9, 38123 Trento (Italy); INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro,Viale dell' Universita, 2, 35020 Legnaro - Padova (Italy); Gramegna, F.; Marchi, T.; Cinausero, M. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro,Viale dell' Universita, 2, 35020 Legnaro - Padova (Italy); Carturan, S.; Collazuol, G.; Checchia, C. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro,Viale dell' Universita, 2, 35020 Legnaro - Padova (Italy); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 8, 35131 Padova (Italy); Degerlier, M. [Department of Physics, Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, Science and Art Faculty, 50300 Nevsehir (Turkey)
2015-07-01
-toxic liquid scintillator (EJ309). The results have been related to the optical characterization of these materials, especially as regarding the fluorescence response, and the best performing material (1,1,5,5-Tetraphenyl 1,3,3,5-Tetramethyl Trisiloxane) showed a scintillation light-yield only slightly lower than EJ309, proving to be a promising candidate for the production of an efficient polysiloxane based liquid scintillator. The results as regarding the neutron-gamma pulse shape discrimination capability of the best performing materials are also reported in this work and the scintillation decay time of these materials are compared to the results of fluorescence lifetime analysis. PSD tests have been performed at CN accelerator in Legnaro National Laboratories with a 2.2 MeV pulsed neutron beam using TOF procedure and the pulses have been analyzed in order to evidence the PSD capability of every sample. The reported results pave the way to the development of a new promising class of non-toxic liquid scintillating materials for neutron detection, with good light output and interesting PSD characteristics. (authors)
Simiele, E.; Kapsch, R.-P.; Ankerhold, U.; Culberson, W.; DeWerd, L.
2018-04-01
The purpose of this work was to characterize intensity and spectral response changes in a plastic scintillation detector (PSD) as a function of magnetic field strength. Spectra measurements as a function of magnetic field strength were performed using an optical spectrometer. The response of both a PSD and PMMA fiber were investigated to isolate the changes in response from the scintillator and the noise signal as a function of magnetic field strength. All irradiations were performed in water at a photon beam energy of 6 MV. Magnetic field strengths of (0, ±0.35, ±0.70, ±1.05, and ±1.40) T were investigated. Four noise subtraction techniques were investigated to evaluate the impact on the resulting noise-subtracted scintillator response with magnetic field strength. The noise subtraction methods included direct spectral subtraction, the spectral method, and variants thereof. The PMMA fiber exhibited changes in response of up to 50% with magnetic field strength due to the directional light emission from \\breve{C} erenkov radiation. The PSD showed increases in response of up to 10% when not corrected for the noise signal, which agrees with previous investigations of scintillator response in magnetic fields. Decreases in the \\breve{C} erenkov light ratio with negative field strength were observed with a maximum change at ‑1.40 T of 3.2% compared to 0 T. The change in the noise-subtracted PSD response as a function of magnetic field strength varied with the noise subtraction technique used. Even after noise subtraction, the PSD exhibited changes in response of up to 5.5% over the four noise subtraction methods investigated.
Cabib, C; Ortega, O; Vilardell, N; Mundet, L; Clavé, P; Rofes, L
2017-11-01
The role of afferent sensory pathways in the pathophysiology of post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia is not known. We hypothesized that patients with chronic post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) would show impaired sensory cortical activation in the ipsilesional hemisphere. We studied 28 chronic unilateral post-stroke patients [17 PSD and 11 post-stroke non-dysphagic patients (PSnD)] and 11 age-matched healthy volunteers. Event-related sensory-evoked potentials to pharyngeal stimulation (pSEP) and sensory thresholds were assessed. We analyzed pSEP peak latency and amplitude (N1, P1, N2 and P2), and neurotopographic stroke characteristics from brain magnetic resonance imaging. Healthy volunteers presented a highly symmetric bihemispheric cortical pattern of brain activation at centroparietal areas (N1-P1 and N2-P2) to pharyngeal stimuli. In contrast, an asymmetric pattern of reduced ipsilesional activation was found in PSD (N2-P2; P = 0.026) but not in PSnD. PSD presented impaired safety of swallow (penetration-aspiration score: 4.3 ± 1.6), delayed laryngeal vestibule closure (360.0 ± 70.0 ms) and higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (7.0 ± 6.2 vs. 1.9 ± 1.4, P = 0.001) and Fazekas scores (3.0 ± 1.4 vs. 2.0 ± 1.1; P dysphagia is associated with stroke severity and degree of leukoaraoisis. Impaired conduction and cortical integration of pharyngeal sensory inputs at stroke site are key features of chronic PSD. These findings highlight the role of sensory pathways in the pathophysiology of post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia and offer a potential target for future treatments. © 2017 EAN.
Ganesh, Ambigapathy; Bogdanowicz, Wieslaw; Balamurugan, Krishnaswamy; Ragu Varman, Durairaj; Rajan, Koilmani Emmanuvel
2012-08-30
Postsynaptic densities (PSDs) contain proteins that regulate synaptic transmission. We examined two important examples of these, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and PSD-95, in regard to the functional role of early growth response gene-1 (egr-1) in regulation of olfactory learning in the greater short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx (family Pteropodidae). To test whether activation of egr-1 in the olfactory bulb (OB) is required for olfactory memory of these bats, bilaterally canulated individuals were infused with antisense (AS) or non-sense (NS)-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) of egr-1, or with phosphate buffer saline (PBS), 2h before the olfactory training. Our results showed that behavioral training significantly up-regulates immediate early gene (IEG) EGR-1 and key synaptic proteins Synaptotagmin-1(SYT-1), CaMKII and PSD-95, and phosphorylation of CaMKII in the OB at the protein level per se. Subsequently, we observed that egr-1 antisense-ODN infusion in the OB impaired olfactory memory and down regulates the expression of CaMKII and PSD-95, and the phosphorylation of CaMKII but not SYT-1. In contrast, NS-ODN or PBS had no effect on the expression of the PSDs CaMKII or PSD-95, or on the phosphorylation of CaMKII. When the egr-1 NS-ODN was infused in the OB after training for the novel odor there was no effect on olfactory memory. These findings suggest that egr-1 control the activation of CaMKII and PSD-95 during the process of olfactory memory formation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Vahid-Ansari, Faranak; Albert, Paul R
2018-01-01
Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common outcome of stroke that limits recovery and is only partially responsive to chronic antidepressant treatment. In order to elucidate changes in the cortical-limbic circuitry associated with PSD and its treatment, we examined a novel mouse model of persistent PSD. Focal endothelin-1-induced ischemia of the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in male C57BL6 mice resulted in a chronic anxiety and depression phenotype. Here, we show severe cognitive impairment in spatial learning and memory in the stroke mice. The behavioral and cognitive phenotypes were reversed by chronic (4-week) treatment with fluoxetine, alone or with voluntary exercise (free-running wheel), but not by exercise alone. To assess chronic cellular activation, FosB + cells were co-labeled for markers of glutamate/pyramidal (VGluT1-3/CaMKIIα), γ-aminobutyric acid (GAD67), and serotonin (TPH). At 6 weeks poststroke versus sham (or 4 days poststroke), left mPFC stroke induced widespread FosB activation, more on the right (contralesional) than on the left side. Stroke activated glutamate cells of the mPFC, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, and raphe serotonin neurons. Chronic fluoxetine balanced bilateral neuronal activity, reducing total FosB and FosB/CamKII + cells (mPFC, nucleus accumbens), and unlike exercise, increasing FosB/GAD67 + cells (septum, amygdala) or both (hippocampus, raphe). In summary, chronic antidepressant but not exercise mediates recovery in this unilateral ischemic PSD model that is associated with region-specific reversal of stroke-induced pyramidal cell hyperactivity and increase in γ-aminobutyric acidergic activity. Targeted brain stimulation to restore brain activity could provide a rational approach for treating clinical PSD.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Liao, Can; Yang, Haori
2015-01-01
Recent developments in organic plastic scintillators capable of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) have gained much interest. Novel photon detectors, such as Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs), offer numerous advantages and can be used as an alternative to conventional photo multiplier tubes (PMTs) in many applications. In this work, we evaluate the PSD performance of the EJ-299-33 plastic scintillator coupled with a SiPM array. 2D PSD plots as well as the Figure of Merit (FOM) parameters are presented to demonstrate the PSD capability of EJ-299-33 using a SiPM as the light sensor. The best FOM of 0.76 was observed with a 1.0 MeVee (MeV-electron-equivalent) energy threshold, despite the high noise level of the SiPM array. A high-speed digital oscilloscope was used to acquire data, which was then processed offline in MATLAB. A performance comparison between two different PSD algorithms was carried out. The dependence of PSD quality on the sampling rate was also evaluated, stimulated by the interest to implement this setup for handheld applications where power consumption is crucial
Friend, Ronald; Bennett, Robert M
2015-12-01
To compare the relative effectiveness of the Polysymptomatic Distress Scale (PSD) with the Symptom Impact Questionnaire (SIQR), the disease-neutral revision of the updated Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), in their ability to assess disease activity in patients with rheumatic disorders both with and without fibromyalgia (FM). The study included 321 patients from 8 clinical practices with some 16 different chronic pain disorders. Disease severity was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). Univariate analyses were used to assess the magnitude of PSD and SIQR correlations with SF-36 subscales. Hierarchical stepwise regression was used to evaluate the unique contribution of the PSD and SIQR to the SF-36. Random forest regression probed the relative importance of the SIQR and PSD components as predictors of SF-36. The correlations with the SF-36 subscales were significantly higher for the SIQR (0.48 to 0.78) than the PSD (0.29 to 0.56; p FIQ, has several important advantages over the PSD in the evaluation of disease severity in chronic pain disorders.
Effect of treadmill versus overground running on the structure of variability of stride timing.
Lindsay, Timothy R; Noakes, Timothy D; McGregor, Stephen J
2014-04-01
Gait timing dynamics of treadmill and overground running were compared. Nine trained runners ran treadmill and track trials at 80, 100, and 120% of preferred pace for 8 min. each. Stride time series were generated for each trial. To each series, detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), power spectral density (PSD), and multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis were applied to infer the regime of control along the randomness-regularity axis. Compared to overground running, treadmill running exhibited a higher DFA and PSD scaling exponent, as well as lower entropy at non-preferred speeds. This indicates a more ordered control for treadmill running, especially at non-preferred speeds. The results suggest that the treadmill itself brings about greater constraints and requires increased voluntary control. Thus, the quantification of treadmill running gait dynamics does not necessarily reflect movement in overground settings.
Sharma, Shruti; Gupta, Ravi; Deswal, Renu
2017-05-01
In Dioscorea, dioscorin (31 kDa) is the major storage protein constituting 85% of the total tuber proteins. An integrated proteomic and biochemical approach was used to understand the physiological role of dioscorin in the two contrasting growth stages (germinating and mature tuber). HPLC analysis showed 3 fold reduction in mannitol and 12.88 and 1.24 fold increase in sucrose and maltose in the germinating tuber. A 1.8 and 3 fold increase in sucrose phosphate synthase and mannitol dehydrogenase activity respectively was observed in the germinating tuber while a 2 fold higher invertase probably lowers the sucrose accumulation in the mature tuber. SDS-PAGE and 2-D maps of the mature and germinating tubers confirmed depletion (more than 50%) of dioscorin on germination. Dioscorin was purified using ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography with 43.32 fold purification and 38.16 yield. Out of a trail of 35 spots at 31 kDa only 12 spots (identified as dioscorin isoforms) were present in the 2D gel of the purified fraction. To search for other tuber proteins besides dioscorin, the unbound fractions of DEAE column were analysed by 2DGE. DREB 1A, caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase and Rab-1 small GTP binding protein were identified perhaps for the first time in the Dioscorea proteome. The interactome analysis revealed these to be involved in oxidative stress, carotenoid synthesis and vesicular transport. This is perhaps the first attempt to identify tuber proteome (although limited) and to understand the physiological significance of these proteins. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Impairment of male reproductive function after sleep deprivation.
Alvarenga, Tathiana A; Hirotsu, Camila; Mazaro-Costa, Renata; Tufik, Sergio; Andersen, Monica L
2015-05-01
To evaluate the influence of sleep loss on sexual behavior, hormone levels, sperm parameters, and testis-specific gene expression in male rats. Experimental research. Animal laboratory. Male adult Wistar-Hannover rats. Sexually experienced rats were subjected to paradoxic sleep deprivation (PSD) for 96 hours or sleep restriction (SR) for 21 days or kept in their home cage as control (CTRL). Sexual behavior, hormone levels, sperm parameters and expression of stress and nitric oxide-related genes were evaluated. PSD significantly decreased sexual behavior compared with the CTRL group, whereas SR had no effect. The PSD group had significantly lower testosterone levels than the CTRL group. Both PSD and SR groups had lower sperm viabilities than the CTRL group. The decrease in the number of live sperm compared with the CTRL group was larger in the PSD group than in the SR group. Regarding testicular gene expression, both PSD and SR led to an increase of iNOS and hydroxysteroid 11β-dehydrogenase 1 expressions compared with the CTRL group. These changes were more pronounced in the PSD group. A significant increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression was observed in the PSD groups compared with the CTRL group. No changes were observed in dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 and casein kinase 2β-polypeptide expressions. Sleep loss can promote marked changes in the male reproductive system of rats, particularly affecting spermatic function in part by interfering in the testicular nitric oxide pathway. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Benedict, Christian; Vogel, Heike; Jonas, Wenke; Woting, Anni; Blaut, Michael; Schürmann, Annette; Cedernaes, Jonathan
2016-12-01
Changes to the microbial community in the human gut have been proposed to promote metabolic disturbances that also occur after short periods of sleep loss (including insulin resistance). However, whether sleep loss affects the gut microbiota remains unknown. In a randomized within-subject crossover study utilizing a standardized in-lab protocol (with fixed meal times and exercise schedules), we studied nine normal-weight men at two occasions: after two nights of partial sleep deprivation (PSD; sleep opportunity 02:45-07:00 h), and after two nights of normal sleep (NS; sleep opportunity 22:30-07:00 h). Fecal samples were collected within 24 h before, and after two in-lab nights, of either NS or PSD. In addition, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test following each sleep intervention. Microbiota composition analysis (V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing) revealed that after two days of PSD vs. after two days of NS, individuals exhibited an increased Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio, higher abundances of the families Coriobacteriaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, and lower abundance of Tenericutes (all P < 0.05) - previously all associated with metabolic perturbations in animal or human models. However, no PSD vs. NS effect on beta diversity or on fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations was found. Fasting and postprandial insulin sensitivity decreased after PSD vs. NS (all P < 0.05). Our findings demonstrate that short-term sleep loss induces subtle effects on human microbiota. To what extent the observed changes to the microbial community contribute to metabolic consequences of sleep loss warrants further investigations in larger and more prolonged sleep studies, to also assess how sleep loss impacts the microbiota in individuals who already are metabolically compromised.
Exploration of X-ray and charged-particle spectroscopy with CCDs and PSDs
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Simons, D.P.L.; Mutsaers, P.H.A.; Ijzendoorn, L.J. van; Voigt, M.J.A. de
1998-01-01
Two alternative detector types have been studied for use in the Eindhoven scanning ion microprobe set-up. First, the applicability of a charge coupled device (CCD) system for X-ray spectroscopy has been explored. Second, some properties of the SiTek type 1L30 position sensitive detector (PSD) for charged-particle spectroscopy have been studied. A literature survey shows that excellent X-ray spectroscopy with a CCD system is feasible, particularly with a deep-depletion backside-illuminated CCD and low speed read-out. If, however, high-speed CCD read-out is required, such as for scanning microprobe experiments, a CCD system cannot be used for spectroscopy due to excess read-out noise. For the PSD, noise theory calculations are presented, which result in a noise shaping time for optimal energy and position resolution. In practice, however, a much longer time is needed to obtain sufficient energy and position linearity. Characterization measurements of the PSD using our 4 MeV He + microprobe are also described. A position resolution of 0.47 mm and a position linearity of better than 0.15% detector length are found. In addition, an energy linearity better than 0.3% and an energy resolution of 36 keV are measured. The latter will have to be improved, to make the PSD suitable for charged-particle spectroscopy applications. (orig.)
