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Sample records for single lumenal space

  1. FACTORS AND COMPLICATIONS AFFECTING CATHETER AND TECHNIQUE SURVIVAL WITH PERMANENT SINGLE-LUMEN DIALYSIS CATHETERS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    DEMEESTER, J; VANHOLDER, R; DEROOSE, J; RINGOIR, S

    1994-01-01

    This long-term study on the outcome of permanent silicone single-lumen dialysis catheters consisted of 43 surgically inserted catheters in 33 patients. All catheters were attached to a pressure-pressure single-cannula dialysis system. Technique and catheter survival were 80 and 59% at 1 year, and 63

  2. Multiple versus single lumen umbilical venous catheters for newborn infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kabra, N S; Kumar, M; Shah, S S

    2005-07-20

    Multiple lumen umbilical venous catheters (ML-UVCs) instead of single lumen UVCs (SL-UVCs) may decrease the need for additional venous lines. Although it seems self-evident that ML-UVCs would reduce the need of additional venous lines, the rates of associated complications might be different. To compare the effectiveness and the safety of ML-UVCs versus SL-UVCs in terms of need of additional vascular access, rates of complications, morbidity and mortality in newborn infants. Randomized and quasi-randomized trials were identified by searching the MEDLINE (1966 - February 2005), EMBASE (1980- February 2005), CINAHL (1982 - February 2005), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2004) and Science Direct (subject area: medicine, journal and abstract database; 1967 to February 2005). Literature search also included a manual search of the abstracts of scientific meetings published in Pediatric Research (1990-2004). Additional citations were sought using references in articles retrieved from searches. Subject experts were contacted to identify the unpublished and ongoing studies. Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled clinical trials comparing safety and efficacy of multiple versus single lumen umbilical venous catheter in neonates (both term and preterm) who were in need of umbilical venous catheter insertion for vascular access in first four weeks of life. Each review author performed data extraction independently and differences were resolved by discussion. The following outcomes were determined: total number of additional peripheral intravenous lines per baby in first week and first four weeks of life, total number of additional percutaneously and surgically placed central venous lines per baby in first four weeks of life, and other safety and efficacy measures. The treatment effect estimators used were RR, RD, and WMD when appropriate along with their 95% CI. If RD was statistically significant, then number

  3. Single- and double- lumen silicone breast implant integrity: prospective evaluation of MR and US criteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, W A; Caskey, C I; Hamper, U M; Kuhlman, J E; Anderson, N D; Chang, B W; Sheth, S; Zerhouni, E A

    1995-10-01

    To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) and ultrasound (US) criteria for breast implant integrity. One hundred twenty-two single-lumen silicone breast implants and 22 bilumen implants were evaluated with surface coil MR imaging and US and surgically removed. MR criteria for implant failure were a collapsed implant shell ("linguine sign"), foci of silicone outside the shell ("noose sign"), and extracapsular gel, US criteria were collapsed shell, low-level echoes within the gel, and "snowstorm" echoes of extracapsular silicone. Among single-lumen implants, MR imaging depicted 39 of 40 ruptures, 14 of 28 with minimal leakage; 49 of 54 intact implants were correctly interpreted. US depicted 26 of 40 ruptured implants, four of 28 with minimal leakage, and 30 of 54 intact implants. Among bilumen implants, MR imaging depicted four of five implants with rupture of both lumina and nine of 10 as intact; US depicted one rupture and helped identify two of 10 as intact. Mammography accurately depicted the status of 29 of 30 bilumen implants with MR imaging correlation. MR imaging depicts implant integrity more accurately than US; neither method reliably depicts minimal leakage with shell collapse. Mammography is useful in screening bilumen implant integrity.

  4. Bronchial lumen is the safer route for an airway exchange catheter in double-lumen tube replacement: preventable complication in airway management for thoracic surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hsiang-Ling; Tai, Ying-Hsuan; Wei, Ling-Fang; Cheng, Hung-Wei; Ho, Chiu-Ming

    2017-10-01

    There is no current consensus on which lumen an airway exchange catheter (AEC) should be passed through in double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) to exchange for a single-lumen endotracheal tube (SLT) after thoracic surgery. We report an unusual case to provide possible solution on this issue. A 71-year-old man with lung adenocarcinoma had an event of a broken exchange catheter used during a DLT replacement with a SLT, after a video-assisted thoracic surgery. The exchange catheter was impinged at the distal tracheal lumen and snapped during manipulation. All three segments of the catheter were retrieved without further airway compromises. Placement of airway tube exchanger into the tracheal lumen of double-lumen tube is a potential contributing factor of the unusual complication. We suggest an exchange catheter be inserted into the bronchial lumen in optimal depth with the adjunct of video laryngoscope, as the safe method for double-lumen tube exchange.

  5. Synergy of cell-cell repulsion and vacuolation in a computational model of lumen formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, Sonja E M; Merks, Roeland M H

    2014-03-06

    A key step in blood vessel development (angiogenesis) is lumen formation: the hollowing of vessels for blood perfusion. Two alternative lumen formation mechanisms are suggested to function in different types of blood vessels. The vacuolation mechanism is suggested for lumen formation in small vessels by coalescence of intracellular vacuoles, a view that was extended to extracellular lumen formation by exocytosis of vacuoles. The cell-cell repulsion mechanism is suggested to initiate extracellular lumen formation in large vessels by active repulsion of adjacent cells, and active cell shape changes extend the lumen. We used an agent-based computer model, based on the cellular Potts model, to compare and study both mechanisms separately and combined. An extensive sensitivity analysis shows that each of the mechanisms on its own can produce lumens in a narrow region of parameter space. However, combining both mechanisms makes lumen formation much more robust to the values of the parameters, suggesting that the mechanisms may work synergistically and operate in parallel, rather than in different vessel types.

  6. Synergy of cell–cell repulsion and vacuolation in a computational model of lumen formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, Sonja E. M.; Merks, Roeland M. H.

    2014-01-01

    A key step in blood vessel development (angiogenesis) is lumen formation: the hollowing of vessels for blood perfusion. Two alternative lumen formation mechanisms are suggested to function in different types of blood vessels. The vacuolation mechanism is suggested for lumen formation in small vessels by coalescence of intracellular vacuoles, a view that was extended to extracellular lumen formation by exocytosis of vacuoles. The cell–cell repulsion mechanism is suggested to initiate extracellular lumen formation in large vessels by active repulsion of adjacent cells, and active cell shape changes extend the lumen. We used an agent-based computer model, based on the cellular Potts model, to compare and study both mechanisms separately and combined. An extensive sensitivity analysis shows that each of the mechanisms on its own can produce lumens in a narrow region of parameter space. However, combining both mechanisms makes lumen formation much more robust to the values of the parameters, suggesting that the mechanisms may work synergistically and operate in parallel, rather than in different vessel types. PMID:24430123

  7. Physics of lumen growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dasgupta, Sabyasachi; Gupta, Kapish; Zhang, Yue; Viasnoff, Virgile; Prost, Jacques

    2018-05-22

    We model the dynamics of formation of intercellular secretory lumens. Using conservation laws, we quantitatively study the balance between paracellular leaks and the build-up of osmotic pressure in the lumen. Our model predicts a critical pumping threshold to expand stable lumens. Consistently with experimental observations in bile canaliculi, the model also describes a transition between a monotonous and oscillatory regime during luminogenesis as a function of ion and water transport parameters. We finally discuss the possible importance of regulation of paracellular leaks in intercellular tubulogenesis.

  8. Long-term lumen depreciation behavior and failure modes of multi-die array LEDs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayawardena, Asiri; Marcus, Daniel; Prugue, Ximena; Narendran, Nadarajah

    2013-09-01

    One of the main advantages of multi-die array light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is their high flux density. However, a challenge for using such a product in lighting fixture applications is the heat density and the need for thermal management to keep the junction temperatures of all the dies low for long-term reliable performance. Ten multi-die LED array samples for each product from four different manufacturers were subjected to lumen maintenance testing (as described in IES-LM-80-08), and their resulting lumen depreciation and failure modes were studied. The products were tested at the maximum case (or pin) temperature reported by the respective manufacturer by appropriately powering the LEDs. In addition, three samples for each product from two different manufacturers were subjected to rapid thermal cycling, and the resulting lumen depreciation and failure modes were studied. The results showed that the exponential lumen decay model using long-term lumen maintenance data as recommended in IES TM-21 does not fit for all package types. The failure of a string of dies and single die failure in a string were observed in some of the packages.

  9. [Successful double-lumen endotracheal tube exchange with a soft-tipped extra firm exchange catheter in a patient with severe subcutaneous emphysema].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamoto, Kaori; Komasawa, Nobuyasu; Ishio, Junichi; Nakano, Shoko; Tatsumi, Shinichi; Minami, Toshiaki

    2014-07-01

    We report a case of successful double-lumen endotracheal tube exchange with a soft-tipped extra firm exchange catheter in a patient with severe subcutaneous emphysema. A 70-year-old man underwent right lower lobectomy for primary lung cancer under general anesthesia. He developed pneumothorax on postoperative day (POD) 14, which led to subcutaneous emphysema. An emergent operation was performed on POD20 to close the pulmonary fistula under general anesthesia with a single-lumen endotracheal tube and bronchial blocker. Subcutaneous emphysema became worse and pharyngeal emphysema was also suspected; re-operation to close the pulmonary or bronchial fistula was planned. We decided to place a double-lumen tube to precisely detect the fistula. Under the guide of a Pentax-AWS Airwayscope, the single-lumen endotracheal tube was exchanged uneventfully to a 35 Fr double-lumen endotracheal tube with a 110 cm soft-tipped extra firm exchange catheter. The fistula was detected by a leak test and the operation was performed uneventfully, leading to improvement of subcutaneous emphysema.

  10. Evaluation of an improved technique for lumen path definition and lumen segmentation of atherosclerotic vessels in CT angiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Velsen, Evert F S; Niessen, Wiro J; de Weert, Thomas T; de Monyé, Cécile; van der Lugt, Aad; Meijering, Erik; Stokking, Rik

    2007-07-01

    Vessel image analysis is crucial when considering therapeutical options for (cardio-) vascular diseases. Our method, VAMPIRE (Vascular Analysis using Multiscale Paths Inferred from Ridges and Edges), involves two parts: a user defines a start- and endpoint upon which a lumen path is automatically defined, and which is used for initialization; the automatic segmentation of the vessel lumen on computed tomographic angiography (CTA) images. Both parts are based on the detection of vessel-like structures by analyzing intensity, edge, and ridge information. A multi-observer evaluation study was performed to compare VAMPIRE with a conventional method on the CTA data of 15 patients with carotid artery stenosis. In addition to the start- and endpoint, the two radiologists required on average 2.5 (SD: 1.9) additional points to define a lumen path when using the conventional method, and 0.1 (SD: 0.3) when using VAMPIRE. The segmentation results were quantitatively evaluated using Similarity Indices, which were slightly lower between VAMPIRE and the two radiologists (respectively 0.90 and 0.88) compared with the Similarity Index between the radiologists (0.92). The evaluation shows that the improved definition of a lumen path requires minimal user interaction, and that using this path as initialization leads to good automatic lumen segmentation results.

  11. Evaluation of an improved technique for lumen path definition and lumen segmentation of atherosclerotic vessels in CT angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velsen, Evert F.S. van; Niessen, Wiro J.; Meijering, Erik; Stokking, Rik; Weert, Thomas T. de; Monye, Cecile de; Lugt, Aad van der

    2007-01-01

    Vessel image analysis is crucial when considering therapeutical options for (cardio-) vascular diseases. Our method, VAMPIRE (Vascular Analysis using Multiscale Paths Inferred from Ridges and Edges), involves two parts: a user defines a start- and endpoint upon which a lumen path is automatically defined, and which is used for initialization; the automatic segmentation of the vessel lumen on computed tomographic angiography (CTA) images. Both parts are based on the detection of vessel-like structures by analyzing intensity, edge, and ridge information. A multi-observer evaluation study was performed to compare VAMPIRE with a conventional method on the CTA data of 15 patients with carotid artery stenosis. In addition to the start- and endpoint, the two radiologists required on average 2.5 (SD: 1.9) additional points to define a lumen path when using the conventional method, and 0.1 (SD: 0.3) when using VAMPIRE. The segmentation results were quantitatively evaluated using Similarity Indices, which were slightly lower between VAMPIRE and the two radiologists (respectively 0.90 and 0.88) compared with the Similarity Index between the radiologists (0.92). The evaluation shows that the improved definition of a lumen path requires minimal user interaction, and that using this path as initialization leads to good automatic lumen segmentation results. (orig.)

  12. Public relations ve firmě LUMEN INTERNATIONAL a.s.

    OpenAIRE

    DICHTLOVÁ, Hana

    2012-01-01

    Goal of the thesis was to assess current significance and usage of public relations in LUMEN INTERNATIONAL a.s. company and to create plan of another development. The author analysed development and current situation of public relations in LUMEN holding. There are a few suggestions in this thesis how to improve public relations in whole LUMEN holding.

  13. Prediction of L70 lumen maintenance and chromaticity for LEDs using extended Kalman filter models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lall, Pradeep; Wei, Junchao; Davis, Lynn

    2013-09-30

    Solid-state lighting (SSL) luminaires containing light emitting diodes (LEDs) have the potential of seeing excessive temperatures when being transported across country or being stored in non-climate controlled warehouses. They are also being used in outdoor applications in desert environments that see little or no humidity but will experience extremely high temperatures during the day. This makes it important to increase our understanding of what effects high temperature exposure for a prolonged period of time will have on the usability and survivability of these devices. Traditional light sources “burn out” at end-of-life. For an incandescent bulb, the lamp life is defined by B50 life. However, the LEDs have no filament to “burn”. The LEDs continually degrade and the light output decreases eventually below useful levels causing failure. Presently, the TM-21 test standard is used to predict the L70 life of LEDs from LM-80 test data. Several failure mechanisms may be active in a LED at a single time causing lumen depreciation. The underlying TM-21 Model may not capture the failure physics in presence of multiple failure mechanisms. Correlation of lumen maintenance with underlying physics of degradation at system-level is needed. In this paper, Kalman Filter (KF) and Extended Kalman Filters (EKF) have been used to develop a 70-percent Lumen Maintenance Life Prediction Model for LEDs used in SSL luminaires. Ten-thousand hour LM-80 test data for various LEDs have been used for model development. System state at each future time has been computed based on the state space at preceding time step, system dynamics matrix, control vector, control matrix, measurement matrix, measured vector, process noise and measurement noise. The future state of the lumen depreciation has been estimated based on a second order Kalman Filter model and a Bayesian Framework. The measured state variable has been related to the underlying damage using physics-based models. Life

  14. Polarized protein transport and lumen formation during epithelial tissue morphogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blasky, Alex J; Mangan, Anthony; Prekeris, Rytis

    2015-01-01

    One of the major challenges in biology is to explain how complex tissues and organs arise from the collective action of individual polarized cells. The best-studied model of this process is the cross talk between individual epithelial cells during their polarization to form the multicellular epithelial lumen during tissue morphogenesis. Multiple mechanisms of apical lumen formation have been proposed. Some epithelial lumens form from preexisting polarized epithelial structures. However, de novo lumen formation from nonpolarized cells has recently emerged as an important driver of epithelial tissue morphogenesis, especially during the formation of small epithelial tubule networks. In this review, we discuss the latest findings regarding the mechanisms and regulation of de novo lumen formation in vitro and in vivo.

  15. Spermine oxidase promotes bile canalicular lumen formation through acrolein production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uemura, Takeshi; Takasaka, Tomokazu; Igarashi, Kazuei; Ikegaya, Hiroshi

    2017-11-01

    Spermine oxidase (SMOX) catalyzes oxidation of spermine to generate spermidine, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and 3-aminopropanal, which is spontaneously converted to acrolein. SMOX is induced by a variety of stimuli including bacterial infection, polyamine analogues and acetaldehyde exposure. However, the physiological functions of SMOX are not yet fully understood. We investigated the physiological role of SMOX in liver cells using human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. SMOX localized to the bile canalicular lumen, as determined by F-actin staining. Knockdown of SMOX reduced the formation of bile canalicular lumen. We also found that phospho-Akt (phosphorylated protein kinase B) was localized to canalicular lumen. Treatment with Akt inhibitor significantly reduced the formation of bile canalicular lumen. Acrolein scavenger also inhibited the formation of bile canalicular lumen. PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog and an inhibitor of Akt, was alkylated in a SMOX-dependent manner. Our results suggest that SMOX plays a central role in the formation of bile canalicular lumen in liver cells by activating Akt pathway through acrolein production.

  16. Spectral Imaging for Intracranial Stents and Stent Lumen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Chi-Lun; Tseng, Ying-Chi; Chen, David Yen-Ting; Chen, Chi-Jen; Hsu, Hui-Ling

    2016-01-01

    Application of computed tomography for monitoring intracranial stents is limited because of stent-related artifacts. Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of gemstone spectral imaging on the intracranial stent and stent lumen. In vitro, we scanned Enterprise stent phantom and a stent-cheese complex using the gemstone spectral imaging protocol. Follow-up gemstone spectral images of 15 consecutive patients with placement of Enterprise from January 2013 to September 2014 were also retrospectively reviewed. We used 70-keV, 140-keV, iodine (water), iodine (calcium), and iodine (hydroxyapatite) images to evaluate their effect on the intracranial stent and stent lumen. Two regions of interest were individually placed in stent lumen and adjacent brain tissue. Contrast-to-noise ratio was measured to determine image quality. The maximal diameter of stent markers was also measured to evaluate stent-related artifact. Two radiologists independently graded the visibility of the lumen at the maker location by using a 4-point scale. The mean of grading score, contrast/noise ratio and maximal diameter of stent markers were compared among all modes. All results were analyzed by SPSS version 20. In vitro, iodine (water) images decreased metallic artifact of stent makers to the greatest degree. The most areas of cheese were observed on iodine (water) images. In vivo, iodine (water) images had the smallest average diameter of stent markers (0.33 ± 0.17mm; P stent lumen (160.03 ±37.79; P stent-related artifacts of Enterprise and enhance contrast of in-stent lumen. Spectral imaging may be considered a noninvasive modality for following-up patients with in-stent stenosis.

  17. Vascular lumen formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lammert, Eckhard; Axnick, Jennifer

    2012-04-01

    The vascular system developed early in evolution. It is required in large multicellular organisms for the transport of nutrients, oxygen, and waste products to and from tissues. The vascular system is composed of hollow tubes, which have a high level of complexity in vertebrates. Vasculogenesis describes the de novo formation of blood vessels, e.g., aorta formation in vertebrate embryogenesis. In contrast, angiogenesis is the formation of blood vessels from preexisting ones, e.g., sprouting of intersomitic blood vessels from the aorta. Importantly, the lumen of all blood vessels in vertebrates is lined and formed by endothelial cells. In both vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, lumen formation takes place in a cord of endothelial cells. It involves a complex molecular mechanism composed of endothelial cell repulsion at the cell-cell contacts within the endothelial cell cords, junctional rearrangement, and endothelial cell shape change. As the vascular system also participates in the course of many diseases, such as cancer, stroke, and myocardial infarction, it is important to understand and make use of the molecular mechanisms of blood vessel formation to better understand and manipulate the pathomechanisms involved.

  18. Prediction of Lumen Output and Chromaticity Shift in LEDs Using Kalman Filter and Extended Kalman Filter Based Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lall, Pradeep; Wei, Junchao; Davis, J Lynn

    2014-06-24

    Abstract— Solid-state lighting (SSL) luminaires containing light emitting diodes (LEDs) have the potential of seeing excessive temperatures when being transported across country or being stored in non-climate controlled warehouses. They are also being used in outdoor applications in desert environments that see little or no humidity but will experience extremely high temperatures during the day. This makes it important to increase our understanding of what effects high temperature exposure for a prolonged period of time will have on the usability and survivability of these devices. Traditional light sources “burn out” at end-of-life. For an incandescent bulb, the lamp life is defined by B50 life. However, the LEDs have no filament to “burn”. The LEDs continually degrade and the light output decreases eventually below useful levels causing failure. Presently, the TM-21 test standard is used to predict the L70 life of LEDs from LM-80 test data. Several failure mechanisms may be active in a LED at a single time causing lumen depreciation. The underlying TM-21 Model may not capture the failure physics in presence of multiple failure mechanisms. Correlation of lumen maintenance with underlying physics of degradation at system-level is needed. In this paper, Kalman Filter (KF) and Extended Kalman Filters (EKF) have been used to develop a 70-percent Lumen Maintenance Life Prediction Model for LEDs used in SSL luminaires. Ten-thousand hour LM-80 test data for various LEDs have been used for model development. System state at each future time has been computed based on the state space at preceding time step, system dynamics matrix, control vector, control matrix, measurement matrix, measured vector, process noise and measurement noise. The future state of the lumen depreciation has been estimated based on a second order Kalman Filter model and a Bayesian Framework. Life prediction of L70 life for the LEDs used in SSL luminaires from KF and EKF based models have

  19. Selective fabrication of iron oxide particles in halloysite lumen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Pengwu; Du, Yuanyuan; Ma, Xiaofei

    2015-01-01

    As the adsorbents or the supports of photocatalysts, halloysite nanotubes (HNT) were expected to have intact external surface for adsorption or catalyst immobilization, when Fe 3 O 4 particles was introduced to prepare magnetic HNTs for easy separation. The negatively charged urease was loaded inside positively charged HNT lumen, and urease catalyzed the hydrolysis of urea and resulted in the alkaline environment in HNT lumen. When Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ diffused in, Fe 3 O 4 particles were selectively synthesized in the lumen of HNT. The obtained Fe 3 O 4 @HNT is characterized by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and hysteresis loops. The obtained magnetic Fe 3 O 4 @HNT can be magnetically collected with intact external surface, which can support photocatalysts or remove the pollutants. - Highlights: • Fe 3 O 4 @HNT was prepared. • Fe 3 O 4 @HNT was characterized. • Fe 3 O 4 particles were selectively synthesized in the lumen of HNT

  20. Chapter 16 Lumen Modification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rebecca E. Ibach; Roger M. Rowell

    2012-01-01

    When wood is vacuum impregnated with liquid vinyl monomers that do not swell wood, and then in situ polymerized either by chemical catalyst-heat, or gamma radiation, the polymer is located almost solely in the lumens of the wood. Figure 16.1 is a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph of unmodified wood showing open cells that are...

  1. Selective fabrication of iron oxide particles in halloysite lumen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Pengwu; Du, Yuanyuan [School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013 (China); Ma, Xiaofei, E-mail: maxiaofei@tju.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)

    2015-02-01

    As the adsorbents or the supports of photocatalysts, halloysite nanotubes (HNT) were expected to have intact external surface for adsorption or catalyst immobilization, when Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} particles was introduced to prepare magnetic HNTs for easy separation. The negatively charged urease was loaded inside positively charged HNT lumen, and urease catalyzed the hydrolysis of urea and resulted in the alkaline environment in HNT lumen. When Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 2+} diffused in, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} particles were selectively synthesized in the lumen of HNT. The obtained Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@HNT is characterized by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and hysteresis loops. The obtained magnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@HNT can be magnetically collected with intact external surface, which can support photocatalysts or remove the pollutants. - Highlights: • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@HNT was prepared. • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@HNT was characterized. • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} particles were selectively synthesized in the lumen of HNT.

