Development of shelf stable pork sausages using hurdle technology and their quality at ambient temperature (37±1°C) storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, R; Anjaneyulu, A S R; Kondaiah, N

2008-05-01

Shelf stable pork sausages were developed using hurdle technology and their quality was evaluated during ambient temperature (37±1°C) storage. Hurdles incorporated were low pH, low water activity, vacuum packaging and post package reheating. Dipping in potassium sorbate solution prior to vacuum packaging was also studied. Reheating increased the pH of the sausages by 0.17units as against 0.11units in controls. Incorporation of hurdles significantly decreased emulsion stability, cooking yield, moisture and fat percent, yellowness and hardness, while increasing the protein percent and redness. Hurdle treatment reduced quality deterioration during storage as indicated by pH, TBARS and tyrosine values. About 1 log reduction in total plate count was observed with the different hurdles as were reductions in the coliform, anaerobic, lactobacilli and Staphylococcus aureus counts. pH, a(w) and reheating hurdles inhibited yeast and mold growth up to day 3, while additional dipping in 1% potassium sorbate solution inhibited their growth throughout the 9 days storage. Despite low initial sensory appeal, the hurdle treated sausages had an overall acceptability in the range 'very good' to 'good' up to day 6.

Organizing a Community "Biggest Loser" Weight Loss Challenge

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Kirstin D.

2013-01-01

The program described here shows how Extension can be a strong collaborative partner in a rural setting in improving the overall health of the community by organizing a three month "Biggest Loser" Weight Loss Challenge. A pre-and post-fitness assessment and bi-weekly weigh-ins were administered. Three healthy lifestyle educational…

No clear winner: effects of The Biggest Loser on the stigmatization of obese persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Jina H

2013-01-01

Previous research has largely ignored the question of whether watching reality weight-loss TV shows influences viewers to form a negative obesity stereotype. This study examines antecedents and outcomes of watching The Biggest Loser with the Orientation1-Stimulus-Orientation2-Response (O-S-O-R) model. The study found that individuals who are more concerned with their weight (O1) watch more episodes of The Biggest Loser (S). Meanwhile, consumption of The Biggest Loser leads to greater perceived locus of weight control (O2), indicating that body weight is under personal control. Perceived locus of weight control, in turn, significantly predicts the attribution of obesity to personal responsibility (R). Ultimately, attributing obesity to personal responsibility leads to the formation of anti-fat attitudes (R). This study offers an integrative theoretical framework to investigate media effects on the formation of an obesity stigma by using the O-S-O-R model. The results imply that certain lifestyle transformation media, such as The Biggest Loser, might reinforce the notion that individuals control their own weight and thus further amplify the obesity stigma.

Probability as a conceptual hurdle to understanding one-dimensional quantum scattering and tunnelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domert, Daniel; Linder, Cedric; Ingerman, Ake

2005-01-01

This paper draws on part of a larger project looking at university students' learning difficulties associated with quantum mechanics. Here an unexpected and interesting aspect was brought to the fore while students were discussing a computer simulation of one-dimensional quantum scattering and tunnelling. In these explanations the most dominant conceptual hurdle that emerged in the students' explanations was centred around the notion of probability. To explore this further, categories of description of the variation in the understanding of probability were constituted. The analysis reported is done in terms of the various facets of probability encountered in the simulation and characterizes dynamics of this conceptual hurdle to appropriate understanding of the scattering and tunnelling process. Pedagogical implications are discussed

CONFLICTS AND OPERATIONAL HURDLES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INNOVATIVE PROJECTS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Varela Donato

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims at describing how conflicts and operational hurdles manifest themselves in the management of innovative projects in a development bank (DB. The research characterizes itself as a qualitative and exploratory approach; the data collection consisted of interviews with consultants and project managers and by documents on management projects in Development Bank; the interviews have undergone the content analysis by utilizing the Atlas.ti. The research revealed that the project management in its new implemented model faces difficulties similar to those observed in traditional hierarchies. It was observed that conflicts regarding interests, values, psychological aspects and operational hurdles are intrinsic to the life cycle of innovative projects, which implementation requires a lot of political capacity from their leaders to be effective.

Sustainable energy policy for Asia: Mitigating systemic hurdles in a highly dense city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Artie W.; Nathwani, Jatin

2010-01-01

Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) has been increasingly a sensitive issue that is across border and impacting global public interests. While the use of renewable energy technology is perceived as a means to enable delivery of emission-free solutions, its penetration into the energy market has not been timely and significant enough as projected in prior studies. This article aims to illustrate some of the critical hurdles as the policy makers start formulating environmentally friendly energy consumption means for the public in Asian economies. In particular, through analyzing the characteristics in the case of Hong Kong, the authors unveil the challenges for this highly dense city to reach a landscape of alternative energy resources for its transition into a sustainable economy. Education and engagement with the public about a sustainable future, alignment of stakeholders' economic interests and absorption capacity of emerging technologies are argued as the three main challenges and initiatives in mitigating the underlying systemic hurdles that remain to be overcome. Observing the current responses to the externalities by the policy makers in Hong Kong, this study articulates the critical challenges to mitigate these specific systemic hurdles embedded in the existing infrastructure of a highly dense city. Possible mitigating measures to enable deployment of integrative sustainable energy solutions in dealing with climate change are discussed. (author)

Kinetic and kinematic analysis of hurdle clearance of an African and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The results showed a difference in the centre of mass displacement at hurdle clearance and velocity-parameters in both the take-off and the landing phases. When comparing R.G to C.J, the latter had a smaller vertical displacement and a longer horizontal displacement, in addition to, a greater horizontal velocity along with ...

Women's Health: The Biggest Threats to Women's Health are often Preventable.

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Lifestyle Women's health The biggest threats to women's health are often preventable. Here's what you need to know to live ... Clinic Staff Many of the leading threats to women's health can be prevented — if you know how. ...

Total Quality Management in Higher Education: Clearing the Hurdles. A Survey on Strategies for Implementing Quality Management Practices in Higher Education. A GOAL/QPC Application Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Seymour, Daniel

Based on a survey of Quality Management (QM) practitioners at 21 colleges, this study presents the 10 most difficult implementation hurdles to QM in higher education and a set of hurdle-clearing strategies. The hurdles are: (1) lack of time to implement QM; (2) perception that QM is something for janitorial and housing staffs but not applicable to…

Driving force of organic fertilizer use in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia: Independent double hurdle approach

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Terefe Aemro T.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to identify the important factors that influence both adoption and level of use of organic fertilizer among smallholder farmers in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia using a primary data collected from 161 sample respondents. An independent double hurdle model was used to address the objectives of the study on the assumption that adoption and level of organic fertilizer use by are two independent decisions influenced by different factors. Empirical estimates of the first hurdle reveals that literacy status of the head, livestock holding, frequency of extension contact, distance to market and slope of the plot are statistically significant decision variables that affect the probability of adopting organic fertilizer. Meanwhile, estimates of the second hurdle revealed that, the extent of use of organic fertilizer was determined by livestock holding, access to credit distance to the market and slope of plot. This indicates that factors that affect adoption are not necessarily the same as those that influence intensity. Therefore, it is important to consider both stages in evaluating strategies aimed at promoting the adoption and use of organic fertilizer.

Non Invasive Instrumentation For Single Event Effects (NIISEE), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — On this Phase 1 project, Adventium will identify and address key hurdles to achieve Radiation Hardening by Software (RHS) for Single Event Effects (SEEs) for modern...

Mechanisms of adaptation to intensive loads of 400 meters’ hurdles runners at stage of initial basic training

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A.S. Rovniy

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: is study of adaptation mechanisms of 400 meter’ hurdles-runners to intensive physical loads. Material: in the research 13 - 400 meters’ hurdles-runners and 13 - 400 meters’ runners participated. Results: it was found that physiological cost of sportsmen’s special workability has fragmentary character. We presented results of physiological and bio-chemical adaptation mechanisms to dozed work. The received results have no confident distinctions and can not objectively characterize mechanisms of sportsmen’s special workability. We did not detect definite differences in indicators of mechanisms, ensuring sportsmen’s special workability under dozed loads. We found, that level of anaerobic glycolysis is an objective criterion of 400 meter’ hurdles-runners’ special workability. It was shown that for determination of functional potentials for such kind of functioning it is necessary to apply special loads. Conclusions: the received results deepen information about mechanisms of adaptation to specific competition functioning. Correct approaches to processing and analysis of the research’s results permit to more specifically determine sportsmen’s functional potentials in different kinds of competition functioning.

Jumping the PBL Implementation Hurdle: Supporting the Efforts of K-12 Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Ertmer, Peggy A.; Simons, Krista D.

2006-01-01

While problem-based learning (PBL) has a relatively long history of successful use in medical and pre-professional schools, it has yet to be widely adopted by K--12 teachers. This may be due, in part, to the numerous challenges teachers experience when implementing PBL. In this paper, we describe specific hurdles that teachers are likely to…

Hurdles in Basic Science Translation

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Christina J. Perry

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In the past century there have been incredible advances in the field of medical research, but what hinders translation of this knowledge into effective treatment for human disease? There is an increasing focus on the failure of many research breakthroughs to be translated through the clinical trial process and into medical practice. In this mini review, we will consider some of the reasons that findings in basic medical research fail to become translated through clinical trials and into basic medical practices. We focus in particular on the way that human disease is modeled, the understanding we have of how our targets behave in vivo, and also some of the issues surrounding reproducibility of basic research findings. We will also look at some of the ways that have been proposed for overcoming these issues. It appears that there needs to be a cultural shift in the way we fund, publish and recognize quality control in scientific research. Although this is a daunting proposition, we hope that with increasing awareness and focus on research translation and the hurdles that impede it, the field of medical research will continue to inform and improve medical practice across the world.

PREDICTIVE CONTRIBUTION OF MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTOR ABILITIES ON THE RESULT OF RUNNING THE 60m HURDLES IN BOYS AGED 12 - 13 YEARS

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Zana Bujak

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The subject of this study is to determine predictive contributions of morphological characteristics and motor abilities on the 60m hurdles, with an aim to form a group of easily applicable field tests so as to identify boys who are talented in hurdl e racing . The subject sample of this study was comprised of 60 boys aged 12 - 13. The variable sample consisted of a 60m hurdles criterion variable and a set of 13 p re dictor variables comprising of morphological characteristics, speed - strength abilities and the subjects' coordina tion qualities . Applying the regression analysis , the predictive contribution of a complete variable s et of morpholog ical characteristics and motor abilities was determined as an above average statistical significance, influencing 60m hurdle outcome. The greatest individual statistically significant predictive contribution was achieved by the variables of speed - strength quality assessment: 20m flying start r ace result with a standing long jump; and only one variable from the field of morphological characteristics: the shin length. The results support the following conclusion: the two specific variables of speed - strength quality, and 20m flying start race results along with standing long jump , can be relevant predictors of successful outcome in hurdle races .

The three hurdles of tax planning: How business context, aims of tax planning, and tax manager power affect tax

OpenAIRE

Feller, Anna; Schanz, Deborah

2014-01-01

The question of why some companies pay more taxes than others is a widely investigated topic of interest. One of the famous suspect explanations is a phenomenon called tax avoidance. We develop a holistic theoretical concept of influences on corporate tax planning through a series of 19 in-depth German tax expert interviews. Our findings show that three distinct hurdles in the tax planning process can explain different levels of tax expense across companies. Those three hurdles are which tax ...

Four hurdles for conservation on private land: the case of the golden lion tamarin, Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

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Ralf Christopher Buckley

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Many threatened species worldwide rely on patches of remnant vegetation in private landholdings. To establish private reserves that contribute effectively to conservation involves a wide range of complex and interacting ecological, legal, social and financial factors. These can be seen as a series of successive hurdles, each with multiple bars, which must all be surmounted. The golden lion tamarin, Leontopithecus rosalia, is restricted to the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This forest is largely cleared. There are many small remnant patches on private lands, able to support tamarins. Local NGO’s have successfully used limited funds to contribute to tamarin conservation in a highly cost effective way. We examined the mechanisms by analysing documents and interviewing landholders and other stakeholders. We found that the local NGOs successfully identified landholdings where ecological, legal, social and some financial hurdles had already been crossed, and helped landholders over the final financial hurdle by funding critical cost components. This cost <5% of the price of outright land purchase. This approach is scaleable for golden lion tamarin elsewhere within the Atlantic Forest biome, and applicable for other species and ecosystems worldwide.

Extension of Space Food Shelf Life Through Hurdle Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, M. R.; Sirmons, T. A.; Froio-Blumsack, D.; Mohr, L.; Young, M.; Douglas, G. L.

2018-01-01

The processed and prepackaged space food system is the main source of crew nutrition, and hence central to astronaut health and performance. Unfortunately, space food quality and nutrition degrade to unacceptable levels in two to three years with current food stabilization technologies. Future exploration missions will require a food system that remains safe, acceptable and nutritious through five years of storage within vehicle resource constraints. The potential of stabilization technologies (alternative storage temperatures, processing, formulation, ingredient source, packaging, and preparation procedures), when combined in hurdle approach, to mitigate quality and nutritional degradation is being assessed. Sixteen representative foods from the International Space Station food system were chosen for production and analysis and will be evaluated initially and at one, three, and five years with potential for analysis at seven years if necessary. Analysis includes changes in color, texture, nutrition, sensory quality, and rehydration ratio when applicable. The food samples will be stored at -20 C, 4 C, and 21 C. Select food samples will also be evaluated at -80 C to determine the impacts of ultra-cold storage after one and five years. Packaging film barrier properties and mechanical integrity will be assessed before and after processing and storage. At the study conclusion, if tested hurdles are adequate, formulation, processing, and storage combinations will be uniquely identified for processed food matrices to achieve a five-year shelf life. This study will provide one of the most comprehensive investigations of long duration food stability ever completed, and the achievement of extended food system stability will have profound impacts to health and performance for spaceflight crews and for relief efforts and military applications on Earth.

Hurdles to the global antipolio campaign in Pakistan: an outline of the current status and future prospects to achieve a polio free world.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Tariq; Qazi, Javaria

2013-08-01

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative to eradicate polio completely by the year 2000 has been successful, except for three endemic and some non-endemic countries. Pakistan, one of the three endemic polio reservoirs, is posing a serious threat to the success of the initiative. Currently, the expanded programme on immunisation has been geared to win the race over polio virus in Pakistan. After the remarkable decrease in polio cases from 198 in 2011 to only 58 in 2012, Pakistan seemed to be at the verge of success. However, hurdles continue to retard the campaign. The war against terrorism, misconceptions about polio vaccine, religious misinterpretations, frustration among vaccinators, lack of awareness, social considerations, natural calamities, inaccessibility, and inefficient vaccines and so on are continually rupturing the foundations of the worldwide initiative in the country. Weak health management is found at the hub of majority of the challenges. Stricter policies, well managed and supervised plans and strategic actions, risk analysis and enhanced communication may help giving the final punch to polio virus in the country. Analysis suggested that there is some literature available on the challenges to polio elimination, yet there is not a single publication up to date that considers all the possible hurdles in a single manuscript. This paper sorts out the breaches that hamper the goal of eliminating polio from Pakistan. We have evaluated all the possible barriers and explained them with a perspective that will help develop area specific strategies against polio virus and thus eradicate polio virus from the world.

Lactic Acid Bacteria Selection for Biopreservation as a Part of Hurdle Technology Approach Applied on Seafood

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Norman Wiernasz

2017-05-01

Full Text Available As fragile food commodities, microbial, and organoleptic qualities of fishery and seafood can quickly deteriorate. In this context, microbial quality and security improvement during the whole food processing chain (from catch to plate, using hurdle technology, a combination of mild preserving technologies such as biopreservation, modified atmosphere packaging, and superchilling, are of great interest. As natural flora and antimicrobial metabolites producers, lactic acid bacteria (LAB are commonly studied for food biopreservation. Thirty-five LAB known to possess interesting antimicrobial activity were selected for their potential application as bioprotective agents as a part of hurdle technology applied to fishery products. The selection approach was based on seven criteria including antimicrobial activity, alteration potential, tolerance to chitosan coating, and superchilling process, cross inhibition, biogenic amines production (histamine, tyramine, and antibiotics resistance. Antimicrobial activity was assessed against six common spoiling bacteria in fishery products (Shewanella baltica, Photobacterium phosphoreum, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Lactobacillus sakei, Hafnia alvei, Serratia proteamaculans and one pathogenic bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes in co-culture inhibitory assays miniaturized in 96-well microtiter plates. Antimicrobial activity and spoilage evaluation, both performed in cod and salmon juice, highlighted the existence of sensory signatures and inhibition profiles, which seem to be species related. Finally, six LAB with no unusual antibiotics resistance profile nor histamine production ability were selected as bioprotective agents for further in situ inhibitory assays in cod and salmon based products, alone or in combination with other hurdles (chitosan, modified atmosphere packing, and superchilling.

Telecentres: a one-stop communication shop | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-07-12

Jul 12, 2011 ... One of the reasons for its popularity, claims its 22-year old manager ... Its biggest hurdle is how best to translate that support into a stable, sustainable future. Plans are now underway here and in Namaacha to place telecentre ...

BiGGEsTS: integrated environment for biclustering analysis of time series gene expression data

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Madeira Sara C

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ability to monitor changes in expression patterns over time, and to observe the emergence of coherent temporal responses using expression time series, is critical to advance our understanding of complex biological processes. Biclustering has been recognized as an effective method for discovering local temporal expression patterns and unraveling potential regulatory mechanisms. The general biclustering problem is NP-hard. In the case of time series this problem is tractable, and efficient algorithms can be used. However, there is still a need for specialized applications able to take advantage of the temporal properties inherent to expression time series, both from a computational and a biological perspective. Findings BiGGEsTS makes available state-of-the-art biclustering algorithms for analyzing expression time series. Gene Ontology (GO annotations are used to assess the biological relevance of the biclusters. Methods for preprocessing expression time series and post-processing results are also included. The analysis is additionally supported by a visualization module capable of displaying informative representations of the data, including heatmaps, dendrograms, expression charts and graphs of enriched GO terms. Conclusion BiGGEsTS is a free open source graphical software tool for revealing local coexpression of genes in specific intervals of time, while integrating meaningful information on gene annotations. It is freely available at: http://kdbio.inesc-id.pt/software/biggests. We present a case study on the discovery of transcriptional regulatory modules in the response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to heat stress.

Identifying economic hurdles to early adoption of preventative practices: The case of trunk diseases in California winegrape vineyards

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Jonathan Kaplan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Despite the high likelihood of infection and substantial yield losses from trunk diseases, many California practitioners wait to adopt field-tested, preventative practices (delayed pruning, double pruning, and application of pruning-wound protectants until after disease symptoms appear in the vineyard at around 10 years old. We evaluate net benefits from adoption of these practices before symptoms appear in young Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards and after they become apparent in mature vineyards to identify economic hurdles to early adoption. We simulate winegrape production in select counties of California and find widespread benefits from early adoption, increasing vineyard profitable lifespans, in some cases, by close to 50%. However, hurdles may result from uncertainty about the cost and returns from adoption, labor constraints, long time lags in benefits from early adoption, growers’ perceived probabilities of infection, and their discount rate. Development of extension resources communicating benefits and potential hurdles to growers likely reduces uncertainty, increasing early adoption. Improvements in efficacy of preventative practices, perhaps by detecting when pathogen spores are released into the vineyard, will increase early adoption. Lastly, practice cost reductions will increase early adoption too, especially when the time it takes for adoption to payoff and infection uncertainty are influential in adoption decisions.

The Biggest Mover: Empowering Students with Intellectual and Developmental Delays and Physical Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Michelle J.

2018-01-01

The Biggest Mover Program, an educational program to improve daily exercise and healthy eating was developed to address the learning needs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and physical challenges. The program was part of a three-part program to improve the knowledge of students, staff, and teachers through the use of…

FDA Guidance on Biosimilar Interchangeability Elicits Diverse Views: Current and Potential Marketers Complain About Too-High Hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

Barlas, Stephen

2017-08-01

Pharmaceutical industry sectors are at odds as the Food and Drug Administration seeks to define "interchangeability" for biosimilars. The battle lines vary by topic, but biosimilar marketers, health plans, and drugstores are generally urging lower hurdles.

BIGGEST CZECH BANKS IN THE MIRROR OF ANNUAL REPORTS

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Vladislav PAVLAT

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of the Paper is to characterise and analyse the biggest Czech banks Annual reports (ARs. Since 2004, the behaviour of Czech banks has been changing, as can be seen – inter alia - from the big banks´ financial statements and annual reports. During the period of 2007 – 2013 the implementation of IFRS continued and its impact on the institutional structure of banking is visible. From the point of view of banks, annual reports present not only the financial results, but they serve as an important instrument of competition and marketing as well. Comparative analysis of the three Czech leading banks gives a picture of their specific features as reflected in their annual statements.

Extension of shelf-life of Chickoo slices using hurdle technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirodkar, S.; Behere, A.G.; Padwal-Desai, S.R.; Lele, S.S.; Pai, J.S.

2001-01-01

An attempt has been made to evolve a protocol to prepare shelf-stable high moisture chickoo slices using Hurdle Technology. The process is based on a slight reduction of water activity (0.98?0.94) by osmosis with a 70 deg Brix sucrose syrup, lowering of pH (5.75 to 4.46) by addition of citric acid, addition of KMS and then subjecting the resulting slices to different doses of gamma radiation ranging from 0.25-1 kGy. Radiation processed chickoo slices remained acceptable for 8 weeks at sub-room temperature (10 ± 2 degC) and for 3 weeks at ambient temperature (28 ± 2 degC) when evaluated by a taste-test panel. (author)

Examining Teachers' Hurdles to `Science for All'

Science.gov (United States)

Southerland, Sherry; Gallard, Alejandro; Callihan, Laurie

2011-11-01

The goal of this research is to identify science teachers' beliefs and conceptions that play an important role in shaping their understandings of and attempts to enact inclusive science teaching practices. We examined the work products, both informal (online discussions, email exchanges) and formal (papers, unit plans, peer reviews), of 14 teachers enrolled in a master's degree course focused on diversity in science teaching and learning. These emerging understandings were member-checked via a series of interviews with a subset of these teachers. Our analysis was conducted in two stages: (1) describing the difficulties the teachers identified for themselves in their attempts to teach science to a wide range of students in their classes and (2) analyzing these self-identified barriers for underlying beliefs and conceptions that serve to prohibit or allow for the teachers' understanding and enactment of equitable science instruction. The teachers' self-identified barriers were grouped into three categories: students, broader social infrastructure, and self. The more fundamental barriers identified included teacher beliefs about the ethnocentrism of the mainstream, essentialism/individualism, and beliefs about the meritocracy of schooling. The implications of these hurdles for science teacher education are discussed.

Tohoku Women's Hurdling Project: Science Angels (abstract)

Science.gov (United States)

Mizuki, Kotoe; Watanabe, Mayuko

2009-04-01

Tohoku University was the first National University to admit three women students in Japan in 1913. To support the university's traditional ``open-door'' policy, various projects have been promoted throughout the university since its foundation. A government plan, the Third-Stage Basic Plan for Science and Technology, aims to increase the women scientist ratio up to 25% nationwide. In order to achieve this goal, the Tohoku Women's Hurdling Project, funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), was adopted in 2006. This project is threefold: support for child/family, improvement of facilities, and support for the next generation, which includes our Science Angels program. ``Science Angels'' are women PhD students appointed by the university president, with the mission to form a strong support system among each other and to become role-models to inspire younger students who want to become researchers. Currently, 50 women graduate students of the natural sciences are Science Angels and are encouraged to design and deliver lectures in their areas of specialty at their alma maters. Up to now, 12 lectures have been delivered and science events for children in our community have been held-all with great success.

Some findings on zero-inflated and hurdle poisson models for disease mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Corpas-Burgos, Francisca; García-Donato, Gonzalo; Martinez-Beneito, Miguel A

2018-05-27

Zero excess in the study of geographically referenced mortality data sets has been the focus of considerable attention in the literature, with zero-inflation being the most common procedure to handle this lack of fit. Although hurdle models have also been used in disease mapping studies, their use is more rare. We show in this paper that models using particular treatments of zero excesses are often required for achieving appropriate fits in regular mortality studies since, otherwise, geographical units with low expected counts are oversmoothed. However, as also shown, an indiscriminate treatment of zero excess may be unnecessary and has a problematic implementation. In this regard, we find that naive zero-inflation and hurdle models, without an explicit modeling of the probabilities of zeroes, do not fix zero excesses problems well enough and are clearly unsatisfactory. Results sharply suggest the need for an explicit modeling of the probabilities that should vary across areal units. Unfortunately, these more flexible modeling strategies can easily lead to improper posterior distributions as we prove in several theoretical results. Those procedures have been repeatedly used in the disease mapping literature, and one should bear these issues in mind in order to propose valid models. We finally propose several valid modeling alternatives according to the results mentioned that are suitable for fitting zero excesses. We show that those proposals fix zero excesses problems and correct the mentioned oversmoothing of risks in low populated units depicting geographic patterns more suited to the data. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Using Data Collection Apps and Single-Case Designs to Research Transformative Learning in Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Roessger, Kevin M.; Greenleaf, Arie; Hoggan, Chad

2017-01-01

To overcome situational hurdles when researching transformative learning in adults, we outline a research approach using single-case research designs and smartphone data collection apps. This approach allows researchers to better understand learners' current lived experiences and determine the effects of transformative learning interventions on…

A Record Holder Female Athlete’s Train ing Loads and its Distribution in Women 400 meter Hurdle Running

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Sibel DÜNDAR

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on 400 mt characteristics of women training load used in the hurdle runnig , the distribution and performance according to the period. At this study female athlete’s, who won second place at the European Champion Clubs' Cup Competitions and had a record - breaking six times in a country, five - year training loads and degrees were investigated. In this study, athlete’s degrees an d training loads were analyzed between the years of 1982 - 1987. Atlete’s best 100m,200m,400m,400m hurdle degrees and some training loads (sprint, andurance, weight lifting were assessed by the means and satandart deviations. Athlete’s sprint and training l oads mean and standard deviation values were calculated as 100 m ( 11.96 ± 0.17 , 200m ( 25.0 ± 0.38 , 400m ( 56.07 ± 0.91 and 400 m hurdle running ( 60.38 ± 1.88 and for the training loads of 0 - 150 m sprint ( 66.85 ± 18.95 m, endurance ( 2 02.55 ± 57.56 miles and weightlifting( 151.88 ± 68.2 tons. It was observed that percentage of change of the value of training loads and the running performance changes were not increase at the same rate. Regarding the relationship between the best run ning degree and training load, it was found a significant relationship between only 60 m sprint and 150 - 450 m sprint degrees.

THE BIGGEST EXPLOSIONS IN THE UNIVERSE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Jarrett L.; Whalen, Daniel J.; Smidt, Joseph; Even, Wesley; Fryer, Chris L.; Heger, Alex; Chen, Ke-Jung

2013-01-01

Supermassive primordial stars are expected to form in a small fraction of massive protogalaxies in the early universe, and are generally conceived of as the progenitors of the seeds of supermassive black holes (BHs). Supermassive stars with masses of ∼55, 000 M ☉ , however, have been found to explode and completely disrupt in a supernova (SN) with an energy of up to ∼10 55 erg instead of collapsing to a BH. Such events, ∼10, 000 times more energetic than typical SNe today, would be among the biggest explosions in the history of the universe. Here we present a simulation of such a SN in two stages. Using the RAGE radiation hydrodynamics code, we first evolve the explosion from an early stage through the breakout of the shock from the surface of the star until the blast wave has propagated out to several parsecs from the explosion site, which lies deep within an atomic cooling dark matter (DM) halo at z ≅ 15. Then, using the GADGET cosmological hydrodynamics code, we evolve the explosion out to several kiloparsecs from the explosion site, far into the low-density intergalactic medium. The host DM halo, with a total mass of 4 × 10 7 M ☉ , much more massive than typical primordial star-forming halos, is completely evacuated of high-density gas after ∼ ☉ after ∼> 70 Myr. The chemical signature of supermassive star explosions may be found in such long-lived second-generation stars today

Cost-offsets of prescription drug expenditures: data analysis via a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model.

Science.gov (United States)

Deb, Partha; Trivedi, Pravin K; Zimmer, David M

2014-10-01

In this paper, we estimate a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model of prescription drug and nondrug expenditures to test the cost-offset hypothesis, which posits that increased expenditures on prescription drugs are offset by reductions in other nondrug expenditures. We apply the proposed methodology to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which have the following features: (i) the observed bivariate outcomes are a mixture of zeros and continuously measured positives; (ii) both the zero and positive outcomes show state dependence and inter-temporal interdependence; and (iii) the zeros and the positives display contemporaneous association. The point mass at zero is accommodated using a hurdle or a two-part approach. The copula-based approach to generating joint distributions is appealing because the contemporaneous association involves asymmetric dependence. The paper studies samples categorized by four health conditions: arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness. There is evidence of greater than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets of expenditures on prescribed drugs for relatively low levels of spending on drugs and less than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets at higher levels of drug expenditures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ground Handling Business at Non-European Biggest World Airports as a Problem of Market Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Tomová

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In the paper we analyse the market structures of ground handling at the biggest non-European passenger and cargo airports in accordance with the ACI list of the most important world airports in 2014. Using the IATA IGHC database as of spring 2015, our analysis revealed that out of Europe double digit numbers of providers are rare what contrasts with situation in Europe where ground handling markets were deregulated by the Council Directive 96/67/EC. The analysis also brought that the monopolistic structures of ground handling markets were more specific for the regions of Asia and the Middle East. Airports as ground handling providers were not found within the analysed sample in North America, Latin America, Africa and Australia and Oceania, while this arrangement was to a larger extent present at the analysed Asian airports. Asia and the Middle East biggest airports are identified by us as candidates for further deregulation of ground handling arguing by forecasted demand for air services in the regions, although expected deregulation may be curbed by national regulators.

THERAPEUTIC ANTISENSE OLIGONUCLEOTIDES AGAINST CANCER: HURDLING TO THE CLINIC

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Pedro Miguel Duarte Moreno

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Under clinical development since the early 90’s and with two successfully approved drugs (Fomivirsen and Mipomersen, oligonucleotide-based therapeutics have not yet delivered a clinical drug to the market in the cancer field. Whilst many pre-clinical data has been generated, a lack of understanding still exists on how to efficiently tackle all the different challenges presented for cancer targeting in a clinical setting. Namely, effective drug vectorization, careful choice of target gene or synergistic multi-gene targeting are surely decisive, while caution must be exerted to avoid potential toxic, often misleading off-target-effects. Here a brief overview will be given on the nucleic acid chemistry advances that established oligonucleotide technologies as a promising therapeutic alternative and ongoing cancer related clinical trials. Special attention will be given towards a perspective on the hurdles encountered specifically in the cancer field by this class of therapeutic oligonucleotides and a view on possible avenues for success is presented, with particular focus on the contribution from nanotechnology to the field.

Ophthalmic Start-Up Chief Executive Officers' Perceptions of Development Hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, William C; Nelson, Lindsay A; Kruft, Bonnie; Stewart, Jeanette A

2018-01-01

To identify current challenges facing ophthalmic pharmaceutical start-ups in developing new products. Surveys were distributed to the chief executive officer (CEO) or president of ophthalmic start-ups. The survey attracted 24 responses from 78 surveys distributed (31%). The CEOs stated that a lack of financial capital (n = 18, 75%), FDA regulations (n = 6, 25%), and failure to meet clinical endpoints (n = 6, 25%) were their greatest development hurdles. Risk aversion to medicines in early development (n = 18, 75%), mergers and acquisitions reducing corporate choice for licensing agreements (n = 7, 29%), the emergence of large pharmaceutical-based venture capital funding groups (n = 12, 50%), and the failure of many large pharmaceutical companies to develop their own medicines (n = 10, 42%) were noted as recent prominent trends affecting fundraising. The study suggests that development funding, regulatory burden, and meeting clinical endpoints are the greatest development challenges faced by ophthalmic start-up CEOs. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Marginalized multilevel hurdle and zero-inflated models for overdispersed and correlated count data with excess zeros.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassahun, Wondwosen; Neyens, Thomas; Molenberghs, Geert; Faes, Christel; Verbeke, Geert

2014-11-10

Count data are collected repeatedly over time in many applications, such as biology, epidemiology, and public health. Such data are often characterized by the following three features. First, correlation due to the repeated measures is usually accounted for using subject-specific random effects, which are assumed to be normally distributed. Second, the sample variance may exceed the mean, and hence, the theoretical mean-variance relationship is violated, leading to overdispersion. This is usually allowed for based on a hierarchical approach, combining a Poisson model with gamma distributed random effects. Third, an excess of zeros beyond what standard count distributions can predict is often handled by either the hurdle or the zero-inflated model. A zero-inflated model assumes two processes as sources of zeros and combines a count distribution with a discrete point mass as a mixture, while the hurdle model separately handles zero observations and positive counts, where then a truncated-at-zero count distribution is used for the non-zero state. In practice, however, all these three features can appear simultaneously. Hence, a modeling framework that incorporates all three is necessary, and this presents challenges for the data analysis. Such models, when conditionally specified, will naturally have a subject-specific interpretation. However, adopting their purposefully modified marginalized versions leads to a direct marginal or population-averaged interpretation for parameter estimates of covariate effects, which is the primary interest in many applications. In this paper, we present a marginalized hurdle model and a marginalized zero-inflated model for correlated and overdispersed count data with excess zero observations and then illustrate these further with two case studies. The first dataset focuses on the Anopheles mosquito density around a hydroelectric dam, while adolescents' involvement in work, to earn money and support their families or themselves, is

Planning Training Loads for the 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles using Artificial Neural Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Przednowek, Krzysztof; Iskra, Janusz; Wiktorowicz, Krzysztof; Krzeszowski, Tomasz; Maszczyk, Adam

2017-12-01

This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes' training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period.

Planning Training Loads for The 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles Using Artificial Neural Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Przednowek Krzysztof

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes’ training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period.

Prostate cancer metastasis-driving genes: hurdles and potential approaches in their identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Ting Chiang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Metastatic prostate cancer is currently incurable. Metastasis is thought to result from changes in the expression of specific metastasis-driving genes in nonmetastatic prostate cancer tissue, leading to a cascade of activated downstream genes that set the metastatic process in motion. Such genes could potentially serve as effective therapeutic targets for improved management of the disease. They could be identified by comparative analysis of gene expression profiles of patient-derived metastatic and nonmetastatic prostate cancer tissues to pinpoint genes showing altered expression, followed by determining whether silencing of such genes can lead to inhibition of metastatic properties. Various hurdles encountered in this approach are discussed, including (i the need for clinically relevant, nonmetastatic and metastatic prostate cancer tissues such as xenografts of patients' prostate cancers developed via subrenal capsule grafting technology and (ii limitations in the currently available methodology for identification of master regulatory genes.

Hurdling barriers through market uncertainty: Case studies ininnovative technology adoption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Payne, Christopher T.; Radspieler Jr., Anthony; Payne, Jack

2002-08-18

The crisis atmosphere surrounding electricity availability in California during the summer of 2001 produced two distinct phenomena in commercial energy consumption decision-making: desires to guarantee energy availability while blackouts were still widely anticipated, and desires to avoid or mitigate significant price increases when higher commercial electricity tariffs took effect. The climate of increased consideration of these factors seems to have led, in some cases, to greater willingness on the part of business decision-makers to consider highly innovative technologies. This paper examines three case studies of innovative technology adoption: retrofit of time-and-temperature signs on an office building; installation of fuel cells to supply power, heating, and cooling to the same building; and installation of a gas-fired heat pump at a microbrewery. We examine the decision process that led to adoption of these technologies. In each case, specific constraints had made more conventional energy-efficient technologies inapplicable. We examine how these barriers to technology adoption developed over time, how the California energy decision-making climate combined with the characteristics of these innovative technologies to overcome the barriers, and what the implications of hurdling these barriers are for future energy decisions within the firms.

Effects of sonication and ultraviolet-C treatment as a hurdle concept on quality attributes of Chokanan mango (Mangifera indica L.) juice.

Science.gov (United States)

Santhirasegaram, Vicknesha; Razali, Zuliana; Somasundram, Chandran

2015-04-01

The growing demand for fresh-like food products has encouraged the development of hurdle technology of non-thermal processing. In this study, freshly squeezed Chokanan mango juice was treated by paired combinations of sonication (for 15 and 30 min at 25 ℃, 40 kHz frequency) and UV-C treatment (for 15 and 30 min at 25 ℃). Selected physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities, microbial inactivation and other quality parameters of combined treated juice were compared to conventional thermal treatment (at 90 ℃ for 60 s). After thermal and combined treatment, no significant changes occurred in physicochemical properties. A significant increase in extractability of carotenoids (15%), polyphenols (37%), flavonoids (35%) and enhancement in antioxidant capacity was observed after combined treatment. Thermal and combined treatment exhibited significant reduction in microbial load. Results obtained support the use of sonication and UV-C in a hurdle technology to improve the quality of Chokanan mango juice along with safety standards. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

From passive to active: The spectrum of peace journalism

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Jesse Benn

2015-10-01

Full Text Available One of the biggest hurdles facing the field of peace journalism (PJ is its vague definition. This paper proposes defining PJ as it operates on a spectrum, from passive to active. Through a review of extant PJ literature, this paper synthesizes current theory into an overarching, explicit concept, and calls for it to be further adopted and expanded. To conclude it considers potential advantages, drawbacks, and critiques of its proposal.

Feasibility of Fuel Cell APUs for Automotive Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2005-12-05

CELL DELPHI SOFC APU w/ REFORMER FREIGHTLINER TRACTOR WITH BALLARD PEM APU AND METHANOL REFORMER SUNLINE TRACTOR WITH HYDROGEN- FuELLED HYDROGENICS...NRF.L. ADVISOR model , t"’mparing the idling of a main diesei engine to this APU c~ntigur,uion. SUNLINE TRACTOR WITH HYDROGEN- FUELLED HYDROGENICS PEM ...the biggest hurdles to having a successful JP-8- fuelled fuel cell was preventing the sulfur-laden JP-8 from poisoning the catalyst.[9] Specifically

Dynamical Monte Carlo investigation of spin reversals and nonequilibrium magnetization of single-molecule magnets

OpenAIRE

Liu, Gui-Bin; Liu, Bang-Gui

2010-01-01

In this paper, we combine thermal effects with Landau-Zener (LZ) quantum tunneling effects in a dynamical Monte Carlo (DMC) framework to produce satisfactory magnetization curves of single-molecule magnet (SMM) systems. We use the giant spin approximation for SMM spins and consider regular lattices of SMMs with magnetic dipolar interactions (MDI). We calculate spin reversal probabilities from thermal-activated barrier hurdling, direct LZ tunneling, and thermal-assisted LZ tunnelings in the pr...

Clearing up the hazy road from bench to bedside: A framework for integrating the fourth hurdle into translational medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Jürgen H

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background New products evolving from research and development can only be translated to medical practice on a large scale if they are reimbursed by third-party payers. Yet the decision processes regarding reimbursement are highly complex and internationally heterogeneous. This study develops a process-oriented framework for monitoring these so-called fourth hurdle procedures in the context of product development from bench to bedside. The framework is suitable both for new drugs and other medical technologies. Methods The study is based on expert interviews and literature searches, as well as an analysis of 47 websites of coverage decision-makers in England, Germany and the USA. Results Eight key steps for monitoring fourth hurdle procedures from a company perspective were determined: entering the scope of a healthcare payer; trigger of decision process; assessment; appraisal; setting level of reimbursement; establishing rules for service provision; formal and informal participation; and publication of the decision and supplementary information. Details are given for the English National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the German Federal Joint Committee, Medicare's National and Local Coverage Determinations, and for Blue Cross Blue Shield companies. Conclusion Coverage determination decisions for new procedures tend to be less formalized than for novel drugs. The analysis of coverage procedures and requirements shows that the proof of patient benefit is essential. Cost-effectiveness is likely to gain importance in future.

Dynamical Monte Carlo investigation of spin reversal and nonequilibrium magnetization of single-molecule magnets

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Gui-Bin; Liu, Bang-Gui

2010-10-01

In this paper, we combine thermal effects with Landau-Zener (LZ) quantum tunneling effects in a dynamical Monte Carlo (DMC) framework to produce satisfactory magnetization curves of single-molecule magnet (SMM) systems. We use the giant spin approximation for SMM spins and consider regular lattices of SMMs with magnetic dipolar interactions (MDIs). We calculate spin-reversal probabilities from thermal-activated barrier hurdling, direct LZ tunneling, and thermal-assisted LZ tunnelings in the presence of sweeping magnetic fields. We do systematical DMC simulations for Mn12 systems with various temperatures and sweeping rates. Our simulations produce clear step structures in low-temperature magnetization curves, and our results show that the thermally activated barrier hurdling becomes dominating at high temperature near 3 K and the thermal-assisted tunnelings play important roles at intermediate temperature. These are consistent with corresponding experimental results on good Mn12 samples (with less disorders) in the presence of little misalignments between the easy axis and applied magnetic fields, and therefore our magnetization curves are satisfactory. Furthermore, our DMC results show that the MDI, with the thermal effects, have important effects on the LZ tunneling processes, but both the MDI and the LZ tunneling give place to the thermal-activated barrier hurdling effect in determining the magnetization curves when the temperature is near 3 K. This DMC approach can be applicable to other SMM systems and could be used to study other properties of SMM systems.

This will the world what will be the biggest experiment in ... and we don't really know happen when we turn it on!

CERN Multimedia

Leighton, Barry

2007-01-01

Jim Brooke gazed admiringly at the 12'500 tonne time machine which is slowly taking shape in an eerie subterranean vault and declared: "This is the biggest physics experiment ever and will be for years to come. (2pages)

Load training athletes specializing in race to 100 meter hurdles in its annual training cycle

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Radosław Muszkieta

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to provide an annual macrocycle preparation of athletes specializing in the 100 meters hurdles. A detailed discussion of the structure and analyze loads in individual periods of the annual training cycle. And the analysis and discussion of the variables of training athletes Marlene Morton, who allowed her to win the bronze medal Polish Youth Championships in Bialystok. The study was conducted based on a detailed analysis of the training diary kept by the athlete, the coach and the daily interview with the coach conducting Arthur Kohutek. They were presented various training periods and analyzed periods and sub-periods. In the summary they presented the conclusions that can be helpful when planning the burden for athletes who specialize in racing gossip.

Hurdle technology applied to prickly pear beverages for inhibiting Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

García-García, R; Escobedo-Avellaneda, Z; Tejada-Ortigoza, V; Martín-Belloso, O; Valdez-Fragoso, A; Welti-Chanes, J

2015-06-01

The effect of pH reduction (from 6·30-6·45 to 4·22-4·46) and the addition of antimicrobial compounds (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate) on the inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli in prickly pear beverages formulated with the pulp and peel of Villanueva (V, Opuntia albicarpa) and Rojo Vigor (RV, Opuntia ficus-indica) varieties during 14 days of storage at 25°C, was evaluated. RV variety presented the highest microbial inhibition. By combining pH reduction and preservatives, reductions of 6·2-log10 and 2·3-log10 for E. coli and S. cerevisiae were achieved respectively. Due to the low reduction of S. cerevisiae, pulsed electric fields (PEF) (11-15 μs/25-50 Hz/27-36 kV cm(-1)) was applied as another preservation factor. The combination of preservatives, pH reduction and PEF at 13-15 μs/25-50 Hz for V variety, and 11 μs/50 Hz, 13-15 μs/25-50 Hz for RV, had a synergistic effect on S. cerevisiae inhibition, achieving at least 3·4-log10 of microbial reduction immediately after processing, and more than 5-log10 at fourth day of storage at 25°C maintained this reduction during 21 days of storage (P > 0·05). Hurdle technology using PEF in combination with other factors is adequate to maintain stable prickly pear beverages during 21 days/25°C. Significance and impact of the study: Prickly pear is a fruit with functional value, with high content of nutraceuticals and antioxidant activity. Functional beverages formulated with the pulp and peel of this fruit represent an alternative for its consumption. Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are micro-organisms that typically affect fruit beverage quality and safety. The food industry is looking for processing technologies that maintain quality without compromising safety. Hurdle technology, including pulsed electric fields (PEF) could be an option to achieve this. The combination of PEF, pH reduction and preservatives is an alternative to obtain safe and minimally processed

North-south cooperation in international atmospheric programs

Science.gov (United States)

Roederer, J. G.

The study of the inner workings of the atmosphere and how it links biosphere, oceans, soil, rocks, human systems and near-earth space into one single whole is one of the most difficult and ambitious endeavors of humankind. The biggest challenge is to identify and separate natural from human-induced changes and provide scientific information to allow governments formulate and implement policies that reconcile regional development with global environmental protection. Developing countries have a crucial role to play: they can offer much- needed human talent, labor and geographic coverage for the daunting task of monitoring and interpreting the complex, non-linear and chaotic system under study. Researchers engaged in the study of the atmosphere are confronted with scientific questions whose answers can have tremendous economic and political implications. This paper will discuss some of the organizational, political and psychological hurdles that must be considered and overcome in the planning of international programs of atmospheric research.

Falls in Swedish hurdle and steeplechase racing and the condition of the track surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gottlieb-Vedi, M.; Pipper, Christian Bressen

2015-01-01

Falls in National Hunt races is a tragic part of the sport. The present study focuses on the relation between racing track conditions and the number of falls in Swedish jump racing. The assumption was that more horses fell on heavy or soft going than on good or firm going. Results from all jump...... races at Täby Racecourse (1992-2001) were recorded. Parameters registered were: type and number of races, racing surface and condition, total time to finish the race, number of starting horses and number of falls. In this period 212 races, corresponding to 1,556 horse starts, were registered. Falls were...... registered in 42 races and in total 61 horses fell. The fall frequency on horse level was significantly higher in steeplechases than in hurdle races (odds ratio =3.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.99-6.85). For the steeplechases recorded in this study, significantly more falls were seen in long distance...

Edutainment's Impact on Health Promotion: Viewing The Biggest Loser Through the Social Cognitive Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Mocarski, Richard; Bissell, Kimberly

2016-01-01

Through a critical rhetorical analysis using Bandura's social cognitive theory as a lens to view The Biggest Loser (TBL), this article illustrates the contradictions between the show's health promotional aims and its entertainment aims, which show the problems the show creates for health promotion practitioners working on obesity. The social cognitive theory constructs of observational learning, psychological determinants, and environmental determinants emerged from this reading of TBL as central to how the show masquerades as a health promotion tool. This reading reveals that TBL promotes a neoliberal construction of health and obesity that challenges the worldview that many health promotion campaigns take and, therefore, complicates our own efforts to combat obesity. With this revealed, it is suggested that TBL be incorporated into health promotion campaigns only as a foil. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

Future of palliative medicine

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Sushma Bhatnagar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A ′need-supply′ and ′requirement-distribution mismatch′ along with a continuingneed explosion are the biggest hurdles faced by palliative medicine today. It is the need of the hour to provide an unbiased, equitable and evidence-based palliative care to those in need irrespective of the diagnosis, prognosis, social and economic status or geographical location. Palliative care as a fundamental human right, ensuring provision throughout the illness spectrum, global as well as region-specific capacity building, uniform availability of essential drugs at an affordable price, a multidisciplinary team approachand caregiver-support are some of the achievable goals for the future. This supplanted with a strong political commitment, professional dedication and ′public-private partnerships′ are necessaryto tackle the existing hurdles and the exponentially increasing future need. For effectively going ahead it is of utmost importance to integrate palliative medicine into medical education, healthcare system and societal framework.

About ATMPs, SOPs and GMP: The Hurdles to Produce Novel Skin Grafts for Clinical Use.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann-Fritsch, Fabienne; Marino, Daniela; Reichmann, Ernst

2016-09-01

The treatment of severe full-thickness skin defects represents a significant and common clinical problem worldwide. A bio-engineered autologous skin substitute would significantly reduce the problems observed with today's gold standard. Within 15 years of research, the Tissue Biology Research Unit of the University Children's Hospital Zurich has developed autologous tissue-engineered skin grafts based on collagen type I hydrogels. Those products are considered as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and are routinely produced for clinical trials in a clean room facility following the guidelines for good manufacturing practice (GMP). This article focuses on hurdles observed for the translation of ATMPs from research into the GMP environment and clinical application. Personalized medicine in the field of rare diseases has great potential. However, ATMPs are mainly developed and promoted by academia, hospitals, and small companies, which face many obstacles such as high financial burdens.

A novel series of conferences tackling the hurdles confronting the translation of novel cancer immunotherapies

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Bot Adrian

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract While there has been significant progress in advancing novel immune therapies to the bedside, much more needs to be done to fully tap into the potential of the immune system. It has become increasingly clear that besides practical and operational challenges, the heterogeneity of cancer and the limited efficacy profile of current immunotherapy platforms are the two main hurdles. Nevertheless, the promising clinical data of several approaches point to a roadmap that carries the promise to significantly advance cancer immunotherapy. A new annual series sponsored by Arrowhead Publishers and Conferences aims at bringing together scientific and business leadership from academia and industry, to identify, share and discuss most current priorities in research and translation of novel immune interventions. This Editorial provides highlights of the first event held earlier this year and outlines the focus of the second meeting to be held in 2013 that will be dedicated to stem cells and immunotherapy.

GPU: the biggest key processor for AI and parallel processing

Science.gov (United States)

Baji, Toru

2017-07-01

Two types of processors exist in the market. One is the conventional CPU and the other is Graphic Processor Unit (GPU). Typical CPU is composed of 1 to 8 cores while GPU has thousands of cores. CPU is good for sequential processing, while GPU is good to accelerate software with heavy parallel executions. GPU was initially dedicated for 3D graphics. However from 2006, when GPU started to apply general-purpose cores, it was noticed that this architecture can be used as a general purpose massive-parallel processor. NVIDIA developed a software framework Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) that make it possible to easily program the GPU for these application. With CUDA, GPU started to be used in workstations and supercomputers widely. Recently two key technologies are highlighted in the industry. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Driving Cars. AI requires a massive parallel operation to train many-layers of neural networks. With CPU alone, it was impossible to finish the training in a practical time. The latest multi-GPU system with P100 makes it possible to finish the training in a few hours. For the autonomous driving cars, TOPS class of performance is required to implement perception, localization, path planning processing and again SoC with integrated GPU will play a key role there. In this paper, the evolution of the GPU which is one of the biggest commercial devices requiring state-of-the-art fabrication technology will be introduced. Also overview of the GPU demanding key application like the ones described above will be introduced.

Semantic Web for Chemical Genomics – need, how to, and hurdles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talapady Bhat

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Semantic Web has been often suggested as the information technology solution to the growing problem in managing the millions of data points generated by modern science such as nanotechnology and high through-put screening for drugs. However, the progress towards this vision envisaged by the W3C has been very limited. Here we discuss –some of the obstacles to the realization of this vision and we make some suggestions as to how one may overcome some of these hurdles? Here we discuss some of these issues and present thoughts on an alternative method to Semantic Web that is less drastic in requirements. This method does not require the use of RDF and Protege, and it works in an environment currently used by the chemical and biological database providers. In our method one attempts to use as many components as possible from the tools already used by the database providers and one brings in far fewer new tools and techniques compared to the method that use RDF or Protégé. Our method uses a standard database environment and web tools rather than the RDF and Protégé to manage user interface and the data is held in a database rather than using RDF. This method shifts the task of building Semantic knowledge-base and ontology from RDF and Protégé to a SQL based database environment.

Hurdles in tissue engineering/regenerative medicine product commercialization: a pilot survey of governmental funding agencies and the financial industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertram, Timothy A; Tentoff, Edward; Johnson, Peter C; Tawil, Bill; Van Dyke, Mark; Hellman, Kiki B

2012-11-01

The Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society of the Americas (TERMIS-AM) Industry Committee conducted a semiquantitative opinion survey in 2010 to delineate potential hurdles to commercialization perceived by the TERMIS constituency groups that participate in the stream of technology commercialization (academia, start-up companies, development-stage companies, and established companies). A significant hurdle identified consistently by each group was access to capital for advancing potential technologies into development pathways leading to commercialization. A follow-on survey was developed by the TERMIS-AM Industry Committee to evaluate the financial industry's perspectives on investing in regenerative medical technologies. The survey, composed of 15 questions, was developed and provided to 37 investment organizations in one of three sectors (governmental, private, and public investors). The survey was anonymous and confidential with sector designation the only identifying feature of each respondent's organization. Approximately 80% of the survey was composed of respondents from the public (n=14) and private (n=15) sectors. Each respondent represents one investment organization with the potential of multiple participants participating to form the organization's response. The remaining organizations represented governmental agencies (n=8). Results from this survey indicate that a high percentage ($2MM into regenerative medical companies at the different stages of a company's life cycle. Investors recognized major hurdles to this emerging industry, including regulatory pathway, clinical translation, and reimbursement of these new products. Investments in regenerative technologies have been cyclical over the past 10-15 years, but investors recognized a 1-5-year investment period before the exit via Merger and Acquisition (M&A). Investors considered musculoskeletal products and their top technology choice with companies in the clinical stage

CRISPR-Cas9 for in vivo Gene Therapy: Promise and Hurdles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Jing Dai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Owing to its easy-to-use and multiplexing nature, the genome editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR associated nuclease 9 is revolutionizing many areas of medical research and one of the most amazing areas is its gene therapy potentials. Previous explorations into the therapeutic potentials of CRISPR-Cas9 were mainly conducted in vitro or in animal germlines, the translatability of which, however, is either limited (to tissues with adult stem cells amenable to culture and manipulation or currently impermissible (due to ethic concerns. Recently, important progresses have been made on this regard. Several studies have demonstrated the ability of CRISPR-Cas9 for in vivo gene therapy in adult rodent models of human genetic diseases delivered by methods that are potentially translatable to human use. Although these recent advances represent a significant step forward to the eventual application of CRISPR-Cas9 to the clinic, there are still many hurdles to overcome, such as the off-target effects of CRISPR-Cas9, efficacy of homology-directed repair, fitness of edited cells, immunogenicity of therapeutic CRISPR-Cas9 components, as well as efficiency, specificity, and translatability of in vivo delivery methods. In this article, we introduce the mechanisms and merits of CRISPR-Cas9 in genome editing, briefly retrospect the applications of CRISPR-Cas9 in gene therapy explorations and highlight recent advances, later we discuss in detail the challenges lying ahead in the way of its translatability, propose possible solutions, and future research directions.