Mesa, Matthew G.; Duke, S.D.; Ward, David L.
1990-01-01
Population data for smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui in 20,235 ha John Day Reservoir on the Columbia River were used to (1) determine whether Proportional Stock Density (PSD) and Relative Weight (Wr) varied spatially and temporally in two areas of the reservoir with established smallmouth bass fisheries; (2) explore possible causes of any observed variation; and (3) discuss some management implications and recommendations. Both PSD and Wr varied spatially and monthly in all years examined. On an annual basis, PSD varied at one area but not at the other, whereas Wr showed little variation. Possible explanations for the variation in PSD and Wr are differences in growth, mortality, recruitment, and exploitation. Our data suggested that regulations established or changed on a reservoir-wide basis may have different effects on the fishery, depending on location in the reservoir. Also, pooling data from various areas within a reservoir to yield point estimates of structural indices may not represent the variation present in the population as a whole. The significant temporal variability reflects the importance of determining the proper time to sample fish to yield representative estimates of the variable of interest. In areas with valuable fisheries or markedly different population structures, we suggest that an area-specific approach be made to reservoir fishery management, and that efforts be made toward effecting consistent harvest regulations in interstate waters.
[Perimetric changes in advanced glaucoma].
Feraru, Crenguta Ioana; Pantalon, Anca
2011-01-01
The evaluation of various perimetric aspects in advanced glaucoma stages correlated to morpho-functional changes. MATHERIAL AND METHOD: Retrospective clinical trial over a 10 months time period that included patients with advanced glaucoma stages, for which there have been recorded several computerised visual field tests (central 24-2 strategy, 10-2 strategy with either III or V--Goldman stimulus spot size) along with other morpho-funtional ocular paramaters: VA, lOP optic disk analysis. We included in our study 56 eyes from 45 patients. In most cases 89% it was an open angle glaucoma (either primary or secondary) Mean visual acuity was 0.45 +/- 0.28. Regarding the perimetric deficit 83% had advanced deficit, 9% moderate and 8% early visual changes. As perimetric type of defect we found a majority with general reduction of sensitivity (33 eyes) + ring shape scotoma. In 6 eyes (10.7%) having left only a central isle of vision we performed the central 10-2 strategy with III or V Goldmann stimulus spot size. Statistic analysis showed scarce correlation between the visual acuity and the quantitative perimetric parameters (MD and PSD), and variance analysis found present a multiple correlation parameter p = 0.07 that proves there is no liniary correspondence between the morpho-functional parameters: VA-MD(PSD) and C/D ratio. In advanced glaucoma stages, the perimetric changes are mostly severe. Perimetric evaluation is essential in these stages and needs to be individualised.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hochel, R.C.; Hayes, D.W.
1975-01-01
A pulse-shape analysis (PSA) unit of commercial design has been incorporated into a proportional counting system to determine the effectiveness of pulse-shape discrimination in increasing the sensitivity of tritium counting. It was found that a quantitative determination of tritium could be obtained directly from the PSA time spectrum eliminating the need for beta-ray energy selection used in the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique. The performance of the proportional counting system was tested using the PSA unit and anticoincidence shielding, both singly and combined, under several types of background. A background reduction factor of 169 was obtained from the combined PSA-anticoincidence system with only a 2% loss in tritium counting efficiency. The PSA method was also found to offer significant reductions in noise background. (Auth.)
Discrimination of non-radiation backgrounds in the proportional counter of MARDS
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Na, Liang [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Xiaofeng, Guo [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Fei, Luo; Fanhua, Hao; RenDe, Ze [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Qingpei, Xiang, E-mail: xiangqingpei@163.com [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Chengsheng, Chu; Yongchun, Xiang; Zhaotong, Yan; Wei, Li [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China)
2017-03-11
The Movable {sup 37}Ar Rapid Detection System (MARDS) was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry of the China Academy of Engineering Physics in 2006 for on-site inspections under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. It is a small and portable system that can quickly acquire data at suspected nuclear test sites. In this work, digital pulse shape discrimination (PSD) was used to process data from test samples to reduce electronic noise. The experimental results demonstrate that PSD combined with principal component analysis can classify and reject many noise sources. Thus, the threshold for the signal can be set low, expanding MARDS valid data acquisition capability, especially in very low-level and low-energy counting situations.
K-correlation power spectral density and surface scatter model
Dittman, Michael G.
2006-08-01
The K-Correlation or ABC model for surface power spectral density (PSD) and BRDF has been around for years. Eugene Church and John Stover, in particular, have published descriptions of its use in describing smooth surfaces. The model has, however, remained underused in the optical analysis community partially due to the lack of a clear summary tailored toward that application. This paper provides the K-Correlation PSD normalized to σ(λ) and BRDF normalized to TIS(σ,λ) in a format intended to be used by stray light analysts. It is hoped that this paper will promote use of the model by analysts and its incorporation as a standard tool into stray light modeling software.
Differential effects of total and partial sleep deprivation on salivary factors in Wistar rats.
Lasisi, Dr T J; Shittu, S T; Meludu, C C; Salami, A A
2017-01-01
Aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on salivary factors in rats. Animals were randomly assigned into three groups of 6 animals each as control, total sleep deprivation (TSD) and partial sleep deprivation (PSD) groups. The multiple platform method was used to induce partial and total sleep deprivation for 7days. On the 8th day, stimulated saliva samples were collected for the analysis of salivary lag time, flow rate, salivary amylase activity, immunoglobulin A secretion rate and corticosterone levels using ELISA and standard kinetic enzyme assay. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with Dunnett T3 post hoc tests. Salivary flow rate reduced significantly in the TSD group compared with the PSD group as well as the control group (p=0.01). The secretion rate of salivary IgA was significantly reduced in the TSD group compared with the control group (p=0.04). Salivary amylase activity was significantly elevated in the TSD group compared with the PSD group as well as control group (psalivary lag time and levels of corticosterone among the groups. These findings suggest that total sleep deprivation is associated with reduced salivary flow rate and secretion rate of IgA as well as elevated levels of salivary amylase activity in rats. However, sleep recovery of four hours in the PSD group produced ameliorative effects on the impaired functions of salivary glands. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Armas, O; Gómez, A; Mata, C
2011-01-01
The study of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides emissions of diesel engines is nowadays a necessary step towards pollutant emission reduction. For a complete evaluation of PM emissions and its size characterization, one of the most challenging goals is to adapt the available techniques and the data acquisition procedures to the measurement and to propose a methodology for the interpretation of instantaneous particle size distributions (PSD) of combustion-derived particles produced by a vehicle during real driving conditions. In this work, PSD from the exhaust gas of a city bus operated in real driving conditions with passengers have been measured. For the study, the bus was equipped with a rotating disk diluter coupled to an air supply thermal conditioner (with an evaporating tube), the latter being connected to a TSI Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer spectrometer. The main objective of this work has been to propose an alternative procedure for evaluating the influence of several transient sequences on PSD emitted by a city bus used in real driving conditions with passengers. The transitions studied were those derived from the combination of four possible sequences or categories during real driving conditions: idle, acceleration, deceleration with fuel consumption and deceleration without fuel consumption. The analysis methodology used in this work proved to be a useful tool for a better understanding of the phenomena related to the determination of PSD emitted by a city bus during real driving conditions with passengers
Armas, O.; Gómez, A.; Mata, C.
2011-10-01
The study of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides emissions of diesel engines is nowadays a necessary step towards pollutant emission reduction. For a complete evaluation of PM emissions and its size characterization, one of the most challenging goals is to adapt the available techniques and the data acquisition procedures to the measurement and to propose a methodology for the interpretation of instantaneous particle size distributions (PSD) of combustion-derived particles produced by a vehicle during real driving conditions. In this work, PSD from the exhaust gas of a city bus operated in real driving conditions with passengers have been measured. For the study, the bus was equipped with a rotating disk diluter coupled to an air supply thermal conditioner (with an evaporating tube), the latter being connected to a TSI Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer spectrometer. The main objective of this work has been to propose an alternative procedure for evaluating the influence of several transient sequences on PSD emitted by a city bus used in real driving conditions with passengers. The transitions studied were those derived from the combination of four possible sequences or categories during real driving conditions: idle, acceleration, deceleration with fuel consumption and deceleration without fuel consumption. The analysis methodology used in this work proved to be a useful tool for a better understanding of the phenomena related to the determination of PSD emitted by a city bus during real driving conditions with passengers.
On the Shaker Simulation of Wind-Induced Non-Gaussian Random Vibration
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fei Xu
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Gaussian signal is produced by ordinary random vibration controllers to test the products in the laboratory, while the field data is usually non-Gaussian. Two methodologies are presented in this paper for shaker simulation of wind-induced non-Gaussian vibration. The first methodology synthesizes the non-Gaussian signal offline and replicates it on the shaker in the Time Waveform Replication (TWR mode. A new synthesis method is used to model the non-Gaussian signal as a Gaussian signal multiplied by an amplitude modulation function (AMF. A case study is presented to show that the synthesized non-Gaussian signal has the same power spectral density (PSD, probability density function (PDF, and loading cycle distribution (LCD as the field data. The second methodology derives a damage equivalent Gaussian signal from the non-Gaussian signal based on the fatigue damage spectrum (FDS and the extreme response spectrum (ERS and reproduces it on the shaker in the closed-loop frequency domain control mode. The PSD level and the duration time of the derived Gaussian signal can be manipulated for accelerated testing purpose. A case study is presented to show that the derived PSD matches the damage potential of the non-Gaussian environment for both fatigue and peak response.
EOG feature relevance determination for microsleep detection
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Golz Martin
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Automatic relevance determination (ARD was applied to two-channel EOG recordings for microsleep event (MSE recognition. 10 s immediately before MSE and also before counterexamples of fatigued, but attentive driving were analysed. Two type of signal features were extracted: the maximum cross correlation (MaxCC and logarithmic power spectral densities (PSD averaged in spectral bands of 0.5 Hz width ranging between 0 and 8 Hz. Generalised learn-ing vector quantisation (GRLVQ was used as ARD method to show the potential of feature reduction. This is compared to support-vector machines (SVM, in which the feature reduction plays a much smaller role. Cross validation yielded mean normalised relevancies of PSD features in the range of 1.6 – 4.9 % and 1.9 – 10.4 % for horizontal and vertical EOG, respectively. MaxCC relevancies were 0.002 – 0.006 % and 0.002 – 0.06 %, respectively. This shows that PSD features of vertical EOG are indispensable, whereas MaxCC can be neglected. Mean classification accuracies were estimated at 86.6±b 1.3 % and 92.3±b 0.2 % for GRLVQ and SVM, respectively. GRLVQ permits objective feature reduction by inclusion of all processing stages, but is not as accurate as SVM.
EOG feature relevance determination for microsleep detection
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Golz Martin
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Automatic relevance determination (ARD was applied to two-channel EOG recordings for microsleep event (MSE recognition. 10 s immediately before MSE and also before counterexamples of fatigued, but attentive driving were analysed. Two type of signal features were extracted: the maximum cross correlation (MaxCC and logarithmic power spectral densities (PSD averaged in spectral bands of 0.5 Hz width ranging between 0 and 8 Hz. Generalised learn-ing vector quantisation (GRLVQ was used as ARD method to show the potential of feature reduction. This is compared to support-vector machines (SVM, in which the feature reduction plays a much smaller role. Cross validation yielded mean normalised relevancies of PSD features in the range of 1.6 - 4.9 % and 1.9 - 10.4 % for horizontal and vertical EOG, respectively. MaxCC relevancies were 0.002 - 0.006 % and 0.002 - 0.06 %, respectively. This shows that PSD features of vertical EOG are indispensable, whereas MaxCC can be neglected. Mean classification accuracies were estimated at 86.6±b 1.3 % and 92.3±b 0.2 % for GRLVQ and SVM, respec-tively. GRLVQ permits objective feature reduction by inclu-sion of all processing stages, but is not as accurate as SVM.
Root induced changes of effective 1D hydraulic properties in a soil column.
Scholl, P; Leitner, D; Kammerer, G; Loiskandl, W; Kaul, H-P; Bodner, G
Roots are essential drivers of soil structure and pore formation. This study aimed at quantifying root induced changes of the pore size distribution (PSD). The focus was on the extent of clogging vs. formation of pores during active root growth. Parameters of Kosugi's lognormal PSD model were determined by inverse estimation in a column experiment with two cover crops (mustard, rye) and an unplanted control. Pore dynamics were described using a convection-dispersion like pore evolution model. Rooted treatments showed a wider range of pore radii with increasing volumes of large macropores >500 μm and micropores <2.5 μm, while fine macropores, mesopores and larger micropores decreased. The non-rooted control showed narrowing of the PSD and reduced porosity over all radius classes. The pore evolution model accurately described root induced changes, while structure degradation in the non-rooted control was not captured properly. Our study demonstrated significant short term root effects with heterogenization of the pore system as dominant process of root induced structure formation. Pore clogging is suggested as a partial cause for reduced pore volume. The important change in micro- and large macropores however indicates that multiple mechanic and biochemical processes are involved in root-pore interactions.
Modified Spectral Fatigue Methods for S-N Curves With MIL-HDBK-5J Coefficients
Irvine, Tom; Larsen, Curtis
2016-01-01
The rainflow method is used for counting fatigue cycles from a stress response time history, where the fatigue cycles are stress-reversals. The rainflow method allows the application of Palmgren-Miner's rule in order to assess the fatigue life of a structure subject to complex loading. The fatigue damage may also be calculated from a stress response power spectral density (PSD) using the semi-empirical Dirlik, Single Moment, Zhao-Baker and other spectral methods. These methods effectively assume that the PSD has a corresponding time history which is stationary with a normal distribution. This paper shows how the probability density function for rainflow stress cycles can be extracted from each of the spectral methods. This extraction allows for the application of the MIL-HDBK-5J fatigue coefficients in the cumulative damage summation. A numerical example is given in this paper for the stress response of a beam undergoing random base excitation, where the excitation is applied separately by a time history and by its corresponding PSD. The fatigue calculation is performed in the time domain, as well as in the frequency domain via the modified spectral methods. The result comparison shows that the modified spectral methods give comparable results to the time domain rainflow counting method.