  2. Rationale and design of the East-West late lumen loss study: Comparison of late lumen loss between Eastern and Western drug-eluting stent study cohorts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Robert W; Radhakrishnan, Vaishnavi; Lam, Peter S; Allocco, Dominic J; Brar, Sandeep; Fahy, Martin; Fisher, Rebecca; Ikeno, Fumiaki; Généreux, Philippe; Kimura, Takeshi; Liu, Minglei; Lye, Weng Kit; Mintz, Gary S; Nagai, Hirofumi; Suzuki, Yuka; White, Roseann; Allen, John C; Krucoff, Mitchell W

    2016-12-01

    The contemporary evaluation of novel drug-eluting stents (DES) includes mechanistic observations that characterize postdeployment stent behavior. Quantification of late lumen loss due to neointimal hyperplasia 8-13 months after stent implantation, via quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), constitutes such an observation and is required by most regulatory authorities. Late lumen loss, as determined by QCA, has been validated as a surrogate for clinical endpoints such as target vessel revascularization. The mechanistic response to DES has not been directly compared across predominantly Asian or Western populations, whereas understanding their comparability across geographic populations could enhance global DES evaluation. The East-West late lumen loss study is designed to demonstrate whether the residual differences in late lumen loss, as assessed by QCA, is different between Eastern and Western DES recipients from studies with protocol angiography at 8-13 months of follow-up. Data from independent core laboratories that have characterized angiographic late lumen loss in DES clinical trials with protocol follow-up angiography will be compiled and dichotomized into Eastern and Western populations. A prospectively developed propensity score model incorporating clinical and anatomic variables affecting late lumen loss will be used to adjust comparisons of QCA measurements. Documentation of whether there are clinically meaningful differences in mechanistic response to DES implantation across genetically unique geographies could facilitate both the quality and efficiency of global device evaluation requiring invasive follow-up for novel stent designs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Mechanisms of lumen formation during sprouting angiogenesis in vivo

    OpenAIRE

    Gebala, V. M.

    2016-01-01

    During development, vascular networks expand following a process known as sprouting angiogenesis. New vascular branches arise from pre-existing vessels through the coordinated migration and proliferation of endothelial cells, and eventually connect to form new vascular loops. The functionality of these new vessel segments is dependent on the opening of a central lumen to allow perfusion. While mechanisms of lumen formation during the establishment of the primary vasculature by vasculogenesis ...

  4. Preparation of lumen-loaded kenaf pulp with magnetite (Fe3O4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zakaria, S.; Ong, B.H.; Ahmad, S.H.; Abdullah, M.; Yamauchi, T.

    2005-01-01

    Magnetic pulps were prepared from unbleached kenaf (hibiscus cannabinus L.) kraft pulps. Fe 3 O 4 or magnetite powder was used to load into the pulp's lumen and pit. Aluminum sulphate [Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ] (alum) and polyethylenimine (PEI), both mainly function as retention aid were used throughout the experiment and found to be beneficial in the preparation of this magnetic pulps. The ash content method was used to determine the amount of magnetite retained in the lumen and pit. The utilization of PEI up to 2% per pulp fibres was found to be the best result on lumen loading. The deposition of magnetite powder in lumen and pit is found decrease as the addition of PEI used is more than 2% per pulp fibres. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) clearly shows the distribution of magnetite deposited in the lumen. Tensile index and folding endurance of the loaded fibre decreased slightly as the percentage of loading pigment increased

  5. Hollow fiber membrane lumen modified by polyzwitterionic grafting

    KAUST Repository

    Le, Ngoc Lieu

    2016-08-24

    In this study, we demonstrate an effective way to modify the lumen of polyetherimide hollow fibers by grafting zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine) to increase the membrane resistance to fouling. Surface-selective grafting of the protective hydrogel layers has been achieved in a facile two-step process. The first step is the adsorption of a macromolecular redox co-initiator on the lumen-side surface of the membrane, which in the second step, after flushing the lumen of the membrane with a solution comprising monomers and a complementary redox initiator, triggers the in situ cross-linking copolymerization at room temperature. The success of grafting reaction has been verified by the surface elemental analyses using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the surface charge evaluation using zeta potential measurements. The hydrophilicity of the grafted porous substrate is improved as indicated by the change of contact angle value from 44° to 30°, due to the hydration layer on the surface produced by the zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine). Compared to the pristine polyetherimide (PEI) substrate, the poly(sulfobetaine) grafted substrates exhibit high fouling resistance against bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption, E. coli attachment and cell growth on the surface. Fouling minimization in the lumen is important for the use of hollow fibers in different processes. For instance, it is needed to preserve power density of pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). In high-pressure PRO tests, a control membrane based on PEI with an external polyamide selective layer was seriously fouled by BSA, leading to a high water flux drop of 37%. In comparison, the analogous membrane, whose lumen was modified with poly(sulfobetaine), not only had a less water flux decline but also had better flux recovery, up to 87% after cleaning and hydraulic pressure impulsion. Clearly, grafting PRO hollow fiber membranes with zwitterionic polymeric hydrogels as a protective layer potentially sustains PRO

  6. Linear-regression convolutional neural network for fully automated coronary lumen segmentation in intravascular optical coherence tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yong, Yan Ling; Tan, Li Kuo; McLaughlin, Robert A.; Chee, Kok Han; Liew, Yih Miin

    2017-12-01

    Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical imaging modality commonly used in the assessment of coronary artery diseases during percutaneous coronary intervention. Manual segmentation to assess luminal stenosis from OCT pullback scans is challenging and time consuming. We propose a linear-regression convolutional neural network to automatically perform vessel lumen segmentation, parameterized in terms of radial distances from the catheter centroid in polar space. Benchmarked against gold-standard manual segmentation, our proposed algorithm achieves average locational accuracy of the vessel wall of 22 microns, and 0.985 and 0.970 in Dice coefficient and Jaccard similarity index, respectively. The average absolute error of luminal area estimation is 1.38%. The processing rate is 40.6 ms per image, suggesting the potential to be incorporated into a clinical workflow and to provide quantitative assessment of vessel lumen in an intraoperative time frame.

  7. Automated quantification of bronchiectasis, airway wall thickening and lumen tapering in chest CT

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perez-Rovira, Adria; Kuo, Wieying; Petersen, Jens

    thickness and accompanying artery radius), and inter-branch Lumen-Ratio (LR, ratio between a branch's lumen and its parent branch lumen radius, a tapering measurement) were computed. Because CF-related structural abnormalities only affect a portion of branches, the 75th percentile was used as summarising......Purpose: To automatically quantify airway structural properties visualised on CT in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and controls, including: bronchiectasis, airway wall thickening, and lumen tapering. Methods and materials: The 3D surface of the airway lumen, outer wall, and bronchial arteries...... were obtained using a fully automatic, in-house developed, segmentation method. Subsequently, for each detected airway branch, the Airway-Artery Ratio (AAR, ratio between airway outer wall and accompanying artery radius, a bronchiectasis measurement), Wall-Artery Ratio (WAR, ratio between airway wall...

  8. Two Automated Techniques for Carotid Lumen Diameter Measurement: Regional versus Boundary Approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araki, Tadashi; Kumar, P Krishna; Suri, Harman S; Ikeda, Nobutaka; Gupta, Ajay; Saba, Luca; Rajan, Jeny; Lavra, Francesco; Sharma, Aditya M; Shafique, Shoaib; Nicolaides, Andrew; Laird, John R; Suri, Jasjit S

    2016-07-01

    The degree of stenosis in the carotid artery can be predicted using automated carotid lumen diameter (LD) measured from B-mode ultrasound images. Systolic velocity-based methods for measurement of LD are subjective. With the advancement of high resolution imaging, image-based methods have started to emerge. However, they require robust image analysis for accurate LD measurement. This paper presents two different algorithms for automated segmentation of the lumen borders in carotid ultrasound images. Both algorithms are modeled as a two stage process. Stage one consists of a global-based model using scale-space framework for the extraction of the region of interest. This stage is common to both algorithms. Stage two is modeled using a local-based strategy that extracts the lumen interfaces. At this stage, the algorithm-1 is modeled as a region-based strategy using a classification framework, whereas the algorithm-2 is modeled as a boundary-based approach that uses the level set framework. Two sets of databases (DB), Japan DB (JDB) (202 patients, 404 images) and Hong Kong DB (HKDB) (50 patients, 300 images) were used in this study. Two trained neuroradiologists performed manual LD tracings. The mean automated LD measured was 6.35 ± 0.95 mm for JDB and 6.20 ± 1.35 mm for HKDB. The precision-of-merit was: 97.4 % and 98.0 % w.r.t to two manual tracings for JDB and 99.7 % and 97.9 % w.r.t to two manual tracings for HKDB. Statistical tests such as ANOVA, Chi-Squared, T-test, and Mann-Whitney test were conducted to show the stability and reliability of the automated techniques.

  9. Fate of the dissecting lumen by CT study following surgical repair

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakajima, Nobuyuki; Ando, Taizo; Kawazoe, Kohei; Tomino, Tetsuo; Fujita, Takeshi; Naito, Hiroaki; Yamaguchi, Toshio

    1983-03-01

    A postoperative follow-up study on the fate of dissecting lumen by means of computer tomography has been evaluated. The materials were 21 patients who underwent surgery for dissection of the aorta, including 8 patients in type 1 of DeBakey classification, 3 in type 11, 8 in type 111 and 2 patients of localized dissection in descending and abdominal aorta. The susceptibility for thrombus formation in dissecting lumen appeared to be related to the background etiology of dissection where poor tendency for thrombus formation was observed in a group of patients with Marfan syndrome and its' incomplete form. On the other hand in the group of patients who had a history of hypertension and atherosclerosis probable, a strong tendency of thrombus formation and eventual occlusion of lumen was obtained. On the basis of above findings, it will be said that the surgical intervention for type 1 of DeBakey classification in Marfan patient is merely creating type 111 dissection, closed observation in the future change of dissecting lumen is of utmost importance especially in those groups of patients.

  10. Fate of the dissecting lumen by CT study following surgical repair

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakajima, Nobuyuki; Ando, Taizo; Kawazoe, Kohei; Tomino, Tetsuo; Fujita, Takeshi; Naito, Hiroaki; Yamaguchi, Toshio.

    1983-01-01

    A postoperative follow-up study on the fate of dissecting lumen by mean of computer tomography has been evaluated. The materials were 21 patients who underwent surgery for dissection of the aorta, including 8 patients in type 1 of DeBakey classification, 3 in type 11, 8 in type 111 and 2 patients of localized dissection in descending and abdominal aorta. The susceptibility for thrombus formation in dissecting lumen appeared to be relating to the background etiology of dissection where poor tendency for thrombus formation was observed in group of patients with Marfan syndrome and its' incomplete form. On the other hand in those group of patients who had a history of hypertension and atherosclerosis probable, a strong tendency of thrombus formation and eventual occlusion of lumen was obtained. On the basis of above findings, it will be said that the surgical intervention for type 1 of DeBakey classification in Marfan patient is merely creating type 111 dissection, closed observation in the future change of dissecting lumen is utmost important especially in those group of patients. (author)

  11. Linear-regression convolutional neural network for fully automated coronary lumen segmentation in intravascular optical coherence tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yong, Yan Ling; Tan, Li Kuo; McLaughlin, Robert A; Chee, Kok Han; Liew, Yih Miin

    2017-12-01

    Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical imaging modality commonly used in the assessment of coronary artery diseases during percutaneous coronary intervention. Manual segmentation to assess luminal stenosis from OCT pullback scans is challenging and time consuming. We propose a linear-regression convolutional neural network to automatically perform vessel lumen segmentation, parameterized in terms of radial distances from the catheter centroid in polar space. Benchmarked against gold-standard manual segmentation, our proposed algorithm achieves average locational accuracy of the vessel wall of 22 microns, and 0.985 and 0.970 in Dice coefficient and Jaccard similarity index, respectively. The average absolute error of luminal area estimation is 1.38%. The processing rate is 40.6 ms per image, suggesting the potential to be incorporated into a clinical workflow and to provide quantitative assessment of vessel lumen in an intraoperative time frame. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

  12. Age-Related Changes in Pharyngeal Lumen Size: A Retrospective MRI Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molfenter, Sonja M; Amin, M R; Branski, R C; Brumm, J D; Hagiwara, M; Roof, S A; Lazarus, C L

    2015-06-01

    Age-related loss of muscle bulk and strength (sarcopenia) is often cited as a potential mechanism underlying age-related changes in swallowing. Our goal was to explore this phenomenon in the pharynx, specifically, by measuring pharyngeal wall thickness and pharyngeal lumen area in a sample of young versus older women. MRI scans of the neck were retrospectively reviewed from 60 women equally stratified into three age groups (20s, 60s, 70+). Four de-identified slices were extracted per scan for randomized, blinded analysis: one mid-sagittal and three axial slices were selected at the anterior inferior border of C2 and C3, and at the pit of the vallecula. Pixel-based measures of pharyngeal wall thickness and pharyngeal lumen area were completed using ImageJ and then converted to metric units. Measures of pharyngeal wall thickness and pharyngeal lumen area were compared between age groups with one-way ANOVAs using Sidak adjustments for post-hoc pairwise comparisons. A significant main effect for age was observed across all variables whereby pharyngeal wall thickness decreased and pharyngeal lumen area increased with advancing age. Pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences between 20s versus 70+ for all variables and 20s versus 60s for all variables except those measured at C2. Effect sizes ranged from 0.54 to 1.34. Consistent with existing sacropenia literature, the pharyngeal muscles appear to atrophy with age and consequently, the size of the pharyngeal lumen increases.

  13. Lumen Formation Is an Intrinsic Property of Isolated Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenichiro Taniguchi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available We demonstrate that dissociated human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs are intrinsically programmed to form lumens. PSCs form two-cell cysts with a shared apical domain within 20 hr of plating; these cysts collapse to form monolayers after 5 days. Expression of pluripotency markers is maintained throughout this time. In two-cell cysts, an apical domain, marked by EZRIN and atypical PKCζ, is surrounded by apically targeted organelles (early endosomes and Golgi. Molecularly, actin polymerization, regulated by ARP2/3 and mammalian diaphanous-related formin 1 (MDIA, promotes lumen formation, whereas actin contraction, mediated by MYOSIN-II, inhibits this process. Finally, we show that lumenal shape can be manipulated in bioengineered micro-wells. Since lumen formation is an indispensable step in early mammalian development, this system can provide a powerful model for investigation of this process in a controlled environment. Overall, our data establish that lumenogenesis is a fundamental cell biological property of human PSCs.

  14. ETS transcription factor ELF5 induces lumen formation in a 3D model of mammary morphogenesis and its expression is inhibited by Jak2 inhibitor TG101348.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chean, Jennifer; Chen, Charng-Jui; Shively, John E

    2017-10-01

    The loss of expression of a single gene can revert normal tissue to a malignant phenotype. For example, while normal breast has high lumenal expression of CEACAM1, the majority of breast cancers exhibit the early loss of this gene with the concurrent loss of their lumenal phenotype. MCF7 cells that lack CEACAM1 expression and fail to form lumena in 3D culture, regain the normal phenotype when transfected with CEACAM1. In order to probe the mechanism of this gain of function, we treated these cells with the clinically relevant Jak2 inhibitor TG101348 (TG), expecting that disruption of the prolactin receptor signaling pathway would interfere with the positive effects of transfection of MCF7 cells with CEACAM1. Indeed, lumen formation was inhibited, resulting in the down regulation of a set of genes, likely involved in the complex process of lumen formation. As expected, inhibition of the expression of many of these genes also inhibited lumen formation, confirming their involvement in a single pathway. Among the genes identified by the inhibition assay, ETS transcription factor ELF5 stood out, since it has been identified as a master regulator of mammary morphogenesis, and is associated with prolactin receptor signaling. When ELF5 was transfected into the parental MCF7 cells that lack CEACAM1, lumen formation was restored, indicating that ELF5 can replace CEACAM1 in this model system of lumenogenesis. We conclude that the event(s) that led to the loss of expression of CEACAM1 is epistatic in that multiple genes associated with a critical pathway were affected, but that restoration of the normal phenotype can be achieved with reactivation of certain genes at various nodal points in tissue morphogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Claudin5a is required for proper inflation of Kupffer's vesicle lumen and organ laterality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeong-Gyun Kim

    Full Text Available Left-right asymmetric organ development is critical to establish a proper body plan of vertebrates. In zebrafish, the Kupffer's vesicle (KV is a fluid-filled sac which controls asymmetric organ development, and a properly inflated KV lumen by means of fluid influx is a prerequisite for the asymmetric signal transmission. However, little is known about the components that support the paracellular tightness between the KV luminal epithelial cells to sustain hydrostatic pressure during KV lumen expansion. Here, we identified that the claudin5a (cldn5a is highly expressed at the apical surface of KV epithelial cells and tightly seals the KV lumen. Downregulation of cldn5a in zebrafish showed a failure in organ laterality that resulted from malformed KV. In addition, accelerated fluid influx into KV by combined treatment of forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine failed to expand the partially-formed KV lumen in cldn5a morphants. However, malformed KV lumen and defective heart laterality in cldn5a morphants were significantly rescued by exogenous cldn5a mRNA, suggesting that the tightness between the luminal epithelial cells is important for KV lumen formation. Taken together, these findings suggest that cldn5a is required for KV lumen inflation and left-right asymmetric organ development.

  16. Claudin5a is required for proper inflation of Kupffer's vesicle lumen and organ laterality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jeong-Gyun; Bae, Sung-Jin; Lee, Hye Shin; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Kim, Kyu-Won

    2017-01-01

    Left-right asymmetric organ development is critical to establish a proper body plan of vertebrates. In zebrafish, the Kupffer's vesicle (KV) is a fluid-filled sac which controls asymmetric organ development, and a properly inflated KV lumen by means of fluid influx is a prerequisite for the asymmetric signal transmission. However, little is known about the components that support the paracellular tightness between the KV luminal epithelial cells to sustain hydrostatic pressure during KV lumen expansion. Here, we identified that the claudin5a (cldn5a) is highly expressed at the apical surface of KV epithelial cells and tightly seals the KV lumen. Downregulation of cldn5a in zebrafish showed a failure in organ laterality that resulted from malformed KV. In addition, accelerated fluid influx into KV by combined treatment of forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine failed to expand the partially-formed KV lumen in cldn5a morphants. However, malformed KV lumen and defective heart laterality in cldn5a morphants were significantly rescued by exogenous cldn5a mRNA, suggesting that the tightness between the luminal epithelial cells is important for KV lumen formation. Taken together, these findings suggest that cldn5a is required for KV lumen inflation and left-right asymmetric organ development.

  17. Preparation of lumen-loaded kenaf pulp with magnetite (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4})

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zakaria, S.; Ong, B.H.; Ahmad, S.H.; Abdullah, M.; Yamauchi, T

    2005-02-15

    Magnetic pulps were prepared from unbleached kenaf (hibiscus cannabinus L.) kraft pulps. Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} or magnetite powder was used to load into the pulp's lumen and pit. Aluminum sulphate [Al{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3}] (alum) and polyethylenimine (PEI), both mainly function as retention aid were used throughout the experiment and found to be beneficial in the preparation of this magnetic pulps. The ash content method was used to determine the amount of magnetite retained in the lumen and pit. The utilization of PEI up to 2% per pulp fibres was found to be the best result on lumen loading. The deposition of magnetite powder in lumen and pit is found decrease as the addition of PEI used is more than 2% per pulp fibres. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) clearly shows the distribution of magnetite deposited in the lumen. Tensile index and folding endurance of the loaded fibre decreased slightly as the percentage of loading pigment increased.

  18. Improved automated lumen contour detection by novel multifrequency processing algorithm with current intravascular ultrasound system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kume, Teruyoshi; Kim, Byeong-Keuk; Waseda, Katsuhisa; Sathyanarayana, Shashidhar; Li, Wenguang; Teo, Tat-Jin; Yock, Paul G; Fitzgerald, Peter J; Honda, Yasuhiro

    2013-02-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate a new fully automated lumen border tracing system based on a novel multifrequency processing algorithm. We developed the multifrequency processing method to enhance arterial lumen detection by exploiting the differential scattering characteristics of blood and arterial tissue. The implementation of the method can be integrated into current intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) hardware. This study was performed in vivo with conventional 40-MHz IVUS catheters (Atlantis SR Pro™, Boston Scientific Corp, Natick, MA) in 43 clinical patients with coronary artery disease. A total of 522 frames were randomly selected, and lumen areas were measured after automatically tracing lumen borders with the new tracing system and a commercially available tracing system (TraceAssist™) referred to as the "conventional tracing system." The data assessed by the two automated systems were compared with the results of manual tracings by experienced IVUS analysts. New automated lumen measurements showed better agreement with manual lumen area tracings compared with those of the conventional tracing system (correlation coefficient: 0.819 vs. 0.509). When compared against manual tracings, the new algorithm also demonstrated improved systematic error (mean difference: 0.13 vs. -1.02 mm(2) ) and random variability (standard deviation of difference: 2.21 vs. 4.02 mm(2) ) compared with the conventional tracing system. This preliminary study showed that the novel fully automated tracing system based on the multifrequency processing algorithm can provide more accurate lumen border detection than current automated tracing systems and thus, offer a more reliable quantitative evaluation of lumen geometry. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Technical Note: Measurement of common carotid artery lumen dynamics using black-blood MR cine imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Erpeng; Dong, Li; Zhang, Zhe; Li, Lyu; Zhang, Hui; Zhao, Xihai; Wang, Jinnan; Yuan, Chun; Guo, Hua

    2017-03-01

    To demonstrate the feasibility of measuring the common carotid artery (CCA) lumen dynamics using a black-blood cine (BB-cine) imaging method. Motion-sensitized driven-equilibrium (MSDE) prepared spoiled gradient sequence was used for the BB-cine imaging. CCAs of eleven healthy volunteers were studied using this method. Lumen dynamics, including lumen area evolution waveforms and distension values, were measured and evaluated by comparing this method with bright-blood cine (BrB-cine) imaging. Compared with the BrB-cine images, flow artifacts were effectively suppressed in the BB-cine images. BrB-cine images generally show larger lumen areas than BB-cine images. The lumen area waveforms and distension measurements from BB-cine imaging showed smaller variances among different subjects than BrB-cine imaging. The proposed BB-cine imaging technique can suppress the flow artifacts effectively and reduce the partial volume effects from the vessel wall. This might allow more accurate lumen dynamics measurements than traditional BrB-cine imaging, which may further be valuable for investigating biomechanical and functional properties of the cardiovascular system. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  20. Dual-Lumen Chest Port Infection Rates in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bos, Aaron, E-mail: abos1210@gmail.com; Ahmed, Osman [University of Chicago Medical Center (United States); Jilani, Danial [Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (United States); Giger, Maryellen; Funaki, Brian S.; Zangan, Steven M. [University of Chicago Medical Center (United States)

    2015-06-15

    PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate dual-lumen chest port infection rates in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) compared to those with other malignancies (non-HNC).Materials and MethodsAn IRB-approved retrospective study was performed on 1,094 consecutive chest ports placed over a 2-year period. Patients with poor follow-up (n = 53), no oncologic history (n = 13), or single-lumen ports (n = 183) were excluded yielding a study population of 845 patients. The electronic medical records were queried for demographic information, data regarding ports and infections, and imaging review.ResultsHNC patients experienced more infections (42 vs. 30), an increased infection rate per 1,000 catheter days (0.68 vs. 0.21), and more early infections within 30 days compared to non-HNC patients (10 vs. 6) (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.02, respectively). An existing tracheostomy at the time of port placement was associated with infection in the HNC group (p = 0.02) but was not an independent risk factor for infection in the study population overall (p = 0.06). There was a significant difference in age, male gender, and right-sided ports between the HNC and non-HNC groups (p < 0.01, p < 0.001, and p = 0.01), although these were not found to be independent risk factors for infection (p = 0.32, p = 0.76, p = 0.16).ConclusionHNC patients are at increased risk for infection of dual-lumen chest ports placed via a jugular approach compared to patients with other malignancies. Tracheostomy is associated with infection in HNC patients but is not an independent risk factor for infection in the oncologic population as a whole.