Successful cleaning concept for Germany's biggest reverse osmosis plant; Ein erfolgreiches Reinigungskonzept fuer die groesste Umkehrosmoseanlage Deutschlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kempen, Hermann [Kurita Europe GmbH, Viersen (Germany); Zierau, Ronald [Zellstoff-Stendal GmbH, Arneburg (Germany)

2012-07-01

During the last years, new developments for membrane material and also for treatment chemicals have resulted in higher efficiency and reliability of reverse osmosis (RO) plants. Nevertheless, especially RO plants receiving raw water from surface waters with open intake or from waste water streams are facing problems with fouling on membranes during operation. In such cases, the efficient cleaning of membranes is mandatory to ensure long-term supply of permeate in high quality and sufficient quantity. New cleaning concepts with proprietary cleaning products are gaining in importance. The successful application of such a cleaning concept at Germany's biggest RO plant is described in this paper. (orig.)

Plasma-implantation-based surface modification of metals with single-implantation mode

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, X. B.; Cui, J. T.; Yang, S. Q.; Fu, Ricky K. Y.; Chu, Paul K.

2004-12-01

Plasma ion implantation has proven to be an effective surface modification technique. Its biggest advantage is the capability to treat the objects with irregular shapes without complex manipulation of target holder. Many metal materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel, titanium, magnesium etc, has been treated using this technique to improve their wear-resistance, corrosion-resistance, fatigue-resistance, oxidation-resistance, bio-compatiblity etc. However in order to achieve thicker modified layers, hybrid processes combining plasma ion implantation with other techniques have been frequently employed. In this paper plasma implantation based surface modification of metals using single-implantation mode is reviewed.

Single beam Fourier transform digital holographic quantitative phase microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anand, A., E-mail: arun-nair-in@yahoo.com; Chhaniwal, V. K.; Mahajan, S.; Trivedi, V. [Optics Laboratory, Applied Physics Department, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara 390001 (India); Faridian, A.; Pedrini, G.; Osten, W. [Institut für Technische Optik, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 9, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Dubey, S. K. [Siemens Technology and Services Pvt. Ltd, Corporate Technology—Research and Technology Centre, Bangalore 560100 (India); Javidi, B. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, U-4157, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2157 (United States)

2014-03-10

Quantitative phase contrast microscopy reveals thickness or height information of a biological or technical micro-object under investigation. The information obtained from this process provides a means to study their dynamics. Digital holographic (DH) microscopy is one of the most used, state of the art single-shot quantitative techniques for three dimensional imaging of living cells. Conventional off axis DH microscopy directly provides phase contrast images of the objects. However, this process requires two separate beams and their ratio adjustment for high contrast interference fringes. Also the use of two separate beams may make the system more vulnerable to vibrations. Single beam techniques can overcome these hurdles while remaining compact as well. Here, we describe the development of a single beam DH microscope providing whole field imaging of micro-objects. A hologram of the magnified object projected on to a diffuser co-located with a pinhole is recorded with the use of a commercially available diode laser and an arrayed sensor. A Fourier transform of the recorded hologram directly yields the complex amplitude at the image plane. The method proposed was investigated using various phase objects. It was also used to image the dynamics of human red blood cells in which sub-micrometer level thickness variation were measurable.

“That’s the biggest impact!” Pedagogical values of movies in ELT classrooms

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Nyak Mutia Ismail

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Since many say watching movies can have a positive effect on language learning outcomes, this research was done to find out which skills movies can contribute most to, whether speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar or cultural aspects. A qualitative research method was used for this study. This study was done to find out the teachers’ perceptions of using English movies in English Language Teaching (ELT processes. Teachers from three different levels: primary, secondary, and senior high-school teachers were asked to answer a questionnaire set in accordance with the research topic. Five of them were senior high school teachers, two of them were junior high school teachers, and three of them were elementary school teachers. Creative interviews were also used as an additional data source. The results showed that most of the teachers agreed that movies play their biggest role and considerable advantages in developing cultural aspects and listening skills. Furthermore, some integration is possible between listening and speaking as well as with reading and writing because watching movies works better with integration of skills. Apparently, even though vocabulary can develop with this technique, grammar is not enhanced alone without being accompanied by writing.

Why have China and Russia become Uzbekistan’s biggest energy partners? Exploring the role of exogenous and endogenous factors

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Oybek Madiyev

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In the 1990s, there was an expectation that Uzbekistan, along with other countries in Central Asia, would gradually move towards the West by distancing itself from the sphere of Russian influence. However, in spite of the West’s significant investment in the region’s economies and attempts to enter the local markets through both bilateral and multilateral channels, this shift never materialised. In fact, since the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, Uzbekistan’s trade cooperation with Russia has remained robust, and only in 2014 did China overtook Russia as Uzbekistan’s biggest trading partner. This article aims to understand why Russia and China have become Uzbekistan’s biggest economic partners, especially in the energy sector. To understand this, I believe that it is important to analyse the nature of both domestic and international factors and their interaction. First of all, there are international factors: globalisation, the rise of China and an increase in global demand for natural resources; the role of the China-initiated the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Silk Road Economic Belt; and Russia’s attempt to reclaim its “great power” status since 2000 and Putin’s attempt to build and expand the Eurasian Economic Union. Second, there are domestic factors: understanding Russia’s and China’s foreign trade policy linked not only with economic growth but also with the structure of foreign economic policy decision-making, or “power vertical,” among other domestic elements. This article will draw on Critical International Political Economy (CIPE to argue that this tradition is well equipped and offers an important framework to understand foreign economic policy of powers such as Russia and China. The CIPE does not simply combine the domestic and international factors but also insists on their indivisibility and engages with cultural, ideological and social elements in their historical

Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty surgery: update on the evidence and hurdles to acceptance.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Marianne O; Price, Francis W

2013-07-01

Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) is the most popular treatment for endothelial dysfunction, but Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) now provides better vision with lower risk of immunologic rejection. Although DMEK is more challenging, advances in instrumentation and techniques are reducing the learning curve. In contrast to DSEK, which includes posterior donor stroma, DMEK consists merely of donor endothelium and Descemet's membrane, so DMEK does not create a stromal interface and induces significantly less posterior surface aberrations, resulting in better vision. Furthermore, multiple centers report remarkably low (<1%) cumulative probability of immunologic graft rejection episodes through 2 years after DMEK. Initially, the biggest challenges were tissue loss in preparation and ensuring attachment. Subsequent improvements have reduced complication rates to levels experienced with DSEK. DMEK/DSEK hybrids and 'thin' DSEK also can provide better vision than standard DSEK; randomized controlled comparisons with DMEK are needed. DMEK provides an anatomically exact replacement of dysfunctional host endothelium and has set new benchmarks for rejection risk and visual outcomes following endothelial replacement. DMEK is providing new insights into how different corneal layers contribute to immunogenicity and immune tolerance and into the key factors that limit vision after endothelial keratoplasty.

Current Developments in Prokaryotic Single Cell Whole Genome Amplification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goudeau, Danielle; Nath, Nandita; Ciobanu, Doina; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Malmstrom, Rex

2014-03-14

Our approach to prokaryotic single-cell Whole Genome Amplification at the JGI continues to evolve. To increase both the quality and number of single-cell genomes produced, we explore all aspects of the process from cell sorting to sequencing. For example, we now utilize specialized reagents, acoustic liquid handling, and reduced reaction volumes eliminate non-target DNA contamination in WGA reactions. More specifically, we use a cleaner commercial WGA kit from Qiagen that employs a UV decontamination procedure initially developed at the JGI, and we use the Labcyte Echo for tip-less liquid transfer to set up 2uL reactions. Acoustic liquid handling also dramatically reduces reagent costs. In addition, we are exploring new cell lysis methods including treatment with Proteinase K, lysozyme, and other detergents, in order to complement standard alkaline lysis and allow for more efficient disruption of a wider range of cells. Incomplete lysis represents a major hurdle for WGA on some environmental samples, especially rhizosphere, peatland, and other soils. Finding effective lysis strategies that are also compatible with WGA is challenging, and we are currently assessing the impact of various strategies on genome recovery.

Hurdles overcome in technology transfer for AIET and Positive outcome in Indian patients

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Dedeepiya V

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction Cell based immunotherapies have been in practice in Japan for the past two decades with established clinical trials on its efficacy in both solid tumours and hematological malignancies including gastric cancer, ovarian cancer , lung cancer and liver cancer. [1,2,3,4] In India, NCRM has been providing Autologous Immune Enhancement Therapy (AIET using autologous Natural Killer (NK cells and activated T Lymphocytes for Cancer since 2005 following the established protocols practiced by the Biotherapy Institute of Japan. Significant outcome achieved after AIET in advanced pancreatic cancer, Acute Myeloid leukemia (AML in Indian patients have already been reported. [5, 6] Here we report our experience in few more patients and present the hurdles overcome and lessons learned in translating the technology from Japan to India Case Details: Case 1: A 54 year-old female presented with Stage IV recurrent ovarian malignancy in 2010 with a history of previous surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian malignancy in June 2009. The CA-125 level of 243 U/ml. CT scan revealed lesions in the liver, spleen, along the greater curvature of body of stomach and in the perisplenic region, between the medial aspect of liver and stomach and in the right inguinal region. She was suggested six cycles of chemotherapy with Doxorubicin (50 mg and Carboplatin (450 mg along with AIET. After proper informed consent, the peripheral blood was withdrawn and the in vitro expansion of the NK cells, activated T Lymphocytes from the peripheral blood was performed using the protocol reported earlier. [7] Average cell count after the in vitro expansion was 1.2 X 108 cells. Six transfusions of the in vitro expanded NK cells and activated T lymphocytes were administered following which the CA-125 decreased to 4.7 U/mL. CT scan taken in December 2010 showed a regression of the lesions in the spleen and perisplenic peritoneal deposits, stable hepatic lesions and resolution of

CERN’s biggest and youngest family

CERN Multimedia

Panos Charitos for PH News

2013-01-01

In a sort of happy reply to the CERN Director-General, who cited them as the summer “addition to the big CERN family”, some of the 2013 summer students submitted their enthusiastic messages to the PH Newsletter. There is no way to include all of them in a single article. Instead, a world map will do the job. Click on it and enjoy the messages from the youngest part of the big CERN family.   Every summer CERN turns into one of the most international and lively places you could imagine as hundreds of summer students arrive from all over the world. Students from different backgrounds spend a few weeks working with their supervisors on numerous topics of scientific research. Among this year's summer students you will meet an astronomer, a biochemist, a computational biologist and even an Olympic winner! These are young scientists with an incredible amount of talent, intelligence and energy. CERN summer students clearly have an e...

Property rating potentials and hurdles: what can be done to boost property rating in Ghana?

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Elias Danyi Kuusaana

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Population growth in many of Africa’s towns and cities has outpaced local authority capacity to provide efficient management, infrastructure and financing. There is already debate over the capability and capacity of urban local governments to provide basic services to a growing population, due to budget constraints and inability to raise the required local-level revenue. This paper looks at how the potential of property rating can be harnessed to generate the bulk of revenue needed for local-level development, despite the huge default rates across Ghana. Focusing on Wa Municipality as a case study, the study finds that the major hurdles to property rating are poor property data systems, political interference, non-enforcement of the law, low budget deficit in financing revaluation, insufficient staffing, and insufficient technical capacity of the few staff available at the municipal valuation and rating divisions. Despite these constraints, however, field data still indicates that property rating in Ghana, and especially in Wa Municipality, can generate up to 30% of local government revenue needed. This is conditional on streamlining current challenges and improving resources for the rating and valuation units. There is extensive non-payment of property rates in Wa Municipality due to lack of awareness of the purpose of this tax, of how to pay and of the penalties for defaulting payees.

Effects of gamma irradiation and silver nano particles on microbiological characteristics of saffron, using hurdle technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamid Sales, E; Motamedi Sedeh, F; Rajabifar, S

2012-03-01

Saffron, a plant from the Iridaceae family, is the world's most expensive spice. Gamma irradiation and silver nano particles whose uses are gradually increasing worldwide, have positive effects on preventing decay by sterilizing the microorganisms and by improving the safety without compromising the nutritional properties and sensory quality of the foods. In the present study combination effects of gamma irradiation and silver nano particles packaging on the microbial contamination of saffron were considered during storage. A combination of hurdles can ensure stability and microbial safety of foods. For this purpose, saffron samples were packaged by Poly Ethylene films that posses up to 300 ppm nano silver particles as antimicrobial agents and then irradiated in cobalt-60 irradiator (gamma cell PX30, dose rate 0.55 Gry/Sec) to 0, 1, 2,3 and 4 kGy at room temperature. The antimicrobial activities against Total Aerobic Mesophilic Bacteria, Entrobacteriace, Escherichia Coli and Clostridium Perfringines were higher in the irradiated samples, demonstrating the inhibition zone for their growth. Irradiation of the saffron samples packaged by Poly Ethylene films with nano silver particles showed the best results for decreasing microbial contamination at 2 kGy and for Poly Ethylene films without silver nano particles; it was 4 kGy.

Single droplet analysis for spray drying of foods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perdana, J.A.

2013-01-01

Many food ingredients, such as enzymes and probiotics, are spray dried to provide shelf-life. Major hurdle to apply spray drying is the lack of scientific insight on the inactivation mechanisms of components and the extensive optimization required for formulation and drying conditions to obtain

Using Gamification Combined with Indoor Location to Improve Nurses' Hand Hygiene Compliance in an ICU Ward.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapão, Luís Velez; Marques, Rita; Gregório, João; Pinheiro, Fernando; Póvoa, Pedro; Mira da Silva, Miguel

2016-01-01

Healthcare acquired infections are among the biggest unsolved problems in healthcare, implying an increasing number of deaths, extra-days of hospital stay and hospital costs. Performing hand hygiene is a simple and inexpensive prevention measure, but healthcare workers compliance with it is still far from optimal. Recognized hurdles are lack of time, forgetfulness, wrong technique and lack of motivation. This study aims at exploring gamification to promote nurses' HH compliance self-awareness and action. Real-time data collected from an indoor location system will provide feedback information to a group of nurses working in an ICU ward. In this paper both the research's motivation and methods is presented, along with the first round of results and its discussion.

General Electric Nuclear Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The ESBWR is a 1380 MWe boiling water reactor with improved operating safety margins and passive safety systems. He stated that the ESBWR derived from earlier GE plant design certification efforts and is the result of eight years of International cooperative work. He stated that the biggest challenge is to cross the regulatory hurdles associated with the inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria (ITAAC) and combined license (COL) programs. He further stated that he did not know how long it might take to license the ESBWR, in part, because the last GE design certification took about 8 to 10 years. Dr. Rao also provided a brief overview of the GE Nuclear Advance Liquid Metal S-PRISM design

Hurdle technology to preserve the 'Golden' papaya post harvest quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molinari, Andrea Cristina Fialho

2007-01-01

differences among papayas submitted to different treatments. A synergism was verified on the techniques combination, with the best results obtained from the association of CP + PEabs + gamma-irradiation at 0.4 kGy, which reached a total storage period of 35 days. Thus, that is the post harvest hurdle technology recommend for exporting 'Golden' papayas to markets with quarantine restrictions to fruit-flies (author)

Characteristics between the meshing pairs with different envelope profile in single screw compressors

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, R.; Liu, F.; Li, T.; Feng, Q.

2017-08-01

Single screw compressors have been used in various industrial fields. However, because the star-wheel teeth are easy to wear, the market for the development of single screw compressors is limited. In order to extend the service life of the star-wheel, researchers have developed different kinds of star-wheel tooth profile, such as single line envelope profile, single column envelope profile, and multi-column envelope profile. These profiles greatly affect the lubrication characteristics between the star-wheel teeth and the screw grooves. In this article, the lubrication characteristics between the meshing pairs with different envelope profiles are analyzed. Results show that the pressure peak of the single line envelope profile, single column envelope profile, and multi-column envelope profile are 3.23×105Pa, 3.38×105Pa, and 4.31×105Pa, respectively. This means that the multi-column enveloped meshing pair can resist the biggest external impact load. The deviation angle (γ) of the single line envelope profile, single column envelope profile, and multi-column envelope profile are 0.0139°~0.0286°, 0.0225°~0.0306° and 0.0122°~0.0262°, respectively. Thus, the self-balancing ability of the multi-column enveloped meshing pair is the strongest, and the oil film thickness on both sides of the multi-column enveloped star-wheel tooth is the most reasonable, which indicates a good lubrication state during operation, that is, longer operation life of the star-wheel teeth.

Struktura makrocyklu treningowego w biegu na 100 m przez płotki = The structure of the training macrocycle in the 100 m hurdles

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Maria Kamrowska-Nowak

2015-12-01

UKW w Bydgoszczy, IKF   Streszczenie Celem badań była analiza struktury czasowej oraz charakterystyka obciążeń treningowych płotkarki w rocznym cyklu, zrealizowanych przez zawodniczkę specjalizującą się w biegu na 100 m przez płotki. Materiał badawczy stanowiła dokumentacja szkolenia i obciążeń  treningowych zawodniczki S.G., mistrzyni Polski juniorek z 1999 r. oraz młodzieżowej mistrzyni Polski z 2000 r. Zebrany materiał dotyczący obciążeń treningowych skatalogowano według klasycznego podziału ćwiczeń ze względu na cechy motoryczne. Przygotowania treningowe do cyklu 1999/2000 trwały 336 dni. Zrealizowano 367 jednostek treningowych. W przygotowaniu siłowym największe obciążenie miało charakter ukierunkowany o przewadze półprzysiadów oraz podskoków i wyskoków z półprzysiadu. Siła o charakterze wszechstronnym miała mniejszy wymiar. Największe obciążenie pracą siłową miało miejsce od marca do czerwca. W okresie przygotowania ogólnego (listopad, grudzień, styczeń dominowała wytrzymałość tempowa krótka (odcinki 150 -300m, a następnie wytrzymałość szybkościowa, która ma wpływ na utrzymanie rytmu płotkowego od 7 do 10 płotka. Szybkość techniczna realizowana była od listopada do września, a najwięcej zrealizowano w miesiącach marcu i kwietniu.   Słowa kluczowe: lekkoatletyka, kobieta, bieg na 100 m przez płotki. Summary             The objective of the research was to analyze  time structure and characteristics of training loads of the hurdler specializing in 100m hurdles realized in the annual training cycle. Training records and training loads  of S.G. , the junior champion of Poland  in 1999 and the youth champion of Poland in 2000, constituted research material. Material concerning training loads was catalogued according to classical division of exercises on account of motor features.             Preparations for the training cycle 1999/2000 lasted 336 days, and 367

What are the biggest obstacles to growth of SMEs in developing countries? – An empirical evidence from an enterprise survey

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Yao Wang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available SMEs are drivers of economic growth and job creation in developing countries. It is paramount to determine the factors that hinder their growth. This paper uses the Enterprise Survey from the World Bank which covers data from 119 developing countries to investigate the biggest obstacles SMEs are confronting and the determinants that influence the obstacles as perceived by enterprise managers. The results show that SMEs perceive access to finance as the most significant obstacle which hinders their growth. The key determinants among firms' characteristics are size, age and growth rate of firms as well as the ownership of the firm. The latter – the role of the state in financing SME – is particularly intriguing. External reasons for the financing dilemma are also examined. It is shown that the main barriers to external financing are high costs of borrowing and a lack of consultant support.

Requirement analysis for an electronic laboratory notebook for sustainable data management in biomedical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Menzel, Julia; Weil, Philipp; Bittihn, Philip; Hornung, Daniel; Mathieu, Nadine; Demiroglu, Sara Y

2013-01-01

Sustainable data management in biomedical research requires documentation of metadata for all experiments and results. Scientists usually document research data and metadata in laboratory paper notebooks. An electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) can keep metadata linked to research data resulting in a better understanding of the research results, meaning a scientific benefit [1]. Besides other challenges [2], the biggest hurdles for introducing an ELN seem to be usability, file formats, and data entry mechanisms [3] and that many ELNs are assigned to specific research fields such as biology, chemistry, or physics [4]. We aimed to identify requirements for the introduction of ELN software in a biomedical collaborative research center [5] consisting of different scientific fields and to find software fulfilling most of these requirements.

Biggest Threats

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... Resistant Tuberculosis HAI/AR Prevention Programs Supporting Advances & Innovations to Slow AR Funding Announcements Federal Engagement in ... Word file Microsoft Excel file Audio/Video file Apple Quicktime file RealPlayer file Text file Zip Archive ...

MONITORING OF A GLUTEN CONTENT IN SELECTED MEAT PRODUCTS FROM THREE BIGGEST MEAT PRODUCERS IN SLOVAKIA

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Ladislav Staruch

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The work is focused on a monitoring of a gluten content in selected meat products from three biggest and most popular meat producers in Slovakia. Gluten is a type of protein complex which is typical naturally presented component of wheat, barley and rye. Flour from this sources with natural gluten content is also added into the some type of meat products and other foodstuffs for a technological reasons hand in hand with economic reasons.  Some of the gluten quantities could be hazardous for sensitive people as celiatics and allergic to gluten. Within the context of this reasons there is a need to control the amounts of this hidden type of gluten inclusive of spice mixes using in a meat production. Monitoring by itself was realized with a use of the sandwich ELISA RIDASCREEN® Fast Gliadin test. ELISA means enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. It is based on a specific reaction among the enzyme and antigen leading to a creation of a complex.  This test provides us exact quantitification of a gluten content in this type of food products using a colorimetric reaction of a complex by observing of all fundamentals of this technique. There were analysed 16 meat products and 5 types of spice mixes in total.doi:10.5219/167

Overcoming the Challenges of siRNA Delivery: Nanoparticle Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Shajari, Neda; Mansoori, Behzad; Davudian, Sadaf; Mohammadi, Ali; Baradaran, Behzad

2017-01-01

Despite therapeutics based on siRNA have an immense potential for the treatment of incurable diseases such as cancers. However, the in vivo utilization of siRNA and also the delivery of this agent to the target site is one of the most controversial challenges. The helpful assistance by nanoparticles can improve stable delivery and also enhance efficacy. More nanoparticle-based siRNA therapeutics is expected to become available in the near future. The search strategy followed the guidelines of the Centre of Reviews and Dissemination. The studies were identified from seven databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premiere, CINAHL, Medline Ovid, Eric and Cochrane Library). Studies was selected based on titles, abstracts and full texts. One hundred twenty nine papers were included in the review. These papers defined hurdles in RNAi delivery and also strategies to overcome these hurdles. This review discussed the existing hurdles for systemic administration of siRNA as therapeutic agents and highlights the various strategies to overcome these hurdles, including lipid-based nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles, and we also briefly reviewed chemical modification. Delivery of siRNA to the target site is the biggest challenge for its application in the clinic. The findings of this review confirmed by encapsulation siRNA in the nanoparticles can overcome these challenges. The rapid progress in nanotechnology has enabled the development of effective nanoparticles as the carrier for siRNA delivery. However, our data about siRNA-based therapeutics and also nanomedicine are still limited. More clinical data needs to be completely understood in the benefits and drawbacks of siRNA-based therapeutics. Prospective studies must pay attention to the in vivo safety profiles of the different delivery systems, including uninvited immune system stimulation and cytotoxicity. In essence, the development of nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable delivery systems for

The Relationship between Place of Residence and Hospitalization Rate in the Biggest Referral Hospital of the Northwest according to Hospitalization Wards

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Amin Talebpour

2016-06-01

Full Text Available ​ Background and objectives: In accordance with the global pattern, the urban population in Iran is higher than the rural population. But, are the statistics of using hospitalization services in public hospitals in these two categories similar to this pattern? This study seeks to determine the effect of place of residence on hospitalization rate by examining annual hospitalization statistics of the country’s biggest referral hospital in the northwest. Material and Methods: The method used in this study is cross-sectional and all cases of hospitalization in Imam Reza Hospital as the northwest’s biggest referral hospital were picked by available sampling method. The cases of 30260 hospitalized patients were examined through direct observation and items extracted from their files were recorded in the checklist. In order to determine the relations between the variables, K2 test was applied and the P-value was considered less than 0.05 The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS.16 software. Results: Results indicated that the frequency distribution of patients in terms of their urban or rural residence did not yield any significant difference (P>0/05. Results also showed that the highest hospitalization rate for urban patients was 16.1% (3305 individuals in surgery ward while it was 14.2% (1384 individuals for rural patients in orthopedic ward. The least significant statistical difference between urban and rural hospitalization rates was observed in renal ward with 72.9% (1162 individual urban patients and 27.1% (432 individuals rural patients of total patients hospitalized in this ward. The most significant statistical difference between urban and rural hospitalization rates was observed in ICU with 44.9% (297 individuals urban patients and 55.1% (365 individuals rural patients of the total patients hospitalized in this ward. Conclusion: A relative comparison among illnesses in urban and rural populations, aside from illnesses caused by trauma

Clean Transfer of Large Graphene Single Crystals for High-Intactness Suspended Membranes and Liquid Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jincan; Lin, Li; Sun, Luzhao; Huang, Yucheng; Koh, Ai Leen; Dang, Wenhui; Yin, Jianbo; Wang, Mingzhan; Tan, Congwei; Li, Tianran; Tan, Zhenjun; Liu, Zhongfan; Peng, Hailin

2017-07-01

The atomically thin 2D nature of suspended graphene membranes holds promising in numerous technological applications. In particular, the outstanding transparency to electron beam endows graphene membranes great potential as a candidate for specimen support of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, major hurdles remain to be addressed to acquire an ultraclean, high-intactness, and defect-free suspended graphene membrane. Here, a polymer-free clean transfer of sub-centimeter-sized graphene single crystals onto TEM grids to fabricate large-area and high-quality suspended graphene membranes has been achieved. Through the control of interfacial force during the transfer, the intactness of large-area graphene membranes can be as high as 95%, prominently larger than reported values in previous works. Graphene liquid cells are readily prepared by π-π stacking two clean single-crystal graphene TEM grids, in which atomic-scale resolution imaging and temporal evolution of colloid Au nanoparticles are recorded. This facile and scalable production of clean and high-quality suspended graphene membrane is promising toward their wide applications for electron and optical microscopy. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

World as The Biggest Clasroom. Travel as The Best Lesson. Independent Scientific School Expeditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Oleksik, Ireneusz; Lorek, Grzegorz; Dacy-Ignatiuk, Katarzyna

2013-04-01

We are a group of teachers from Poland who think that classroom lessons are not enough for our pupils to understand the world. We had a dream to take our students and show them the most beautiful places and phenomena on the Earth. But how to do it? Though today's travelling is so easy as never before, there are still some problems for young Poles - not only funding but also philosophy of travelling. It looks that we found a solution a few years ago - why not to organise quite independent school scientific expeditions? Without travel agencies and agents we can reduce costs of travelling 2-3 times! And we did it! We buy cheap flight tickets, fly to our destination and then... we must manage with all problems ourselves. We sleep in tents or budget hostels, use local means of transport and eat food from cheap markets or street eating places. Our motto is: "To see as much as possible for the minimum money". There are many more advantages - we decide where to go and how much time we spend in one area, we can change our route in every moment if something appears worth seeing. Our small groups are very mobile, sometimes local people invite us to visit their houses (like in Iran or Morocco). Expeditions allow students to watch, feel, touch, taste and smell phenomena, places and organisms which they could only read about in a classroom and to understand people from other cultures and religions. The list of nature and culture jewels that we have already seen is still growing - sands and oasis of Sahara, snow peaks of Himalayas, salt waters of Caspian Sea in Iran, geysers, volcanoes and glaciers of Iceland, the biggest sea birds colonies and whales in the North Atlantic, ancient cities - Fez, Marrakesh, Esfahan, Varanasi and Yazd.

Can ratio of the biggest tumor diameter to total tumor diameter be a new parameter in the differential diagnosis of agressive and favorable multifocal papillary thyroid microcarcinoma?

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, Abbas Ali; Özdemir, Didem; Çuhacı, Neslihan; Başer, Hüsniye; Dirikoç, Ahmet; Aydın, Cevdet; Yazgan, Aylin Kılıç; Ersoy, Reyhan; Çakır, Bekir

2017-02-01

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a new parameter -ratio of the biggest tumor diameter to total tumor diameter- for the differentiation of agressive and favorable papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC). The diameter of the biggest tumor focus was taken as the primary tumor diameter. Total tumor diameter was calculated as the sum of the maximal diameter of each lesion. Ratio of primary tumor diameter to total tumor diameter was defined as tumor diameter ratio (TDR). Positive and negative predictive value, sensitivity and specificity of TDR to predict capsular invasion, extrathyroidal extension (ETE) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) were determined. Mean TDR was significantly lower in multifocal PTMC patients with capsular invasion, ETE, lymphovascular invasion and LNM compared to patients without these features. The sensitivities of TDR for the detection of LNM, ETE and capsular invasion were 100%, 100% and 94.2%, respectively. Specificity of TDR was 86.2% for LNM, 88% for ETE and 94.7% for capsular invasion. Best cut off values of TDR that can predict capsular invasion, ETE and LNM in multifocal PTMC were 0.62, 0.57 and 0.56, respectively. Multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma patients with capsular invasion, ETE and LNM had significantly lower mean TDR when compared to ones without these features. Decreased TDR was associated with capsular invasion, ETE and LNM in patients with multifocal PTMC and PTC. This new parameter might be particularly helpful for the detection of aggressive behavior in multifocal PTMCs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How to overcome hurdles in opiate substitution treatment? A qualitative study with general practitioners in Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraeyman, Jessica; Symons, Linda; Van Royen, Paul; Van Hal, Guido; Peremans, Lieve

2016-06-01

Opiate substitution treatment (OST) is the administration of opioids (methadone or buprenorphine) under medical supervision for opiate addiction. Several studies indicate a large unmet need for OST in general practice in Antwerp, Belgium. Some hurdles remain before GPs engage in OST prescribing. Formulate recommendations to increase engagement of GPs in OST, applicable to Belgium and beyond. In 2009, an exploratory qualitative research was performed using focus group discussions and interviews with GPs. During data collection and analysis, purposive sampling, open and axial coding was applied. The script was composed around the advantages, disadvantages and conditions of engaging in OST in general practice. We conducted six focus groups and two interviews, with GPs experienced in prescribing OST (n = 13), inexperienced GPs (n = 13), and physicians from addiction centres (n = 5). Overall, GPs did not seem very willing to prescribe OST for opiate users. A lack of knowledge about OST and misbehaving patients creates anxiety and makes the GPs reluctant to learn more about OST. The GPs refer to a lack of collaboration with the addiction centres and a need of support (from either addiction centres or experienced GP-colleagues for advice). Important conditions for OST are acceptance of only stable opiate users and more support in emergencies. Increasing GPs' knowledge about OST and improving collaboration with addiction centres are essential to increase the uptake of OST in general practice. Special attention could be paid to the role of more experienced colleagues who can act as advising physicians for inexperienced GPs.

A disposable picolitre bioreactor for cultivation and investigation of industrially relevant bacteria on the single cell level.

Science.gov (United States)

Grünberger, Alexander; Paczia, Nicole; Probst, Christopher; Schendzielorz, Georg; Eggeling, Lothar; Noack, Stephan; Wiechert, Wolfgang; Kohlheyer, Dietrich

2012-05-08

In the continuously growing field of industrial biotechnology the scale-up from lab to industrial scale is still a major hurdle to develop competitive bioprocesses. During scale-up the productivity of single cells might be affected by bioreactor inhomogeneity and population heterogeneity. Currently, these complex interactions are difficult to investigate. In this report, design, fabrication and operation of a disposable picolitre cultivation system is described, in which environmental conditions can be well controlled on a short time scale and bacterial microcolony growth experiments can be observed by time-lapse microscopy. Three exemplary investigations will be discussed emphasizing the applicability and versatility of the device. Growth and analysis of industrially relevant bacteria with single cell resolution (in particular Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum) starting from one single mother cell to densely packed cultures is demonstrated. Applying the picolitre bioreactor, 1.5-fold increased growth rates of C. glutamicum wild type cells were observed compared to typical 1 litre lab-scale batch cultivation. Moreover, the device was used to analyse and quantify the morphological changes of an industrially relevant l-lysine producer C. glutamicum after artificially inducing starvation conditions. Instead of a one week lab-scale experiment, only 1 h was sufficient to reveal the same information. Furthermore, time lapse microscopy during 24 h picolitre cultivation of an arginine producing strain containing a genetically encoded fluorescence sensor disclosed time dependent single cell productivity and growth, which was not possible with conventional methods.

Evaluating components of dental care utilization among adults with diabetes and matched controls via hurdle models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaudhari Monica

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background About one-third of adults with diabetes have severe oral complications. However, limited previous research has investigated dental care utilization associated with diabetes. This project had two purposes: to develop a methodology to estimate dental care utilization using claims data and to use this methodology to compare utilization of dental care between adults with and without diabetes. Methods Data included secondary enrollment and demographic data from Washington Dental Service (WDS and Group Health Cooperative (GH, clinical data from GH, and dental-utilization data from WDS claims during 2002–2006. Dental and medical records from WDS and GH were linked for enrolees continuously and dually insured during the study. We employed hurdle models in a quasi-experimental setting to assess differences between adults with and without diabetes in 5-year cumulative utilization of dental services. Propensity score matching adjusted for differences in baseline covariates between the two groups. Results We found that adults with diabetes had lower odds of visiting a dentist (OR = 0.74, p  0.001. Among those with a dental visit, diabetes patients had lower odds of receiving prophylaxes (OR = 0.77, fillings (OR = 0.80 and crowns (OR = 0.84 (p 0.005 for all and higher odds of receiving periodontal maintenance (OR = 1.24, non-surgical periodontal procedures (OR = 1.30, extractions (OR = 1.38 and removable prosthetics (OR = 1.36 (p  Conclusions Patients with diabetes are less likely to use dental services. Those who do are less likely to use preventive care and more likely to receive periodontal care and tooth-extractions. Future research should address the possible effectiveness of additional prevention in reducing subsequent severe oral disease in patients with diabetes.

Current Status of Comprehensive Chromosome Screening for Elective Single-Embryo Transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Yih Wu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Most in vitro fertilization (IVF experts and infertility patients agree that the most ideal assisted reproductive technology (ART outcome is to have a healthy, full-term singleton born. To this end, the most reliable policy is the single-embryo transfer (SET. However, unsatisfactory results in IVF may result from plenty of factors, in which aneuploidy associated with advanced maternal age is a major hurdle. Throughout the past few years, we have got a big leap in advancement of the genetic screening of embryos on aneuploidy, translocation, or mutations. This facilitates a higher success rate in IVF accompanied by the policy of elective SET (eSET. As the cost is lowering while the scale of genome characterization continues to be up over the recent years, the contemporary technologies on trophectoderm biopsy and freezing-thaw, comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS with eSET appear to be getting more and more popular for modern IVF centers. Furthermore, evidence has showen that, by these avant-garde techniques (trophectoderm biopsy, vitrification, and CCS, older infertile women with the help of eSET may have an opportunity to increase the success of their live birth rates approaching those reported in younger infertility patients.

Our biggest challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Mcfadden, P; Ray, S

1994-06-01

An AIDS activist in Zimbabwe answered questions about the nature of the current AIDS campaign, the way of handling sexuality issues, the impact on men of women's discourse about AIDS, outreach strategies, the accuracy of information, women's status and the difficulties of women responding to the AIDS crisis. The Women and AIDS Support Network (WASN) was organized in 1989 with the aim of informing women about AIDS transmission and prevention. Information was transmitted through other organizations, because there was the lack of facility and resources to develop a grassroots effort. The request was that any meeting on women's health, development, or other issues discuss AIDS. One problem was how to teach women to overcome the obstacles to asking their husbands to use safer sex. Couples generally did not discuss sexual issues, and attempts to discuss condom use with husbands were met by the husbands' anger that their sexual behavior has been exposed at women's meetings. The concern was raised that when men feel a loss of control, violence against women is possible. A university team has been put together to work on sexuality education at schools and within the university. WASN women have found that an important source of information transmission is from mothers to daughters in an understanding, rather than a punitive, way. WASN has worked hard to show women working together instead of blaming each other. Men have actively sought to separate women from each other. WASN women desire to keep the family intact without having to sacrifice themselves in the process by accepting a subservient position to men and not having decision-making power. There is a myth that men are heads of households. Most women are running their own families and even towns, because men have chosen not to be there or because of commitments to more than one family. African women are valued so strongly for their reproductive capacity that it would almost impossible to instill in women the notion of womanhood without children. Women do not believe they have child-bearing choices. Differential AIDS mortality for women will decrease the young female population, which will increase pressure on women to bear children. The greatest challenge is to make women feel valued and believe in themselves.

Biggest semiconductor installed

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Scientists and technicians at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, commonly known by its French acronym CERN (Centre Europen pour la Recherche Nuclaire), have completed the installation of the largest semiconductor silicon detector.

Enhancing the lethal effect of high-intensity pulsed electric field in milk by antimicrobial compounds as combined hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

Sobrino-López, A; Martín-Belloso, O

2008-05-01

High-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF) is a nonthermal treatment studied for its wide antimicrobial spectrum on liquid food, including milk and dairy products. Moreover, the antimicrobial effect of HIPEF may be enhanced by combining HIPEF with other treatments as hurdles. Nisin and lysozyme are natural antimicrobial compounds that could be used in combination with HIPEF. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of combining HIPEF with the addition of nisin and lysozyme to milk inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus with regard to different process variables. The individual addition of nisin and lysozyme did not produce any reduction in cell population within the proposed range of concentrations, whereas their combination resulted in a pH-dependent microbial death of Staph. aureus. The addition of nisin and lysozyme to milk combined with HIPEF treatment resulted in a synergistic effect. Applying a 1,200-micros HIPEF treatment time to milk at pH 6.8 containing 1 IU/mL of nisin and 300 IU/mL of lysozyme resulted in a reduction of more than 6.2 log units of Staph. aureus. Final counts resulting from the addition of nisin and lysozyme and applying HIPEF strongly depended on both the sequence of application and the milk pH. Thus, more research is needed to elucidate the mode of action of synergism as well as the role of different process variables, although the use of HIPEF in combination with antimicrobial compounds such as nisin and lysozyme is shown to be potentially useful in processing milk and dairy products.

Time: The Biggest Pattern in Natural History Research

Science.gov (United States)

Gontier, Nathalie

2016-10-01

We distinguish between four cosmological transitions in the history of Western intellectual thought, and focus on how these cosmologies differentially define matter, space and time. We demonstrate that how time is conceptualized significantly impacts a cosmology's notion on causality, and hone in on how time is conceptualized differentially in modern physics and evolutionary biology. The former conflates time with space into a single space-time continuum and focuses instead on the movement of matter, while the evolutionary sciences have a tradition to understand time as a given when they cartography how organisms change across generations over or in time, thereby proving the phenomenon of evolution. The gap becomes more fundamental when we take into account that phenomena studied by chrono-biologists demonstrate that numerous organisms, including humans, have evolved a "sense" of time. And micro-evolutionary/genetic, meso-evolutionary/developmental and macro-evolutionary phenomena including speciation and extinction not only occur by different evolutionary modes and at different rates, they are also timely phenomena that follow different periodicities. This article focusses on delineating the problem by finding its historical roots. We conclude that though time might be an obsolete concept for the physical sciences, it is crucial for the evolutionary sciences where evolution is defined as the change that biological individuals undergo in/over or through time.

Development of a high frequency single-element ultrasound needle transducer for anesthesia delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Ameri, Golafsoun; Son, Jungik; Liang, Jingwei; Foster, F. Stuart; Ganapathy, Sugantha; Peters, Terry M.

2017-03-01

Epidural anesthesia is one of the most commonly used and yet challenging techniques employed for pain management and anesthesia delivery. The major complications of this procedure are due to accidental dural puncture, with an incidence of 1-3%, which could lead to both temporary and irreversible permanent neurological complications. Needle placement under ultrasound (US) guidance has received increasing interest for improving needle placement accuracy. However, poor needle visibility in US, difficulties in displaying relevant anatomical structure such as dura mater due to attenuation and bone shadowing, and image interpretation variability among users pose significant hurdles for any US guidance system. As a result, US guidance for epidural injections has not been widely adopted for everyday use for the performance of neuraxial blocks. The difficulties in localizing the ligamentum flavum and dura with respect to the needle tip can be addressed by integrating A-mode US, provided by a single-element transducer at the needle tip, into the B-mode US guidance system. We have taken the first steps towards providing such a guidance system. Our goal is to improve the safety of this procedure with minimal changes to the clinical workflow. This work presents the design and development of a 20 MHz single-element US transducer housed at the tip of a 19 G needle hypodermic tube, which can fit inside an epidural introducer needle. In addition, the results from initial transducer characterization tests and performance evaluation of the transducer in a euthanized porcine model are provided.

Power profiles of single vision and multifocal soft contact lenses.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Sandra; Conrad, Fabian; Bakaraju, Ravi C; Fedtke, Cathleen; Ehrmann, Klaus; Holden, Brien A

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the optical zone power profile of the most commonly prescribed soft contact lenses to assess their potential impact on peripheral refractive error and hence myopia progression. The optical power profiles of six single vision and ten multifocal contact lenses of five manufacturers in the powers -1.00 D, -3.00 D, and -6.00 D were measured using the SHSOphthalmic (Optocraft GmbH, Erlangen, Germany). Instrument repeatability was also investigated. Instrument repeatability was dependent on the distance from the optical centre, manifesting unreliable data for the central 1mm of the optic zone. Single vision contact lens measurements of -6.00 D lenses revealed omafilcon A having the most negative spherical aberration, lotrafilcon A having the least. Somofilcon A had the highest minus power and lotrafilcon A the biggest deviation in positive direction, relative to their respective labelled powers. Negative spherical aberration occurred for almost all of the multifocal contact lenses, including the centre-distance designs etafilcon A bifocal and omafilcon A multifocal. Lotrafilcon B and balafilcon A seem to rely predominantly on the spherical aberration component to provide multifocality. Power profiles of single vision soft contact lenses varied greatly, many having a negative spherical aberration profile that would exacerbate myopia. Some lens types and powers are affected by large intra-batch variability or power offsets of more than 0.25 dioptres. Evaluation of power profiles of multifocal lenses was derived that provides helpful information for prescribing lenses for presbyopes and progressing myopes. Copyright © 2014 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overcoming the initial investment hurdle for advanced biofuels. An analysis of biofuel-related risks and their impact on project financing. Report of ELOBIO subtask 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bole, T.; Londo, M.; Van Stralen, J.; Uslu, A.

2010-04-01

The ELOBIO research project aims to develop policies that will help achieve a higher share of biofuels in total transport fuel in a low-disturbing and sustainable way. Workpackage 7 of the ELOBIO project aims at addressing the objective of providing a reliable estimate of the potential and costs of biofuels, given the application of low-disturbing policy measures. More specifically, we seek to evaluate the impact of these biofuel policy measures on the investment climate for second-generation technologies. To this end, we try to answer several sub-questions in a following logical sequence: (1) What are the different factors that contribute to investment risk in biofuels and what are their relative contributions to overall biofuel project risk as perceived by finance providers?; (2) How do these risks translate into cost of capital for different biofuel technologies?; (3) How does cost of capital influence market penetration rates for the different technologies?; and (4) What is the best policy (or policy mix) to overcome the initial investment hurdle for advanced biofuels, thus lowering their cost of capital and achieve wider market deployment?.

Investigations for the Recycle of Pyroprocessed Uranium

Science.gov (United States)

Westphal, B. R.; Price, J. C.; Chambers, E. E.; Patterson, M. N.

Given the renewed interest in uranium from the pyroprocessing of used nuclear fuel in a molten salt system, the two biggest hurdles for marketing the uranium are radiation levels and transuranic content. A radiation level as low as possible is desired so that handling operations can be performed directly with the uranium. The transuranic content of the uranium will affect the subsequent waste streams generated and, thus also should be minimized. Although the pyroprocessing technology was originally developed without regard to radiation and transuranic levels, adaptations to the process have been considered. Process conditions have been varied during the distillation and casting cycles of the process with increasing temperature showing the largest effect on the reduction of radiation levels. Transuranic levels can be reduced significantly by incorporating a pre-step in the salt distillation operation to remove a majority of the salt prior to distillation.

The quest for improved reproducibility in MALDI mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Rourke, Matthew B; Djordjevic, Steven P; Padula, Matthew P

2018-03-01

Reproducibility has been one of the biggest hurdles faced when attempting to develop quantitative protocols for MALDI mass spectrometry. The heterogeneous nature of sample recrystallization has made automated sample acquisition somewhat "hit and miss" with manual intervention needed to ensure that all sample spots have been analyzed. In this review, we explore the last 30 years of literature and anecdotal evidence that has attempted to address and improve reproducibility in MALDI MS. Though many methods have been attempted, we have discovered a significant publication history surrounding the use of nitrocellulose as a substrate to improve homogeneity of crystal formation and therefore reproducibility. We therefore propose that this is the most promising avenue of research for developing a comprehensive and universal preparation protocol for quantitative MALDI MS analysis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 37:217-228, 2018. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy on Industrially-Relevant Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell Stacks: A Powerful Tool for in-Situ Investigations of Degradation Mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zielke, Philipp; Høgh, Jens Valdemar Thorvald; Chen, Ming

2016-01-01

that energy services can be covered in a stable and affordable manner. One promising solution is the synthetic fuel production by solid oxide electrolyzers. Electricity can be stored in a power-to-gas process during times of excess electricity production and then further converted to liquid fuels for e.......g. transportation, or at high demands converted back to electricity by either conventional power plants or fuel cells. One of today’s biggest hurdles for a successful commercialization of solid oxide electrolyzers is the stack’s lifetime with current industry targets in the order of five to ten years. To identify......In the current efforts of moving energy production to renewable sources, wind and solar energy are widely considered as the key technologies to cover our growing demands. However, the fluctuating nature of these sources requires a flexible energy system and storage technologies to ensure...

Development of the monitoring technique on the damage of piles using the biggest shaking table "E-defense"

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Kazuhiro; Hachimori, Wataru; Kaneda, Shogo; Tamura, Shuji; Saito, Taiki

2017-10-01

In case of earthquake damage to buildings, the damage to a superstructure is visible, but the damage to a foundation structure, e.g. the underground pile, is difficult to detect. In this study, the authors aim to develop a monitoring technique for pile damage due to earthquakes. The world's biggest shaking table, E-Defense, was used to reproduce damage to RC pile models embedded in the soil inside a large scale shear box (8m in diameter and 6.5m in height). The diameter of the RC pile model was 154mm. It consisted of mortar (27.2N/mm2 in compressive strength), 6 main reinforcements (6.35mm in diameter) and shear reinforcement hard steel wire (2mm in diameter at intervals of 20mm). The natural period of the superstructure above the pile models is around 0.12sec. The soil consisted of 2 layers. The lower layer is Albany sand of 80% relative density while the upper layer is only 2m from the surface ground and is Kaketsu sand of 60% relative density. Primary four excitations were scaled from JMA Kobe waves in notification at different amplitudes. The maximum acceleration of each wave is 31gal, 67gal, 304gal, and 458gal, respectively. In the test result, reinforcing steels at the pile head of the RC model yielded when the maximum acceleration was 304gal. After that, mortar of the pile head peeled off and a bending shear failure occurred when the maximum acceleration was 458gal. The peak frequency of rotational spectrum on the foundation did not change in elastic range in the piles. However, the peak frequency fell after the plastic hinge occurred.

Perception of various stakeholders regarding clinical drug trial industry in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rakesh M Parikh

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Though India has been thought to be an ideal destination for conduct of clinical drug trials, other smaller countries seem to be doing better. The pace of growth observed during 2005-2009 seems to be plateaued in 2010. Aims: There is an urgent need for introspection and corrective actions. Materials and Methods: An online survey was conducted among various stakeholders from clinical drug trial industry in India regarding their perception about clinical drug trial industry in India. Respondents were requested to rate training of investigator sites, industry, performance of regulatory, etc. Results: Majority of respondent felt that the clinical drug trial industry in India is growing, though India is not utilizing its full potential. Lack of trained investigators and delay in regulatory approvals came out as biggest hurdles. Conclusions: Urgent steps need to be taken in terms of proper training of all stakeholders. Regulatory bodies ought to bring about some radical changes in the system so as to match the other competing nations.

Psychologists experience of cognitive behaviour therapy in a developing country: a qualitative study from Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayub Muhammad

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Psychological therapies especially Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT are used widely in the West to help patients with psychiatric problems. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy has an established evidence base for the treatment of different emotional disorders. In spite of these developments in the developed world, patients in most developing countries hardly benefit from non pharmacological interventions. Although a significant number of psychologists are trained in Pakistan each year, psychological interventions play only a minor role in treatment plans in Pakistan. We conducted interviews with psychologists in Pakistan, to explore their experiences and their views on "providing CBT in Pakistan". These interviews were conducted as part of a project whose focus was to try to develop culturally-sensitive CBT in Pakistan. Methods In depth semi structured interviews were conducted with 5 psychologists working in psychiatry departments in Lahore, Pakistan. Results All the psychologists reported that psychotherapies, including CBT, need adjustments for use in Pakistan, although they were not able to elicit on these in details. Four major themes were discovered, hurdles in therapy, therapy related issues, involvement of the family and modification in therapy. The biggest hurdles in therapy were described to be service and resource issues. Conclusions For CBT to be acceptable, accessible and effective in Non Western cultures numerous adjustments need to be made, taking into consideration; factors related to service structure and delivery, patient's knowledge and beliefs about health and the therapy itself. Interviews with the psychologists in these countries can give us insights which can guide development of therapy and manuals to support its delivery.

EVA Wiki - Transforming Knowledge Management for EVA Flight Controllers and Instructors

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Stephanie S.; Alpert, Brian K.; Montalvo, Edwin James; Welsh, Lawrence Daren; Wray, Scott; Mavridis, Costa

2016-01-01

The EVA Wiki was recently implemented as the primary knowledge database to retain critical knowledge and skills in the EVA Operations group at NASA's Johnson Space Center by ensuring that information is recorded in a common, easy to search repository. Prior to the EVA Wiki, information required for EVA flight controllers and instructors was scattered across different sources, including multiple file share directories, SharePoint, individual computers, and paper archives. Many documents were outdated, and data was often difficult to find and distribute. In 2011, a team recognized that these knowledge management problems could be solved by creating an EVA Wiki using MediaWiki, a free and open-source software developed by the Wikimedia Foundation. The EVA Wiki developed into an EVA-specific Wikipedia on an internal NASA server. While the technical implementation of the wiki had many challenges, one of the biggest hurdles came from a cultural shift. Like many enterprise organizations, the EVA Operations group was accustomed to hierarchical data structures and individually-owned documents. Instead of sorting files into various folders, the wiki searches content. Rather than having a single document owner, the wiki harmonized the efforts of many contributors and established an automated revision controlled system. As the group adapted to the wiki, the usefulness of this single portal for information became apparent. It transformed into a useful data mining tool for EVA flight controllers and instructors, as well as hundreds of others that support EVA. Program managers, engineers, astronauts, flight directors, and flight controllers in differing disciplines now have an easier-to-use, searchable system to find EVA data. This paper presents the benefits the EVA Wiki has brought to NASA's EVA community, as well as the cultural challenges it had to overcome.

EVA Wiki - Transforming Knowledge Management for EVA Flight Controllers and Instructors

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Stephanie

2016-01-01

The EVA (Extravehicular Activity) Wiki was recently implemented as the primary knowledge database to retain critical knowledge and skills in the EVA Operations group at NASA's Johnson Space Center by ensuring that information is recorded in a common, searchable repository. Prior to the EVA Wiki, information required for EVA flight controllers and instructors was scattered across different sources, including multiple file share directories, SharePoint, individual computers, and paper archives. Many documents were outdated, and data was often difficult to find and distribute. In 2011, a team recognized that these knowledge management problems could be solved by creating an EVA Wiki using MediaWiki, a free and open-source software developed by the Wikimedia Foundation. The EVA Wiki developed into an EVA-specific Wikipedia on an internal NASA server. While the technical implementation of the wiki had many challenges, the one of the biggest hurdles came from a cultural shift. Like many enterprise organizations, the EVA Operations group was accustomed to hierarchical data structures and individually-owned documents. Instead of sorting files into various folders, the wiki searches content. Rather than having a single document owner, the wiki harmonized the efforts of many contributors and established an automated revision control system. As the group adapted to the wiki, the usefulness of this single portal for information became apparent. It transformed into a useful data mining tool for EVA flight controllers and instructors, and also for hundreds of other NASA and contract employees. Program managers, engineers, astronauts, flight directors, and flight controllers in differing disciplines now have an easier-to-use, searchable system to find EVA data. This paper presents the benefits the EVA Wiki has brought to NASA's EVA community, as well as the cultural challenges it had to overcome.