Pain, Oliver; Dudbridge, Frank; Cardno, Alastair G; Freeman, Daniel; Lu, Yi; Lundstrom, Sebastian; Lichtenstein, Paul; Ronald, Angelica
2018-03-31
This study aimed to test for overlap in genetic influences between psychotic-like experience traits shown by adolescents in the community, and clinically-recognized psychiatric disorders in adulthood, specifically schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. The full spectra of psychotic-like experience domains, both in terms of their severity and type (positive, cognitive, and negative), were assessed using self- and parent-ratings in three European community samples aged 15-19 years (Final N incl. siblings = 6,297-10,098). A mega-genome-wide association study (mega-GWAS) for each psychotic-like experience domain was performed. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-heritability of each psychotic-like experience domain was estimated using genomic-relatedness-based restricted maximum-likelihood (GREML) and linkage disequilibrium- (LD-) score regression. Genetic overlap between specific psychotic-like experience domains and schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression was assessed using polygenic risk score (PRS) and LD-score regression. GREML returned SNP-heritability estimates of 3-9% for psychotic-like experience trait domains, with higher estimates for less skewed traits (Anhedonia, Cognitive Disorganization) than for more skewed traits (Paranoia and Hallucinations, Parent-rated Negative Symptoms). Mega-GWAS analysis identified one genome-wide significant association for Anhedonia within IDO2 but which did not replicate in an independent sample. PRS analysis revealed that the schizophrenia PRS significantly predicted all adolescent psychotic-like experience trait domains (Paranoia and Hallucinations only in non-zero scorers). The major depression PRS significantly predicted Anhedonia and Parent-rated Negative Symptoms in adolescence. Psychotic-like experiences during adolescence in the community show additive genetic effects and partly share genetic influences with clinically-recognized psychiatric disorders, specifically schizophrenia and
Gao, Xinbo; Hao, Qingzhen; Wang, Luo; Oldfield, Frank; Bloemendal, Jan; Deng, Chenglong; Song, Yang; Ge, Junyi; Wu, Haibin; Xu, Bing; Li, Fengjiang; Han, Long; Fu, Yu; Guo, Zhengtang
2018-01-01
In recent years, increasing interest in loess studies has focused on qualitative and quantitative paleoclimatic reconstruction using the imperfect antiferromagnetic mineral hematite. However, the linkage between the hematite formation and climatic variables remains controversial. Here we present the results of a comprehensive investigation of the magnetic properties and statistical analysis of a suite of clay and silt fractions of modern soil samples from 179 sites across the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) and adjacent regions. Our objective was to clarify the relationships between modern climatic variables and pedogenic hematite, as well as pedogenic ferrimagnetic minerals. First-order reversal curve measurements were also conducted on representative particle-sized subsamples from a N-S transect to understand the differences in magnetic mineralogy between the two fractions. Our results show that pipette extraction separates the fine-grained superparamagnetic (SP) and most of the single-domain (SD) magnetic grains into the clay fraction, and that the remaining silt fraction displays the magnetic properties of coarse pseudo-single domain (PSD) or a mixture of multidomain (MD)/PSD and a few SD particles. Only the pedogenic clay fraction shows a strong correlation with climatic variables. The application of redundancy analysis helps to distinguish the climate variables controlling the formation of ferrimagnetic minerals and hematite during pedogenesis. On the CLP, pedogenic ferrimagnetic minerals are sensitive to mean annual precipitation, while pedogenic hematite formation is preferentially dependent on mean annual temperature. The confirmation of the temperature-dependent nature of hematite on the CLP provides a new possibility for quantitatively reconstructing the paleotemperature history of Chinese loess/paleosol sequences.
Wei, Yongjie; Ge, Baozhen; Wei, Yaolin
2009-03-20
In general, model-independent algorithms are sensitive to noise during laser particle size measurement. An improved conjugate gradient algorithm (ICGA) that can be used to invert particle size distribution (PSD) from diffraction data is presented. By use of the ICGA to invert simulated data with multiplicative or additive noise, we determined that additive noise is the main factor that induces distorted results. Thus the ICGA is amended by introduction of an iteration step-adjusting parameter and is used experimentally on simulated data and some samples. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the ICGA to noise is reduced and the inverted results are in accord with the real PSD.
Photochemistry of 1,1,1-Trifluoroacetone on Rutile TiO2(110)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zehr, Robert T.; Deskins, N. Aaron; Henderson, Michael A.
2010-01-01
The ultraviolet (UV) photon-induced photodecomposition of 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone (TFA) adsorbed on the rutile TiO2(110) surface has been investigated with photon stimulated desorption (PSD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and density functional theory (DFT). TFA adsorbed molecularly on the reduced surface (8% oxygen vacancies) in states desorbing below 300 K with trace thermal decomposition observed in TPD. Adsorption of TFA on a preoxidized TiO2(110) surface (accomplished by pre-exposure with 20 L O2) led to formation of a new TFA desorption state at 350 K, assigned to decomposition of a TFA-diolate species ((CF3)(CH3)COO). No TFA photochemistry was detected on the reduced surface. UV irradiation of TFA on the oxidized surface depleted TFA in the 350 K state, with TFA molecules in other TPD states unaffected. PSD measurements reveal that both carbonyl substituents (CH3 and CF3), as well as CO, were liberated during UV exposure at 95 K. Post-irradiation TPD showed evidence for both acetate (evolving as ketene at 650 K) and trifluoroacetate (evolving as CO2 at 600 K) as surface-bound photodecomposition products. The CO PSD product was not due to adsorbed CO, to mass spectrometer cracking of a CO-containing PSD product, or from background effects, but originated from complete fragmentation of an unidentified adsorbed TFA species. Thermodynamic analysis using DFT indicated that the photodecomposition of the TFA-diolate was likely not driven by thermodynamics alone as both pathways (CH3+trifluoroacetate and CF3+acetate) were detected when thermodynamics shows a clear preference for only one (CF3+acetate). These observations are in contrast to the photochemical behavior of acetone, butanone and acetaldehyde on TiO2(110), where only one of the two carbonyl substituent groups was observed, with a stoichiometric amount of carboxylate containing the other substituent left on the surface. We conclude that fluorination significantly alters the electronic structure of
The magnetic structure and palaeomagnetic recording fidelity of sub-micron greigite (Fe3S4)
Valdez-Grijalva, Miguel A.; Nagy, Lesleis; Muxworthy, Adrian R.; Williams, Wyn; Fabian, Karl
2018-02-01
We present the results of a finite-element micromagnetic model of 30nm to 300nm greigite (Fe3S4) grains with a variety of equant morphologies. This grain size range covers the magnetic single-domain (SD) to pseudo single-domain (PSD) transition, and possibly also the PSD to multi-domain (MD) transition. The SD-PSD threshold d0 is determined to be 50nm ≤d0 ≤ 56nm depending on grain shape. The nudged elastic-band method was used to determine the room temperature energy barriers between stable states and thus the blocking volumes. It is found that, in the absence of interparticle magnetostatic interactions, the magnetisation of equant SD greigite is not stable on a geological scale and only PSD grains ≥ 70nm can be expected to carry a stable magnetisation over billion-year timescales, i.e., all non-interacting SD particles are essentially superparamagnetic. We further identify a mechanism for the PSD to multi-domain (MD) transition, which is of a continuous nature from PSD nucleation up to 300nm, when structures typical of MD behaviour like closure domains begin to form.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carla Sabariego
Full Text Available Persons with brain disorders experience significant psychosocial difficulties (PSD in daily life, e.g. problems with managing daily routine or emotional lability, and the level of the PSD depends on social, physical and political environments, and psychologic-personal determinants. Our objective is to determine a brief set of environmental and psychologic-personal factors that are shared determinants of PSD among persons with different brain disorders.Cross-sectional study, convenience sample of persons with either dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine, depression, schizophrenia, substance dependence or Parkinson's disease. Random forest regression and classical linear regression were used in the analyses.722 subjects were interviewed in four European countries. The brief set of determinants encompasses presence of comorbidities, health status appraisal, stressful life events, personality changes, adaptation, self-esteem, self-worth, built environment, weather, and health problems in the family.The identified brief set of common determinants of PSD can be used to support the implementation of cross-cutting interventions, social actions and policy tools to lower PSD experienced by persons with brain disorders. This set complements a recently proposed reliable and valid direct metric of PSD for brain disorders called PARADISE24.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gong, Yuxuan, E-mail: yg4@alfred.edu; Wren, Anthony W.; Mellott, Nathan P.
2015-01-01
Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Aluminoborosilicate glass surfaces were prepared through both melting and polishing/etching and the surface composition and morphology were quantified as a function of processing method. • Glass surface morphology was quantified using PSD analysis, followed by both fractal and ABC model fitting, resulting in a comprehensive description of the spatial distribution of roughness. • All melt surfaces showed a depletion in Na, Ca, and B with respect to the bulk composition. Polished/etched surfaces showed a depletion in Na, B, and Al with respect to the bulk composition. • It was found that increasing heat treatment temperature of melt surfaces lead to a decrease in equivalent roughness and an increased spatial homogeneity of roughness while etching of polished ISG glass surfaces decreases the roughness and spatial distribution homogeneity of roughness. - Abstract: Surface finishing techniques including polishing, etching and heat treatment can modify the topography and the surface chemical composition of glasses. It is widely acknowledged that atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to quantify the morphology of surfaces, providing various parameters including average, peak-to-valley, and apparent root-mean-square roughness. Furthermore advanced power spectral density (PSD) analysis of AFM-derived surface profiles offers quantification of the spatial homogeneity of roughness values along different wavelengths, resulting in parameters including equivalent RMS, Hurst exponent, and fractal dimension. Outermost surface (∼8 nm) chemical composition can be quantitatively measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In this paper, we first developed a series of surface finishing methods for an aluminoborosilicate glass system by polishing, etching or heat treatment. The chemical composition and environment of prepared glass surfaces were quantified by XPS and topographical analysis was carried out by fractal and k
Surface polishing of niobium for superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity applications
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zhao, Liang [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States)
2014-08-01
overlapping laser tracks at proper ratio. Comparison of topography and PSD indicates that LP smooths the surface in a way similar to EP. The optimized LP parameters were applied to different types of niobium surfaces representing different stages in cavity fabrication. LP reduces the sharpness on rough surfaces effectively, while doing no harm to smooth surfaces. Secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) analysis showed that LP reduces the oxide layer slightly and no contamination occurred from LP. EBSD showed no significant change on crystal structure after LP.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
J Matthew Mahoney
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Systemic sclerosis (SSc is a rare systemic autoimmune disease characterized by skin and organ fibrosis. The pathogenesis of SSc and its progression are poorly understood. The SSc intrinsic gene expression subsets (inflammatory, fibroproliferative, normal-like, and limited are observed in multiple clinical cohorts of patients with SSc. Analysis of longitudinal skin biopsies suggests that a patient's subset assignment is stable over 6-12 months. Genetically, SSc is multi-factorial with many genetic risk loci for SSc generally and for specific clinical manifestations. Here we identify the genes consistently associated with the intrinsic subsets across three independent cohorts, show the relationship between these genes using a gene-gene interaction network, and place the genetic risk loci in the context of the intrinsic subsets. To identify gene expression modules common to three independent datasets from three different clinical centers, we developed a consensus clustering procedure based on mutual information of partitions, an information theory concept, and performed a meta-analysis of these genome-wide gene expression datasets. We created a gene-gene interaction network of the conserved molecular features across the intrinsic subsets and analyzed their connections with SSc-associated genetic polymorphisms. The network is composed of distinct, but interconnected, components related to interferon activation, M2 macrophages, adaptive immunity, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cell proliferation. The network shows extensive connections between the inflammatory- and fibroproliferative-specific genes. The network also shows connections between these subset-specific genes and 30 SSc-associated polymorphic genes including STAT4, BLK, IRF7, NOTCH4, PLAUR, CSK, IRAK1, and several human leukocyte antigen (HLA genes. Our analyses suggest that the gene expression changes underlying the SSc subsets may be long-lived, but mechanistically interconnected
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Papaconstadopoulos, P [McGill Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC (Canada); Archambault, L [CHUQ Pavillon Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Quebec, QC (Canada); Seuntjens, J [McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
2015-06-15
Purpose: To investigate the accuracy of the Exradin W1 (SI) and of an “in-house” plastic scintillation dosimeter (CHUQ PSD) in small radiation fields. Methods: Output factor (OF) measurements with the W1 and CHUQ PSD were performed for field sizes of 0.5 x 0.5, 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 cm{sup 2}. Both detectors were placed parallel to the central axis (CAX) in water. The spectrum discrimination calibration method was performed in each set-up to account for the Cerenkov (CRV) signal created in the fiber. The OFs were compared to the expected field factors in water derived using i) Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of an accurate accelerator model and ii) microLion (PTW) and D1V diode (SI) OFs. MC-derived correction factors were applied to both the microLion and D1V OFs. For the CHUQ PSD the calibration was repeated in water (// CAX), solid water (perpendicular to CAX) and under a shielded configuration. The signal was collected using a spectrometer (wavelength range = 185–1100 nm). Spectral analysis was performed to evaluate potential changes of the spectral distributions under the various calibration set-up configurations. Results: The W1 OFs presented an over-response for the 0.5 x 0.5 cm{sup 2} in the range of 3 – 4.1% relative to the expected field factor. The CHUQ PSD presented an under-response in the range of 1.5 – 2.7%, without accounting for volume averaging. The CRV spectra under the various calibration procedures appeared similar to each other and only minor changes were observed to the respective OFs. Conclusion: The W1 and CHUQ PSD can be used in small fields down to a 1 x 1 cm{sup 2} field size. Discrepancies were encountered between the two detectors for the smallest field size of 0.5 x 0.5 cm{sup 2} with the CHUQ PSD exhibiting a closer agreement to the expected field factor. Funding sources: 1) Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation in Greece and 2) CREATE Medical Physics Research Training Network grant of the Natural Sciences and Engineering
Santucci, Laura; Candiano, Giovanni; Anglani, Franca; Bruschi, Maurizio; Tosetto, Enrica; Cremasco, Daniela; Murer, Luisa; D'Ambrosio, Chiara; Scaloni, Andrea; Petretto, Andrea; Caridi, Gianluca; Rossi, Roberta; Bonanni, Alice; Ghiggeri, Gian Marco
2016-01-01
Definition of the urinary protein composition would represent a potential tool for diagnosis in many clinical conditions. The use of new proteomic technologies allows detection of genetic and post-trasductional variants that increase sensitivity of the approach but complicates comparison within a heterogeneous patient population. Overall, this limits research of urinary biomarkers. Studying monogenic diseases are useful models to address this issue since genetic variability is reduced among first- and second-degree relatives of the same family. We applied this concept to Dent's disease, a monogenic condition characterised by low-molecular-weight proteinuria that is inherited following an X-linked trait. Results are presented here on a combined proteomic approach (LC-mass spectrometry, Western blot and zymograms for proteases and inhibitors) to characterise urine proteins in a large family (18 members, 6 hemizygous patients, 6 carrier females, and 6 normals) with Dent's diseases due to the 1070G>T mutation of the CLCN5. Gene ontology analysis on more than 1000 proteins showed that several clusters of proteins characterised urine of affected patients compared to carrier females and normal subjects: proteins involved in extracellular matrix remodelling were the major group. Specific analysis on metalloproteases and their inhibitors underscored unexpected mechanisms potentially involved in renal fibrosis. Studying with new-generation techniques for proteomic analysis of the members of a large family with Dent's disease sharing the same molecular defect allowed highly repetitive results that justify conclusions. Identification in urine of proteins actively involved in interstitial matrix remodelling poses the question of active anti-fibrotic drugs in Dent's patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Zimmerman, Lindsey; Lounsbury, David W; Rosen, Craig S; Kimerling, Rachel; Trafton, Jodie A; Lindley, Steven E
2016-11-01
Implementation planning typically incorporates stakeholder input. Quality improvement efforts provide data-based feedback regarding progress. Participatory system dynamics modeling (PSD) triangulates stakeholder expertise, data and simulation of implementation plans prior to attempting change. Frontline staff in one VA outpatient mental health system used PSD to examine policy and procedural "mechanisms" they believe underlie local capacity to implement evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD and depression. We piloted the PSD process, simulating implementation plans to improve EBP reach. Findings indicate PSD is a feasible, useful strategy for building stakeholder consensus, and may save time and effort as compared to trial-and-error EBP implementation planning.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sarı, Ahmet; Alkan, Cemil; Bilgin, Cahit
2014-01-01
Graphical abstract: Four kinds of micro/nano capsules, PMMA/(C17-C24), PMMA/(C19-C18), PMMA/(C19-C24) and PMMA/(C20-C24), were synthesized successfully as novel encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) for the different monomer/PEM ratios via emulsion polymerization. The FTIR spectroscopy analysis confirmed the polymerization reaction occurred around the PEMs to be used as core materials. The POM, SEM and PSD analysis results showed that the synthesized PMMA/PEM micro/nano capsules had spherical shape appearance and micro/nano sizes. DSC analysis measurements revealed that the prepared micro/nano capsules containing the highest PEM content had a melting temperature range of about 20–36 °C and latent heat capacities in the range of about 86–169 J/g. TGA findings demonstrated that the encapsulated PEMs had good thermal reliability and chemical stability even after subjecting them to 5000 melting/freezing cycles. Furthermore, the prepared micro/nano capsules had reasonable thermal conductivity values and fine melting–freezing reversibility. - Highlights: • PSD analysis results showed that the encapsulated PEMs had micro/nano sized-spheres. • The encapsulated PEMs melt in the temperature range of about 20–36 °C. • The encapsulated PEMs had latent heat capacities of in the range of about 86–169 J/g. • TGA results demonstrated that they had good thermal stability. • The encapsulated PEMs had good thermal conductivity and phase change reversibility. - Abstract: This work is aimed to prepare, characterize and determine the latent heat thermal energy storage properties of micro/nano encapsulated paraffin eutectic mixtures (PEMs) with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) shell. The eutectic combination ratios and optimum melting temperatures of C17-C24, C19-C18, C19-C24 and C20-C24 mixtures were find out prior to the encapsulation processes. Four kinds of micro/nano capsules, PMMA/(C17-C24), PMMA/(C19-C18), PMMA/(C19-C24) and PMMA/(C20-C24), were synthesized
Barker, Cathleen; Zhu, Ting; Rolison, Lucas; Kiff, Scott; Jordan, Kelly; Enqvist, Andreas
2018-01-01
Using natural helium (helium-4), the Arktis 180-bar pressurized gas scintillator is capable of detecting and distinguishing fast neutrons and gammas. The detector has a unique design of three optically separated segments in which 12 silicon-photomultiplier (SiPM) pairs are positioned equilaterally across the detector to allow for them to be fully immersed in the helium-4 gas volume; consequently, no additional optical interfaces are necessary. The SiPM signals were amplified, shaped, and readout by an analog board; a 250 MHz, 14-bit digitizer was used to examine the output pulses from each SiPMpair channel. The SiPM over-voltage had to be adjusted in order to reduce pulse clipping and negative overshoot, which was observed for events with high scintillation production. Pulse shaped discrimination (PSD) was conducted by evaluating three different parameters: time over threshold (TOT), pulse amplitude, and pulse integral. In order to differentiate high and low energy events, a 30ns gate window was implemented to group pulses from two SiPM channels or more for the calculation of TOT. It was demonstrated that pulses from a single SiPM channel within the 30ns window corresponded to low-energy gamma events while groups of pulses from two-channels or more were most likely neutron events. Due to gamma pulses having lower pulse amplitude, the percentage of measured gamma also depends on the threshold value in TOT calculations. Similarly, the threshold values were varied for the optimal PSD methods of using pulse amplitude and pulse area parameters. Helium-4 detectors equipped with SiPMs are excellent for in-the-field radiation measurement of nuclear spent fuel casks. With optimized PSD methods, the goal of developing a fuel cask content monitoring and inspection system based on these helium-4 detectors will be achieved.