  1. Dual-Lumen Chest Port Infection Rates in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bos, Aaron; Ahmed, Osman; Jilani, Danial; Giger, Maryellen; Funaki, Brian S.; Zangan, Steven M.

    2015-01-01

    PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate dual-lumen chest port infection rates in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) compared to those with other malignancies (non-HNC).Materials and MethodsAn IRB-approved retrospective study was performed on 1,094 consecutive chest ports placed over a 2-year period. Patients with poor follow-up (n = 53), no oncologic history (n = 13), or single-lumen ports (n = 183) were excluded yielding a study population of 845 patients. The electronic medical records were queried for demographic information, data regarding ports and infections, and imaging review.ResultsHNC patients experienced more infections (42 vs. 30), an increased infection rate per 1,000 catheter days (0.68 vs. 0.21), and more early infections within 30 days compared to non-HNC patients (10 vs. 6) (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.02, respectively). An existing tracheostomy at the time of port placement was associated with infection in the HNC group (p = 0.02) but was not an independent risk factor for infection in the study population overall (p = 0.06). There was a significant difference in age, male gender, and right-sided ports between the HNC and non-HNC groups (p < 0.01, p < 0.001, and p = 0.01), although these were not found to be independent risk factors for infection (p = 0.32, p = 0.76, p = 0.16).ConclusionHNC patients are at increased risk for infection of dual-lumen chest ports placed via a jugular approach compared to patients with other malignancies. Tracheostomy is associated with infection in HNC patients but is not an independent risk factor for infection in the oncologic population as a whole

  2. Enlargement of halloysite clay nanotube lumen by selective etching of aluminum oxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdullayev, Elshad; Joshi, Anupam; Wei, Wenbo; Zhao, Yafei; Lvov, Yuri

    2012-08-28

    Halloysite clay tubes have 50 nm diameter and chemically different inner and outer walls (inner surface of aluminum oxide and outer surface of silica). Due to this different chemistry, the selective etching of alumina from inside the tube was realized, while preserving their external diameter (lumen diameter changed from 15 to 25 nm). This increases 2-3 times the tube lumen capacity for loading and further sustained release of active chemical agents such as metals, corrosion inhibitors, and drugs. In particular, halloysite loading efficiency for the benzotriazole increased 4 times by selective etching of 60% alumina within the tubes' lumens. Specific surface area of the tubes increased over 6 times, from 40 to 250 m(2)/g, upon acid treatment.

  3. Evolution of regular geometrical shapes in fiber lumens

    KAUST Repository

    Le, Ngoc Lieu; Kim, Dooli; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

    2017-01-01

    of the internal channels or lumens of polymeric hollow fibers, leading to polygonal geometries with increasing number of sides. The elasticity of the incipient channel skin and instabilities during fiber formation are affected by the internal coagulant fluid

  4. Analysis of proteome dynamics inside the silk gland lumen of Bombyx mori

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Zhaoming; Zhao, Ping; Zhang, Yan; Song, Qianru; Zhang, Xiaolu; Guo, Pengchao; Wang, Dandan; Xia, Qingyou

    2016-01-01

    The silk gland is the only organ where silk proteins are synthesized and secreted in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Silk proteins are stored in the lumen of the silk gland for around eight days during the fifth instar. Determining their dynamic changes is helpful for clarifying the secretion mechanism of silk proteins. Here, we identified the proteome in the silk gland lumen using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and demonstrated its changes during two key stages. From day 5 of the fifth instar to day 1 of wandering, the abundances of fibroins, sericins, seroins, and proteins of unknown functions increased significantly in different compartments of the silk gland lumen. As a result, these accumulated proteins constituted the major cocoon components. In contrast, the abundances of enzymes and extracellular matrix proteins decreased in the silk gland lumen, suggesting that they were not the structural constituents of silk. Twenty-five enzymes may be involved in the regulation of hormone metabolism for proper silk gland function. In addition, the metabolism of other non-proteinous components such as chitin and pigment were also discussed in this study. PMID:27102218

  5. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Using a Dual-Lumen Endogastroscope for Patients with Billroth II Gastrectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Yao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a dual-lumen forward-viewing endoscope for ERCP in patients with prior Billroth II gastrectomy. Methods. The records of 46 patients treated with ERCP by a dual-lumen forward-viewing endoscope after Billroth II gastrectomy from 2007 to 2012 were reviewed. Results. The success rate of selective cannulation was 82.6% (38/46. Of the 38 cases with successful selective cannulation, endoscopic sphincterotomy was achieved in 23 cases by placing the needle knife through the 2nd lumen, while endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation was conducted in the other 15 cases. Of the 8 failed cases of selective cannulation, 6 had failed afferent loop intubation, and 3 of these 6 patients had Braun’s anastomosis. The safety and efficacy of catheter-assisted endoscopic sphincterotomy were increased by placing the needle knife through the 2nd lumen without altering the conventional endoscopic sphincterotomy procedure. Conclusions. A dual-lumen forward-viewing endoscope can be safely and effectively used to perform ERCP in patients with a Billroth II gastrectomy, except for patients with additional Braun’s anastomosis.

  6. Lumen and calcium characteristics within calcified coronary lesions. Comparison of computed tomography coronary angiography versus intravascular ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noll, Dariusz; Kruk, Mariusz; Pręgowski, Jerzy; Kaczmarska, Edyta; Kryczka, Karolina; Pracoń, Radosław; Skwarek, Mirosław; Dzielińska, Zofia; Petryka, Joanna; Spiewak, Mateusz; Lubiszewska, Barbara; Norwa-Otto, Bożena; Opolski, Maksymilian; Witkowski, Adam; Demkow, Marcin; Rużyłło, Witold; Kępka, Cezary

    2013-01-01

    Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a diagnostic method used for exclusion of coronary artery disease. However, lower accuracy of CTCA in assessment of calcified lesions is a significant factor impeding applicability of CTCA for assessment of coronary atherosclerosis. To provide insight into lumen and calcium characteristics assessed with CTCA, we compared these parameters to the reference of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Two hundred and fifty-two calcified lesions within 97 arteries of 60 patients (19 women, age 63 ±10 years) underwent assessment with both 2 × 64 slice CT (Somatom Definition, Siemens) and IVUS (s5, Volcano Corp.). Coronary lumen and calcium dimensions within calcified lesions were assessed with CTCA and compared to the reference measurements made with IVUS. On average CTCA underestimated mean lumen diameter (2.8 ±0.7 mm vs. 2.9 ±0.8 mm for IVUS), lumen area (6.4 ±3.4 mm(2) vs. 7.0 ±3.7 mm(2) for IVUS, p < 0.001) and total calcium arc (52 ±35° vs. 83 ±54°). However, analysis of tertiles of the examined parameters revealed that the mean lumen diameter, lumen area and calcium arc did not significantly differ between CTCA and IVUS within the smallest lumens (1(st) tertile of mean lumen diameter at 2.1 mm, and 1(st) tertile of lumen area at 3.7 mm(2)) and lowest calcium arc (mean of 40°). Although, on average, CTCA underestimates lumen diameter and area as well as calcium arc within calcified lesions, the differences are not significant within the smallest vessels and calcium arcs. The low diagnostic accuracy of CTCA within calcified lesions may be attributed to high variance and not to systematic error of measurements.

  7. Nonvisualization of the gallbladder lumen on sonogram: a sign of acute viral hepatitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Jae Hoon; Ko, Young Tae

    1986-01-01

    Six cases of nonvisulization of the gallbladder lumen in patients with acute viral hepatitis are presented. Follow-up ultrasonographic examinations done during the convalescent period in 2 patients showed normal gallbladders and this was correlated with improvement in enzyme levels. It is suggested that acute viral hepatitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of nonvisualization of the gallbladder lumen on sonogram.

  8. Nonvisualization of the gallbladder lumen on sonogram: a sign of acute viral hepatitis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, Jae Hoon; Ko, Young Tae [Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1986-04-15

    Six cases of nonvisulization of the gallbladder lumen in patients with acute viral hepatitis are presented. Follow-up ultrasonographic examinations done during the convalescent period in 2 patients showed normal gallbladders and this was correlated with improvement in enzyme levels. It is suggested that acute viral hepatitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of nonvisualization of the gallbladder lumen on sonogram.

  9. Selective modification of halloysite lumen with octadecylphosphonic acid: new inorganic tubular micelle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yah, Weng On; Takahara, Atsushi; Lvov, Yuri M

    2012-01-25

    Selective fatty acid hydrophobization of the inner surface of tubule halloysite clay is demonstrated. Aqueous phosphonic acid was found to bind to alumina sites at the tube lumen and did not bind the tube's outer siloxane surface. The bonding was characterized with solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance ((29)Si, (13)C, (31)P NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. NMR and FTIR spectroscopy of selectively modified tubes proved binding of octadecylphosphonic acid within the halloysite lumen through bidentate and tridentate P-O-Al linkage. Selective modification of the halloysite clay lumen creates an inorganic micelle-like architecture with a hydrophobic aliphatic chain core and a hydrophilic silicate shell. An enhanced capacity for adsorption of the modified halloysite toward hydrophobic derivatives of ferrocene was shown. This demonstrates that the different inner and outer surface chemistry of clay nanotubes can be used for selective modification, enabling different applications from water purification to drug immobilization and controlled release. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  10. Volumetric analysis demonstrates that true and false lumen remodeling persists for 12 months after thoracic endovascular aortic repair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ga-Young Suh, PhD

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available A 62-year-old man underwent an elephant trunk procedure followed by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR. Computed tomography angiography-based models were built to quantify volume of the whole aorta and true and false lumens preoperatively, before TEVAR, after TEVAR, and at follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. With TEVAR, descending aortic true lumen volume increased by 54%, then increased additionally by 60% during 12 months. The descending aortic false lumen volume regressed continuously for 12 months following TEVAR, with the most rapid rate from 6 to 12 months at 16 cm3/month. TEVAR immediately increased true lumen volume and continued to remodel the true and false lumens throughout the following 12 months.

  11. Dual joint space arthrography in temporomandibular joint disorders: Comparison with single inferior joint space arthrography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Hyung Sik; Chang, Duk Soo; Lee, Kyung Soo; Kim, Woo Sun; Sung, Jung Ho; Jun, Young Hwan [Capital Armed Forces General Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1989-02-15

    The temporomandibular joint(TMJ) is really a complex of two synovial space separated by fibrocartilaginous disc. Single inferior joint space arthrography is commonly performed for evaluation of TMJ disorders, which is known to be superior in demonstrating joint dynamics. But it reveals only the inferior surface of the disc. Therefore, dual space arthrography is superior to demonstrate the soft tissue anatomic feature of the joint such as disc position and shape. Authors performed 83 TMJ arthrograms in TMJ problems. Initially, the inferior joint space was done and then the superior space was sequentially contrasted. The follow results were noted: 1. In all cases, dual space arthrography revealed accurate disc shape and positions. 2. Concordant findings between the two techniques: 68 cases (82%). Discordance between the two techniques: 15 cases (18%) 3. Possible causes of discordance between inferior and dual space arthrography. a) Normal varians of anterior recess: 3 cases b) Posterior disc displacement: 4 cases c) Influence of the patient's head position change :4 cases d) False perforation: 2 cases e) Reduction change: 2 cases 4. In 5 cases with anterior displacement, dual space arthrography gave additional findings such as adhesion within the superior space, which could not be evaluated by single inferior space.

  12. Centrosome Amplification Increases Single-Cell Branching in Post-mitotic Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricolo, Delia; Deligiannaki, Myrto; Casanova, Jordi; Araújo, Sofia J

    2016-10-24

    Centrosome amplification is a hallmark of cancer, although we are still far from understanding how this process affects tumorigenesis [1, 2]. Besides the contribution of supernumerary centrosomes to mitotic defects, their biological effects in the post-mitotic cell are not well known. Here, we exploit the effects of centrosome amplification in post-mitotic cells during single-cell branching. We show that Drosophila tracheal cells with extra centrosomes branch more than wild-type cells. We found that mutations in Rca1 and CycA affect subcellular branching, causing tracheal tip cells to form more than one subcellular lumen. We show that Rca1 and CycA post-mitotic cells have supernumerary centrosomes and that other mutant conditions that increase centrosome number also show excess of subcellular lumen branching. Furthermore, we show that de novo lumen formation is impaired in mutant embryos with fewer centrioles. The data presented here define a requirement for the centrosome as a microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) for the initiation of subcellular lumen formation. We propose that centrosomes are necessary to drive subcellular lumen formation. In addition, centrosome amplification increases single-cell branching, a process parallel to capillary sprouting in blood vessels [3]. These results shed new light on how centrosomes can contribute to pathology independently of mitotic defects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Elephant trunk in a small-calibre true lumen for chronic aortic dissection: cause of haemolytic anaemia?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araki, Haruna; Kitamura, Tadashi; Horai, Tetsuya; Shibata, Ko; Miyaji, Kagami

    2014-12-01

    The elephant trunk technique for aortic dissection is useful for reducing false lumen pressure; however, a folded vascular prosthesis inside the aorta can cause haemolysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an elephant trunk in a small-calibre lumen can cause haemolysis. Inpatient and outpatient records were retrospectively reviewed. Two cases of haemolytic anaemia after aortic surgery using the elephant trunk technique were identified from 2011 to 2013. A 64-year-old man, who underwent graft replacement of the ascending aorta for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, presented with enlargement of the chronic dissection of the descending aorta and moderate aortic regurgitation. A two-stage surgery was scheduled. Total arch replacement with an elephant trunk in the true lumen and concomitant aortic valve replacement were performed. Postoperatively, he developed severe haemolytic anaemia because of the folded elephant trunk. The anaemia improved after the second surgery, including graft replacement of the descending aorta. Similarly, a 61-year-old man, who underwent total arch replacement for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, presented with enlargement of the chronic dissection of the descending aorta. Graft replacement of the descending aorta with an elephant trunk inserted into the true lumen was performed. The patient postoperatively developed haemolytic anaemia because of the folded elephant trunk, which improved after additional stent grafting into the elephant trunk. A folded elephant trunk in a small-calibre lumen can cause haemolysis. Therefore, inserting an elephant trunk in a small-calibre true lumen during surgery for chronic aortic dissection should be avoided. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

  14. Ezetimibe Promotes Brush Border Membrane-to-Lumen Cholesterol Efflux in the Small Intestine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takanari Nakano

    Full Text Available Ezetimibe inhibits Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1, an apical membrane cholesterol transporter of enterocytes, thereby reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption. This treatment also increases extrahepatic reverse cholesterol transport via an undefined mechanism. To explore this, we employed a trans-intestinal cholesterol efflux (TICE assay, which directly detects circulation-to-intestinal lumen 3H-cholesterol transit in a cannulated jejunal segment, and found an increase of TICE by 45%. To examine whether such increase in efflux occurs at the intestinal brush border membrane(BBM-level, we performed luminal perfusion assays, similar to TICE but the jejunal wall was labelled with orally-given 3H-cholesterol, and determined elevated BBM-to-lumen cholesterol efflux by 3.5-fold with ezetimibe. Such increased efflux probably promotes circulation-to-lumen cholesterol transit eventually; thus increases TICE. Next, we wondered how inhibition of NPC1L1, an influx transporter, resulted in increased efflux. When we traced orally-given 3H-cholesterol in mice, we found that lumen-to-BBM 3H-cholesterol transit was rapid and less sensitive to ezetimibe treatment. Comparison of the efflux and fractional cholesterol absorption revealed an inverse correlation, indicating the efflux as an opposite-regulatory factor for cholesterol absorption efficiency and counteracting to the naturally-occurring rapid cholesterol influx to the BBM. These suggest that the ezetimibe-stimulated increased efflux is crucial in reducing cholesterol absorption. Ezetimibe-induced increase in cholesterol efflux was approximately 2.5-fold greater in mice having endogenous ATP-binding cassette G5/G8 heterodimer, the major sterol efflux transporter of enterocytes, than the knockout counterparts, suggesting that the heterodimer confers additional rapid BBM-to-lumen cholesterol efflux in response to NPC1L1 inhibition. The observed framework for intestinal cholesterol fluxes may provide ways to

  15. Microbes vs. chemistry in the origin of the anaerobic gut lumen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Elliot S; Bittinger, Kyle; Esipova, Tatiana V; Hou, Likai; Chau, Lillian; Jiang, Jack; Mesaros, Clementina; Lund, Peder J; Liang, Xue; FitzGerald, Garret A; Goulian, Mark; Lee, Daeyeon; Garcia, Benjamin A; Blair, Ian A; Vinogradov, Sergei A; Wu, Gary D

    2018-04-17

    The succession from aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria to obligate anaerobes in the infant gut along with the differences between the compositions of the mucosally adherent vs. luminal microbiota suggests that the gut microbes consume oxygen, which diffuses into the lumen from the intestinal tissue, maintaining the lumen in a deeply anaerobic state. Remarkably, measurements of luminal oxygen levels show nearly identical pO 2 (partial pressure of oxygen) profiles in conventional and germ-free mice, pointing to the existence of oxygen consumption mechanisms other than microbial respiration. In vitro experiments confirmed that the luminal contents of germ-free mice are able to chemically consume oxygen (e.g., via lipid oxidation reactions), although at rates significantly lower than those observed in the case of conventionally housed mice. For conventional mice, we also show that the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiota adherent to the gut mucosa and in the lumen throughout the length of the gut correlates with oxygen levels. At the same time, an increase in the biomass of the gut microbiota provides an explanation for the reduction of luminal oxygen in the distal vs. proximal gut. These results demonstrate how oxygen from the mammalian host is used by the gut microbiota, while both the microbes and the oxidative chemical reactions regulate luminal oxygen levels, shaping the composition of the microbial community throughout different regions of the gut.

  16. Contura Multi-Lumen Balloon Breast Brachytherapy Catheter: Comparative Dosimetric Findings of a Phase 4 Trial

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arthur, Douglas W., E-mail: darthur@mcvh-vcu.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (United States); Vicini, Frank A. [Michigan Healthcare Professionals/21st Century Oncology, Farmington Hills, Michigan (United States); Todor, Dorin A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (United States); Julian, Thomas B. [Allegheny General Hospital, Temple University School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Cuttino, Laurie W.; Mukhopadhyay, Nitai D. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (United States)

    2013-06-01

    Purpose: Final dosimetric findings of a completed, multi-institutional phase 4 registry trial using the Contura Multi-Lumen Balloon (MLB) breast brachytherapy catheter to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) in patients with early-stage breast cancer are presented. Methods and Materials: Three dosimetric plans with identical target coverage were generated for each patient for comparison: multilumen multidwell (MLMD); central-lumen multidwell (CLMD); and central-lumen single-dwell (CLSD) loading of the Contura catheter. For this study, a successful treatment plan achieved ideal dosimetric goals and included the following: ≥95% of the prescribed dose (PD) covering ≥95% of the target volume (TV); maximum skin dose ≤125% of the PD; maximum rib dose ≤145% of the PD; and V150 ≤50 cc and V200 ≤10 cc. Results: Between January 2008 and February 2011, 23 institutions participated. A total of 318 patients were available for dosimetric review. Using the Contura MLB, all dosimetric criteria were met in 78.93% of cases planned with MLMD versus 55.38% with the CLMD versus 37.66% with the CLSD (P≤.0001). Evaluating all patients with the full range of skin to balloon distance represented, median maximum skin dose was reduced by 12% and median maximum rib dose by 13.9% when using MLMD-based dosimetric plans compared to CLSD. The dosimetric benefit of MLMD was further demonstrated in the subgroup of patients where skin thickness was <5 mm, where MLMD use allowed a 38% reduction in median maximum skin dose over CLSD. For patients with rib distance <5 mm, the median maximum rib dose reduction was 27%. Conclusions: Use of the Contura MLB catheter produced statistically significant improvements in dosimetric capabilities between CLSD and CLMD treatments. This device approach demonstrates the ability not only to overcome the barriers of limited skin thickness and close rib proximity, but to consistently achieve a higher standard of dosimetric planning goals.