The dragon of Kaohsiung. The new soccer stadium in Taiwan's second biggest city will generate more than one million kWh of solar power per annum; Der Drache von Kaohsiung. Das neue Stadion in Taiwans zweitgroesster Stadt soll ueber eine Million Kilowattstunden Solarstrom jaehrlich liefern

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirsch, Matthew; Wagner, Neelke

2009-10-15

The new stadium at Kaohsiung has a spectacular architecture which raised attention world-wide. The public and experts call it the ''flying dragon''. Apart from the sports fans, also the fans of photovoltaic power generation will profit: with an installed capacity of 1 MW, it has the biggest photovoltaic system of any sports facility in the world. (orig.)

In a hurdle race to the energy transition. From transformations, reforms and innovations; Im Huerdenlauf zur Energiewende. Von Transformationen, Reformen und Innovationen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunnengraeber, Achim; Di Nucci, Maria Rosaria (eds.) [Freie Univ. Berlin (Germany)

2014-07-01

The term of the energy transition will not be translated as it travels around the world. He points to the urgency of the conversion of the energy supply for electricity, heat and mobility through renewable energies. Faster than many had expected the energy revolution has reached a pace of expansion, especially in the electricity sector, which many did not expect. However, it is not a voluntary measure, but is forced by the proneness of unsustainable production methods and lifestyles. It is also not a foregone conclusion. The many new initiatives, policies and programs are in competition with an old, fossil and nuclear energy system. From the hurdles that have already been taken in this race, the pace of expansion, innovation as well as the necessary reforms and diverse challenges of the energy transition, this book is dealing. [German] Der Begriff der Energiewende wird bei seinem Lauf um die Welt nicht uebersetzt. Er weist auf die Dringlichkeit der Umstellung der Energieversorgung bei Strom, Waerme und Mobilitaet durch erneuerbare Energien hin. Schneller als von vielen erwartet hat die Energiewende vor allem im Strombereich ein Ausbautempo erreicht, mit dem viele nicht gerechnet hatten. Sie ist allerdings keine freiwillige Massnahme, sondern wird durch die Krisenhaftigkeit von nicht nachhaltigen Produktions- und Lebensweisen erzwungen. Sie ist auch kein Selbstlaeufer. Die vielfaeltigen neuen Initiativen, Massnahmen und Programme befinden sich im Wettbewerb mit einem alten, fossilen und nuklearen Energiesystem. Von den Huerden, die in diesem Wettlauf bereits genommen wurden, vom Tempo des Ausbaus, von Innovationen sowie von den notwendigen Reformen und vielfaeltigen Herausforderungen der Energiewende handelt dieses Buch.

High resolution of anthropogenic atmospheric emissions of 12 heavy metals in the three biggest metropolitan areas, China

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, H.; Zhu, C.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric emissions of typical toxic heavy metals from anthropogenic sources have received worldwide concerns due to their adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem. An integrated inventory of anthropogenic emissions of twelve HMs (Hg, As, Se, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Sb, Mn, Co, Cu and Zn) in the three biggest metropolitan areas, including Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region and Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, are developed for 1980-2012 by combining with detailed activity data and inter-annual dynamic emission factors which are determined by S-shaped curves on account of technology progress, economic development, and emission control. The results indicate total emissions of twelve HMs in the three metropolitan regions have increased from 5448.8 tons in 1980 to 19054.9 tons in 2012, with an annual average growth rate of about 4.0%. Due to significant difference in industrial structures and energy consumption compositions, remarkable distinctions can be observed with respect to source contributions of total HM emissions from above three metropolitan areas. Specifically, the ferrous metal smelting sector, coal combustion by industrial boilers and coal combustion by power plants are found to be the primary source of total HM emissions in the BTH region (about 34.2%), YRD region (about 28.2%) and PRD region (about 24.3%), respectively. Furthermore, we allocate the annual emissions of these heavy metals in 2012 at a high spatial resolution of 9 km × 9 km grid with ArcGIS methodology and surrogate indexes, such as regional population and gross domestic product (GDP). The peak of HM emissions are mainly distributed over the grid cells of Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Handan and Baoding in the BTH region; Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo in the YRD region; Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan in the PYD region, respectively. Additionally, monthly emission profiles are established in order to further identify

COVARIANCE STABILITY AND THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS: THE IMPACT IN THE PORTFOLIO OF THE 10 BIGGEST COMPANIES IN BM&FBOVESPA BETWEEN 2004 E 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leticia Naomi Ono Maeda

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This study's purpose is to analyse the covariance between the ten biggest participants of the BM&FBovespa stock market to test the influence of the instability in the covariance between assets to the structure of a portfolio of investments of a portfolio composed by this assets. To acomplish that, we check the covariances between the daily returns of the 10 selected stocks before, during and after the 2008 financial crisis. The procedure of this research includes: (1 collection of returns of the selected stocks between 2004 and 2012; (2 the composition of the classical portfolio theory proposed by Markowitz(1952; and (3 the measurement of the effect of the unstable covariance between the 10 selected assets in the maintenance of the portfolio when controlling for return and risk preferences of a hipotetical investor. We find that asset correlations are impacted by the assets covariances that not stable in the whole time set for the study but are specialy sensitive in the financial crisis period. This means that both risk and return of the portfolio will change greatly if the weights are not recalculated from time to time. This suports the idea that portfolio theory might benefit from the development of stability weigthed techniques are developed.

The Relationships among the Fine Arts, School Culture, and High School Graduation Rates in Georgia

Science.gov (United States)

Lovett, Andrew, Jr.

2014-01-01

High school graduation is the single largest hurdle that students must achieve to prepare for college and career (National Governor's Association, 2011). Fleischman & Heppen (2009) agree that American high schools must address the problem of declining graduation rate. Approximately 1.28 million students drop out of high school annually (Amos,…

Two steps forward, one step back: the intricacies of engaging with e-portfolios in nursing undergraduate education.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Tulsa; Cole, Clare

2015-04-01

To share the experience of implementing and refining the use of e-portfolios into an undergraduate nursing degree. This is a reflective piece that explores the hurdles experienced in introducing and maintaining e-portfolio's into higher education, particularly in undergraduate nursing curricula. Nil Review of the literature, and comparing and contrasting this against the experience of the authors. Hurdles included access to computer and quality internet connections, along with the levels of IT literacy of staff, and the common misconception that all students are IT savvy. What was also evident was how the need for both pedagogical and technical support to both staff and students was paramount in achieving an understanding of the software, and the scope and perspective of e-portfolio pedagogy. With each of these hurdles, staff reluctance to engage in e-portfolio use in the tertiary sector was evident. On reflection of each of these challenges, the authors identified that their experience mirrored other tertiary institutions in that a single hurdle alone is not responsible for fragmented e-portfolio implementation, but a combination of factors. Through exploring recommendations from other tertiary institutions, the authors recognize the limitations within their own working environment that contributed to the pitfalls experienced. Despite e-portfolios being introduced into higher education for over a decade, its successful implementation into undergraduate nursing curricula continues to be fraught with pitfalls, creating the sense of moving backwards more so than forwards. As with any new learning tool, careful consideration needs to be given to comprehensive planning, implementation, review and evaluation to either prevent the hurdles identified, or limit their impact on the quality of the portfolio produced and the learning attained from the process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amperometric Gas Sensors as a Low Cost Emerging Technology Platform for Air Quality Monitoring Applications: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Baron, Ronan; Saffell, John

2017-11-22

This review examines the use of amperometric electrochemical gas sensors for monitoring inorganic gases that affect urban air quality. First, we consider amperometric gas sensor technology including its development toward specifically designed air quality sensors. We then review recent academic and research organizations' studies where this technology has been trialed for air quality monitoring applications: early studies showed the potential of electrochemical gas sensors when colocated with reference Air Quality Monitoring (AQM) stations. Spatially dense networks with fast temporal resolution provide information not available from sparse AQMs with longer recording intervals. We review how this technology is being offered as commercial urban air quality networks and consider the remaining challenges. Sensors must be sensitive, selective, and stable; air quality monitors/nodes must be electronically and mechanically well designed. Data correction is required and models with differing levels of sophistication are being designed. Data analysis and validation is possibly the biggest remaining hurdle needed to deliver reliable concentration readings. Finally, this review also considers the roles of companies, urban infrastructure requirements, and public research in the development of this technology.

Stimuli-responsive Smart Liposomes in Cancer Targeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Ankit; Jain, Sanjay K

2018-02-08

Liposomes are vesicular carriers which possess aqueous core entrapped within the lipid bilayer. These are carriers of choice because of biocompatible and biodegradable features in addition to flexibility of surface modifications at surface and lipid compositions of lipid bilayers. Liposomes have been reported well for cancer treatment using both passive and active targeting approaches however tumor microenvironment is still the biggest hurdle for safe and effective delivery of anticancer agents. To overcome this problem, stimuli-responsive smart liposomes have emerged as promising cargoes pioneered to anomalous tumor milieu in response to pH, temperature, and enzymes etc. as internal triggers, and magnetic field, ultrasound, and redox potential as external guides for enhancement of drug delivery to tumors. This review focuses on all such stimuli-responsive approaches using fabrication potentiality of liposomes in combination to various ligands, linkers, and PEGylation etc. Scientists engaged in cancer targeting approaches can get benefited greatly with this knowledgeable assemblage of advances in liposomal nanovectors. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

A Double Hurdle Approach

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2017-05-01

May 1, 2017 ... show that enterprise size, interest rate, loan duration, level of profit ..... is a dummy taking a value of 1 if enterprise is in trading of agricultural ..... government's role in ensuring a stable macroeconomic environment that favours.

ENDOCRINE DISORDERS IN THE ELDERLY

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Enrique

Ageing per se is the single biggest risk factor for developing dia- betes and impaired glucose ... falls, cognitive dysfunction, depression, pain, erectile dysfunction ... strength, co-ordination and balance in ... than healthy controls. All insulin ...

The world's greatest particle-smasher gears up for a second try. Physicist John Ellis previews what will happen when the fireworks resume

CERN Multimedia

Guterl, Fred

2010-01-01

"The biggest particle accelerator ever made - the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva - spectacularly fizzled shortly after scientists turned it on in September 2008. What felled the gargantuan machine was a single badly soldered connnection" (2 pages)

Jupiter's Spot Seen Glowing - Scientists Get First Look at Weather Inside the Solar System's Biggest Storm

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

New ground-breaking thermal images obtained with ESO's Very Large Telescope and other powerful ground-based telescopes show swirls of warmer air and cooler regions never seen before within Jupiter's Great Red Spot, enabling scientists to make the first detailed interior weather map of the giant storm system linking its temperature, winds, pressure and composition with its colour. "This is our first detailed look inside the biggest storm of the Solar System," says Glenn Orton, who led the team of astronomers that made the study. "We once thought the Great Red Spot was a plain old oval without much structure, but these new results show that it is, in fact, extremely complicated." The observations reveal that the reddest colour of the Great Red Spot corresponds to a warm core within the otherwise cold storm system, and images show dark lanes at the edge of the storm where gases are descending into the deeper regions of the planet. The observations, detailed in a paper appearing in the journal Icarus, give scientists a sense of the circulation patterns within the solar system's best-known storm system. Sky gazers have been observing the Great Red Spot in one form or another for hundreds of years, with continuous observations of its current shape dating back to the 19th century. The spot, which is a cold region averaging about -160 degrees Celsius, is so wide that about three Earths could fit inside its boundaries. The thermal images were mostly obtained with the VISIR [1] instrument attached to ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile, with additional data coming from the Gemini South telescope in Chile and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan's Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. The images have provided an unprecedented level of resolution and extended the coverage provided by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. Together with observations of the deep cloud structure by the 3-metre NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii, the level of thermal detail observed

Microbial inactivation and shelf life comparison of 'cold' hurdle processing with pulsed electric fields and microfiltration, and conventional thermal pasteurisation in skim milk.

Science.gov (United States)

Walkling-Ribeiro, M; Rodríguez-González, O; Jayaram, S; Griffiths, M W

2011-01-05

Thermal pasteurisation (TP) is the established food technology for commercial processing of milk. However, degradation of valuable nutrients in milk and its sensory characteristics occurs during TP due to substantial heat exposure. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) and microfiltration (MF) both represent emerging food processing technologies allowing gentle milk preservation at lower temperatures and shorter treatment times for similar, or better, microbial inactivation and shelf stability when applied in a hurdle approach compared to TP. Incubated raw milk was used as an inoculum for the enrichment of skim milk with native microorganisms before PEF, MF, and TP processing. Inoculated milk was PEF-processed at electric field strengths between 16 and 42 kV/cm for treatment times from 612 to 2105 μs; accounting for energy densities between 407 and 815 kJ/L, while MF was applied with a transmembrane flux of 660 L/h m². Milk was TP-treated at 75°C for 24 s. Comparing PEF, MF, and TP for the reduction of the native microbial load in milk led to a 4.6 log₁₀ CFU/mL reduction in count for TP, which was similar to 3.7 log₁₀ CFU/mL obtained by MF (P≥0.05), and more effective than the 2.5 log₁₀ CFU/mL inactivation achieved by PEF inactivation (at 815 kJ/L (Pfield strength, shorter treatment time, larger energy density, and rising temperature the efficacy of PEF/MF increased contrary to MF/PEF. Thus, PEF/MF represents a potential alternative for 'cold' pasteurisation of milk with improved quality. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Totally extraperitoneal (TEP) bilateral hernioplasty using the Single Site® robotic da Vinci platform (DV-SS TEP): description of the technique and preliminary results.

Science.gov (United States)

Cestari, A; Galli, A C; Sangalli, M N; Zanoni, M; Ferrari, M; Roviaro, G

2017-06-01

Laparoendoscopic single site totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair showed to be a feasible alternative to conventional laparoscopic hernia repair; nevertheless single site surgery, with the loss of instruments triangulation can be a demanding procedure. To overcome those hurdles, the Single Site® (SS) platform of the da Vinci (DV) Si robotic system enables to perform surgical procedures through a 25-mm skin incision, with a stable 3D vision and restoring an adequate triangulation of the surgical instruments. We present in details the technique and the preliminary results of DV-SS TEP, to our knowledge the first cases reported in literature. In March 2016, three consecutive male patients (mean age 46.6 years-mean BMI 25.3) with bilateral symptomatic inguinal hernia were submitted to DV-SS TEP in our institutions. Feasibility, codification of the technique, operative time and perioperative outcomes were recorded. All the procedures were completed as scheduled, with no conversion to other techniques. Mean operative time was 98.6 min, ranging between 155 and 55 min, reflecting the learning curve of the operating room team on this new procedure. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were experienced and all the patients were discharged within 24 h after surgery. Patients reported satisfactory postoperative course, with no recurrence of inguinal hernia and satisfaction in cosmetic result at 6-month follow-up. DV-SS TEP inguinal hernia repair showed to be feasible and effective surgical option for bilateral groin hernia repair. Patients' outcome was uneventful, with optimal cosmetic results. Further studies comparing this innovative technique to TEP or LESS TEP should be promoted.

Scaling Solutions to Higher Education's Biggest Challenges: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief. Volume 3.2

Science.gov (United States)

Hall Giesinger, C.; Adams Becker, S.; Davis, A.; Shedd, L.

2016-01-01

Higher education is ripe for innovation. While emerging technological developments such as digital courseware and mobiles apps have made it easier than ever for people to engage with learning resources, significant issues of access and equity persist among students from low-income, minority, single-parent families, and other disadvantaged groups.…

The impact of social grant dependency on smallholder maize producers’ market participation in South Africa: Application of the double-hurdle model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sikhulumile Sinyolo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Social grants have become an increasingly popular means of improving the welfare of poor households in South Africa and beyond. While the goals of these transfers are to alleviate current poverty as well as to improve human capital capacity, they also have unintended effects, positive or negative, on beneficiary households. A question that has not been adequately addressed in the literature is the role that social grants play in the efforts to commercialise smallholder farming. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of social grant dependency on the incentives of smallholder maize producers to participate in the market. Setting: The study was done in the rural areas of four districts (Harry Gwala, Umzinyathi, Umkhanyakude and Uthukela in the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Methods: The study adopted a quantitative research design. A total of 984 households were randomly selected from the four districts, of which 774 had planted maize in the previous season. The analysis was done on the 774 farmers who had planted maize. The double-hurdle model was used for statistical analysis. Results: The results show a negative association between social grant dependency and market participation, suggesting that social grant-dependent households are more subsistent, producing less marketable surplus. Moreover, households with access to social grants sold less quantities of maize in the market, indicating reduced selling incentives. Conclusion: The study indicates that social grants reduce the incentives of smallholder farmers to commercialise their production activities. The results suggest that, while policies aimed at reducing transaction costs would increase smallholder market participation, attention should be paid on how to reduce social grants’ dis-incentive effects. To reduce spill over effects to unintended household members, the study recommends offering part of the grant as ‘in-kind support’, which is

Reflections on water: An interview with Margaret Catley-Carlson ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-02-08

Feb 8, 2011 ... The single biggest challenge isn't that the science isn't there, isn't that ... The UN Millennium Task Force found that African women spend 40 billion ... The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum: Campaigning for freedom in the homeland.

Testing multistage gain and offset trimming in a single photon counting IC with a charge sharing elimination algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krzyżanowska, A.; Gryboś, P.; Szczygieł, R.; Maj, P.

2015-01-01

Designing a hybrid pixel detector readout electronics operating in a single photon counting mode is a very challenging process, where many main parameters are optimized in parallel (e.g. gain, noise, and threshold dispersion). Additional requirements for a smaller pixel size with extended functionality push designers to use new deep sub-micron technologies. Minimizing the channel size is possible, however, with a decreased pixel size, the charge sharing effect becomes a more important issue. To overcome this problem, we designed an integrated circuit prototype produced in CMOS 40 nm technology, which has an extended functionality of a single pixel. A C8P1 algorithm for the charge sharing effect compensation was implemented. In the algorithm's first stage the charge is rebuilt in a signal rebuilt hub fed by the CSA (charge sensitive amplifier) outputs from four neighbouring pixels. Then, the pixel with the biggest amount of charge is chosen, after a comparison with all the adjacent ones. In order to process the data in such a complicated way, a certain architecture of a single channel was proposed, which allows for: ⋅ processing the signal with the possibility of total charge reconstruction (by connecting with the adjacent pixels), ⋅ a comparison of certain pixel amplitude to its 8 neighbours, ⋅ the extended testability of each block inside the channel to measure CSA gain dispersion, shaper gain dispersion, threshold dispersion (including the simultaneous generation of different pulse amplitudes from different pixels), ⋅ trimming all the necessary blocks for proper operation. We present a solution for multistage gain and offset trimming implemented in the IC prototype. It allows for minimization of the total charge extraction errors, minimization of threshold dispersion in the pixel matrix and minimization of errors of comparison of certain pixel pulse amplitudes with all its neighbours. The detailed architecture of a single channel is presented

Publications | Page 213 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... planning tool (restricted access). Mitigating food losses that occur between harvesting and consumption offers the single biggest opportunity for contributing to hunger alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa. This systematic review of literature establishes magnitudes of PH losses in Tanzania, and identifies innovations that were ...

Avoiding food waste by Romanian consumers: The importance of planning and shopping routines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stefan, V.; Herpen, van E.; Tudoran, A.A.; Lähteenmäki, L.

2013-01-01

Food waste is generated in immense amounts across the food life cycle, imposing serious environmental, social and economic consequences. Although consumers are the single biggest contributor to this volume, little is known about the drivers of food waste in households. This exploratory study aims to

Preservation or conversion: Valuation and evaluation of a mangrove forest in the Philippines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, R.; Padilla, J.E.

1999-01-01

Mangrove ecosystems are rapidly declining in many parts of the world. This has resulted in the loss of important environmental and economic products and services including forest products, flood mitigation and nursery grounds for fish. The aquaculture industry was the single biggest threat to

Crveno jezero - the biggest sinkhole in Dinaric Karst (Croatia)

Science.gov (United States)

Garasic, M.

2012-04-01

Crveno jezero is a karst phenomenon known throughout the world for its size and specific features. In the course of the 1950's, some hydrological measurements were made on the surface of the lake, including depth measurement at 39 points (academician M. Petrik and his associates). The information about the maximum depth of 254 meters actually originates from that research (PETRIK, 1960). This depth has been "attracting" geologists, hydrogeologists and speleologists for many years now. On numerous occasions, people descended to the surface of the lake but, in the period prior to speleohydrogeological research conducted in 1998, no attempt had been made to dive underwater and document the lake depth, nor to investigate by other methods the interior of the lake and give a scientifically documented representation of this karst phenomenon from the speleohydrogeological aspect (GARAŠIĆ, 2000; 2001). The Red Lake, located one kilometer to the west of Imotski, is the biggest of all lakes situated in the area (featuring 18 big or small dry or water-filled depressions) and this by both its visible (superficial) and invisible (submerged) portions. Its name originates from red rocks perched on cliffs extending to more than 250 meters in height. The lake color is dark blue, and it measures about 150 x 180 meters, depending on water level, i.e. on the time of the year. The easiest way to reach the lake (belay, descend and ascend with ropes) is to approach it from the east side. Here we have a vertical cliff about 60 meters in height, followed by 300 meters of a very steep soil creep zone, after which there is yet another vertical cliff of at least ten meters in height (depending on lake water level). In other words, a special descending technique must be used to access any point along the lake perimeter in summer months. Vertical and overhanging cliffs rising above the surface of the lake range from 160 to 250 meters in height. However, the depth of the lake is even more

β-Thalassemia mutations and hemoglobinopathies in Adana, Turkey: results from a single center study

OpenAIRE

Guvenc, Birol; Canataroglu, Abdullah; Unsal, Cagatay; Yildiz, Sule Menziletoglu; Turhan, Ferda Tekin; Bozdogan, Sevcan Tug; Dincer, Suleyman; Erkman, Hakan

2012-01-01

Introduction β-Thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies are common genetic disorders in Turkey and in this retrospective study our aim was to determine the frequency of β-thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies in Adana, which is one of the biggest cities located in the southern part of Turkey. Material and methods Data from 3000 individuals admitted to Seyhan Hereditary Blood Disorders Center in Adana were evaluated. The blood samples were collected into EDTA-containing tubes and hematological paramete...

Road-edge effects on herpetofauna in a lowland Amazonian rainforest

Science.gov (United States)

Ross J. Maynard; Nathalie C. Aall; Daniel Saenz; Paul S. Hamilton; Matthew A. Kwiatkowski

2016-01-01

The impact of roads on the flora and fauna of Neotropical rainforest is perhaps the single biggest driver of habitat modification and population declines in these ecosystems. We investigated the road-edge effect of a low-use dirt road on amphibian and reptile abundance, diversity, and...

MARKET WATCH

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2007-01-01

The hottest financial market topic of the moment could be the subprime loan crisis in the United States. The crisis has stormed the U.S. stock market, dragging it to its biggest falls in a single trading day. Other markets, such as Japan’s, were also vul

Countering the biggest risk of all.

Science.gov (United States)

Slywotzky, Adrian J; Drzik, John

2005-04-01

Corporate treasurers and chief financial officers have become adept at quantifying and managing a wide variety of risks: financial (for example, currency fluctuations), hazard (chemical spills), and operational (computer system failures). To defend themselves, they use tried-and-true tools such as hedging, insurance, and backup systems. Some companies have even adopted the concept of enterprise risk management, integrating available risk management techniques in a comprehensive, organization-wide approach. But most managers have not addressed in a systematic way the greatest threat of all--strategic risks, the array of external events and trends that can devastate a company's growth trajectory and shareholder value. Strategic risks go beyond such familiar challenges as the possible failure of an acquisition or a product launch. A new technology may overtake your product. Gradual shifts in the market may slowly erode one of your brands beyond the point of viability. Or rapidly shifting customer priorities may suddenly change your industry. The key to surviving these strategic risks, the authors say, is knowing how to assess and respond to them. In this article, they lay out a method for identifying and responding to strategic threats. They categorize the risks into seven major classes (industry, technology, brand, competitor, customer, project, and stagnation) and describe a particularly dangerous example within each category. The authors also offer countermeasures to take against these risks and describe how individual companies (American Express, Coach, and Air Liquide, among them) have deployed them to neutralize a threat and, in many cases, capitalize on it. Besides limiting the downside of risk, strategic-risk management forces executives to think more systematically about the future, thus helping them identify opportunities for growth.

CCS. Coal's biggest challenge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Ligang [CanmentENERGY, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

2013-07-01

Coal, next to oil, is the second most important energy source due to wide distribution and large quantity. Coal is a very economical fuel about $0.50/GJ-$2.50/GJ (NG usually is $6/GJ-$12/GJ. Currently it is $4.03/GJ for July, 2011 delivery). It is the largest fuel source for power generation: 40% world electricity is generated by coal; its shares are about 80% in China and 50% in the U.S. An extensive coal based energy infrastructure has been built up over the years and is in good service.

Rooting the biggest problems in physics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Javadi, Hossein; Forouzbakhsh, Farshid

2016-01-01

to combine these three theories of classical mechanics, quantum mechanics and relativity in order to reach to a unique physics. Eventually, by answering the unanswered questions, the physics problems will be solved. In this paper, the stems of physics problems are expressed and the solution of them...

Distance education and diabetes empowerment: A single-blind randomized control trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Zamanzadeh, Vahid; Zirak, Mohammad; Hemmati Maslakpak, Masomeh; Parizad, Naser

2017-11-01

Diabetes is one of the biggest problems in healthcare systems and kills many people every year. Diabetes management is impossible when only utilizing medication. So, patients must be educated to manage their diabetes. This study aims to assess the effect of education by telephone and short message service on empowering patients with type 2 diabetes (primary outcome). A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Urmia diabetes association in Iran. Sixty six participants with definitive diagnosis of type 2 diabetes entered into the study. Patients with secondary health problems were excluded. Patients were selected by simple random sampling then allocated into intervention (n=33) and control (n=33) groups. The intervention group received an educational text message daily and instructive phone calls three days a week for three months along with usual care. The Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES) with confirmed validity and reliability was used for collecting data. Data was analyzed using SPSS V6.1. Independent t-test, paired t-test and chi-square were used to analyze the data. The empowerment of the intervention group compared with the control group significantly improved after three months of distance education (p<0.00, EF=1. 16). The study findings show that the distance education has a significant effect on empowering patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, using distance education along with other diabetes management intervention is highly effective and should be part of the care in diabetes treatment. Copyright © 2016 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TNO : The impact of 3-D printing on supply chain management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, G.R.; Blankers, I.J.; Moolenburgh, E.A.; Posthumus, A.L.

2014-01-01

It is said that 3-D printing, officially known as additive manufacturing, has the potential to become the biggest single disruptive phenomenon to impact global industry since mass production lines were introduced early in the twentieth century. McKinsey Global Institute named 3-D printing as one of

A metabolic way to investigate related hurdles causing poor bioavailability in oral delivery of isoacteoside in rats employing ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Qingling; Pan, Yingni; Yan, Xiaowei; Qu, Bao; Liu, Xiaoqiu; Xiao, Wei

2017-02-28

Isoacteoside (ISAT), a phenylethanoid glycoside that acts as the principal bioactive component in traditional Chinese medicines, possesses broad pharmacological effects such as neuroprotective, antihypertensive and hepatoprotective activities. However, its pharmaceutical development has been severely limited due to the poor oral bioavailability. It is essential and significant to investigate related hurdles leading to the poor bioavailability of isoacteoside. Whole animal metabolism studies were conducted in rats, followed by metabolic mechanism including gastrointestinal stability, intestinal flora metabolism and intestinal enzyme metabolism employing the powerful method ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOF-MS/MS). A simple, rapid and sensitive method has been developed which comprehensively revealed the underlying cause of poor bioavailability of ISAT in a metabolic manner. The prototype of ISAT and its combined metabolites have not been detected in plasma. Furthermore, the residual content of the parent compound in in vitro experiments was approximately 59%, 5% and barely none in intestinal bacteria, intestinal S9 and simulated intestinal juice at 6 h, respectively. The present work has demonstrated that the factors causing the poor bioavailability of isoacteoside should be attributed to the metabolism. In general, the metabolism that resulted from intestinal flora and intestinal enzymes were predominant reasons giving rise to the poor bioavailability of ISAT, which also suggested that metabolites might be responsible for the excellent pharmacological effect of ISAT. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of high hydrostatic pressure processing on individual cellular resuscitation times and protein aggregates in Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Govers, Sander K; Aertsen, Abram

2015-11-20

Live cell biology approaches can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of heterogeneous injury and resuscitation phenomena in stressed populations of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, and in turn lead to better insights in the mechanisms and dynamics of inactivation that can improve food safety and preservation measures. Especially in the context of designing minimal processing strategies, which depend on a synergistic combination of different mild stresses to ensure sufficient microbial reduction, a more profound understanding of the impact of each such stress or hurdle is mandatory. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) stress is an interesting hurdle in this concept since cells that manage to survive this stress nevertheless tend to be injured and sensitized to subsequent stresses. In this study, populations of Escherichia coli were subjected to different HHP intensities and studied at the single-cell level with time-lapse fluorescence microscopy while monitoring resuscitation times and protein aggregate integrity at the single-cell level. This approach revealed that higher pressure intensities lead to longer and more variable resuscitation times of surviving cells as well as an increased dispersal of intracellular protein aggregates. Interestingly, at mild HHP exposure, cells within the population incurring less dispersion of protein aggregates appeared to have a higher probability of survival. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurements of Nascent Soot Using a Cavity Attenauted Phase Shift (CAPS)-based Single Scattering Albedo Monitor

Science.gov (United States)

Freedman, A.; Onasch, T. B.; Renbaum-Wollf, L.; Lambe, A. T.; Davidovits, P.; Kebabian, P. L.

2015-12-01

Accurate, as compared to precise, measurement of aerosol absorption has always posed a significant problem for the particle radiative properties community. Filter-based instruments do not actually measure absorption but rather light transmission through the filter; absorption must be derived from this data using multiple corrections. The potential for matrix-induced effects is also great for organic-laden aerosols. The introduction of true in situ measurement instruments using photoacoustic or photothermal interferometric techniques represents a significant advance in the state-of-the-art. However, measurement artifacts caused by changes in humidity still represent a significant hurdle as does the lack of a good calibration standard at most measurement wavelengths. And, in the absence of any particle-based absorption standard, there is no way to demonstrate any real level of accuracy. We, along with others, have proposed that under the circumstance of low single scattering albedo (SSA), absorption is best determined by difference using measurement of total extinction and scattering. We discuss a robust, compact, field deployable instrument (the CAPS PMssa) that simultaneously measures airborne particle light extinction and scattering coefficients and thus the single scattering albedo (SSA) on the same sample volume. The extinction measurement is based on cavity attenuated phase shift (CAPS) techniques as employed in the CAPS PMex particle extinction monitor; scattering is measured using integrating nephelometry by incorporating a Lambertian integrating sphere within the sample cell. The scattering measurement is calibrated using the extinction measurement of non-absorbing particles. For small particles and low SSA, absorption can be measured with an accuracy of 6-8% at absorption levels as low as a few Mm-1. We present new results of the measurement of the mass absorption coefficient (MAC) of soot generated by an inverted methane diffusion flame at 630 nm. A value

Mobile channels for exogenous coordination of distributed systems : semantics, implementation and composition.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guillen Scholten, Juan Visente

2007-01-01

In the last years, there has been a growing interest for distributed systems both in computer science and in society. The most popular and biggest distributed system in the world is the Internet. A distributed system is a collection of independent computers that appears to its users as a single

Basic counselling skills | Brand | South African Medical Journal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

George Bernard Shaw stated, 'The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place'. In the medical world, and especially one that involves children, this is unfortunately a reality. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT.

Turn Obstacles into Opportunities: Team Leaders Use a Skillful Approach to Move Past Barriers to Learning

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Elisa B.

2013-01-01

This article describes the role of the skillful leader and what practical solutions are needed to overcome hurdles. What distinguishes the skillful team leader from a less-effective leader is his or her approach to overcoming hurdles, and are rooted in the leader's values, mindset, intelligence, and skill. When faced with hurdles to team…

Determining optimal primary sawing and ripping machine settings in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

For wood manufacturers around the world, the single biggest cost factor is known to be its raw material. Maximum volume recovery of this raw material is, therefore, of key importance for the industry. The wood products industry consists of several interrelated manufacturing steps for converting trees into logs and logs into ...

PGT: A Statistical Approach to Prediction and Mechanism Design

Science.gov (United States)

Wolpert, David H.; Bono, James W.

One of the biggest challenges facing behavioral economics is the lack of a single theoretical framework that is capable of directly utilizing all types of behavioral data. One of the biggest challenges of game theory is the lack of a framework for making predictions and designing markets in a manner that is consistent with the axioms of decision theory. An approach in which solution concepts are distribution-valued rather than set-valued (i.e. equilibrium theory) has both capabilities. We call this approach Predictive Game Theory (or PGT). This paper outlines a general Bayesian approach to PGT. It also presents one simple example to illustrate the way in which this approach differs from equilibrium approaches in both prediction and mechanism design settings.

Inferring biodiversity maintenance mechanisms from ecological pattern

Science.gov (United States)

Ostling, Annette

Among a set of competitors for a single common resource, the best will simply exclude the others. Yet in nature we can see astounding diversity of competing species. Do close similarities in species' response to the local environment primarily explain their coexistence? Or is this diversity possible because of differences between species that stabilize their coexistence? And if so, what particular differences between species are important in particular communities? Some ecological communities lend themselves to experimental manipulation to begin to answer these questions. Yet for many other communities, such as tree species in forests, the logistical hurdles to this approach are daunting. Faster progress could be made in ecology if insight into biodiversity maintenance mechanisms could be gained from patterns exhibited in local ecological communities, such as how coexisting species are distributed in their ecological traits and relative abundance. Hurdles that we need to overcome to be able to gain such insight include: 1) further developing neutral theory, a quantitative process-based null model of community pattern resulting when species similarities are what allow their coexistence, and 2) better understanding what patterns to expect when species differences dominate instead, particularly in the context of stochasticity and immigration. I will describe our ongoing research to overcome these hurdles, to provide better tools for analyzing observed pattern. National Science Foundation Advancing Theory in Biology Grant 1038678, Danish National Research Foundation Grant DNRF 96 for the Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate.

Signaling profiling at the single-cell level identifies a distinct signaling signature in murine hematopoietic stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Juan; Wang, Jinyong; Kong, Guangyao; Jiang, Jing; Zhang, Jingfang; Liu, Yangang; Tong, Wei; Zhang, Jing

2012-07-01

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function is tightly regulated by cytokine signaling. Although phospho-flow cytometry allows us to study signaling in defined populations of cells, there has been tremendous hurdle to carry out this study in rare HSCs due to unrecoverable critical HSC markers, low HSC number, and poor cell recovery rate. Here, we overcame these difficulties and developed a "HSC phospho-flow" method to analyze cytokine signaling in murine HSCs at the single-cell level and compare HSC signaling profile to that of multipotent progenitors (MPPs), a cell type immediately downstream of HSCs, and commonly used Lin(-) cKit(+) cells (LK cells, enriched for myeloid progenitors). We chose to study signaling evoked from three representative cytokines, stem cell factor (SCF) and thrombopoietin (TPO) that are essential for HSC function and granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) that is dispensable for HSCs. HSCs display a distinct TPO and GM-CSF signaling signature from MPPs and LK cells, which highly correlates with receptor surface expression. In contrast, although majority of LK cells express lower levels of cKit than HSCs and MPPs, SCF-evoked ERK1/2 activation in LK cells shows a significantly increased magnitude for a prolonged period. These results suggest that specific cellular context plays a more important role than receptor surface expression in SCF signaling. Our study of HSC signaling at the homeostasis stage paves the way to investigate signaling changes in HSCs under conditions of stress, aging, and hematopoietic diseases. Copyright © 2012 AlphaMed Press.

Collaborating to Cut Costs in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Hassett, Tracy

2017-01-01

Tuition prices at colleges and universities are high. It is also true that salaries and benefits are the single biggest chunk of every higher education institution's (HEI) budget. And one of the largest and most difficult costs to contain is group employee health insurance. The situation is particularly difficult for smaller New England HEIs…

A First-Principle Theoretical Study of Mechanical and Electronic Properties in Graphene Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Junctions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The new three-dimensional structure that the graphene connected with SWCNTs (G-CNTs, Graphene Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes can solve graphene and CNTs′ problems. A comprehensive study of the mechanical and electrical performance of the junctions was performed by first-principles theory. There were eight types of junctions that were constituted by armchair and zigzag graphene and (3,3, (4,0, (4,4, and (6,0 CNTs. First, the junction strength was investigated. Generally, the binding energy of armchair G-CNTs was stronger than that of zigzag G-CNTs, and it was the biggest in the armchair G-CNTs (6,0. Likewise, the electrical performance of armchair G-CNTs was better than that of zigzag G-CNTs. Charge density distribution of G-CNTs (6,0 was the most homogeneous. Next, the impact factors of the electronic properties of armchair G-CNTs were investigated. We suggest that the band gap is increased with the length of CNTs, and its value should be dependent on the combined effect of both the graphene’s width and the CNTs’ length. Last, the relationship between voltage and current (U/I were studied. The U/I curve of armchair G-CNTs (6,0 possessed a good linearity and symmetry. These discoveries will contribute to the design and production of G-CNT-based devices.

Kuwentong Buhay ng Isang Pambansa- Demokratikong Rebolusyonaryong Bakla sa Rehiyon ng Katimugang Mindanao (A Life Story of a Gay National-Democratic Revolutionary in Southern Mindanao Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rowell D. Madula

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In February 2005, the New People’s Army facilitated its f irst gay (male to male marriage in Compostela Valley. Guerillas Ka Jose and Ka Andres have sworn before the red flag to become partners as they wage a nationaldemocratic revolution. Members of the LGBT community have long been deprived of their right to marry persons they love. The stance of the Roman Catholic Church remains the biggest hurdle why same-sex marriage in the Philippines has yet to be allowed. Despite this, there are still some who are pushing for this. The national-democratic revolution of the Communist Party of the Philippinesnew People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPANDFP is one of the most organized removolution in the history of the country. Aside from political and economic changes, the group is also pushing for a cultural revolution. This includes changes in the ideological perspective to and among members of the LGBT community. This study attempts to analyze the life and experiences of gay members of the CPP-NPA-NDFP from the Southern Mindanao Region. Experiences from gender identif ication until the participation to the national-democratic revolution are part of the life story.

Building a Foundation for Success: How Authorizers Can Help Schools with the Facilities Challenge. Authorizer Issue Brief. Number 2

Science.gov (United States)

Halsband, Robin; Hassel, Bryan C.

2004-01-01

One of the single biggest challenges for a charter school is securing financing for an adequate facility. While a stellar building provides no guarantee that a school will be a success, having adequate facilities that at least meet the needs of an academic program without robbing the budget can go a long way toward creating an environment…

Effects of Physical-Cognitive Dual Task Training on Executive Function and Gait Performance in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Falbo, S; Condello, G; Capranica, L; Forte, R; Pesce, C

2016-01-01

Physical and cognitive training seem to counteract age-related decline in physical and mental function. Recently, the possibility of integrating cognitive demands into physical training has attracted attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of twelve weeks of designed physical-cognitive training on executive cognitive function and gait performance in older adults. Thirty-six healthy, active individuals aged 72.30 ± 5.84 years were assigned to two types of physical training with major focus on physical single task (ST) training ( n = 16) and physical-cognitive dual task (DT) training ( n = 20), respectively. They were tested before and after the intervention for executive function (inhibition, working memory) through Random Number Generation and for gait (walking with/without negotiating hurdles) under both single and dual task (ST, DT) conditions. Gait performance improved in both groups, while inhibitory performance decreased after exercise training with ST focus but tended to increase after training with physical-cognitive DT focus. Changes in inhibition performance were correlated with changes in DT walking performance with group differences as a function of motor task complexity (with/without hurdling). The study supports the effectiveness of group exercise classes for older individuals to improve gait performance, with physical-cognitive DT training selectively counteracting the age-related decline in a core executive function essential for daily living.

Single-photon sources based on single molecules in solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moerner, W E

2004-01-01

Single molecules in suitable host crystals have been demonstrated to be useful single-photon emitters both at liquid-helium temperatures and at room temperature. The low-temperature source achieved controllable emission of single photons from a single terrylene molecule in p-terphenyl by an adiabatic rapid passage technique. In contrast with almost all other single-molecule systems, terrylene single molecules show extremely high photostability under continuous, high-intensity irradiation. A room-temperature source utilizing this material has been demonstrated, in which fast pumping into vibrational sidebands of the electronically excited state achieved efficient inversion of the emissive level. This source yielded a single-photon emission probability p(1) of 0.86 at a detected count rate near 300 000 photons s -1 , with very small probability of emission of more than one photon. Thus, single molecules in solids can be considered as contenders for applications of single-photon sources such as quantum key distribution

Single photon sources with single semiconductor quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Guang-Cun; Yin, Zhang-Qi; Shek, Chan Hung; Huang, Wei

2014-04-01

In this contribution, we briefly recall the basic concepts of quantum optics and properties of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) which are necessary to the understanding of the physics of single-photon generation with single QDs. Firstly, we address the theory of quantum emitter-cavity system, the fluorescence and optical properties of semiconductor QDs, and the photon statistics as well as optical properties of the QDs. We then review the localization of single semiconductor QDs in quantum confined optical microcavity systems to achieve their overall optical properties and performances in terms of strong coupling regime, efficiency, directionality, and polarization control. Furthermore, we will discuss the recent progress on the fabrication of single photon sources, and various approaches for embedding single QDs into microcavities or photonic crystal nanocavities and show how to extend the wavelength range. We focus in particular on new generations of electrically driven QD single photon source leading to high repetition rates, strong coupling regime, and high collection efficiencies at elevated temperature operation. Besides, new developments of room temperature single photon emission in the strong coupling regime are reviewed. The generation of indistinguishable photons and remaining challenges for practical single-photon sources are also discussed.

Retrofitting Domestic Hot Water Heaters for Solar Water Heating Systems in Single-Family Houses in a Cold Climate: A Theoretical Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Björn Karlsson

2012-10-01

Full Text Available One of the biggest obstacles to economic profitability of solar water heating systems is the investment cost. Retrofitting existing domestic hot water heaters when a new solar hot water system is installed can reduce both the installation and material costs. In this study, retrofitting existing water heaters for solar water heating systems in Swedish single-family houses was theoretically investigated using the TRNSYS software. Four simulation models using forced circulation flow with different system configurations and control strategies were simulated and analysed in the study. A comparison with a standard solar thermal system was also presented based on the annual solar fraction. The simulation results indicate that the retrofitting configuration achieving the highest annual performance consists of a system where the existing tank is used as storage for the solar heat and a smaller tank with a heater is added in series to make sure that the required outlet temperature can be met. An external heat exchanger is used between the collector circuit and the existing tank. For this retrofitted system an annual solar fraction of 50.5% was achieved. A conventional solar thermal system using a standard solar tank achieves a comparable performance for the same total storage volume, collector area and reference conditions.

Your Biggest Game: Interview with Dave Ellis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sparks, Dennis

2001-01-01

Interviews Dave Ellis, president of the Brande Foundation, who promotes life coaching to help leaders become more creative and effective by making them happier, more satisfied human beings. It provides an opportunity for people to look at all areas of their lives, determine what they want in these areas, and have the coach help them develop…

Smashing physics inside the world's biggest experiment

CERN Document Server

Butterworth, Jon

2014-01-01

The discovery of the Higgs boson made headlines around the world. Two scientists, Peter Higgs and Francois Englert, whose theories predicted its existence, shared a Nobel Prize. The discovery was the culmination of the largest experiment ever run, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. But what really is a Higgs boson and what does it do? How was it found? And how has its discovery changed our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature? And what did it feel like to be part of it? Jon Butterworth is one of the leading physicists at CERN and this book is the first popular inside account of the hunt for the Higgs. It is a story of incredible scientific collaboration, inspiring technological innovation and ground-breaking science. It is also the story of what happens when the world's most expensive experiment blows up, of neutrinos that may or may not travel faster than light, and the reality of life in an underground bunker in Switzerland. This book will also leave you with a working...

Iran plans world's fourth biggest nuclear programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1977-01-01

Power requirements of projected power generation to 1992, and fuel reserves, in Iran are submitted. The current nuclear programme is outlined. 34000 MWe of nuclear power is planned for the end of the century. (U.K.)

Preparing for the biggest experiment on earth

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"An international team of over 2'000 scientists, led by Professor Tejinder Virdee from Imperial College London's Department of Physics is stepping up preparations for the world's largest ever physics experiment, starting next year at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland." (1 page)

A giant takes on physics' biggest questions

CERN Multimedia

Overbye, Dennis

2007-01-01

"Physics, after all, is supposed to be a cerebral pursuit. But this cavern almost measureless to the eye, stuffed as it is with an Eiffet Tower's worth of metal, eight-story wheels of gold fan-shape boxes, thousands of miles of wire and fat ductlike coils, echoes with the shriek of power tools, the whine of pumps and cranes, beeps and clanks from wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers and the occasional falling bolt." (6 pages)

Overcoming Hurdles Implementing Multi-skilling Policies

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-26

skilled workforce? Chapter II will communicate important concepts found in the literature on skill proficiency topics. These topics include skill...training methods that might improve learning and retention during the acquisition phase. 10 The active interlock modeling (AIM) protocol is a dyadic ...retention, as found in 43 Chapter 2. These techniques include dyadic training methods, overlearning, feedback, peer support, and managerial support

Global Studies: Hurdles to Program Development

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Patricia J.; Masters, Paul E.; Goolsby, Amy

2004-01-01

In this article, we examine a new global studies program that departs from the traditional state-centric approach and uses a geocentric, or earth-centered, approach that emphasizes the roles of individuals, grassroots organizations, cultural groups, and international organizations in an attempt to help students conceptualize global events and…

Humans in space the psychological hurdles

CERN Document Server

Kanas, Nick

2015-01-01

Using anecdotal reports from astronauts and cosmonauts, and the results from studies conducted in space analog environments on Earth and in the actual space environment, this book broadly reviews the various psychosocial issues that affect space travelers.  Unlike other books that are more technical in format, this text is targeted for the general public.  With the advent of space tourism and the increasing involvement of private enterprise in space, there is now a need to explore the impact of space missions on the human psyche and on the interpersonal relationships of the crewmembers. Separate chapters of the book deal with psychosocial stressors in space and in space analog environments; psychological, psychiatric, interpersonal, and cultural issues pertaining to space missions; positive growth-enhancing aspects of space travel; the crew-ground interaction; space tourism; countermeasures for dealing with space; and unique aspects of a trip to Mars, the outer solar system, and interstellar travel. .

Bone Tissue Donation: Tendency and Hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

El Hage, S; Dos Santos, M J; de Moraes, E L; de Barros E Silva, L B

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of bone tissue donation in a brain death situation and the tendency of donation rate of this tissue in an organ procurement organization in the county of Sao Paulo from 2001 to 2016. It is a retrospective and quantitative study, based on the Organ and Tissue Donation Term of donors who died of brain death between 2001 and 2016. A logistic regression model was applied, and the odds of donation were identified throughout the years, regarding the odds ratio different from zero. Finally, it was measured the accuracy of the odds ratio through the confidence interval. The analysis has shown a significant change on the trend of bone donation (P 1, indicating that the donation rate has increased. However, the percentage of growth is still considered low. The study evidences a growth trend regarding the donation of bone tissue, but the percentage is still too low to adequately meet the demand of patients who need this modality of therapeutic intervention. It is believed that educational campaigns of donation are not emphasizing the donation of tissues for transplantation, which may be directly impacting their consent rates. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Legal hurdles for gastroenterologists in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, Neeraj

2017-05-01

Litigation and compensation claims have started occurring with increasing frequency against gastroenterologists in India. A study of few such cases decided by Indian Courts shows that commonest reason for allegations of negligence being upheld by Indian Courts is an improper consent being taken. Professional organisations need to focus on these issues more aggressively than has been done in the past. Judgments which do not appear to be in conformity with standard medical practices need to be challenged in higher courts, failing in which they would become precedents for future similar judgments.

Keeping Teachers on the Job Costs Less than Advertised. Policy Memorandum #168

Science.gov (United States)

Bivens, Josh

2010-01-01

A misplaced obsession with the size of federal budget deficits remains the single biggest obstacle to enacting new measures to create jobs on a scale commensurate with the crisis in the American labor market. Even assuming that budget scoring rules can't be changed, at the very least policy makers should be aware of the true impact a given piece…

Technology, FID, and Afghanistan: A Model for Aviation Capacity

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-05

operators and maintenance is challenging. Power politics in Afghanistan are problematic. Village, tribe and nomadic paradigms permeate the military...is not the biggest Afghan aviation challenge. LOGISTICS Nomadic societies have problems with distributed goods. Afghan power structures rely...will not likely be successful until Afghanistan scores in high single or double digits . This puts end of mission beyond 2030. CONCLUSION Forget

Analýza tréninkového zatížení běžce na 400 metrů překážek vrcholové úrovně

OpenAIRE

Šimánek, Jindřich

2013-01-01

Title of the thesis: Analysis of training load runner on the 400m hurdles peak level Objectives: The aim of this work is the evaluation of general and specific training indicatorsof peak level runners in 400 meters hurdles and the influence of specific training on performance indicators and performance in the 400 meter hurdles. Determining the ideal level of intensity and volume load in the annual training cycle. Another aim of the study was the comparison of performance in support events dep...

Male and Female Labour Supply in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graversen, Ebbe Krogh

1996-01-01

This paper estimates labour supply for married and single men and women in Denmark in 1990, using a double-hurdle model which allows involuntary unemployment due to for example demand restrictions, and fixed costs of work. A labour supply f unction based on a variant of the Stone-Geary utility...... function with a nonlinear wage rate is estimated. Elasticities of labour supply with respect to wage, income and tax rate are presented. Finally, the effects on the four groups of a few recently discussed tax and transfer reforms in Denmark are simulated....

FACTORS AFFECTING ACCESS TO FINANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs OF BANGLADESH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed CHOWDHURY

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study addresses the issues that impede SMEs of Bangladesh in obtaining finance from the financial institutions. To accomplish our goals we collected data from a sample of 86 SMEs to investigate the problems and suggest policy recommendations. We collected data by directly interviewing the respondents with the help of a questionnaire for self-guidance. We also used secondary data for this purpose. Findings revealed that the size and age of the firms, education and skills of the owners, and unfavorable credit terms such as high interest rates, lack of collateral security, corruption by bank officials etc. are some of the biggest hurdles that SMEs in Bangladesh face in getting loans from financial institutions. The limitation is that the study has included one city in its sample population. A nationwide study where there are SMEs in large numbers could lead to better results for this kind of study. The implication is that small businesses, as opposed to the larger ones, face funding obstacles and are discriminated by the financial institutions in granting loans. Built on current literatures and research on SMEs, specially in regard to their ability to access finance, this study captures the information relating to problems identified by SMEs in having access to finance and suggesting the ways and means needed for strengthening the SMEs access to finance for their expansion and growth.

Oncotargeting by Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV: Advances in Cancer Therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suman Bishnoi

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Modern oncotherapy approaches are based on inducing controlled apoptosis in tumor cells. Although a number of apoptosis-induction approaches are available, site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents still remain the biggest hurdle in achieving the desired cancer treatment benefit. Additionally, systemic treatment-induced toxicity remains a major limiting factor in chemotherapy. To specifically address drug-accessibility and chemotherapy side effects, oncolytic virotherapy (OV has emerged as a novel cancer treatment alternative. In OV, recombinant viruses with higher replication capacity and stronger lytic properties are being considered for tumor cell-targeting and subsequent cell lysing. Successful application of OVs lies in achieving strict tumor-specific tropism called oncotropism, which is contingent upon the biophysical interactions of tumor cell surface receptors with viral receptors and subsequent replication of oncolytic viruses in cancer cells. In this direction, few viral vector platforms have been developed and some of these have entered pre-clinical/clinical trials. Among these, the Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-based platform shows high promise, as it is not pathogenic to humans. Further, modern molecular biology techniques such as reverse genetics tools have favorably advanced this field by creating efficient recombinant VSVs for OV; some have entered into clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the current status of VSV based oncotherapy, challenges, and future perspectives regarding its therapeutic applications in the cancer treatment.

Oncotargeting by Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV): Advances in Cancer Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bishnoi, Suman; Tiwari, Ritudhwaj; Gupta, Sharad; Byrareddy, Siddappa N; Nayak, Debasis

2018-02-23

Modern oncotherapy approaches are based on inducing controlled apoptosis in tumor cells. Although a number of apoptosis-induction approaches are available, site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents still remain the biggest hurdle in achieving the desired cancer treatment benefit. Additionally, systemic treatment-induced toxicity remains a major limiting factor in chemotherapy. To specifically address drug-accessibility and chemotherapy side effects, oncolytic virotherapy (OV) has emerged as a novel cancer treatment alternative. In OV, recombinant viruses with higher replication capacity and stronger lytic properties are being considered for tumor cell-targeting and subsequent cell lysing. Successful application of OVs lies in achieving strict tumor-specific tropism called oncotropism, which is contingent upon the biophysical interactions of tumor cell surface receptors with viral receptors and subsequent replication of oncolytic viruses in cancer cells. In this direction, few viral vector platforms have been developed and some of these have entered pre-clinical/clinical trials. Among these, the Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based platform shows high promise, as it is not pathogenic to humans. Further, modern molecular biology techniques such as reverse genetics tools have favorably advanced this field by creating efficient recombinant VSVs for OV; some have entered into clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the current status of VSV based oncotherapy, challenges, and future perspectives regarding its therapeutic applications in the cancer treatment.

Enabling technologies for demand management: Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Roderick A.