Tran, Phuong Ha-Lien; Tran, Thao Truong-Dinh; Park, Jun-Bom; Min, Dong Hun; Choi, Han-Gon; Han, Hyo-Kyung; Rhee, Yun-Seok; Lee, Beom-Jin
2011-07-29
The stability of solid dispersions (SD) during storage is of concern. We prepared the pH-modulated SD (pSD) and compressed tablets consisting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 as a carrier, drug and MgO (alkalizer). Telmisartan (TEL), an ionizable poorly water-soluble drug, was chosen as a model drug. The changes in physicochemical factors such as the dissolution rate, drug crystallinity, microenvironmental pH (pH(M)) and intermolecular interactions of the pSD and the tablets were investigated over 3 months under different temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions: refrigerator (5-8 °C), 25 °C/32% RH, 25 °C/55% RH, 25 °C/75% RH, 40°C/32% RH, 40 °C/55% RH, and 40 °C/75% RH. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of all samples revealed no distinct changes in the drug melting point. In contrast, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) diffractograms revealed that samples stored at 40 °C/75% RH for 1 month, 25 °C/75% RH for 3 months and 40 °C at all humidity conditions for 3 months showed gradual recrystallization of the drug. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated a reduced intensity of intermolecular interactions between TEL and MgO in the pSD and tablet. The pH(M) also gradually decreased. These altered physicochemical factors under the stressed conditions resulted in decreased dissolution profiles in intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). In contrast, the dissolution rate in gastric fluid (pH 1.2) was almost unchanged because of the high intrinsic solubility of TEL at this pH. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Results of measurements of particulate matter concentrations inside a pig fattening facility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ulens, T.
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Description of the subject. This research note discusses the results of measurements of particulate matter concentrations inside a pig fattening facility. Objectives. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the correlations between the different size fractions of indoor particulate matter (PM inside a pig fattening facility and to investigate the evolution of particle size distribution (PSD through a fattening period and between two housing systems and two cleaning protocols. Method. Data from two consecutive fattening periods in a commercial pig barn were used. Results. Very high correlations were found between PM10 and PM2.5 indoor concentrations. Depending on the measuring instrument, high or low correlations were found between PM1 and PM10 or PM2.5 indoor concentrations. No differences in PSD could be found between the two housing systems or the two cleaning protocols. Conclusions. The results from the present study showed high correlations between the indoor concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5. In the present study, no differences in PSD were found.
Continued Data Acquisition Development
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Schwellenbach, David [National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States)
2017-11-27
This task focused on improving techniques for integrating data acquisition of secondary particles correlated in time with detected cosmic-ray muons. Scintillation detectors with Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) capability show the most promise as a detector technology based on work in FY13. Typically PSD parameters are determined prior to an experiment and the results are based on these parameters. By saving data in list mode, including the fully digitized waveform, any experiment can effectively be replayed to adjust PSD and other parameters for the best data capture. List mode requires time synchronization of two independent data acquisitions (DAQ) systems: the muon tracker and the particle detector system. Techniques to synchronize these systems were studied. Two basic techniques were identified: real time mode and sequential mode. Real time mode is the preferred system but has proven to be a significant challenge since two FPGA systems with different clocking parameters must be synchronized. Sequential processing is expected to work with virtually any DAQ but requires more post processing to extract the data.
Burden and factors associated with post-stroke depression in East ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
2017-09-03
Sep 3, 2017 ... occurrence or persistence of PSD >3 years after stroke can impede the process of ... Fifty stroke survivors (22 females and 28 males) were se- lected by .... analysis was used in a stepwise fashion to assess variables that were ...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
2014-01-01
The anti-reenactment 'Show-Bix &' consists of 5 dias projectors, a dial phone, quintophonic sound, and interactive elements. A responsive interface will enable the Dias projectors to show copies of original dias slides from the Show-Bix piece ”March på Stedet”, 265 images in total. The copies are...
Displaced spectra techniques as a tool for peak identification in PSD-analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pineyro, J.; Behringer, K.
1987-10-01
Sharp peaks in the power spectral density function can be due to periodic components in the noise signal or due to narrowband random contributions. A novel method based on Fourier transform techniques is presented which allows under certain limitations to identify the peak type. (author)
Gamma–neutron imaging system utilizing pulse shape discrimination with CLYC
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Whitney, Chad M.; Soundara-Pandian, Lakshmi; Johnson, Erik B.; Vogel, Sam; Vinci, Bob; Squillante, Michael; Glodo, Jarek; Christian, James F.
2015-01-01
Recently, RMD has investigated the use of CLYC (Cs 2 LiYCl 6 :Ce), a new and emerging scintillation material, in a gamma–neutron coded aperture imaging system based on RMD's commercial RadCam TM instrument. CLYC offers efficient thermal neutron detection, fast neutron detection capabilities, excellent pulse shape discrimination (PSD), and gamma-ray energy resolution as good as 4% at 662 keV. PSD improves the isolation of higher energy gammas from thermal neutron interactions (>3 MeV electron equivalent peak), compared to conventional pulse height techniques. The scintillation emission time in CLYC provides the basis for PSD; where neutron interactions result in a slower emission rise and decay components while gamma interactions result in a faster emission components. By creating a population plot based on the ratio of the decay tail compared to the total integral amplitude (PSD ratio), discrimination of gammas, thermal neutrons, and fast neutrons is possible. Previously, we characterized the CLYC-based RadCam system for imaging gammas and neutrons using a layered W-Cd coded aperture mask and employing only pulse height discrimination. In this paper, we present the latest results which investigate gamma-neutron imaging capabilities using PSD. An FPGA system is used to acquire the CLYC–PSPMT last dynode signals, determine a PSD ratio for each event, and compare it to a calibrated PSD cutoff. Each event is assigned either a gamma (low) or neutron (high) flag signal which is then correlated with the imaging information for each event. - Highlights: • The latest results are presented for our CLYC RadCam-2 system which investigate gamma–neutron imaging using pulse shape discrimination. • CLYC RadCam-2 system successfully discriminates gammas, thermal neutrons, and fast neutrons by employing a fully integrated, FPGA-based PSD system. • Imaging of our 252 Cf source was possible using both pulse height and pulse shape discrimination with CLYC. • Imaging
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Callesen, Ingeborg; Keck, Hannes; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest
2018-01-01
with less than 1% C and some marine sediments. Materials and methods: The method uncertainty for particle size analysis by the laser diffraction method using or not using H2O2 pretreatment followed by 2 min ultrasound and 1-mm sieving was determined for two soil samples and two aquatic sediments......Purpose: Methods for particle size distribution (PSD) determination by laser diffraction are not standardized and differ between disciplines and sectors. The effect of H2O2 pretreatment before a sonication treatment in laser diffraction analysis of soils and marine sediments was examined on soils...... pretreatment on the PSD was small and not significant. The standard deviation (std) in particle size fractions increased with particle size. PSDs and std for some samples were presented for future reference. Similar to other studies, the content of clay and silt (by sieving/hydrometer, SHM) was lower...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fujibuchi, Toshiou; Kato, Hideyuki; Hashimoto, Masatoshi; Abe, Yukinao; Kikawa, Takashi
2006-01-01
It is important to grasp how much radiation exposure has occurred through radiation diagnosis, in respect to patient explanations and radiation protection. In this examination, we used a patient skin dosimeter (PSD) that measures entrance surface dose (ESD) in real time using a fluoroscopy procedure. The PSD has the ability to display results beginning at 1 μGy. We focused our attention on the X-ray detectability of the PSD, and performed a representative evaluation with the X-ray equipment. We measured ESD under various radiographic parameters at our facility. Although the measurements were dependent on energy, we were able to measure ESD to within an accuracy of about a 5% error by putting a calibration value on energy. The PSD can measure ESD easily without requiring preparation. It is important to be aware of the exposure dose to the radiation staff, and the PSD is a very effective radiation dose-measuring tool when daily business is active. (author)
Neurotransmitters Drive Combinatorial Multistate Postsynaptic Density Networks
Coba, Marcelo P; Pocklington, Andrew J; Collins, Mark O; Kopanitsa, Maksym V; Uren, Rachel T; Swamy, Sajani; Croning, Mike D R; Choudhary, Jyoti S; Grant, Seth G N
2009-01-01
The mammalian postsynaptic density (PSD) comprises a complex collection of approximately 1100 proteins. Despite extensive knowledge of individual proteins, the overall organization of the PSD is poorly understood. Here, we define maps of molecular circuitry within the PSD based on phosphorylation of postsynaptic proteins. Activation of a single neurotransmitter receptor, the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), changed the phosphorylation status of 127 proteins. Stimulation of ionotropic an...
Different stress modalities result in distinct steroid hormone responses by male rats
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M.L. Andersen
2004-06-01
Full Text Available Since both paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD and stress alter male reproductive function, the purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of PSD and other stressors (restraint, electrical footshock, cold and forced swimming, N = 10 per group on steroid hormones in adult Wistar male rats. Rats were submitted to chronic stress for four days. The stressors (footshock, cold and forced swimming were applied twice a day, for periods of 1 h at 9:00 and 16:00 h. Restrained animals were maintained in plastic cylinders for 22 h/day whereas PSD was continuous. Hormone determination was measured by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (testosterone, competitive immunoassay (progesterone and by radioimmunoassay (corticosterone, estradiol, estrone. The findings indicate that PSD (13.7 ng/dl, footshock (31.7 ng/dl and cold (35.2 ng/dl led to lower testosterone levels compared to the swimming (370.4 ng/dl and control (371.4 ng/dl groups. However, progesterone levels were elevated in the footshock (4.5 ng/ml and PSD (5.4 ng/ml groups compared to control (1.6 ng/ml, swimming (1.1 ng/ml, cold (2.3 ng/ml, and restrained (1.2 ng/ml animals. Estrone and estradiol levels were reduced in the PSD, footshock and restraint groups compared to the control, swimming and cold groups. A significant increase in corticosterone levels was found only in the PSD (299.8 ng/ml and footshock (169.6 ng/ml groups. These changes may be thought to be the full steroidal response to stress of significant intensity. Thus, the data suggest that different stress modalities result in distinct steroid hormone responses, with PSD and footshock being the most similar.
Comportamento agressivo em shows musicais: analisando notícias de jornal impresso
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carlos Eduardo Pimentel
2011-08-01
Full Text Available This paper reports a content analysis of the newspaper articles dealing with aggressive behavior in music shows. This analysis permits an understanding of the characteristics of these situations, the aggressive behaviors in shows, and the way in which the print media treat the subject. Despite of the newspapers’ influence on public opinion formation, that is, the transmission of attitudes and behavior repertoires, this kind of analysis is rarely reported in Brazilian social psychological literature. Some 31 newspaper articles were content analyzed as to aggressive behavior during music shows. Results indicate that aggressive behaviors occur in shows of most varied musical styles. Results are discussed on the basis of social cognitive theory.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Zhang, Xumin; Rogowska-Wrzesinska, Adelina; Roepstorff, Peter
2008-01-01
De novo sequencing of tryptic peptides by post source decay (PSD) or collision induced dissociation (CID) analysis using MALDI TOF-TOF instruments is due to the easy interpretation facilitated by the introduction of N-terminal sulfonated derivatives. Recently, a stable and cheap reagent, 4...
Crabtree, Nathan; Mo, Shirley; Ong, Leon; Jegathees, Thuvarahan; Wei, Daniel; Fahey, David; Liu, Jia Jenny
2017-04-01
Introduction Comprehensive studies on the relationship between patient demographics and subsequent treatment and disposition at a single mass-gathering event are lacking. The Sydney Royal Easter Show (SRES; Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia) is an annual, 14-day, agricultural mass-gathering event occurring around the Easter weekend, attracting more than 800,000 patrons per year. In this study, patient records from the SRES were analyzed to examine relationships between weather, crowd size, day of week, and demographics on treatment and disposition. This information would help to predict factors affecting patient treatment and disposition to guide ongoing training of first responders and to evaluate the appropriateness of staffing skills mix at future events. Hypothesis Patient demographics, environmental factors, and attendance would influence the nature and severity of presentations at the SRES, which would influence staffing requirements. A retrospective analysis of 4,141 patient record forms was performed for patients who presented to St John Ambulance (Australian Capital Territory, Australia) at the SRES between 2012 and 2014 inclusive. Presentation type was classified using a previously published minimum data set. Data on weather and crowd size were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) and the SRES, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v22 (IBM; Armonk, New York USA). Between 2012 to 2014, over 2.5 million people attended the SRES with 4,141 patients treated onsite. As expected, the majority of presentations were injuries (49%) and illnesses (46%). Although patient demographics and presentation types did not change over time, the duration of treatment increased. A higher proportion of patients were discharged to hospital or home compared to the proportion of patients discharged back to the event. Patients from rural/regional locations (accounting for 15% of all patients) were
A neurophysiological training evaluation metric for air traffic management.