  17. Contura Multi-Lumen Balloon breast brachytherapy catheter: comparative dosimetric findings of a phase 4 trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arthur, Douglas W; Vicini, Frank A; Todor, Dorin A; Julian, Thomas B; Cuttino, Laurie W; Mukhopadhyay, Nitai D

    2013-06-01

    Final dosimetric findings of a completed, multi-institutional phase 4 registry trial using the Contura Multi-Lumen Balloon (MLB) breast brachytherapy catheter to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) in patients with early-stage breast cancer are presented. Three dosimetric plans with identical target coverage were generated for each patient for comparison: multilumen multidwell (MLMD); central-lumen multidwell (CLMD); and central-lumen single-dwell (CLSD) loading of the Contura catheter. For this study, a successful treatment plan achieved ideal dosimetric goals and included the following: ≥ 95% of the prescribed dose (PD) covering ≥ 95% of the target volume (TV); maximum skin dose ≤ 125% of the PD; maximum rib dose ≤ 145% of the PD; and V150 ≤50 cc and V200 ≤ 10 cc. Between January 2008 and February 2011, 23 institutions participated. A total of 318 patients were available for dosimetric review. Using the Contura MLB, all dosimetric criteria were met in 78.93% of cases planned with MLMD versus 55.38% with the CLMD versus 37.66% with the CLSD (P ≤.0001). Evaluating all patients with the full range of skin to balloon distance represented, median maximum skin dose was reduced by 12% and median maximum rib dose by 13.9% when using MLMD-based dosimetric plans compared to CLSD. The dosimetric benefit of MLMD was further demonstrated in the subgroup of patients where skin thickness was <5 mm, where MLMD use allowed a 38% reduction in median maximum skin dose over CLSD. For patients with rib distance <5 mm, the median maximum rib dose reduction was 27%. Use of the Contura MLB catheter produced statistically significant improvements in dosimetric capabilities between CLSD and CLMD treatments. This device approach demonstrates the ability not only to overcome the barriers of limited skin thickness and close rib proximity, but to consistently achieve a higher standard of dosimetric planning goals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights

  18. Fluoroscopic guidance for placing a double lumen endotracheal tube in adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calenda, Emile; Baste, Jean Marc; Hajjej, Ridha; Rezig, Najiba; Moriceau, Jerome; Diallo, Yaya; Sghaeir, Slim; Danielou, Eric; Peillon, Christophe

    2014-09-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the right placement of the double lumen endotracheal tube with fluoroscopic guidance, which is used in first intention prior to the fiberscope in our institution. This was a prospective observational study. The study was conducted in vascular and thoracic operating rooms. We enrolled 205 patients scheduled for thoracic surgery, with ASA physical statuses of I (n = 37), II (n = 84), III (n = 80), and IV (n = 4). Thoracic procedures were biopsy (n = 20), wedge (n = 34), culminectomy (n = 6), lobectomy (n = 82), pneumonectomy (n = 4), sympathectomy (n = 9), symphysis (n = 47), and thymectomy (n = 3). The intubation with a double lumen tube was performed with the help of a laryngoscope. Tracheal and bronchial balloons were inflated and auscultation was performed after right and left exclusions. One shot was performed to locate the position of the bronchial tube and the hook. Fluoroscopic guidance was used to relocate the tube in case of a wrong position. When the fluoroscopic guidance failed to position the tube, a fiberscope was used. Perioperative collapse of the lung was assessed by the surgeon during the surgery. Correct fluoroscopic image was obtained after the first attempt in 58.5% of patients therefore a misplaced position was encountered in 41.5%. The fluoroscopic guidance allowed an exact repositioning in 99.5% of cases, and the mean duration of the procedure was 8 minutes. A fiberscope was required to move the hook for one patient. We did not notice a moving of the double lumen endotracheal tube during the surgery. The surgeon satisfaction was 100%. The fluoroscopy evidenced the right position of the double lumen tube and allowed a right repositioning in 99.5% of patients with a very simple implementation. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Further understanding of PbWO4 Scintillator characteristics and their optimisation. LUMEN activity in 1998

    CERN Document Server

    Baccaro, Stefania; Borgia, Bruno; Cecilia, Angelica; Dafinei, Ioan; Diemoz, Marcella; Fabeni, P; Festinesi, Armando; Longo, Egidio; Martini, M; Meinardi, F; Mihoková, E; Montecchi, Marco; Nikl, M; Pazzi, G P; Rosa, J; Sulc, Miroslav

    2000-01-01

    The aim of LUMEN collaboration was the investigation on single crystals of PbWO4 ( PWO): the results performed up to now provide the evidence of the possibility to optimise the optical properties of an intrinsic scintillator such as PWO. The control of essential requirements in the crystal preparation ( raw material purity, growing methods and post-growth annealing) as well as the introduction of selected dopants at suitable concentrations ( particularly trivalent and pentavalent ions) were found to be very successful in lowering the concentration of point defects in the lattice which strongly affect scintillation properties and radiation hardness. The systematic investigation effort to better understand the scintillation characteristics and to improve the quality of PWO crystals is due to their use for the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter.

  20. Comparison between MDCT and Grayscale IVUS in a Quantitative Analysis of Coronary Lumen in Segments with or without Atherosclerotic Plaques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falcão, João L. A. A.; Falcão, Breno A. A. [Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School (USP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Gurudevan, Swaminatha V. [Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA (United States); Campos, Carlos M.; Silva, Expedito R.; Kalil-Filho, Roberto; Rochitte, Carlos E.; Shiozaki, Afonso A.; Coelho-Filho, Otavio R.; Lemos, Pedro A. [Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School (USP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2015-04-15

    The diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice MDCT in comparison with IVUS has been poorly described and is mainly restricted to reports analyzing segments with documented atherosclerotic plaques. We compared 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) with gray scale intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for the evaluation of coronary lumen dimensions in the context of a comprehensive analysis, including segments with absent or mild disease. The 64-slice MDCT was performed within 72 h before the IVUS imaging, which was obtained for at least one coronary, regardless of the presence of luminal stenosis at angiography. A total of 21 patients were included, with 70 imaged vessels (total length 114.6 ± 38.3 mm per patient). A coronary plaque was diagnosed in segments with plaque burden > 40%. At patient, vessel, and segment levels, average lumen area, minimal lumen area, and minimal lumen diameter were highly correlated between IVUS and 64-slice MDCT (p < 0.01). However, 64-slice MDCT tended to underestimate the lumen size with a relatively wide dispersion of the differences. The comparison between 64-slice MDCT and IVUS lumen measurements was not substantially affected by the presence or absence of an underlying plaque. In addition, 64-slice MDCT showed good global accuracy for the detection of IVUS parameters associated with flow-limiting lesions. In a comprehensive, multi-territory, and whole-artery analysis, the assessment of coronary lumen by 64-slice MDCT compared with coronary IVUS showed a good overall diagnostic ability, regardless of the presence or absence of underlying atherosclerotic plaques.

  1. ARCOCT: Automatic detection of lumen border in intravascular OCT images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheimariotis, Grigorios-Aris; Chatzizisis, Yiannis S; Koutkias, Vassilis G; Toutouzas, Konstantinos; Giannopoulos, Andreas; Riga, Maria; Chouvarda, Ioanna; Antoniadis, Antonios P; Doulaverakis, Charalambos; Tsamboulatidis, Ioannis; Kompatsiaris, Ioannis; Giannoglou, George D; Maglaveras, Nicos

    2017-11-01

    Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an invaluable tool for the detection of pathological features on the arterial wall and the investigation of post-stenting complications. Computational lumen border detection in OCT images is highly advantageous, since it may support rapid morphometric analysis. However, automatic detection is very challenging, since OCT images typically include various artifacts that impact image clarity, including features such as side branches and intraluminal blood presence. This paper presents ARCOCT, a segmentation method for fully-automatic detection of lumen border in OCT images. ARCOCT relies on multiple, consecutive processing steps, accounting for image preparation, contour extraction and refinement. In particular, for contour extraction ARCOCT employs the transformation of OCT images based on physical characteristics such as reflectivity and absorption of the tissue and, for contour refinement, local regression using weighted linear least squares and a 2nd degree polynomial model is employed to achieve artifact and small-branch correction as well as smoothness of the artery mesh. Our major focus was to achieve accurate contour delineation in the various types of OCT images, i.e., even in challenging cases with branches and artifacts. ARCOCT has been assessed in a dataset of 1812 images (308 from stented and 1504 from native segments) obtained from 20 patients. ARCOCT was compared against ground-truth manual segmentation performed by experts on the basis of various geometric features (e.g. area, perimeter, radius, diameter, centroid, etc.) and closed contour matching indicators (the Dice index, the Hausdorff distance and the undirected average distance), using standard statistical analysis methods. The proposed method was proven very efficient and close to the ground-truth, exhibiting non statistically-significant differences for most of the examined metrics. ARCOCT allows accurate and fully-automated lumen border

  2. An artificial neural network method for lumen and media-adventitia border detection in IVUS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Shengran; Hu, Zhenghui; Lin, Qiang; Hau, William Kongto; Gao, Zhifan; Zhang, Heye

    2017-04-01

    Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been well recognized as one powerful imaging technique to evaluate the stenosis inside the coronary arteries. The detection of lumen border and media-adventitia (MA) border in IVUS images is the key procedure to determine the plaque burden inside the coronary arteries, but this detection could be burdensome to the doctor because of large volume of the IVUS images. In this paper, we use the artificial neural network (ANN) method as the feature learning algorithm for the detection of the lumen and MA borders in IVUS images. Two types of imaging information including spatial, neighboring features were used as the input data to the ANN method, and then the different vascular layers were distinguished accordingly through two sparse auto-encoders and one softmax classifier. Another ANN was used to optimize the result of the first network. In the end, the active contour model was applied to smooth the lumen and MA borders detected by the ANN method. The performance of our approach was compared with the manual drawing method performed by two IVUS experts on 461 IVUS images from four subjects. Results showed that our approach had a high correlation and good agreement with the manual drawing results. The detection error of the ANN method close to the error between two groups of manual drawing result. All these results indicated that our proposed approach could efficiently and accurately handle the detection of lumen and MA borders in the IVUS images. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. In vitro stent lumen visualisation of various common and newly developed femoral artery stents using MR angiography at 1.5 and 3 tesla.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syha, R; Ketelsen, D; Kaempf, M; Mangold, S; Sixt, S; Zeller, T; Springer, F; Schick, F; Claussen, C D; Brechtel, K

    2013-02-01

    To evaluate stent lumen assessment of various commonly used and newly developed stents for the superficial femoral artery (SFA) using MR angiography (MRA) at 1.5 and 3 T. Eleven nitinol stents and one cobalt-chromium stent were compared regarding stent lumen visualisation using a common three-dimensional MRA sequence. Maximum visible stent lumen width and contrast ratio were analysed in three representative slices for each stent type. A scoring system for lumen visualisation was applied. Nitinol stents showed significantly better performance than the cobalt chromium stent (P stent lumen ranged between 43.4 and 95.5 %, contrast ratio between 7.2 and 110.6 %. Regarding both field strengths, seven of the nitinol stents were classified as "suitable". Three nitinol stents were "limited", and one nitinol stent and the cobalt chromium stent were "not suitable". Intraluminal loss of signal and artefacts of most of the SFA stents do not markedly limit assessment of stent lumen by MRA at 1.5 and 3 T. MRA can thus be considered a valid technique for detection of relevant in-stent restenosis. Applied field strength does not strongly influence stent lumen assessment in general, but proper choice of field strength might be helpful.

  4. Proximal tubular hypertrophy and enlarged glomerular and proximal tubular urinary space in obese subjects with proteinuria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Tobar

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with glomerular hyperfiltration, increased proximal tubular sodium reabsorption, glomerular enlargement and renal hypertrophy. A single experimental study reported an increased glomerular urinary space in obese dogs. Whether proximal tubular volume is increased in obese subjects and whether their glomerular and tubular urinary spaces are enlarged is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether proximal tubules and glomerular and tubular urinary space are enlarged in obese subjects with proteinuria and glomerular hyperfiltration. METHODS: Kidney biopsies from 11 non-diabetic obese with proteinuria and 14 non-diabetic lean patients with a creatinine clearance above 50 ml/min and with mild or no interstitial fibrosis were retrospectively analyzed using morphometric methods. The cross-sectional area of the proximal tubular epithelium and lumen, the volume of the glomerular tuft and of Bowman's space and the nuclei number per tubular profile were estimated. RESULTS: Creatinine clearance was higher in the obese than in the lean group (P=0.03. Proteinuria was similarly increased in both groups. Compared to the lean group, the obese group displayed a 104% higher glomerular tuft volume (P=0.001, a 94% higher Bowman's space volume (P=0.003, a 33% higher cross-sectional area of the proximal tubular epithelium (P=0.02 and a 54% higher cross-sectional area of the proximal tubular lumen (P=0.01. The nuclei number per proximal tubular profile was similar in both groups, suggesting that the increase in tubular volume is due to hypertrophy and not to hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity-related glomerular hyperfiltration is associated with proximal tubular epithelial hypertrophy and increased glomerular and tubular urinary space volume in subjects with proteinuria. The expanded glomerular and urinary space is probably a direct consequence of glomerular hyperfiltration. These effects may be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity

  5. A novel lumen-apposing metal stent for endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of pancreatic fluid collections

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Walter, Daisy; Will, Uwe; Sanchez-Yague, Andres

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: A novel large-diameter, lumen-apposing, self-expanding metal stent with bilateral flanges was recently developed for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided transmural drainage of symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effi......BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: A novel large-diameter, lumen-apposing, self-expanding metal stent with bilateral flanges was recently developed for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided transmural drainage of symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate...

  6. Influence of a Double-Lumen Extension Tube on Drug Delivery: Examples of Isosorbide Dinitrate and Diazepam.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aurélie Maiguy-Foinard

    Full Text Available Plastic materials such as polyurethane (PUR, polyethylene (PE, polypropylene (PP and polyvinyl chloride (PVC are widely used in double-lumen extension tubing. The purposes of our study were to 1 compare in vitro drug delivery through the double extension tubes available on the market 2 assess the plastic properties of PUR in infusion devices and their impact on drug delivery.The study compared eight double-lumen extension tubes in PUR, co-extruded (PE/PVC plastic and plasticised PVC from different manufacturers. Isosorbide dinitrate and diazepam were used as model compounds to evaluate their sorption on the internal surface of the infusion device. Control experiments were performed using norepinephrine known not to absorb to plastics. Drug concentrations delivered at the egress of extension tubes were determined over time by an analytical spectrophotometric UV-Vis method. The main characteristics of plastics were also determined.Significant differences in the sorption phenomenon were observed among the eight double-lumen extension tubes and between pairs of extension tubes. Mean concentrations of isosorbide dinitrate delivered at the egress of double-lumen extension tubes after a 150-minute infusion (mean values ± standard deviation in percentage of the initial concentrations in the prepared syringes ranged between 80.53 ± 1.66 (one of the PUR tubes and 92.84 ± 2.73 (PE/PVC tube. The same parameters measured during diazepam infusion ranged between 48.58 ± 2.88 (one of the PUR tubes and 85.06 ± 3.94 (PE/PVC tube. The double-lumen extension tubes in PUR were either thermosetting (resin or thermoplastic according to reference.Clinicians must be aware of potential drug interactions with extension tube materials and so must consider their nature as well as the sterilisation method used before selecting an infusion device.

  7. Diffusion MRI for rectal cancer staging: ADC measurements before and after ultrasonographic gel lumen distension

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palmucci, S., E-mail: spalmucci@sirm.org; Piccoli, M.; Piana, S.; Foti, P.V.; Siverino, R.O.A.; Mauro, L.A.; Milone, P.; Ettorre, G.C.

    2017-01-15

    Objectives: To compare Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) measurements in rectal neoplastic lesions before and after lumen distension obtained with sonography transmission gel. Methods: From January 2014 to July 2016, 25 patients (average age 63.7, range 41–85, 18 males) were studied for pre-treatment rectal cancer staging using a 1.5 T MRI. Diffusion MRI was obtained using echo-planar imaging with b = 800 value; all patients were studied acquiring diffusion sequences with and without rectal lumen distension obtained using sonography transmission gel. In both diffusion sequences, two blinded readers calculated border ADC values and small ADC values, drawing regions of interest respectively along tumour borders and far from tumour borders. Mean ADC values among readers − for each type of ADC measurement − were compared using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test. Correlation was assessed using Pearson analysis. Results: Border ADC mean value for diffusion MR sequences without endorectal contrast was 1.122 mm{sup 2}/sec, with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.02–1.22; using gel lumen distension, higher border ADC mean value of 1.269 mm{sup 2}/s (95% CI = 1.16–1.38) was obtained. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test revealed statistical difference (p < 0.01); a strong Pearson correlation was reported, with r value of 0.69. Small-ADC mean value was 1.038 mm{sup 2}/s (95% CI = 0.91–1.16) for diffusion sequences acquired without endorectal distension and 1.127 mm{sup 2}/s (95% CI = 0.98–1.27) for diffusion sequences obtained after endorectal gel lumen distension. Wilcoxon analysis did not show statistical difference (p = 0.13). A very strong positive correlation was observed, with r value of 0.81. Conclusions: ADC measurements are slightly higher using endorectal sonographic transmission gel; ROI should be traced far from tumour borders, to minimize gel filled-pixel along the interface between lumen and lesion. Further studies are needed to

  8. Diffusion MRI for rectal cancer staging: ADC measurements before and after ultrasonographic gel lumen distension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmucci, S.; Piccoli, M.; Piana, S.; Foti, P.V.; Siverino, R.O.A.; Mauro, L.A.; Milone, P.; Ettorre, G.C.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: To compare Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) measurements in rectal neoplastic lesions before and after lumen distension obtained with sonography transmission gel. Methods: From January 2014 to July 2016, 25 patients (average age 63.7, range 41–85, 18 males) were studied for pre-treatment rectal cancer staging using a 1.5 T MRI. Diffusion MRI was obtained using echo-planar imaging with b = 800 value; all patients were studied acquiring diffusion sequences with and without rectal lumen distension obtained using sonography transmission gel. In both diffusion sequences, two blinded readers calculated border ADC values and small ADC values, drawing regions of interest respectively along tumour borders and far from tumour borders. Mean ADC values among readers − for each type of ADC measurement − were compared using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test. Correlation was assessed using Pearson analysis. Results: Border ADC mean value for diffusion MR sequences without endorectal contrast was 1.122 mm 2 /sec, with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.02–1.22; using gel lumen distension, higher border ADC mean value of 1.269 mm 2 /s (95% CI = 1.16–1.38) was obtained. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test revealed statistical difference (p < 0.01); a strong Pearson correlation was reported, with r value of 0.69. Small-ADC mean value was 1.038 mm 2 /s (95% CI = 0.91–1.16) for diffusion sequences acquired without endorectal distension and 1.127 mm 2 /s (95% CI = 0.98–1.27) for diffusion sequences obtained after endorectal gel lumen distension. Wilcoxon analysis did not show statistical difference (p = 0.13). A very strong positive correlation was observed, with r value of 0.81. Conclusions: ADC measurements are slightly higher using endorectal sonographic transmission gel; ROI should be traced far from tumour borders, to minimize gel filled-pixel along the interface between lumen and lesion. Further studies are needed to investigate better

  9. Biological Nanopores: Confined Spaces for Electrochemical Single-Molecule Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Chan; Long, Yi-Tao

    2018-02-20

    , we develop an integrated current measurement system and an accurate data processing method for nanopore sensing. The unique geometric structure of a biological nanopore offers a distinct advantage as a nanosensor for single-molecule sensing. The construction of the pore entrance is responsible for capturing the target molecule, while the lumen region determines the translocation process of the single molecule. Since the capture of the target molecule is predominantly diffusion-limited, it is expected that the capture ability of the nanopore toward the target analyte could be effectively enhanced by site-directed mutations of key amino acids with desirable groups. Additionally, changing the side chains inside the wall of the biological nanopore could optimize the geometry of the pore and realize an optimal interaction between the single-molecule interface and the analyte. These improvements would allow for high spatial and current resolution of nanopore sensors, which would ensure the possibility of dynamic study of single biomolecules, including their metastable conformations, charge distributions, and interactions. In the future, data analysis with powerful algorithms will make it possible to automatically and statistically extract detailed information while an analyte translocates through the pore. We conclude that these improvements could have tremendous potential applications for nanopore sensing in the near future.

  10. Accelerated whole brain intracranial vessel wall imaging using black blood fast spin echo with compressed sensing (CS-SPACE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Chengcheng; Tian, Bing; Chen, Luguang; Eisenmenger, Laura; Raithel, Esther; Forman, Christoph; Ahn, Sinyeob; Laub, Gerhard; Liu, Qi; Lu, Jianping; Liu, Jing; Hess, Christopher; Saloner, David

    2018-06-01

    Develop and optimize an accelerated, high-resolution (0.5 mm isotropic) 3D black blood MRI technique to reduce scan time for whole-brain intracranial vessel wall imaging. A 3D accelerated T 1 -weighted fast-spin-echo prototype sequence using compressed sensing (CS-SPACE) was developed at 3T. Both the acquisition [echo train length (ETL), under-sampling factor] and reconstruction parameters (regularization parameter, number of iterations) were first optimized in 5 healthy volunteers. Ten patients with a variety of intracranial vascular disease presentations (aneurysm, atherosclerosis, dissection, vasculitis) were imaged with SPACE and optimized CS-SPACE, pre and post Gd contrast. Lumen/wall area, wall-to-lumen contrast ratio (CR), enhancement ratio (ER), sharpness, and qualitative scores (1-4) by two radiologists were recorded. The optimized CS-SPACE protocol has ETL 60, 20% k-space under-sampling, 0.002 regularization factor with 20 iterations. In patient studies, CS-SPACE and conventional SPACE had comparable image scores both pre- (3.35 ± 0.85 vs. 3.54 ± 0.65, p = 0.13) and post-contrast (3.72 ± 0.58 vs. 3.53 ± 0.57, p = 0.15), but the CS-SPACE acquisition was 37% faster (6:48 vs. 10:50). CS-SPACE agreed with SPACE for lumen/wall area, ER measurements and sharpness, but marginally reduced the CR. In the evaluation of intracranial vascular disease, CS-SPACE provides a substantial reduction in scan time compared to conventional T 1 -weighted SPACE while maintaining good image quality.

  11. True-lumen and false-lumen diameter changes in the downstream aorta after frozen elephant trunk implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berger, Tim; Kreibich, Maximilian; Morlock, Julia; Kondov, Stoyan; Scheumann, Johannes; Kari, Fabian A; Rylski, Bartosz; Siepe, Matthias; Beyersdorf, Friedhelm; Czerny, Martin

    2018-02-19

    To evaluate early and mid-term clinical outcomes and to assess the potential of the frozen elephant trunk technique to induce remodelling of downstream aortic segments in acute and chronic thoracic aortic dissections. Over a 4-year period, 65 patients (48 men, aged 61 ± 12 years) underwent total aortic arch replacement using the frozen elephant trunk technique for acute (n = 31) and chronic (n = 34) thoracic aortic dissections at our institution. We assessed diameter changes at 3 levels: the L1 segment at the stent graft level; the L2 segment at the thoraco-abdominal transition level and the L3 segment at the coeliac trunk level. True-lumen (TL) and false-lumen (FL) diameter changes were assessed at each level. Fifty-six percent of patients had already undergone previous aortic or cardiac surgery. In-hospital mortality was 6%. Symptomatic spinal cord injury was not observed in this series. During a mean follow-up of 12 ± 12 months, late death was observed in 6% of patients. Aortic reinterventions in downstream aortic segments were performed in 28% at a mean of 394 ± 385 days. TL expansion and FL shrinkage were measured in all segments and were observed at each level. This effect was the most pronounced at the level of the stent graft in patients with chronic aortic dissection, TL diameter increased from 15 ± 17 mm before surgery to 28 ± 2 mm (P = 0.001) after 2 years, and the FL diameter decreased from 40 ± 11 mm before surgery to 32 ± 17 mm (P = 0.026). The frozen elephant trunk technique is associated with an excellent clinical outcome in a complex cohort of patients, and also effectively induces remodelling in downstream aortic segments in acute and chronic thoracic aortic dissections. The need for secondary interventions in downstream segments, which mainly depends on the extent of the underlying disease process, remains substantial. Further studies are required to assess the long-term outcome of

  12. A Novel Device for True Lumen Re-Entry After Subintimal Recanalization of Superficial Femoral Arteries: First-in-Man Experience and Technical Description

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Airoldi, Flavio; Faglia, Ezio; Losa, Sergio; Tavano, Davide; Latib, Azeem; Mantero, Manuela; Lanza, Gaetano; Clerici, Giacomo

    2011-01-01

    Subintimal angioplasty (SAP) is frequently performed for the treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI) and has been recognized as an effective technique for these patients. Nevertheless, this approach is limited by the lack of controlled re-entry into the true lumen of the target vessel. We describe a novel device for true lumen re-entry after subintimal recanalization of superficial femoral arteries (SFA). We report our experience with six patients treated between April 2009 and January 2010 with a novel system designed to facilitate true lumen re-entry. The device was advanced by ipsilateral antegrade approach through a 6-French sheath. Successful reaccess into the true lumen was obtained in five of six patients without complications. The patient in whom the reaccess to the true lumen was not possible underwent successful bypass surgery. At 30 days follow-up, the SFA was patent in all patients according to echo-Doppler examination. Our preliminary experience indicates that this novel re-entry device increases the success rate of percutaneous revascularization of chronically occluded SFA.