2008-01-01

Rising transport demand is likely to be the biggest hurdle to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Globally and nationally, transport is consuming an ever increasing share of our total energy use. Furthermore, the bulk of energy used in transport comes from the burning of petroleum products. This brief paper summarises options arising from the two routes to reduce energy demand in transport: improved and more efficient use of existing and possible new transport modes, and the reduction of transport demand. In both areas, the prospects in the immediate and longer-term future are hedged with difficulties. Automobiles and aircraft have improved considerably in recent decades, but future improvements are likely to be incremental. The introduction of hydrogen as a fuel is appealing, but there are technical problems to be solved. Active reduction of demand for transport will require a decoupling of the link between demand and growth in gross domestic product. Globally, this will be very difficult to achieve. Various modes of public transport exist that are efficient in terms of their energy use per passenger kilometre. But they need large investments to make them more attractive than the automobile. However, population concentration in mega-cities, allied with congestion, will make such innovation essential. Policy measures can be assisted in their implementation by new technology, but will remain politically problematic

Point-of-care diagnosis of periodontitis using saliva: technically feasible but still a challenge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suk eJi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the periodontium caused by persistent bacterial infection that leads to the breakdown of connective tissue and bone. Because the ability to reconstruct the periodontium is limited after alveolar bone loss, early diagnosis and intervention should be the primary goals of periodontal treatment. However, periodontitis often progresses without noticeable symptoms, and many patients do not seek professional dental care until the periodontal destruction progresses to the point of no return. Furthermore, the current diagnosis of periodontitis depends on time-consuming clinical measurements. Therefore, there is an unmet need for near-patient testing to diagnose periodontitis. Saliva is an optimal biological fluid to serve as a near-patient diagnostic tool for periodontitis. Recent developments in point-of-care (POC testing indicate that a diagnostic test for periodontitis using saliva is now technically feasible. A number of promising salivary biomarkers associated with periodontitis have been reported. A panel of optimal biomarkers must be carefully selected based on the pathogenesis of periodontitis. The biggest hurdle for the POC diagnosis of periodontitis using saliva may be the process of validation in a large, diverse patient population. Therefore, we propose the organization of an International Consortium for Biomarkers of Periodontitis, which will gather efforts to identify, select, and validate salivary biomarkers for the diagnosis of periodontitis.

Comparing nonsynergistic gamma models with interaction models to predict growth of emetic Bacillus cereus when using combinations of pH and individual undissociated acids as growth-limiting factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Biesta-Peters, E.G.; Reij, M.W.; Gorris, L.G.M.; Zwietering, M.H.

2010-01-01

A combination of multiple hurdles to limit microbial growth is frequently applied in foods to achieve an overall level of protection. Quantification of hurdle technology aims at identifying synergistic or multiplicative effects and is still being developed. The gamma hypothesis states that

Characterization of heterologously expressed transporter genes by patch- and voltage-clamp methods: Application to cyclic nucleotide-dependent responses

KAUST Repository

Lemtiri-Chlieh, Fouad

2013-09-03

The application of patch- and voltage-clamp methods to study ion transport can be limited by many hurdles: the size of the cells to be patched and/or stabbed, the subcellular localization of the molecule of interest, and its density of expression that could be too low even in their own native environment. Functional expression of genes using recombinant DNA technology not only overcomes those hurdles but also affords additional and elegant investigations such as single-point mutation studies and subunit associations/regulations. In this chapter, we give a step-by-step description of two electrophysiological methods, patch clamp and two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC), that are routinely used in combination with heterologous gene expression to assist researchers interested in the identification and characterization of ion transporters. We describe how to (1) obtain and maintain the cells suitable for the use with each of the above-mentioned methods (i.e., HEK-293 cells and yeast spheroplasts to use with the patch-clamp methodology and Xenopus laevis oocytes with TEVC), (2) transfect/inject them with the gene of interest, and (3) record ion transport activities. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013.

Characterization of heterologously expressed transporter genes by patch- and voltage-clamp methods: Application to cyclic nucleotide-dependent responses

KAUST Repository

Lemtiri-Chlieh, Fouad; Ali, Rashid Ayesha

2013-01-01

The application of patch- and voltage-clamp methods to study ion transport can be limited by many hurdles: the size of the cells to be patched and/or stabbed, the subcellular localization of the molecule of interest, and its density of expression that could be too low even in their own native environment. Functional expression of genes using recombinant DNA technology not only overcomes those hurdles but also affords additional and elegant investigations such as single-point mutation studies and subunit associations/regulations. In this chapter, we give a step-by-step description of two electrophysiological methods, patch clamp and two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC), that are routinely used in combination with heterologous gene expression to assist researchers interested in the identification and characterization of ion transporters. We describe how to (1) obtain and maintain the cells suitable for the use with each of the above-mentioned methods (i.e., HEK-293 cells and yeast spheroplasts to use with the patch-clamp methodology and Xenopus laevis oocytes with TEVC), (2) transfect/inject them with the gene of interest, and (3) record ion transport activities. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013.

75 FR 9247 - Single Family Mortgage Insurance Premium, Single Family

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT [Docket No. FR-5376-N-13] Single Family Mortgage Insurance Premium, Single Family AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD. ACTION: Notice... is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. Lenders use the Single Family Premium...

An automatic single channel analyzer based on single-chip microcomputer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Xuekun; Jia Mingchun; Zhang Yan; Liu Mingjian; Luo Ming

2008-01-01

The hardware and software of an automatic single channel analyzer based on AT89C51RC single-chip microcomputer is described in this paper. The equipment takes a method of channel-width-adjusting symmetrically, and makes use of single-chip microcomputer to control the two DAC0832 so as to adjust the discriminating threshold and channel-width automatically. As a result, the auto-measuring of the single channel analyzer is realized. Its circuit configuration is simple, and the uniformity of its channel-width is well, too. (authors)

World's Biggest Astronomy Event on the World-Wide

Science.gov (United States)

1996-06-01

`Astronomy On-Line' will connect students all over Europe Astronomy On-Line is a major, all-European project that will take place in conjunction with the 4th European Week for Scientific and Technological Culture later this year. It is based on intensive use of the World-Wide-Web (WWW) and represents the first large-scale attempt in the world to bring together pupils and their teachers all over one continent to explore challenging scientific questions, using modern communication tools, both for obtaining and for communicating information. The programme will be carried out in a collaboration between the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE) [1] and the European Southern Observatory, and together with the European Commission (EC). The active phase of Astronomy On-Line will start on October 1 and reach a climax on November 18 - 22, 1996 . What is `Astronomy On-Line'? In this project, a large number of students and their teachers at schools all over Europe, together with professional and amateur astronomers and others interested in astronomy, will become associated in a unique experience that makes intensive use of the vast possibilities of the World-Wide-Web (WWW). Although the exact number of participants will not be known until the beginning of October, it is expected to run into thousands, possibly many more. The unusual size and scope of Astronomy On-Line will contribute to make it an important all-European media event. The central idea is that the participants, through the WWW, will `meet' in a `marketplace' where a number of different `shops' will be available, each of which will tempt them with a number of exciting and educational `events', carefully prepared to cater for different age groups, from 12 years upwards. The events will cover a wide spectrum of activities, some of which will be timed to ensure the proper progression of this very complex project through its main phases. The benefits In fact, Astronomy On-Line will be the first, internationally organised and fully structured programme which offers a large number of students the possibility to familiarize themselves with the use of this communication tool of the future, unequalled possibilities for fruitful international communication, and at the same time to learn much about the science and technology of astronomy, including the scientific methods now being practiced by the world's scientists. Within this framework, they can actively contribute to co-ordinated sub-programmes that will draw on the combined forces and ingenuity of participants from all areas of Europe. There are many other side benefits, of course, such as stimulating schools to go on-line, prompting international cooperation among the young people, etc. Another important aspect is that the programme will lead to natural involvement of business and industrial partners in local areas of the participating groups. Also its unique character and international implications will be very inviting for extensive media coverage, both in human and scientific/technological terms. The organisation An enormous programme like Astronomy On-Line obviously represents a tremendous challenge to the organisers, and careful planning is crucial to its success. This is ensured by the active participation of experienced educators, scientists and engineers in most European countries, united by the common goal to prepare a well-structured event that is exciting for everybody and which has clearly defined roles and responsibilities for all involved parties. An International Steering Committee (ISC) has been established for the programme. The ICS is responsible for the planning of the main activities, together with National Steering Committees (NSC) which will coordinate the Programme in their respective countries. The NSC's are still in the process of being formed and for the time being, most EAAE National Representatives will act as contact points for the programme in their areas. Full information about the organisational and technical aspects of the Programme is available on two central WWW nodes. They will be continuously updated as the programme is specified in increasing detail. The Astronomy On-Line WWW Homepages can be reached under: http://www.eso.org/outreach/spec-prog/aol/ and http://www.algonet.se/~sirius/eaae.htm Announcements about National WWW Homepages for the Programme, now being set up by the NCS's, will follow on the above WWW Homepages. Participation The NSCs will soon issue a call for participation to interested schools, astronomy clubs and other astronomy-interested persons in their respective areas. The deadline for registration is October 1, 1996 , the day when the first active phase of the Programme will start. Participants must register with the appropriate NSC. Participating groups may consist of at least one teacher and his/her students or of one or more astronomy enthousiasts. Each group must have access to the WWW. If access is not yet available at the school, this may be arranged by `sponsors' in the local area. These may be planetaria, science institutes, business undertakings (e.g. in the field of electronics, computers, communication, etc.), industrial firms or private benefactors. All communication via the WWW will take place in English. Only registered groups can participate actively. The main phases Astronomy On-Line will be divided into three phases, lasting from October 1 to November 22, 1996, and reflecting the gradual progression of the associated activities. Phase 1 will last about six weeks, from early October to the beginning of the 4th European Week for Scientific and Technological Culture. During this period, the participating groups will have the possibility of preparing themselves for the active participation, for instance to familiarize themselves with the hard- and software as well as to consider specific programme opportunities, now becoming available on the WWW pages. Regional or international `clusters of groups' may form at this time. Phase 2 will take place on Monday, November 18 and Tuesday, November 19, 1996. On these and the three following days ( Phase 3 : November 20--22), the `active period' will be in the six-hour interval from 15h to 21h UT [2]. Various events are planned to happen at certain times and in certain places on the WWW, keeping the programme lively and enhancing the interaction by ensuring continued attention and expectation by the participants. During Phases 2 and 3, nine or more `shops' will be available in the Astronomy On-Line WWW `marketplaces' for consultation by the participants. They will display a variety of `goods' (activities) at different levels of complexity in order to attract participants of different age groups, among others: General information; Collaborative projects which require observations by many groups all over the continent; Real astronomical observations to be submitted and executed with telescopes at participating, professional observatories; Prepared exercises which may include guided searches on the WWW; Opportunities to talk to professional astronomers, etc. More details are available at the above mentioned WWW sites. Ideas for further activities are now being actively solicited by the Steering Committees. At the end, the various results will be presented on the WWW in the form of short reports which may be commented upon, as far as possible in real time. A `final event' which will `unite' participants from all over Europe will be planned on the last day. Notes: [1] The EAAE was founded in November 1994 (cf. ESO Press Release 17/94 of 2 December 1994) and now has several hundred members located in virtually all European countries; most are secondary school physics teachers with a particular interest in astronomy. [2] This period of the day has been chosen to allow students to participate outside the the normal school hours, and by taking into account the time zones across Europe (from UT in the West to UT+2h in East). How to obtain ESO Press Information ESO Press Information is made available on the World-Wide Web (URL: http://www.eso.org../). ESO Press Photos may be reproduced, if credit is given to the European Southern Observatory.

The biggest investment in the history of Slovakia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2009-01-01

On 11 June 2009 the General Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Slovenske elektrarne Paolo Ruzzini and the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico announced the signature of contracts with the main suppliers for the completion of units 3 and 4 of Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant. Planned investment of Eur 2.775 billion by 2013 for the Mochovce completion is an important commitment for us and especially in this time, such investment can mitigate the impact of global slowdown in economic growth which impacts Slovakia but also other economies of the world. (author)

Do single women value early retirement more than single men?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danø, Anne Møller; Ejrnæs, Mette; Husted, Leif

2005-01-01

and health are important determinants of the retirement decision. Furthermore, we find substantial gender differences in the retirement pattern. Healthy single women value retirement more than healthy single men and are willing to reduce their disposable income to 74% of their previous income while men......The focus of this paper is to analyse why a large fraction of single elderly people choose to retire early. A structural model directly based on the individual decision of labour supply is estimated on a sample of singles, where singles are defined as those who are living alone. We find that income...... are willing to reduce the income to 81%. Men's retirement decision is mainly influenced by income and health, whereas women's retirement decision is also affected by education and unemployment experience...

Taking a lot of Pictures of Real Things and Making them into a Single Picture you can Move on a Computer

Science.gov (United States)

Linneman, C.; Hults, C.

2017-12-01

This summer I spent my time in the largest state of all the states, with the people who take care of the most important parks, owned by all of us. My job was to take a lot of pictures of real things, small and large, and to make them into one piece on a computer, into pictures that can be moved and turned and can be easily shared across the world at any time. My job had three different classes: very small, pretty big, and very big. For the small things: Using a table that turns, I took many still pictures of old animals turned into rocks as well as things thrown away by people who are now dead. The pieces of rock and old things are important and exciting, but they can break quite easily, so only a few people are allowed to touch them. With the pictures you can move, many more people can learn about, "touch", and see them, but they use a computer instead of their hands. For a pretty big block of ice moving down a long area of land, I took many pictures of the end of it, while at the same time knowing just where I was on the face of the world. Using a computer, I again put all the pictures together into one picture that could be turned and moved. One person with a computer could look at any part of the piece of ice without having to actually visit it. Finally, for the very big things, I was part of a team that would fly slowly over the areas we were interested in, taking pictures about every half of a second. After taking tens of hundreds of pictures, the computer join all the pictures together into a single picture that showed each and every little up and down of the land that we had flown over, getting very few wrong. This way of making pictures you can move doesn't take as much money as other means, and it can be used on things of very different areas, from something as small as a finger to something as large as a huge field of ice moving slowly over time. The people who care for the parks that we all own don't have as much money as some, and in the biggest state

Single atom oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiorkowski, P.; Walther, H.

1990-01-01

Modern methods of laser spectroscopy allow the study of single atoms or ions in an unperturbed environment. This has opened up interesting new experiments, among them the detailed study of radiation-atom coupling. In this paper, the following two experiments dealing with this problem are reviewed: the single-atom maser and the study of the resonance fluorescence of a single stored ion. The simplest and most fundamental system for studying radiation-matter coupling is a single two-level atom interacting with a single mode of an electromagnetic field in a cavity. This problem received a great deal of attention shortly after the maser was invented

Hurdles on the road to personalized medicine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tursz, Thomas; Bernards, Rene

2015-01-01

Cancer treatment is slowly shifting from an approach in which the tissue of origin and the histology were the guiding principles for the choice of chemotherapy towards a genotype-centric approach in which the changes in the cancer genome are used to select patients for treatment with highly

Oil and gas supply : hurdles and opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giusti, L.

2006-01-01

The socioeconomic development in Latin America was discussed with reference to its abundant and diverse resources. Despite its large population, Latin America represents only 6 per cent of the world gross domestic product (GDP) and a less than 6 per cent of the total world trading. This presentation described the problems of large deficits, poor economic policies, large debt and corruption that provoked inflation, economic slowdown, and foreign debt in Latin America. Policy makers agreed that reforms were needed if Latin American economies were to grow more than 6 per cent a year, and to lower the number of people living in poverty in the region. The second-generation reform for Latin America was meant to promote economic development without inflation. It is based on quality public sector governance; fiscal strengthening; an enhanced legal and regulatory framework; efficient financial markets; and, labour and market reform. This presentation also discussed the oil and gas industry's contention with the perceptions that the economic crisis in Latin America was caused by globalization, international trade and acquisitive industrialized countries. An initiative was launched in 1994 to build an integrated energy data bank, evaluate existing interconnections among Latin American countries, and identify barriers for a larger integration to facilitate and improve commercial activities. It was emphasized that while the United States has a large deficit of oil, Canada and Latin America have large surpluses of energy resources, which if developed efficiently and effectively, can be a leading engine of regional development and an important contributor to global competitiveness. Canada is the largest supplier of energy, including oil, natural gas and electricity to the United States, the world's largest energy consumer and largest oil and gas market. Mexico and Brazil were identified as the other 2 large economies in the region's energy chain, but Mexico is self sufficient and Brazil has a modest dependency. The important players on the supply side include Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Trinidad/Tobago. Also, Colombia is a player with its excellent exploration and production model, its stability and institutional strength. It was suggested that Bolivia could become an important player if changes take place to promote the development of its huge natural gas resources

GIS in oceanography: Status, hurdles and prospects

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Kunte, P.D.

stream_size 5 stream_content_type text/plain stream_name Remote_Sens_GIS_Environ_Plan_1995_575.pdf.txt stream_source_info Remote_Sens_GIS_Environ_Plan_1995_575.pdf.txt Content-Encoding ISO-8859-1 Content-Type text/plain; charset...

Defining the Critical Hurdles in Cancer Immunotherapy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fox, BA; Schendel, D.J.; Butterfield, L.H.; Aamdal, S.; Allison, J.P.; Ascierto, P.A.; Atkins, M.B.; Bartunkova, J.; Bergmann, L.; Berinstein, N.; Bonorino, C.C.; Borden, E.; Bramson, J.L.; Britten, C.M.; Cao, X.; Carson, W.E.; Chang, A.E.; Characiejus, D.; Choudhury, A.R.; Coukos, G.; de Gruijl, T.D.; Dillman, R.O.; Dolstra, H.; Dranoff, G.; Durrant, L.G.; Finke, J.H.; Galon, J.; Gollob, J.A.; Gouttefangeas, C.; Grizzi, F.; Guida, M.; Hakansson, L.; Hege, K.; Herberman, R.B.; Hodi, F.S.; Hoos, A.; Huber, C.; Hwu, P.; Imai, K.; Jaffee, E.M.; Janetzki, S.; June, C.H.; Kalinski, P.; Kaufmann, H.L.; Kawakami, K.; Kawakami, Y.; Keilholtz, U.; Khleif, S.N.; Kiessling, R.; Kotlan, B.; Kroemer, G.; Lapointe, R.; Levitsky, H.I.; Lotze, M.T.; Di Maio, M.; Marschner, J.P.; Mastrangelo, M.J.; Masucci, G.; Melero, I.; Nelief, C.; Murphy, W.J.; Nelson, B.; Nicolini, A.; Nishimura, M.I.; Odunsi, K.; Ohashi, P.S.; O'Donnell-Tormey, J.; Old, L.J.; Ottensmeier, C.; Papamichail, M.; Parmiani, G.; Pawelec, G.; Proietti, E.; Qin, S.; Rees, R.; Ribas, A.; Ridolfi, R.; Ritter, G.; Rivoltini, L.; Romero, P.J.; Salem, M.L.; Scheper, R.J.; Seliger, B.; Sharma, P.; Shiku, H.; Singh-Jasuja, H.; Song, W.; Straten, P.T.; Tahara, H.; Tian, Z.; van der Burg, S.H.; von Hoegen, P.; Wang, E.; Welters, M.J.; Winter, H.; Withington, T.; Wolchok, J.D.; Xiao, W.; Zitvogel, L.; Zwierzina, H.; Marincola, F.M.; Gajewski, T.F.; Wigginton, J.M.; Disis, M.L.A.

2011-01-01

Scientific discoveries that provide strong evidence of antitumor effects in preclinical models often encounter significant delays before being tested in patients with cancer. While some of these delays have a scientific basis, others do not. We need to do better. Innovative strategies need to move

Biological aspects of chondrosarcoma: Leaps and hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

Mery, Benoîte; Espenel, Sophie; Guy, Jean-Baptiste; Rancoule, Chloé; Vallard, Alexis; Aloy, Marie-Thérèse; Rodriguez-Lafrasse, Claire; Magné, Nicolas

2018-06-01

Chondrosarcomas are characterized by their chemo- and radioresistance leading to a therapeutic surgical approach which remains the only available treatment with a 10-year survival between 30% and 80% depending on the grade. Non-surgical treatments are under investigation and rely on an accurate biological understanding of drug resistance mechanisms. Novel targeted therapy which represents a new relevant therapeutic approach will open new treatment options by targeting several pathways responsible for processes of proliferation and invasion. Survival pathways such as PI3K, AKT, mTOR and VEGF have been shown to be involved in proliferation of chondrosarcoma cells and antiapoptotic proteins may also play a relevant role. Other proteins such as p53 or COX2 have been identified as potential new targets. This review provides an insight into the biological substantial treatment challenges of CHS and focuses on improving our understanding of CH biology through an overview of major signaling pathways that could represent targets for new therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic privacy in sports: clearing the hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

Callier, Shawneequa

2012-12-01

As genomic medicine continues to advance and inform clinical care, knowledge gained is likely to influence sports medicine and training practices. Susceptibility to injury, sudden cardiac failure, and other serious conditions may one day be tackled on a subclinical level through genetic testing programs. In addition, athletes may increasingly consider using genetic testing services to maximize their performance potential. This paper assesses the role of privacy and genetic discrimination laws that would apply to athletes who engage in genetic testing and the limits of these protections.

Single Electron Tunneling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruggiero, Steven T.

2005-01-01

Financial support for this project has led to advances in the science of single-electron phenomena. Our group reported the first observation of the so-called ''Coulomb Staircase'', which was produced by tunneling into ultra-small metal particles. This work showed well-defined tunneling voltage steps of width e/C and height e/RC, demonstrating tunneling quantized on the single-electron level. This work was published in a now well-cited Physical Review Letter. Single-electron physics is now a major sub-field of condensed-matter physics, and fundamental work in the area continues to be conducted by tunneling in ultra-small metal particles. In addition, there are now single-electron transistors that add a controlling gate to modulate the charge on ultra-small photolithographically defined capacitive elements. Single-electron transistors are now at the heart of at least one experimental quantum-computer element, and single-electron transistor pumps may soon be used to define fundamental quantities such as the farad (capacitance) and the ampere (current). Novel computer technology based on single-electron quantum dots is also being developed. In related work, our group played the leading role in the explanation of experimental results observed during the initial phases of tunneling experiments with the high-temperature superconductors. When so-called ''multiple-gap'' tunneling was reported, the phenomenon was correctly identified by our group as single-electron tunneling in small grains in the material. The main focus throughout this project has been to explore single electron phenomena both in traditional tunneling formats of the type metal/insulator/particles/insulator/metal and using scanning tunneling microscopy to probe few-particle systems. This has been done under varying conditions of temperature, applied magnetic field, and with different materials systems. These have included metals, semi-metals, and superconductors. Amongst a number of results, we have

Structure of single-chain single crystals of isotactic polystyrene and their radiation resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bu Haishan; Cao Jie; Xu Shengyong; Zhang Ze

1997-01-01

The structure of the single-chain single crystals of isotactic polystyrene (i-PS) was investigated by electron diffraction (ED) and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The nano-scale single-chain single crystals were found to be very stable to electron irradiation. According to the unit cell of i-PS crystals, the reflection rings in ED pattern and the lattice fringes in HREM images could be indexed, but the lower-index diffractions were not found. It is proposed that the single-chain single crystals are very small, thus secondary electrons may be allowed to escape and radiation damage is highly reduced, and that there are less lower-index lattice planes in the single-chain single crystals to provide sufficient diffraction intensity for recording. HREM images can be achieved at room temperature in the case of single-chain single crystals because of its stability to electron irradiation, therefore, this might be a novel experimental approach to the study of crystal structure of macromolecules

Development of single cell lithium ion battery model using Scilab/Xcos

Science.gov (United States)

Arianto, Sigit; Yunaningsih, Rietje Y.; Astuti, Edi Tri; Hafiz, Samsul

2016-02-01

In this research, a lithium battery model, as a component in a simulation environment, was developed and implemented using Scicos/Xcos graphical language programming. Scicos used in this research was actually Xcos that is a variant of Scicos which is embedded in Scilab. The equivalent circuit model used in modeling the battery was Double Polarization (DP) model. DP model consists of one open circuit voltage (VOC), one internal resistance (Ri), and two parallel RC circuits. The parameters of the battery were extracted using Hybrid Power Pulse Characterization (HPPC) testing. In this experiment, the Double Polarization (DP) electrical circuit model was used to describe the lithium battery dynamic behavior. The results of simulation of the model were validated with the experimental results. Using simple error analysis, it was found out that the biggest error was 0.275 Volt. It was occurred mostly at the low end of the state of charge (SOC).

Single ion implantation for single donor devices using Geiger mode detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bielejec, E; Seamons, J A; Carroll, M S

2010-01-01

Electronic devices that are designed to use the properties of single atoms such as donors or defects have become a reality with recent demonstrations of donor spectroscopy, single photon emission sources, and magnetic imaging using defect centers in diamond. Ion implantation, an industry standard for atom placement in materials, requires augmentation for single ion capability including a method for detecting a single ion arrival. Integrating single ion detection techniques with the single donor device construction region allows single ion arrival to be assured. Improving detector sensitivity is linked to improving control over the straggle of the ion as well as providing more flexibility in lay-out integration with the active region of the single donor device construction zone by allowing ion sensing at potentially greater distances. Using a remotely located passively gated single ion Geiger mode avalanche diode (SIGMA) detector we have demonstrated 100% detection efficiency at a distance of >75 μm from the center of the collecting junction. This detection efficiency is achieved with sensitivity to ∼600 or fewer electron-hole pairs produced by the implanted ion. Ion detectors with this sensitivity and integrated with a thin dielectric, for example a 5 nm gate oxide, using low energy Sb implantation would have an end of range straggle of -1 and 10 -4 for operation temperatures of ∼300 K and ∼77 K, respectively. Low temperature operation and reduced false, 'dark', counts are critical to achieving high confidence in single ion arrival. For the device performance in this work, the confidence is calculated as a probability of >98% for counting one and only one ion for a false count probability of 10 -4 at an average ion number per gated window of 0.015.

Single-Arc IMRT?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bortfeld, Thomas; Webb, Steve

2009-01-01

The idea of delivering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with a multileaf collimator in a continuous dynamic mode during a single rotation of the gantry has recently gained momentum both in research and industry. In this note we investigate the potential of this Single-Arc IMRT technique at a conceptual level. We consider the original theoretical example case from Brahme et al that got the field of IMRT started. Using analytical methods, we derive deliverable intensity 'landscapes' for Single-Arc as well as standard IMRT and Tomotherapy. We find that Tomotherapy provides the greatest flexibility in shaping intensity landscapes and that it allows one to deliver IMRT in a way that comes close to the ideal case in the transverse plane. Single-Arc and standard IMRT make compromises in different areas. Only in relatively simple cases that do not require substantial intensity modulation will Single-Arc be dosimetrically comparable to Tomotherapy. Compared with standard IMRT, Single-Arc could be dosimetrically superior in certain cases if one is willing to accept the spreading of low dose values over large volumes of normal tissue. In terms of treatment planning, Single-Arc poses a more challenging optimization problem than Tomotherapy or standard IMRT. We conclude that Single-Arc holds potential as an efficient IMRT technique especially for relatively simple cases. In very complex cases, Single-Arc may unduly compromise the quality of the dose distribution, if one tries to keep the treatment time below 2 min or so. As with all IMRT techniques, it is important to explore the tradeoff between plan quality and the efficiency of its delivery carefully for each individual case. (note)

Single-pulse and multi-pulse femtosecond laser damage of optical single films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Lei; Zhao Yuan'an; He Hongbo; Shao Jianda; Fan Zhengxiu

2006-01-01

Laser-induced damage of a single 500 nm HfO 2 film and a single 500 nm ZrO 2 film were studied with single- and multi-pulse femtosecond laser. The laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDT) of both samples by the 1-on-1 method and the 1000-on-1 method were reported. It was discovered that the LIDT of the HfO 2 single film was higher than that of the ZrO 2 single film by both test methods, which was explained by simple Keldysh's multiphoton ionization theory. The LIDT of multi-pulse was lower than that of single-pulse for both samples as a result of accumulative effect. (authors)

Single-Phase PLLs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Golestan, Saeed; Guerrero, Josep M.; Quintero, Juan Carlos Vasquez

2017-01-01

Single-phase phase-locked loops (PLLs) are popular for the synchronization and control of single-phase gridconnected converters. They are also widely used for monitoring and diagnostic purposes in the power and energy areas. In recent years, a large number of single-phase PLLs with different stru......-PLLs). The members of each category are then described and their pros and cons are discussed. This work provides a deep insight into characteristics of different single-phase PLLs and, therefore, can be considered as a reference for researchers and engineers....

Interaction entre la proteine ribosomique L20 et l'ARN 23S : sondage direct par piege optique

OpenAIRE

Mangeol , Pierre

2009-01-01

This thesis is focused on force measurements applied to single RNA alone or associated with a protein. One of the biggest challenges arising when studying RNA comes from its structure, essentially because the interactions taking place are not reduced to the Watson-Crick base pairs and tertiary interactions are frequent. Force measurements give complementary information compared to classical bulk measurements, because they enable to probe directly the complex interactions in RNA and give an ac...

Oral chlorhexidine and microbial contamination during endoscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Donatsky, Anders Meller; Holzknecht, Barbara Juliane; Arpi, Magnus

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: One of the biggest concerns associated with transgastric surgery is contamination and risk of intra-abdominal infection with microbes introduced from the access route. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral decontamination with chlorhexidine on microbial contamin......BACKGROUND: One of the biggest concerns associated with transgastric surgery is contamination and risk of intra-abdominal infection with microbes introduced from the access route. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral decontamination with chlorhexidine on microbial...... contamination of the endoscope. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, clinical trial the effect of chlorhexidine mouth rinse was evaluated. As a surrogate for the risk of intra-abdominal contamination during transgastric surgery, microbial contamination of the endoscope during upper endoscopy...... microbial contamination of the endoscope, but micro-organisms with abscess forming capabilities were still present. PPI treatment significantly increased CFU and should be discontinued before transgastric surgery....

Single Policy Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kronsell, Annica; Manners, Ian James

2015-01-01

Single policy studies are the most common form of European Union (EU) research. Single policy studies are widely used to understand the role of the EU in a wide variety of sectors, together with their development over time, and often offer public policy prescriptions. This chapter discusses...... the relevance of single policy studies in EU research and give examples of how such research can be designed and carried out. The chapter reviews three examples of single policy studies using different methods based on EU environmental policy, the EU biofuels directive, and the EU Common Security and Defence...... Policy (CSDP). The examples are illustrative of how single policy studies can be designed to use different approaches in the analysis: multiple streams approach to policy-making; a comparative hypothesis testing; and feminist institutional theory....

A Single Father's Shopping Bag: Purchasing Decisions in Single-Father Families

Science.gov (United States)

Ziol-Guest, Kathleen M.

2009-01-01

Using data from the 1980 to 2003 panels of the Consumer Expenditure Survey, this article examines purchasing decisions in father-headed single-parent families. Single-father expenditures are compared to both married-parent expenditures and single-mother expenditures on 17 broad categories of household-level goods and services. Multivariate…

Applying Legal Concepts to Business in a Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Course: The Build-a-Business Project

Science.gov (United States)

Grelecki, Ryan C.; Willey, Susan L.

2017-01-01

One of the most significant hurdles to overcome in teaching law to business students is getting them to recognize and appreciate the real-world applicability of the law, a seemingly esoteric and irrelevant discipline. This hurdle is especially challenging when teaching Legal and Ethical Environment of Business (LEEB), a course that most business…

Single-Sex Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Protheroe, Nancy

2009-01-01

Although single-sex education was once the norm in the U.S., the practice has largely been confined to private schools for more than a century. However, with the introduction of the final version of the U.S. Department of Education's so-called single-sex regulations in 2006, public schools were allowed greater flexibility to offer single-sex…

Single Cell Assay for Analyzing Single Cell Exosome and Endocrine Secretion and Cancer Markers

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Yu-Jui

To understand the inhomogeneity of cells in biological systems, there is a growing demand for the capability to characterize the properties of individual single cells. Since single cell studies require continuous monitoring of the cell behaviors instead of a snapshot test at a single time point, an effective single-cell assay that can support time lapsed studies in a high throughput manner is desired. Most currently available single-cell technologies cannot provide proper environments to sustain cell growth and cannot provide, for appropriate cell types, proliferation of single cells and convenient, non-invasive tests of single cell behaviors from molecular markers. In this dissertation, I present a highly versatile single-cell assay that can accommodate different cellular types, enable easy and efficient single cell loading and culturing, and be suitable for the study of effects of in-vitro environmental factors in combination with drug screening. The salient features of the assay are the non-invasive collection and surveying of single cell secretions at different time points and massively parallel translocation of single cells by user defined criteria, producing very high compatibility to the downstream process such as single cell qPCR and sequencing. Above all, the acquired information is quantitative -- for example, one of the studies is measured by the number of exosomes each single cell secretes for a given time period. Therefore, our single-cell assay provides a convenient, low-cost, and enabling tool for quantitative, time lapsed studies of single cell properties.

A multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal bromodiacetylene dimerization

Science.gov (United States)

Hoheisel, Tobias N.; Schrettl, Stephen; Marty, Roman; Todorova, Tanya K.; Corminboeuf, Clémence; Sienkiewicz, Andrzej; Scopelliti, Rosario; Schweizer, W. Bernd; Frauenrath, Holger

2013-04-01

Packing constraints and precise placement of functional groups are the reason that organic molecules in the crystalline state often display unusual physical or chemical properties not observed in solution. Here we report a single-crystal-to-single-crystal dimerization of a bromodiacetylene that involves unusually large atom displacements as well as the cleavage and formation of several bonds. Density functional theory computations support a mechanism in which the dimerization is initiated by a [2 + 1] photocycloaddition favoured by the nature of carbon-carbon short contacts in the crystal structure. The reaction proceeded up to the theoretical degree of conversion without loss of crystallinity, and it was also performed on a preparative scale with good yield. Moreover, it represents the first synthetic pathway to (E)-1,2-dibromo-1,2-diethynylethenes, which could serve as synthetic intermediates for the preparation of molecular carbon scaffolds. Our findings both extend the scope of single-crystal-to-single-crystal reactions and highlight their potential as a synthetic tool for complex transformations.

Research Opportunities in Space Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Stephen L.

2007-01-01

Rocket propulsion determines the primary characteristics of any space vehicle; how fast and far it can go, its lifetime, and its capabilities. It is the primary factor in safety and reliability and the biggest cost driver. The extremes of heat and pressure produced by propulsion systems push the limits of materials used for manufacturing. Space travel is very unforgiving with little room for errors, and so many things can go wrong with these very complex systems. So we have to plan for failure and that makes it costly. But what is more exciting than the roar of a rocket blasting into space? By its nature the propulsion world is conservative. The stakes are so high at every launch, in terms of payload value or in human life, that to introduce new components to a working, qualified system is extremely difficult and costly. Every launch counts and no risks are tolerated, which leads to the space world's version of Catch-22:"You can't fly till you flown." The last big 'game changer' in propulsion was the use of liquid hydrogen as a fuel. No new breakthrough, low cost access to space system will be developed without new efficient propulsion systems. Because there is no large commercial market driving investment in propulsion, what propulsion research is done is sponsored by government funding agencies. A further difficulty in propulsion technology development is that there are so few new systems flying. There is little opportunity to evolve propulsion technologies and to update existing systems with results coming out of research as there is in, for example, the auto industry. The biggest hurdle to space exploration is getting off the ground. The launch phase will consume most of the energy required for any foreseeable space exploration mission. The fundamental physical energy requirements of escaping earth's gravity make it difficult. It takes 60,000 kJ to put a kilogram into an escape orbit. The vast majority (-97%) of the energy produced by a launch vehicle is used

Tailoring single-photon and multiphoton probabilities of a single-photon on-demand source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migdall, A.L.; Branning, D.; Castelletto, S.

2002-01-01

As typically implemented, single-photon sources cannot be made to produce single photons with high probability, while simultaneously suppressing the probability of yielding two or more photons. Because of this, single-photon sources cannot really produce single photons on demand. We describe a multiplexed system that allows the probabilities of producing one and more photons to be adjusted independently, enabling a much better approximation of a source of single photons on demand

Fast recognition of single molecules based on single-event photon statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Shuangli; Huang Tao; Liu Yuan; Wang Jun; Zhang Guofeng; Xiao Liantuan; Jia Suotang

2007-01-01

Mandel's Q parameter, which is determined from single-event photon statistics, provides an alternative way to recognize single molecules with fluorescence detection, other than the second-order correlation function. It is shown that the Q parameter of an assumed ideal double-molecule fluorescence with the same average photon number as that of the sample fluorescence can act as the criterion for single-molecule recognition. The influence of signal-to-background ratio and the error estimates for photon statistics are also presented. We have applied this method to ascertain single Cy5 dye molecules within hundreds of milliseconds

A novel high-efficiency single-mode quantum dot single photon source

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerard, J.M.; Gregersen, Niels; Nielsen, Torben Roland

2008-01-01

We present a novel single-mode single photon source exploiting the emission of a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) located inside a photonic wire. Besides an excellent coupling (>95%) of QD spontaneous emission to the fundamental guided mode [1], we show that a single photon collection efficiency...... above 80% within a 0.5 numerical aperture can be achieved using a bottom Bragg mirror and a tapering of the nanowire tip. Because this photon collection strategy does not exploit the Purcell effect, it could also be efficiently applied to broadband single photon emitters such as F-centers in diamond....

Single-photon imaging

CERN Document Server

Seitz, Peter

2011-01-01

The acquisition and interpretation of images is a central capability in almost all scientific and technological domains. In particular, the acquisition of electromagnetic radiation, in the form of visible light, UV, infrared, X-ray, etc. is of enormous practical importance. The ultimate sensitivity in electronic imaging is the detection of individual photons. With this book, the first comprehensive review of all aspects of single-photon electronic imaging has been created. Topics include theoretical basics, semiconductor fabrication, single-photon detection principles, imager design and applications of different spectral domains. Today, the solid-state fabrication capabilities for several types of image sensors has advanced to a point, where uncoooled single-photon electronic imaging will soon become a consumer product. This book is giving a specialist´s view from different domains to the forthcoming “single-photon imaging” revolution. The various aspects of single-photon imaging are treated by internati...

Single-photon imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seitz, Peter; Theuwissen, Albert J.P.

2011-01-01

The acquisition and interpretation of images is a central capability in almost all scientific and technological domains. In particular, the acquisition of electromagnetic radiation, in the form of visible light, UV, infrared, X-ray, etc. is of enormous practical importance. The ultimate sensitivity in electronic imaging is the detection of individual photons. With this book, the first comprehensive review of all aspects of single-photon electronic imaging has been created. Topics include theoretical basics, semiconductor fabrication, single-photon detection principles, imager design and applications of different spectral domains. Today, the solid-state fabrication capabilities for several types of image sensors has advanced to a point, where uncooled single-photon electronic imaging will soon become a consumer product. This book is giving a specialist's view from different domains to the forthcoming ''single-photon imaging'' revolution. The various aspects of single-photon imaging are treated by internationally renowned, leading scientists and technologists who have all pioneered their respective fields. (orig.)

Single-photon sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lounis, Brahim; Orrit, Michel

2005-01-01

The concept of the photon, central to Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect, is exactly 100 years old. Yet, while photons have been detected individually for more than 50 years, devices producing individual photons on demand have only appeared in the last few years. New concepts for single-photon sources, or 'photon guns', have originated from recent progress in the optical detection, characterization and manipulation of single quantum objects. Single emitters usually deliver photons one at a time. This so-called antibunching of emitted photons can arise from various mechanisms, but ensures that the probability of obtaining two or more photons at the same time remains negligible. We briefly recall basic concepts in quantum optics and discuss potential applications of single-photon states to optical processing of quantum information: cryptography, computing and communication. A photon gun's properties are significantly improved by coupling it to a resonant cavity mode, either in the Purcell or strong-coupling regimes. We briefly recall early production of single photons with atomic beams, and the operation principles of macroscopic parametric sources, which are used in an overwhelming majority of quantum-optical experiments. We then review the photophysical and spectroscopic properties and compare the advantages and weaknesses of various single nanometre-scale objects used as single-photon sources: atoms or ions in the gas phase and, in condensed matter, organic molecules, defect centres, semiconductor nanocrystals and heterostructures. As new generations of sources are developed, coupling to cavities and nano-fabrication techniques lead to improved characteristics, delivery rates and spectral ranges. Judging from the brisk pace of recent progress, we expect single photons to soon proceed from demonstrations to applications and to bring with them the first practical uses of quantum information

Steam Reforming of Bio-oil Model Compounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trane, Rasmus; Jensen, Anker Degn; Dahl, Søren

The steam reforming of bio-oil is a sustainable and renewable route to synthesis gas and hydrogen, where one of the main hurdles is carbon formation on the catalyst.......The steam reforming of bio-oil is a sustainable and renewable route to synthesis gas and hydrogen, where one of the main hurdles is carbon formation on the catalyst....

Single banking supervision and the single supervisory mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe, C. A.

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A resolution seems to have been found for the banking crisis. The first steps have been made towards the construction of the Economic and Monetary Union, steps involving the single supervision of banks, in order to avoid the discount of a new financial crisis on the expense of the EU state members. The Single Supervisory Mechanism – SSM is to become effective as of March 1, 2014, at the earliest.

Work life and mental wellbeing of single and non-single working mothers in Scandinavia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bull, Torill; Mittelmark, Maurice B

2009-08-01

This study examined levels and predictors of mental wellbeing in Scandinavian working single and non-single mothers, with a special focus on financial stress, job characteristics and work-family conflict. The European Social Survey Round 2 (2005) provided questionnaire data from 73 single and 432 non-single working mothers in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Respondents answered questions about the outcome variables life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect, and predictor variables financial stress, job characteristics, work-family conflict, and social support. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the relationships between predictor variables and mental wellbeing outcomes. Single working mothers scored significantly lower on life satisfaction and happiness, but not on positive affect, than did non-single mothers. Financial stress was higher in the single mother group. There were no significant differences in levels of enriching or stressful job characteristics, or in levels of social support. While financial stress and work-family conflict were important predictors in both groups, the relationship between financial stress and wellbeing was far stronger in the single mother group. Confidant support was a significant predictor only in the single mother group, and social participation only in the non-single mothers group. This study suggests that the Scandinavian welfare democracies have not yet been successful in relieving the financial pressure experienced by single working mothers. Development of efficient financial support systems should be prioritized. Ways to reduce work-family conflict in both single and non-single mothers in Scandinavia should also be given increased attention.

Possibilities for reducing CO2 emissions by rational energy used as viewed by enterprises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preuss, H.J.

1993-01-01

From the view of the industry, energy conservation offers many options for CO 2 reduction. CO 2 reduction in electric power generation is particularly important. The global CO 2 problem cannot be solved by any single measure, but international efforts are required in all production and consumption sectors. Providing energy for the growing world population while at the same time reducing CO 2 is one of the biggest challenges ever faced by mankind. (orig./UA) [de

Mapping our underlying cognitions and emotions about good environmental behaviour : why we fail to act despite our best intentions

OpenAIRE

Power, Nicola; Beattie, Geoff; McGuire, Laura

2017-01-01

Despite the widespread recognition of climate change as the single biggest global threat, the willingness of people to change their behaviour to mitigate its effects is limited. Past research, often focussing on specific categories of behaviour, has highlighted a very significant gap between people’s intentions to behave more sustainably and their actual behaviour. This paper presents a new approach to this issue, by using more open-ended questions to map a much broader range of cognitions an...

Mental health: the new frontier for labour economics

OpenAIRE

Richard Layard

2013-01-01

This lecture argues that mental health is a major factor of production. It is the biggest single influence on life satisfaction, with mental health eight years earlier a more powerful explanatory factor than current income. Mental health also affects earnings and educational success. But, most strikingly, it affects employment and physical health. In advanced countries mental health problems are the main illness of working age - amounting to 40% of all illness under 65. They account for over ...

Corruption in India: Causes and Remedial Measures

OpenAIRE

Ghulam Nabi Naz

2017-01-01

After independence, the popular belief that Gandhian will not indulge in corruption got a setback, post-independence setup paved the way for heavy corruption. The menace which would have dealt with strong legal provisions has become a way of life of Indian society. Corruption is recognized as the single biggest problem facing the country today. It undermines democracy and rule of law, violates human rights, distorts market and corrodes the moral fibre of people. The paper discusses the causes...

The Einstein Genome Gateway using WASP - a high throughput multi-layered life sciences portal for XSEDE.

Science.gov (United States)

Golden, Aaron; McLellan, Andrew S; Dubin, Robert A; Jing, Qiang; O Broin, Pilib; Moskowitz, David; Zhang, Zhengdong; Suzuki, Masako; Hargitai, Joseph; Calder, R Brent; Greally, John M

2012-01-01

Massively-parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies and their diverse applications in genomics and epigenomics research have yielded enormous new insights into the physiology and pathophysiology of the human genome. The biggest hurdle remains the magnitude and diversity of the datasets generated, compromising our ability to manage, organize, process and ultimately analyse data. The Wiki-based Automated Sequence Processor (WASP), developed at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (hereafter Einstein), uniquely manages to tightly couple the sequencing platform, the sequencing assay, sample metadata and the automated workflows deployed on a heterogeneous high performance computing cluster infrastructure that yield sequenced, quality-controlled and 'mapped' sequence data, all within the one operating environment accessible by a web-based GUI interface. WASP at Einstein processes 4-6 TB of data per week and since its production cycle commenced it has processed ~ 1 PB of data overall and has revolutionized user interactivity with these new genomic technologies, who remain blissfully unaware of the data storage, management and most importantly processing services they request. The abstraction of such computational complexity for the user in effect makes WASP an ideal middleware solution, and an appropriate basis for the development of a grid-enabled resource - the Einstein Genome Gateway - as part of the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) program. In this paper we discuss the existing WASP system, its proposed middleware role, and its planned interaction with XSEDE to form the Einstein Genome Gateway.

Coherent single-photon absorption by single emitters coupled to one-dimensional nanophotonic waveguides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen Yuntian; Wubs, Martijn; Moerk, Jesper [DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Oersteds Plads, DK-2800 Kgs Lyngby (Denmark); Koenderink, A Femius, E-mail: yche@fotonik.dtu.dk [Center for Nanophotonics, FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF), Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2011-10-15

We study the dynamics of single-photon absorption by a single emitter coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide that simultaneously provides channels for spontaneous emission (SE) decay and a channel for the input photon. We have developed a time-dependent theory that allows us to specify any input single-photon wavepacket guided by the waveguide as the initial condition, and calculate the excitation probability of the emitter, as well as the time evolution of the transmitted and reflected fields. For single-photon wavepackets with a Gaussian spectrum and temporal shape, we obtain analytical solutions for the dynamics of absorption, with maximum atomic excitation {approx}40%. We furthermore propose a terminated waveguide to aid the single-photon absorption. We found that for an emitter placed at an optimal distance from the termination, the maximum atomic excitation due to an incident single-photon wavepacket can exceed 70%. This high value is a direct consequence of the high SE {beta}-factor for emission into the waveguide. Finally, we have also explored whether waveguide dispersion could aid single-photon absorption by pulse shaping. For a Gaussian input wavepacket, we found that the absorption efficiency can be improved by a further 4% by engineering the dispersion. Efficient single-photon absorption by a single emitter has potential applications in quantum communication and quantum computation. (paper)

Single-Mode VCSELs

Science.gov (United States)

Larsson, Anders; Gustavsson, Johan S.

The only active transverse mode in a truly single-mode VCSEL is the fundamental mode with a near Gaussian field distribution. A single-mode VCSEL produces a light beam of higher spectral purity, higher degree of coherence and lower divergence than a multimode VCSEL and the beam can be more precisely shaped and focused to a smaller spot. Such beam properties are required in many applications. In this chapter, after discussing applications of single-mode VCSELs, we introduce the basics of fields and modes in VCSELs and review designs implemented for single-mode emission from VCSELs in different materials and at different wavelengths. This includes VCSELs that are inherently single-mode as well as inherently multimode VCSELs where higher-order modes are suppressed by mode selective gain or loss. In each case we present the current state-of-the-art and discuss pros and cons. At the end, a specific example with experimental results is provided and, as a summary, the most promising designs based on current technologies are identified.

Robotic-assisted single-port donor nephrectomy using the da Vinci single-site platform.

Science.gov (United States)

LaMattina, John C; Alvarez-Casas, Josue; Lu, Irene; Powell, Jessica M; Sultan, Samuel; Phelan, Michael W; Barth, Rolf N

2018-02-01

Although single-port donor nephrectomy offers improved cosmetic outcomes, technical challenges have limited its application to selected centers. Our center has performed over 400 single-port donor nephrectomies. The da Vinci single-site robotic platform was utilized in an effort to overcome the steric, visualization, ergonomic, and other technical limitations associated with the single-port approach. Food and Drug Administration device exemption was obtained. Selection criteria for kidney donation included body mass index da Vinci single-site platform. Our experience supported the safety of this approach but found that the technology added cost and complexity without tangible benefit. Development of articulating instruments, energy, and stapling devices will be necessary for increased application of robotic single-site surgery for donor nephrectomy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control of Single-Stage Single-Phase PV inverter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ciobotaru, Mihai; Teodorescu, Remus; Blaabjerg, Frede

2005-01-01

In this paper the issue of control strategies for single-stage photovoltaic (PV) inverter is addressed. Two different current controllers have been implemented and an experimental comparison between them has been made. A complete control structure for the single-phase PV system is also presented......-forward; - and the grid current controller implemented in two different ways, using the classical proportional integral (PI) and the novel proportional resonant (PR) controllers. The control strategy was tested experimentally on 1.5 kW PV inverter....

Superconducting Single Photon Detectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dorenbos, S.N.

2011-01-01

This thesis is about the development of a detector for single photons, particles of light. New techniques are being developed that require high performance single photon detection, such as quantum cryptography, single molecule detection, optical radar, ballistic imaging, circuit testing and

Coherent single-photon absorption by single emitters coupled to 1D nanophotonic waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Yuntian; Wubs, Martijn; Mørk, Jesper

2012-01-01

We have derived an efficient model that allows calculating the dynamical single-photon absorption of an emitter coupled to a waveguide. We suggest a novel and simple structure that leads to strong single-photon absorption.......We have derived an efficient model that allows calculating the dynamical single-photon absorption of an emitter coupled to a waveguide. We suggest a novel and simple structure that leads to strong single-photon absorption....

Hurdle technology to preserve the 'Golden' papaya post harvest quality;Metodos combinados para preservar a qualidade pos-colheita do mamao 'Golden' tipo exportacao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molinari, Andrea Cristina Fialho, E-mail: molinari_af@yahoo.co

2007-07-01

significant differences among papayas submitted to different treatments. A synergism was verified on the techniques combination, with the best results obtained from the association of CP + PEabs + gamma-irradiation at 0.4 kGy, which reached a total storage period of 35 days. Thus, that is the post harvest hurdle technology recommend for exporting 'Golden' papayas to markets with quarantine restrictions to fruit-flies (author)

Single-base resolution and long-coverage sequencing based on single-molecule nanomanipulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Hongjie; Huang Jiehuan; Lue Ming; Li Xueling; Lue Junhong; Li Haikuo; Zhang Yi; Li Minqian; Hu Jun

2007-01-01

We show new approaches towards a novel single-molecule sequencing strategy which consists of high-resolution positioning isolation of overlapping DNA fragments with atomic force microscopy (AFM), subsequent single-molecule PCR amplification and conventional Sanger sequencing. In this study, a DNA labelling technique was used to guarantee the accuracy in positioning the target DNA. Single-molecule multiplex PCR was carried out to test the contamination. The results showed that the two overlapping DNA fragments isolated by AFM could be successfully sequenced with high quality and perfect contiguity, indicating that single-base resolution and long-coverage sequencing have been achieved simultaneously

Single neuron computation

CERN Document Server

McKenna, Thomas M; Zornetzer, Steven F

1992-01-01

This book contains twenty-two original contributions that provide a comprehensive overview of computational approaches to understanding a single neuron structure. The focus on cellular-level processes is twofold. From a computational neuroscience perspective, a thorough understanding of the information processing performed by single neurons leads to an understanding of circuit- and systems-level activity. From the standpoint of artificial neural networks (ANNs), a single real neuron is as complex an operational unit as an entire ANN, and formalizing the complex computations performed by real n

Single particle tracking and single molecule energy transfer

CERN Document Server

Bräuchle, Christoph; Michaelis, Jens

2009-01-01

Closing a gap in the literature, this handbook gathers all the information on single particle tracking and single molecule energy transfer. It covers all aspects of this hot and modern topic, from detecting virus entry to membrane diffusion, and from protein folding using spFRET to coupled dye systems, as well recent achievements in the field. Throughout, the first-class editors and top international authors present content of the highest quality, making this a must-have for physical chemists, spectroscopists, molecular physicists and biochemists.