Borghini, G; Aricò, P; Ferri, F; Graziani, I; Pozzi, S; Napoletano, L; Imbert, J P; Granger, G; Benhacene, R; Babiloni, F
2014-01-01
The aim of this work was to analyze the possibility to apply a neuroelectrical cognitive metrics for the evaluation of the training level of subjects during the learning of a task employed by Air Traffic Controllers (ATCos). In particular, the Electroencephalogram (EEG), the Electrocardiogram (ECG) and the Electrooculogram (EOG) signals were gathered from a group of students during the execution of an Air Traffic Management (ATM) task, proposed at three different levels of difficulty. The neuroelectrical results were compared with the subjective perception of the task difficulty obtained by the NASA-TLX questionnaires. From these analyses, we suggest that the integration of information derived from the power spectral density (PSD) of the EEG signals, the heart rate (HR) and the eye-blink rate (EBR) return important quantitative information about the training level of the subjects. In particular, by focusing the analysis on the direct and inverse correlation of the frontal PSD theta (4-7 (Hz)) and HR, and of the parietal PSD alpha (10-12 (Hz)) and EBR, respectively, with the degree of mental and emotive engagement, it is possible to obtain useful information about the training improvement across the training sessions.
Automated pattern recognition system for noise analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sides, W.H. Jr.; Piety, K.R.
1980-01-01
A pattern recognition system was developed at ORNL for on-line monitoring of noise signals from sensors in a nuclear power plant. The system continuousy measures the power spectral density (PSD) values of the signals and the statistical characteristics of the PSDs in unattended operation. Through statistical comparison of current with past PSDs (pattern recognition), the system detects changes in the noise signals. Because the noise signals contain information about the current operational condition of the plant, a change in these signals could indicate a change, either normal or abnormal, in the operational condition
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cristina Duran Fernandez-Feijoo
Full Text Available Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR and rapid postnatal weight gain or catch up growth (CUG increase the susceptibility to metabolic syndrome during adult life. Longitudinal studies have also revealed a high incidence of learning difficulties in children with IUGR. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of nutrition and CUG on learning memory in an IUGR animal model. We hypothesized that synaptic protein expression and transcription, an essential mechanism for memory consolidation, might be affected by intrauterine undernutrition.IUGR was induced by 50% maternal caloric undernutrition throughout late gestation. During the suckling period, dams were either fed ad libitum or food restricted. The pups were divided into: Normal prenatal diet-Normal postnatal diet (NN, Restricted prenatal diet- Normal postnatal diet + catch up growth (RN+, Normal prenatal diet-Restricted postnatal diet (NR and Restricted prenatal diet-Restricted postnatal diet (RR. At 4 weeks of age, memory was assessed via a water maze test. To evaluate synaptic function, 2 specific synaptic proteins (postsynaptic density-95 [PSD95], synaptophysin as well as insulin receptors (IR were tested by Western Blot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and serum insulin levels were also studied.The RN+ group presented a learning curve similar to the NN animals. The RR animals without CUG showed learning disabilities. PSD95 was lower in the RR group than in the NN and RN+ mice. In contrast, synaptophysin was similar in all groups. IR showed an inverse expression pattern to that of the PSD95. In conclusion, perinatal nutrition plays an important role in learning. CUG after a period of prenatal malnutrition seems to improve learning skills. The functional alterations observed might be related to lower PSD95 activity and a possible dysfunction in the hormone regulation of synaptic plasticity.
TH-CD-201-04: A Study of Cherenkov Light Generated and Collected in Plastic Scintillation Detector
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Archambault, L [CHUQ Pavillon Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Quebec, QC (Canada); Papaconstadopoulos, P [McGill Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC (Canada); Seuntjens, J [McGill Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC (Canada); McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Bouchard, H [CHUM-Hospital Notre-Dame, Montreal, QC (Canada)
2016-06-15
Purpose: To study Cherenkov light emission in plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) from a theoretical point of view to identify situations that may arise where the calibration coefficient obtained in one condition is not applicable to another condition. By identifying problematic situations, we hope to provide guidance on how to confidently use PSDs. Methods: Cherenkov light emission in PSD was modelled using basic physical principles. In particular, changes in refractive index as a function of wavelength were accounted for using the Sellmeier empirical equation. Both electron and photon beams were considered. For photons, realistic distributions of secondary charged particles were calculated using Klein-Nishina’s formula. Cherenkov production and collection in PSDs were studied for a range of parameters including beam energy, charged particle momentum distribution, detector orientation and material composition. Finally, experimental validation was made using a commercial plastic scintillation detector. Results: In specific situations, results show that the Cherenkov spectrum coupled in the PSD can deviate from its expected behaviour (i.e. one over the square of the wavelength). In these cases were the model is realistic it is possible to see a peak wavelength instead of a monotonically decreasing function. Consequences of this phenomenon are negligible when the momentum of charged particle is distributed randomly, but in some clinically relevant cases, such as an electron beam at depth close to R50 or for photon beams with minimal scatter component, the value of the calibration coefficient can be altered. Experimental tests with electron beams showed changes in the Cherenkov light ratio, the parameter used in the calibration of PSDs, up to 2–3% depending on the PSD orientation. Conclusion: This work is the first providing a physical explanation for apparent change in PSD calibration coefficient. With this new information at hand, it will be possible to
Teye, Kwesi; Hamada, Takahiro; Krol, Rafal P; Numata, Sanae; Ishii, Norito; Matsuda, Mitsuhiro; Ohata, Chika; Furumura, Minao; Hashimoto, Takashi
2014-07-01
Peeling skin syndrome (PSS) is a rare autosomal recessive form of ichthyosis showing skin exfoliation. PSS is divided into acral and generalized PSS, and the latter is further classified into non-inflammatory type (PSS type A) and inflammatory type (PSS type B). PSS type B is now called peeling skin disease (PSD). Different loss-of-function mutations in the corneodesmosin (CDSN) gene have been reported to cause PSD. The aim of this study was to determine genetic basis of disease in a 14-year-old Japanese patient with PSD. Immunohistochemical study showed lack of corneodesmosin (CDSN) in the skin, and standard PCR for genomic DNA failed to amplify CDSN product, suggesting CDSN defect. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and genomic quantitative real-time PCR analyses detected large homozygous deletion of 59,184bp extending from 40.6kb upstream to 13.2kb downstream of CDSN, which included 6 genes (TCF19, CCHCR1, PSORS1C2, PSORS1C1, CDSN and C6orf15). The continuous gene lost did not result in additional clinical features. Inverted repeats with 85% similarity flanking the deletion breakpoint were considered to mediate the deletion by non-homologous end joining or fork stalling and template switching/microhomology-mediated break-induced replication. Parents were clinically unaffected and were heterozygote carriers of the same deletion, which was absent in 284 ethnically matched control alleles. We also developed simple PCR method, which is useful for detection of this deletion. Although 5 other genes were also deleted, homozygous deletion of CDSN was considered to be responsible for this PSD. Copyright © 2014 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Analysis of tokamak plasma confinement modes using the fast Fourier transformation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mirmoeini, S.R.; Salar Elahi, A.; Ghoranneviss, M.
2016-01-01
The Fourier analysis is a satisfactory technique for detecting plasma confinement modes in tokamaks. The confinement mode of tokamak plasma was analysed using the fast Fourier transformation (FFT). For this purpose, we used the data of Mirnov coils that is one of the identifying tools in the IR-T1 tokamak, with and without external field (electric biasing), and then compared it with each other. After the Fourier analysis of Mirnov coil data, the diagram of power spectrum density was depicted in different angles of Mirnov coils in the 'presence of external field' as well as in the 'absence of external field'. The power spectrum density (PSD) interprets the manner of power distribution of a signal with frequency. In this article, the number of plasma modes and the safety factor q were obtained by using the mode number of q = m/n (m is the mode number). The maximum MHD activity was obtained in 30-35 kHz frequency, using the density of the energy spectrum. In addition, the number of different modes across 0-35 ms time was compared with each other in the presence and absence of the external field. (author)
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jørgensen, Christoffer C; Knop, Joachim; Nordentoft, Merete
2015-01-01
BACKGROUND: Psychiatric disorder (PsD) is rarely considered when evaluating perioperative risk factors. Studies on PsD are often limited by use of administrative coding, incomplete follow-up, and lack of preoperative data on psychopharmacological treatment. METHODS: A multicenter study with prosp......BACKGROUND: Psychiatric disorder (PsD) is rarely considered when evaluating perioperative risk factors. Studies on PsD are often limited by use of administrative coding, incomplete follow-up, and lack of preoperative data on psychopharmacological treatment. METHODS: A multicenter study...... inhibitors (SSRIs), 31.6% used other antidepressants, 8.5% used a combination, and 16.5% used antipsychotics. PsD was associated with increased risk of LOS more than 4 days (16.5 vs. 7.3%; odds ratio, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.52 to 2.37), regardless of treatment with SSRIs (2.19; 1.62 to 2.97), other antidepressants...... (2.24; 1.51 to 3.32 and 1.82; 1.27 to 2.61), and antipsychotics (1.85; 1.03 to 3.31, 30 days only). In PsD patients, pain (1.4%), postoperative anemia (1.1%), and pulmonary complications (1.1%) were the most frequent causes of LOS more than 4 days. Hip displacements (2.8%) and falls (1.9%) were...
Positive semidefinite matrix completion, universal rigidity and the Strong Arnold Property
M. Laurent (Monique); A. Varvitsiotis (Antonios)
2014-01-01
htmlabstractThis paper addresses the following three topics: positive semidefinite (psd) matrix completions, universal rigidity of frameworks, and the Strong Arnold Property (SAP). We show some strong connections among these topics, using semidefinite programming as unifying theme. Our main
Equating spatial summation in visual field testing reveals greater loss in optic nerve disease.
Kalloniatis, Michael; Khuu, Sieu K
2016-07-01
To test the hypothesis that visual field assessment in ocular disease measured with target stimuli within or close to complete spatial summation results in larger threshold elevation compared to when measured with the standard Goldmann III target size. The hypothesis predicts a greater loss will be identified in ocular disease. Additionally, we sought to develop a theoretical framework that would allow comparisons of thresholds with disease progression when using different Goldmann targets. The Humphrey Field Analyser (HFA) 30-2 grid was used in 13 patients with early/established optic nerve disease using the current Goldmann III target size or a combination of the three smallest stimuli (target size I, II and III). We used data from control subjects at each of the visual field locations for the different target sizes to establish the number of failed points (events) for the patients with optic nerve disease, as well as global indices for mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD). The 30-2 visual field testing using alternate target size stimuli showed that all 13 patients displayed more defects (events) compared to the standard Goldmann III target size. The median increase for events was seven additional failed points: (range 1-26). The global indices also increased when the new testing approach was used (MD -3.47 to -6.25 dB and PSD 4.32 to 6.63 dB). Spatial summation mapping showed an increase in critical area (Ac) in disease and overall increase in thresholds when smaller target stimuli were used. When compared to the current Goldmann III paradigm, the use of alternate sized targets within the 30-2 testing protocol revealed a greater loss in patients with optic nerve disease for both event analysis and global indices (MD and PSD). We therefore provide evidence in a clinical setting that target size is important in visual field testing. © 2016 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2016 The College of Optometrists.
Area Handbook Series: Chile: A Country Study
1982-05-01
Independent Popular Action (Acci6n Popular Independiente -API). By 1973 the PSD had withdrawn from the coalition, while a leftist splinter from the Christian...the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Dem- ocratica - PSD); and Independent Popular Action (Acci6n Popular Independiente -API). By 1973 the PSD...powerful and politically sensitive post . Prats and the others served in these positions until March 1973. The departure of the military officers from the
PSD permit compliance strategies
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cassada, J.; Astruc, S.
1993-01-01
Old Dominion is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative owned by and serving twelve member electric distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. These member cooperatives purchase from Old Dominion all the electric power they supply to over 345,000 member consumers. In 1988, Old Dominion evaluated its long term power needs, and the fact that 300 Megawatts (MW) of base power would have to be replaced by the end of 1994. A power supply alternative study was conducted, and concluded that the interests of the cooperative members would best be served through the construction of a conventional pulverized coal-fired generating units. After comprehensive evaluation and negotiations, Old Dominion signed a contract in April, 1989 with the Consortium of Combustion Engineering, H. B. Zachry, Black ampersand Veatch and Westinghouse for the turnkey construction of a 393 MW coal-fired facility. The contract included an option to build a second twin unit. This option was exercised in August, 1989, when Virginia Power joined Old Dominion as 50% partners in the Clover Project. The partnership agreement stipulates that Old Dominion is responsible for the licensing and construction of the plant and Virginia Power will be responsible for operations
Online Italian fandoms of American TV shows
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eleonora Benecchi
2015-06-01
Full Text Available The Internet has changed media fandom in two main ways: it helps fans connect with each other despite physical distance, leading to the formation of international fan communities; and it helps fans connect with the creators of the TV show, deepening the relationship between TV producers and international fandoms. To assess whether Italian fan communities active online are indeed part of transnational online communities and whether the Internet has actually altered their relationship with the creators of the original text they are devoted to, qualitative analysis and narrative interviews of 26 Italian fans of American TV shows were conducted to explore the fan-producer relationship. Results indicated that the online Italian fans surveyed preferred to stay local, rather than using geography-leveling online tools. Further, the sampled Italian fans' relationships with the show runners were mediated or even absent.
Dimitriadis, Alexis; Palmer, Antony L; Thomas, Russell A S; Nisbet, Andrew; Clark, Catharine H
2017-06-01
To adapt and validate an anthropomorphic head phantom for use in a cranial radiosurgery audit. Two bespoke inserts were produced for the phantom: one for providing the target and organ at risk for delineation and the other for performing dose measurements. The inserts were tested to assess their positional accuracy. A basic treatment plan dose verification with an ionization chamber was performed to establish a baseline accuracy for the phantom and beam model. The phantom and inserts were then used to perform dose verification measurements of a radiosurgery plan. The dose was measured with alanine pellets, EBT extended dose film and a plastic scintillation detector (PSD). Both inserts showed reproducible positioning (±0.5 mm) and good positional agreement between them (±0.6 mm). The basic treatment plan measurements showed agreement to the treatment planning system (TPS) within 0.5%. Repeated film measurements showed consistent gamma passing rates with good agreement to the TPS. For 2%-2 mm global gamma, the mean passing rate was 96.7% and the variation in passing rates did not exceed 2.1%. The alanine pellets and PSD showed good agreement with the TPS (-0.1% and 0.3% dose difference in the target) and good agreement with each other (within 1%). The adaptations to the phantom showed acceptable accuracies. The presence of alanine and PSD do not affect film measurements significantly, enabling simultaneous measurements by all three detectors. Advances in knowledge: A novel method for thorough end-to-end test of radiosurgery, with capability to incorporate all steps of the clinical pathway in a time-efficient and reproducible manner, suitable for a national audit.
On the Decay Ratio Determination in BWR Stability Analysis by Auto-Correlation Function Techniques
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Behringer, K.; Hennig, D.
2002-11-01
A novel auto-correlation function (ACF) method has been investigated for determining the oscillation frequency and the decay ratio in BWR stability analyses. The neutron signals are band-pass filtered to separate the oscillation peak in the power spectral density (PSD) from background. Two linear second-order oscillation models are considered. These models, corrected for signal filtering and including a background term under the peak in the PSD, are then least-squares fitted to the ACF of the previously filtered neutron signal, in order to determine the oscillation frequency and the decay ratio. Our method uses fast Fourier transform techniques with signal segmentation for filtering and ACF estimation. Gliding 'short-term' ACF estimates on a record allow the evaluation of uncertainties. Numerical results are given which have been obtained from neutron data of the recent Forsmark I and Forsmark II NEA benchmark project. Our results are compared with those obtained by other participants in the benchmark project. The present PSI report is an extended version of the publication K. Behringer, D. Hennig 'A novel auto-correlation function method for the determination of the decay ratio in BWR stability studies' (Behringer, Hennig, 2002)
Positive semidefinite matrix completion, universal rigidity and the Strong Arnold Property
Laurent, Monique; Varvitsiotis, A.