  13. Scribble is required for normal epithelial cell–cell contacts and lumen morphogenesis in the mammalian lung

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yates, Laura L.; Schnatwinkel, Carsten; Hazelwood, Lee; Chessum, Lauren; Paudyal, Anju; Hilton, Helen; Romero, M. Rosario; Wilde, Jonathan; Bogani, Debora; Sanderson, Jeremy; Formstone, Caroline; Murdoch, Jennifer N.; Niswander, Lee A.; Greenfield, Andy; Dean, Charlotte H.

    2013-01-01

    During lung development, proper epithelial cell arrangements are critical for the formation of an arborized network of tubes. Each tube requires a lumen, the diameter of which must be tightly regulated to enable optimal lung function. Lung branching and lumen morphogenesis require close epithelial cell–cell contacts that are maintained as a result of adherens junctions, tight junctions and by intact apical–basal (A/B) polarity. However, the molecular mechanisms that maintain epithelial cohesion and lumen diameter in the mammalian lung are unknown. Here we show that Scribble, a protein implicated in planar cell polarity (PCP) signalling, is necessary for normal lung morphogenesis. Lungs of the Scrib mouse mutant Circletail (Crc) are abnormally shaped with fewer airways, and these airways often lack a visible, ‘open’ lumen. Mechanistically we show that Scrib genetically interacts with the core PCP gene Vangl2 in the developing lung and that the distribution of PCP pathway proteins and Rho mediated cytoskeletal modification is perturbed in ScribCrc/Crc lungs. However A/B polarity, which is disrupted in Drosophila Scrib mutants, is largely unaffected. Notably, we find that Scrib mediates functions not attributed to other PCP proteins in the lung. Specifically, Scrib localises to both adherens and tight junctions of lung epithelia and knockdown of Scrib in lung explants and organotypic cultures leads to reduced cohesion of lung epithelial cells. Live imaging of Scrib knockdown lungs shows that Scrib does not affect bud bifurcation, as previously shown for the PCP protein Celsr1, but is required to maintain epithelial cohesion. To understand the mechanism leading to reduced cell–cell association, we show that Scrib associates with β-catenin in embryonic lung and the sub-cellular distribution of adherens and tight junction proteins is perturbed in mutant lung epithelia. Our data reveal that Scrib is required for normal lung epithelial organisation and lumen

  14. Evaluation of an improved technique for automated center lumen line definition in cardiovascular image data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gratama van Andel, Hugo A.F.; Meijering, Erik; Vrooman, Henri A.; Stokking, Rik; Lugt, Aad van der; Monye, Cecile de

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate a new method for automated definition of a center lumen line in vessels in cardiovascular image data. This method, called VAMPIRE, is based on improved detection of vessel-like structures. A multiobserver evaluation study was conducted involving 40 tracings in clinical CTA data of carotid arteries to compare VAMPIRE with an established technique. This comparison showed that VAMPIRE yields considerably more successful tracings and improved handling of stenosis, calcifications, multiple vessels, and nearby bone structures. We conclude that VAMPIRE is highly suitable for automated definition of center lumen lines in vessels in cardiovascular image data. (orig.)

  15. Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen of chronic aortic dissections using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inoue, Toshihisa; Watanabe, Shigeru; Sakurada, Hideki; Ono, Katsuhiro; Urano, Miharu; Hijikata, Yasuyoshi; Saito, Isao; Masuda, Yoshiaki [Chiba Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

    2000-10-01

    In 21 patients with chronic aortic dissections and proven patent false lumens, the flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumens was evaluated using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VENC-MRI) and the relationship between the flow characteristics and aortic enlargement was retrospectively examined. Flow patterns in the false lumen were divided into 3 groups: pattern A with primarily antegrade flow (n=6), pattern R with primarily retrograde flow (n=3), and pattern B with bidirectional flow (n=12). In group A, the rate of flow volume in the false lumen compared to the total flow volume in true and false lumens (%TFV) and the average rate of enlargement of the maximum diameter of the dissected aorta per year ({delta}D) were significantly greater than in groups R and B (%TFV: 74.1{+-}0.07 vs 15.2{+-}0.03 vs 11.8{+-}0.04, p<0.01; {delta}D: 3.62{+-}0.82 vs 0 vs 0.58{+-}0.15 mm/year, p<0.05, respectively). There was a significant correlation between %TFV and {delta}D (r=0.79, p<0.0001). Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen using VENC-MRI may be useful for predicting enlargement of the dissected aorta. (author)

  16. Evolution of regular geometrical shapes in fiber lumens

    KAUST Repository

    Le, Ngoc Lieu

    2017-08-17

    The geometry of polymeric hollow fibers for hemodialysis or desalination is a key factor determining their performance. Deformations are frequently observed, but they are rather random. Here we were able to exactly control the shape evolution of the internal channels or lumens of polymeric hollow fibers, leading to polygonal geometries with increasing number of sides. The elasticity of the incipient channel skin and instabilities during fiber formation are affected by the internal coagulant fluid composition and flow rate; and highly influence the polygonal shape. We propose a holistic explanation by analyzing the thermodynamic, kinetic and rheological aspects involved in the skin formation and their synergy.

  17. Mechanism of lumen gain with a novel rotational aspiration atherectomy system for peripheral arterial disease: examination by intravascular ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Ali H M; Ako, Junya; Waseda, Katsuhisa; Honda, Yasuhiro; Zeller, Thomas; Leon, Martin B; Fitzgerald, Peter J

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of luminal gain with a novel atheroablation system (Pathway PV) for the treatment of peripheral artery disease using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). The atherectomy system is a rotational atherectomy device, which employs expandable rotating blades with ports that allow flushing and aspiration of the plaque material or thrombus. In this first-in-man clinical study, IVUS analysis was available in 6 patients with lower limb ischemia treated with this device. The treatment results were assessed using IVUS at pre and post atherectomy. Lumen beyond burr size (LBB) was defined as lumen gain divided by the estimated burr area determined by the burr-size. IVUS analysis was available in six patients (superficial femoral artery n=3, popliteal artery n=2, posterior tibial artery n=1). Atheroablation achieved a significant increase in lumen area (LA) (preintervention 3.9+/-0.4, postatheroablation 8.0+/-1.7 mm(2), Patherectomy device achieved significant luminal gain by debulking in the absence of vessel stretching. The LA was greater than burr-sized lumen expectancy at cross-sections along the treated segments, suggesting a complimentary role of aspiration in luminal gain in atherosclerotic peripheral artery lesions.

  18. PdNP Decoration of Halloysite Lumen via Selective Grafting of Ionic Liquid onto the Aluminol Surfaces and Catalytic Application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dedzo, Gustave K; Ngnie, Gaëlle; Detellier, Christian

    2016-02-01

    The synthesis of selectively deposited palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) inside tubular halloysite lumens is reported. This specific localization was directed by the selective modification of the aluminol surfaces of the clay mineral through stable Al-O-C bonds. An ionic liquid (1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium) was grafted onto halloysite following the guest displacement method (generally used for kaolinite) using halloysite-DMSO preintercalate. The characterization of this clay nanohybrid material (XRD, NMR, TGA) showed characteristics reminiscent of similar materials synthesized from kaolinite. The grafting on halloysite lumens was also effective without using the DMSO preintercalate. The presence of these new functionalities in halloysite directs the synthesis of uniform PdNPs with size ranging between 3 and 6 nm located exclusively in the lumens. This results from the selective adsorption of PdNPs precursors in functionalized lumens through an anion exchange mechanism followed by in situ reduction. In contrast, the unmodified clay mineral displayed nanoparticles both inside and outside the tubes. These catalysts showed significant catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The most efficient catalysts were recycled up to three times without reducing significantly the catalytic activities.

  19. High definition TV projection via single crystal faceplate technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kindl, H. J.; St. John, Thomas

    1993-03-01

    Single crystal phosphor faceplates are epitaxial phosphors grown on crystalline substrates with the advantages of high light output, resolution, and extended operational life. Single crystal phosphor faceplate industrial technology in the United States is capable of providing a faceplate appropriate to the projection industry of up to four (4) inches in diameter. Projection systems incorporating cathode ray tubes utilizing single crystal phosphor faceplates will produce 1500 lumens of white light with 1000 lines of resolution, non-interlaced. This 1500 lumen projection system will meet all of the currently specified luminance and resolution requirements of Visual Display systems for flight simulators. Significant logistic advantages accrue from the introduction of single crystal phosphor faceplate CRT's. Specifically, the full performance life of a CRT is expected to increase by a factor of five (5); ie, from 2000 to 10,000 hours of operation. There will be attendant reductions in maintenance time, spare CRT requirements, system down time, etc. The increased brightness of the projection system will allow use of lower gain, lower cost simulator screen material. Further, picture performance characteristics will be more balanced across the full simulator.

  20. The microbiota mediates pathogen clearance from the gut lumen after non-typhoidal Salmonella diarrhea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathrin Endt

    Full Text Available Many enteropathogenic bacteria target the mammalian gut. The mechanisms protecting the host from infection are poorly understood. We have studied the protective functions of secretory antibodies (sIgA and the microbiota, using a mouse model for S. typhimurium diarrhea. This pathogen is a common cause of diarrhea in humans world-wide. S. typhimurium (S. tm(att, sseD causes a self-limiting gut infection in streptomycin-treated mice. After 40 days, all animals had overcome the disease, developed a sIgA response, and most had cleared the pathogen from the gut lumen. sIgA limited pathogen access to the mucosal surface and protected from gut inflammation in challenge infections. This protection was O-antigen specific, as demonstrated with pathogens lacking the S. typhimurium O-antigen (wbaP, S. enteritidis and sIgA-deficient mice (TCRβ(-/-δ(-/-, J(H (-/-, IgA(-/-, pIgR(-/-. Surprisingly, sIgA-deficiency did not affect the kinetics of pathogen clearance from the gut lumen. Instead, this was mediated by the microbiota. This was confirmed using 'L-mice' which harbor a low complexity gut flora, lack colonization resistance and develop a normal sIgA response, but fail to clear S. tm(att from the gut lumen. In these mice, pathogen clearance was achieved by transferring a normal complex microbiota. Thus, besides colonization resistance ( = pathogen blockage by an intact microbiota, the microbiota mediates a second, novel protective function, i.e. pathogen clearance. Here, the normal microbiota re-grows from a state of depletion and disturbed composition and gradually clears even very high pathogen loads from the gut lumen, a site inaccessible to most "classical" immune effector mechanisms. In conclusion, sIgA and microbiota serve complementary protective functions. The microbiota confers colonization resistance and mediates pathogen clearance in primary infections, while sIgA protects from disease if the host re-encounters the same pathogen. This has

  1. Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen of chronic aortic dissections using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Toshihisa; Watanabe, Shigeru; Sakurada, Hideki; Ono, Katsuhiro; Urano, Miharu; Hijikata, Yasuyoshi; Saito, Isao; Masuda, Yoshiaki

    2000-01-01

    In 21 patients with chronic aortic dissections and proven patent false lumens, the flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumens was evaluated using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VENC-MRI) and the relationship between the flow characteristics and aortic enlargement was retrospectively examined. Flow patterns in the false lumen were divided into 3 groups: pattern A with primarily antegrade flow (n=6), pattern R with primarily retrograde flow (n=3), and pattern B with bidirectional flow (n=12). In group A, the rate of flow volume in the false lumen compared to the total flow volume in true and false lumens (%TFV) and the average rate of enlargement of the maximum diameter of the dissected aorta per year (ΔD) were significantly greater than in groups R and B (%TFV: 74.1±0.07 vs 15.2±0.03 vs 11.8±0.04, p<0.01; ΔD: 3.62±0.82 vs 0 vs 0.58±0.15 mm/year, p<0.05, respectively). There was a significant correlation between %TFV and ΔD (r=0.79, p<0.0001). Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen using VENC-MRI may be useful for predicting enlargement of the dissected aorta. (author)

  2. Maximizing Lumen Gain With Directional Atherectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, Gregory A; Winscott, John G

    2016-08-01

    To describe the use of a low-pressure balloon inflation (LPBI) technique to delineate intraluminal plaque and guide directional atherectomy in order to maximize lumen gain and achieve procedure success. The technique is illustrated in a 77-year-old man with claudication who underwent superficial femoral artery revascularization using a HawkOne directional atherectomy catheter. A standard angioplasty balloon was inflated to 1 to 2 atm during live fluoroscopy to create a 3-dimensional "lumenogram" of the target lesion. Directional atherectomy was performed only where plaque impinged on the balloon at a specific fluoroscopic orientation. The results of the LPBI technique were corroborated with multimodality diagnostic imaging, including digital subtraction angiography, intravascular ultrasound, and intra-arterial pressure measurements. With the LPBI technique, directional atherectomy can routinely achieve <10% residual stenosis, as illustrated in this case, thereby broadly supporting a no-stent approach to lower extremity endovascular revascularization. © The Author(s) 2016.

  3. CT arterial portography and CT arteriography with a triple-lumen balloon catheter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murakami, T.; Oi, H.; Hori, M.; Kim, T.; Takahashi, S.; Matsushita, M.; Narumi, Y.; Nakamura, H.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of the triple-lumen balloon catheter in the serial performance of CT arterial portography (CT-AP) and CT arteriography (CT-A). Material and Methods: A combined CT-AP and CT-A examination of 58 patients was carried out in which a cobra-type triple-lumen balloon catheter was used. CT-AP was performed by injecting contrast medium either into the splenic artery through a side-hole in the catheter proximal to the balloon inflated in the common hepatic artery, or into the superior mesentric artery through an end-hole in the catheter. Then CT-A was serially performed by delivering contrast medium either to the common hepatic artery or the proper hepatic artery from the end-hole, or to the accessory right hepatic artery through a side-hole proximal to the inflated balloon. Results: Sufficient CT-APs were obtained in 53 of the 58 patients (91%), CT-A in 42 (72%), and both in 42 (72%). Incomplete CT-AP was due to technical failure or anatomical anomaly, as was incomplete CT-A. No complications were seen. (orig.)

  4. Mitigating radiation damage of single photon detectors for space applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anisimova, Elena; Higgins, Brendon L.; Bourgoin, Jean-Philippe [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Cranmer, Miles [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Choi, Eric [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Magellan Aerospace, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Hudson, Danya; Piche, Louis P.; Scott, Alan [Honeywell Aerospace (formerly COM DEV Ltd.), Ottawa, ON (Canada); Makarov, Vadim [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Jennewein, Thomas [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Quantum Information Science Program, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    2017-12-15

    Single-photon detectors in space must retain useful performance characteristics despite being bombarded with sub-atomic particles. Mitigating the effects of this space radiation is vital to enabling new space applications which require high-fidelity single-photon detection. To this end, we conducted proton radiation tests of various models of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and one model of photomultiplier tube potentially suitable for satellite-based quantum communications. The samples were irradiated with 106 MeV protons at doses approximately equivalent to lifetimes of 0.6, 6, 12 and 24 months in a low-Earth polar orbit. Although most detection properties were preserved, including efficiency, timing jitter and afterpulsing probability, all APD samples demonstrated significant increases in dark count rate (DCR) due to radiation-induced damage, many orders of magnitude higher than the 200 counts per second (cps) required for ground-to-satellite quantum communications. We then successfully demonstrated the mitigation of this DCR degradation through the use of deep cooling, to as low as -86 C. This achieved DCR below the required 200 cps over the 24 months orbit duration. DCR was further reduced by thermal annealing at temperatures of +50 to +100 C. (orig.)

  5. Thrombosis caused by polyurethane double-lumen subclavian superior vena cava catheter and hemodialysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wanscher, Maria Rørbæk; Frifelt, J J; Smith-Sivertsen, C

    1988-01-01

    During an 18-month period, 82 consecutive patients (37 women and 45 men), with a mean age of 50 yr (range 15 to 74), underwent hemodialysis with 91 polyurethane double-lumen subclavian superior vena cava catheters inserted via the right subclavian vein. Upon catheter removal, venograms were...

  6. Evaluation of the conformity of assistential practice in the maintenance of the temporary double-lumen dialysis catheter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosetti, Késia Alves Gomes; Tronchin, Daisy Maria Rizatto

    2014-01-01

    to evaluate the conformity of the assistential practice in the maintenance of the temporary double-lumen catheter for hemodialysis, by means of the use of the process indicator, in the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo. a quantitative, exploratory-descriptive and observational study. The sample was made up of 155 observations of persons with temporary double-lumen catheters, in the period March-November 2011, using the Indicator of the Maintenance of the Temporary Double Lumen Catheter for Hemodialysis. the rate of general conformity of the assistential practice corresponded to 65.8%. Of the practice's 13 components, 9 (69.2%) attained 100% conformity. The hygienization of hands by the professionals and the use of a mask by the patients during the disconnection from the hemodialysis had the worst rates (83.9%). although the actions evaluated are implemented in the unit, it is necessary to propose and apply educational strategies with the health team, as well as to institute periodical assessments, so as to raise the conformity rates, ensuring the quality of the hemodialysis services.

  7. Activity of LUMEN (1996-97) Understanding of PbWO4 Scintillator Characteristics and their Optimisation

    CERN Document Server

    Baccaro, Stefania; Borgia, Bruno; Cecilia, Angelica; Croci, S; Dafinei, Ioan; Diemoz, Marcella; Fabeni, P; Festinesi, Armando; Jarolímek, O; Longo, Egidio; Martini, M; Mihoková, E; Montecchi, Marco; Nikl, M; Nitsch, K; Organtini, Giovanni; Pazzi, G P; Spinolo, G; Vedda, A

    1998-01-01

    The aim of the LUMEN co-operation, supported by INFN, is to obtain ful experimental characterisation and deep expertise of heavy scintillator for high energy physics. The advantage of this collaboration was mainly in the complementary character of the experimental techniques available in the partner laboratories and in the availability of highly experienced scientists indifferent fields. Furthermore close feedback to technological laboratories preparing on request PWO samples appeared extremely helpful. The present paper reports on the most important results obtained during the LUMEN activity in 1996-97. The aim of the report is to provide also enough useful information for the PWO application and novel ideas to stimulate further interest for new detectors as well as application in different fields.

  8. MRT of carotid stents: influence of stent properties and sequence parameters on visualization of the carotid artery lumen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Straube, T.; Wolf, S.; Alfke, K.; Jansen, O.; Flesser, A.; Deli, M.; Nabavi, A.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate MR artifacts of carotid artery stents and to optimize stent properties and sequence parameters. Material and Methods: Four carotid artery stents - Wallstent (mediloy), Precise (nitinol), ACCULINK (nitinol) and a stent prototype (nitinol) - were investigated in a flow model of the cervical vessels. The model was made of silicon tubing and a flow pump that produces realistic flow curves of the carotid artery. To investigate the effects of magnetic susceptibility and radiofrequency induced shielding artifacts, turbo spin echo and gradient echo sequences as well as CE-MRAs were measured. To improve the visualization of the stent lumen in a CE-MRA, flip angle as well as geometry and covering of the stent prototype were altered. Results: Susceptibility artifacts in stents of the carotid artery only influence the lumen visualization at the proximal and distal end of the braided mediloy stent. A change of stent coverings has no significant influence on radiofrequency artifacts, whereas a reduction in linking elements between stent segments and a change in diameter of stent struts improves visualization of the stent lumen. By increasing the flip angle in a CE-MRA, visualization of the stent lumen is possible in both mediloy and nitinol stents. Conclusion: The choice of stent material and changes in stent geometry as well as the optimization of the flip angle of the CE-MRA may reduce susceptibility and radiofrequency artifacts, rendering feasible the CE-MRA of a stented carotid artery. (orig.)

  9. CALiPER Retail Lamps Study 3.2: Lumen and Chromaticity Maintenance of LED A Lamps Operated in Steady-State Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2014-12-31

    This CALiPER report examines lumen depreciation and color shift of 17 different A lamps in steady-state conditions (15 LED, 1 CFL, 1 halogen). The goal of this investigation was to examine the long-term performance of complete LED lamps relative to benchmark halogen and CFL lamps—in this case, A lamps emitting approximately 800 lumens operated continuously at a relatively high ambient temperature of 45°C.

  10. The dual-gate lumen model of renal monoamine transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marty Hinz

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Marty Hinz1, Alvin Stein2, Thomas Uncini31Clinical Research, NeuroResearch Clinics, Inc. Cape Coral, Florida, USA; 2Stein Orthopedic Associates, Plantation, Florida, USA; 3DBS Labs, Duluth, Minnesota, USAAbstract: The three-phase response of urinary serotonin and dopamine in subjects ­simultaneously taking amino acid precursors of serotonin and dopamine has been defined.1,2 No model exists regarding the renal etiology of the three-phase response. This writing outlines a model explaining the origin of the three-phase response of urinary serotonin and dopamine. A “dual-gate lumen transporter model” for the basolateral monoamine transporters of the kidneys is proposed as being the etiology of the three-phase urinary serotonin and dopamine responses.Purpose: The purpose of this writing is to document the internal renal function model that has evolved in research during large-scale assay with phase interpretation of urinary serotonin and dopamine.Patients and methods: In excess of 75,000 urinary monoamine assays from more than 7,500 patients were analyzed. The serotonin and the dopamine phase were determined for specimens submitted in the competitive inhibition state. The phase determination findings were then correlated with peer-reviewed literature.Results: The correlation between the three-phase response of urinary serotonin and dopamine with internal renal processes of the bilateral monoamine transporter and the apical monoamine transporter of the proximal convoluted renal tubule cells is defined.Conclusion: The phase of urinary serotonin and dopamine is dependent on the status of the serotonin gate, dopamine gate, and lumen of the basolateral monoamine transporter while in the competitive inhibition state.Keywords: serotonin, dopamine, basolateral, apical, kidney, proximal

  11. Pancreatic Necrosectomy Through a Novel Double-flange Lumen-apposing Covered Metal Stent (Video

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andres Sanchez-Yague

    2014-12-01

    A double flange lumen apposing FC-SEMS used as a port for necrosectomy significantly improves management of walled-off pancreatic necrosis. Placement of this stents should be considered when multiple necrosectomy sessions are anticipated. Procedure time can be significantly decreased using a catheter that combines a cautery tip and stent delivery system.

  12. TDRS-1 single event upsets and the effect of the space environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkinson, D.C.; Daughtridge, S.C.; Stone, J.L.; Sauer, H.H.; Darling, P.

    1991-01-01

    The systematic recording of Single Event Upsets on TDRS-1 from 1984 to 1990 allows correlations to be drawn between those upsets and the space environment. In this paper, ground based neutron monitor data are used to illustrate the long-term relationship between galactic cosmic rays and TDRS-1 upsets. The short-term effects of energetic solar particles are illustrated with space environment data from GOES-7

  13. Comparative Performance in Single-Port Versus Multiport Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Small Versus Large Operative Working Spaces: A Preclinical Randomized Crossover Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcus, Hani J; Seneci, Carlo A; Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Cundy, Thomas P; Nandi, Dipankar; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara

    2016-04-01

    Surgical approaches such as transanal endoscopic microsurgery, which utilize small operative working spaces, and are necessarily single-port, are particularly demanding with standard instruments and have not been widely adopted. The aim of this study was to compare simultaneously surgical performance in single-port versus multiport approaches, and small versus large working spaces. Ten novice, 4 intermediate, and 1 expert surgeons were recruited from a university hospital. A preclinical randomized crossover study design was implemented, comparing performance under the following conditions: (1) multiport approach and large working space, (2) multiport approach and intermediate working space, (3) single-port approach and large working space, (4) single-port approach and intermediate working space, and (5) single-port approach and small working space. In each case, participants performed a peg transfer and pattern cutting tasks, and each task repetition was scored. Intermediate and expert surgeons performed significantly better than novices in all conditions (P Performance in single-port surgery was significantly worse than multiport surgery (P performance in the intermediate versus large working space. In single-port surgery, there was a converse trend; performances in the intermediate and small working spaces were significantly better than in the large working space. Single-port approaches were significantly more technically challenging than multiport approaches, possibly reflecting loss of instrument triangulation. Surprisingly, in single-port approaches, in which triangulation was no longer a factor, performance in large working spaces was worse than in intermediate and small working spaces. © The Author(s) 2015.