Aplicação de revestimento comestível em abacaxis processados por métodos combinados: isoterma de sorção e cinética de desidratação osmótica Application of edible coatings in processed pineapples products by hurdle technology: desorption isotherms and kinetics of the osmotic dehydration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Paula Herrera Brandelero

2005-06-01

Full Text Available A desidratação osmótica é uma etapa essencial na elaboração de produtos de fruta através da Tecnologia dos Métodos Combinados ou de Obstáculos ("Hurdle Technology", pois reduz a atividade de água para níveis que, combinando um ou mais obstáculos, aumentam a estabilidade do produto. Neste processo há uma perda de água da fruta para a solução e incorporação de sólidos solúveis pelo produto. Este último fluxo é considerado uma desvantagem do processo pois pode alterar o sabor do produto. Neste trabalho estudou-se a ação de revestimentos comestíveis a base de alginato e gelatina aplicados em abacaxis, previamente à desidratação osmótica, como barreira à incorporação de sólidos solúveis. Os abacaxis com e sem revestimento (controle foram desidratados em solução de sacarose sob condições isotérmicas. Foram determinadas as isotermas de dessorção de abacaxis revestidos com gelatina, alginato e sem revestimento e os parâmetros cinéticos do processo de desidratação osmótica. Abacaxis revestidos com alginato apresentaram menor velocidade de ganho de sólidos, sem alterar a velocidade de perda de água, quando comparado ao controle.The osmotic dehydration is an essential stage to manufacture fruit products by Hurdle Technology because it reduces the water activity to levels that, combined with one or more obstacles, increase the stability of the product. This process causes a loss of water from the fruit to solution and soluble solid incorporation by the product. This last flow is considered a disadvantage of the process because it can modify the product flavor. In this work, the action of alginate and gelatin edible coatings as a barrier to soluble solid incorporation during osmotic dehydration was studied. Pineapples with and without coating (control were dehydrated in sucrose solution under isothermal conditions. The desorption isotherms of pineapples coated with gelatin, sodium alginate and without coating

Single photon ECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Toshio; Matsuda, Hiroshi; Tada, Akira; Bunko, Hisashi; Koizumi, Kiyoshi

1982-01-01

The detectability of lesions located deep in a body or overlapped with a physiologically increased activity improve with the help of single photon ECT. In some cases, the ECT is superior to the conventional gamma camera images and X-ray CT scans in the evaluation of the location and size of lesion. The single photon ECT of the brain compares favorably with the contrast enhansed X-ray CT scans. The most important adaptation of the single photon ECT are the detection of recurrent brain tumors after craniotomy and the evaluation of ischemic heart diseases. (author)

Single-sided NMR

CERN Document Server

Casanova, Federico; Blümich, Bernhard

2011-01-01

Single-Sided NMR describes the design of the first functioning single-sided tomograph, the related measurement methods, and a number of applications. One of the key advantages to this method is the speed at which the images are obtained.

Single molecules and nanotechnology

CERN Document Server

Vogel, Horst

2007-01-01

This book focuses on recent advances in the rapidly evolving field of single molecule research. These advances are of importance for the investigation of biopolymers and cellular biochemical reactions, and are essential to the development of quantitative biology. Written by leading experts in the field, the articles cover a broad range of topics, including: quantum photonics of organic dyes and inorganic nanoparticles their use in detecting properties of single molecules the monitoring of single molecule (enzymatic) reactions single protein (un)folding in nanometer-sized confined volumes the dynamics of molecular interactions in biological cells The book is written for advanced students and scientists who wish to survey the concepts, techniques and results of single molecule research and assess them for their own scientific activities.

Pervasive within-Mitochondrion Single-Nucleotide Variant Heteroplasmy as Revealed by Single-Mitochondrion Sequencing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacqueline Morris

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: A number of mitochondrial diseases arise from single-nucleotide variant (SNV accumulation in multiple mitochondria. Here, we present a method for identification of variants present at the single-mitochondrion level in individual mouse and human neuronal cells, allowing for extremely high-resolution study of mitochondrial mutation dynamics. We identified extensive heteroplasmy between individual mitochondrion, along with three high-confidence variants in mouse and one in human that were present in multiple mitochondria across cells. The pattern of variation revealed by single-mitochondrion data shows surprisingly pervasive levels of heteroplasmy in inbred mice. Distribution of SNV loci suggests inheritance of variants across generations, resulting in Poisson jackpot lines with large SNV load. Comparison of human and mouse variants suggests that the two species might employ distinct modes of somatic segregation. Single-mitochondrion resolution revealed mitochondria mutational dynamics that we hypothesize to affect risk probabilities for mutations reaching disease thresholds. : Morris et al. use independent sequencing of multiple individual mitochondria from mouse and human brain cells to show high pervasiveness of mutations. The mutations are heteroplasmic within single mitochondria and within and between cells. These findings suggest mechanisms by which mutations accumulate over time, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and disease. Keywords: single mitochondrion, single cell, human neuron, mouse neuron, single-nucleotide variation

Single photon emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buvat, Irene

2011-09-01

The objective of this lecture is to present the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging technique. Content: 1 - Introduction: anatomic, functional and molecular imaging; Principle and role of functional or molecular imaging; 2 - Radiotracers: chemical and physical constraints, main emitters, radioisotopes production, emitters type and imaging techniques; 3 - Single photon emission computed tomography: gamma cameras and their components, gamma camera specifications, planar single photon imaging characteristics, gamma camera and tomography; 4 - Quantification in single photon emission tomography: attenuation, scattering, un-stationary spatial resolution, partial volume effect, movements, others; 5 - Synthesis and conclusion

Single ventricle cardiac defect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eren, B.; Turkmen, N.; Fedakar, R.; Cetin, V.

2010-01-01

Single ventricle heart is defined as a rare cardiac abnormality with a single ventricle chamber involving diverse functional and physiological defects. Our case is of a ten month-old baby boy who died shortly after admission to the hospital due to vomiting and diarrhoea. Autopsy findings revealed cyanosis of finger nails and ears. Internal examination revealed; large heart, weighing 60 grams, single ventricle, without a septum and upper membranous part. Single ventricle is a rare pathology, hence, this paper aims to discuss this case from a medico-legal point of view. (author)

Burial of Undersea Pipes and Cables State-of-the Art Assessment,

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

rippable rocks." The biggest rippers can penetrate to a depth of over 6 ft, but working to this kind of depth in a single...34-’ " ....... ......................... •". . "-.’...........".-’-.. ... .--. ’’""’"..- % . . . ... ,.. types of rippers and tractors classify various rock types as " rippable ," "marginal," or "non- rippable " depending on seismic...highest velocity for consistently rippable conditions, and in some types of rock the same limit would occur at less

Detection of small size hepatic hemangioma with SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mana, O.; Zatta, G.; Boccolari, S.; Gallazzi, M.; Tarolo, G.L.; Pisani, A.

1985-01-01

A case of a patient with hepatic hemangioma was studied by non-invasive methods. Ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) studies were able to detect some lesions, but not ascertain the diagnosis. Planar scintigraphy both with 99m Tc-sulfur colloid and with in vivo labelled RBC's did not show the lesions, while single-photon emission tomography (blood pool and sulfur colloid) pointed out their presence and allowed to achieve a correct diagnosis for the biggest lesion (2.5 cm in diameter)

Self-templated synthesis of single-crystal and single-domain ferroelectric nanoplates

KAUST Repository

Chao, Chunying; Ren, Zhaohui; Zhu, Yihan; Xiao, Zhen; Liu, Zhenya; Xú , Gang; Mai, Jiangquan; Li, Xiang; Shen, Ge; Han, Gaorong

2012-01-01

Free-standing single-crystal PbTiO 3 nanoplates (see picture) were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. A "self-templated" crystal growth is presumed to lead to the formation of the PbTiO 3 nanoplates, which have ferroelectric single

Antimicrobial effect and shelf-life extension by combined thermal and pulsed electric field treatment of milk.

Science.gov (United States)

Walkling-Ribeiro, M; Noci, F; Cronin, D A; Lyng, J G; Morgan, D J

2009-01-01

The impact of a combined hurdle treatment of heat and pulsed electric fields (PEF) was studied on native microbiota used for the inoculation of low-fat ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk and whole raw milk. Microbiological shelf-life of the latter following hurdle treatment or thermal pasteurization was also investigated. UHT milk was preheated to 30 degrees C, 40 degrees C or 50 degrees C over a 60-s period, pulsed for 50 micros or 60 micros at a field strength of 40 kV cm(-1) or for 33 micros at 50 kV cm(-1). Heat and PEF reduced the microbial count by a maximum of 6.4 log in UHT milk (50 degrees C; 50 kV cm(-1), 33 micros) compared to 6.0 log (P > or = 0.05) obtained by thermal pasteurization (26 s, 72 degrees C). When raw milk was treated with a combination of hurdles (50 degrees C; 40 kV cm(-1), 60 micros) a 6.0 log inactivation of microbiota was achieved and microbiological milk shelf-life was extended to 21 days under refrigeration (4 degrees C) vs 14 days in thermally pasteurized milk. Native microbiota was decreased by 6.7 log following conventional pasteurization. The findings suggest that heat and PEF achieved similar inactivation of native microbiota in milk and longer stabilization of microbiological shelf-life than thermal pasteurization. A hurdle approach of heat and PEF could represent a valid milk processing alternative to conventional pasteurization. Hurdle treatment might also preserve native milk quality better due to less thermal exposure.

Smashing physics. Inside the world's biggest experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butterworth, Jon

2015-01-01

The discovery of the Higgs boson made headlines around the world. Two scientists, Peter Higgs and Francois Englert, whose theories predicted its existence, shared a Nobel Prize. The discovery was the culmination of the largest experiment ever run, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. But what really is a Higgs boson and what does it do? How was it found? And how has its discovery changed our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature? And what did it feel like to be part of it? Jon Butterworth is one of the leading physicists at CERN and this book is the first popular inside account of the hunt for the Higgs. It is a story of incredible scientific collaboration, inspiring technological innovation and ground-breaking science. It is also the story of what happens when the world's most expensive experiment blows up, of neutrinos that may or may not travel faster than light, and the reality of life in an underground bunker in Switzerland. This book will also leave you with a working knowledge of the new physics and what the discovery of the Higgs particle means for how we define the laws of nature. It will take you to the cutting edge of modern scientific thinking.

Single frequency intracavity SRO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abitan, Haim; Buchhave, Preben

2000-01-01

Summary form only given. A single resonance optical parametric oscillator (SRO) is inserted intracavity to a CW high power, single frequency, and ring Nd:YVO4 laser. We obtain a stable single frequency CW SRO with output at 1.7-1.9 μm (idler) and a resonating signal at 2.3-2.6 μm. The behavior...

Single-tier city logistics model for single product

Science.gov (United States)

Saragih, N. I.; Nur Bahagia, S.; Suprayogi; Syabri, I.

2017-11-01

This research develops single-tier city logistics model which consists of suppliers, UCCs, and retailers. The problem that will be answered in this research is how to determine the location of UCCs, to allocate retailers to opened UCCs, to assign suppliers to opened UCCs, to control inventory in the three entities involved, and to determine the route of the vehicles from opened UCCs to retailers. This model has never been developed before. All the decisions will be simultaneously optimized. Characteristic of the demand is probabilistic following a normal distribution, and the number of product is single.

Possible consequences of changing to a more environmental-friendly steel production in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolstad, Julie Riise

2005-01-01

China is the world's biggest steel producer, the world's biggest steel consumer and the world's biggest polluter. The superpower is forced to change its steel production in a more environmental-friendly way, but necessary measures will be expensive; moreover, they will have consequences far past China's borders. The possible effects are elaborated in the article (ml)

Reviews Book: Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air Equipment: Doppler Effect Unit Book: The Physics of Rugby Book: Plastic Fantastic: How the Biggest Fraud in Physics Shook the Scientific World Equipment: Brunel Eyecam Equipment: 200x Digital Microscope Book: The Atom and the Apple: Twelve Tales from Contemporary Physics Book: Physics 2 for OCR Web Watch

Science.gov (United States)

2009-09-01

WE RECOMMEND Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air This excellent book makes sense of energy facts and figures Doppler Effect Unit Another simple, effective piece of kit from SEP Plastic Fantastic: How the Biggest Fraud in Physics Shook the Scientific World Intriguing and unique write-up of an intellectual fraud case Brunel Eyecam An affordable digital eyepiece for your microscope 200x Digital Microscope An adjustable digital flexcam for classroom use The Atom and the Apple: Twelve Tales from Contemporary Physics A fascinating round-up of the recent history of physics WORTH A LOOK The Physics of Rugby Book uses sport analogy and context to teach physics concepts Physics 2 for OCR Essential textbook for the course but otherwise pointless WEB WATCH Some free teaching materials are better than those you'd pay for

Robotic single-access splenectomy using the Da Vinci Single-Site® platform: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Corcione, Francesco; Bracale, Umberto; Pirozzi, Felice; Cuccurullo, Diego; Angelini, Pier Luigi

2014-03-01

Single-access laparoscopic splenectomy can offer patients some advantages. It has many difficulties, such as instrument clashing, lack of triangulation, odd angles and lack of space. The Da Vinci Single-Site® robotic surgery platform could decrease these difficulties. We present a case of single-access robotic splenectomy using this device. A 37 year-old female with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura was operated on with a single-site approach, using the Da Vinci Single-Site robotic surgery device. The procedure was successfully completed in 140 min. No intraoperative and postoperative complications occurred. The patient was discharged from hospital on day 3. Single-access robotic splenectomy seems to be feasible and safe using the new robotic single-access platform, which seems to overcome certain limits of previous robotic or conventional single-access laparoscopy. We think that additional studies should also be performed to explore the real cost-effectiveness of the platform. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Single gaze gestures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møllenbach, Emilie; Lilholm, Martin; Gail, Alastair

2010-01-01

This paper examines gaze gestures and their applicability as a generic selection method for gaze-only controlled interfaces. The method explored here is the Single Gaze Gesture (SGG), i.e. gestures consisting of a single point-to-point eye movement. Horizontal and vertical, long and short SGGs were...

Single Cell Oncogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xin

It is believed that cancer originates from a single cell that has gone through generations of evolution of genetic and epigenetic changes that associate with the hallmarks of cancer. In some cancers such as various types of leukemia, cancer is clonal. Yet in other cancers like glioblastoma (GBM), there is tremendous tumor heterogeneity that is likely to be caused by simultaneous evolution of multiple subclones within the same tissue. It is obvious that understanding how a single cell develops into a clonal tumor upon genetic alterations, at molecular and cellular levels, holds the key to the real appreciation of tumor etiology and ultimate solution for therapeutics. Surprisingly very little is known about the process of spontaneous tumorigenesis from single cells in human or vertebrate animal models. The main reason is the lack of technology to track the natural process of single cell changes from a homeostatic state to a progressively cancerous state. Recently, we developed a patented compound, photoactivatable (''caged'') tamoxifen analogue 4-OHC and associated technique called optochemogenetic switch (OCG switch), which we believe opens the opportunity to address this urgent biological as well as clinical question about cancer. We propose to combine OCG switch with genetically engineered mouse models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and high grade astrocytoma (including GBM) to study how single cells, when transformed through acute loss of tumor suppressor genes PTEN and TP53 and gain of oncogenic KRAS, can develop into tumor colonies with cellular and molecular heterogeneity in these tissues. The abstract is for my invited talk in session ``Beyond Darwin: Evolution in Single Cells'' 3/18/2016 11:15 AM.

Hurdles at work: perceptions of hospital food handlers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertin, Cilce Helena Figueiredo Preza; Rezende, Magda Andrade; Sigulem, Dirce Maria; Morais, Tania Beninga

2009-07-24

Food handlers have a very important role in preventing food contamination during its preparation and distribution. This responsibility is even greater in hospitals, since a large number of patients have low immunity and consequently food contamination by pathogenic bacteria could be particularly harmful. Therefore, a good working environment and periodic training should be provided to food handlers by upper management. This study is qualitative research by means of focus group and thematic content analysis methodologies to examine, in detail, the statements by food handlers working in the milk and specific-diet kitchens in a hospital to understand the problems they face in the workplace. We found that food handlers are aware of the role they play in restoring patients' health; they consider it important to offer a good-quality diet. However, according to their perceptions, a number of difficulties prevent them from reaching this aim. These include: upper management not prioritizing human and material resources to the dietetic services when making resource allocation decisions; a perception that upper management considers their work to be of lesser importance; delayed overtime payments; lack of periodic training; managers lacking administrative skills; insufficient dietitian staff assistants, leading to overwork, at the same time as there is an excess of dietitians; unhealthy environmental working conditions--high temperature, high humidity, loud and constant noise level, poor ventilation; lack of food, and kitchen utensils and equipment; and relationship conflicts with chief dieticians and co-workers. From these findings, improvement in staff motivation could be achieved by considering non-financial incentives, such as improvement in working conditions and showing appreciation and respect through supervision, training and performance appraisal. Management action, such as investments in intermediary management so that managers have the capacity to provide supportive supervision, as well as better use of performance appraisal and access to training, may help overcome the identified problems.

AFRICOM: An Effective Organization or a Military Hurdle?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

different departments work in cooperation. Organization differentiation is “the differences in cognitive and emotional orientations among managers in...such as reproduction at young ages (age at marriages is early); lack of birth control or limited use of contraceptives ; high demand for children due

Overcoming Hurdles: Teaching Guides To Interpret Biodiversity Conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, Jon; Brown, Cynthia; Humke, Matt

2001-01-01

Highlights the development and use of bilingual nature guide training. Examines work at the RARE Center for tropical conservation in Central America. Speculates about the future of conservation interpretation. (DDR)

Jumping Hurdles: Peptides Able To Overcome Biological Barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Navarro, Macarena; Teixidó, Meritxell; Giralt, Ernest

2017-08-15

The cell membrane, the gastrointestinal tract, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are good examples of biological barriers that define and protect cells and organs. They impose different levels of restriction, but they also share common features. For instance, they all display a high lipophilic character. For this reason, hydrophilic compounds, like peptides, proteins, or nucleic acids have long been considered as unable to bypass them. However, the discovery of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) opened a vast field of research. Nowadays, CPPs, homing peptides, and blood-brain barrier peptide shuttles (BBB-shuttles) are good examples of peptides able to target and to cross various biological barriers. CPPs are a group of peptides able to interact with the plasma membrane and enter the cell. They display some common characteristics like positively charged residues, mainly arginines, and amphipathicity. In this field, our group has been focused on the development of proline rich CPPs and in the analysis of the importance of secondary amphipathicity in the internalization process. Proline has a privileged structure being the only amino acid with a secondary amine and a cyclic side chain. These features constrain its structure and hamper the formation of H-bonds. Taking advantage of this privileged structure, three different families of proline-rich peptides have been developed, namely, a proline-rich dendrimer, the sweet arrow peptide (SAP), and a group of foldamers based on γ-peptides. The structure and the mechanism of internalization of all of them has been evaluated and analyzed. BBB-shuttles are peptides able to cross the BBB and to carry with them compounds that cannot reach the brain parenchyma unaided. These peptides take advantage of the natural transport mechanisms present at the BBB, which are divided in active and passive transport mechanisms. On the one hand, we have developed BBB-shuttles that cross the BBB by a passive transport mechanism, like diketoperazines (DKPs), (N-MePhe) n , or (PhPro) n . On the other hand, we have investigated BBB-shuttles that utilize active transport mechanisms such as SGV, THRre, or MiniAp-4. For the development of both groups, we have explored several approaches, such as the use of peptide libraries, both chemical and phage display, or hit-to-lead optimization processes. In this Account, we describe, in chronologic order, our contribution to the development of peptides able to overcome various biological barriers and our efforts to understand the mechanisms that they display. In addition, the potential use of both CPPs and BBB-shuttles to improve the transport of promising therapeutic compounds is described.

Hurdles at work: perceptions of hospital food handlers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sigulem Dirce

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Food handlers have a very important role in preventing food contamination during its preparation and distribution. This responsibility is even greater in hospitals, since a large number of patients have low immunity and consequently food contamination by pathogenic bacteria could be particularly harmful. Therefore, a good working environment and periodic training should be provided to food handlers by upper management. Methods This study is qualitative research by means of focus group and thematic content analysis methodologies to examine, in detail, the statements by food handlers working in the milk and specific-diet kitchens in a hospital to understand the problems they face in the workplace. Results We found that food handlers are aware of the role they play in restoring patients' health; they consider it important to offer a good-quality diet. However, according to their perceptions, a number of difficulties prevent them from reaching this aim. These include: upper management not prioritizing human and material resources to the dietetic services when making resource allocation decisions; a perception that upper management considers their work to be of lesser importance; delayed overtime payments; lack of periodic training; managers lacking administrative skills; insufficient dietitian staff assistants, leading to overwork, at the same time as there is an excess of dietitians; unhealthy environmental working conditions – high temperature, high humidity, loud and constant noise level, poor ventilation; lack of food, and kitchen utensils and equipment; and relationship conflicts with chief dieticians and co-workers. Conclusion From these findings, improvement in staff motivation could be achieved by considering non-financial incentives, such as improvement in working conditions and showing appreciation and respect through supervision, training and performance appraisal. Management action, such as investments in intermediary management so that managers have the capacity to provide supportive supervision, as well as better use of performance appraisal and access to training, may help overcome the identified problems.

Minimally invasive spine surgery: Hurdles to be crossed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahesh Bijjawara

2014-01-01

Full Text Available MISS as a concept is noble and all surgeons need to address and minimize the surgical morbidity for better results. However, we need to be cautions and not fall prey into accepting that minimally invasive spine surgery can be done only when certain metal access systems are used. Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS has come a long way since the description of endoscopic discectomy in 1997 and minimally invasive TLIF (mTLIF in 2003. Today there is credible evidence (though not level-I that MISS has comparable results to open spine surgery with the advantage of early postoperative recovery and decreased blood loss and infection rates. However, apart from decreasing the muscle trauma and decreasing the muscle dissection during multilevel open spinal instrumentation, there has been little contribution to address the other morbidity parameters like operative time , blood loss , access to decompression and atraumatic neural tissue handling with the existing MISS technologies. Since all these parameters contribute to a greater degree than posterior muscle trauma for the overall surgical morbidity, we as surgeons need to introspect before we accept the concept of minimally invasive spine surgery being reduced to surgeries performed with a few tubular retractors. A spine surgeon needs to constantly improve his skills and techniques so that he can minimize blood loss, minimize traumatic neural tissue handling and minimizing operative time without compromising on the surgical goals. These measures actually contribute far more, to decrease the morbidity than approach related muscle damage alone. Minimally invasine spine surgery , though has come a long way, needs to provide technical solutions to minimize all the morbidity parameters involved in spine surgery, before it can replace most of the open spine surgeries, as in the case of laparoscopic surgery or arthroscopic surgery.

Identification of Lean Implementation Hurdles in Indian Industries

OpenAIRE

Bhim Singh

2016-01-01

Due to increased pressure from global competitors, manufacturing organizations are switching over to lean philosophies from traditional mass production. Lean manufacturing is a manufacturing philosophy which focuses on elimination of various types of wastes and creates maximum value for the end customers. Lean thinking aims to produce high quality products and services at the lowest possible cost with maximum customer responsiveness. Indian Industry is facing lot of problems in this transform...

Hurdles to regulatory reform: a former regulator's view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowden, M.A.

1978-01-01

The present paper reviews the numerous obstacles which should be overcome by reforming the regulations on nuclear installations; dual responsibilities of Federal and State Agencies, duplication of tasks entrusted to different Federal Agencies such as EPA and NRC. The sensitivity of public opinion towards nuclear decisions and political interferences are the source of other difficulties. The new Non-proliferation Act and the Licensing Reform Bill are analysed in the light of these considerations. In conclusion, the importance of the recent Supreme Court decision in the Vermont Yankee and Midland cases is emphasized in this context. (NEA) [fr

Single Audit: Single Audit Act Effectiveness Issues

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Thompson, Sally

2002-01-01

As discussed in the report we are releasing today, our work to review agency actions to ensure that recipients take timely and appropriate corrective actions to fix audit findings contained in single...

Single Nanoparticle Plasmonic Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manish Sriram

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The adoption of plasmonic nanomaterials in optical sensors, coupled with the advances in detection techniques, has opened the way for biosensing with single plasmonic particles. Single nanoparticle sensors offer the potential to analyse biochemical interactions at a single-molecule level, thereby allowing us to capture even more information than ensemble measurements. We introduce the concepts behind single nanoparticle sensing and how the localised surface plasmon resonances of these nanoparticles are dependent upon their materials, shape and size. Then we outline the different synthetic approaches, like citrate reduction, seed-mediated and seedless growth, that enable the synthesis of gold and silver nanospheres, nanorods, nanostars, nanoprisms and other nanostructures with tunable sizes. Further, we go into the aspects related to purification and functionalisation of nanoparticles, prior to the fabrication of sensing surfaces. Finally, the recent developments in single nanoparticle detection, spectroscopy and sensing applications are discussed.

The microstructure matters: breaking down the barriers with single crystalline silicon as negative electrode in Li-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Sternad, M.; Forster, M.; Wilkening, M.

2016-01-01

Silicon-based microelectronics forms a major foundation of our modern society. Small lithium-ion batteries act as the key enablers of its success and have revolutionised portable electronics used in our all everyday’s life. While large-scale LIBs are expected to help establish electric vehicles, on the other end of device size chip-integrated Si-based μ-batteries may revolutionise microelectronics once more. In general, Si is regarded as one of the white hopes since it offers energy densities being ten times higher than conventional anode materials. The use of monocrystalline, wafer-grade Si, however, requires several hurdles to be overcome since it its volume largely expands during lithiation. Here, we will show how 3D patterned Si wafers, prepared by the sophisticated techniques from semiconductor industry, are to be electrochemically activated to overcome these limitations and to leverage their full potential being reflected in stable charge capacities (>1000 mAhg–1) and high Coulomb efficiencies (98.8%). PMID:27531589

Uniform Single Valued Neutrosophic Graphs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Broumi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a new concept named the uniform single valued neutrosophic graph. An illustrative example and some properties are examined. Next, we develop an algorithmic approach for computing the complement of the single valued neutrosophic graph. A numerical example is demonstrated for computing the complement of single valued neutrosophic graphs and uniform single valued neutrosophic graph.

[Application of single-retainer all-ceramic resin-bonded fixed partial denture in replacing single anterior tooth].

Science.gov (United States)

Lili, Yang; Debiao, Du; Ruoyu, Ning; Deying, Chen; Junling, Wu

2017-08-01

Objective In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical effect of single-retainer all-ceramic resin-bonded fixed partial denture (RBFPD) on the single anterior tooth loss patients. Methods A total of 20 single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD
were fabricated and evaluated in a two-year follow-up observation. The restorations were examined on the basis of the American Public Health Association (APHA) criteria. Results A total of 20 single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD achieved class A evaluation after a six-month follow-up observation. One single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD was classified as class B for secondary caries after a one-year follow-up observation. After a two-year follow-up observation, one single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD was classified as class B because of secondary caries, and one single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD was classified as class B because of fracture. Conclusion Single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD is a promising and optional method in replacing single anterior tooth.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Detection Using Au-Decorated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keum-Ju Lee

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate that Au-cluster-decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs may be used to discriminate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP. Nanoscale Au clusters were formed on the side walls of carbon nanotubes in a transistor geometry using electrochemical deposition. The effect of Au cluster decoration appeared as hole doping when electrical transport characteristics were examined. Thiolated single-stranded probe peptide nucleic acid (PNA was successfully immobilized on Au clusters decorating single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (SWNT-FETs, resulting in a conductance decrease that could be explained by a decrease in Au work function upon adsorption of thiolated PNA. Although a target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA with a single mismatch did not cause any change in electrical conductance, a clear decrease in conductance was observed with matched ssDNA, thereby showing the possibility of SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism detection using Au-cluster-decorated SWNT-FETs. However, a power to discriminate SNP target is lost in high ionic environment. We can conclude that observed SNP discrimination in low ionic environment is due to the hampered binding of SNP target on nanoscale surfaces in low ionic conditions.

Single Nanowire Probe for Single Cell Endoscopy and Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Ruoxue

The ability to manipulate light in subwavelength photonic and plasmonic structures has shown great potentials in revolutionizing how information is generated, transformed and processed. Chemically synthesized nanowires, in particular, offers a unique toolbox not only for highly compact and integrated photonic modules and devices, including coherent and incoherent light sources, waveguides, photodetectors and photovoltaics, but also for new types of nanoscopic bio-probes for spot cargo delivery and in-situ single cell endoscopy and sensing. Such nanowire probes would enable us to carry out intracellular imaging and probing with high spatial resolution, monitor in-vivo biological processes within single living cells and greatly improve our fundamental understanding of cell functions, intracellular physiological processes, and cellular signal pathways. My work is aimed at developing a material and instrumental platform for such single nanowire probe. Successful optical integration of Ag nanowire plasmonic waveguides, which offers deep subwavelength mode confinement, and conventional photonic waveguides was demonstrated on a single nanowire level. The highest plasmonic-photonic coupling efficiency coupling was found at small coupling angles and low input frequencies. The frequency dependent propagation loss was observed in Ag nanowire and was confirmed by quantitative measurement and in agreement with theoretical expectations. Rational integration of dielectric and Ag nanowire waveguide components into hybrid optical-plasmonic routing devices has been demonstrated. This capability is essential for incorporating sub-100nm Ag nanowire waveguides into optical fiber based nanoprobes for single cell endoscopy. The nanoprobe system based on single nanowire waveguides was demonstrated by optically coupling semiconductor or metal nanowire with an optical fiber with tapered tip. This nanoprobe design requires minimal instrumentation which makes it cost efficient and readily

Understanding Single Adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Peter J.

The life styles and life chances of the unmarried include elements of choices. Singles may be grouped and characterized according to whether their status may be considered stable or temporary. A life cycle, or continuum model of singlehood is reviewed, including its different factors, or phases. A new model for singles is proposed--a life spiral…

Manager of financial globalization? The European Union in global anti-money laundering and international accounting standard setting

OpenAIRE

Hilgers, Sven

2014-01-01

How does the European Union (EU) perform in international financial regulation? According to various scholars the global financial architecture has been shaped by the USA and the EU. But whereas the USA is without doubt the dominant actor or even described as hegemon in writing the rules for the global political economy and global financial markets, the EU seems to be a special kind of actor. The European Union is not only one of the biggest single financial markets in the world but also has ...

Single-Dose Lignocaine-Based Blood Cardioplegia in Single Valve Replacement Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaydip Ramani

Full Text Available Abstract OBJECTIVE: Myocardial protection is the most important in cardiac surgery. We compared our modified single-dose long-acting lignocaine-based blood cardioplegia with short-acting St Thomas 1 blood cardioplegia in patients undergoing single valve replacement. METHODS: A total of 110 patients who underwent single (aortic or mitral valve replacement surgery were enrolled. Patients were divided in two groups based on the cardioplegia solution used. In group 1 (56 patients, long-acting lignocaine based-blood cardioplegia solution was administered as a single dose while in group 2 (54 patients, standard St Thomas IB (short-acting blood-based cardioplegia solution was administered and repeated every 20 minutes. All the patients were compared for preoperative baseline parameters, intraoperative and all the postoperative parameters. RESULTS: We did not find any statistically significant difference in preoperative baseline parameters. Cardiopulmonary bypass time were 73.8±16.5 and 76.4±16.9 minutes (P=0.43 and cross clamp time were 58.9±10.3 and 66.3±11.2 minutes (P=0.23 in group 1 and group 2, respectively. Mean of maximum inotrope score was 6.3±2.52 and 6.1±2.13 (P=0.65 in group 1 and group 2, respectively. We also did not find any statistically significant difference in creatine-phosphokinase-MB (CPK-MB, Troponin-I levels, lactate level and cardiac functions postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This study proves the safety and efficacy of long-acting lignocaine-based single-dose blood cardioplegia compared to the standard short-acting multi-dose blood cardioplegia in patients requiring the single valve replacement. Further studies need to be undertaken to establish this non-inferiority in situations of complex cardiac procedures especially in compromised patients.

E-ELT Site Chosen - World's Biggest Eye on the Sky to be Located on Armazones, Chile

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

On 26 April 2010, the ESO Council selected Cerro Armazones as the baseline site for the planned 42-metre European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). Cerro Armazones is a mountain at an altitude of 3060 metres in the central part of Chile's Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometres south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometres from Cerro Paranal, home of ESO's Very Large Telescope. "This is an important milestone that allows us to finalise the baseline design of this very ambitious project, which will vastly advance astronomical knowledge," says Tim de Zeeuw, ESO's Director General. "I thank the site selection team for the tremendous work they have done over the past few years." ESO's next step is to build a European extremely large optical/infrared telescope (E-ELT) with a primary mirror 42 metres in diameter. The E-ELT will be "the world's biggest eye on the sky" - the only such telescope in the world. ESO is drawing up detailed construction plans together with the community. The E-ELT will address many of the most pressing unsolved questions in astronomy, and may, eventually, revolutionise our perception of the Universe, much as Galileo's telescope did 400 years ago. The final go-ahead for construction is expected at the end of 2010, with the start of operations planned for 2018. The decision on the E-ELT site was taken by the ESO Council, which is the governing body of the Organisation composed of representatives of ESO's fourteen Member States, and is based on an extensive comparative meteorological investigation, which lasted several years. The majority of the data collected during the site selection campaigns will be made public in the course of the year 2010. Various factors needed to be considered in the site selection process. Obviously the "astronomical quality" of the atmosphere, for instance, the number of clear nights, the amount of water vapour, and the "stability" of the atmosphere (also known as seeing) played a crucial role. But other

Quantum optics with single quantum dot devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwiller, Valery; Aichele, Thomas; Benson, Oliver

2004-01-01

A single radiative transition in a single-quantum emitter results in the emission of a single photon. Single quantum dots are single-quantum emitters with all the requirements to generate single photons at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. It is also possible to generate more than single photons with single quantum dots. In this paper we show that single quantum dots can be used to generate non-classical states of light, from single photons to photon triplets. Advanced solid state structures can be fabricated with single quantum dots as their active region. We also show results obtained on devices based on single quantum dots

Single-incision total laparoscopic hysterectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinha Rakesh

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Single-incision laparoscopic surgery is an alternative to conventional multiport laparoscopy. Single-access laparoscopy using a transumbilical port affords maximum cosmetic benefits because the surgical incision is hidden in the umbilicus. The advantages of single-access laparoscopic surgery may include less bleeding, infection, and hernia formation and better cosmetic outcome and less pain. The disadvantages and limitations include longer surgery time, difficulty in learning the technique, and the need for specialized instruments. Ongoing refinement of the surgical technique and instrumentation is likely to expand its role in gynecologic surgery in the future. We perform single-incision total laparoscopic hysterectomy using three ports in the single transumbilical incision.

Thermoelectric single-photon detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzanyan, A A; Petrosyan, V A; Kuzanyan, A S

2012-01-01

The ability to detect a single photon is the ultimate level of sensitivity in the measurement of optical radiation. Sensors capable of detecting single photons and determining their energy have many scientific and technological applications. Kondo-enhanced Seebeck effect cryogenic detectors are based on thermoelectric heat-to-voltage conversion and voltage readout. We evaluate the prospects of CeB 6 and (La,Ce)B 6 hexaboride crystals for their application as a sensitive element in this type of detectors. We conclude that such detectors can register a single UV photon, have a fast count rate (up to 45 MHz) and a high spectral resolution of 0.1 eV. We calculate the electric potential generated along the thermoelectric sensor upon registering a UV single photon.

A utility perspective on the deployment of CCTs into the next millennium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mudd, M.J. [AEP Energy Services, Columbus, OH (United States)

1997-12-31

The successful Clean Coal Technology projects which are being discussed in this conference are all a testament to the positive advancements that can be made with environmentally superior technologies when the government and industry cooperate in the context of a properly funded and a well thought-out program. Many of the technologies developed in the Clean Coal Technology Program have taken a competitive position in the marketplace, and many others are on the verge of being competitive in the marketplace. Based on the success of the Clean Coal Technology Program, one would expect that they would be ready for full deployment in the marketplace with the approach of the next millennium. This is not happening. There are several hurdles that impede their deployment. Some of those hurdles, such as the higher first-of-a-kind cost and technology risk factors that accompany not-yet mature technologies, have existed since the initiation of the Clean Coal Technology Program. However, several new hurdles are impeding the market penetration of Clean Coal Technologies. Those hurdles include the radically different marketplace due to the restructuring of the electric utility industry, a soft market, the difficulty in financing new power plants, low natural gas prices, and lower-cost and higher-efficiency natural gas combined cycle technology.

An economic inquisition of water quality trading programs, with a case study of Jordan Lake, NC.

Science.gov (United States)

Motallebi, Marzieh; Hoag, Dana L; Tasdighi, Ali; Arabi, Mazdak; Osmond, Deanna L

2017-05-15

A water quality trading (WQT) program was promulgated in North Carolina to address water quality issues related to nutrients in the highly urbanizing Jordan Lake Watershed. Although WQT programs are appealing in theory, the concept has not proved feasible in several attempts between point and nonpoint polluters in the United States. Many application hurdles that create wedges between success and failure have been evaluated in the literature. Most programs, however, face multiple hurdles; eliminating one may not clear a pathway to success. Therefore, we identify and evaluate the combined impact of four different wedges including baseline, transaction cost, trading ratio, and trading cost in the Jordan Lake Watershed program. Unfortunately, when applied to the Jordan Lake program, the analysis clearly shows that a traditional WQT program will not be feasible or address nutrient management needs in a meaningful way. The hurdles individually would be difficult to overcome, but together they appear to be unsurmountable. This analysis shows that there is enough information to pre-identify potential hurdles that could inform policy makers where, and how, the concept might work. It would have saved time, energy, and financial resources if North Carolina had done so before embarking to implement their program in the Jordan Lake Watershed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward the identification of DSLR lenses by chromatic aberration

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jun; Craver, Scott; Li, Enping

2011-02-01

While previous work on lens identification by chromatic aberration succeeded in distinguishing lenses of different model, the CA patterns obtained were not stable enough to support distinguishing different copies of the same lens. This paper discusses on how to eliminate two major hurdles in the way of obtaining a stable lens CA pattern. The first hurdle was overcome by using a white noise pattern as shooting target to supplant the conventional but misalignment-prone checkerboard pattern. The second hurdle was removed by the introduction of the lens focal distance, which had not received the attention it deserves. Consequently, we were able to obtain a stable enough CA pattern distinguishing different copies of the same lens. Finally, with a complete view of the lens CA pattern feature space, it is possible to fulfil lens identification among a large lens database.

Advances in single chain technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Burgos, Marina; Latorre-Sanchez, Alejandro; Pomposo, José A

2015-10-07

The recent ability to manipulate and visualize single atoms at atomic level has given rise to modern bottom-up nanotechnology. Similar exquisite degree of control at the individual polymeric chain level for producing functional soft nanoentities is expected to become a reality in the next few years through the full development of so-called "single chain technology". Ultra-small unimolecular soft nano-objects endowed with useful, autonomous and smart functions are the expected, long-term valuable output of single chain technology. This review covers the recent advances in single chain technology for the construction of soft nano-objects via chain compaction, with an emphasis in dynamic, letter-shaped and compositionally unsymmetrical single rings, complex multi-ring systems, single chain nanoparticles, tadpoles, dumbbells and hairpins, as well as the potential end-use applications of individual soft nano-objects endowed with useful functions in catalysis, sensing, drug delivery and other uses.

Single Molecule Nano-Metronome

OpenAIRE

Buranachai, Chittanon; McKinney, Sean A.; Ha, Taekjip

2006-01-01

We constructed a DNA-based nano-mechanical device called the nano-metronome. Our device is made by introducing complementary single stranded overhangs at the two arms of the DNA four-way junction. The ticking rates of this stochastic metronome depend on ion concentrations and can be changed by a set of DNA-based switches to deactivate/reactivate the sticky end. Since the device displays clearly distinguishable responses even with a single basepair difference, it may lead to a single molecule ...

Thousand-fold enhancement of single-molecule fluorescence near a single gold nanorod

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yuan, H.; Khatua, S.; Zijlstra, P.; Yorulmaz, M.; Orrit, M.

2013-01-01

Single molecules: Large enhancements of single-molecule fluorescence up to 1100 times by using synthesized gold nanorods are reported (see picture). This high enhancement is achieved by selecting a dye with its adsorption and emission close to the surface plasmon resonance of the gold nanorods

Regular Single Valued Neutrosophic Hypergraphs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Aslam Malik

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we define the regular and totally regular single valued neutrosophic hypergraphs, and discuss the order and size along with properties of regular and totally regular single valued neutrosophic hypergraphs. We also extend work on completeness of single valued neutrosophic hypergraphs.

Monitoring Replication Protein A (RPA) dynamics in homologous recombination through site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Pokhrel, Nilisha; Origanti, Sofia; Davenport, Eric Parker; Gandhi, Disha; Kaniecki, Kyle; Mehl, Ryan A; Greene, Eric C; Dockendorff, Chris; Antony, Edwin

2017-09-19

An essential coordinator of all DNA metabolic processes is Replication Protein A (RPA). RPA orchestrates these processes by binding to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and interacting with several other DNA binding proteins. Determining the real-time kinetics of single players such as RPA in the presence of multiple DNA processors to better understand the associated mechanistic events is technically challenging. To overcome this hurdle, we utilized non-canonical amino acids and bio-orthogonal chemistry to site-specifically incorporate a chemical fluorophore onto a single subunit of heterotrimeric RPA. Upon binding to ssDNA, this fluorescent RPA (RPAf) generates a quantifiable change in fluorescence, thus serving as a reporter of its dynamics on DNA in the presence of multiple other DNA binding proteins. Using RPAf, we describe the kinetics of facilitated self-exchange and exchange by Rad51 and mediator proteins during various stages in homologous recombination. RPAf is widely applicable to investigate its mechanism of action in processes such as DNA replication, repair and telomere maintenance. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Risk, Politics, and Money: The Need for a Value-Based Model for Financing Public Health Preparedness and Response

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

evaluating the costs associated with natural and man-made disasters and events. In this era of fiscal conservatism , one of the biggest challenges in...associated with natural and man-made disasters and events. In this era of fiscal conservatism , one of the biggest challenges in designing and funding...In this era of fiscal conservatism , one of the biggest challenges in designing and funding public health preparedness is deciding exactly how much

A versatile optical microscope for time-dependent single-molecule and single-particle spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hao; Yang, Haw

2018-03-01

This work reports the design and implementation of a multi-function optical microscope for time-dependent spectroscopy on single molecules and single nanoparticles. It integrates the now-routine single-object measurements into one standalone platform so that no reconfiguration is needed when switching between different types of sample or spectroscopy modes. The illumination modes include evanescent field through total internal reflection, dark-field illumination, and epi-excitation onto a diffraction-limited spot suitable for confocal detection. The detection modes include spectrally resolved line imaging, wide-field imaging with dual-color capability, and two-color single-element photon-counting detection. The switch between different spectroscopy and data acquisition modes is fully automated and executed through computer programming. The capability of this microscope is demonstrated through selected proof-of-principle experiments.

A versatile optical microscope for time-dependent single-molecule and single-particle spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hao; Yang, Haw

2018-03-28

This work reports the design and implementation of a multi-function optical microscope for time-dependent spectroscopy on single molecules and single nanoparticles. It integrates the now-routine single-object measurements into one standalone platform so that no reconfiguration is needed when switching between different types of sample or spectroscopy modes. The illumination modes include evanescent field through total internal reflection, dark-field illumination, and epi-excitation onto a diffraction-limited spot suitable for confocal detection. The detection modes include spectrally resolved line imaging, wide-field imaging with dual-color capability, and two-color single-element photon-counting detection. The switch between different spectroscopy and data acquisition modes is fully automated and executed through computer programming. The capability of this microscope is demonstrated through selected proof-of-principle experiments.

Mortality in single fathers compared with single mothers and partnered parents: a population-based cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Maria; Rahman, Farah; Vigod, Simone; Lau, Cindy; Cairney, John; Kurdyak, Paul

2018-03-01

Single parent families, including families headed by single fathers, are becoming increasingly common around the world. Previous evidence suggests that single parenthood is associated with adverse health outcomes and increased mortality; however, most studies have focused on single mothers, with little known about the health of single fathers. This study aimed to examine mortality in a large population-based sample of Canadian single fathers compared with single mothers and partnered fathers and mothers. We used a representative sample of 871 single fathers, 4590 single mothers, 16 341 partnered fathers, and 18 688 partnered mothers from the Canadian Community Health Survey (cycles 2001-12; earliest survey date: Sept 5, 2000; latest survey date: Dec 24, 2012). We anonymously linked survey participants to health administrative database records to ascertain health status at baseline and mortality from survey date up to Oct 28, 2016. We included individuals who were aged 15 years or older, living in a household with one or more biological or adopted child younger than 25 years, and living in Ontario, and we excluded those who left Ontario during the study period or had data discrepancies. Single parents were defined as those who were divorced, separated, widowed, or single, never-married, and non-cohabitating, and partnered parents were defined as those who were married or common-law partners. We investigated differences in mortality using Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors. Median follow-up was 11·10 years (IQR 7·36-13·54). Mortality in single fathers (5·8 per 1000 person-years) was three-times higher than rates in single mothers (1·74 per 1000 person-years) and partnered fathers (1·94 per 1000 person-years). Single fathers had a significantly higher adjusted risk of dying than both single mothers (hazard ratio [HR] 2·49, 95% CI 1·20-5·15; p=0·01) and partnered fathers (2·06, 1·11-3�

Single Molecule Nano-Metronome

Science.gov (United States)

Buranachai, Chittanon; McKinney, Sean A.; Ha, Taekjip

2008-01-01

We constructed a DNA-based nano-mechanical device called the nano-metronome. Our device is made by introducing complementary single stranded overhangs at the two arms of the DNA four-way junction. The ticking rates of this stochastic metronome depend on ion concentrations and can be changed by a set of DNA-based switches to deactivate/reactivate the sticky end. Since the device displays clearly distinguishable responses even with a single basepair difference, it may lead to a single molecule sensor of minute sequence differences of a target DNA. PMID:16522050

Coherent properties of single quantum dot transitions and single photon emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ester, Patrick

2008-04-23

In this work, the properties and the different dephasing mechanisms of single QD transitions are analyzed. In addition, some applications are presented which arise due to the properties of the confined exciton. The isolation of a single QD out of the ensemble is achieved via near field shadow masks, which restricts excitation and QD luminescence to a single QD. The integration of a QD-layer into a diode structure allows for an analysis of various dephasing mechanisms of a confined electron hole pair. The single QD is characterized regarding the energy of nearly all possible transitions, e.g. the ground state, excited states, charged states, multiple occupations, and phonon assisted absorptions. A very important issue in this content is the voltage dependence of the transition energy and thereby the ability of tunneling processes of charge carriers in and out of the QD. The QD-states, which are subject of investigation here, are the single exciton ground state, the first excited state (p-shell), and the (GaAs-) LO (longitudinal optical) phonon assisted absorption. By applying a suitable voltage, the resonantly excited ground state exciton is able to decay by a tunneling process, which reflects the transition energy in the photocurrent spectra. The p-shell transition decays by a relaxation process into the ground state, followed by an optical recombination process. The phonon assisted absorption differs from the p-shell transition. The resonant excitation energy fits to the exciton ground state energy plus the energy of a GaAs LO phonon. In this case, the single exciton (ground state) is generated as well as a GaAs LO phonon. These three states are investigated in different respects, such as different applied voltages, excitation polarizations, excitation intensities, and coherent properties. The LO-assisted absorption shows also a saturation behavior. The exciton in the QD is able to interfere with the second laser pulse due to the storage of the phase information

Coherent properties of single quantum dot transitions and single photon emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ester, Patrick

2008-01-01

In this work, the properties and the different dephasing mechanisms of single QD transitions are analyzed. In addition, some applications are presented which arise due to the properties of the confined exciton. The isolation of a single QD out of the ensemble is achieved via near field shadow masks, which restricts excitation and QD luminescence to a single QD. The integration of a QD-layer into a diode structure allows for an analysis of various dephasing mechanisms of a confined electron hole pair. The single QD is characterized regarding the energy of nearly all possible transitions, e.g. the ground state, excited states, charged states, multiple occupations, and phonon assisted absorptions. A very important issue in this content is the voltage dependence of the transition energy and thereby the ability of tunneling processes of charge carriers in and out of the QD. The QD-states, which are subject of investigation here, are the single exciton ground state, the first excited state (p-shell), and the (GaAs-) LO (longitudinal optical) phonon assisted absorption. By applying a suitable voltage, the resonantly excited ground state exciton is able to decay by a tunneling process, which reflects the transition energy in the photocurrent spectra. The p-shell transition decays by a relaxation process into the ground state, followed by an optical recombination process. The phonon assisted absorption differs from the p-shell transition. The resonant excitation energy fits to the exciton ground state energy plus the energy of a GaAs LO phonon. In this case, the single exciton (ground state) is generated as well as a GaAs LO phonon. These three states are investigated in different respects, such as different applied voltages, excitation polarizations, excitation intensities, and coherent properties. The LO-assisted absorption shows also a saturation behavior. The exciton in the QD is able to interfere with the second laser pulse due to the storage of the phase information

Ranking criteria for assessment of municipal solid waste dumping sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmood Khalid

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Priority wise channelization of resources is the key to successful environmental management, especially when funds are limited. The study in hand has successfully developed an algorithmic criterion to compare hazardous effects of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW dumping sites quantitatively. It is a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA that has made use of the scaling function to normalize the data values, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP for assigning weights to input parameters showing their relevant importance, and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC for aggregating the normalized scores. Input parameters have been divided into three classes namely Resident’s Concerns, Groundwater Vulnerability and Surface Facilities. Remote Sensing data and GIS analysis were used to prepare most of the input data. To elaborate the idea, four dumpsites have been chosen as case study, namely Old-FSD, New-FSD, Saggian and Mahmood Booti. The comparison has been made first at class levels and then class scores have been aggregated into environmental normalized index for environmental impact ranking. The hierarchy of goodness found for the selected sites is New-FSD > Old-FSD > Mahmood Booti > Saggian with comparative scores of goodness to environment as 36.67, 28.43, 21.26 and 13.63 respectively. Flexibility of proposed model to adjust any number of classes and parameters in one class will be very helpful for developing world where availability of data is the biggest hurdle in research based environmental sustainability planning. The model can be run even without purchasing satellite data and GIS software, with little inaccuracy, using imagery and measurement tools provided by Google Earth.

Recruiting Faculty Leaders at U.S. Medical Schools: A Process Without Improvement?

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, James D; Chod, Ronald

2017-11-01

Recruiting faculty leaders to work in colleges of medicine is a ubiquitous, time-consuming, costly activity. Little quantitative information is available about contemporary leadership recruiting processes and outcomes. In this article, the authors examine current recruiting methods and outcomes in colleges of medicine and compare academic search approaches with the approaches often employed in intellectual-capital-rich industries.In 2015, the authors surveyed chairs of internal medicine at U.S. medical schools regarding their recruiting practices and outcomes-specifically their selection methods, the duration of searches, the recruitment of women and minorities underrepresented in medicine (URM), and their satisfaction with search outcomes.The authors found that department chairs were extensively engaged in numerous searches for leaders. The recruitment process most commonly required 7 to 12 months from initiation to signed contract. Interestingly, longer searches (19+ months) were much more frequently associated with a recruitment outcome that chairs viewed as unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory. Most leadership searches produced very few women and URM finalists. The biggest perceived hurdles to successful recruitment were the need to relocate the candidate and family and the shortage of good candidates.The process of recruiting leaders in academic medicine has changed little in more than 25 years. Process improvement is important and should entail carefully structured search processes, including both an overhaul of search committees and further emphasis on leadership development within the college of medicine. The authors propose specific steps to enhance recruitment of members of URM groups and women to leadership positions in academic medicine.

ON BIPOLAR SINGLE VALUED NEUTROSOPHIC GRAPHS

OpenAIRE

Said Broumi; Mohamed Talea; Assia Bakali; Florentin Smarandache

2016-01-01

In this article, we combine the concept of bipolar neutrosophic set and graph theory. We introduce the notions of bipolar single valued neutrosophic graphs, strong bipolar single valued neutrosophic graphs, complete bipolar single valued neutrosophic graphs, regular bipolar single valued neutrosophic graphs and investigate some of their related properties.

Single particle dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siemens, P.J.; Jensen, A.S.

1985-01-01

It is shown that the opening of the 3-quasiparticle continuum at 3Δ sets the energy scale for the enhancement of the effective mass near the Fermi surface of nuclei. The authors argue that the spreading width of single-particle states due to coupling with low-lying collective modes is qualitatively different from the two-body collision mechanism, and contributes little to the single-particle lifetime in the sense of the optical model. (orig.)

Optimization of sensitivity and noise in piezoresistive cantilevers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yu, Xiaomei; Thaysen, Jacob; Hansen, Ole

2002-01-01

In this article, the sensitivity and the noise of piezoresistive cantilevers were systematically investigated with respect to the piezoresistor geometry, the piezoresistive materials, the doping dose, the annealing temperature, and the operating biased voltage. With the noise optimization results......(-6), the biggest gauge factors was 95, and the minimum detectable deflection (MDD) at 6 V and 200 Hz-measurement bandwidth was 0.3 nm for a single-crystal silicon cantilever. Of the two LPCVD silicon piezoresistive cantilevers, amorphous silicon piezoresistors had relatively lower 1/f noise. The MDD for a LPCVD...

The development of China's medical biotech industry needs to be driven by innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zailin; Dai, Yuehan

2006-11-01

The Chinese biotech industry is going through a period of fast growth, and with its huge population, China is predicted to be the biggest single-country market in the world. However, the Chinese biotech industry has to tackle the critical issue of innovation, which should be the driving force for China's development into an advanced and responsible country. Here, in this article, the authors review the history of the Chinese biotech industry, exemplified by the development of genetically engineered drugs during the last 20 years, and also point out its the future.