This paper addresses the following three topics: positive semidefinite (psd) matrix completions, universal rigidity of frameworks, and the Strong Arnold Property (SAP). We show some strong connections among these topics, using semidefinite programming as unifying theme. Our main contribution is a
Detection of fission signatures induced by a low-energy neutron source
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ocherashvili, A.; Becka, A.; Mayorovb, V.; Roesgen, E.; Crochemoreb, J.-M.; Mosconi, M.; Pedersen, B.; Heger, C.
2015-01-01
We present a method for the detection of special nuclear materials (SNM) in shielded containers which is both sensitive and applicable under field conditions. The method uses an external pulsed neutron source to induce fission in SNM and subsequent detection of the fast prompt fission neutrons. The detectors surrounding the container under investigation are liquid scintillation detectors able to distinguish gamma rays from fast neutrons by means of the pulse shape discrimination method (PSD). One advantage of these detectors, besides the ability for PSD analysis, is that the analogue signal from a detection event is of very short duration (typically few tens of nanoseconds). This allows the use of very short coincidence gates for the detection of the prompt fission neutrons in multiple detectors while benefiting from a low accidental (background) coincidence rate yielding a low detection limit. Another principle advantage of this method derives from the fact that the external neutron source is pulsed. By proper time gating the interrogation can be conducted by epithermal and thermal source neutrons only. These source neutrons do not appear in the fast neutron signal following the PSD analysis thus providing a fundamental method for separating the interrogating source neutrons from the sample response in form of fast fission neutrons. The paper describes laboratory tests with a configuration of eight detectors in the Pulsed Neutron Interrogation Test Assembly (PUNITA). The sensitivity of the coincidence signal to fissile mass is investigated for different sample configurations and interrogation regimes.
Particle size distribution control of Pt particles used for particle gun
Ichiji, M.; Akiba, H.; Nagao, H.; Hirasawa, I.
2017-07-01
The purpose of this study is particle size distribution (PSD) control of submicron sized Pt particles used for particle gun. In this report, simple reaction crystallization is conducted by mixing H2PtCl6 and ascorbic acid. Without the additive, obtained Pt particles have broad PSD and reproducibility of experiment is low. With seeding, Pt particles have narrow PSD and reproducibility improved. Additionally, mean particle diameter of 100-700 nm is controlled by changing seeding amount. Obtained particles are successfully characterized as Pt by XRD results. Moreover, XRD spectra indicate that obtained particles are polycrystals. These experimental results suggest that seeding consumed nucleation, as most nuclei attached on the seed surface. This mechanism virtually restricted nucleation to have narrow PSD can be obtained.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christian Benedict
2016-12-01
Full Text Available Objective: Changes to the microbial community in the human gut have been proposed to promote metabolic disturbances that also occur after short periods of sleep loss (including insulin resistance. However, whether sleep loss affects the gut microbiota remains unknown. Methods: In a randomized within-subject crossover study utilizing a standardized in-lab protocol (with fixed meal times and exercise schedules, we studied nine normal-weight men at two occasions: after two nights of partial sleep deprivation (PSD; sleep opportunity 02:45–07:00 h, and after two nights of normal sleep (NS; sleep opportunity 22:30–07:00 h. Fecal samples were collected within 24 h before, and after two in-lab nights, of either NS or PSD. In addition, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test following each sleep intervention. Results: Microbiota composition analysis (V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that after two days of PSD vs. after two days of NS, individuals exhibited an increased Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio, higher abundances of the families Coriobacteriaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, and lower abundance of Tenericutes (all P < 0.05 – previously all associated with metabolic perturbations in animal or human models. However, no PSD vs. NS effect on beta diversity or on fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations was found. Fasting and postprandial insulin sensitivity decreased after PSD vs. NS (all P < 0.05. Discussion: Our findings demonstrate that short-term sleep loss induces subtle effects on human microbiota. To what extent the observed changes to the microbial community contribute to metabolic consequences of sleep loss warrants further investigations in larger and more prolonged sleep studies, to also assess how sleep loss impacts the microbiota in individuals who already are metabolically compromised. Author Video: Author Video Watch what authors say about their articles Keywords: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Insulin resistance
Characteristics of turbulent particle transport in human airways under steady and cyclic flows
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jedelsky, Jan; Lizal, Frantisek; Jicha, Miroslav
2012-01-01
Highlights: ► PDA data allow to estimate PSD of particle velocity fluctuations in realistic model. ► PSD of micron-sized particles is independent of their size up to 700 Hz. ► Such particles follow air flow and turb. diffusion contributes to their deposition. ► Cyclic flow PSDs contain more TKE at high freq. than equivalent steady-flow PSDs. ► Exp. breathing phase differs from insp. phase at high frequency part of the spectra. - Abstract: Motion of monodispersed aerosol particles suspended in air flow has been studied on realistic transparent model of human airways using Phase Doppler Particle Analyser (P/DPA). Time-resolved velocity data for particles in size range 1–8 μm were processed using Fuzzy Slotting Technique to estimate the power spectral density (PSD) of velocity fluctuations. The optimum processing setup for our data was found and recommendations for future experiments to improve PSD quality were suggested. Typical PSD plots at mainstream positions of the trachea and the upper bronchi are documented and differences among (1) steady-flow regimes and equivalent cyclic breathing regimes, (2) inspiration and expiration breathing phase and (3) behaviour of particles of different sizes are described in several positions of the airway model. Systematically higher level of velocity fluctuations in the upper part of the frequency range (30–500 Hz) was found for cyclic flows in comparison with corresponding steady flows. Expiratory flows in both the steady and cyclic cases produce more high-frequency fluctuations compared to inspiratory flows. Negligible differences were found for flow of particles in the inspected size range 1–8 μm at frequencies below 500 Hz. This finding was explained by Stokes number analysis. Implied match of the air and particle flows thereby indicates turbulent diffusion as important deposition mechanism and confirms the capability to use the P/DPA data as the air flow velocity estimate.
2011-12-30
...) program that would correct certain outdated language that currently limits EPA's ability to delegate the... consistency with the current Federal PSD regulatory requirements by allowing the EPA to delegate the PSD...
Characterization and extraction of the synaptic apposition surface for synaptic geometry analysis
Morales, Juan; Rodríguez, Angel; Rodríguez, José-Rodrigo; DeFelipe, Javier; Merchán-Pérez, Angel
2013-01-01
Geometrical features of chemical synapses are relevant to their function. Two critical components of the synaptic junction are the active zone (AZ) and the postsynaptic density (PSD), as they are related to the probability of synaptic release and the number of postsynaptic receptors, respectively. Morphological studies of these structures are greatly facilitated by the use of recent electron microscopy techniques, such as combined focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), and software tools that permit reconstruction of large numbers of synapses in three dimensions. Since the AZ and the PSD are in close apposition and have a similar surface area, they can be represented by a single surface—the synaptic apposition surface (SAS). We have developed an efficient computational technique to automatically extract this surface from synaptic junctions that have previously been three-dimensionally reconstructed from actual tissue samples imaged by automated FIB/SEM. Given its relationship with the release probability and the number of postsynaptic receptors, the surface area of the SAS is a functionally relevant measure of the size of a synapse that can complement other geometrical features like the volume of the reconstructed synaptic junction, the equivalent ellipsoid size and the Feret's diameter. PMID:23847474
The Last Gender Picture Show to Closure Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sven Grampp
2016-03-01
Full Text Available This work presents in (and especially on one detail what it means to practice gender analysis as formal image analysis in the context of television shows. The chosen example for that is the closing scene of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (USA 1997-2003. This television show engages in a highly self-reflexive manner with common pop cultural representations of gender, which becomes particularly prevalent and radically condensed in the series finale.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ludwina Van Son
2004-12-01
Full Text Available In this analysis we have chosen a recent French talk show to illustrate how communication is turned into some new kind of "ideology"nowadays: in other words, you have to communicate if you consider yourself a citizen of today's world. The main characteristic of issue-centered talk shows being the destabilization of the implicit rules and participation framework, we observe how the so-called democratic right to express ourselves is (misused by the talk show host to secure the dynamics of the show. In order to reveal the host's manipulations, we have examined the verbal interactions between host and guests on the following issues: topic choice, turn-taking mechanisms and identity construction of the talk show's guests. In the perspective that this kind of talk show presents itself as a public space where direct democracy can be exercised, the analysis of the discursive strategies of the talk show host reveals the impact of a mediatic participation framework.Para a presente análise escolhemos um "talk show" francês recente para ilustrar como a comunicação se transforma em um novo tipo de ideologia: em outras palavras, você deve se comunicar se você se considera um cidadão do mundo de hoje. Sendo a principal característica do talk show a desestabilização das regras implícitas e o framework de participação, observamos como o tal direito democrático de expressão é interpretado pelo apresentador para manter a dinâmica do programa. Para revelar suas manipulações, examinamos as interações verbais entre apresentador e convidados nos seguintes temas: escolha do tópico, mecanismos de tomada de turno e construção de identidade dos convidados. É nessa perspectiva que este tipo de programa se apresenta como um espaço público onde a democracia direta pode ser exercitada; a análise das estratégias discursivas do apresentador do talk show revela o impacto de um framework de participação mediada.
The effect of mechanical stress on lateral-effect position-sensitive detector characteristics
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Andersson, H.A. [Department of Information Technology and Media, Mid-Sweden University, SE-85170 Sundsvall (Sweden)]. E-mail: Henrik.Andersson@miun.se; Mattsson, C.G. [Department of Information Technology and Media, Mid-Sweden University, SE-85170 Sundsvall (Sweden); Thungstroem, G. [Department of Information Technology and Media, Mid-Sweden University, SE-85170 Sundsvall (Sweden); Lundgren, A. [SiTek Electro Optics, Ogaerdesvaegen 13A 433 30 Partille (Sweden); Nilsson, H.-E. [Department of Information Technology and Media, Mid-Sweden University, SE-85170 Sundsvall (Sweden)
2006-07-01
Position-sensitive detectors (PSDs) are widely used in noncontact measurement systems. In order to minimize the size of such systems, interest has increased in mounting the PSD chip directly onto printed circuit boards (PCBs). Stress may be induced in the PSD because of the large differences in thermal expansion coefficients, as well as the long-term geometrical stability of the chip packaging. Mechanical stress has previously been shown to have an effect on the performance of semiconductors. The accuracy, or linearity, of a lateral effect PSD is largely dependent on the homogeneity of the resistive layer. Variations of the resistivity over the active area of the PSD will result in an uneven distribution of photo-generated current, and hence an error in the readout position. In this work experiments were performed to investigate the influence of anisotropic mechanical stress in terms of nonlinearity. PSD chips of 60x3 mm active area were subjected, respectively, to different amounts of compressive and tensile stress to determine the influence on the linearity.
Dorshow, Richard B.; Kofi Adzamli, I.; Nosco, Dennis L.; Joslin, Frederick L.
1996-03-01
Particulate contrast agents for blood pool imaging need to be constructed with the appropriate particle size distribution (PSD), and need to be resistant to opsonization. Hence, the PSD of an aqueous colloidal suspension of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-stabilized manganese hydroxylapatite (potentially useful as a magnetic resonance contrast agent for blood pool imaging) has been investigated as a function of PEG concentration and molecular weight. At low PEG concentrations, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and sedimentation field flow fractionation measurements yield a broad PSD, with the largest particle diameters near 100nm. Flow field flow fractionation (FlFFF) measurements, however, yield a distinct population near 10nm, which is not readily detectable by the other two techniques. As the PEG concentration is increased, the PSD shifts toward the lower size population. At the highest PEG concentration employed, only particles of diameter 10nm remain, verified by both FlFFF and DLS. Thus, the search for an optimum PSD for blood pool imaging is facilitated by choice of PEG molecular weight and concentration, and by employing complementary use of light scattering and field flow fractionation techniques.
Brum, Jennifer R; Schenck, Ryan O; Sullivan, Matthew B
2013-09-01
Viruses influence oceanic ecosystems by causing mortality of microorganisms, altering nutrient and organic matter flux via lysis and auxiliary metabolic gene expression and changing the trajectory of microbial evolution through horizontal gene transfer. Limited host range and differing genetic potential of individual virus types mean that investigations into the types of viruses that exist in the ocean and their spatial distribution throughout the world's oceans are critical to understanding the global impacts of marine viruses. Here we evaluate viral morphological characteristics (morphotype, capsid diameter and tail length) using a quantitative transmission electron microscopy (qTEM) method across six of the world's oceans and seas sampled through the Tara Oceans Expedition. Extensive experimental validation of the qTEM method shows that neither sample preservation nor preparation significantly alters natural viral morphological characteristics. The global sampling analysis demonstrated that morphological characteristics did not vary consistently with depth (surface versus deep chlorophyll maximum waters) or oceanic region. Instead, temperature, salinity and oxygen concentration, but not chlorophyll a concentration, were more explanatory in evaluating differences in viral assemblage morphological characteristics. Surprisingly, given that the majority of cultivated bacterial viruses are tailed, non-tailed viruses appear to numerically dominate the upper oceans as they comprised 51-92% of the viral particles observed. Together, these results document global marine viral morphological characteristics, show that their minimal variability is more explained by environmental conditions than geography and suggest that non-tailed viruses might represent the most ecologically important targets for future research.
[Two simple questions to diagnose post-stroke depression].
Nolte, C H; Müller-Nordhorn, J; Jungehülsing, G J; Rossnagel, K; Reich, A; Roll, S; Laumeier, I; Beerfelde, D; Willich, S N; Villringer, A
2006-05-01
Many patients develop a depression after having suffered a stroke. Such a Post-Stroke Depression (PSD) impairs rehabilitation and quality of life. PSD is underdiagnosed in spite of available treatment. Several questionnaires have been created to diagnose a PSD. But questionnaires have been considered cumbersome and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to find out whether two simple, standardised questions will identify those stroke patients, who have developed a PSD. The two case-finding questions and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were sent to patients of the Berlin Acute Stroke Study (BASS) four years after their stroke. Incomplete questionnaires were complemented via mail or telephone. Severity of depression was assessed by means of BDI. Out of 211 patients, 199 responded to the questionnaire (94 %). 193 questionnaires were complete (97 %). Forty-two patients affirmed both case-finding questions (22 %). Compared to patients, who did not affirm both questions, these patients had a higher BDI score (19 +/- 8 vs. 7 +/- 5; p two questions were 89 % and 90 %, respectively. The positive and negative predictive value were 60 % and 98 % respectively. The number of confirmed questions (0, 1, 2) correlated well with the BDI score (r (2) = 0.67, p Two standardized questions can identify patients with PSD for further diagnostic evaluation and therapy. Diagnosis of PSD might be facilitated by using them as screening instrument.