  14. Low Iodine in the Follicular Lumen Caused by Cytoplasm Mis-localization of Sodium Iodide Symporter may Induce Nodular Goiter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Huibin; Shi, Yaxiong; Liang, Bo; Cai, Huiyao; Cai, Qingyan

    2017-10-01

    Iodine is a key ingredient in the synthesis of thyroid hormones and also a major factor in the regulation of thyroid function. A local reduction of iodine content in follicular lumen leads to overexpression of local thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHr), which in turn excessively stimulates the regional thyroid tissue, and result in the formation of nodular goiter. In this study, we investigated the relationship between iodine content and sodium iodide symporter (NIS) expression by using the clinical specimens from patients with nodular goiter and explored the pathogenesis triggered by iodine deficiency in nodular goiter. In total, 28 patients were clinically histopathologically confirmed to have nodular goiter and the corresponding adjacent normal thyroid specimens were harvested simultaneously. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were performed to assay NIS expression and localization in thyrocytes of both nodular goiter and adjacent normal thyroid tissues. NIS expression mediated by iodine in follicular lumen was confirmed by follicular model in vitro. Meanwhile, radioscan with iodine-131were conducted on both nodular goiter and adjacent normal thyroid. Our data showed that NIS expression in nodular goiter was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues, which was associated with low iodine in the follicular lumen. Abnormal localization of NIS and lower amount of radioactive iodine-131 were also found in nodular goiter. Our data implied that low iodine in the follicular lumen caused by cytoplasm mis-localization of NIS may induce nodular goiter.

  15. A COTS-based single board radiation-hardened computer for space applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stewart, S.; Hillman, R.; Layton, P.; Krawzsenek, D.

    1999-01-01

    There is great community interest in the ability to use COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) technology in radiation environments. Space Electronics, Inc. has developed a high performance COTS-based radiation hardened computer. COTS approaches were selected for both hardware and software. Through parts testing, selection and packaging, all requirements have been met without parts or process development. Reliability, total ionizing dose and single event performance are attractive. The characteristics, performance and radiation resistance of the single board computer will be presented. (authors)

  16. Akap350 Recruits Eb1 to The Spindle Poles, Ensuring Proper Spindle Orientation and Lumen Formation in 3d Epithelial Cell Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almada, Evangelina; Tonucci, Facundo M; Hidalgo, Florencia; Ferretti, Anabela; Ibarra, Solange; Pariani, Alejandro; Vena, Rodrigo; Favre, Cristián; Girardini, Javier; Kierbel, Arlinet; Larocca, M Cecilia

    2017-11-02

    The organization of epithelial cells to form hollow organs with a single lumen requires the accurate three-dimensional arrangement of cell divisions. Mitotic spindle orientation is defined by signaling pathways that provide molecular links between specific spots at the cell cortex and astral microtubules, which have not been fully elucidated. AKAP350 is a centrosomal/Golgi scaffold protein, implicated in the regulation of microtubule dynamics. Using 3D epithelial cell cultures, we found that cells with decreased AKAP350 expression (AKAP350KD) formed polarized cysts with abnormal lumen morphology. Analysis of mitotic cells in AKAP350KD cysts indicated defective spindle alignment. We established that AKAP350 interacts with EB1, a microtubule associated protein that regulates spindle orientation, at the spindle poles. Decrease of AKAP350 expression lead to a significant reduction of EB1 levels at spindle poles and astral microtubules. Conversely, overexpression of EB1 rescued the defective spindle orientation induced by deficient AKAP350 expression. The specific delocalization of the AKAP350/EB1complex from the centrosome decreased EB1 levels at astral microtubules and lead to the formation of 3D-organotypic structures which resembled AKAP350KD cysts. We conclude that AKAP350 recruits EB1 to the spindle poles, ensuring EB1 presence at astral microtubules and proper spindle orientation during epithelial morphogenesis.

  17. Percutaneous Selective Embolectomy using a Fogarty Thru-Lumen Catheter for Pancreas Graft Thrombosis: A Case Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izaki, Kenta; Yamaguchi, Masato; Matsumoto, Ippei; Shinzeki, Makoto; Ku, Yonson; Sugimura, Kazuro; Sugimoto, Koji

    2011-01-01

    A 57-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus underwent simultaneous pancreas–kidney transplantation. The pancreaticoduodenal graft was implanted in the right iliac fossa. The donor’s portal vein was anastomosed to the recipient’s inferior vena cava (IVC). Seven days after the surgery, a thrombus was detected in the graft veins. Percutaneous thrombolysis was immediately performed; however, venous congestion was still present. We therefore attempted selective embolectomy using a Fogarty Thru-Lumen Catheter. Thrombi were directed from the graft veins toward the IVC and captured in the IVC filter with complete elimination of the thrombus without any major complications. We present our technique for the successful treatment of pancreas graft thrombosis within a short time period by percutaneous selective embolectomy using a Fogarty Thru-Lumen Catheter.

  18. Utility of dark-lumen MR colonography for the assessment of extra-colonic organs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajaj, Waleed; Goyen, Mathias; Ruehm, Stefan G.; Ladd, Susanne C.; Gerken, Guido

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the utility of dark-lumen MR colonography (MRC) for the assessment of extra-colonic organs. Three hundred seventy-five subjects with suspected colonic disease underwent a complete MRC examination. MRC data were evaluated by two radiologists in a blinded fashion. In addition to the large bowel, the extra-intestinal organs from the lung bases to the pelvis were assessed for the presence of pathologies. All findings were divided into known or unknown findings and therapeutically relevant or irrelevant findings. If deemed necessary, other diagnostic imaging tests to further assess those findings were performed. In total, 510 extra-colonic findings were found in 260 (69%) of the 375 subjects. Known extra-colonic findings were found in 140 subjects (54%) and unknown findings in 120 subjects (46%). Thirty-one (12%) of the 260 subjects had therapeutically relevant findings (45 findings); 229 patients (88%) had irrelevant findings (465 findings). Dark-lumen MRC is a useful tool not only for the assessment of the entire colon, but also for the evaluation of extra-colonic organs. Thus, intra- and extra-colonic pathologies can be diagnosed within the same examination. (orig.)

  19. SAS-6 assembly templated by the lumen of cartwheel-less centrioles precedes centriole duplication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fong, Chii Shyang; Kim, Minhee; Yang, T Tony; Liao, Jung-Chi; Tsou, Meng-Fu Bryan

    2014-07-28

    Centrioles are 9-fold symmetric structures duplicating once per cell cycle. Duplication involves self-oligomerization of the centriolar protein SAS-6, but how the 9-fold symmetry is invariantly established remains unclear. Here, we found that SAS-6 assembly can be shaped by preexisting (or mother) centrioles. During S phase, SAS-6 molecules are first recruited to the proximal lumen of the mother centriole, adopting a cartwheel-like organization through interactions with the luminal wall, rather than via their self-oligomerization activity. The removal or release of luminal SAS-6 requires Plk4 and the cartwheel protein STIL. Abolishing either the recruitment or the removal of luminal SAS-6 hinders SAS-6 (or centriole) assembly at the outside wall of mother centrioles. After duplication, the lumen of engaged mother centrioles becomes inaccessible to SAS-6, correlating with a block for reduplication. These results lead to a proposed model that centrioles may duplicate via a template-based process to preserve their geometry and copy number. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Assessment of lumen degradation and remaining useful life of LEDs using particle filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lall, Pradeep [Auburn Univ., AL (United States); Zhang, Hao [Auburn Univ., AL (United States); Davis, Lynn [Auburn Univ., AL (United States)

    2013-07-16

    With the development of light-emitting diode (LED) technology, light emitting diodes system is becoming a popular light source in daily life and industry area. It has shown that Led from same factory and work under same working condition, may have significantly different behavior. Therefore, it is very important to learn the fail mechanisms, especially in the case of safety critical and harsh environment application. This paper focus on a prognostic health management (PHM) method based on the measurement of forward voltage and forward current of bare LED under harsh environment. In this paper, experiment has been done with ten samples. Ten pristine bare LEDs have been tested at 85°C while simultaneously being subjected to 85% humid environment. Pulse width modulation (PWM) control method has been employed to drive the bare LED in order to reduce the heat effect caused by forward current and high frequency (300HZ) data acquisition has been used to measure the peak forward voltage and forward current. Test to failure (lumen drops to 70 percent) data has been measured to study the effects of high temperature and humid environment loadings on the bare LED. Also, solid state cooling method with peltier cooler has been used to control the temperature of LED in the integrating sphere when take the measurement of lumen flux. The shift of forward voltage forward current curve and lumen degradation has been recorded to help build the fail model and predicted the remaining useful life. In this method, particle filter has been employed to predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of the bare LED and give us a whole picture how Led system fails. Result shows that predication of remaining useful life of Led, made by the particle filter model works under reasonable limit, and hence this method can be employed to predict the failure of Led caused by thermal and humid stress under harsh environment.

  1. A novel Hsp70 of the yeast ER lumen is required for the efficient translocation of a number of protein precursors.

    OpenAIRE

    Craven, R A; Egerton, M; Stirling, C J

    1996-01-01

    The yeast genome sequencing project predicts an open reading frame (YKL073) that would encode a novel member of the Hsp70 family of molecular chaperones. We report that this 881 codon reading frame represents a functional gene expressing a 113-119 kDa glycoprotein localized within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We therefore propose to designate this gene LHS1 (Lumenal Hsp Seventy). Our studies indicate that LHS1 is regulated by the unfolded protein response pathway, as evidenced...

  2. Interference of Single Photons Emitted by Entangled Atoms in Free Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araneda, G.; Higginbottom, D. B.; Slodička, L.; Colombe, Y.; Blatt, R.

    2018-05-01

    The generation and manipulation of entanglement between isolated particles has precipitated rapid progress in quantum information processing. Entanglement is also known to play an essential role in the optical properties of atomic ensembles, but fundamental effects in the controlled emission and absorption from small, well-defined numbers of entangled emitters in free space have remained unobserved. Here we present the control of the emission rate of a single photon from a pair of distant, entangled atoms into a free-space optical mode. Changing the length of the optical path connecting the atoms modulates the single-photon emission rate in the selected mode with a visibility V =0.27 ±0.03 determined by the degree of entanglement shared between the atoms, corresponding directly to the concurrence Cρ=0.31 ±0.10 of the prepared state. This scheme, together with population measurements, provides a fully optical determination of the amount of entanglement. Furthermore, large sensitivity of the interference phase evolution points to applications of the presented scheme in high-precision gradient sensing.

  3. Types and Dynamics of Gendered Space: A Case of Emirati Female Learners in a Single-Gender Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alzeer, Gergana

    2018-01-01

    This article is concerned with gendered spaces as they emerge from exploring Emirati female learners' spatiality in a single-gender context. By conducting ethnographic research and utilising Lefebvre's triad of perceived, conceived and lived space for the analysis and categorisation of students' spaces, three types of gendered spaces emerged:…

  4. Space growth studies of Ce-doped Bi12SiO20 single crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Y.F.; Wang, J.C.; Tang, L.A.; Pan, Z.L.; Chen, N.F.; Chen, W.C.; Huang, Y.Y.; He, W.

    2004-01-01

    Ce-doped Bi 12 SiO 20 (BSO) single crystal was grown on board of the Chinese Spacecraft-Shenzhou No. 3. A cylindrical crystal, 10 mm in diameter and 40 mm in length, was obtained. The morphology of crystals is significantly different for ground- and space-grown portions. The space- and ground-grown crystals have been characterized by Ce concentration distribution, X-ray rocking curve absorption spectrum and micro-Raman spectrum. The results show that the quality of Ce-doped BSO crystal grown in space is more homogeneous and more perfect than that of ground grown one

  5. Comparison of coronary arterial lumen dimensions on angiography and plaque characteristics on optical coherence tomography images and their changes induced by statin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Nana; Xie, Zulong; Wang, Wei; Dai, Jiannan; Sun, Meng; Pu, Zhongyue; Tian, Jinwei; Yu, Bo

    2016-01-01

    Coronary angiography (CAG) is widely used to assess lumen dimensions, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used to evaluate the characteristics of atherosclerotic plaque. This study was aimed to compare coronary lumen dimensions using CAG and plaque characteristics using OCT and their changes during statin therapy. We identified 97 lipid-rich plaques from 69 statin-naïve patients, who received statin therapy in the following 12 months. CAG and OCT examinations were conducted at baseline and 12-month follow-up period. Lesion length, as measured by CAG, was closely correlated with lipid length by OCT (baseline: r = 0.754, p < 0.001; follow-up: r = 0.639, p < 0.001). However, no significant correlations were found between the other findings on OCT and data on CAG. With 12-month statin therapy, microstructures of lipid-rich plaques were significantly improved, but CAG-derived lumen dimensions were not improved. Moreover, we found no significant relationship between changes in OCT measurements and changes in CAG data over time. Lipid length on OCT and lesion length on CAG were closely correlated. However, plaque microstructural characteristics on OCT showed no significantly statistically correlations with lumen dimensions on CAG, neither did their evolutionary changes induced by statin over time. Clinical trial registry: ClinicalTrial.gov. Registered number: NCT01023607. Registered 1 December 2009

  6. Banded versus Single-sided bonded space maintainers: A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudhir Mittal

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The present study is conducted to evaluate and compare the clinical performance of conventional band and loop space maintainer and fiber reinforced composite resin (FRCR space maintainers. Materials and Methods: A total of 45 extraction sites in the age group of 6–9 years having premature loss of primary molars or indicated for extraction were selected for the study. The patients were randomly divided into three groups as Group I, in which conventional band and loop space maintainer was given, Group II and Group III (FRCR, in which FRCR (everStick CandB and impregnated glass fibers (Interlig space maintainers were given, respectively. Patients were recalled at 3, 6, and 12-month interval for evaluation of all the three types of space maintainer. Results: Overall success rate of Group I was 86.7%, for Group II was 80%, and for Group III was 73.3% at the end of the study. Patient acceptability was significantly higher in Group II and Group III (FRCR as compared to Group I (Conventional band and loop. In Group I, cement loss and fracture of loop, whereas in Group II and Group III, debonding at enamel composite was the most common failure followed by debonding at fiber composite and fiber fracture. FRCR space maintainers were found to be cost-effective as compared to Group I. More linear changes and angular changes were recorded in Group I as compared to Group II and Group III but difference was not significant (P > 0.05. Conclusion: Only single (buccal surface application of FRCR space maintainers showed almost equal clinical efficacy compared to conventional band and loop space maintainer with significantly better patient acceptability, less cost, and time taken.

  7. Challenging Gender in Single-Sex Spaces: Lessons from a Feminist

    OpenAIRE

    Buzuvis, Erin

    2018-01-01

    Published: Erin E. Buzuvis, Challenging Gender in Single-Sex Spaces: Lessons from a Feminist, 80 L. & CONTEMP. PROBS. 155 (2017). This Article explores transgender inclusion within adult recreational women’s leagues by using the example of the Mary Vazquez Women’s Softball League (MVWSL), in Northampton, Massachusetts. A MVWSL policy addressing transgender inclusion became necessary due to a noticeable increase in gender-identity diversity. The resultant policy respects the league’s core ...

  8. CALiPER Retail Lamps Study RRL3.2 Lumen and Chromaticity Maintenance of LED A lamps Operated in Steady-State Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Royer, Michael P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); McCullough, Jeffrey J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Tucker, Joseph C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2014-12-01

    The lumen depreciation and color shift of 17 different A lamps (15 LED, 1 CFL, 1 halogen) was monitored in the automated long-term test apparatus (ALTA) for more than 7,500 hours. Ten samples of each lamp model were tested, with measurements recorded on a weekly basis. The lamps were operated continuously at an ambient temperature of 45°C (-1°C). Importantly, the steady-state test conditions were not optimized for inducing catastrophic failure for any of the lamp technologies—to which thermal cycling is a strong contributor— and are not typical of normal use patterns—which usually include off periods where the lamp cools down. Further, the test conditions differ from those used in standardized long-term test methods (i.e., IES LM-80, IES LM-84), so the results should not be directly compared. On the other hand, the test conditions are similar to those used by ENERGY STAR (when elevated temperature testing is called for). Likewise, the conditions and assumptions used by manufacturers to generated lifetime claims may vary; the CALiPER long-term data is informative, but cannot necessarily be used to discredit manufacturer claims. The test method used for this investigation should be interpreted as one more focused on the long-term effects of elevated temperature operation, at an ambient temperature that is not uncommon in luminaires. On average, the lumen maintenance of the LED lamps monitored in the ALTA was better than benchmark lamps, but there was considerable variation from lamp model to lamp model. While three lamp models had average lumen maintenance above 99% at the end of the study period, two products had average lumen maintenance below 65%, constituting a parametric failure. These two products, along with a third, also exhibited substantial color shift, another form of parametric failure. While none of the LED lamps exhibited catastrophic failure—and all of the benchmarks did—the early degradation of performance is concerning, especially with a

  9. Proteomics of the chloroplast: systematic identification and targeting analysis of lumenal and peripheral thylakoid proteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Peltier, J B; Friso, G; Kalume, D E

    2000-01-01

    The soluble and peripheral proteins in the thylakoids of pea were systematically analyzed by using two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and N-terminal Edman sequencing, followed by database searching. After correcting to eliminate possible isoforms and post-translational modificati......The soluble and peripheral proteins in the thylakoids of pea were systematically analyzed by using two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and N-terminal Edman sequencing, followed by database searching. After correcting to eliminate possible isoforms and post......-translational modifications, we estimated that there are at least 200 to 230 different lumenal and peripheral proteins. Sixty-one proteins were identified; for 33 of these proteins, a clear function or functional domain could be identified, whereas for 10 proteins, no function could be assigned. For 18 proteins, no expressed...... sequence tag or full-length gene could be identified in the databases, despite experimental determination of a significant amount of amino acid sequence. Nine previously unidentified proteins with lumenal transit peptides are presented along with their full-length genes; seven of these proteins possess...

  10. Stanford type A aortic dissection with closed false lumen: Analysis of prognostic factors at initial CT or MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsuoka, Yohjiro; Sakamoto, Ichiro; Ogawa, Yohji; Sueyoshi, Eijun; Hayashi, Kuniaki; Takagi, Masatake [Nagasaki Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine; Narimatsu, Motoharu

    1997-08-01

    Nineteen patients with Stanford type A acute aortic dissection with closed false lumen were reviewed. In the follow-up examinations, ulcerlike projection (ULP) in the ascending aorta (AA) or aortic arch (AR) was identified in 8 of 19 patients. In 5 of these 8 patients, acute cardiac tamponade occurred and 3 of them died. In the other 11 patients, there was no mortality, and only one patient underwent elective surgery. The appearance of ULP in the AA/AR is considered an indication for urgent surgery because it is regarded as a precursor of lethal complications such as cardiac tamponade. The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of the appearance of ULP in the AA/AR with early imagings (CT or MRI) before the appearance of ULP. The patients were divided into two groups: patients with ULP in the AA/AR (8 patients) and others (11 patients). Initial CT or MRI findings of the thoracic aorta were retrospectively statistically analyzed in each group. Three predictive factors were statistically significant for the appearance of ULP in the AA/AR (diameter of the AA{>=}5 cm, thickness of the false lumen of the AA{>=}1 cm, thickness of the false lumen of the AA{>=} that of the descending aorta). Close attention should be paid, if any of these 3 factors is observed at initial CT or MRI. (author)

  11. Stanford type A aortic dissection with closed false lumen: Analysis of prognostic factors at initial CT or MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuoka, Yohjiro; Sakamoto, Ichiro; Ogawa, Yohji; Sueyoshi, Eijun; Hayashi, Kuniaki; Takagi, Masatake; Narimatsu, Motoharu.

    1997-01-01

    Nineteen patients with Stanford type A acute aortic dissection with closed false lumen were reviewed. In the follow-up examinations, ulcerlike projection (ULP) in the ascending aorta (AA) or aortic arch (AR) was identified in 8 of 19 patients. In 5 of these 8 patients, acute cardiac tamponade occurred and 3 of them died. In the other 11 patients, there was no mortality, and only one patient underwent elective surgery. The appearance of ULP in the AA/AR is considered an indication for urgent surgery because it is regarded as a precursor of lethal complications such as cardiac tamponade. The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of the appearance of ULP in the AA/AR with early imagings (CT or MRI) before the appearance of ULP. The patients were divided into two groups: patients with ULP in the AA/AR (8 patients) and others (11 patients). Initial CT or MRI findings of the thoracic aorta were retrospectively statistically analyzed in each group. Three predictive factors were statistically significant for the appearance of ULP in the AA/AR (diameter of the AA≥5 cm, thickness of the false lumen of the AA≥1 cm, thickness of the false lumen of the AA≥ that of the descending aorta). Close attention should be paid, if any of these 3 factors is observed at initial CT or MRI. (author)

  12. Empirical formulae for excess noise factor with dead space for single carrier multiplication

    KAUST Repository

    Dehwah, Ahmad H.

    2011-09-01

    In this letter, two empirical equations are presented for the calculation of the excess noise factor of an avalanche photodiode for single carrier multiplication including the dead space effect. The first is an equation for calculating the excess noise factor when the multiplication approaches infinity as a function of parameters that describe the degree of the dead space effect. The second equation can be used to find the minimum value of the excess noise factor for any multiplication when the dead space effect is completely dominant, the so called "deterministic" limit. This agrees with the theoretically known equation for multiplications less than or equal to two. © 2011 World Scientific Publishing Company.

  13. Empirical formulae for excess noise factor with dead space for single carrier multiplication

    KAUST Repository

    Dehwah, Ahmad H.; Ajia, Idris A.; Marsland, John S.

    2011-01-01

    In this letter, two empirical equations are presented for the calculation of the excess noise factor of an avalanche photodiode for single carrier multiplication including the dead space effect. The first is an equation for calculating the excess noise factor when the multiplication approaches infinity as a function of parameters that describe the degree of the dead space effect. The second equation can be used to find the minimum value of the excess noise factor for any multiplication when the dead space effect is completely dominant, the so called "deterministic" limit. This agrees with the theoretically known equation for multiplications less than or equal to two. © 2011 World Scientific Publishing Company.