Should nuclear be feared ... ... or is it nuclear power's hour?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diesendorf, Mark; Sevior, Martin

2006-01-01

This is a debate for and against nucl era power. Some people think that nuclear power is not as clean, green or cheap as its supporters would like us to think. Nuclear waste disposal is the biggest problem. There is not a single country which has built a facility for the long-term management of high-level nuclear wastes. United States is the only country in the world is most advanced in this regard, is building a waste repository at yucca Mountains, Nevada. The cost of nuclear activity is even higher than previously estimated

Single Molecule Analysis Research Tool (SMART: an integrated approach for analyzing single molecule data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Max Greenfeld

Full Text Available Single molecule studies have expanded rapidly over the past decade and have the ability to provide an unprecedented level of understanding of biological systems. A common challenge upon introduction of novel, data-rich approaches is the management, processing, and analysis of the complex data sets that are generated. We provide a standardized approach for analyzing these data in the freely available software package SMART: Single Molecule Analysis Research Tool. SMART provides a format for organizing and easily accessing single molecule data, a general hidden Markov modeling algorithm for fitting an array of possible models specified by the user, a standardized data structure and graphical user interfaces to streamline the analysis and visualization of data. This approach guides experimental design, facilitating acquisition of the maximal information from single molecule experiments. SMART also provides a standardized format to allow dissemination of single molecule data and transparency in the analysis of reported data.

34 CFR 403.82 - In what settings may the Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program be offered? 403.82 Section 403.82 Education Regulations of the... Secretary Assist Under the Basic Programs? Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program § 403.82 In what settings may the Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women...

Single particle detecting telescope system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, I.; Tomiyama, T.; Iga, Y.; Komatsubara, T.; Kanada, M.; Yamashita, Y.; Wada, T.; Furukawa, S.

1981-01-01

We constructed the single particle detecting telescope system for detecting a fractionally charged particle. The telescope consists of position detecting counters, wall-less multi-cell chambers, single detecting circuits and microcomputer system as data I/0 processor. Especially, a frequency of double particle is compared the case of the single particle detecting with the case of an ordinary measurement

Grid integration and smart grid implementation of emerging technologies in electric power systems through approximate dynamic programming

OpenAIRE

Xiao, Jingjie

2013-01-01

A key hurdle for implementing real-time pricing of electricity is a lack of con-sumers’ responses. Solutions to overcome the hurdle include the energy management system that automatically optimizes household appliance usage such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging (and discharging with vehicle-to-grid) via a two-way com-munication with the grid. Real-time pricing, combined with household automation devices, has a potential to accommodate an increasing penetration of plug-in hybrid ele...

THOR3: Humans Are More Important Than Hardware

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

refrain from diving into detail about the adverse effects of dehydration. Instead it will discuss the pros and cons of water and other sports drinks, and...facility location, programs of interest to each unit, projected usage, and often utilized the SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats...75 96 3 Sleds 150 150 1 Functional Training Grids 230 450 1 Pro Bodyblade 199 230 3 Calf Rollers 50 199 5 30’ hurdles 80 150 10 12’ hurdles 10

Sex Differences in Parenting Behaviors in Single-Mother and Single-Father Households

Science.gov (United States)

Dufur, Mikaela J.; Howell, Nyssa C.; Downey, Douglas B.; Ainsworth, James W.; Lapray, Alice J.

2010-01-01

Research on family structure has led some to claim that sex-based parenting differences exist. But if such differences exist in single-parent families, the absence of a second parent rather than specific sex-typed parenting might explain them. We examine differences in mothering and fathering behavior in single-parent households, where number of…

Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump Racing Data, 2012–2014

Science.gov (United States)

Ruse, Karen; Davison, Aidan; Bridle, Kerry

2015-01-01

Simple Summary This paper documents the dynamics of Australian thoroughbred jump racing in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with the aim of informing debate about risks to horses and the future of this activity. We conclude that the safety of Australian jump racing has improved in recent years but that steeplechases are considerably riskier for horses than hurdle races. Abstract Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period, with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a jump race (0.51%). There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075%) and steeplechases, 14 fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%). Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in 2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry regulation related to jump horse safety. PMID:26506396

Longitudinal single-bunch instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migliorati, M.; Palumbo, L.; Rome Univ. La Sapienza, Rome

2001-02-01

After introducing the concepts of longitudinal wakefield and coupling impedance, it is reviewed the theory of longitudinal single-bunch collective effects in storage rings. From the Fokker-Planck equation it is first derived the stationary solution describing the natural single-bunch regime, and then treat the problem of microwave instability, showing the different approaches used for estimating the threshold current. The lecture is ended with the semi-empirical laws that allow everyone to obtain the single-bunch behaviour above threshold, and with a description of the simulation codes that are now reliable tools for investigating all these effects

A single sensor and single actuator approach to performance tailoring over a prescribed frequency band.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiqiang

2016-03-01

Restricted sensing and actuation control represents an important area of research that has been overlooked in most of the design methodologies. In many practical control engineering problems, it is necessitated to implement the design through a single sensor and single actuator for multivariate performance variables. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for the solution to the single sensor and single actuator control problem where performance over any prescribed frequency band can also be tailored. The results are obtained for the broad band control design based on the formulation for discrete frequency control. It is shown that the single sensor and single actuator control problem over a frequency band can be cast into a Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation problem. An optimal controller can then be obtained via the convex optimization over LMIs. Even remarkable is that robustness issues can also be tackled in this framework. A numerical example is provided for the broad band attenuation of rotor blade vibration to illustrate the proposed design procedures. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensing single electrons with single molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plakhotnik, Taras

2007-01-01

We propose a new methodology for probing transport of just one electron, a process of great importance both in nature and in artificial devices. Our idea for locating a single electron is analogues to the conventional GPS where signals from several satellites are used to locate a macro object. Using fluorescent molecules as tiny sensors, it is possible to determine 3D displacement vector of an electron

Single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer through a homemade single port access device.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhi-Wei; Zhang, Shu; Wang, Gang; Zhao, Kun; Liu, Jiang; Ning, Li; Li, Jieshou

2015-01-01

We presented a series of single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomies for early gastric cancer patients through a type of homemade single port access device and some other conventional laparoscopic instruments. A single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with D1 + α lymph node dissection was performed on a 46 years old male patient who had an early gastric cancer. This single port access device has facilitated the conventional laparoscopic instruments to accomplish the surgery and we made in only 6 minutes. Total operating time for this surgery was 240 minutes. During the operation, there were about 100 milliliters of blood loss, and 17 lymph-nodes were retrieved. This homemade single port access device shows its superiority in economy and convenience for complex single-incision surgeries. Single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer can be conducted by experienced laparoscopic surgeons. Fully take advantage of both SILS and fast track surgery plan can bring to successful surgeries with minimal postoperative pain, quicker mobilization, early recovery of intestinal function, and better cosmesis effect for the patients.

A reliable method for the counting and control of single ions for single-dopant controlled devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinada, T; Kurosawa, T; Nakayama, H; Zhu, Y; Hori, M; Ohdomari, I

2008-01-01

By 2016, transistor device size will be just 10 nm. However, a transistor that is doped at a typical concentration of 10 18 atoms cm -3 has only one dopant atom in the active channel region. Therefore, it can be predicted that conventional doping methods such as ion implantation and thermal diffusion will not be available ten years from now. We have been developing a single-ion implantation (SII) method that enables us to implant dopant ions one-by-one into semiconductors until the desired number is reached. Here we report a simple but reliable method to control the number of single-dopant atoms by detecting the change in drain current induced by single-ion implantation. The drain current decreases in a stepwise fashion as a result of the clusters of displaced Si atoms created by every single-ion incidence. This result indicates that the single-ion detection method we have developed is capable of detecting single-ion incidence with 100% efficiency. Our method potentially could pave the way to future single-atom devices, including a solid-state quantum computer

Single-Photon Source for Quantum Information Based on Single Dye Molecule Fluorescence in Liquid Crystal Host

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukishova, S.G.; Knox, R.P.; Freivald, P.; McNamara, A.; Boyd, R.W.; Stroud, Jr. C.R.; Schmid, A.W.; Marshall, K.L.

2006-01-01

This paper describes a new application for liquid crystals: quantum information technology. A deterministically polarized single-photon source that efficiently produces photons exhibiting antibunching is a pivotal hardware element in absolutely secure quantum communication. Planar-aligned nematic liquid crystal hosts deterministically align the single dye molecules which produce deterministically polarized single (antibunched) photons. In addition, 1-D photonic bandgap cholesteric liquid crystals will increase single-photon source efficiency. The experiments and challenges in the observation of deterministically polarized fluorescence from single dye molecules in planar-aligned glassy nematic-liquid-crystal oligomer as well as photon antibunching in glassy cholesteric oligomer are described for the first time

Single and multi-frequency impedance characterization of symmetric activated carbon single capacitor cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzana Sopčić

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS technique is used for characterization of single cell symmetric capacitors having different mass loadings of activated carbon (AC. Relevant values of charge storage capacitance (CT and internal resistance (ESR were evaluated by the single frequency and multi-frequency analyses of measured impedance spectra. Curve fittings were based on the non-ideal R-C model that takes into account the parasitic inductance, contributions from electrode materials/contacts and the effects of AC porosity. Higher CT and lower ESR values were obtained not only for the cell with higher mass of AC, but also using the single vs. multi-frequency approach. Lower CT and higher values of ESR that are generally obtained using the multi-frequency method and curve fittings should be related to the not ideal capacitive response of porous AC material and too high frequency chosen in applying the single frequency analysis.

Single gold nanoparticle plasmonic spectroscopy for study of chemical-dependent efflux function of single ABC transporters of single live Bacillus subtilis cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Browning, Lauren M; Lee, Kerry J; Cherukuri, Pavan K; Huang, Tao; Songkiatisak, Preeyaporn; Warren, Seth; Xu, Xiao-Hong Nancy

2018-03-26

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) membrane transporters serve as self-defense transport apparatus in many living organisms and they can selectively extrude a wide variety of substrates, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). The detailed molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Single nanoparticle plasmonic spectroscopy highly depends upon their sizes, shapes, chemical and surface properties. In our previous studies, we have used the size-dependent plasmonic spectra of single silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to study the real-time efflux kinetics of the ABC (BmrA) transporter and MexAB-OprM transporter in single live cells (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterium), respectively. In this study, we prepared and used purified, biocompatible and stable (non-aggregated) gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) (12.4 ± 0.9 nm) to study the efflux kinetics of single BmrA membrane transporters of single live Bacillus subtillis cells, aiming to probe chemical dependent efflux functions of BmrA transporters and their potential chemical sensing capability. Similar to those observed using Ag NPs, accumulation of the intracellular Au NPs in single live cells (WT and ΔBmrA) highly depends upon the cellular expression of BmrA and the NP concentration (0.7 and 1.4 nM). The lower accumulation of intracellular Au NPs in WT (normal expression of BmrA) than ΔBmrA (deletion of bmrA) indicates that BmrA extrudes the Au NPs out of the WT cells. The accumulation of Au NPs in the cells increases with NP concentration, suggesting that the Au NPs most likely passively diffuse into the cells, similar to antibiotics. The result demonstrates that such small Au NPs can serve as imaging probes to study the efflux function of the BmrA membrane transporter in single live cells. Furthermore, the dependence of the accumulation rate of intracellular Au NPs in single live cells upon the expression of BmrA and the concentration of the NPs is about twice higher than that of the same sized Ag NPs. This interesting finding

Robotic single-site pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tateo, Saverio; Nozza, Arrigo; Del Pezzo, Chiara; Mereu, Liliana

2014-09-01

To examine the feasibility of performing pelvic lymphadenectomy with robotic single site approach. Recent papers described the feasibility of robotic-single site hysterectomy [1-3] for benign and malign pathologies but only with the development of new single site 5mm instruments as the bipolar forceps, robotic single site platform can be safely utilized also for lymphadenectomy. A 65 year-old, multiparous patient with a body mass index of 22.5 and diagnosed with well differentiated adenocarcinoma of the endometrium underwent a robotic single-site peritoneal washing, total hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. The procedure was performed using the da Vinci Si Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) through a single 2,5 cm umbilical incision, with a multi-channel system and two single site robotic 5mm instruments. A 3-dimensional, HD 8.5mm endoscope and a 5mm accessory instrument were also utilized. Type I lymphonodes dissection for external iliac and obturator regions was performed [4]. Total operative time was 210 min; incision, trocar placement and docking time occurring in 12 min. Total console time was 183 min, estimated blood loss was 50 ml, no intra-operative or post-operative complications occurred. Hospital discharge occurred on post operative day 2 and total number of lymphnodes removed was 33. Difficulties in term of instrument's clashing and awkward motions have been encountered. Robotic single-site pelvic lymphadenectomy using bipolar forceps and monopolar hook is feasible. New developments are needed to improve surgical ergonomics and additional studies should be performed to explore possible benefits of this procedure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Single-rooted maxillary first molar with a single canal: endodontic retreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Torre, Francisco; Cisneros-Cabello, Rafael; Aranguren, José Luis; Estévez, Roberto; Velasco-Ortega, Eugenio; Segura-Egea, Juan José

2008-12-01

This case report presents an unusual root canal system in a maxillary first molar tooth: a single canal in a single root. The endodontic access cavity displayed only 1 canal orifice. This case demonstrated that: 1) clinicians must have adequate knowledge about root canal morphology and its variations; 2) the location and morphology of root canals should be identified radiologically before the root canal treatment; and 3) careful examination of radiographs and the internal anatomy of teeth is essential.

Self-templated synthesis of single-crystal and single-domain ferroelectric nanoplates

KAUST Repository

Chao, Chunying

2012-08-15

Free-standing single-crystal PbTiO 3 nanoplates (see picture) were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. A "self-templated" crystal growth is presumed to lead to the formation of the PbTiO 3 nanoplates, which have ferroelectric single-domain structures, whose polarization areas can be manipulated by writing and reading. The nanoplates are also effective catalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide. © 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Controlled generation of a single Trichel pulse and a series of single Trichel pulses in air

Science.gov (United States)

Mizeraczyk, Jerzy; Berendt, Artur; Akishev, Yuri

2018-04-01

In this paper, a simple method for the controlled generation of a single Trichel pulse or a series of single Trichel pulses of a regulated repetition frequency in air is proposed. The concept of triggering a single Trichel pulse or a series of such pulses is based on the precise controlling the voltage inception of the negative corona, which can be accomplished through the use of a ramp voltage pulse or a series of such pulses with properly chosen ramp voltage pulse parameters (rise and fall times, and ramp voltage pulse repetition frequency). The proposal has been tested in experiments using a needle-to-plate electrode arrangement in air, and reproducible Trichel pulses (single or in a series) were obtained by triggering them with an appropriately designed voltage waveform. The proposed method and results obtained have been qualitatively analysed. The analysis provides guidance for designing the voltage ramp pulse in respect of the generation of a single Trichel pulse or a series of single Trichel pulses. The controlled generation of a single Trichel pulse or a series of such pulses would be a helpful research tool for the refined studies of the fundamental processes in a negative corona discharge in a single- (air is an example) and multi-phase gaseous fluids. The controlled generation of a single Trichel pulse or a series of Trichel pulses can also be attractive for those corona treatments which need manipulation of the electric charge and heat portions delivered by the Trichel pulses to the object.

Stable Single Polarization, Single Frequency, and Linear Cavity Er-Doped Fiber Laser Using a Saturable Absorber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Qi; Yan Feng-Ping; Peng Wan-Jing; Feng Su-Chun; Feng Ting; Tan Si-Yu; Liu Peng

2013-01-01

A simple approach for stable single polarization, single frequency, and linear cavity erbium doped fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. A Fabry—Pérot filter, polarizer and saturable absorber are used together to ensure stable single frequency, single polarization operation. The optical signal-to-noise ratio of the laser is approximately 57 dB, and the Lorentz linewidth is 13.9 kHz. The polarization state of the laser with good stability is confirmed and the degree of polarization is >99%

A stable wavelength-tunable single frequency and single polarization linear cavity erbium-doped fiber laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, T; Yan, F P; Li, Q; Peng, W J; Tan, S Y; Feng, S C; Wen, X D; Liu, P

2013-01-01

We report the configuration and operation of a wavelength-tunable single frequency and single polarization erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) with a stable and high optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) laser output. A narrow-band fiber Bragg grating (NBFBG), a FBG-based Fabry–Perot (FP) filter, a polarization controller (PC) and an unpumped erbium-doped fiber (EDF) as a saturable absorber (SA) are employed to realize stable single frequency lasing operation. An all-fiber polarizer (AFP) is introduced to suppress mode hopping and ensure the single polarization mode operation. By adjusting the length of the NBFBG using a stress adjustment module (SAM), four stable single frequency and single polarization laser outputs at wavelengths of 1544.946, 1545.038, 1545.118 and 1545.182 nm are obtained. At room temperature, performance with an OSNR of larger than 60 dB, power fluctuation of less than 0.04 dB, wavelength variation of less than 0.01 nm for about 5 h measurement, and degree of polarization (DOP) of close to 100% has been experimentally demonstrated for the fiber laser operating at these four wavelengths. (paper)

34 CFR 403.81 - How must funds be used under the Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program? 403.81 Section 403.81 Education Regulations of the... Secretary Assist Under the Basic Programs? Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women... individuals who are single parents, displaced homemakers, or single pregnant women only to— (a) Provide...

Single Molecule Electronics and Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Tsutsui, Makusu; Taniguchi, Masateru

2012-01-01

The manufacture of integrated circuits with single-molecule building blocks is a goal of molecular electronics. While research in the past has been limited to bulk experiments on self-assembled monolayers, advances in technology have now enabled us to fabricate single-molecule junctions. This has led to significant progress in understanding electron transport in molecular systems at the single-molecule level and the concomitant emergence of new device concepts. Here, we review recent developments in this field. We summarize the methods currently used to form metal-molecule-metal structures and some single-molecule techniques essential for characterizing molecular junctions such as inelastic electron tunnelling spectroscopy. We then highlight several important achievements, including demonstration of single-molecule diodes, transistors, and switches that make use of electrical, photo, and mechanical stimulation to control the electron transport. We also discuss intriguing issues to be addressed further in the future such as heat and thermoelectric transport in an individual molecule. PMID:22969345

Twinning processes in Cu-Al-Ni martensite single crystals investigated by neutron single crystal diffraction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molnar, P.; Sittner, P.; Novak, V.; Lukas, P.

2008-01-01

A neutron single crystal diffraction method for inspecting the quality of martensite single crystals is introduced. True interface-free martensite single crystals are indispensable for, e.g. measurement of elastic constants of phases by ultrasonic techniques. The neutron diffraction method was used to detect and distinguish the presence of individual lattice correspondence variants of the 2H orthorhombic martensite phase in Cu-Al-Ni as well as to follow the activity of twinning processes during the deformation test on the martensite variant single crystals. When preparing the martensite single variant prism-shaped crystals by compression deformation method, typically a small fraction of second unwanted martensitic variant (compound twin) remains in the prism samples. Due to the very low stress (∼1 MPa) for the compound twinning in many shape memory alloys, it is quite difficult not only to deplete the martensite prisms of all internal interfaces but mainly to keep them in the martensite single variant state for a long time needed for further investigations

Single-electron charging effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruggiero, S.T.

1990-01-01

The status of our project on single-electron tunneling is at this point excellent. As outlined in our original proposal, a key goal in the development of this project was the demonstration and exploration of the microwave properties of single-electron systems. As discussed here, such work has to date been carried out

Dynamic Properties of Glass-Formers Governed by the Frequency Dispersion of the Structural α-Relaxation: Examples from Prilocaine.

Science.gov (United States)

Wojnarowska, Z; Rams-Baron, M; Knapik, J; Ngai, K L; Kruk, D; Paluch, M

2015-10-01

General and fundamental properties of glass-formers of various chemical bonding and physical structures have been found in the recent past. These important findings should be key to gain basic understanding of the dynamics at all time scales leading to glass transition. However, the entirety of these general properties has not been found in a single glass-former. For others to appreciate the importance of these properties, they need to collect the supporting experimental data from different glass-formers scattered over many publications. This hurdle may account for the current lack of universal recognition of the importance of these general properties by the research community. In this paper we present experimental studies of the dynamic processes over a broad range of time scales of a single glass-former, prilocaine. Practically the entire collection of fundamental properties has been found in this system. The advance should heighten the awareness of the importance of these properties in anyone's effort to solve the glass transition problem.

Alcohol sensor based on single-mode-multimode-single-mode fiber structure

Science.gov (United States)

Mefina Yulias, R.; Hatta, A. M.; Sekartedjo, Sekartedjo

2016-11-01

Alcohol sensor based on Single-mode -Multimode-Single-mode (SMS) fiber structure is being proposed to sense alcohol concentration in alcohol-water mixtures. This proposed sensor uses refractive index sensing as its sensing principle. Fabricated SMS fiber structure had 40 m of multimode length. With power input -6 dBm and wavelength 1550 nm, the proposed sensor showed good response with sensitivity 1,983 dB per % v/v with measurement range 05 % v/v and measurement span 0,5% v/v.

Investigation on single carbon atom transporting through the single-walled carbon nanotube by MD simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Yinfeng; Zhang Zhibin; Ke Xuezhi; Zhu Zhiyuan; Zhu Dezhang; Wang Zhenxia; Xu Hongjie

2005-01-01

The single carbon atom transporting through the single-walled carbon nanotube has been studied by molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation. We got different trajectories of the carbon atom by changing the input parameters. The simulation results indicate that the single carbon atom with low energy can transport through the carbon nanotube under some input conditions and result in different trajectories being straight line or 'rosette' or circular. (authors)

Preface: Special Topic on Single-Molecule Biophysics.

Science.gov (United States)

Makarov, Dmitrii E; Schuler, Benjamin

2018-03-28

Single-molecule measurements are now almost routinely used to study biological systems and processes. The scope of this special topic emphasizes the physics side of single-molecule observations, with the goal of highlighting new developments in physical techniques as well as conceptual insights that single-molecule measurements bring to biophysics. This issue also comprises recent advances in theoretical physical models of single-molecule phenomena, interpretation of single-molecule signals, and fundamental areas of statistical mechanics that are related to single-molecule observations. A particular goal is to illustrate the increasing synergy between theory, simulation, and experiment in single-molecule biophysics.

Single-port laparoscopic myomectomy using a new single-port transumbilical morcellation system: initial clinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yong-Wook; Park, Byung-Joon; Ro, Duck-Yeong; Kim, Tae-Eung

2010-01-01

To evaluate the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic myomectomy with transumbilical morcellation and suturing. Continuing prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). University hospital. Fifteen patients who underwent single-port laparoscopic myomectomy between September 2008 and October 2009 to remove single or multiple uterine myomas, at least 1 in each patient measuring greater than 4 cm in diameter. All single-port laparoscopic myomectomy procedures were performed by a single surgeon (Dr. Y.W. Kim). Myomas were extracted transumbilically by cutting the myomas into smaller pieces with a knife or a conventional electromechanical morcellator. After making a single 1.5- to 2.0-cm umbilical incision, the single-port system, created with a wound retractor and a surgical glove, was inserted. All operations were performed using conventional rigid straight laparoscopic instruments. Laparoscopic suturing was performed in intramural myomas and some subserosal myomas. Patient mean (SD; range) age was 38.3 (5.6; 29-49) years. The number of myomas per patient was 1.6 (1.4; 1-6). The diameter of the largest myomas was 6.1 (1.5; 4.2-9.6) cm. In 4 patients, only a knife was required for transumbilical extraction of myomas, and in 11 patients, transumbilical morcellation with an electromechanical morcellator with or without a knife was used. Transumbilical drainage tubes were inserted into the pelvic cavity in 11 of 15 patients. Operative time was 96.7 (33.8; 35-150) minutes. The decrease in postoperative hemoglobin concentration was 1.8 (1.2; 0.4-3.6) g/dL. During the operations, no patients required blood transfusion. No patients developed postoperative fever. Neither bowel injury nor urinary tract injury occurred in any patient. The postoperative hospital stay was 3.1 (0.8; 2-4) days. Single-port transumbilical morcellation using a conventional electromechanical morcellator with or without a knife is feasible. Single-port laparoscopic myomectomy is an

Single Mother Parenting and Adolescent Psychopathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Daryanani, Issar; Hamilton, Jessica L; Abramson, Lyn Y; Alloy, Lauren B

2016-10-01

Children raised in single-mother families are at increased risk for psychopathology, but the mechanisms that help explain this relationship are understudied. In a community sample of diverse adolescents (N = 385, 52 % female, 48 % Caucasian) and their mothers, we hypothesized that single mothers would be more likely than cohabitating mothers to engage in negative parenting behaviors, which would predict adolescent psychopathology prospectively. Single mothers were more likely to engage in psychologically controlling behaviors, which predicted to their adolescent offspring experiencing higher rates of depressive symptoms and externalizing disorders. Girls were more susceptible to depressive symptoms via psychologically controlling parenting than boys in single-mother families. Further, single mothers were more likely to engage in rejecting parenting behaviors, which predicted to a higher prevalence of adolescent externalizing disorders. Surprisingly, rejection in single-mother families predicted to less severe anxiety symptoms in adolescents relative to two-parent families. It is likely that single mothers are not inherently inferior parents relative to cohabitating mothers; rather, their parenting practices are often compromised by a myriad of demands and stressors. Consistent with this postulate, low socioeconomic status was associated with single motherhood and negative parenting behaviors. Clinical implications and study limitations are discussed.

Single-electron charging effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruggiero, S.T.

1991-01-01

The status of our project on single-electron tunneling is, again, excellent. As outlined in our original proposal, a key goal in the development of this project was the demonstration and exploration of the microwave properties of single-electron system. As discussed in this paper such work has to data been carried out. Also as discussed in our previous progress report, the next step in the experimental evolution of the project will be to use lithographically-defined small dots as capacitors as outlined in our proposal. At this point we have made such microdotsdots as will be discussed. We have also continued our work with metal droplets to form single-electron tunnel systems

Single-photon decision maker

Science.gov (United States)

Naruse, Makoto; Berthel, Martin; Drezet, Aurélien; Huant, Serge; Aono, Masashi; Hori, Hirokazu; Kim, Song-Ju

2015-08-01

Decision making is critical in our daily lives and for society in general and is finding evermore practical applications in information and communication technologies. Herein, we demonstrate experimentally that single photons can be used to make decisions in uncertain, dynamically changing environments. Using a nitrogen-vacancy in a nanodiamond as a single-photon source, we demonstrate the decision-making capability by solving the multi-armed bandit problem. This capability is directly and immediately associated with single-photon detection in the proposed architecture, leading to adequate and adaptive autonomous decision making. This study makes it possible to create systems that benefit from the quantum nature of light to perform practical and vital intelligent functions.

Mega starbirth cluster is biggest, brightest and hottest ever seen

Science.gov (United States)

2003-10-01

Artist’s impression of the Lynx Arc hi-res Size hi-res: 4519 kb Credits: European Space Agency, NASA and Robert A.E. Fosbury (European Space Agency/Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility, Germany) Artist’s impression of the Lynx Arc This illustration shows an artist’s impression of the so-called Lynx arc, a newly identified distant super-cluster that contains a million blue-white stars twice as hot as similar stars in our Milky Way galaxy. The Lynx arc is one million times brighter than the well-known Orion Nebula, a nearby prototypical ‘starbirth’ region visible with small telescopes. The stars in the Lynx arc are more than twice as hot as the Orion Nebula’s central stars, with surface temperatures up to 80 000°C. Though there are much bigger and brighter star-forming regions than the Orion Nebula in our local Universe, none are as bright as the Lynx arc, nor do they contain such large numbers of hot stars. The stars are so hot that a very large fraction of their light is emitted in the ultraviolet that makes the gas glow with the green and red colours illustrated here. The so-called Lynx Arc is one million times brighter than the well-known Orion Nebula, a nearby prototypical 'starbirth' region visible with small telescopes. The newly identified super-cluster contains a million blue-white stars that are twice as hot as similar stars in our Milky Way galaxy. It is a rarely glimpsed example of the early days of the Universe where furious firestorms of starbirth blazed across the skies. The spectacular cluster's opulence is dimmed when seen from Earth only by the fact that it is 12 000 million light years away. The discovery of this unique and tantalising object was the result of a systematic study of distant clusters of galaxies carried out with major X-ray, optical and infrared telescopes, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, ROSAT and the Keck Telescopes. Bob Fosbury, of the European Space Agency's Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility in Germany, and a team of international co-authors report the discovery in the 20 October 2003 issue of the Astrophysical Journal. The mega-cluster of stars appears as a puzzling red arc behind a distant galaxy cluster 5400 million light-years away in the northern constellation of Lynx. The arc is the stretched and magnified image of a mysterious celestial object about 12 000 million light-years away (at a redshift of 3.36), far beyond the cluster of galaxies. This means that the remote source existed when the Universe was less than 2000 million years old. Fosbury and colleagues first tried to identify the arc by analysing the light from the object, but the team was not able to recognise the pattern of colours in the spectral signature of the remote object. While looking for matches with the colour spectrum, Fosbury realised that the light was related to that of the nearby Orion Nebula, a star-forming region in our own Milky Way. However where the Orion Nebula is powered by only four hot and bright blue stars, the Lynx Arc must contain around a million such stars! Furthermore, the spectrum shows that the stars in the Lynx Arc are more than twice as hot as the Orion Nebula's central stars, with surface temperatures up to 80 000°C. Though there are much bigger and brighter star-forming regions than the Orion Nebula in our local Universe, none are as bright as the Lynx Arc, nor do they contain such large numbers of hot stars. Even the most massive, normal nearby stars are no hotter than around 40 000°C. However, stars forming from the original, pristine gas in the early Universe can be more massive and consequently much hotter - perhaps up to 120 000°C. The earliest stars may have been as much as several hundred solar masses, but the chemical make-up of the Universe today prevents stars from forming beyond about 100 solar masses. Such 'primordial' super-hot stars are thought to be the first luminous objects to condense after the Big Bang cooled. Astronomers believe that these first 'monster' stars formed considerably earlier than the Lynx Arc - up to 1800 million years earlier. "This remarkable object is the closest we have come so far to seeing what such primordial objects might look like when our telescopes become powerful enough to see them," says Fosbury. The desire to find and study the first luminous objects in the Universe is the main scientific drive behind the construction of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2011. Notes for editors The team is composed of R. A. E. Fosbury (European Space Agency/Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility, Germany), M. Villar-Martín and A. Humphrey (University of Hertfordshire, UK), M. Lombardi and P. Rosati (European Southern Observatory, Germany), D. Stern (Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, USA), R. N. Hook (ST-ECF/STScI, USA), B. P. Holden and S. A. Stanford (University of California, USA), G. K. Squires (SIRTF Science Center, USA), M. Rauch (The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, USA) and W. L. W. Sargent (California Institute of Technology, USA). For broadcasters, animations of the discovery, interviews and general Hubble Space Telescope background footage are available from the ESA Television Service, see http://television.esa.int, and from http://www.spacetelescope.org/video/heic0312_vnr.html

The Biggest Stick: The Employment of Artillery Units in Counterinsurgency

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-10

83 59Riley Sunderland, Organizing Counterinsurgency in Malaya, 1947-1960 (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1964), 17. 60The Virgin Soldiers, ―British...on the night of 30-31 January 1968 in the midst of the largest holiday on the Vietnamese calendar, and it culminated within two weeks except in Hue...executed bodies per month to a pacified environment in which locals brought American soldiers food on holidays .191 The glaring negative effect was

Misreporting and econometric modelling of zeros in survey data on social bads: An application to cannabis consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, William; Harris, Mark N; Srivastava, Preety; Zhao, Xueyan

2018-02-01

When modelling "social bads," such as illegal drug consumption, researchers are often faced with a dependent variable characterised by a large number of zero observations. Building on the recent literature on hurdle and double-hurdle models, we propose a double-inflated modelling framework, where the zero observations are allowed to come from the following: nonparticipants; participant misreporters (who have larger loss functions associated with a truthful response); and infrequent consumers. Due to our empirical application, the model is derived for the case of an ordered discrete-dependent variable. However, it is similarly possible to augment other such zero-inflated models (e.g., zero-inflated count models, and double-hurdle models for continuous variables). The model is then applied to a consumer choice problem of cannabis consumption. We estimate that 17% of the reported zeros in the cannabis survey are from individuals who misreport their participation, 11% from infrequent users, and only 72% from true nonparticipants. © 2017 The Authors Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Long-term effects of acoustic reafference training (ART).

Science.gov (United States)

Pizzera, Alexandra; Hohmann, Tanja; Streese, Lukas; Habbig, Anja; Raab, Markus

2017-11-01

In sport visual feedback is often used to enhance performance, mostly neglecting the auditory modality. However, athletes produce natural sounds when they move (acoustic reafferences) which they perceive and use to control their movements. We examined the short- and long-term effects of a training intervention on a complex movement by using acoustic reafferences. Natural step sounds produced during hurdling were recorded and played back to the participants immediately before each trial, with an increase (fast group), decrease (slow group), or no manipulation (control group) in the tempo. All groups increased their hurdling performance regarding overall running time, with the slow group showing the best performance development. After a 10-week retention, the fast and slow group further increased performance, whereas the control group declined. The repeated experience with acoustic information associated with the rhythmic pattern of hurdling may have helped developing a cognitive representation of that movement, especially regarding long-term effects.

85,000-GPM, single-stage, single-suction LMFBR intermediate centrifugal pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fair, C.E.; Cook, M.E.; Huber, K.A.; Rohde, R.

1983-01-01

The mechanical and hydraulic design features of the 85,000-gpm, single-stage, single-suction pump test article, which is designed to circulate liquid-sodium coolant in the intermediate heat-transport system of a Large-Scale Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LS-LMFBR), are described. The design and analytical considerations used to satisfy the pump performance and operability requirements are presented. The validation of pump hydraulic performance using a hydraulic scale-model pump is discussed, as is the featute test for the mechanical-shaft seal system

Single-Gender Schools Scrutinized

Science.gov (United States)

Zubrzycki, Jaclyn

2012-01-01

This article reports on a study on publicly run schools in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago which has found that, while single-sex schools may benefit female students who prefer a single-sex environment, they are not inherently beneficial for boys or most girls. While the findings are based on data from one Caribbean nation, experts say they…

Nanodiamond Emitters of Single Photons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlasov I.I.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Luminescence properties of single color centers were studied in nanodiamonds of different origin. It was found that single photon emitters could be realized even in molecularsized diamond (less than 2 nm capable of housing stable luminescent center “silicon-vacancy.” First results on incorporation of single-photon emitters based on luminescent nanodiamonds in plasmonic nanoantennas to enhance the photon count rate and directionality, diminish the fluorescence decay time, and provide polarization selectivity are presented.

Single Molecule Applications of Quantum Dots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Thomas Elmelund; Jauffred, Liselotte; Brewer, Jonathan R.

2013-01-01

Fluorescent nanocrystals composed of semiconductor materials were first introduced for biological applications in the late 1990s. The focus of this review is to give a brief survey of biological applications of quantum dots (QDs) at the single QD sensitivity level. These are described as follows: 1......) QD blinking and bleaching statistics, 2) the use of QDs in high speed single particle tracking with a special focus on how to design the biofunctional coatings of QDs which enable specific targeting to single proteins or lipids of interest, 3) a hybrid lipid-DNA analogue binding QDs which allows...... for tracking single lipids in lipid bilayers, 4) two-photon fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of QDs and 5) optical trapping and excitation of single QDs. In all of these applications, the focus is on the single particle sensitivity level of QDs. The high applicability of QDs in live cell imaging...

Single top t-channel

CERN Document Server

Faltermann, Nils

2017-01-01

The production of single top quarks allows to study the interplay of top quark physics and the electroweak sector of the standard model. Deviations from predictions can be a hint for physics beyond the standard model. The t-channel is the dominant production mode for single top quarks at the LHC. This talk presents the latest measurements from the ATLAS and CMS collaborations.

Single-molecule dynamics in nanofabricated traps

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Adam

2009-03-01

The Anti-Brownian Electrokinetic trap (ABEL trap) provides a means to immobilize a single fluorescent molecule in solution, without surface attachment chemistry. The ABEL trap works by tracking the Brownian motion of a single molecule, and applying feedback electric fields to induce an electrokinetic motion that approximately cancels the Brownian motion. We present a new design for the ABEL trap that allows smaller molecules to be trapped and more information to be extracted from the dynamics of a single molecule than was previously possible. In particular, we present strategies for extracting dynamically fluctuating mobilities and diffusion coefficients, as a means to probe dynamic changes in molecular charge and shape. If one trapped molecule is good, many trapped molecules are better. An array of single molecules in solution, each immobilized without surface attachment chemistry, provides an ideal test-bed for single-molecule analyses of intramolecular dynamics and intermolecular interactions. We present a technology for creating such an array, using a fused silica plate with nanofabricated dimples and a removable cover for sealing single molecules within the dimples. With this device one can watch the shape fluctuations of single molecules of DNA or study cooperative interactions in weakly associating protein complexes.

Single-Parent Families in Rural Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Ken

1978-01-01

Presenting national statistics on single-parent families, this article illustrates the need for serious study of this phenomenon, suggesting that changing divorce laws, increased single-parent adoptions, and an increase in the number of supportive services for single-parent families are contingencies having significant bearing upon the…

The Foundations for Learning Campaign: helping hand or hurdle ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

One initiative taken by the Department was to launch the Foundations for Learning Campaign, a four-year national literacy and numeracy programme, in 2008. The Campaign entails amongst other things providing teachers with lesson plans and the resources needed for effective teaching and assessment. In view of the ...

Hopes & Hurdles: California Foster Youth and College Financial Aid

Science.gov (United States)

Cochrane, Deborah Frankle; Szabo-Kubitz, Laura

2009-01-01

This report examines why former foster youth in California are not receiving the aid they are likely eligible for, from inadequate or poorly targeted information about college costs and financial aid to structural obstacles within the aid process and programs. While many of this report's findings and recommendations are specific to foster youth,…

BEACON: A Summary Framework to Overcome Potential Reimbursement Hurdles.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunlop, William C N; Mullins, C Daniel; Pirk, Olaf; Goeree, Ron; Postma, Maarten J; Enstone, Ashley; Heron, Louise

2016-10-01

To provide a framework for addressing payers' criteria during the development of pharmaceuticals. A conceptual framework was presented to an international health economic expert panel for discussion. A structured literature search (from 2010 to May 2015), using the following databases in Ovid: Medline(®) and Medline(®) In-Process (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), EconLit (EBSCOhost) and the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), and a 'grey literature' search, were conducted to identify existing criteria from the payer perspective. The criteria assessed by existing frameworks and guidelines were collated; the most commonly reported criteria were considered for inclusion in the framework. A mnemonic was conceived as a memory aide to summarise these criteria. Overall, 41 publications were identified as potentially relevant to the objective. Following further screening, 26 were excluded upon full-text review on the basis of no framework presented (n = 13), redundancy (n = 11) or abstract only (n = 2). Frameworks that captured criteria developed for or utilised by the pharmaceutical industry (n = 5) and reimbursement guidance (n = 10) were reviewed. The most commonly identified criteria-unmet need/patient burden, safety, efficacy, quality-of-life outcomes, environment, evidence quality, budget impact and comparator-were incorporated into the summary framework. For ease of communication, the following mnemonic was developed: BEACON (Burden/target population, Environment, Affordability/value, Comparator, Outcomes, Number of studies/quality of evidence). The BEACON framework aims to capture the 'essence' of payer requirements by addressing the most commonly described criteria requested by payers regarding the introduction of a new pharmaceutical.

BEACON : A Summary Framework to Overcome Potential Reimbursement Hurdles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dunlop, William C. N.; Mullins, C. Daniel; Pirk, Olaf; Goeree, Ron; Postma, Maarten J.; Enstone, Ashley; Heron, Louise

2016-01-01

Objective To provide a framework for addressing payers' criteria during the development of pharmaceuticals. Methods A conceptual framework was presented to an international health economic expert panel for discussion. A structured literature search (from 2010 to May 2015), using the following

Microfluidics for biological analysis: Triumphs and hurdles of CD ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Finally, an overview of the challenges ... with solutions and a forward-looking description of a system that can be used both in and ... Finally, challenges and solutions ..... discuss in detail how these methods work, but ..... forms, and is a result of the balance between cen- ..... laboratory (e.g., shelf-life for a commercial product.

single crystals

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2018-05-18

May 18, 2018 ... Abstract. 4-Nitrobenzoic acid (4-NBA) single crystals were studied for their linear and nonlinear optical ... studies on the proper growth, linear and nonlinear optical ..... between the optic axes and optic sign of the biaxial crystal.

Comparative Study of Phase Transformation in Single-Crystal Germanium during Single and Cyclic Nanoindentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koji Kosai

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Single-crystal germanium is a semiconductor material which shows complicated phase transformation under high pressure. In this study, new insight into the phase transformation of diamond-cubic germanium (dc-Ge was attempted by controlled cyclic nanoindentation combined with Raman spectroscopic analysis. Phase transformation from dc-Ge to rhombohedral phase (r8-Ge was experimentally confirmed for both single and cyclic nanoindentation under high loading/unloading rates. However, compared to single indentation, double cyclic indentation with a low holding load between the cycles caused more frequent phase transformation events. Double cyclic indentation caused more stress in Ge than single indentation and increased the possibility of phase transformation. With increase in the holding load, the number of phase transformation events decreased and finally became less than that under single indentation. This phenomenon was possibly caused by defect nucleation and shear accumulation during the holding process, which were promoted by a high holding load. The defect nucleation suppressed the phase transformation from dc-Ge to r8-Ge, and shear accumulation led to another phase transformation pathway, respectively. A high holding load promoted these two phenomena, and thus decreased the possibility of phase transformation from dc-Ge to r8-Ge.

Single well techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drost, W.

1983-01-01

The single well technique method includes measurement of parameters of groundwater flow in saturated rock. For determination of filtration velocity the dilution of radioactive tracer is measured, for direction logging the collimeter is rotated in the probe linked with the compass. The limiting factor for measurement of high filtration velocities is the occurrence of turbulent flow. The single well technique is used in civil engineering projects, water works and subsurface drainage of liquid waste from disposal sites. The radioactive tracer method for logging the vertical fluid movement in bore-holes is broadly used in groundwater survey and exploitation. (author)

Single Particle Entropy in Heated Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guttormsen, M.; Chankova, R.; Hjorth-Jensen, M.; Rekstad, J.; Siem, S.; Sunde, A. C.; Syed, N. U. H.; Agvaanluvsan, U.; Schiller, A.; Voinov, A.

2006-01-01

The thermal motion of single particles represents the largest contribution to level density (or entropy) in atomic nuclei. The concept of single particle entropy is presented and shown to be an approximate extensive (additive) quantity for mid-shell nuclei. A few applications of single particle entropy are demonstrated

Single-event effect ground test issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koga, R.

1996-01-01

Ground-based single event effect (SEE) testing of microcircuits permits characterization of device susceptibility to various radiation induced disturbances, including: (1) single event upset (SEU) and single event latchup (SEL) in digital microcircuits; (2) single event gate rupture (SEGR), and single event burnout (SEB) in power transistors; and (3) bit errors in photonic devices. These characterizations can then be used to generate predictions of device performance in the space radiation environment. This paper provides a general overview of ground-based SEE testing and examines in critical depth several underlying conceptual constructs relevant to the conduct of such tests and to the proper interpretation of results. These more traditional issues are contrasted with emerging concerns related to the testing of modern, advanced microcircuits

Flexible single-incision surgery: a fusion technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Noguera, José F; Dolz, Carlos; Cuadrado, Angel; Olea, José; García, Juan

2013-06-01

The development of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery has led to other techniques, such as single-incision surgery. The use of the flexible endoscope for single-incision surgery paves the way for further refinement of both surgical methods. To describe a new, single-incision surgical technique, namely, flexible single-incision surgery. Assessment of the safety and effectiveness of endoscopic cholecystectomy in a series of 30 patients. This technique consists of a single umbilical incision through which a flexible endoscope is introduced and consists of 2 parallel entry ports that provide access to nonarticulated laparoscopic instruments. The technique was applied in all patients for whom it was prescribed. No general or surgical wound complications were noted. Surgical time was no longer than usual for single-port surgery. Flexible single-incision surgery is a new single-site surgical technique offering the same level of patient safety, with additional advantages for the surgeon at minimal cost.

Adverse selection without single crossing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schottmüller, Christoph

2015-01-01

The single-crossing assumption simplifies the analysis of screening models as local incentive compatibility becomes sufficient for global incentive compatibility. If single crossing is violated, global incentive compatibility constraints have to be taken into account. This paper studies monotone...... solutions in a screening model that allows a one-time violation of single crossing. The results show that local and non-local incentive constraints distort the solution in opposite directions. Therefore, the optimal decision might involve distortions above as well as below the first-best decision...

Analysis of InP-based single photon avalanche diodes based on a single recess-etching process

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kiwon

2018-04-01

Effects of the different etching techniques have been investigated by analyzing electrical and optical characteristics of two-types of single-diffused single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The fabricated two-types of SPADs have no diffusion depth variation by using a single diffusion process at the same time. The dry-etched SPADs show higher temperature dependence of a breakdown voltage, larger dark-count-rate (DCR), and lower photon-detection-efficiency (PDE) than those of the wet-etched SPADs due to plasma-induced damage of dry-etching process. The results show that the dry etching damages can more significantly affect the performance of the SPADs based on a single recess-etching process.

Ultrafast time measurements by time-correlated single photon counting coupled with superconducting single photon detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shcheslavskiy, V., E-mail: vis@becker-hickl.de; Becker, W. [Becker & Hickl GmbH, Nahmitzer Damm 30, 12277 Berlin (Germany); Morozov, P.; Divochiy, A. [Scontel, Rossolimo St., 5/22-1, Moscow 119021 (Russian Federation); Vakhtomin, Yu. [Scontel, Rossolimo St., 5/22-1, Moscow 119021 (Russian Federation); Moscow State Pedagogical University, 1/1 M. Pirogovskaya St., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Smirnov, K. [Scontel, Rossolimo St., 5/22-1, Moscow 119021 (Russian Federation); Moscow State Pedagogical University, 1/1 M. Pirogovskaya St., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow 101000 (Russian Federation)

2016-05-15

Time resolution is one of the main characteristics of the single photon detectors besides quantum efficiency and dark count rate. We demonstrate here an ultrafast time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) setup consisting of a newly developed single photon counting board SPC-150NX and a superconducting NbN single photon detector with a sensitive area of 7 × 7 μm. The combination delivers a record instrument response function with a full width at half maximum of 17.8 ps and system quantum efficiency ∼15% at wavelength of 1560 nm. A calculation of the root mean square value of the timing jitter for channels with counts more than 1% of the peak value yielded about 7.6 ps. The setup has also good timing stability of the detector–TCSPC board.

Single port laparoscopic surgery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Springborg, Henrik; Istre, Olav

2012-01-01

LESS, or laparo-endoscopic single site surgery, is a promising new method in minimally invasive surgery. An increasing number of surgical procedures are being performed using this technique, however, its large-scale adoption awaits results of prospective randomized controlled studies confirming...... potential benefits. Theoretically, cosmetic outcomes, postoperative pain and complication rates could be improved with use of single site surgery. This study describes introduction of the method in a private hospital in Denmark, in which 40 patients have been treated for benign gynecologic conditions....... Although the operations described are the first of their kind reported in Denmark, favorable operating times and very low complication rates are seen. It is the authors' opinion that in addition to being feasible for hysterectomy, single port laparoscopy may become the preferred method for many simple...

Technologies for Single-Cell Isolation

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Andre; Schoendube, Jonas; Zimmermann, Stefan; Steeb, Maximilian; Zengerle, Roland; Koltay, Peter

2015-01-01

The handling of single cells is of great importance in applications such as cell line development or single-cell analysis, e.g., for cancer research or for emerging diagnostic methods. This review provides an overview of technologies that are currently used or in development to isolate single cells for subsequent single-cell analysis. Data from a dedicated online market survey conducted to identify the most relevant technologies, presented here for the first time, shows that FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting) respectively Flow cytometry (33% usage), laser microdissection (17%), manual cell picking (17%), random seeding/dilution (15%), and microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices (12%) are currently the most frequently used technologies. These most prominent technologies are described in detail and key performance factors are discussed. The survey data indicates a further increasing interest in single-cell isolation tools for the coming years. Additionally, a worldwide patent search was performed to screen for emerging technologies that might become relevant in the future. In total 179 patents were found, out of which 25 were evaluated by screening the title and abstract to be relevant to the field. PMID:26213926

Technologies for Single-Cell Isolation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andre Gross

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The handling of single cells is of great importance in applications such as cell line development or single-cell analysis, e.g., for cancer research or for emerging diagnostic methods. This review provides an overview of technologies that are currently used or in development to isolate single cells for subsequent single-cell analysis. Data from a dedicated online market survey conducted to identify the most relevant technologies, presented here for the first time, shows that FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting respectively Flow cytometry (33% usage, laser microdissection (17%, manual cell picking (17%, random seeding/dilution (15%, and microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices (12% are currently the most frequently used technologies. These most prominent technologies are described in detail and key performance factors are discussed. The survey data indicates a further increasing interest in single-cell isolation tools for the coming years. Additionally, a worldwide patent search was performed to screen for emerging technologies that might become relevant in the future. In total 179 patents were found, out of which 25 were evaluated by screening the title and abstract to be relevant to the field.

Technologies for Single-Cell Isolation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Andre; Schoendube, Jonas; Zimmermann, Stefan; Steeb, Maximilian; Zengerle, Roland; Koltay, Peter

2015-07-24

The handling of single cells is of great importance in applications such as cell line development or single-cell analysis, e.g., for cancer research or for emerging diagnostic methods. This review provides an overview of technologies that are currently used or in development to isolate single cells for subsequent single-cell analysis. Data from a dedicated online market survey conducted to identify the most relevant technologies, presented here for the first time, shows that FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting) respectively Flow cytometry (33% usage), laser microdissection (17%), manual cell picking (17%), random seeding/dilution (15%), and microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices (12%) are currently the most frequently used technologies. These most prominent technologies are described in detail and key performance factors are discussed. The survey data indicates a further increasing interest in single-cell isolation tools for the coming years. Additionally, a worldwide patent search was performed to screen for emerging technologies that might become relevant in the future. In total 179 patents were found, out of which 25 were evaluated by screening the title and abstract to be relevant to the field.

Diamond-based single-photon emitters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aharonovich, I; Castelletto, S; Simpson, D A; Su, C-H; Greentree, A D; Prawer, S

2011-01-01

The exploitation of emerging quantum technologies requires efficient fabrication of key building blocks. Sources of single photons are extremely important across many applications as they can serve as vectors for quantum information-thereby allowing long-range (perhaps even global-scale) quantum states to be made and manipulated for tasks such as quantum communication or distributed quantum computation. At the single-emitter level, quantum sources also afford new possibilities in terms of nanoscopy and bio-marking. Color centers in diamond are prominent candidates to generate and manipulate quantum states of light, as they are a photostable solid-state source of single photons at room temperature. In this review, we discuss the state of the art of diamond-based single-photon emitters and highlight their fabrication methodologies. We present the experimental techniques used to characterize the quantum emitters and discuss their photophysical properties. We outline a number of applications including quantum key distribution, bio-marking and sub-diffraction imaging, where diamond-based single emitters are playing a crucial role. We conclude with a discussion of the main challenges and perspectives for employing diamond emitters in quantum information processing.

The Promise of Single-Sex Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Stotsky, Sandra

2012-01-01

Despite the enthusiasm and the absence of definitive research on the pros and cons of single-sex classes, a 2011 article in Science, titled "The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling," by a new organization called American Council for CoEducational Schooling (ACCES) came out with the astonishing conclusion that single-sex education is…

Meeting the Needs of Single-Parent Families.

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Myrna R.; Haynes, Judith A.

1992-01-01

Schools can better meet the needs of single-parent families in the following ways: (1) acknowledge the diversity of single-parent families; (2) avoid assumptions about single-parent families; (3) provide educators with information about differing family structures; and (4) facilitate the connection between single parents and schools. (11…

Approaches to single-nanoparticle catalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sambur, Justin B; Chen, Peng

2014-01-01

Nanoparticles are among the most important industrial catalysts, with applications ranging from chemical manufacturing to energy conversion and storage. Heterogeneity is a general feature among these nanoparticles, with their individual differences in size, shape, and surface sites leading to variable, particle-specific catalytic activity. Assessing the activity of individual nanoparticles, preferably with subparticle resolution, is thus desired and vital to the development of efficient catalysts. It is challenging to measure the activity of single-nanoparticle catalysts, however. Several experimental approaches have been developed to monitor catalysis on single nanoparticles, including electrochemical methods, single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, X-ray microscopy, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This review focuses on these experimental approaches, the associated methods and strategies, and selected applications in studying single-nanoparticle catalysis with chemical selectivity, sensitivity, or subparticle spatial resolution.

Microfluidics for single cell analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Marie Pødenphant

Isolation and manipulation of single cells have gained an increasing interest from researchers because of the heterogeneity of cells from the same cell culture. Single cell analysis can ensure a better understanding of differences between individual cells and potentially solve a variety of clinical...... problems. In this thesis lab on a chip systems for rare single cell analysis are investigated. The focus was to develop a commercial, disposable device for circulating tumour cell (CTC) analysis. Such a device must be able to separate rare cells from blood samples and subsequently capture the specific...... cells, and simultaneously be fabricated and operated at low costs and be user-friendly. These challenges were addressed through development of two microfluidic devices, one for rare cell isolation based on pinched flow fractionation (PFF) and one for single cell capture based on hydrodynamic trapping...

Together or Separate: Disentangling the Effects of Single-Sex Schooling from the Effects of Single-Sex Schools

OpenAIRE

Do Won Kwak; Hyejin Ku

2013-01-01

To separately identify the effects of single-sex “schooling†versus single- sex “schools†, we exploit two unusual experiments in South Korea: students are randomly assigned to academic high schools within districts regardless of school types, and some schools changed their types from single-sex to coeducational over time. While the overall effects of attending a single-sex school are positive for both boys and girls, these are driven by the differences in resources between school types...

The influence of single bursts vs. single spikes at excitatory dendrodendritic synapses

Science.gov (United States)

Masurkar, Arjun V.; Chen, Wei R.