Olukolade, Olugbemi; Osinowo, Helen O
2017-01-01
Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common complication after stroke. There is no adequate treatment for PSD. This study examined efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) in the treatment of PSD among stroke survivors. An experimental design, 30 participants with poststroke depression were randomly assigned into 3 groups of cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT), psychoeducation (PE), and the control group (CG). CRT consisted of nine sessions with three-phased sessions focusing on activity stimulation, negative thoughts, and people contacts, PE consisted of nine sessions focusing on knowledge on stroke and poststroke depression, and the CG group was on the waiting list. The BDI scale was used for assessing PSD at posttest. There was a significant difference in the efficacy of CRT, PE, and the CG on PSD, with CRT-CG mean difference of -9.4 ± 3.11 and PE-CG 1.0 ± 3.83. Furthermore, stress was not a confounding variable on the efficacy of CRT. The type of therapy significantly influenced PSD at posttest, with the CRT having greater mean reduction to CG (-11.1 ± 3.1) than PE to the CG (3.0 ± 3.8). Cognitive rehabilitation therapy significantly reduced poststroke depression. Hence, it should be integrated as an adjunct treatment of poststroke depression.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chang-Gyu Hahn
Full Text Available Recent molecular genetics studies have suggested various trans-synaptic processes for pathophysiologic mechanisms of neuropsychiatric illnesses. Examination of pre- and post-synaptic scaffolds in the brains of patients would greatly aid further investigation, yet such an approach in human postmortem tissue has yet to be tested. We have examined three methods using density gradient based purification of synaptosomes followed by detergent extraction (Method 1 and the pH based differential extraction of synaptic membranes (Methods 2 and 3. All three methods separated fractions from human postmortem brains that were highly enriched in typical PSD proteins, almost to the exclusion of pre-synaptic proteins. We examined these fractions using electron microscopy (EM and verified the integrity of the synaptic membrane and PSD fractions derived from human postmortem brain tissues. We analyzed protein composition of the PSD fractions using two dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (2D LC-MS/MS and observed known PSD proteins by mass spectrometry. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot studies revealed that expected protein-protein interactions and certain posttranscriptional modulations were maintained in PSD fractions. Our results demonstrate that PSD fractions can be isolated from human postmortem brain tissues with a reasonable degree of integrity. This approach may foster novel postmortem brain research paradigms in which the stoichiometry and protein composition of specific microdomains are examined.
System for Automatic Detection and Analysis of Targets in FMICW Radar Signal
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Rejfek, Luboš; Mošna, Zbyšek; Urbář, Jaroslav; Koucká Knížová, Petra
2016-01-01
Roč. 67, č. 1 (2016), s. 36-41 ISSN 1335-3632 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP209/12/2440; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-24688S Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : power spectral density (PSD) * FMICW radar * Doppler measurement * thresholding * false alert detection Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 0.483, year: 2016 http://iris.elf.stuba.sk/JEEEC/data/pdf/1_116-05.pdf
Statistical algorithm for automated signature analysis of power spectral density data
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Piety, K.R.
1977-01-01
A statistical algorithm has been developed and implemented on a minicomputer system for on-line, surveillance applications. Power spectral density (PSD) measurements on process signals are the performance signatures that characterize the ''health'' of the monitored equipment. Statistical methods provide a quantitative basis for automating the detection of anomalous conditions. The surveillance algorithm has been tested on signals from neutron sensors, proximeter probes, and accelerometers to determine its potential for monitoring nuclear reactors and rotating machinery
Data acquisition system for linear position sensitive detector based neutron diffractometer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pande, S.S.; Borkar, S.P.; Behere, A.; Prafulla, S.; Srivastava, V.D.; Mukhopadhyaya, P.K.; Ghodgaonkar, M.D.; Kataria, S.K.
2003-03-01
This data acquisition system is developed to serve the requirements of various linear 1PSD based neutron diffractometers. A neutron diffractometer uses a neutron beam as a probe to study the crystallographic properties of materials. Presently two multi-PSD and two single-PSD diffractometers are commissioned and a few more are being installed in Dhruva. This data acquisition system is installed at each of these - diffractometers. Different requirements of individual diffractometers were studied and reconciled to design a single data acquisition system, which can be easily configured or customized for individual setups. The charge division in a linear PSD is converted to a position output with the help of an RDC (Ratio ADC). The ftont-end electronics, which consist of preamplifiers and shaping amplifiers, provide an interface between a PSD and an RDC. A PC add-on card is designed around a Transputer. It can interface 16 RDCs, a few motor controls and on/off controls. Data acquisition and other controls are implemented in the Transputer program. A front-end Windows98 application merges the raw data of different RDCs to obtain the equiangular data. Through software the data acquisition system can be configured for diffetent diffractometers. Commercially available hardware is also integrated as,a part of the data acquisition system in some of the setups. The data acquisition system is working reliably as a part of two single PSD and two multi-PSD diffractometers. It can handle data rates upto 15 K/Sec without any loss of counts. It has played a significant role in providing improved throughput and utilization ofvarious diffractometers. The'data acquisition system and its different applications are presented in this report. (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kelly, Brandon C. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9530 (United States); Becker, Andrew C. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, P.O. Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195-1580 (United States); Sobolewska, Malgosia [Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Bartycka 18, 00-716, Warsaw (Poland); Siemiginowska, Aneta [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Uttley, Phil [Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands)
2014-06-10
We present the use of continuous-time autoregressive moving average (CARMA) models as a method for estimating the variability features of a light curve, and in particular its power spectral density (PSD). CARMA models fully account for irregular sampling and measurement errors, making them valuable for quantifying variability, forecasting and interpolating light curves, and variability-based classification. We show that the PSD of a CARMA model can be expressed as a sum of Lorentzian functions, which makes them extremely flexible and able to model a broad range of PSDs. We present the likelihood function for light curves sampled from CARMA processes, placing them on a statistically rigorous foundation, and we present a Bayesian method to infer the probability distribution of the PSD given the measured light curve. Because calculation of the likelihood function scales linearly with the number of data points, CARMA modeling scales to current and future massive time-domain data sets. We conclude by applying our CARMA modeling approach to light curves for an X-ray binary, two active galactic nuclei, a long-period variable star, and an RR Lyrae star in order to illustrate their use, applicability, and interpretation.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bang-lin Luo
Full Text Available As a fundamental characteristic of soil physical properties, the soil Particle Size Distribution (PSD is important in the research on soil moisture migration, solution transformation, and soil erosion. In this research, the PSD characteristics with distinct methods in different land uses are analyzed. The results show that the upper bound of the volume domain of the clay domain ranges from 5.743 μm to 5.749 μm for all land-use types. For the silt domain of purple soil, the value ranges among 286.852~286.966 μm. For all purple soil land-use types, the order of the volume domain fractal dimensions is D clayD silt(U>D sand (U>D sand and D silt>D silt(U>D sand>D sand(U, respectively. As it is compared with all Dvi, the D silt has the most significant correlativity to the soil texture and organic matter in different land uses of the typical purple soil watersheds. Therefore, Dsilt will be a potential indictor for evaluating the proportion of fine particles in the PSD, as well as a key measurement in soil quality and productivity studies.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kelly, Brandon C.; Becker, Andrew C.; Sobolewska, Malgosia; Siemiginowska, Aneta; Uttley, Phil
2014-01-01
We present the use of continuous-time autoregressive moving average (CARMA) models as a method for estimating the variability features of a light curve, and in particular its power spectral density (PSD). CARMA models fully account for irregular sampling and measurement errors, making them valuable for quantifying variability, forecasting and interpolating light curves, and variability-based classification. We show that the PSD of a CARMA model can be expressed as a sum of Lorentzian functions, which makes them extremely flexible and able to model a broad range of PSDs. We present the likelihood function for light curves sampled from CARMA processes, placing them on a statistically rigorous foundation, and we present a Bayesian method to infer the probability distribution of the PSD given the measured light curve. Because calculation of the likelihood function scales linearly with the number of data points, CARMA modeling scales to current and future massive time-domain data sets. We conclude by applying our CARMA modeling approach to light curves for an X-ray binary, two active galactic nuclei, a long-period variable star, and an RR Lyrae star in order to illustrate their use, applicability, and interpretation.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chen Niu
Full Text Available Brain plasticity is often associated with the process of slow-growing tumor formation, which remodels neural organization and optimizes brain network function. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether motor function plasticity would display deficits in patients with slow-growing brain tumors located in or near motor areas, but who were without motor neurological deficits. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to probe motor networks in 15 patients with histopathologically confirmed brain gliomas and 15 age-matched healthy controls. All subjects performed a motor task to help identify individual motor activity in the bilateral primary motor cortex (PMC and supplementary motor area (SMA. Frequency-based analysis at three different frequencies was then used to investigate possible alterations in the power spectral density (PSD of low-frequency oscillations. For each group, the average PSD was determined for each brain region and a nonparametric test was performed to determine the difference in power between the two groups. Significantly reduced inter-hemispheric functional connectivity between the left and right PMC was observed in patients compared with controls (P<0.05. We also found significantly decreased PSD in patients compared to that in controls, in all three frequency bands (low: 0.01-0.02 Hz; middle: 0.02-0.06 Hz; and high: 0.06-0.1 Hz, at three key motor regions. These findings suggest that in asymptomatic patients with brain tumors located in eloquent regions, inter-hemispheric connection may be more vulnerable. A comparison of the two approaches indicated that power spectral analysis is more sensitive than functional connectivity analysis for identifying the neurological abnormalities underlying motor function plasticity induced by slow-growing tumors.
Bayesian analysis of repairable systems showing a bounded failure intensity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Guida, Maurizio; Pulcini, Gianpaolo
2006-01-01
The failure pattern of repairable mechanical equipment subject to deterioration phenomena sometimes shows a finite bound for the increasing failure intensity. A non-homogeneous Poisson process with bounded increasing failure intensity is then illustrated and its characteristics are discussed. A Bayesian procedure, based on prior information on model-free quantities, is developed in order to allow technical information on the failure process to be incorporated into the inferential procedure and to improve the inference accuracy. Posterior estimation of the model-free quantities and of other quantities of interest (such as the optimal replacement interval) is provided, as well as prediction on the waiting time to the next failure and on the number of failures in a future time interval is given. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed inferential procedure
Paid sick days and stay-at-home behavior for influenza
Piper, Kaitlin; Youk, Ada; James, A. Everette; Kumar, Supriya
2017-01-01
Access to paid sick days (PSD) differs by workplace size, race/ethnicity, gender, and income in the United States. It is not known to what extent decisions to stay home from work when sick with infectious illnesses such as influenza depend on PSD access, and whether access impacts certain demographic groups more than others. We examined demographic and workplace characteristics (including access to PSD) associated with employees' decisions to stay home from work for their own or a child's ill...
Paid sick days and stay-at-home behavior for influenza.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kaitlin Piper
Full Text Available Access to paid sick days (PSD differs by workplace size, race/ethnicity, gender, and income in the United States. It is not known to what extent decisions to stay home from work when sick with infectious illnesses such as influenza depend on PSD access, and whether access impacts certain demographic groups more than others. We examined demographic and workplace characteristics (including access to PSD associated with employees' decisions to stay home from work for their own or a child's illness. Linking the 2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS consolidated data file to the medical conditions file, we used multivariate Poisson regression models with robust variance estimates to identify factors associated with missed work for an employee's own or a child's illness/injury, influenza-like-illness (ILI, and influenza. Controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, education, and income, access to PSD was associated with a higher probability of staying home for an employee's own illness/injury, ILI, or influenza, and for a child's illness/injury. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with a lower prevalence of staying home for the employee's own or a child's illness compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Access to PSD was associated with a significantly greater increase in the probability of staying home among Hispanics than among non-Hispanic Whites. Women had a significantly higher probability of staying home for their child's illness compared to men, suggesting that women remain the primary caregivers for ill children. Our results indicate that PSD access is important to encourage employees to stay home from work when sick with ILI or influenza. Also, PSD access may be important to enable stay-at-home behavior among Hispanics. We conclude that access to PSD is likely to reduce the spread of disease in workplaces by increasing the rate at which sick employees stay home from work, and reduce the economic burden of staying home on minorities, women, and
Imaging and clinical characteristics of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
HAN Shun-chang
2013-04-01
Full Text Available Five patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD presented rapidly progressive dementia which were subacute onset from 1 to 4 months. Among these cases, periodic synchronous discharge (PSD of electroencephalography (EEG was seen in 2 patients. Besides, 4 patients obtained positive results in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF analysis for 14-3-3 protein. The cranial MRI examination showed symmetrical or asymmetrical colored-ribbon-shaped high signals in cerebral cortex or basal ganglia by diffusion weighted imaging (DWI, suggesting that DWI had high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of sCJD as a preferred method in the clinical examination of sCJD.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
MARÍA CLARA RODRÍGUEZ DÍAZ
2006-05-01
Full Text Available In this paper, an analysis is made on the efficacy of a structured group program in emotional, cognitiveand social coping skills for the treatment of a sample of adults and adolescents that developedposttraumatic stress disorder after a forced displacement situation. The participants completed a 10-session intervention including pre and post assessments about the severity level of the symptoms usingthe PSD scale (Foa, 1995 and an additional measure one month after. The results showed significantimprovements in symptoms in both groups and in each one of the possible comparisons. Recoveryshows that the decrease in the severity level of symptoms affects the functioning level positively.
Sarı, Ahmet; Alkan, Cemil; Biçer, Alper
2016-05-01
In this study, PMMA/heneicosane (C21) and PMMA/octacosane (C28) micro-nano capsules were fabricated via emulsion polymerisation method. The chemical structures of the fabricated capsules were verified with the FT-IR spectroscopy analysis. The results of POM, SEM and PSD analysis indicated that most of the capsules were consisted of micro/nano-sized spheres with compact surface. The DSC measurements showed that the capsules had melting temperature in the range of about 39-60 °C and latent heat energy storage capacity in the range of about 138-152 J/g. The results of TGA showed that sublimit temperature values regarding the first degradation steps of both capsules were quite over the phase change or working temperatures of encapsulated paraffins. The thermal cycling test exhibited that the capsules had good thermal reliability and chemical stability. Additionally, the prepared capsules had reasonably high thermal conductivity.
Hong, Chao; Xie, Yan; Yao, Yashu; Li, Guowen; Yuan, Xiurong; Shen, Hongyi
2015-01-01
To develop a streamlined strategy for pharmaceutical cocrystal preparation without knowledge of the stoichiometric ratio by preparing and characterizing the cocrystals of myricetin (MYR) with four cocrystal coformers (CCF). An approach based on the phase solubility diagram (PSD) was used for MYR cocrystals preparation and the solid-state properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ternary phase diagram (TPD) was constructed by combining the PSD and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. After that, the TPD was verified by traditional methods. The dissolution of MYR in the four cocrystals and pure MYR within three different media were also evaluated. A simple research method for MYR cocrystal preparation was obtained as follows: first, the PSD of MYR and CCF was constructed and analyzed; second, by transforming the curve in the PSD to a TPD, a region of pure cocrystals formation was exhibited, and then MYR cocrystals were prepared and identified by DSC, FT-IR, PXRD, and SEM; third, with the composition of the prepared cocrystal from NMR, the TPD of the MYR-CCF-Solvent system was constructed. The powder dissolution data showed that the solubility and dissolution rate of MYR was significantly enhanced by the cocrystals. A novel strategy for pharmaceutical cocrystals preparation without knowledge of the stoichiometric ratio based on the TPD was established and MYR cocrystals were successfully prepared. The present study provides a systematic approach for pharmaceutical cocrystal generation, which benefits the development and application of cocrystal technology in drug delivery.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Andersen Monica
2008-11-01
Full Text Available Abstract Sleep deprivation in humans has been related to weight gain and consequently, increased risk for insulin resistance. In contrast, there is a significant loss of weight in sleep deprived rats suggesting a state of insulin resistance without obesity interference. Thus, we aimed to assess the effects of a rich fish oil dietetic intervention on glucose tolerance, serum insulin and adiponectin, and adipose tissue gene expression of adiponectin and TNF-α of paradoxically sleep deprived (PSD rats. The study was performed in thirty day-old male Wistar randomly assigned into two groups: rats fed with control diet (soybean oil as source of fat and rats fed with a fish oil rich diet. After 45 days of treatment, the animals were submitted to PSD or maintained as home cage control group for 96 h. Body weight and food intake were carefully monitored in all groups. At the end of PSD period, a glucose tolerance test was performed and the total blood and adipose tissues were collected. Serum insulin and adiponectin were analyzed. Adipose tissues were used for RT-PCR to estimate the gene expression of adiponectin and TNF-α. Results showed that although fish oil diet did not exert any effect upon these measurements, PSD induced a reduction in adiponectin gene expression of retroperitoneal adipose tissues, with no change in serum adiponectin concentration or in adiponectin and TNF-α gene expression of epididymal adipose tissue. Thus, the stress induced by sleep deprivation lead to a desbalance of adiponectin gene expression.