  14. Standardized evaluation framework for evaluating coronary artery stenosis detection, stenosis quantification and lumen segmentation algorithms in computed tomography angiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirişli, H A; Schaap, M; Metz, C T; Dharampal, A S; Meijboom, W B; Papadopoulou, S L; Dedic, A; Nieman, K; de Graaf, M A; Meijs, M F L; Cramer, M J; Broersen, A; Cetin, S; Eslami, A; Flórez-Valencia, L; Lor, K L; Matuszewski, B; Melki, I; Mohr, B; Oksüz, I; Shahzad, R; Wang, C; Kitslaar, P H; Unal, G; Katouzian, A; Örkisz, M; Chen, C M; Precioso, F; Najman, L; Masood, S; Ünay, D; van Vliet, L; Moreno, R; Goldenberg, R; Vuçini, E; Krestin, G P; Niessen, W J; van Walsum, T

    2013-12-01

    Though conventional coronary angiography (CCA) has been the standard of reference for diagnosing coronary artery disease in the past decades, computed tomography angiography (CTA) has rapidly emerged, and is nowadays widely used in clinical practice. Here, we introduce a standardized evaluation framework to reliably evaluate and compare the performance of the algorithms devised to detect and quantify the coronary artery stenoses, and to segment the coronary artery lumen in CTA data. The objective of this evaluation framework is to demonstrate the feasibility of dedicated algorithms to: (1) (semi-)automatically detect and quantify stenosis on CTA, in comparison with quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and CTA consensus reading, and (2) (semi-)automatically segment the coronary lumen on CTA, in comparison with expert's manual annotation. A database consisting of 48 multicenter multivendor cardiac CTA datasets with corresponding reference standards are described and made available. The algorithms from 11 research groups were quantitatively evaluated and compared. The results show that (1) some of the current stenosis detection/quantification algorithms may be used for triage or as a second-reader in clinical practice, and that (2) automatic lumen segmentation is possible with a precision similar to that obtained by experts. The framework is open for new submissions through the website, at http://coronary.bigr.nl/stenoses/. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Lumen and Chromaticity Maintenance of LED PAR38 Lamps Operated in Steady-State Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Royer, Michael P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2014-12-01

    The lumen depreciation and color shift of 38 different lamps (32 LED, 2 CFL, 1 ceramic metal halide [CMH], 3 halogen) were monitored in a specially developed automated long-term test apparatus (ALTA2) for nearly 14,000 hours. Five samples of each lamp model were tested, with measurements recorded on a weekly basis. The lamps were operated continuously at a target ambient temperature between 44°C and 45°C.

  16. Distinct patterns of inflammation in the airway lumen and bronchial mucosa of children with cystic fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regamey, Nicolas; Tsartsali, Lemonia; Hilliard, Tom N; Fuchs, Oliver; Tan, Hui-Leng; Zhu, Jie; Qiu, Yu-Sheng; Alton, Eric W F W; Jeffery, Peter K; Bush, Andrew; Davies, Jane C

    2012-02-01

    Studies in cystic fibrosis (CF) generally focus on inflammation present in the airway lumen. Little is known about inflammation occurring in the airway wall, the site ultimately destroyed in end-stage disease. To test the hypothesis that inflammatory patterns in the lumen do not reflect those in the airway wall of children with CF. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and endobronchial biopsies were obtained from 46 children with CF and 16 disease-free controls. BAL cell differential was assessed using May-Gruenwald-stained cytospins. Area profile counts of bronchial tissue immunopositive inflammatory cells were determined. BAL fluid from children with CF had a predominance of neutrophils compared with controls (median 810×10(3)/ml vs 1×10(3)/ml, p<0.0001). In contrast, subepithelial bronchial tissue from children with CF was characterised by a predominance of lymphocytes (median 961 vs 717 cells/mm(2), p=0.014), of which 82% were (CD3) T lymphocytes. In chest exacerbations, BAL fluid from children with CF had more inflammatory cells of all types compared with those with stable disease whereas, in biopsies, only the numbers of lymphocytes and macrophages, but not of neutrophils, were higher. A positive culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was associated with higher numbers of T lymphocytes in subepithelial bronchial tissue (median 1174 vs 714 cells/mm(2), p=0.029), but no changes were seen in BAL fluid. Cell counts in BAL fluid and biopsies were positively correlated with age but were unrelated to each other. The inflammatory response in the CF airway is compartmentalised. In contrast to the neutrophil-dominated inflammation present in the airway lumen, the bronchial mucosa is characterised by the recruitment and accumulation of lymphocytes.

  17. Joint segmentation of lumen and outer wall from femoral artery MR images: Towards 3D imaging measurements of peripheral arterial disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukwatta, Eranga; Yuan, Jing; Qiu, Wu; Rajchl, Martin; Chiu, Bernard; Fenster, Aaron

    2015-12-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) measurements of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) plaque burden extracted from fast black-blood magnetic resonance (MR) images have shown to be more predictive of clinical outcomes than PAD stenosis measurements. To this end, accurate segmentation of the femoral artery lumen and outer wall is required for generating volumetric measurements of PAD plaque burden. Here, we propose a semi-automated algorithm to jointly segment the femoral artery lumen and outer wall surfaces from 3D black-blood MR images, which are reoriented and reconstructed along the medial axis of the femoral artery to obtain improved spatial coherence between slices of the long, thin femoral artery and to reduce computation time. The developed segmentation algorithm enforces two priors in a global optimization manner: the spatial consistency between the adjacent 2D slices and the anatomical region order between the femoral artery lumen and outer wall surfaces. The formulated combinatorial optimization problem for segmentation is solved globally and exactly by means of convex relaxation using a coupled continuous max-flow (CCMF) model, which is a dual formulation to the convex relaxed optimization problem. In addition, the CCMF model directly derives an efficient duality-based algorithm based on the modern multiplier augmented optimization scheme, which has been implemented on a GPU for fast computation. The computed segmentations from the developed algorithm were compared to manual delineations from experts using 20 black-blood MR images. The developed algorithm yielded both high accuracy (Dice similarity coefficients ≥ 87% for both the lumen and outer wall surfaces) and high reproducibility (intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.95 for generating vessel wall area), while outperforming the state-of-the-art method in terms of computational time by a factor of ≈ 20. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation Strategy for Single-Phase Three-Level CIC T-source Inverter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shults, Tatiana E.; Husev, Oleksandr O.; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a novel space vector pulse-width modulation strategy for a single-phase three-level buck-boost inverter based on an impedance-source network. The case study system is based on T-source inverter with continuous input current. To demonstrate the improved performance of the inver......This paper presents a novel space vector pulse-width modulation strategy for a single-phase three-level buck-boost inverter based on an impedance-source network. The case study system is based on T-source inverter with continuous input current. To demonstrate the improved performance...... of the inverter, the strategy was compared the traditional pulse-width modulation. It is shown that the approach proposed has fewer switching states and does not suffer from neutral point misbalance....

  19. Variable dose rate single-arc IMAT delivered with a constant dose rate and variable angular spacing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Grace; Earl, Matthew A; Yu, Cedric X

    2009-01-01

    Single-arc intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) has gained worldwide interest in both research and clinical implementation due to its superior plan quality and delivery efficiency. Single-arc IMAT techniques such as the Varian RapidArc(TM) deliver conformal dose distributions to the target in one single gantry rotation, resulting in a delivery time in the order of 2 min. The segments in these techniques are evenly distributed within an arc and are allowed to have different monitor unit (MU) weightings. Therefore, a variable dose-rate (VDR) is required for delivery. Because the VDR requirement complicates the control hardware and software of the linear accelerators (linacs) and prevents most existing linacs from delivering IMAT, we propose an alternative planning approach for IMAT using constant dose-rate (CDR) delivery with variable angular spacing. We prove the equivalence by converting VDR-optimized RapidArc plans to CDR plans, where the evenly spaced beams in the VDR plan are redistributed to uneven spacing such that the segments with larger MU weighting occupy a greater angular interval. To minimize perturbation in the optimized dose distribution, the angular deviation of the segments was restricted to ≤± 5 deg. This restriction requires the treatment arc to be broken into multiple sectors such that the local MU fluctuation within each sector is reduced, thereby lowering the angular deviation of the segments during redistribution. The converted CDR plans were delivered with a single gantry sweep as in the VDR plans but each sector was delivered with a different value of CDR. For four patient cases, including two head-and-neck, one brain and one prostate, all CDR plans developed with the variable spacing scheme produced similar dose distributions to the original VDR plans. For plans with complex angular MU distributions, the number of sectors increased up to four in the CDR plans in order to maintain the original plan quality. Since each sector was

  20. Digital atom interferometer with single particle control on a discretized space-time geometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steffen, Andreas; Alberti, Andrea; Alt, Wolfgang; Belmechri, Noomen; Hild, Sebastian; Karski, Michał; Widera, Artur; Meschede, Dieter

    2012-06-19

    Engineering quantum particle systems, such as quantum simulators and quantum cellular automata, relies on full coherent control of quantum paths at the single particle level. Here we present an atom interferometer operating with single trapped atoms, where single particle wave packets are controlled through spin-dependent potentials. The interferometer is constructed from a sequence of discrete operations based on a set of elementary building blocks, which permit composing arbitrary interferometer geometries in a digital manner. We use this modularity to devise a space-time analogue of the well-known spin echo technique, yielding insight into decoherence mechanisms. We also demonstrate mesoscopic delocalization of single atoms with a separation-to-localization ratio exceeding 500; this result suggests their utilization beyond quantum logic applications as nano-resolution quantum probes in precision measurements, being able to measure potential gradients with precision 5 x 10(-4) in units of gravitational acceleration g.

  1. Single-Mode, High Repetition Rate, Compact Ho:YLF Laser for Space-Borne Lidar Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Yingxin; Yu, Jirong; Wong, Teh-Hwa; Chen, Songsheng; Petros, Mulugeta; Singh, Upendra N.

    2014-01-01

    A single transverse/longitudinal mode, compact Q-switched Ho:YLF laser has been designed and demonstrated for space-borne lidar applications. The pulse energy is between 34-40 mJ for 100-200 Hz operation. The corresponding peak power is >1 MW.

  2. Molecular cloning and expression of cDNA encoding a lumenal calcium binding glycoprotein from sarcoplasmic reticulum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leberer, E.; Charuk, J.H.M.; MacLennan, D.H.; Green, N.M.

    1989-01-01

    Antibody screening was used to isolate a cDNA encoding the 160-kDa glycoprotein of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. The cDNA is identical to that encoding the 53-kDa glycoprotein except that it contains an in-frame insertion of 1,308 nucleotides near its 5' end, apparently resulting from alternative splicing. The protein encoded by the cDNA would contain a 19-residue NH 2 -terminal signal sequence and a 453-residue COOH-terminal sequence identical to the 53-kDa glycoprotein. It would also contain a 436-amino acid insert between these sequences. This insert would be highly acidic, suggesting that it might bind Ca 2+ . The purified 160-kDa glycoprotein and the glycoprotein expressed in COS-1 cells transfected with cDNA encoding the 160-kDa glycoprotein were shown to bind 45 C 2+ in a gel overlay assay. The protein was shown to be located in the lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and to be associated through Ca 2+ with the membrane. The authors propose that this lumenal Ca 2+ binding glycoprotein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum be designated sarcalumenin

  3. Regional blood flow analysis and its relationship with arterial branch lengths and lumen volume in the coronary arterial tree

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molloi, Sabee; Wong, Jerry T

    2007-01-01

    The limitations of visually assessing coronary artery disease are well known. These limitations are particularly important in intermediate coronary lesions (30-70% diameter stenosis) where it is difficult to determine whether a particular lesion is the cause of ischaemia. Therefore, a functional measure of stenosis severity is needed. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the expected maximum coronary blood flow in an arterial tree is predictable from its sum of arterial branch lengths or lumen volume. Using a computer model of a porcine coronary artery tree, an analysis of blood flow distribution was conducted through a network of millions of vessels that included the entire coronary artery tree down to the first capillary branch. The flow simulation results show that there is a linear relationship between coronary blood flow and the sum of its arterial branch lengths. This relationship holds over the entire arterial tree. The flow simulation results also indicate that there is a 3/4 er relation between coronary blood flow (Q) and the sum of its arterial lumen volume (V). Moreover, there is a linear relationship between normalized Q and normalized V raised to a power of 3/4 over the entire arterial tree. These results indicate that measured arterial branch lengths or lumen volumes can be used to predict the expected maximum blood flow in an arterial tree. This theoretical maximum blood flow, in conjunction with an angiographically measured blood flow, can potentially be used to calculate fractional flow reserve based entirely on angiographic data

  4. Quantitative coronary CT angiography: absolute lumen sizing rather than %stenosis predicts hemodynamically relevant stenosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Plank, Fabian [Innsbruck Medical University, Department of Radiology, Innsbruck (Austria); Innsbruck Medical University, Department of Internal Medicine III - Cardiology, Innsbruck (Austria); Burghard, Philipp; Mayr, Agnes; Klauser, Andrea; Feuchtner, Gudrun [Innsbruck Medical University, Department of Radiology, Innsbruck (Austria); Friedrich, Guy; Dichtl, Wolfgang [Innsbruck Medical University, Department of Internal Medicine III - Cardiology, Innsbruck (Austria); Wolf, Florian [Vienna Medical University, Department of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Vienna (Austria)

    2016-11-15

    To identify the most accurate quantitative coronary stenosis parameter by CTA for prediction of functional significant coronary stenosis resulting in coronary revascularization. 160 consecutive patients were prospectively examined with CTA. Proximal coronary stenosis was quantified by minimal lumen area (MLA) and minimal lumen diameter (MLD), %area and %diameter stenosis. Lesion length (LL) was measured. The reference standard was invasive coronary angiography (ICA) (>70 % stenosis, FFR <0.8). 210 coronary segments were included (59 % positive). MLA of ≤1.8 mm{sup 2} was identified as the optimal cut-off (c = 0.97, p < 0.001; 95 % CI 0.94-0.99) (sensitivity 90.9 %, specificity 89.3 %) for prediction of functional-relevant stenosis (for MLA >2.1 mm{sup 2} sensitivity was 100 %). The optimal cut-off for MLD was 1.2 mm (c = 0.92; p < 0.001; 95 % CI 0.88-95) (sensitivity 90.9, specificity 85.2) while %area and %diameter stenosis were less accurate (c = 0.89; 95 % CI 0.84-93, c = 0.87; 95 % CI 0.82-92, respectively, with thresholds at 73 % and 61 % stenosis). Accuracy for LL was c = 0.74 (95 % CI 0.67-81), and for LL/MLA and LL/MLD ratio c = 0.90 and c = 0.84. MLA ≤1.8 mm{sup 2} and MLD ≤1.2 mm are the most accurate cut-offs for prediction of haemodynamically significant stenosis by ICA, with a higher accuracy than relative % stenosis. (orig.)

  5. CALiPER Report 20.4: Lumen and Chromaticity Maintenance of LED PAR38 Lamps Operated in Steady-State Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2014-12-30

    This CALiPER report focuses on lumen maintenance, chromaticity maintenance, and catastrophic failure in 32 of the Series 20 LED PAR38 lamps and 8 benchmark lamps, which were monitored for nearly 14,000 hours at ambient temperatures between 44°C and 45°C.

  6. State-Space Equations and the First-Phase Algorithm for Signal Control of Single Intersections

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LI Jinyuan; PAN Xin; WANG Xiqin

    2007-01-01

    State-space equations were applied to formulate the queuing and delay of traffic at a single intersection in this paper. The signal control of a single intersection was then modeled as a discrete-time optimal control problem, with consideration of the constraints of stream conflicts, saturation flow rate, minimum green time, and maximum green time. The problem cannot be solved directly due to the nonlinear constraints.However, the results of qualitative analysis were used to develop a first-phase signal control algorithm. Simulation results show that the algorithm substantially reduces the total delay compared to fixed-time control.

  7. Probing quantum entanglement in the Schwarzschild space-time beyond the single-mode approximation

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Juan; Ding, Zhi-Yong; Ye, Liu

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, we deduce the vacuum structure for Dirac fields in the background of Schwarzschild space-time beyond the single-mode approximation and discuss the performance of quantum entanglement between particle and antiparticle modes of a Dirac field with Hawking effect. It is shown that Hawking radiation does not always destroy the physically accessible entanglement, and entanglement amplification may happen in some cases. This striking result is different from that of the single-mode approximation, which holds that the Hawking radiation can only destroy entanglement. Lastly, we analyze the physically accessible entanglement relation outside the event horizon and demonstrate that the monogamy inequality is constantly established regardless of the choice of given parameters.

  8. An equivalent ground thermal test method for single-phase fluid loop space radiator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xianwen Ning

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Thermal vacuum test is widely used for the ground validation of spacecraft thermal control system. However, the conduction and convection can be simulated in normal ground pressure environment completely. By the employment of pumped fluid loops’ thermal control technology on spacecraft, conduction and convection become the main heat transfer behavior between radiator and inside cabin. As long as the heat transfer behavior between radiator and outer space can be equivalently simulated in normal pressure, the thermal vacuum test can be substituted by the normal ground pressure thermal test. In this paper, an equivalent normal pressure thermal test method for the spacecraft single-phase fluid loop radiator is proposed. The heat radiation between radiator and outer space has been equivalently simulated by combination of a group of refrigerators and thermal electrical cooler (TEC array. By adjusting the heat rejection of each device, the relationship between heat flux and surface temperature of the radiator can be maintained. To verify this method, a validating system has been built up and the experiments have been carried out. The results indicate that the proposed equivalent ground thermal test method can simulate the heat rejection performance of radiator correctly and the temperature error between in-orbit theory value and experiment result of the radiator is less than 0.5 °C, except for the equipment startup period. This provides a potential method for the thermal test of space systems especially for extra-large spacecraft which employs single-phase fluid loop radiator as thermal control approach.

  9. The effect and influence of lumen holmium laser lithotripsy on serum oxidative stress proteins and inflammatory factors of ureteral calculi patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Zhang

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the effect and influence of lumen holmium laser lithotripsy on treating serum oxidative stress proteins and inflammatory factors of patients with ureteral calculi. Methods: A total of 120 cases of patients with ureteral calculi treated in our hospital from May 2010 to Nov 2014 were enrolled in this research for an analysis study. The effect and influence on serum oxidative stress proteins and inflammatory factors of lumen holmium laser lithotripsy on ureteral calculi patients were assayed. Then 120 cases of healthy subjects in our hospital at the same period were taken as control. Results: Among the 120 cases of ureteral calculi patients, 113 cases of patients showed successful operation, with a success rate of 94.2%. The average calculi-discharged time was (28.4 ± 11.2 d and the average operation time was (58.9 ± 10.7 min, while the postoperative hospital stay is (3.8 ± 1.2 d. The results also showed that the levels of NOX1. NOX3, NOX4 and NOX5, and levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α of patients with ureteral calculi were significantly higher, compared with the control group, and these parameters were normalized greatly after operation with that the levels of them were significantly different from those before operation. Conclusion: Lumen holmium laser lithotripsy exerts a significant effect on ureteral calculi patients and the oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory factor were normalized greatly.

  10. Lumen and calcium characteristics within calcified coronary lesions. Comparison of computed tomography coronary angiography versus intravascular ultrasound

    OpenAIRE

    Noll, Dariusz; Kruk, Mariusz; Pręgowski, Jerzy; Kaczmarska, Edyta; Kryczka, Karolina; Pracoń, Radosław; Skwarek, Mirosław; Dzielińska, Zofia; Petryka, Joanna; Śpiewak, Mateusz; Lubiszewska, Barbara; Norwa-Otto, Bożena; Opolski, Maksymilian; Witkowski, Adam; Demkow, Marcin

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a diagnostic method used for exclusion of coronary artery disease. However, lower accuracy of CTCA in assessment of calcified lesions is a significant factor impeding applicability of CTCA for assessment of coronary atherosclerosis. Aim To provide insight into lumen and calcium characteristics assessed with CTCA, we compared these parameters to the reference of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Material and methods Two hundred and...

  11. Single-Bunch Stability With Direct Space Charge

    CERN Multimedia

    Oeftiger, Adrian

    2017-01-01

    Previous studies have shown the suppressing effect of direct space charge on impedance-driven head-tail instabilities. The present work investigates transverse stability for the HL-LHC scenario based on our macro-particle simulation tool PyHEADTAIL using realistic bunch distributions. The impact of selfconsistent modelling is briefly discussed for non-linear space charge forces. We study how space charge pushes the instability threshold for the transverse mode coupling instability (TMCI) occurring between mode 0 and -1. Next we consider finite chromaticity: in absence of space charge, the impedance model predicts head-tail instabilities. For a selected case below TMCI threshold at Q0 = 5, we demonstrate the stabilising effect of space charge. Finally, we compare simulation results to past LHC measurements.

  12. SU-F-T-35: Optimization of Bladder and Rectal Doses Using a Multi-Lumen Intracavitary Applicator for Gynecological Brachytherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laoui, S; Dietrich, S; Sehgal, V; Al-Ghazi, M [University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Radiation dose delivery for endometrial cancer using HDR techniques is limited by dose to bladder and rectum. A dosimetric study was performed using Varian Capri vaginal brachytherapy applicator to determine the optimal channel configuration which minimizes dose to bladder and rectum, while providing good target coverage. Methods: A total of 17 patients, 63 plans clinically delivered, and 252 simulated plans using Varian BrachyVision planning system were generated to investigate optimal channel configuration which results in minimum dose to bladder and rectum while providing adequate target coverage. The Capri applicator consists of 13 lumens arranged in two concentric rings, one central lumen and six lumens per ring. Manual dose shaping is invariably required to lower the dose to critical organs. Three-dimensional plans were simulated for 4 channel arrangements, all 13 channels, channel 12 o’clock (close to bladder) and 6 o’clock (close to rectum) deactivated, central channel deactivated, and central channel in addition to 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock deactivated. A relationship between V100, the volume that receives the prescribed dose, and the amount of curie-seconds required to deliver it, was established. Results: Using all 13 channels results in maximum dose to bladder and rectum. Deactivating central channel in addition to 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock resulted in minimizing bladder and rectum doses but compromised target coverage. The relationship between V100, the volume that receives the prescribed dose, and the curie seconds was found to be linear. Conclusion: Deactivating channels 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock was shown to be the optimal configuration leading to minimum dose to bladder and rectum without compromising target coverage. The linear relationship between V100 and the curie- seconds can be used as a verification parameter.

  13. High lumenal chloride in the lysosome is critical for lysosome function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Kasturi; Leung, KaHo; Krishnan, Yamuna

    2017-07-25

    Lysosomes are organelles responsible for the breakdown and recycling of cellular machinery. Dysfunctional lysosomes give rise to lysosomal storage disorders as well as common neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we use a DNA-based, fluorescent chloride reporter to measure lysosomal chloride in Caenorhabditis elegans as well as murine and human cell culture models of lysosomal diseases. We find that the lysosome is highly enriched in chloride, and that chloride reduction correlates directly with a loss in the degradative function of the lysosome. In nematodes and mammalian cell culture models of diverse lysosomal disorders, where previously only lysosomal pH dysregulation has been described, massive reduction of lumenal chloride is observed that is ~10 3 fold greater than the accompanying pH change. Reducing chloride within the lysosome impacts Ca 2+ release from the lysosome and impedes the activity of specific lysosomal enzymes indicating a broader role for chloride in lysosomal function.

  14. Design considerations for a Space Shuttle Main Engine turbine blade made of single crystal material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdul-Aziz, A.; August, R.; Nagpal, V.