2015-01-01

The synchronization of neuronal activity is thought to enhance information processing. There is much evidence supporting rhythmically bursting external tufted cells (ETCs) of the rodent olfactory bulb glomeruli coordinating the activation of glomerular interneurons and mitral cells via dendrodendritic excitation. However, as bursting has variable significance at axodendritic cortical synapses, it is not clear if ETC bursting imparts a specific functional advantage over the preliminary spike in dendrodendritic synaptic networks. To answer this question, we investigated the influence of single ETC bursts and spikes with the in-vitro rat olfactory bulb preparation at different levels of processing, via calcium imaging of presynaptic ETC dendrites, dual electrical recording of ETC–interneuron synaptic pairs, and multicellular calcium imaging of ETC-induced population activity. Our findings supported single ETC bursts, vs. single spikes, driving robust presynaptic calcium signaling, which in turn was associated with profound extension of the initial monosynaptic spike-driven dendrodendritic excitatory postsynaptic potential. This extension could be driven by either the spike-dependent or spike-independent components of the burst. At the population level, burst-induced excitation was more widespread and reliable compared with single spikes. This further supports the ETC network, in part due to a functional advantage of bursting at excitatory dendrodendritic synapses, coordinating synchronous activity at behaviorally relevant frequencies related to odor processing in vivo. PMID:22277089

Single-instruction multiple-data execution

CERN Document Server

Hughes, Christopher J

2015-01-01

Having hit power limitations to even more aggressive out-of-order execution in processor cores, many architects in the past decade have turned to single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) execution to increase single-threaded performance. SIMD execution, or having a single instruction drive execution of an identical operation on multiple data items, was already well established as a technique to efficiently exploit data parallelism. Furthermore, support for it was already included in many commodity processors. However, in the past decade, SIMD execution has seen a dramatic increase in the set of

Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump Racing Data, 2012–2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Ruse

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period, with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a jump race (0.51%. There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075% and steeplechases, 14 fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%. Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in 2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these Animals 2015, 5 1073 data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry regulation related to jump horse safety.

Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump Racing Data, 2012-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruse, Karen; Davison, Aidan; Bridle, Kerry

2015-10-22

Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period, with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a jump race (0.51%). There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075%) and steeplechases, 14 fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%). Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in 2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these Animals 2015, 5 1073 data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry regulation related to jump horse safety.

Modeling Health Care Expenditures and Use.

Science.gov (United States)

Deb, Partha; Norton, Edward C

2018-04-01

Health care expenditures and use are challenging to model because these dependent variables typically have distributions that are skewed with a large mass at zero. In this article, we describe estimation and interpretation of the effects of a natural experiment using two classes of nonlinear statistical models: one for health care expenditures and the other for counts of health care use. We extend prior analyses to test the effect of the ACA's young adult expansion on three different outcomes: total health care expenditures, office-based visits, and emergency department visits. Modeling the outcomes with a two-part or hurdle model, instead of a single-equation model, reveals that the ACA policy increased the number of office-based visits but decreased emergency department visits and overall spending.

Time-resolved brightness measurements by streaking

Science.gov (United States)

Torrance, Joshua S.; Speirs, Rory W.; McCulloch, Andrew J.; Scholten, Robert E.

2018-03-01

Brightness is a key figure of merit for charged particle beams, and time-resolved brightness measurements can elucidate the processes involved in beam creation and manipulation. Here we report on a simple, robust, and widely applicable method for the measurement of beam brightness with temporal resolution by streaking one-dimensional pepperpots, and demonstrate the technique to characterize electron bunches produced from a cold-atom electron source. We demonstrate brightness measurements with 145 ps temporal resolution and a minimum resolvable emittance of 40 nm rad. This technique provides an efficient method of exploring source parameters and will prove useful for examining the efficacy of techniques to counter space-charge expansion, a critical hurdle to achieving single-shot imaging of atomic scale targets.

Precise Placement of Metallic Nanowires on a Substrate by Localized Electric Fields and Inter-Nanowire Electrostatic Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U Hyeok Choi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Placing nanowires at the predetermined locations on a substrate represents one of the significant hurdles to be tackled for realization of heterogeneous nanowire systems. Here, we demonstrate spatially-controlled assembly of a single nanowire at the photolithographically recessed region at the electrode gap with high integration yield (~90%. Two popular routes, such as protruding electrode tips and recessed wells, for spatially-controlled nanowire alignment, are compared to investigate long-range dielectrophoretic nanowire attraction and short-range nanowire-nanowire electrostatic interaction for determining the final alignment of attracted nanowires. Furthermore, the post-assembly process has been developed and tested to make a robust electrical contact to the assembled nanowires, which removes any misaligned ones and connects the nanowires to the underlying electrodes of circuit.

Metabolic engineering with plants for a sustainable biobased economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Jong Moon; Zhao, Le; Shanks, Jacqueline V

2013-01-01

Plants are bona fide sustainable organisms because they accumulate carbon and synthesize beneficial metabolites from photosynthesis. To meet the challenges to food security and health threatened by increasing population growth and depletion of nonrenewable natural resources, recent metabolic engineering efforts have shifted from single pathways to holistic approaches with multiple genes owing to integration of omics technologies. Successful engineering of plants results in the high yield of biomass components for primary food sources and biofuel feedstocks, pharmaceuticals, and platform chemicals through synthetic biology and systems biology strategies. Further discovery of undefined biosynthesis pathways in plants, integrative analysis of discrete omics data, and diversified process developments for production of platform chemicals are essential to overcome the hurdles for sustainable production of value-added biomolecules from plants.

Single chip camera active pixel sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Timothy (Inventor); Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor); Olson, Brita (Inventor); Nixon, Robert H. (Inventor); Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor); Panicacci, Roger A. (Inventor); Mansoorian, Barmak (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A totally digital single chip camera includes communications to operate most of its structure in serial communication mode. The digital single chip camera include a D/A converter for converting an input digital word into an analog reference signal. The chip includes all of the necessary circuitry for operating the chip using a single pin.

Resolution of Single Spin-Flips of a Single Proton

CERN Document Server

Mooser, A.; Blaum, K.; Bräuninger, S.A.; Franke, K.; Leiteritz, C.; Quint, W.; Rodegheri, C.C.; Ulmer, S.; Walz, J.

2013-04-04

The spin magnetic moment of a single proton in a cryogenic Penning trap was coupled to the particle's axial motion with a superimposed magnetic bottle. Jumps in the oscillation frequency indicate spin-flips and were identified using a Bayesian analysis.

Self-Concept of Single Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Gigy, Lynn L.

1980-01-01

Explores the self-concepts of single and married women. Single women had more psychiatric symptoms, valued personal growth and achievement, and were higher on assertion and poise. Married women were more likely to identify with kinship roles and household activities. (Author)

Stable single helical C- and I-chains inside single-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Z; Li Y; Jing X D; Meng F S; Zhao X; Li J H; Qiu Z Y; Yuan Q; Wang W X; Bi L; Liu H; Zhang Y P; Liu C J; Zheng S P; Liu B B

2016-01-01

The helicity of stable single helical carbon chains and iodine chains inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is studied by calculating the systematic van der Waals interaction energy. The results show that the optimal helical radius increases linearly with increasing tube radius, which produces a constant separation between the chain structure and the tube wall. The helical angle exhibits a ladder-like decrease with increasing tube radius, indicating that a large tube can produce a small helicity in the helical structures. (paper)

Single-molecule dataset (SMD): a generalized storage format for raw and processed single-molecule data.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenfeld, Max; van de Meent, Jan-Willem; Pavlichin, Dmitri S; Mabuchi, Hideo; Wiggins, Chris H; Gonzalez, Ruben L; Herschlag, Daniel

2015-01-16

Single-molecule techniques have emerged as incisive approaches for addressing a wide range of questions arising in contemporary biological research [Trends Biochem Sci 38:30-37, 2013; Nat Rev Genet 14:9-22, 2013; Curr Opin Struct Biol 2014, 28C:112-121; Annu Rev Biophys 43:19-39, 2014]. The analysis and interpretation of raw single-molecule data benefits greatly from the ongoing development of sophisticated statistical analysis tools that enable accurate inference at the low signal-to-noise ratios frequently associated with these measurements. While a number of groups have released analysis toolkits as open source software [J Phys Chem B 114:5386-5403, 2010; Biophys J 79:1915-1927, 2000; Biophys J 91:1941-1951, 2006; Biophys J 79:1928-1944, 2000; Biophys J 86:4015-4029, 2004; Biophys J 97:3196-3205, 2009; PLoS One 7:e30024, 2012; BMC Bioinformatics 288 11(8):S2, 2010; Biophys J 106:1327-1337, 2014; Proc Int Conf Mach Learn 28:361-369, 2013], it remains difficult to compare analysis for experiments performed in different labs due to a lack of standardization. Here we propose a standardized single-molecule dataset (SMD) file format. SMD is designed to accommodate a wide variety of computer programming languages, single-molecule techniques, and analysis strategies. To facilitate adoption of this format we have made two existing data analysis packages that are used for single-molecule analysis compatible with this format. Adoption of a common, standard data file format for sharing raw single-molecule data and analysis outcomes is a critical step for the emerging and powerful single-molecule field, which will benefit both sophisticated users and non-specialists by allowing standardized, transparent, and reproducible analysis practices.

Protected quantum computing: interleaving gate operations with dynamical decoupling sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingfu; Souza, Alexandre M; Brandao, Frederico Dias; Suter, Dieter

2014-02-07

Implementing precise operations on quantum systems is one of the biggest challenges for building quantum devices in a noisy environment. Dynamical decoupling attenuates the destructive effect of the environmental noise, but so far, it has been used primarily in the context of quantum memories. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a general scheme for combining dynamical decoupling with quantum logical gate operations using the example of an electron-spin qubit of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. We achieve process fidelities >98% for gate times that are 2 orders of magnitude longer than the unprotected dephasing time T2.

Single top quark production with CMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piccolo Davide

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Measurements of single top quark production performed using the CMS experiment [1] data collected in 2011 at centre-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and in 2012 at 8 TeV, are presented. The cross sections for the electroweak production of single top quarks in the t-channel and in association with W-bosons is measured and the results are used to place constraints on the CKM matrix element Vtb. Measurements of top quark properties in single top quark production are also presented. The results include the measurement of the charge ratio in the single top t-channel.

Nano-manipulation of single DNA molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Jun; Shanghai Jiaotong Univ., Shanghai; Lv Junhong; Wang Guohua; Wang Ying; Li Minqian; Zhang Yi; Li Bin; Li Haikuo; An Hongjie

2004-01-01

Nano-manipulation of single atoms and molecules is a critical technique in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This review paper will focus on the recent development of the manipulation of single DNA molecules based on atomic force microscopy (AFM). Precise manipulation has been realized including varied manipulating modes such as 'cutting', 'pushing', 'folding', 'kneading', 'picking up', 'dipping', etc. The cutting accuracy is dominated by the size of the AFM tip, which is usually 10 nm or less. Single DNA fragments can be cut and picked up and then amplified by single molecule PCR. Thus positioning isolation and sequencing can be performed. (authors)

Going single but not solo with podocytes: potentials, limitations, and pitfalls of single-cell analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiffer, Mario

2017-11-01

Single-cell RNA-sequence (RNA-seq) is a widely used tool to study biological questions in single cells. The discussed study identified 92 genes being predominantly expressed in podocytes based on a 5-fold higher expression compared with endothelial and mesangial cells. In addition to technical pitfalls, the question that is discussed in this commentary is whether results of a single-cell RNAseq study are able to deliver expression data that truly characterize a podocyte. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Greenland and Chinese outbound investments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mouyal, Lone Wandahl; Mortensen, Bent Ole Gram; Su, Jingjing

2017-01-01

-Government seeks to develop new business sectors and to attract foreign investment, including investments from China, to develop especially its mineral resources. China now is the second largest economy in the world and the outbound investments by Chinese companies presents unprecedented opportunities for both...... Chinese companies and their global partners. However, Chinese outbound investment faces many hurdles both at home and outside. This article analyzes some of the main aspects in relation to regulatory hurdles, political obstacles as well as environmental, labor and financial challenges primarily focusing...... on investments in the mining industry....

Single-fraction vs. fractionated linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma: a single-institution study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, O. W. M.; Vandertop, W. P.; Baayen, J. C.; Slotman, B. J.

2003-01-01

PURPOSE: In this single-institution trial, we investigated whether fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy is superior to single-fraction linac-based radiosurgery with respect to treatment-related toxicity and local control in patients with vestibular schwannoma. METHODS AND MATERIALS: All 129

The Advantages of Single-Sex Education

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Teresa A.

2006-01-01

Traditionally, single-sex education has been provided in the form of private schooling. Title IX regulations have loosened as a result of the No Child Left Behind Legislation; therefore, public school districts now have the legal right to create single-sex classes or single-sex schools if they deem it to be in the best interest of their students.…

Single Mothers' Experiences with Pregnancy and Child Rearing in Korea: Discrepancy between Social Services/Policies and Single Mothers' Needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung-Eun; Lee, Jin Yong; Lee, Sang Hyung

2018-05-10

This study aims to explore single mothers’ experiences with social services/policies for their independent living and to identify gaps between these experiences and the needs of single mothers. A focus group discussion was performed to collect data. Seven single mothers discussed their experiences in significant periods of their lives: pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Findings from the qualitative thematic analysis show discrepancies between the direction of social services/policies and single mothers’ needs, in terms of difficulties in healthcare, childcare, housing, employment, and income security. To the single mothers in this study, the social safety net is not inclusive, compared to that which is available to two-parent families or adoptive families. It is necessary to intervene in current blind spots of services/policies for single mothers, and to provide a social safety net to strengthen single mothers’ self-reliance and their children’s social security in the long term.

The influence of single bursts versus single spikes at excitatory dendrodendritic synapses.

Science.gov (United States)

Masurkar, Arjun V; Chen, Wei R

2012-02-01

The synchronization of neuronal activity is thought to enhance information processing. There is much evidence supporting rhythmically bursting external tufted cells (ETCs) of the rodent olfactory bulb glomeruli coordinating the activation of glomerular interneurons and mitral cells via dendrodendritic excitation. However, as bursting has variable significance at axodendritic cortical synapses, it is not clear if ETC bursting imparts a specific functional advantage over the preliminary spike in dendrodendritic synaptic networks. To answer this question, we investigated the influence of single ETC bursts and spikes with the in vitro rat olfactory bulb preparation at different levels of processing, via calcium imaging of presynaptic ETC dendrites, dual electrical recording of ETC -interneuron synaptic pairs, and multicellular calcium imaging of ETC-induced population activity. Our findings supported single ETC bursts, versus single spikes, driving robust presynaptic calcium signaling, which in turn was associated with profound extension of the initial monosynaptic spike-driven dendrodendritic excitatory postsynaptic potential. This extension could be driven by either the spike-dependent or spike-independent components of the burst. At the population level, burst-induced excitation was more widespread and reliable compared with single spikes. This further supports the ETC network, in part due to a functional advantage of bursting at excitatory dendrodendritic synapses, coordinating synchronous activity at behaviorally relevant frequencies related to odor processing in vivo. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Tapered fiber coupling of single photons emitted by a deterministically positioned single nitrogen vacancy center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liebermeister, Lars, E-mail: lars.liebermeister@physik.uni-muenchen.de; Petersen, Fabian; Münchow, Asmus v.; Burchardt, Daniel; Hermelbracht, Juliane; Tashima, Toshiyuki [Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80799 München (Germany); Schell, Andreas W.; Benson, Oliver [Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Meinhardt, Thomas; Krueger, Anke [Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg (Germany); Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen Research Center for Complex Materials Systems, Universität Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg (Germany); Stiebeiner, Ariane; Rauschenbeutel, Arno [Atominstitut, Technische Universität Wien, 1020 Wien (Austria); Weinfurter, Harald; Weber, Markus, E-mail: markusweber@lmu.de [Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80799 München (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2014-01-20

A diamond nano-crystal hosting a single nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is optically selected with a confocal scanning microscope and positioned deterministically onto the subwavelength-diameter waist of a tapered optical fiber (TOF) with the help of an atomic force microscope. Based on this nano-manipulation technique, we experimentally demonstrate the evanescent coupling of single fluorescence photons emitted by a single NV-center to the guided mode of the TOF. By comparing photon count rates of the fiber-guided and the free-space modes and with the help of numerical finite-difference time domain simulations, we determine a lower and upper bound for the coupling efficiency of (9.5 ± 0.6)% and (10.4 ± 0.7)%, respectively. Our results are a promising starting point for future integration of single photon sources into photonic quantum networks and applications in quantum information science.

Single-Molecule Flow Platform for the Quantification of Biomolecules Attached to Single Nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Seung-Ryoung; Han, Rui; Sun, Wei; Jiang, Yifei; Fujimoto, Bryant S; Yu, Jiangbo; Kuo, Chun-Ting; Rong, Yu; Zhou, Xing-Hua; Chiu, Daniel T

2018-05-15

We describe here a flow platform for quantifying the number of biomolecules on individual fluorescent nanoparticles. The platform combines line-confocal fluorescence detection with near nanoscale channels (1-2 μm in width and height) to achieve high single-molecule detection sensitivity and throughput. The number of biomolecules present on each nanoparticle was determined by deconvolving the fluorescence intensity distribution of single-nanoparticle-biomolecule complexes with the intensity distribution of single biomolecules. We demonstrate this approach by quantifying the number of streptavidins on individual semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots); streptavidin was rendered fluorescent using biotin-Alexa647. This flow platform has high-throughput (hundreds to thousands of nanoparticles detected per second) and requires minute amounts of sample (∼5 μL at a dilute concentration of 10 pM). This measurement method is an additional tool for characterizing synthetic or biological nanoparticles.

Single port VATS: recent developments in Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Peter S Y; Capili, Freddie; Ng, Calvin S H

2016-03-01

Single port video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is the most recent evolution in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. With increasing global popularity, the single port VATS approach has been adopted by experienced thoracic surgeons in many Asian countries. From initial experience of single port VATS lobectomy to the more complex sleeve resection procedures now forming part of daily practice in some Asia institutes, the region has been the proving ground for single port VATS approaches' feasibility and safety. In addition, certain technical refinements in single port VATS lung resection and lymph node dissection have also sprung from Asia. Novel equipment designed to facilitate single port VATS allowing further reduce access trauma are being realized by the partnership between surgeons and the industries. Advanced thoracoscopes and staplers that are narrower and more maneuverable are particularly important in the smaller habitus of patients from Asia. These and similar new generation equipment are being applied to single port VATS in novel ways. As dedicated thoracic surgeons in the region continue to striving for excellence, innovative ideas in single incision access including subxiphoid and embryonic natural-orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (e-NOTES) have been explored. Adjunct techniques and technology used in association with single port VATS such as non-intubated surgery, hybrid operating room image guidance and electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy are all in rapid development in Asia.

Single Cell Isolation and Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Hu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Increasing evidence shows that the heterogeneity of individual cells within a genetically identical population can be critical to their peculiar function and fate. Conventional cell based assays mainly analysis the average responses from a population cells, while the difference within individual cells may often be masked. The cell size, RNA transcripts and protein expression level are quite different within individual cells and these variations are key point to answer the problems in cancer, neurobiology, stem cell biology, immunology and developmental biology. To better understand the cell-to-cell variations, the single cell analysis can provide much more detailed information which may be helpful for therapeutic decisions in an increasingly personalized medicine. In this review, we will focus on the recent development in single cell analysis, including methods used in single cell isolation, analysis and some application examples. The review provides the historical background to single cell analysis, discusses limitations, and current and future possibilities in this exciting field of research.

CERN single sign on solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ormancey, E

2008-01-01

The need for Single Sign On has always been restricted by the absence of cross platform solutions: a single sign on working only on one platform or technology is nearly useless. The recent improvements in Web Services Federation (WS-Federation) standard enabling federation of identity, attribute, authentication and authorization information can now provide real extended Single Sign On solutions. Various solutions have been investigated at CERN and now, a Web SSO solution using some parts of WS-Federation technology is available. Using the Shibboleth Service Provider module for Apache hosted web sites and Microsoft ADFS as the identity provider linked to Active Directory user, users can now authenticate on any web application using a single authentication platform, providing identity, user information (building, phone...) as well as group membership enabling authorization possibilities. A typical scenario: a CERN user can now authenticate on a Linux/Apache website using Windows Integrated credentials, and his Active Directory group membership can be checked before allowing access to a specific web page

Amplitude damping for single-qubit system with single-qubit mixed-state environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Eylee; Hwang, Mi-Ra; Ju, You Hwan; Park, D K; Kim, Hungsoo; Kim, Min-Soo; Son, Jin-Woo

2008-01-01

We study a generalized amplitude damping channel when environment is initially in the single-qubit mixed state. Representing the affine transformation of the generalized amplitude damping by a three-dimensional volume, we plot explicitly the volume occupied by the channels simulatable by a single-qubit mixed-state environment. As expected, this volume is embedded in the total volume by the channels which is simulated by a two-qubit enviroment. The volume ratio is approximately 0.08 which is much smaller than 3/8, the volume ratio for generalized depolarizing channels

Electrically pumped single-photon emission at room temperature from a single InGaN/GaN quantum dot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deshpande, Saniya; Frost, Thomas; Hazari, Arnab; Bhattacharya, Pallab, E-mail: pkb@eecs.umich.edu [Center for Photonics and Multiscale Nanomaterials, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)

2014-10-06

We demonstrate a semiconductor quantum dot based electrically pumped single-photon source operating at room temperature. Single photons emitted in the red spectral range from single In{sub 0.4}Ga{sub 0.6}N/GaN quantum dots exhibit a second-order correlation value g{sup (2)}(0) of 0.29, and fast recombination lifetime ∼1.3 ±0.3 ns at room temperature. The single-photon source can be driven at an excitation repetition rate of 200 MHz.

What happens if you single out? An experiment

OpenAIRE

Galeotti, Fabio; Zizzo, Daniel John

2014-01-01

We present an experiment investigating the effects of singling out an individual on trust and trustworthiness. We find that (a) trustworthiness falls if there is a singled out subject; (b) non-singled out subjects discriminate against the singled out subject when they are not responsible of the distinct status of this person; (c) under a negative frame, the singled out subject returns significantly less; (d) under a positive frame, the singled out subject behaves bimodally, either selecting v...

Highly multiplexed targeted DNA sequencing from single nuclei.

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Marco L; Wang, Yong; Kim, Charissa; Gao, Ruli; Jiang, Jerry; Sei, Emi; Navin, Nicholas E

2016-02-01

Single-cell DNA sequencing methods are challenged by poor physical coverage, high technical error rates and low throughput. To address these issues, we developed a single-cell DNA sequencing protocol that combines flow-sorting of single nuclei, time-limited multiple-displacement amplification (MDA), low-input library preparation, DNA barcoding, targeted capture and next-generation sequencing (NGS). This approach represents a major improvement over our previous single nucleus sequencing (SNS) Nature Protocols paper in terms of generating higher-coverage data (>90%), thereby enabling the detection of genome-wide variants in single mammalian cells at base-pair resolution. Furthermore, by pooling 48-96 single-cell libraries together for targeted capture, this approach can be used to sequence many single-cell libraries in parallel in a single reaction. This protocol greatly reduces the cost of single-cell DNA sequencing, and it can be completed in 5-6 d by advanced users. This single-cell DNA sequencing protocol has broad applications for studying rare cells and complex populations in diverse fields of biological research and medicine.

Effect of Chain Conformation on the Single-Molecule Melting Force in Polymer Single Crystals: Steered Molecular Dynamics Simulations Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Wei; Wang, Zhigang; Zhang, Wenke

2017-02-28

Understanding the relationship between polymer chain conformation as well as the chain composition within the single crystal and the mechanical properties of the corresponding single polymer chain will facilitate the rational design of high performance polymer materials. Here three model systems of polymer single crystals, namely poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), polyethylene (PE), and nylon-66 (PA66) have been chosen to study the effects of chain conformation, helical (PEO) versus planar zigzag conformation (PE, PA66), and chain composition (PE versus PA66) on the mechanical properties of a single polymer chain. To do that, steered molecular dynamics simulations were performed on those polymer single crystals by pulling individual polymer chains out of the crystals. Our results show that the patterns of force-extension curve as well as the chain moving mode are closely related to the conformation of the polymer chain in the single crystal. In addition, hydrogen bonds can enhance greatly the force required to stretch the polymer chain out of the single crystal. The dynamic breaking and reformation of multivalent hydrogen bonds have been observed for the first time in PA66 at the single molecule level.

Experimental techniques for single cell and single molecule biomechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, C.T.; Zhou, E.H.; Li, A.; Vedula, S.R.K.; Fu, H.X.

2006-01-01

Stresses and strains that act on the human body can arise either from external physical forces or internal physiological environmental conditions. These biophysical interactions can occur not only at the musculoskeletal but also cellular and molecular levels and can determine the health and function of the human body. Here, we seek to investigate the structure-property-function relationship of cells and biomolecules so as to understand their important physiological functions as well as establish possible connections to human diseases. With the recent advancements in cell and molecular biology, biophysics and nanotechnology, several innovative and state-of-the-art experimental techniques and equipment have been developed to probe the structural and mechanical properties of biostructures from the micro- down to picoscale. Some of these experimental techniques include the optical or laser trap method, micropipette aspiration, step-pressure technique, atomic force microscopy and molecular force spectroscopy. In this article, we will review the basic principles and usage of these techniques to conduct single cell and single molecule biomechanics research

Extracting Models in Single Molecule Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Presse, Steve

2013-03-01

Single molecule experiments can now monitor the journey of a protein from its assembly near a ribosome to its proteolytic demise. Ideally all single molecule data should be self-explanatory. However data originating from single molecule experiments is particularly challenging to interpret on account of fluctuations and noise at such small scales. Realistically, basic understanding comes from models carefully extracted from the noisy data. Statistical mechanics, and maximum entropy in particular, provide a powerful framework for accomplishing this task in a principled fashion. Here I will discuss our work in extracting conformational memory from single molecule force spectroscopy experiments on large biomolecules. One clear advantage of this method is that we let the data tend towards the correct model, we do not fit the data. I will show that the dynamical model of the single molecule dynamics which emerges from this analysis is often more textured and complex than could otherwise come from fitting the data to a pre-conceived model.

Industrial-scale separation of high-purity single-chirality single-wall carbon nanotubes for biological imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Yomogida, Yohei; Tanaka, Takeshi; Zhang, Minfang; Yudasaka, Masako; Wei, Xiaojun; Kataura, Hiromichi

2016-01-01

Single-chirality, single-wall carbon nanotubes are desired due to their inherent physical properties and performance characteristics. Here, we demonstrate a chromatographic separation method based on a newly discovered chirality-selective affinity between carbon nanotubes and a gel containing a mixture of the surfactants. In this system, two different selectivities are found: chiral-angle selectivity and diameter selectivity. Since the chirality of nanotubes is determined by the chiral angle and diameter, combining these independent selectivities leads to high-resolution single-chirality separation with milligram-scale throughput and high purity. Furthermore, we present efficient vascular imaging of mice using separated single-chirality (9,4) nanotubes. Due to efficient absorption and emission, blood vessels can be recognized even with the use of ∼100-fold lower injected dose than the reported value for pristine nanotubes. Thus, 1 day of separation provides material for up to 15,000 imaging experiments, which is acceptable for industrial use. PMID:27350127

Analysis of the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT Service utilization in Ethiopia: 2006-2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woldegebriel Yoseph

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Although progressive improvements have been made in the coverage and quality of prevention of HIV/AIDS mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT services in Ethiopia, the national coverage remained persistently low. Analysis of the cascaded PMTCT services can reveal the advancements made and the biggest hurdles faced during implementation. Objective To examine the progresses and unaddressed needs in access and utilization of PMTCT services in Ethiopia from 2006 to 2010 thereby developing best-fit regression models to predict the values of key PMTCT indicators at critical future points. Methods Five-year national level PMTCT data were analyzed in a cascaded manner. Five levels of analysis were used for ten major PMTCT indicators. These included description of progress made, assessment of unaddressed needs, developing best-fit models, prediction for future points and estimation using constant prevalence. Findings were presented using numerical and graphic summaries. Results Based on the current trend, Ethiopia could achieve universal ANC coverage by 2015. The prevalence of HIV at PMTCT sites has shown a four-fold decrease during the five-year period. This study has found that only 53% of known HIV-positive mothers and 48% of known HIV-exposed infants have received ARV prophylaxis. Based on assumption of constant HIV prevalence, the estimated ARV coverage was found to be 11.6% for HIV positive mothers and 8.4% for their babies. Conclusion There has been a remarkable improvement in the potential coverage of PMTCT services due to rapid increase in the number of PMTCT service outlets. However, the actual coverage remained low. Integration of PMTCT services with grassroots level health systems could unravel the problem.

The future development of worldwide goods traffic and its impact on drive technologies; Die zukuenftige Entwicklung des weltweiten Guetertransports und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Antriebe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pachta-Reyhofen, Georg [MAN SE (Germany)

2011-07-01

Moving forward, worldwide goods traffic will continue to see strong growth. The scarcity of fossil fuels and the need for ecologically sustainable mobility are the two main challenges facing goods traffic of the future. Current emission regulations are primarily aimed at pollutants, and have already succeeded in reducing them sharply. With Euro VI, the first commercial vehicle to be almost free of pollutants will be a reality in the European commercial vehicles sector from 2014 onward. Creating incentives to replace old vehicles with new, more efficient ones could boost the effect substantially. Similar progress has been yielded in the maritime traffic segment, though the biggest hurdle is yet to come in the form of IMO Tier III. Retrofit solutions in particular make sense here, given the long lifecycles of ships. The strong focus on pollutants has led to reduction of consumption being neglected. Fuel consumption in the truck industry has stagnated in the last ten years. We desperately need to rethink things here. Solutions to boost efficiency in long-distance truck traffic primarily lie in aerodynamics and optimization of shipping volumes. However, legal restrictions on length need to be eased throughout the whole of Europe in order to leverage major potential for reduction. By contrast, hybrid technology will catch on in the medium term for commercial vehicles in downtown traffic since it allows energy from braking to be recuperated. The use of second-generation biofuels in the commercial vehicles industry and gaseous fuels in the marine sector offer major potential for reducing CO{sub 2}. The technological course has been determined - the diesel engine will play a dominant role in worldwide goods traffic in the future too. (orig.)

Sexual behavior of single adult American women.

Science.gov (United States)

Duberstein Lindberg, Laura; Singh, Susheela

2008-03-01

Public policies promoting abstinence until marriage attempt to influence the sexual behavior of the more than 18 million American women who are currently single. An analysis of these women's behavior is needed to inform policies that are responsive to their sexual and reproductive health needs. Sexual behaviors, risk factors and reproductive health needs were examined among a nationally representative sample of 6,493 women aged 20-44 from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Paired t tests were used to assess differences among single, married and cohabiting women by selected demographic, behavioral and risk measures. Thirty-six percent of women aged 20-44 are single, and nine in 10 single women are sexually experienced. Seventy percent of the latter women are currently sexually active; on average, they had intercourse in seven of the last 12 months. A higher proportion of single women (22%) than of cohabiting (9%) or married women (2%) have had two or more partners in the past year, and half of single women are at risk of unintended pregnancy. Furthermore, single women and cohabiting women are more likely to lack health insurance than are married women (21-25% vs. 12%). Because of the high level of sexual activity among single adult women, providers must address their reproductive health care needs and offer appropriate counseling and services. Government policies aimed at encouraging adult women to have sex only within marriage appear out of touch with the reality of the sexual behavior of single women.

Single port access for laparoscopic lateral segmentectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Yoshihiro; Asakuma, Mitsuhiro; Hirokawa, Fumitoshi; Hayashi, Michihiro; Shimizu, Tetsunosuke; Uchiyama, Kazuhisa

2017-12-01

Single-port access laparoscopic lateral segmentectomy (LLS) has been developed as a novel minimally invasive surgery. We have experience with this LLS technique. To report our technique and patients' postoperative course in a series of single-port access LLS performed in our department. We also examine the cosmetic outcome, safety, and utility of the procedure. Between February 2010 and October 2016, 54 patients who underwent single- or multiple-port laparoscopic or open lateral segmentectomy (LS) were retrospectively analyzed with respect to cosmetic outcome, safety, and utility. In the single LLS group, the laparoscopic procedure was successfully completed for all 14 patients. The median operative time was significantly shorter in the single LLS group (123 min; range: 50-270 min) than in the other groups. Estimated blood loss was also significantly lower in the single LLS group (10 ml; range: 0-330 ml). During the first 7 postoperative days, the visual analog scale pain score and the use of additional analgesia were not significantly different between groups. The single LLS group had a 7.1% complication rate (Clavien-Dindo classification > IIIA); this was not significantly different between groups. Single-port access LLS is a procedure with excellent cosmetic results, although, with regard to invasiveness, there are no major differences from conventional LLS.

Single-shot and single-spot measurement of laser ablation threshold for carbon nanotubes

OpenAIRE

Lednev, Vasily N.; Pershin, Sergey M.; Obraztsova, Elena D.; Kudryashov, Sergey I.; Bunkin, Alexey F.

2013-01-01

A simple and convenient procedure for single-shot, single-spot ablation threshold measurement has been developed. It is based on the employment of cylindrical lens to obtain elliptical Gaussian laser spot. The ablated spot chords which are parallel to the minor axis were measured across the spot major axis which is proportional to the fluence cross-section thus providing wide range dependence of damaged spot size versus fluence in one spot measurement. For both conventional and new-developed ...

Total robotic radical rectal resection with da Vinci Xi system: single docking, single phase technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamhankar, Anup Sunil; Jatal, Sudhir; Saklani, Avanish

2016-12-01

This study aims to assess the advantages of Da Vinci Xi system in rectal cancer surgery. It also assesses the initial oncological outcomes after rectal resection with this system from a tertiary cancer center in India. Robotic rectal surgery has distinct advantages over laparoscopy. Total robotic resection is increasing following the evolution of hybrid technology. The latest Da Vinci Xi system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, USA) is enabled with newer features to make total robotic resection possible with single docking and single phase. Thirty-six patients underwent total robotic resection in a single phase and single docking. We used newer port positions in a straight line. Median distance from the anal verge was 4.5 cm. Median robotic docking time and robotic procedure time were 9 and 280 min, respectively. Median blood loss was 100 mL. One patient needed conversion to an open approach due to advanced disease. Circumferential resection margin and longitudinal resection margins were uninvolved in all other patients. Median lymph node yield was 10. Median post-operative stay was 7 days. There were no intra-operative adverse events. The latest Da Vinci Xi system has made total robotic rectal surgery feasible in single docking and single phase. With the new system, four arm total robotic rectal surgery may replace the hybrid technique of laparoscopic and robotic surgery for rectal malignancies. The learning curve for the new system appears to be shorter than anticipated. Early perioperative and oncological outcomes of total robotic rectal surgery with the new system are promising. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Single-Gender Education: Educators' Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, John P.

2009-01-01

The examination of educator's views regarding single-gender education was the basis of this study. The significance of the intended study is to show the educator's view of single-gender education as it relates to student academic achievement and behavioral incidents. A quantitative study was conducted utilizing a sample population of regular and…

Independent CMEs from a Single Solar Active Region - The Case of the Super-Eruptive NOAA AR11429

Science.gov (United States)

Chintzoglou, Georgios; Patsourakos, Spiros; Vourlidas, Angelos

2014-06-01

In this investigation we study AR 11429, the origin of the twin super-fast CME eruptions of 07-Mar-2012. This AR fulfills all the requirements for the 'perfect storm'; namely, Hale's law incompatibility and a delta-magnetic configuration. In fact, during its limb-to-limb transit, AR 11429 spawned several eruptions which caused geomagnetic storms, including the biggest in Cycle 24 so far. Magnetic Flux Ropes (MFRs) are twisted magnetic structures in the corona, best seen in ~10MK hot plasma emission and are often considered as the culprit causing such super-eruptions. However, their 'dormant' existence in the solar atmosphere (i.e. prior to eruptions), is a matter of strong debate. Aided by multi-wavelength and multi-spacecraft observations (SDO/HMI & AIA, HINODE/SOT/SP, STEREO B/EUVI) and by using a Non-Linear Force-Free (NLFFF) model for the coronal magnetic field, our work shows two separate, weakly-twisted magnetic flux systems which suggest the existence of possible pre-eruption MFRs.

Time-resolved luminescent spectroscopy of YAG:Ce single crystal and single crystalline films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zorenko, Yu.; Gorbenko, V.; Savchyn, V.; Vozniak, T.; Puzikov, V.; Danko, A.; Nizhankovski, S.

2010-01-01

The peculiarities of the luminescence and energy transfer from YAG host to the emission centers formed by the Y Al antisite defects and Ce 3+ ions have been studied in YAG:Ce single crystals, grown from the melt by modified Bridgman method in Ar and CO 2 + H 2 atmospheres, and YAG:Ce single crystalline film, grown by liquid phase epitaxy method, using the comparative time-resolved luminescent spectroscopy under excitation by synchrotron radiation in the range of fundamental adsorption of this garnet.

Single-cell multiple gene expression analysis based on single-molecule-detection microarray assay for multi-DNA determination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Lu [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Wang, Xianwei [School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Zhang, Xiaoli [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Wang, Jinxing [School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Jin, Wenrui, E-mail: jwr@sdu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China)

2015-01-07

Highlights: • A single-molecule-detection (SMD) microarray for 10 samples is fabricated. • The based-SMD microarray assay (SMA) can determine 8 DNAs for each sample. • The limit of detection of SMA is as low as 1.3 × 10{sup −16} mol L{sup −1}. • The SMA can be applied in single-cell multiple gene expression analysis. - Abstract: We report a novel ultra-sensitive and high-selective single-molecule-detection microarray assay (SMA) for multiple DNA determination. In the SMA, a capture DNA (DNAc) microarray consisting of 10 subarrays with 9 spots for each subarray is fabricated on a silanized glass coverslip as the substrate. On the subarrays, the spot-to-spot spacing is 500 μm and each spot has a diameter of ∼300 μm. The sequence of the DNAcs on the 9 spots of a subarray is different, to determine 8 types of target DNAs (DNAts). Thus, 8 types of DNAts are captured to their complementary DNAcs at 8 spots of a subarray, respectively, and then labeled with quantum dots (QDs) attached to 8 types of detection DNAs (DNAds) with different sequences. The ninth spot is used to detect the blank value. In order to determine the same 8 types of DNAts in 10 samples, the 10 DNAc-modified subarrays on the microarray are identical. Fluorescence single-molecule images of the QD-labeled DNAts on each spot of the subarray are acquired using a home-made single-molecule microarray reader. The amounts of the DNAts are quantified by counting the bright dots from the QDs. For a microarray, 8 types of DNAts in 10 samples can be quantified in parallel. The limit of detection of the SMA for DNA determination is as low as 1.3 × 10{sup −16} mol L{sup −1}. The SMA for multi-DNA determination can also be applied in single-cell multiple gene expression analysis through quantification of complementary DNAs (cDNAs) corresponding to multiple messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in single cells. To do so, total RNA in single cells is extracted and reversely transcribed into their cDNAs. Three

Race-Ethnic Differences in the Non-marital Fertility Rates in 2006-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yujin; Raley, R Kelly

2015-02-01

Research in the 1980s pointed to the lower marriage rates of blacks as an important factor contributing to race differences in non-marital fertility. Our analyses update and extend this prior work to investigate whether cohabitation has become an important contributor to this variation. We use data from the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and to identify the relative contribution of population composition (i.e. percent sexually active single and percent cohabiting) versus rates (pregnancy rates, post-conception marriage rates) to race-ethnic variation in non-marital fertility rates (N=7,428). We find that the pregnancy rate among single (not cohabiting) women is the biggest contributor to race-ethnic variation in the non-marital fertility rate and that contraceptive use patterns among racial minorities explains the majority of the race-ethnic differences in pregnancy rates.

Questioning the role of Facebook in maintaining Syrian social capital during the Syrian crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramadan, Reem

2017-12-01

The Syrian crisis is considered the 'world's single largest crisis for almost a quarter of a century that has the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation' (UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2016). The rapid adoption of Facebook among Syrians questions whether it helps in maintaining the social capital of a war-torn nation and a dispersed Syrian population worldwide. Data was collected by means of a Facebook survey from 964 Syrian users. Results indicated that Facebook enhanced social identity and social capital through facilitating communication, collaboration and resource sharing among dispersed Syrians inside and outside the country. However, the offline rift of the nation was extended to Facebook through promoting hate speech among opposed parties. Results of this study may advance the understanding of the role of Facebook on social capital in countries going through similar crisis situations.

Chemical Transfer (Single Small-Scale) Facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Description/History: Chemistry laboratoryThe Chemical Transfer Facility (CTF)  is the only U.S. single small-scale  facility, a single repository for the Army’s...

Single-Molecule Interfacial Electron Transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, H. Peter [Bowling Green State Univ., Bowling Green, OH (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Center for Photochemical Sciences

2017-11-28

This project is focused on the use of single-molecule high spatial and temporal resolved techniques to study molecular dynamics in condensed phase and at interfaces, especially, the complex reaction dynamics associated with electron and energy transfer rate processes. The complexity and inhomogeneity of the interfacial ET dynamics often present a major challenge for a molecular level comprehension of the intrinsically complex systems, which calls for both higher spatial and temporal resolutions at ultimate single-molecule and single-particle sensitivities. Combined single-molecule spectroscopy and electrochemical atomic force microscopy approaches are unique for heterogeneous and complex interfacial electron transfer systems because the static and dynamic inhomogeneities can be identified and characterized by studying one molecule at a specific nanoscale surface site at a time. The goal of our project is to integrate and apply these spectroscopic imaging and topographic scanning techniques to measure the energy flow and electron flow between molecules and substrate surfaces as a function of surface site geometry and molecular structure. We have been primarily focusing on studying interfacial electron transfer under ambient condition and electrolyte solution involving both single crystal and colloidal TiO₂ and related substrates. The resulting molecular level understanding of the fundamental interfacial electron transfer processes will be important for developing efficient light harvesting systems and broadly applicable to problems in fundamental chemistry and physics. We have made significant advancement on deciphering the underlying mechanism of the complex and inhomogeneous interfacial electron transfer dynamics in dyesensitized TiO₂ nanoparticle systems that strongly involves with and regulated by molecule-surface interactions. We have studied interfacial electron transfer on TiO₂ nanoparticle surfaces by using ultrafast single

Self-preserving cosmetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Varvaresou, A; Papageorgiou, S; Tsirivas, E; Protopapa, E; Kintziou, H; Kefala, V; Demetzos, C

2009-06-01

Preservatives are added to products for two reasons: first, to prevent microbial spoilage and therefore to prolong the shelf life of the product; second, to protect the consumer from a potential infection. Although chemical preservatives prevent microbial growth, their safety is questioned by a growing segment of consumers. Therefore, there is a considerable interest in the development of preservative-free or self-preserving cosmetics. In these formulations traditional/chemical preservatives have been replaced by other cosmetic ingredients with antimicrobial properties that are not legislated as preservatives according to the Annex VI of the Commission Directive 76/768/EEC and the amending directives (2003/15/EC, 2007/17/EC and 2007/22/EC). 'Hurdle Technology', a technology that has been used for the control of product safety in the food industry since 1970s, has also been applied for the production of self-preserving cosmetics. 'Hurdle Technology' is a term used to describe the intelligent combination of different preservation factors or hurdles to deteriorate the growth of microorganisms. Adherence to current good manufacturing practice, appropriate packaging, careful choice of the form of the emulsion, low water activity and low or high pH values are significant variables for the control of microbial growth in cosmetic formulations. This paper describes the application of the basic principles of 'Hurdle Technology' in the production of self-preserving cosmetics. Multifunctional antimicrobial ingredients and plant-derived essential oils and extracts that are used as alternative or natural preservatives and are not listed in Annex VI of the Cosmetic Directive are also reported.

Single Subject Research: Applications to Special Education

Science.gov (United States)

Cakiroglu, Orhan

2012-01-01

Single subject research is a scientific research methodology that is increasingly used in the field of special education. Therefore, understanding the unique characteristics of single subject research methodology is critical both for educators and practitioners. Certain characteristics make single subject research one of the most preferred…

Single-frequency blue light generation by single-pass sum-frequency generation in a coupled ring cavity tapered laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2013-01-01

A generic approach for generation of tunable single frequency light is presented. 340 mW of near diffraction limited, single-frequency, and tunable blue light around 459 nm is generated by sum-frequency generation (SFG) between two tunable tapered diode lasers. One diode laser is operated in a ring...... cavity and another tapered diode laser is single-passed through a nonlinear crystal which is contained in the coupled ring cavity. Using this method, the single-pass conversion efficiency is more than 25%. In contrast to SFG in an external cavity, the system is entirely self-stabilized with no electronic...

The Omega-Infinity Limit of Single Spikes

CERN Document Server

Axenides, Minos; Linardopoulos, Georgios

A new infinite-size limit of strings in RxS2 is presented. The limit is obtained from single spike strings by letting their angular velocity omega become infinite. We derive the energy-momenta relation of omega-infinity single spikes as their linear velocity v-->1 and their angular momentum J-->1. Generally, the v-->1, J-->1 limit of single spikes is singular and has to be excluded from the spectrum and be studied separately. We discover that the dispersion relation of omega-infinity single spikes contains logarithms in the limit J-->1. This result is somewhat surprising, since the logarithmic behavior in the string spectra is typically associated with their motion in non-compact spaces such as AdS. Omega-infinity single spikes seem to completely cover the surface of the 2-sphere they occupy, so that they may essentially be viewed as some sort of "brany strings". A proof of the sphere-filling property of omega-infinity single spikes is given in the appendix.

An Updated Perspective of Single Event Gate Rupture and Single Event Burnout in Power MOSFETs

Science.gov (United States)

Titus, Jeffrey L.

2013-06-01

Studies over the past 25 years have shown that heavy ions can trigger catastrophic failure modes in power MOSFETs [e.g., single-event gate rupture (SEGR) and single-event burnout (SEB)]. In 1996, two papers were published in a special issue of the IEEE Transaction on Nuclear Science [Johnson, Palau, Dachs, Galloway and Schrimpf, “A Review of the Techniques Used for Modeling Single-Event Effects in Power MOSFETs,” IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 546-560, April. 1996], [Titus and Wheatley, “Experimental Studies of Single-Event Gate Rupture and Burnout in Vertical Power MOSFETs,” IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 533-545, Apr. 1996]. Those two papers continue to provide excellent information and references with regard to SEB and SEGR in vertical planar MOSFETs. This paper provides updated references/information and provides an updated perspective of SEB and SEGR in vertical planar MOSFETs as well as provides references/information to other device types that exhibit SEB and SEGR effects.

Lot-sizing for a single-stage single-product production system with rework of perishable production defectives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teunter, R.; Flapper, S.D.P.

2003-01-01

We consider a single-stage single-product production system. Produced units may be non-defective, reworkable defective, or non-reworkable defective. The system switches between production and rework. After producing a fixed number (N) of units, all reworkable defective units are reworked. Reworkable

Fluorescent Biosensors Based on Single-Molecule Counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Fei; Li, Ying; Tang, Bo; Zhang, Chun-Yang

2016-09-20

Biosensors for highly sensitive, selective, and rapid quantification of specific biomolecules make great contributions to biomedical research, especially molecular diagnostics. However, conventional methods for biomolecular assays often suffer from insufficient sensitivity and poor specificity. In some case (e.g., early disease diagnostics), the concentration of target biomolecules is too low to be detected by these routine approaches, and cumbersome procedures are needed to improve the detection sensitivity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for rapid and ultrasensitive analytical tools. In this respect, single-molecule fluorescence approaches may well satisfy the requirement and hold promising potential for the development of ultrasensitive biosensors. Encouragingly, owing to the advances in single-molecule microscopy and spectroscopy over past decades, the detection of single fluorescent molecule comes true, greatly boosting the development of highly sensitive biosensors. By in vitro/in vivo labeling of target biomolecules with proper fluorescent tags, the quantification of certain biomolecule at the single-molecule level is achieved. In comparison with conventional ensemble measurements, single-molecule detection-based analytical methods possess the advantages of ultrahigh sensitivity, good selectivity, rapid analysis time, and low sample consumption. Consequently, single-molecule detection may be potentially employed as an ideal analytical approach to quantify low-abundant biomolecules with rapidity and simplicity. In this Account, we will summarize our efforts for developing a series of ultrasensitive biosensors based on single-molecule counting. Single-molecule counting is a member of single-molecule detection technologies and may be used as a very simple and ultrasensitive method to quantify target molecules by simply counting the individual fluorescent bursts. In the fluorescent sensors, the signals of target biomolecules may be translated to the

Single-cell technologies in environmental omics

KAUST Repository

Kodzius, Rimantas

2015-10-22

Environmental studies are primarily done by culturing isolated microorganisms or by amplifying and sequencing conserved genes. Difficulties understanding the complexity of large numbers of various microorganisms in an environment led to the development of techniques to enrich specific microorganisms for upstream analysis, ultimately leading to single-cell isolation and analyses. We discuss the significance of single-cell technologies in omics studies with focus on metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. We propose that by reducing sample heterogeneity using single-cell genomics, metaomic studies can be simplified.

Single-cell technologies in environmental omics

KAUST Repository

Kodzius, Rimantas; Gojobori, Takashi

2015-01-01

Environmental studies are primarily done by culturing isolated microorganisms or by amplifying and sequencing conserved genes. Difficulties understanding the complexity of large numbers of various microorganisms in an environment led to the development of techniques to enrich specific microorganisms for upstream analysis, ultimately leading to single-cell isolation and analyses. We discuss the significance of single-cell technologies in omics studies with focus on metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. We propose that by reducing sample heterogeneity using single-cell genomics, metaomic studies can be simplified.

Relaxor-PT Single Crystal Piezoelectric Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoning Jiang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Relaxor-PbTiO3 piezoelectric single crystals have been widely used in a broad range of electromechanical devices, including piezoelectric sensors, actuators, and transducers. This paper reviews the unique properties of these single crystals for piezoelectric sensors. Design, fabrication and characterization of various relaxor-PT single crystal piezoelectric sensors and their applications are presented and compared with their piezoelectric ceramic counterparts. Newly applicable fields and future trends of relaxor-PT sensors are also suggested in this review paper.

Thermally activated, single component epoxy systems

KAUST Repository

Unruh, David A.; Pastine, Stefan J.; Moreton, Jessica C.; Frechet, Jean

2011-01-01

A single component epoxy system in which the resin and hardener components found in many two-component epoxies are combined onto the same molecule is described. The single molecule precursor to the epoxy resin contains both multiple epoxide moieties and a diamine held latent by thermally degradable carbamate linkages. These bis-carbamate "single molecule epoxies" have an essentially infinite shelf life and access a significant range in curing temperatures related to the structure of the carbamate linkages used. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Thermally activated, single component epoxy systems

KAUST Repository

Unruh, David A.

2011-08-23

A single component epoxy system in which the resin and hardener components found in many two-component epoxies are combined onto the same molecule is described. The single molecule precursor to the epoxy resin contains both multiple epoxide moieties and a diamine held latent by thermally degradable carbamate linkages. These bis-carbamate "single molecule epoxies" have an essentially infinite shelf life and access a significant range in curing temperatures related to the structure of the carbamate linkages used. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Room temperature excitation spectroscopy of single quantum dots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Blum

2011-08-01

Full Text Available We report a single molecule detection scheme to investigate excitation spectra of single emitters at room temperature. We demonstrate the potential of single emitter photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy by recording excitation spectra of single CdSe nanocrystals over a wide spectral range of 100 nm. The spectra exhibit emission intermittency, characteristic of single emitters. We observe large variations in the spectra close to the band edge, which represent the individual heterogeneity of the observed quantum dots. We also find specific excitation wavelengths for which the single quantum dots analyzed show an increased propensity for a transition to a long-lived dark state. We expect that the additional capability of recording excitation spectra at room temperature from single emitters will enable insights into the photophysics of emitters that so far have remained inaccessible.

Single-photon generator for optical telecommunication wavelength

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usuki, T; Sakuma, Y; Hirose, S; Takemoto, K; Yokoyama, N; Miyazawa, T; Takatsu, M; Arakawa, Y

2006-01-01

We report on the generation of single-photon pulses from a single InAs/InP quantum dot in telecommunication bands (1.3-1.55 μm: higher transmittance through an optical fiber). First we prepared InAs quantum dots on InP (0 0 1) substrates in a low-pressure MOCVD by using a so-called InP 'double-cap' procedure. The quantum dots have well-controlled photo emission wavelength in the telecommunication bands. We also developed a single-photon emitter in which quantum dots were embedded. Numerical simulation designed the emitter to realize efficient injection of the emitted photons into a single-mode optical fiber. Using a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss technique has proved that the photons through the fiber were single photons

Single-crystal growth of ceria-based materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulbrich, Gregor

2015-01-01

In this work it could be shown that Skull-Melting is a suitable method for growing ceria single crystals. Twenty different ceria-based single crystals could be manufactured. It was possible to dope ceria single crystals with Gd, Sm, Y, Zr, Ti, Ta, and Pr in different concentrations. Also co-doping with the named metals was realized. However, there remain some problems for growing ceria-based single crystals by Skull-Melting. As ignition metal zirconium was used because no ceria-based material works well. For that reason all single crystals show small zirconium contamination. Another problem is the formation of oxygen by the heat-induced reduction of ceria during the melting process. Because of that the skull of sintered material is often destroyed by gas pressure. This problem had to be solved individually for every single crystal. The obtained single crystals were characterized using different methods. To ensure the single crystal character the y were examined by Laue diffraction. All manufactured crystals are single crystals. Also powder diffraction patterns of the milled and oxidized samples were measured. For the determination of symmetry and metric the structural parameters were analyzed by the Rietveld method. All synthesized materials crystallize in space group Fm-3m known from calcium fluoride. The cubic lattice parameter a was determined for all crystals. In the case of series with different cerium and zirconium concentrations a linear correlation between cerium content and cubic lattice parameter was detected. The elemental composition was determined by WDX. All crystals show a homogeneous elemental distribution. The oxygen content was calculated because the WDX method isn't useful for determination.