Analytical Model for Passing Sight Distance Design Criteria of Two-Lane Roads in Sri Lanka
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mampearachchi W. K.
2018-03-01
Full Text Available For a safe overtaking manoeuvre on two-lane highways, drivers need a sufficient sight distance along the roadway, but it depends on the traffic environment. To provide an adequate Passing Sight Distance (PSD, a number of models have been proposed since the initial model introduced by American Association of State Highways and Transport Officials (AASHTO in 1954. It is a current design practice in Sri Lanka as well, however, not validated for local traffic conditions. This paper will present an alternative PSD model and an evaluation of AASHTO model for national highway design. Experiment was based on GPS data collection. In conclusion, PSD demand was satisfied by AASHTO PSD under mix traffic conditions, but not the safety concerns for speeds greater than 80 km/h, while alternative model successful for all speeds.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Masada, Tetsuya; Makabe, Tetsuo; Kunishio, Katsuzo; Matsumoto, Akira
2007-01-01
The authors studied patients who presented depression and apathy following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Twelve patients who were admitted in our hospital were divided into two groups according to the presence of post-stroke depression (PSD). Five patients with PSD are in group A, and another seven patients without PSD are in group B. Zung-self depression scale (SDS) and apathy scale were used for screening of depression and apathy. PSD was recognized in 5 (42%) of patients following ICH. Single photon emission tomography (SPECT) suggested the reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the frontal lobe in all patients of the group A (100%), whereas only 29% of patients of the group B. The reduction of CBF in the frontal lobe might be involved in the mechanism of depression following ICH in subacute stage. (author)
Spectral Properties of Chaotic Signals Generated by the Bernoulli Map
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rafael A. da Costa
2014-11-01
Full Text Available In the last decades, the use of chaotic signals as broadband carriers has been considered in Telecommunications. Despite the relevance of the frequency domain analysis in this field, there are few studies that are concerned with spectral properties of chaotic signals. Bearing this in mind, this paper aims the characterization of the power spectral density (PSD of chaotic orbits generated by Bernoulli maps. We obtain analytic expressions for autocorrelation sequence, PSD and essential bandwidth for chaotic orbits generated by this map as function of the family parameter and Lyapunov exponent. Moreover, we verify that analytical expressions match numerical results. We conclude that the power of the generated orbits is concentrated in low frequencies for all parameters values. Besides, it is possible to obtain chaotic narrowband signals.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Quintanilla, Daniela; Chelius, Cynthia; Iambamrung, Sirasa
2018-01-01
Fungal hyphal strength is an important phenotype which can have a profound impact on bioprocess behavior. Until now, there is not an efficient method which allows its characterization. Currently available methods are very time consuming; thus, compromising their applicability in strain selection...... and process development. To overcome this issue, a method for fast and easy, statistically-verified quantification of relative hyphal tensile strength was developed. It involves off-line fragmentation in a high shear mixer followed by quantification of fragment size using laser diffraction. Particle size...... distribution (PSD) is determined, with analysis time on the order of minutes. Plots of PSD 90th percentile versus time allow estimation of the specific fragmentation rate. This novel method is demonstrated by estimating relative hyphal strength during growth in control conditions and rapamycin...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zhaodong Xi
2018-05-01
Full Text Available To better understanding the evolutionary characteristics of pore structure in marine shale with high thermal maturity, a natural Longmaxi marine shale sample from south China with a high equivalent vitrinite reflectance value (Ro = 2.03% was selected to conduct an anhydrous pyrolysis experiment (500–750 °C, and six artificial shale samples (pyrolysis products spanning a maturity range from Ro = 2.47% to 4.87% were obtained. Experimental procedures included mercury intrusion, nitrogen adsorption, and carbon dioxide adsorption, and were used to characterize the pore structure. In addition, fractal theory was applied to analyze the heterogeneous pore structure. The results showed that this sample suite had large differences in macropore, mesopore, and micropore volume (PV, as well as specific surface area (SSA and pore size distributions (PSD, at different temperatures. Micropore, mesopore, and macropore content increased, from being unheated to 600 °C, which caused the pore structure to become more complex. The content of small diameter pores (micropores and fine mesopores, <10 nm decreased and pores with large diameters (large mesopores and macropores, >10 nm slightly increased from 600 to 750 °C. Fractal analysis showed that larger pore sizes had more complicated pore structure in this stage. The variance in pore structure for samples during pyrolysis was related to the further transformation of organic matter and PSD rearrangement. According to the data in this study, two stages were proposed for the pore evolution for marine shale with high thermal maturity.
Genome-wide association study of urinary albumin excretion rate in patients with type 1 diabetes
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sandholm, Niina; Forsblom, Carol; Mäkinen, Ville-Petteri
2014-01-01
UK individuals supported the possibility that population-specific rare variants contribute to the synthetic association observed at the common variants in GLRA3. The strongest replication (p = 0.026) was obtained for rs2410601 between the PSD3 and SH2D4A genes. Pathway analysis highlighted natural...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Weyer Sharon
2008-05-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background The relationship between health care practices' capacity for change and the results and sustainability of interventions to improve health care delivery is unclear. Methods In the setting of an intervention to increase preventive service delivery (PSD, we assessed practice capacity for change by rating motivation to change and instrumental ability to change on a one to four scale. After combining these ratings into a single score, random effects models tested its association with change in PSD rates from baseline to immediately after intervention completion and 12 months later. Results Our measure of practices' capacity for change varied widely at baseline (range 2–8; mean 4.8 ± 1.6. Practices with greater capacity for change delivered preventive services to eligible patients at higher rates after completion of the intervention (2.7% per unit increase in the combined effort score, p Conclusion Greater capacity for change is associated with a higher probability that a practice will attain and sustain desired outcomes. Future work to refine measures of this practice characteristic may be useful in planning and implementing interventions that result in sustained, evidence-based improvements in health care delivery.
Binary Positive Semidefinite Matrices and Associated Integer Polytopes
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Letchford, Adam N.; Sørensen, Michael Malmros
2012-01-01
We consider the positive semidefinite (psd) matrices with binary entries, along with the corresponding integer polytopes. We begin by establishing some basic properties of these matrices and polytopes. Then, we show that several families of integer polytopes in the literature-the cut, boolean qua...
Fast convergent frequency-domain MIMO equalizer for few-mode fiber communication systems
He, Xuan; Weng, Yi; Wang, Junyi; Pan, Z.
2018-02-01
Space division multiplexing using few-mode fibers has been extensively explored to sustain the continuous traffic growth. In few-mode fiber optical systems, both spatial and polarization modes are exploited to transmit parallel channels, thus increasing the overall capacity. However, signals on spatial channels inevitably suffer from the intrinsic inter-modal coupling and large accumulated differential mode group delay (DMGD), which causes spatial modes de-multiplex even harder. Many research articles have demonstrated that frequency domain adaptive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) equalizer can effectively compensate the DMGD and demultiplex the spatial channels with digital signal processing (DSP). However, the large accumulated DMGD usually requires a large number of training blocks for the initial convergence of adaptive MIMO equalizers, which will decrease the overall system efficiency and even degrade the equalizer performance in fast-changing optical channels. Least mean square (LMS) algorithm is always used in MIMO equalization to dynamically demultiplex the spatial signals. We have proposed to use signal power spectral density (PSD) dependent method and noise PSD directed method to improve the convergence speed of adaptive frequency domain LMS algorithm. We also proposed frequency domain recursive least square (RLS) algorithm to further increase the convergence speed of MIMO equalizer at cost of greater hardware complexity. In this paper, we will compare the hardware complexity and convergence speed of signal PSD dependent and noise power directed algorithms against the conventional frequency domain LMS algorithm. In our numerical study of a three-mode 112 Gbit/s PDM-QPSK optical system with 3000 km transmission, the noise PSD directed and signal PSD dependent methods could improve the convergence speed by 48.3% and 36.1% respectively, at cost of 17.2% and 10.7% higher hardware complexity. We will also compare the frequency domain RLS algorithm against
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fernando Plata
2013-05-01
Full Text Available This paper is an analyisis, annotation and edition of the Mojiganga del mundinovo (‘The raree show, a carnival play’ by Antonio de Zamora. The play was performed in 1698 Madrid by the troupe of Carlos Vallejo, along with the sacramental one-act play El templo vivo de Dios (‘The living temple of God’. The hitherto unpublished text is based on the only two extant manuscripts, located in archives in Madrid. Despite the play’s title, my analysis argues that the novelty in this play is not so much the raree show, a contraption popularized four decades earlier in Golden Age theater, as the marmosets. The death of two marmosets and the ensuing desolation of their owner, Ms. Estupenda, both trigger the play and provide it with a plot. The marmosets, too, point to a changing mentality in late 17th-century society, regarding the possession among ladies of marmosets and other monkeys as pets.
LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
Murphy, Melissa L
2011-09-01
Fractional anisotropy anomalies occurring in the white matter tracts in the brains of depressed patients may reflect microstructural changes underlying the pathophysiology of this disorder. We conducted a meta-analysis of fractional anisotropy abnormalities occurring in major depressive disorder using voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging studies. Using the Embase, PubMed and Google Scholar databases, 89 relevant data sets were identified, of which 7 (including 188 patients with major depressive disorder and 221 healthy controls) met our inclusion criteria. Authors were contacted to retrieve any additional data required. Coordinates were extracted from clusters of significant white matter fractional anisotropy differences between patients and controls. Relevant demographic, clinical and methodological variables were extracted from each study or obtained directly from authors. The meta-analysis was carried out using Signed Differential Mapping. Patients with depression showed decreased white matter fractional anisotropy values in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and increased fractional anisotropy values in the fronto-occipital fasciculus compared to controls. Using quartile and jackknife sensitivity analysis, we found that reduced fractional anisotropy in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus was very stable, with increases in the right fronto-occipital fasciculus driven by just one study. In conclusion, our meta-analysis revealed a significant reduction in fractional anisotropy values in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, which may ultimately play an important role in the pathology of depression.
Relationship of O2 Photodesorption in Photooxidation of Acetone on TiO2
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Henderson, Michael A.
2008-01-01
Organic photooxidation on TiO2 invariably involves the coexistence of organic species with oxygen on the surface at the same time. In the case of acetone and oxygen, both species exhibit their own interesting photochemistry on TiO2, but interdependences between the two are not understood. In this study, a rutile TiO2(110) surface possessing 7% surface oxygen vacancy sites is used as a model surface to probe the relationship between O2 photodesorption and acetone photodecomposition. Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and photon stimulated desorption (PSD) measurements indicate that coadsorbed oxygen is essential to acetone photodecomposition on this surface, however the form of oxygen (molecular and dissociative) is not known. The first steps in acetone photodecomposition on TiO2(110) involve thermal activation with oxygen to form an acetone diolate ((CH3)2COO) species followed by photochemical decomposition to adsorbed acetate (CH3COO) and an ejected CH3 radical that is detected in PSD. Depending on the surface conditions, O2 PSD is also observed during the latter process. However, the time scales for the two PSD events (CH3 and O2) are quite different, with the former occurring at ∼10 times faster than the latter. By varying the preheating conditions or performing pre-irradiation on an O2 exposed surface, it becomes clear that the two PSD events are uncorrelated. That is, the O2 species responsible for O2 PSD is not a significant participant in the photochemistry of acetone on TiO2(110) and likely originates from a minority form of O2 on the surface. The CH3 and O2 PSD events do not appear to be in competition with each other suggesting either that ample charge carriers exist under the experimental conditions employed or that different charge carriers or excitation mechanisms are involved
UV photon and low-energy (5--150 eV) electron-stimulated processes at environmental interfaces
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Orlando, T.M.
1997-01-01
Irradiation of surfaces and interfaces with low-energy (5--150 eV) electrons and ultraviolet photons occurs during the storage of ''mixed'' (chemical/radioactive) waste forms and during processing steps which involve the use of low temperature plasmas. It is well known that electron- and photon-stimulated desorption (ESD and PSD) from wide band-gap materials and interfaces can be initiated by Auger decay of deep valence and shallow core holes. This process consists of hole production, Auger decay, reversal of the Madelung potential, and ion expulsion due to the Coulomb repulsion. ESD and PSD of neutrals also occurs and involves production of electron-hole pairs and excitons. Generally, neutral yields dominate ESD and PSD cross sections, which typically vary between ∼10 -16 and 10 -22 cm 2 . The authors present results on the ESD and PSD of environmentally relevant substrates such as ZrO 2 (100), soda-glass, and NaNO 3 . The major cation thresholds and yields indicate that ESD and PSD from these complex materials involves Auger stimulated events. In particular, desorption thresholds correlate with ionization of the O(2s), Zr(4p), Si(2p) and Na(2s) levels. The near band-gap threshold energy (∼5--7 eV) for the desorption of neutrals (i.e., atomic oxygen, NO, etc) demonstrate the overall importance of self-trapped and localized excitons in both ESD and PSD of typical ceramics and oxides
UniProt search blastx result: AK318565 [KOME
Lifescience Database Archive (English)
Full Text Available AK318565 J075199H10 B0TZM7|PSD_FRAP2 Phosphatidylserine decarboxylase proenzyme OS=Francisella philo...miragia subsp. philomiragia (strain ATCC 25017) GN=psd PE=3 SV=1 5.00E-22 ...
Time recording unit for a neutron time of flight spectrometer
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Puranik, Praful; Ajit Kiran, S.; Chandak, R.M.; Poudel, S.K.; Mukhopadhyay, R.
2011-01-01
Here the architecture and design of Time Recording Unit for a Neutron Time of Flight Spectrometer have been described. The Spectrometer would have an array of 50 Nos. of one meter long linear Position Sensitive Detector (PSD) placed vertically around the sample at a distance of 2000 mm. The sample receives periodic pulsed neutron beam coming through a Fermi chopper. The time and zone of detection of a scattered neutron in a PSD gives information of its flight time and path length, which will be used to calculate its energy. A neutron event zone (position) and time detection module for each PSD provides a 2 bit position/zone code and an event timing pulse. The path length assigned to a neutron detected in a zone (Z1, Z2 etc) in the PSD is the mean path length seen by the neutrons detected in that zone of the PSD. A Time recording unit described here receives event zone code and timing pulse for all the 50 detectors, tags a proper time window code to it, before streaming it to computer for calculation of the energy distribution of neutrons scattered from the sample
Power spectral density of velocity fluctuations estimated from phase Doppler data
Jedelsky, Jan; Lizal, Frantisek; Jicha, Miroslav
2012-04-01
Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and its modifications such as PhaseDoppler Particle Anemometry (P/DPA) is point-wise method for optical nonintrusive measurement of particle velocity with high data rate. Conversion of the LDA velocity data from temporal to frequency domain - calculation of power spectral density (PSD) of velocity fluctuations, is a non trivial task due to nonequidistant data sampling in time. We briefly discuss possibilities for the PSD estimation and specify limitations caused by seeding density and other factors of the flow and LDA setup. Arbitrary results of LDA measurements are compared with corresponding Hot Wire Anemometry (HWA) data in the frequency domain. Slot correlation (SC) method implemented in software program Kern by Nobach (2006) is used for the PSD estimation. Influence of several input parameters on resulting PSDs is described. Optimum setup of the software for our data of particle-laden air flow in realistic human airway model is documented. Typical character of the flow is described using PSD plots of velocity fluctuations with comments on specific properties of the flow. Some recommendations for improvements of future experiments to acquire better PSD results are given.