Fully quantum-mechanical dynamic analysis of single-photon transport in a single-mode waveguide coupled to a traveling-wave resonator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hach, Edwin E. III; Elshaari, Ali W.; Preble, Stefan F.

2010-01-01

We analyze the dynamics of single-photon transport in a single-mode waveguide coupled to a micro-optical resonator by using a fully quantum-mechanical model. We examine the propagation of a single-photon Gaussian packet through the system under various coupling conditions. We review the theory of single-photon transport phenomena as applied to the system and we develop a discussion on the numerical technique we used to solve for dynamical behavior of the quantized field. To demonstrate our method and to establish robust single-photon results, we study the process of adiabatically lowering or raising the energy of a single photon trapped in an optical resonator under active tuning of the resonator. We show that our fully quantum-mechanical approach reproduces the semiclassical result in the appropriate limit and that the adiabatic invariant has the same form in each case. Finally, we explore the trapping of a single photon in a system of dynamically tuned, coupled optical cavities.

Considering dominance in reduced single-step genomic evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertl, J; Edel, C; Pimentel, E C G; Emmerling, R; Götz, K-U

2018-06-01

Single-step models including dominance can be an enormous computational task and can even be prohibitive for practical application. In this study, we try to answer the question whether a reduced single-step model is able to estimate breeding values of bulls and breeding values, dominance deviations and total genetic values of cows with acceptable quality. Genetic values and phenotypes were simulated (500 repetitions) for a small Fleckvieh pedigree consisting of 371 bulls (180 thereof genotyped) and 553 cows (40 thereof genotyped). This pedigree was virtually extended for 2,407 non-genotyped daughters. Genetic values were estimated with the single-step model and with different reduced single-step models. Including more relatives of genotyped cows in the reduced single-step model resulted in a better agreement of results with the single-step model. Accuracies of genetic values were largest with single-step and smallest with reduced single-step when only the cows genotyped were modelled. The results indicate that a reduced single-step model is suitable to estimate breeding values of bulls and breeding values, dominance deviations and total genetic values of cows with acceptable quality. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Epigenetics reloaded: the single-cell revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bheda, Poonam; Schneider, Robert

2014-11-01

Mechanistically, how epigenetic states are inherited through cellular divisions remains an important open question in the chromatin field and beyond. Defining the heritability of epigenetic states and the underlying chromatin-based mechanisms within a population of cells is complicated due to cell heterogeneity combined with varying levels of stability of these states; thus, efforts must be focused toward single-cell analyses. The approaches presented here constitute the forefront of epigenetics research at the single-cell level using classic and innovative methods to dissect epigenetics mechanisms from the limited material available in a single cell. This review further outlines exciting future avenues of research to address the significance of epigenetic heterogeneity and the contributions of microfluidics technologies to single-cell isolation and analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approaches to single photon detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thew, R.T.; Curtz, N.; Eraerds, P.; Walenta, N.; Gautier, J.-D.; Koller, E.; Zhang, J.; Gisin, N.; Zbinden, H.

2009-01-01

We present recent results on our development of single photon detectors, including: gated and free-running InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes (APDs); hybrid detection systems based on sum-frequency generation (SFG) and Si APDs-SFG-Si APDs; and SSPDs (superconducting single photon detectors), for telecom wavelengths; as well as SiPM (Silicon photomultiplier) detectors operating in the visible regime.

Demonstration of Single-Barium-Ion Sensitivity for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Using Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDonald, A. D.; Jones, B. J. P.; Nygren, D. R.; Adams, C.; Álvarez, V.; Azevedo, C. D. R.; Benlloch-Rodríguez, J. M.; Borges, F. I. G. M.; Botas, A.; Cárcel, S.; Carrión, J. V.; Cebrián, S.; Conde, C. A. N.; Díaz, J.; Diesburg, M.; Escada, J.; Esteve, R.; Felkai, R.; Fernandes, L. M. P.; Ferrario, P.; Ferreira, A. L.; Freitas, E. D. C.; Goldschmidt, A.; Gómez-Cadenas, J. J.; González-Díaz, D.; Gutiérrez, R. M.; Guenette, R.; Hafidi, K.; Hauptman, J.; Henriques, C. A. O.; Hernandez, A. I.; Hernando Morata, J. A.; Herrero, V.; Johnston, S.; Labarga, L.; Laing, A.; Lebrun, P.; Liubarsky, I.; López-March, N.; Losada, M.; Martín-Albo, J.; Martínez-Lema, G.; Martínez, A.; Monrabal, F.; Monteiro, C. M. B.; Mora, F. J.; Moutinho, L. M.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Musti, M.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Novella, P.; Palmeiro, B.; Para, A.; Pérez, J.; Querol, M.; Repond, J.; Renner, J.; Riordan, S.; Ripoll, L.; Rodríguez, J.; Rogers, L.; Santos, F. P.; dos Santos, J. M. F.; Simón, A.; Sofka, C.; Sorel, M.; Stiegler, T.; Toledo, J. F.; Torrent, J.; Tsamalaidze, Z.; Veloso, J. F. C. A.; Webb, R.; White, J. T.; Yahlali, N.

2018-03-01

A new method to tag the barium daughter in the double beta decay of $^{136}$Xe is reported. Using the technique of single molecule fluorescent imaging (SMFI), individual barium dication (Ba$^{++}$) resolution at a transparent scanning surface has been demonstrated. A single-step photo-bleach confirms the single ion interpretation. Individual ions are localized with super-resolution ($\\sim$2~nm), and detected with a statistical significance of 12.9~$\\sigma$ over backgrounds. This lays the foundation for a new and potentially background-free neutrinoless double beta decay technology, based on SMFI coupled to high pressure xenon gas time projection chambers.

Demonstration of Single-Barium-Ion Sensitivity for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Using Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, A. D.; Jones, B. J. P.; Nygren, D. R.; Adams, C.; Álvarez, V.; Azevedo, C. D. R.; Benlloch-Rodríguez, J. M.; Borges, F. I. G. M.; Botas, A.; Cárcel, S.; Carrión, J. V.; Cebrián, S.; Conde, C. A. N.; Díaz, J.; Diesburg, M.; Escada, J.; Esteve, R.; Felkai, R.; Fernandes, L. M. P.; Ferrario, P.; Ferreira, A. L.; Freitas, E. D. C.; Goldschmidt, A.; Gómez-Cadenas, J. J.; González-Díaz, D.; Gutiérrez, R. M.; Guenette, R.; Hafidi, K.; Hauptman, J.; Henriques, C. A. O.; Hernandez, A. I.; Hernando Morata, J. A.; Herrero, V.; Johnston, S.; Labarga, L.; Laing, A.; Lebrun, P.; Liubarsky, I.; López-March, N.; Losada, M.; Martín-Albo, J.; Martínez-Lema, G.; Martínez, A.; Monrabal, F.; Monteiro, C. M. B.; Mora, F. J.; Moutinho, L. M.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Musti, M.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Novella, P.; Palmeiro, B.; Para, A.; Pérez, J.; Querol, M.; Repond, J.; Renner, J.; Riordan, S.; Ripoll, L.; Rodríguez, J.; Rogers, L.; Santos, F. P.; dos Santos, J. M. F.; Simón, A.; Sofka, C.; Sorel, M.; Stiegler, T.; Toledo, J. F.; Torrent, J.; Tsamalaidze, Z.; Veloso, J. F. C. A.; Webb, R.; White, J. T.; Yahlali, N.; NEXT Collaboration

2018-03-01

A new method to tag the barium daughter in the double-beta decay of Xe 136 is reported. Using the technique of single molecule fluorescent imaging (SMFI), individual barium dication (Ba++ ) resolution at a transparent scanning surface is demonstrated. A single-step photobleach confirms the single ion interpretation. Individual ions are localized with superresolution (˜2 nm ), and detected with a statistical significance of 12.9 σ over backgrounds. This lays the foundation for a new and potentially background-free neutrinoless double-beta decay technology, based on SMFI coupled to high pressure xenon gas time projection chambers.

Single Beam Holography.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsuan; Ruterbusch, Paul H.

1979-01-01

Discusses how holography can be used as part of undergraduate physics laboratories. The authors propose a single beam technique of holography, which will reduce the recording scheme as well as relax the isolation requirements. (HM)

Quantum optics. All-optical routing of single photons by a one-atom switch controlled by a single photon.

Science.gov (United States)

Shomroni, Itay; Rosenblum, Serge; Lovsky, Yulia; Bechler, Orel; Guendelman, Gabriel; Dayan, Barak

2014-08-22

The prospect of quantum networks, in which quantum information is carried by single photons in photonic circuits, has long been the driving force behind the effort to achieve all-optical routing of single photons. We realized a single-photon-activated switch capable of routing a photon from any of its two inputs to any of its two outputs. Our device is based on a single atom coupled to a fiber-coupled, chip-based microresonator. A single reflected control photon toggles the switch from high reflection (R ~ 65%) to high transmission (T ~ 90%), with an average of ~1.5 control photons per switching event (~3, including linear losses). No additional control fields are required. The control and target photons are both in-fiber and practically identical, making this scheme compatible with scalable architectures for quantum information processing. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Measuring single-cell density.

Science.gov (United States)

Grover, William H; Bryan, Andrea K; Diez-Silva, Monica; Suresh, Subra; Higgins, John M; Manalis, Scott R

2011-07-05

We have used a microfluidic mass sensor to measure the density of single living cells. By weighing each cell in two fluids of different densities, our technique measures the single-cell mass, volume, and density of approximately 500 cells per hour with a density precision of 0.001 g mL(-1). We observe that the intrinsic cell-to-cell variation in density is nearly 100-fold smaller than the mass or volume variation. As a result, we can measure changes in cell density indicative of cellular processes that would be otherwise undetectable by mass or volume measurements. Here, we demonstrate this with four examples: identifying Plasmodium falciparum malaria-infected erythrocytes in a culture, distinguishing transfused blood cells from a patient's own blood, identifying irreversibly sickled cells in a sickle cell patient, and identifying leukemia cells in the early stages of responding to a drug treatment. These demonstrations suggest that the ability to measure single-cell density will provide valuable insights into cell state for a wide range of biological processes.

49 CFR 238.311 - Single car test.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Single car test. 238.311 Section 238.311... Requirements for Tier I Passenger Equipment § 238.311 Single car test. (a) Except for self-propelled passenger cars, single car tests of all passenger cars and all unpowered vehicles used in passenger trains shall...

Prospects of Single Tax Payers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tofan Ivan M.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The article speaks about problem aspects of taxation, which were set by the state for the single tax administering due to permanent and system changes in the tax legislation. It shows the necessity of search for alternative methods of administering in the process of taxation of single tax payers by fiscal services. The goal of the article is the study of prospects of further taxation of entrepreneurs – single tax payers on the basis of analysis of conditions and principles created by the state for the business. The article used methods of system analysis, comparison, forecasting and modelling. It analyses the process of evolution of the simplified taxation system, accounting and reporting from the moment of its adoption until today. The article presents the structure of the quantitative composition of single tax payers depending on the selected groups. It marks out and characterises administrative and fiscal factors that do not facilitate further development of entrepreneurship in Ukraine. In the result of the conducted studies the article outlines problem aspects of organisation of taxation of the small business and offers specific and real ways of their overcoming or partial solution.

Spectrally resolved single-molecule electrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggeri, F.; Krishnan, M.

2018-03-01

Escape-time electrometry is a recently developed experimental technique that offers the ability to measure the effective electrical charge of a single biomolecule in solution with sub-elementary charge precision. The approach relies on measuring the average escape-time of a single charged macromolecule or molecular species transiently confined in an electrostatic fluidic trap. Comparing the experiments with the predictions of a mean-field model of molecular electrostatics, we have found that the measured effective charge even reports on molecular conformation, e.g., folded or disordered state, and non-uniform charge distribution in disordered proteins or polyelectrolytes. Here we demonstrate the ability to use the spectral dimension to distinguish minute differences in electrical charge between individual molecules or molecular species in a single simultaneous measurement, under identical experimental conditions. Using one spectral channel for referenced measurement, this kind of photophysical distinguishability essentially eliminates the need for accurate knowledge of key experimental parameters, otherwise obtained through intensive characterization of the experimental setup. As examples, we demonstrate the ability to detect small differences (˜5%) in the length of double-stranded DNA fragments as well as single amino acid exchange in an intrinsically disordered protein, prothymosin α.

Powerful tools for genetic modification: Advances in gene editing.

Science.gov (United States)

Roesch, Erica A; Drumm, Mitchell L

2017-11-01

Recent discoveries and technical advances in genetic engineering, methods called gene or genome editing, provide hope for repairing genes that cause diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF) or otherwise altering a gene for therapeutic benefit. There are both hopes and hurdles with these technologies, with new ideas emerging almost daily. Initial studies using intestinal organoid cultures carrying the common, F508del mutation have shown that gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9 can convert cells lacking CFTR function to cells with normal channel function, providing a precedent that this technology can be harnessed for CF. While this is an important precedent, the challenges that remain are not trivial. A logistical issue for this and many other genetic diseases is genetic heterogeneity. Approximately, 2000 mutations associated with CF have been found in CFTR, the gene responsible for CF, and thus a feasible strategy that would encompass all individuals affected by the disease is particularly difficult to envision. However, single strategies that would be applicable to all subjects affected by CF have been conceived and are being investigated. With all of these approaches, efficiency (the proportion of cells edited), accuracy (how often other sites in the genome are affected), and delivery of the gene editing components to the desired cells are perhaps the most significant, impending hurdles. Our understanding of each of these areas is increasing rapidly, and while it is impossible to predict when a successful strategy will reach the clinic, there is every reason to believe it is a question of "when" and not "if." © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electrically Anisotropic Layered Perovskite Single Crystal

KAUST Repository

Li, Ting-You

2016-04-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs), which are promising materials for electronic and optoelectronic applications (1-10), have made into layered organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (LOIHPs). These LOIHPs have been applied to thin-film transistors, solar cells and tunable wavelength phosphors (11-18). It is known that devices fabricated with single crystal exhibit the superior performance, which makes the growth of large-sized single crystals critical for future device applications (19-23). However, the difficulty in growing large-sized LOIHPs single crystal with superior electrical properties limits their practical applications. Here, we report a method to grow the centimeter-scaled LOIHP single crystal of [(HOC2H4NH3)2PbI4], demonstrating the potentials in mass production. After that, we reveal anisotropic electrical and optoelectronic properties which proved the carrier propagating along inorganic framework. The carrier mobility of in-inorganic-plane (in-plane) devices shows the average value of 45 cm2 V–1 s–1 which is about 100 times greater than the record of LOIHP devices (15), showing the importance of single crystal in device application. Moreover, the LOIHP single crystals show its ultra-short carrier lifetime of 42.7 ps and photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) of 25.4 %. We expect this report to be a start of LOIHPs for advanced applications in which the anisotropic properties are needed (24-25), and meets the demand of high-speed applications and fast-response applications.

FIRST SINGLE-PORT LAPAROSCOPIC PANCREATECTOMY IN BRAZIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Autran Cesar MACHADO

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Context Pancreatic surgery is an extremely challenging field, and the management of pancreatic diseases continues to evolve. In the past decade, minimal access surgery is moving towards minimizing the surgical trauma by reducing numbers and size of the port. In the last few years, a novel technique with a single-incision laparoscopic approach has been described for several laparoscopic procedures. Objectives We present a single-port laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy. To our knowledge, this is the first single-port pancreatic resection in Brazil and Latin America. Methods A 33-year-old woman with neuroendocrine tumor underwent spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy via single-port approach. A single-incision advanced access platform with gelatin cap, self-retaining sleeve and wound protector was used. Results Operative time was 174 minutes. Blood loss was minimal, and the patient did not receive a transfusion. The recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 4. Conclusions Single-port laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy is feasible and can be safely performed in specialized centers by skilled laparoscopic surgeons.

Single-photon manipulation in Nanophotonic Circuits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Sofie Lindskov

Quantum dots in photonic nanostructures has long been known to be a very powerful and versatile solid-state platform for conducting quantum optics experiments. The present PhD thesis describes experimental demonstrations of single-photon generation and subsequent manipulation all realized...... on a gallium arsenide platform. This platform offers near-unity coupling between embedded single-photon emitters and a photonic mode, as well as the ability to suppress decoherence mechanisms, making it highly suited for quantum information applications. In this thesis we show how a single-photon router can...... be realized on a chip with embedded quantum dots. This allows for on-chip generation and manipulation of single photons. The router consists of an on-chip interferometer where the phase difference between the arms of the interferometer is controlled electrically. The response time of the device...

The interplay between scent trails and group-mass recruitment systems in ants.

Science.gov (United States)

Planqué, Robert; van den Berg, Jan Bouwe; Franks, Nigel R

2013-10-01

Large ant colonies invariably use effective scent trails to guide copious ant numbers to food sources. The success of mass recruitment hinges on the involvement of many colony members to lay powerful trails. However, many ant colonies start off as single queens. How do these same colonies forage efficiently when small, thereby overcoming the hurdles to grow large? In this paper, we study the case of combined group and mass recruitment displayed by some ant species. Using mathematical models, we explore to what extent early group recruitment may aid deployment of scent trails, making such trails available at much smaller colony sizes. We show that a competition between group and mass recruitment may cause oscillatory behaviour mediated by scent trails. This results in a further reduction of colony size to establish trails successfully.

Alzheimer's disease therapies: Selected advances and future ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Among the neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents one of the biggest challenges that the modern health care system has to deal with. The lack of data about the etiology and the complexity of the underlying pathogenesis constitute the biggest struggle facing the development of new therapeutical ...

Electron-helium S-wave model benchmark calculations. I. Single ionization and single excitation

Science.gov (United States)

Bartlett, Philip L.; Stelbovics, Andris T.

2010-02-01

A full four-body implementation of the propagating exterior complex scaling (PECS) method [J. Phys. B 37, L69 (2004)] is developed and applied to the electron-impact of helium in an S-wave model. Time-independent solutions to the Schrödinger equation are found numerically in coordinate space over a wide range of energies and used to evaluate total and differential cross sections for a complete set of three- and four-body processes with benchmark precision. With this model we demonstrate the suitability of the PECS method for the complete solution of the full electron-helium system. Here we detail the theoretical and computational development of the four-body PECS method and present results for three-body channels: single excitation and single ionization. Four-body cross sections are presented in the sequel to this article [Phys. Rev. A 81, 022716 (2010)]. The calculations reveal structure in the total and energy-differential single-ionization cross sections for excited-state targets that is due to interference from autoionization channels and is evident over a wide range of incident electron energies.

Protein determination in single corns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knorr, J.; Schiekel, M.; Franke, W.; Focke, F.

1994-01-01

Determination of protein content in food materials is usually done by analyzing the nitrogen amount by wet chemical Kjeldahl method. An improved accuracy accompanied by smaller analyzing intervals can be achieved using nondestructive neutron activation. Analyses have been performed using 14 MeV neutrons to determine the content of N and P in single wheat corns. Irradiation parameters have been optimized to prevent serious radiation damage in grains. About 200 single corns have been investigated with total net weights ranging from 30 to 70 mg. The tested arrangement allows determination of nitrogen amount in a single corn down to 0.3 mg with an accuracy of better than 4 %. Mean nitrogen concentrations in the range from 9 to 19% per corn have been detected. (author) 5 refs.; 6 figs

Solid-state single-photon emitters

Science.gov (United States)

Aharonovich, Igor; Englund, Dirk; Toth, Milos

2016-10-01

Single-photon emitters play an important role in many leading quantum technologies. There is still no 'ideal' on-demand single-photon emitter, but a plethora of promising material systems have been developed, and several have transitioned from proof-of-concept to engineering efforts with steadily improving performance. Here, we review recent progress in the race towards true single-photon emitters required for a range of quantum information processing applications. We focus on solid-state systems including quantum dots, defects in solids, two-dimensional hosts and carbon nanotubes, as these are well positioned to benefit from recent breakthroughs in nanofabrication and materials growth techniques. We consider the main challenges and key advantages of each platform, with a focus on scalable on-chip integration and fabrication of identical sources on photonic circuits.

Search for Single Top Production at LEP

CERN Document Server

Achard, P; Aguilar-Benítez, M; Alcaraz, J; Alemanni, G; Allaby, James V; Aloisio, A; Alviggi, M G; Anderhub, H; Andreev, V P; Anselmo, F; Arefev, A; Azemoon, T; Aziz, T; Bagnaia, P; Bajo, A; Baksay, G; Baksay, L; Baldew, S V; Banerjee, S; Banerjee, Sw; Barczyk, A; Barillère, R; Bartalini, P; Basile, M; Batalova, N; Battiston, R; Bay, A; Becattini, F; Becker, U; Behner, F; Bellucci, L; Berbeco, R; Berdugo, J; Berges, P; Bertucci, B; Betev, B L; Biasini, M; Biglietti, M; Biland, A; Blaising, J J; Blyth, S C; Bobbink, Gerjan J; Böhm, A; Boldizsar, L; Borgia, B; Bottai, S; Bourilkov, D; Bourquin, Maurice; Braccini, S; Branson, J G; Brochu, F; Burger, J D; Burger, W J; Cai, X D; Capell, M; Cara Romeo, G; Carlino, G; Cartacci, A M; Casaus, J; Cavallari, F; Cavallo, N; Cecchi, C; Cerrada, M; Chamizo-Llatas, M; Chang, Y H; Chemarin, M; Chen, A; Chen, G; Chen, G M; Chen, H F; Chen, H S; Chiefari, G; Cifarelli, Luisa; Cindolo, F; Clare, I; Clare, R; Coignet, G; Colino, N; Costantini, S; de la Cruz, B; Cucciarelli, S; van Dalen, J A; De Asmundis, R; Déglon, P L; Debreczeni, J; Degré, A; Dehmelt, K; Deiters, K; Della Volpe, D; Delmeire, E; Denes, P; De Notaristefani, F; De Salvo, A; Diemoz, M; Dierckxsens, M; Dionisi, C; Dittmar, M; Doria, A; Dova, M T; Duchesneau, D; Echenard, B; Eline, A; El-Mamouni, H; Engler, A; Eppling, F J; Ewers, A; Extermann, P; Falagán, M A; Falciano, S; Favara, A; Fay, J; Fedin, O; Felcini, M; Ferguson, T; Fesefeldt, H S; Fiandrini, E; Field, J H; Filthaut, Frank; Fisher, P H; Fisher, W; Fisk, I; Forconi, G; Freudenreich, Klaus; Furetta, C; Galaktionov, Yu; Ganguli, S N; García-Abia, P; Gataullin, M; Gentile, S; Giagu, S; Gong, Z F; Grenier, G; Grimm, O; Grünewald, M W; Guida, M; van Gulik, R; Gupta, V K; Gurtu, A; Gutay, L J; Haas, D; Hakobyan, R S; Hatzifotiadou, D; Hebbeker, T; Hervé, A; Hirschfelder, J; Hofer, H; Hohlmann, M; Holzner, G; Hou, S R; Hu, Y; Jin, B N; Jones, L W; de Jong, P; Josa-Mutuberria, I; Käfer, D; Kaur, M; Kienzle-Focacci, M N; Kim, J K; Kirkby, Jasper; Kittel, E W; Klimentov, A; König, A C; Kopal, M; Koutsenko, V F; Kräber, M H; Krämer, R W; Krenz, W; Krüger, A; Kunin, A; Ladrón de Guevara, P; Laktineh, I; Landi, G; Lebeau, M; Lebedev, A; Lebrun, P; Lecomte, P; Lecoq, P; Le Coultre, P; Le Goff, J M; Leiste, R; Levtchenko, M; Levchenko, P M; Li, C; Likhoded, S A; Lin, C H; Lin, W T; Linde, Frank L; Lista, L; Liu, Z A; Lohmann, W; Longo, E; Lü, Y S; Lübelsmeyer, K; Luci, C; Luminari, L; Lustermann, W; Ma Wen Gan; Malgeri, L; Malinin, A; Maña, C; Mangeol, D J J; Mans, J; Martin, J P; Marzano, F; Mazumdar, K; McNeil, R R; Mele, S; Merola, L; Meschini, M; Metzger, W J; Mihul, A; Milcent, H; Mirabelli, G; Mnich, J; Mohanty, G B; Muanza, G S; Muijs, A J M; Musicar, B; Musy, M; Nagy, S; Natale, S; Napolitano, M; Nessi-Tedaldi, F; Newman, H; Niessen, T; Nisati, A; Nowak, H; Ofierzynski, R A; Organtini, G; Palomares, C; Pandoulas, D; Paolucci, P; Paramatti, R; Passaleva, G; Patricelli, S; Paul, T; Pauluzzi, M; Paus, C; Pauss, Felicitas; Pedace, M; Pensotti, S; Perret-Gallix, D; Petersen, B; Piccolo, D; Pierella, F; Pioppi, M; Piroué, P A; Pistolesi, E; Plyaskin, V; Pohl, M; Pozhidaev, V; Pothier, J; Prokofiev, D O; Prokofev, D; Quartieri, J; Rahal-Callot, G; Rahaman, M A; Raics, P; Raja, N; Ramelli, R; Rancoita, P G; Ranieri, R; Raspereza, A V; Razis, P A; Ren, D; Rescigno, M; Reucroft, S; Riemann, S; Riles, K; Roe, B P; Romero, L; Rosca, A; Rosier-Lees, S; Roth, S; Rosenbleck, C; Roux, B; Rubio, Juan Antonio; Ruggiero, G; Rykaczewski, H; Sakharov, A; Saremi, S; Sarkar, S; Salicio, J; Sánchez, E; Sanders, M P; Schäfer, C; Shchegelskii, V; Schmidt-Kärst, S; Schmitz, D; Schopper, Herwig Franz; Schotanus, D J; Schwering, G; Sciacca, C; Servoli, L; Shevchenko, S; Shivarov, N; Shoutko, V; Shumilov, E; Shvorob, A V; Siedenburg, T; Son, D; Souga, C; Spillantini, P; Steuer, M; Stickland, D P; Stoyanov, B; Strässner, A; Sudhakar, K; Sultanov, G G; Sun, L Z; Sushkov, S V; Suter, H; Swain, J D; Szillási, Z; Tang, X W; Tarjan, P; Tauscher, Ludwig; Taylor, L; Tellili, B; Teyssier, D; Timmermans, C; Ting, Samuel C C; Ting, S M; Tonwar, S C; Tóth, J; Tully, C; Tung, K L; Ulbricht, J; Valente, E; Van de Walle, R T; Vásquez, R P; Veszpremi, V; Vesztergombi, G; Vetlitskii, I; Vicinanza, D; Viertel, Gert M; Villa, S; Vivargent, M; Vlachos, S; Vodopyanov, I; Vogel, H; Vogt, H; Vorobev, I; Vorobyov, A A; Wadhwa, M; Wallraff, W; Wang, X L; Wang, Z M; Weber, M; Wienemann, P; Wilkens, H; Wynhoff, S; Xia, L; Xu, Z Z; Yamamoto, J; Yang, B Z; Yang, C G; Yang, H J; Yang, M; Yeh, S C; Zalite, A; Zalite, Yu; Zhang, Z P; Zhao, J; Zhu, G Y; Zhu, R Y; Zhuang, H L; Zichichi, A; Zimmermann, B; Zöller, M

2002-01-01

Single top production in e^+e^- annihilations is searched for in data collected by the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies from 189 to 209 GeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 634 pb-1. Investigating hadronic and semileptonic top decays, no evidence of single top production at LEP is obtained and upper limits on the single top cross section as a function of the centre-of-mass energy are derived. Limits on possible anomalous couplings, as well as on the scale of contact interactions responsible for single top production are determined.

Single transverse-spin asymmetric in hardronic collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, J.

1995-01-01

We provide a consistent treatment of single transverse-spin asymmetriesin hadronic collisions in terms of the generalized factorization theorem in perturbative QCD. The asymmetries in different physical processes, such as direct photon, single particle production, can be expressed in terms of a calculable partonic hard-part convoluted with universal three-parton correlation functions. We show that the observed single transverse- spin asymmtries in hadronic pion production can be understood, and used to extract the information on these correlation functions. With these correlation functions, predictions on single spin asymmetries in other processes can be made, and consequently, the theory can be tested

Single-Molecule Analysis of Pre-mRNA Splicing with Colocalization Single-Molecule Spectroscopy (CoSMoS).

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, Joerg E; Serebrov, Victor

2017-01-01

Recent development of single-molecule techniques to study pre-mRNA splicing has provided insights into the dynamic nature of the spliceosome. Colocalization single-molecule spectroscopy (CoSMoS) allows following spliceosome assembly in real time at single-molecule resolution in the full complexity of cellular extracts. A detailed protocol of CoSMoS has been published previously (Anderson and Hoskins, Methods Mol Biol 1126:217-241, 2014). Here, we provide an update on the technical advances since the first CoSMoS studies including slide surface treatment, data processing, and representation. We describe various labeling strategies to generate RNA reporters with multiple dyes (or other moieties) at specific locations.

Freshwater ecosystems could become the biggest losers of the Paris Agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermoso, Virgilio

2017-09-01

Securing access to energy for a growing population under the international commitment of reduction of greenhouse emissions requires increasing the contribution of renewable sources to the global share. Hydropower energy, which accounts for >80% of green energy, is experiencing a boom fostered by international investment mainly in developing countries. This boom could be further accelerated by the recent climate agreement reached in Paris. Despite its flexibility, hydropower production entails social, economic and ecological risks that need to be carefully considered before investing in the development of potentially thousands of planned hydropower projects worldwide. This is especially relevant given the weak or nonexistent legislation that regulates hydropower project approval and construction in many countries. I highlight the need for adequate policy to provide the Paris Agreement with new financial and planning mechanisms to avoid further and irreversible damage to freshwater ecosystem services and biodiversity. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multi-slice helical CT: biggest pitch does not mean dosimetric bargain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cordoliani, Y.S.

2000-01-01

This article explains the point of the definition of the pitch, definition different from the point of view of the constructor and the definition used in the normalisation documents. It is important to dissociate the detection step ( displacement of the way divided by the thickness of the reconstructed hits) and the acquisition step (displacement of the way divided by the product of the number of hits simultaneously achieved by the nominal thickness of hit). This last one is the only step that answers to the step definition, still current in the normalisation documents and it should be the only used by the constructors. As irradiation is inversely proportional to the pitch, the definition of this one becomes a part of radiation protection and explains why different radiation doses can be gotten. (N.C.)

The biggest bio-fuel plant in Norway - a profitable environmental investment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lind, Oddvar

2002-01-01

A few years ago, Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden, Norway, invested NOK 180 mill in a new combustion plant for bio-fuel. In 2001, the plant produced 400 GWh and so replaced about 35 000 tonnes of oil. Considering the Kyoto Agreement, the profitability is even greater. The capacity of the boiler is 400 - 450 GWh, which covers more than 40 percent of the paper factory's need for thermal energy. The paper factory in Halden is one of the largest in Europe. About half of the bio-fuel derives from the factory's own production, which is an important reason why the price of bio-energy is less than the price of oil. At the same time the use of the biomass for energy production implies that bark and mud does not pile up in the factory. The remaining half of the biomass, the external half, is wood returned from building activities in the form of wood chippings, one-time pallets and similar. This also solves a social problem. The bio-fuel plant uses a fluidized bed boiler of very high efficiency. This implies very small emissions of NOx and CO. Particles are removed by means of an electro filter. The system meets the requirements made by the EU and by Norwegian pollution control authorities

Can the biggest experiment ever tell us how the universe works?

CERN Multimedia

Eddy, Ian

2008-01-01

Wednesday 10 September will be a massive day for science and mankind. On that day, the largest machine ever built will begin an experiment to recreate the conditions that existed close to the dawn of time. Scientists hope that it will vastly improve our knowledge of the universe. (2 pages)

Can the biggest experiment ever tell us how the universe works?

CERN Multimedia

Eddy, Ian

2008-01-01

10 September will be a massive day for science and mankind. On that day, the largest machine ever built will begin an experiment to recreate the conditions that existed close to the dawn of time. Scientists hope that it will vastly improve our knowledge of the universe. (1 page)

Condor's biggest threat A California Condor's dinner in the wild is ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

now condor protectionists are trying to persuade hunters to switch voluntarily to condor-safe lead-free bullets. The. Arizona Game and Fish Department has pioneered a program that distributes free copper bullets to hunters, and environmentalists are trying to convince hunters that lead bullets threaten not only condors but ...

Personal View Climate change as the biggest threat to public health ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Adaptation: Reducing the risk. Some impacts of ... from their courses due to financial difficulties or family background. ... pharmacists, clinical officers, and health managers through ... Climate risk and vulnerability: a handbook for. Southern ...

The world’s biggest hotel companies. Old trends and new tendencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kowalczyk Andrzej

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Many hotels are owned by a few dozen so-called hotel chains or hotel systems. The rapid growth of big hotel companies can be regarded as proof of the entrance of hotel systems into the globalisation phase. Since 2006, companies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC have been among the world’s top hotel systems. This year can be considered as the symbolic beginning of a new stage in the history of the largest hotel systems. This paper shows two main trends. On the one hand, the processes that could be observed in the market of the major global hotel systems from the 1990s are still discernible (for example, the position of the so-called hotel megasystems. On the other hand, new trends have come to the fore in recent years, notably the emergence of systems from the People’s Republic of China among the world’s largest hotel systems.

In Sweden, big business is the biggest customer of LP firms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, W.W.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that unwittingly, in all likelihood, big brother natural gas, which so often proves detrimental to the interests of LPG marketers by moving into their long-established territories, has actually proven a double-barreled boon in Sweden. On the one hand it has made the national LPG-conscious. On the other hand, because of the sparseness of the population its market area is limited to the western edge of the country as it is not a competitor, nor is it likely to become one in the foreseeable future. It was the introduction of natural gas that gave a healthy boost to LPG's fortune in 1985. In the following year, the market, which had been essentially flat since 1975, suddenly began to expand, and it continued to do so through 1990. Since then, however, it has once again flattened out because of the worldwide recession, from which not nation is totally immune

Single-cell analysis of targeted transcriptome predicts drug sensitivity of single cells within human myeloma tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, A K; Mukherjee, U K; Harding, T; Jang, J S; Stessman, H; Li, Y; Abyzov, A; Jen, J; Kumar, S; Rajkumar, V; Van Ness, B

2016-05-01

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by significant genetic diversity at subclonal levels that have a defining role in the heterogeneity of tumor progression, clinical aggressiveness and drug sensitivity. Although genome profiling studies have demonstrated heterogeneity in subclonal architecture that may ultimately lead to relapse, a gene expression-based prediction program that can identify, distinguish and quantify drug response in sub-populations within a bulk population of myeloma cells is lacking. In this study, we performed targeted transcriptome analysis on 528 pre-treatment single cells from 11 myeloma cell lines and 418 single cells from 8 drug-naïve MM patients, followed by intensive bioinformatics and statistical analysis for prediction of proteasome inhibitor sensitivity in individual cells. Using our previously reported drug response gene expression profile signature at the single-cell level, we developed an R Statistical analysis package available at https://github.com/bvnlabSCATTome, SCATTome (single-cell analysis of targeted transcriptome), that restructures the data obtained from Fluidigm single-cell quantitative real-time-PCR analysis run, filters missing data, performs scaling of filtered data, builds classification models and predicts drug response of individual cells based on targeted transcriptome using an assortment of machine learning methods. Application of SCATT should contribute to clinically relevant analysis of intratumor heterogeneity, and better inform drug choices based on subclonal cellular responses.

A Brief Introduction to Single-Molecule Fluorescence Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Wildenberg, Siet M J L; Prevo, Bram; Peterman, Erwin J G

2018-01-01

One of the more popular single-molecule approaches in biological science is single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, which will be the subject of the following section of this volume. Fluorescence methods provide the sensitivity required to study biology on the single-molecule level, but they also allow access to useful measurable parameters on time and length scales relevant for the biomolecular world. Before several detailed experimental approaches will be addressed, we will first give a general overview of single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. We start with discussing the phenomenon of fluorescence in general and the history of single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Next, we will review fluorescent probes in more detail and the equipment required to visualize them on the single-molecule level. We will end with a description of parameters measurable with such approaches, ranging from protein counting and tracking, single-molecule localization super-resolution microscopy, to distance measurements with Förster Resonance Energy Transfer and orientation measurements with fluorescence polarization.

A new microcavity design for single molecule detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steiner, M.; Schleifenbaum, F.; Stupperich, C.; Failla, A.V.; Hartschuh, A.; Meixner, A.J.

2006-01-01

We present a new microcavity design which allows for efficient detection of single molecules by measuring the molecular fluorescence emission coupled into a resonant cavity mode. The Fabry-Perot-type microresonator consists of two silver mirrors separated by a thin polymer film doped with dye molecules in ultralow concenctration. By slightly tilting one of the mirrors different cavity lengths can be selected within the same sample. Locally, on a μm scale, the microcavity still acts as a planar Fabry-Perot resonator. Using scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy, single emitters on resonance with a single mode of the microresonator can be spatially addressed. Our microcavity is demonstrated to be well-suited for investigating the coupling mechanism between single quantum emitters and single modes of the electromagnetic field. The microcavity layout could be integrated in a lab-on-a-microchip design for ultrasensitive microfluidic analytics and can be considered as an important improvement for single photon sources based on single molecules operating at room temperature

Single nanoparticle tracking spectroscopic microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Haw [Moraga, CA; Cang, Hu [Berkeley, CA; Xu, Cangshan [Berkeley, CA; Wong, Chung M [San Gabriel, CA

2011-07-19

A system that can maintain and track the position of a single nanoparticle in three dimensions for a prolonged period has been disclosed. The system allows for continuously imaging the particle to observe any interactions it may have. The system also enables the acquisition of real-time sequential spectroscopic information from the particle. The apparatus holds great promise in performing single molecule spectroscopy and imaging on a non-stationary target.

Singled out?

Science.gov (United States)

Waller, Frank

2004-03-01

The increasing use of single use medical devices is being driven by a growing awareness of iatrogenic (from the Greek; caused by the doctor) and nosocomial infections. Public health perceptions relating to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, specifically variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B are high on the political agenda and a matter of concern to healthcare professionals.

The Research on Metrological Characteristics of House Water Meters during Transitional Flow Regimes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inga Briliūtė

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to find the influence of transitional flow regimes on inlet water meters. Four construction types of mechanical inlet water meters (each capacity Q = 10 m3/h were investigated. The biggest additional volume 0,12–0,26% when Q = 0,2…2 m3/h shows single-jet vane wheel meter. This additional volume is less 0,06–0,13% for the multi-jet concentric water meter. The minimum influence of transitional flow regimes was for turbine water meters till 0,1% for all flow range. The volumetric meters are not sensitive for this effect.Article in Lithuanian

Soft error evaluation in SRAM using α sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Chaohui; Chu Jun; Ren Xueming; Xia Chunmei; Yang Xiupei; Zhang Weiwei; Wang Hongquan; Xiao Jiangbo; Li Xiaolin

2006-01-01

Soft errors in memories influence directly the reliability of products. To compare the ability of three different memories against soft errors by experiments of alpha particles irradiation, the numbers of soft errors are measured for three different SRAMs and the cross sections of single event upset (SEU) and failures in time (FIT) are calculated. According to the cross sections of SEU, the ability of A166M against soft errors is the best and then B166M, the last B200M. The average FIT of B166M is smaller than that of B200M, and that of A166M is the biggest among them. (authors)

Coherent interaction of single molecules and plasmonic nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Gerhardt, Ilja; Grotz, Bernhard; Siyushev, Petr; Wrachtrup, Jörg

2017-09-01

Quantum plasmonics opens the option to integrate complex quantum optical circuitry onto chip scale devices. In the past, often external light sources were used and nonclassical light was coupled in and out of plasmonic structures, such as hole arrays or waveguide structures. Another option to launch single plasmonic excitations is the coupling of single emitters in the direct proximity of, e.g., a silver or gold nanostructure. Here, we present our attempts to integrate the research of single emitters with wet-chemically grown silver nanowires. The emitters of choice are single organic dye molecules under cryogenic conditions, which are known to act as high-brightness and extremely narrow-band single photon sources. Another advantage is their high optical nonlinearity, such that they might mediate photon-photon interactions on the nanoscale. We report on the coupling of a single molecule fluorescence emission through the wire over the length of several wavelengths. The transmission of coherently emitted photons is proven by an extinction type experiment. As for influencing the spectral properties of a single emitter, we are able to show a remote change of the line-width of a single terrylene molecule, which is in close proximity to the nanowire.

Single DNA denaturation and bubble dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metzler, Ralf; Ambjoernsson, Tobias; Hanke, Andreas; Fogedby, Hans C

2009-01-01

While the Watson-Crick double-strand is the thermodynamically stable state of DNA in a wide range of temperature and salt conditions, even at physiological conditions local denaturation bubbles may open up spontaneously due to thermal activation. By raising the ambient temperature, titration, or by external forces in single molecule setups bubbles proliferate until full denaturation of the DNA occurs. Based on the Poland-Scheraga model we investigate both the equilibrium transition of DNA denaturation and the dynamics of the denaturation bubbles with respect to recent single DNA chain experiments for situations below, at, and above the denaturation transition. We also propose a new single molecule setup based on DNA constructs with two bubble zones to measure the bubble coalescence and extract the physical parameters relevant to DNA breathing. Finally we consider the interplay between denaturation bubbles and selectively single-stranded DNA binding proteins.

Electric field imaging of single atoms

Science.gov (United States)

Shibata, Naoya; Seki, Takehito; Sánchez-Santolino, Gabriel; Findlay, Scott D.; Kohno, Yuji; Matsumoto, Takao; Ishikawa, Ryo; Ikuhara, Yuichi

2017-01-01

In scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), single atoms can be imaged by detecting electrons scattered through high angles using post-specimen, annular-type detectors. Recently, it has been shown that the atomic-scale electric field of both the positive atomic nuclei and the surrounding negative electrons within crystalline materials can be probed by atomic-resolution differential phase contrast STEM. Here we demonstrate the real-space imaging of the (projected) atomic electric field distribution inside single Au atoms, using sub-Å spatial resolution STEM combined with a high-speed segmented detector. We directly visualize that the electric field distribution (blurred by the sub-Å size electron probe) drastically changes within the single Au atom in a shape that relates to the spatial variation of total charge density within the atom. Atomic-resolution electric field mapping with single-atom sensitivity enables us to examine their detailed internal and boundary structures. PMID:28555629

Single-Molecule Spectroscopy

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 20; Issue 2. Single-Molecule Spectroscopy: Every Molecule is Different! Kankan Bhattacharyya. General Article Volume 20 Issue 2 February 2015 pp 151-164. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

Feasibility of single-incision laparoscopic surgery for appendicitis in abnormal anatomical locations: A single surgeon′s initial experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanoop K Zachariah

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery is considered as a more technically demanding procedure than the standard laparoscopic surgery. Based on an initial and early experience, single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (LA was found to be technically advantageous for dealing with appendicitis in unusual anatomical locations. This study aims to highlight the technical advantages of single-incision laparoscopic surgery in dealing with the abnormally located appendixes and furthermore report a case of acute appendicitis occurring in a sub-gastric position, which is probably the first such case to be reported in English literature. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the first 10 cases of single-incision LA which were performed by a single surgeon is presented here. Results: There were seven females and three males. The mean age of the patients was 30.6 (range 18-52 years, mean BMI was 22.7 (range 17-28 kg/m 2 and the mean operative time was 85.5 (range 45-150 min. The mean postoperative stay was 3.6 (range 1-7 days. The commonest position of the appendix was retro-caecal (50% followed by pelvic (30%. In three cases the appendix was found to be in abnormal locations namely sub-hepatic, sub-gastric and deep pelvic or para-vesical or para-rectal. All these cases could be managed with this technique without any conversions Conclusion: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery appears to be a feasible and safe technique for dealing with appendicitis in rare anatomical locations. Appendectomy may be a suitable procedure for the initial training in single-incision laparoscopic surgery.

Laparoendoscopic single site in pelvic surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez-Salas, Rafael; Clavijo, Rafael; Barret, Eric; Sotelo, Rene

2012-01-01

Laparoendoscopic single site (LESS) has recently gained momentum as feasible techniques for minimal access surgery. Our aim is to describe the current status of laparoendoscopic single site (LESS) in pelvic surgery. A comprehensive revision of the literature in LESS pelvic surgery was performed. References for this manuscript were obtained by performing a review of the available literature in PubMed from 01-01-01 to 30-11-11. References outside the search period were obtained selected manuscript΄s bibliography. Search terms included: pelvic anatomy, less in gynecology, single port colectomy, urological less, single port, single site, NOTES, LESS and single incision. 314 manuscripts were initially identified. Out of these, 46 manuscripts were selected based in their pelvic anatomy or surgical content; including experimental experience, clinical series and literature reviews. LESS drastically limit the surgeon's ability to perform in the operative field and the latter becomes hardened by the lack of space in anatomical location like the pelvis. Potential advantages of LESS are gained with the understanding that the surgical procedure is more technically challenging. Pelvic surgical procedures related to colorectal surgery, gynecology and urology have been performed with LESS technique and information available is mostly represented by case reports and short case series. Comparative series remain few. LESS pelvic surgery remain in its very beginning and due to the very specific anatomical conditions further development of LESS surgery in the mentioned area can be clearly be facilitated by using robotic technology. Standardization ad reproducibility of techniques are mandatory to further develop LESS in the surgical arena.. PMID:22557719

Laparoendoscopic single site in pelvic surgery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Sanchez-Salas

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Laparoendoscopic single site (LESS has recently gained momentum as feasible techniques for minimal access surgery. Our aim is to describe the current status of laparoendoscopic single site (LESS in pelvic surgery. A comprehensive revision of the literature in LESS pelvic surgery was performed. References for this manuscript were obtained by performing a review of the available literature in PubMed from 01-01-01 to 30-11-11. References outside the search period were obtained selected manuscript΄s bibliography. Search terms included: pelvic anatomy, less in gynecology, single port colectomy, urological less, single port, single site, NOTES, LESS and single incision. 314 manuscripts were initially identified. Out of these, 46 manuscripts were selected based in their pelvic anatomy or surgical content; including experimental experience, clinical series and literature reviews. LESS drastically limit the surgeon′s ability to perform in the operative field and the latter becomes hardened by the lack of space in anatomical location like the pelvis. Potential advantages of LESS are gained with the understanding that the surgical procedure is more technically challenging. Pelvic surgical procedures related to colorectal surgery, gynecology and urology have been performed with LESS technique and information available is mostly represented by case reports and short case series. Comparative series remain few. LESS pelvic surgery remain in its very beginning and due to the very specific anatomical conditions further development of LESS surgery in the mentioned area can be clearly be facilitated by using robotic technology. Standardization ad reproducibility of techniques are mandatory to further develop LESS in the surgical arena..

BILATERAL SINGLE SESSION URETEROSCOPY FOR URETERAL ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives: To determine the feasibility, safety and success rate of bilateral single session rigid retrograde ureteroscopy (URS) for bilateral ureteral calculi. Patients and Methods: Thirty-five patients underwent bilateral single session ureteroscopic calculus removal. Results: Out of 70 renal units in 35 patients treated, ...

Electrically Anisotropic Layered Perovskite Single Crystal

KAUST Repository

Li, Ting-You

2016-01-01

-23). However, the difficulty in growing large-sized LOIHPs single crystal with superior electrical properties limits their practical applications. Here, we report a method to grow the centimeter-scaled LOIHP single crystal of [(HOC2H4NH3)2PbI4], demonstrating

Electrochemically-gated single-molecule electrical devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Shaoyin; Artés, Juan Manuel; Díez-Pérez, Ismael

2013-01-01

In the last decade, single-molecule electrical contacts have emerged as a new experimental platform that allows exploring charge transport phenomena in individual molecular blocks. This novel tool has evolved into an essential element within the Molecular Electronics field to understand charge transport processes in hybrid (bio)molecule/electrode interfaces at the nanoscale, and prospect the implementation of active molecular components into functional nanoscale optoelectronic devices. Within this area, three-terminal single-molecule devices have been sought, provided that they are highly desired to achieve full functionality in logic electronic circuits. Despite the latest experimental developments offer consistent methods to bridge a molecule between two electrodes (source and drain in a transistor notation), placing a third electrode (gate) close to the single-molecule electrical contact is still technically challenging. In this vein, electrochemically-gated single-molecule devices have emerged as an experimentally affordable alternative to overcome these technical limitations. In this review, the operating principle of an electrochemically-gated single-molecule device is presented together with the latest experimental methodologies to built them and characterize their charge transport characteristics. Then, an up-to-date comprehensive overview of the most prominent examples will be given, emphasizing on the relationship between the molecular structure and the final device electrical behaviour

Handbook of Single-Molecule Biophysics

CERN Document Server

Hinterdorfer, Peter

2009-01-01

The last decade has seen the development of a number of novel biophysical methods that allow the manipulation and study of individual biomolecules. The ability to monitor biological processes at this fundamental level of sensitivity has given rise to an improved understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Through the removal of ensemble averaging, distributions and fluctuations of molecular properties can be characterized, transient intermediates identified, and catalytic mechanisms elucidated. By applying forces on biomolecules while monitoring their activity, important information can be obtained on how proteins couple function to structure. The Handbook of Single-Molecule Biophysics provides an introduction to these techniques and presents an extensive discussion of the new biological insights obtained from them. Coverage includes: Experimental techniques to monitor and manipulate individual biomolecules The use of single-molecule techniques in super-resolution and functional imaging Single-molec...

Single particle and molecular assembly analysis of polyribosomes by single- and double-tilt cryo electron tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myasnikov, Alexander G. [IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Department of Integrative Structural Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104/ Institut National de la Santé de la Recherche Médicale INSERM U964/ Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch (France); Afonina, Zhanna A. [Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region (Russian Federation); Klaholz, Bruno P., E-mail: klaholz@igbmc.fr [IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Department of Integrative Structural Biology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104/ Institut National de la Santé de la Recherche Médicale INSERM U964/ Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch (France)

2013-03-15

Cryo electron tomography (cryo-ET) can provide cellular and molecular structural information on various biological samples. However, the detailed interpretation of tomograms reconstructed from single-tilt data tends to suffer from low signal-to-noise ratio and artefacts caused by some systematically missing angular views. While these can be overcome by sub-tomogram averaging, they remain limiting for the analysis of unique structures. Double-tilt ET can improve the tomogram quality by acquiring a second tilt series after an in-plane rotation, but its usage is not widespread yet because it is considered technically demanding and it is rarely used under cryo conditions. Here we show that double-tilt cryo-ET improves the quality of 3D reconstructions so significantly that even single particle analysis can be envisaged despite of the intrinsically low image contrast obtained from frozen-hydrated specimens. This is illustrated by the analysis of eukaryotic polyribosomes in which individual ribosomes were reconstructed using single-tilt, partial and full double-tilt geometries. The improved tomograms favour the faster convergence of iterative sub-tomogram averaging and allow a better 3D classification using multivariate statistical analysis. Our study of single particles and molecular assemblies within polysomes illustrates that the dual-axis approach is particularly useful for cryo applications of ET, both for unique objects and for structures that can be classified and averaged. - Highlights: ► Double-tilt cryo-ET improves 3D reconstructions thus making single particle analysis possible. ► Dual-axis cryo-ET data favour a faster convergence of iterative sub-tomogram averaging. ► Individual ribosomes were reconstructed from single-tilt, partial/ full double-tilt geometries. ► Double-tilt cryo-ET facilitates analysis of larger molecular assemblies such as in cell sections. ► Dual-axis cryo-ET is applicable to unique objects and to structures that can be

High-throughput deterministic single-cell encapsulation and droplet pairing, fusion, and shrinkage in a single microfluidic device

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schoeman, R.M.; Kemna, Evelien; Wolbers, F.; van den Berg, Albert

In this article, we present a microfluidic device capable of successive high-yield single-cell encapsulation in droplets, with additional droplet pairing, fusion, and shrinkage. Deterministic single-cell encapsulation is realized using Dean-coupled inertial ordering of cells in a Yin-Yang-shaped

Development of n- and p-type Doped Perovskite Single Crystals Using Solid-State Single Crystal Growth (SSCG) Technique

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-09

for AGG should be minimal. For this purpose, the seeds for AGG may also be provided externally. This process is called the solid-state single...bonding process . Figure 31 shows (a) the growth of one large single crystal from one small single crystal seed as well as (b) the growth of one...one bi-crystal seed : One large bi-crystal can be grown from one small bi-crystal by SSCG process . Fig. 32. Diffusion bonding process for

Single bubble sonoluminescence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brenner, Michael P.; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha; Lohse, Detlef

2002-01-01

Single-bubble sonoluminescence occurs when an acoustically trapped and periodically driven gas bubble collapses so strongly that the energy focusing at collapse leads to light emission. Detailed experiments have demonstrated the unique properties of this system: the spectrum of the emitted light

Single cell metabolomics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heinemann, Matthias; Zenobi, Renato

Recent discoveries suggest that cells of a clonal population often display multiple metabolic phenotypes at the same time. Motivated by the success of mass spectrometry (MS) in the investigation of population-level metabolomics, the analytical community has initiated efforts towards MS-based single