    1993-01-01

    Nonlinear finite-element structural analyses were performed on the first stage high-pressure fuel turbopump blade of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The analyses examined the structural response and the dynamic characteristics at typical operating conditions. Single crystal material PWA-1480 was considered for the analyses. Structural response and the blade natural frequencies with respect to the crystal orientation were investigated. The analyses were conducted based on typical test stand engine cycle. Influence of combined thermal, aerodynamic, and centrifugal loadings was considered. Results obtained showed that the single crystal secondary orientation effects on the maximum principal stresses are not highly significant.

  15. High lumenal chloride in the lysosome is critical for lysosome function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Kasturi; Leung, KaHo; Krishnan, Yamuna

    2017-01-01

    Lysosomes are organelles responsible for the breakdown and recycling of cellular machinery. Dysfunctional lysosomes give rise to lysosomal storage disorders as well as common neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we use a DNA-based, fluorescent chloride reporter to measure lysosomal chloride in Caenorhabditis elegans as well as murine and human cell culture models of lysosomal diseases. We find that the lysosome is highly enriched in chloride, and that chloride reduction correlates directly with a loss in the degradative function of the lysosome. In nematodes and mammalian cell culture models of diverse lysosomal disorders, where previously only lysosomal pH dysregulation has been described, massive reduction of lumenal chloride is observed that is ~103 fold greater than the accompanying pH change. Reducing chloride within the lysosome impacts Ca2+ release from the lysosome and impedes the activity of specific lysosomal enzymes indicating a broader role for chloride in lysosomal function. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.28862.001 PMID:28742019

  16. Space Situational Awareness of Large Numbers of Payloads From a Single Deployment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segerman, A.; Byers, J.; Emmert, J.; Nicholas, A.

    2014-09-01

    The nearly simultaneous deployment of a large number of payloads from a single vehicle presents a new challenge for space object catalog maintenance and space situational awareness (SSA). Following two cubesat deployments last November, it took five weeks to catalog the resulting 64 orbits. The upcoming Kicksat mission will present an even greater SSA challenge, with its deployment of 128 chip-sized picosats. Although all of these deployments are in short-lived orbits, future deployments will inevitably occur at higher altitudes, with a longer term threat of collision with active spacecraft. With such deployments, individual scientific payload operators require rapid precise knowledge of their satellites' locations. Following the first November launch, the cataloguing did not initially associate a payload with each orbit, leaving this to the satellite operators. For short duration missions, the time required to identify an experiment's specific orbit may easily be a large fraction of the spacecraft's lifetime. For a Kicksat-type deployment, present tracking cannot collect enough observations to catalog each small object. The current approach is to treat the chip cloud as a single catalog object. However, the cloud dissipates into multiple subclouds and, ultimately, tiny groups of untrackable chips. One response to this challenge may be to mandate installation of a transponder on each spacecraft. Directional transponder transmission detections could be used as angle observations for orbit cataloguing. Of course, such an approach would only be employable with cooperative spacecraft. In other cases, a probabilistic association approach may be useful, with the goal being to establish the probability of an element being at a given point in space. This would permit more reliable assessment of the probability of collision of active spacecraft with any cloud element. This paper surveys the cataloguing challenges presented by large scale deployments of small spacecraft

  17. General Space-Confined On-Substrate Fabrication of Thickness-Adjustable Hybrid Perovskite Single-Crystalline Thin Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yao-Xuan; Ge, Qian-Qing; Shi, Yang; Liu, Jie; Xue, Ding-Jiang; Ma, Jing-Yuan; Ding, Jie; Yan, Hui-Juan; Hu, Jin-Song; Wan, Li-Jun

    2016-12-21

    Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite single-crystalline thin films (SCTFs) are promising for enhancing photoelectric device performance due to high carrier mobility, long diffusion length, and carrier lifetime. However, bulk perovskite single crystals available today are not suitable for practical device application due to the unfavorable thickness. Herein, we report a facile space-confined solution-processed strategy to on-substrate grow various hybrid perovskite SCTFs in a size of submillimeter with adjustable thicknesses from nano- to micrometers. These SCTFs exhibit photoelectric properties comparable to bulk single crystals with low defect density and good air stability. The clear thickness-dependent colors allow fast visual selection of SCTFs with a suitable thickness for specific device application. The present substrate-independent growth of perovskite SCTFs opens up opportunities for on-chip fabrication of diverse high-performance devices.

  18. IL-17A promotes protective IgA responses and expression of other potential effectors against the lumen-dwelling enteric parasite Giardia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dann, Sara M; Manthey, Carolin F; Le, Christine; Miyamoto, Yukiko; Gima, Lauren; Abrahim, Andrew; Cao, Anthony T; Hanson, Elaine M; Kolls, Jay K; Raz, Eyal; Cong, Yingzi; Eckmann, Lars

    2015-09-01

    Giardia lamblia is a leading protozoan cause of diarrheal disease worldwide. It colonizes the lumen and epithelial surface of the small intestine, but does not invade the mucosa. Acute infection causes only minimal mucosal inflammation. Effective immune defenses exist, yet their identity and mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Interleukin (IL)-17A has emerged as an important cytokine involved in inflammation and antimicrobial defense against bacterial pathogens at mucosal surfaces. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-17A has a crucial function in host defense against Giardia infection. Using murine infection models with G. muris and G. lamblia, we observed marked and selective induction of intestinal IL-17A with peak expression after 2 weeks. Th17 cells in the lamina propria and innate immune cells in the epithelial compartment of the small intestine were responsible for the IL-17A response. Experiments in gene-targeted mice revealed that the cytokine, and its cognate receptor IL-17RA, were required for eradication of the parasite. The actions of the cytokine were mediated by hematopoietic cells, and were required for the transport of IgA into the intestinal lumen, since IL-17A deficiency led to marked reduction of fecal IgA levels, as well as for increased intestinal expression of several other potential effectors, including β-defensin 1 and resistin-like molecule β. In contrast, intestinal hypermotility, another major antigiardial defense mechanism, was not impacted by IL-17A loss. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that IL-17A and IL-17 receptor signaling are essential for intestinal defense against the important lumen-dwelling intestinal parasite Giardia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Intracoronary stent implantation: new approach using a monorail system and new large-lumen 7F catheters from the brachial route.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenny, D B; Robert, G P; Fajadet, J C; Cassagneau, B G; Marco, J

    1992-04-01

    In this brief report we describe a case of successful multivessel PTCA with intracoronary stent implantation using a new large-lumen 7F catheter from the left brachial approach. The application of this technique should be considered for intravascular stent implantation when anticoagulation ideally should not be interrupted or in anatomical situations limiting femoral vascular access.

  20. Analysis of the intestinal lumen microbiota in an animal model of colorectal cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingchao Zhu

    Full Text Available Recent reports have suggested that multiple factors such as host genetics, environment and diet can promote the progression of healthy mucosa towards sporadic colorectal carcinoma. Accumulating evidence has additionally associated intestinal bacteria with disease initiation and progression. In order to examine and analyze the composition of gut microbiota in the absence of confounding influences, we have established an animal model of 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH-induced colon cancer. Using this model, we have performed pyrosequencing of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA genes in this study to determine the diversity and breadth of the intestinal microbial species. Our findings indicate that the microbial composition of the intestinal lumen differs significantly between control and tumor groups. The abundance of Firmicutes was elevated whereas the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Spirochetes was reduced in the lumen of CRC rats. Fusobacteria was not detected in any of the healthy rats and there was no significant difference in observed Proteobacteria species when comparing the bacterial communities between our two groups. Interestingly, the abundance of Proteobacteria was higher in CRC rats. At the genus level, Bacteroides exhibited a relatively higher abundance in CRC rats compared to controls (14.92% vs. 9.22%, p<0.001. Meanwhile, Prevotella (55.22% vs. 26.19%, Lactobacillus (3.71% vs. 2.32% and Treponema (3.04% vs. 2.43%, were found to be significantly more abundant in healthy rats than CRC rats (p<0.001, respectively. We also demonstrate a significant reduction of butyrate-producing bacteria such as Roseburia and Eubacterium in the gut microbiota of CRC rats. Furthermore, a significant increase in Desulfovibrio, Erysipelotrichaceae and Fusobacterium was also observed in the tumor group. A decrease in probiotic species such as Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus was likewise observed in the tumor group. Collectively, we can conclude that a significant

  1. 21 CFR 880.5570 - Hypodermic single lumen needle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 880.5570 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES GENERAL HOSPITAL AND PERSONAL USE DEVICES General Hospital and Personal Use... an intravascular administration set. (b) Classification. Class II (performance standards). ...

  2. Evaluation of Esophageal Motility Utilizing the Functional Lumen Imaging Probe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Dustin A; Kahrilas, Peter J; Lin, Zhiyue; Hirano, Ikuo; Gonsalves, Nirmala; Listernick, Zoe; Ritter, Katherine; Tye, Michael; Ponds, Fraukje A; Wong, Ian; Pandolfino, John E

    2016-12-01

    Esophagogastric junction (EGJ) distensibility and distension-mediated peristalsis can be assessed with the functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) during a sedated upper endoscopy. We aimed to describe esophageal motility assessment using FLIP topography in patients presenting with dysphagia. In all, 145 patients (aged 18-85 years, 54% female) with dysphagia that completed upper endoscopy with a 16-cm FLIP assembly and high-resolution manometry (HRM) were included. HRM was analyzed according to the Chicago Classification of esophageal motility disorders; major esophageal motility disorders were considered "abnormal". FLIP studies were analyzed using a customized program to calculate the EGJ-distensibility index (DI) and generate FLIP topography plots to identify esophageal contractility patterns. FLIP topography was considered "abnormal" if EGJ-DI was esophageal motility and 29 normal motility. In all, 17 (50%) had abnormal FLIP topography including 13 (37%) with abnormal EGJ-DI. FLIP topography provides a well-tolerated method for esophageal motility assessment (especially to identify achalasia) at the time of upper endoscopy. FLIP topography findings that are discordant with HRM may indicate otherwise undetected abnormalities of esophageal function, thus FLIP provides an alternative and complementary method to HRM for evaluation of non-obstructive dysphagia.

  3. Femtosecond single electron bunch generation by rotating longitudinal bunch phase space in magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, J.; Kondoh, T.; Kan, K.; Kozawa, T.; Yoshida, Y.; Tagawa, S.

    2006-01-01

    A femtosecond (fs) electron bunching was observed in a photoinjector with a magnetic compressor by rotating the bunch in longitudinal phase space. The bunch length was obtained by measuring Cherenkov radiation of the electron beam with a femtosecond streak camera technique. A single electron bunch with rms bunch length of 98 fs was observed for a 32 MeV electron beam at a charge of 0.17 nC. The relative energy spread and the normalized transverse emittance of the electron beam were 0.2% and 3.8 mm-mrad, respectively. The effect of space charge on the bunch compression was investigated experimentally for charges from 0.17 to 1.25 nC. The dependences of the relative energy spread and the normalized beam transverse emittance on the bunch charge were measured

  4. Addressing challenges in single species assessments via a simple state-space assessment model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Anders

    Single-species and age-structured fish stock assessments still remains the main tool for managing fish stocks. A simple state-space assessment model is presented as an alternative to (semi) deterministic procedures and the full parametric statistical catch at age models. It offers a solution...... to some of the key challenges of these models. Compared to the deterministic procedures it solves a list of problems originating from falsely assuming that age classified catches are known without errors and allows quantification of uncertainties of estimated quantities of interest. Compared to full...

  5. A nonimaging catheter for measurement of coronary artery lumen area: a first in man pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermiller, James; Choy, Jenny S; Svendsen, Mark; Bigelow, Brian; Fouts, Andrew M; Hall, Jack; Parr, Kirk; Ball, Michael; Sinha, Anjan; Bhatt, Deepak L; Kassab, Ghassan S

    2011-08-01

    The objective of this human pilot study was to determine the safety and the level of agreement between a novel nonimaging 2.7 Fr. catheter-based system (LumenRECON, LR) that uses electrical conductance for measurement of lumen cross-sectional area (CSA) with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). Based on previous animal studies, we hypothesized the level of agreement between LR and IVUS to be 13%. Accurate and reproducible vessel sizing is essential for optimal percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A total of 12 patients were studied to evaluate the safety, accuracy, and reproducibility of the system in comparison with IVUS and QCA. The CSA of coronary arteries was determined by IVUS, QCA, and LR in the distal, proximal, and center of a lesion during standard PCI. A Bland-Altman plot of the LR versus IVUS and QCA show a nonsignificant mean difference between the two measurements of 0.04 and 0.07 mm in diameter, respectively. The root mean square error of LR versus IVUS and QCA was 14.3 and 25.8% of the mean IVUS or QCA diameter, respectively. The mean of the difference between two LR duplicate measurements was nearly zero (0.03 mm) and the repeatability coefficient was within 8.7% of the mean of the two measurements. There were no procedural complications nor were any device-related MACE reported within 30 days of the procedure. This proof of concept pilot study establishes the safety and accuracy of the conductance technology for a pivotal trial of coronary sizing. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  6. Adaptable Single Active Loop Thermal Control System (TCS) for Future Space Missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mudawar, Issam; Lee, Seunghyun; Hasan, Mohammad

    2015-01-01

    This presentation will examine the development of a thermal control system (TCS) for future space missions utilizing a single active cooling loop. The system architecture enables the TCS to be reconfigured during the various mission phases to respond, not only to varying heat load, but to heat rejection temperature as well. The system will consist of an accumulator, pump, cold plates (evaporators), condenser radiator, and compressor, in addition to control, bypass and throttling valves. For cold environments, the heat will be rejected by radiation, during which the compressor will be bypassed, reducing the system to a simple pumped loop that, depending on heat load, can operate in either a single-phase liquid mode or two-phase mode. For warmer environments, the pump will be bypassed, enabling the TCS to operate as a heat pump. This presentation will focus on recent findings concerning two-phase flow regimes, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficient trends in the cabin and avionics micro-channel heat exchangers when using the heat pump mode. Also discussed will be practical implications of using micro-channel evaporators for the heat pump.

  7. Control strategy for Single-phase Transformerless Three-leg Unified Power Quality Conditioner Based on Space Vector Modulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lu, Yong; Xiao, Guochun; Wang, Xiongfei

    2016-01-01

    The unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) is known as an effective compensation device to improve PQ for sensitive end-users. This paper investigates the operation and control of a single-phase three-leg UPQC (TL-UPQC), where a novel space vector modulation method is proposed for naturally...

  8. Accuracy of High-Resolution MRI with Lumen Distention in Rectal Cancer Staging and Circumferential Margin Involvement Prediction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iannicelli, Elsa; Di Renzo, Sara; Ferri, Mario; Pilozzi, Emanuela; Di Girolamo, Marco; Sapori, Alessandra; Ziparo, Vincenzo; David, Vincenzo

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with lumen distention for rectal cancer staging and circumferential resection margin (CRM) involvement prediction. Seventy-three patients with primary rectal cancer underwent high-resolution MRI with a phased-array coil performed using 60-80 mL room air rectal distention, 1-3 weeks before surgery. MRI results were compared to postoperative histopathological findings. The overall MRI T staging accuracy was calculated. CRM involvement prediction and the N staging, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed for each T stage. The agreement between MRI and histological results was assessed using weighted-kappa statistics. The overall MRI accuracy for T staging was 93.6% (k = 0.85). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for each T stage were as follows: 91.8%, 86.2%, 95.5%, 92.6% and 91.3% for the group ≤ T2; 90.4%, 94.6%, 86.1%, 87.5% and 94% for T3; 98,6%, 85.7%, 100%, 100% and 98.5% for T4, respectively. The predictive CRM accuracy was 94.5% (k = 0.86); the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 89.5%, 96.3%, 89.5%, and 96.3% respectively. The N staging accuracy was 68.49% (k = 0.4). MRI performed with rectal lumen distention has proved to be an effective technique both for rectal cancer staging and involved CRM predicting

  9. Incidental extracolonic findings on bright lumen MR colonography in a population at increased risk for colorectal carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yusuf, Erlangga; Florie, Jasper; Nio, Chung Yung; Jensch, Sebastian; Nievelstein, Rutger A.J.; Baak, Lubbertus; Stoker, Jaap

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Incidental extracolonic findings affect patient treatment and cost. Therefore, to consider magnetic resonance colonography (MRC) as a tool for colorectal cancer and polyps screening, more knowledge is needed on extracolonic findings. In this study, we sought to determine the prevalence and the spectrum of extracolonic findings in patients with an increased risk colorectal cancer that underwent bright lumen MRC. Materials and methods: MRC examinations were performed in 210 patients. A gadolinium solution was administered rectally for distension of the colon. Extracolonic findings were scored by two radiologists and classified by using C-RADS Reporting System. All findings (with advice regarding work-up) were reported to the patient's physician and followed up for 4.5 years on average. Results: Extracolonic findings were found in 125 (59.5%) patients. Ten (4.8%) had 'potentially important' findings (C-RADS category E4). Twenty-five patients (11.9%) had 'likely unimportant' findings (E3), 90 (42.8%) had 'clinically unimportant' findings (E2) and 85 (40.5%) had a normal exam (E1). In 14 (6.7%) patients additional work-up was performed for their incidentally discovered lesions. In three of them surgery was performed. After work-up, only in two (1.0%) patients a malignancy was found. Conclusion: The number of new relevant extracolonic findings is small and the required additional work-up is limited. This should be considered for implementation of 'bright lumen' MRC as a screening tool.

  10. Accuracy of High-Resolution MRI with Lumen Distention in Rectal Cancer Staging and Circumferential Margin Involvement Prediction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iannicelli, Elsa; Di Renzo, Sara [Radiology Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Ferri, Mario [Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Pilozzi, Emanuela [Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Di Girolamo, Marco; Sapori, Alessandra [Radiology Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Ziparo, Vincenzo [Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); David, Vincenzo [Radiology Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy); Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome 00189 (Italy)

    2014-07-01

    To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with lumen distention for rectal cancer staging and circumferential resection margin (CRM) involvement prediction. Seventy-three patients with primary rectal cancer underwent high-resolution MRI with a phased-array coil performed using 60-80 mL room air rectal distention, 1-3 weeks before surgery. MRI results were compared to postoperative histopathological findings. The overall MRI T staging accuracy was calculated. CRM involvement prediction and the N staging, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed for each T stage. The agreement between MRI and histological results was assessed using weighted-kappa statistics. The overall MRI accuracy for T staging was 93.6% (k = 0.85). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for each T stage were as follows: 91.8%, 86.2%, 95.5%, 92.6% and 91.3% for the group ≤ T2; 90.4%, 94.6%, 86.1%, 87.5% and 94% for T3; 98,6%, 85.7%, 100%, 100% and 98.5% for T4, respectively. The predictive CRM accuracy was 94.5% (k = 0.86); the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 89.5%, 96.3%, 89.5%, and 96.3% respectively. The N staging accuracy was 68.49% (k = 0.4). MRI performed with rectal lumen distention has proved to be an effective technique both for rectal cancer staging and involved CRM predicting.

  11. Characterization of System Level Single Event Upset (SEU) Responses using SEU Data, Classical Reliability Models, and Space Environment Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie; Label, Kenneth; Campola, Michael; Xapsos, Michael

    2017-01-01

    We propose a method for the application of single event upset (SEU) data towards the analysis of complex systems using transformed reliability models (from the time domain to the particle fluence domain) and space environment data.

  12. Investigations of lymphatic drainage from the interstitial space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayathungage Don, Tharanga; Richard Clarke Collaboration; John Cater Collaboration; Vinod Suresh Collaboration

    2017-11-01

    The lymphatic system is a highly complex biological system that facilitates the drainage of excess fluid in body tissues. In addition, it is an integral part of the immunological control system. Understanding the mechanisms of fluid absorption from the interstitial space and flow through the initial lymphatics is important to treat several pathological conditions. The main focus of this study is to computationally model the lymphatic drainage from the interstitial space. The model has been developed to consider a 3D lymphatic network and uses biological data to inform the creation of realistic geometries for the lymphatic capillary networks. We approximate the interstitial space as a porous region and the lymphatic vessel walls as permeable surfaces. The dynamics of the flow is approximated by Darcy's law in the interstitium and the Navier-Stokes equations in the lymphatic capillary lumen. The proposed model examines lymph drainage as a function of pressure gradient. In addition, we have examined the effects of interstitial and lymphatic wall permeabilities on the lymph drainage and the solute transportation in the model. The computational results are in accordance with the available experimental measurements.

  13. Monte Carlo simulations used to calculate the energy deposited in the coronary artery lumen as a function of iodine concentration and photon energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hocine, Nora; Meignan, Michel; Masset, Hélène

    2018-04-01

    To better understand the risks of cumulative medical X-ray investigations and the possible causal role of contrast agent on the coronary artery wall, the correlation between iodinated contrast media and the increase of energy deposited in the coronary artery lumen as a function of iodine concentration and photon energy is investigated. The calculations of energy deposition have been performed using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation codes, namely PENetration and Energy LOss of Positrons and Electrons (PENELOPE) and Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX). Exposure of a cylinder phantom, artery and a metal stent (AISI 316L) to several X-ray photon beams were simulated. For the energies used in cardiac imaging the energy deposited in the coronary artery lumen increases with the quantity of iodine. Monte Carlo calculations indicate a strong dependence of the energy enhancement factor (EEF) on photon energy and iodine concentration. The maximum value of EEF is equal to 25; this factor is showed for 83 keV and for 400 mg Iodine/mL. No significant impact of the stent is observed on the absorbed dose in the artery for incident X-ray beams with mean energies of 44, 48, 52 and 55 keV. A strong correlation was shown between the increase in the concentration of iodine and the energy deposited in the coronary artery lumen for the energies used in cardiac imaging and over the energy range between 44 and 55 keV. The data provided by this study could be useful for creating new medical imaging protocols to obtain better diagnostic information with a lower level of radiation exposure.

  14. Radiation Tests of Single Photon Avalanche Diode for Space Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moscatelli, Francesco; Marisaldi, Martino; MacCagnani, Piera; Labanti, Claudio; Fuschino, Fabio; Prest, Michela; Berra, Alessandro; Bolognini, Davide; Ghioni, Massimo; Rech, Ivan; hide

    2013-01-01

    Single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) have been recently studied as photodetectors for applications in space missions. In this presentation we report the results of radiation hardness test on large area SPAD (actual results refer to SPADs having 500 micron diameter). Dark counts rate as low as few kHz at -10 degC has been obtained for the 500 micron devices, before irradiation. We performed bulk damage and total dose radiation tests with protons and gamma-rays in order to evaluate their radiation hardness properties and their suitability for application in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space mission. With this aim SPAD devices have been irradiated using up to 20 krad total dose with gamma-rays and 5 krad with protons. The test performed show that large area SPADs are very sensitive to proton doses as low as 2×10(exp 8) (1 MeV eq) n/cm2 with a significant increase in dark counts rate (DCR) as well as in the manifestation of the "random telegraph signal" effect. Annealing studies at room temperature (RT) and at 80 degC have been carried out, showing a high decrease of DCR after 24-48 h at RT. Lower protons doses in the range 1-10×10(exp 7) (1 MeV eq) n/cm(exp 2) result in a lower increase of DCR suggesting that the large-area SPADs tested in this study are well suitable for application in low-inclination LEO, particularly useful for gamma-ray astrophysics.

  15. Integration of multi-modality imaging for accurate 3D reconstruction of human coronary arteries in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giannoglou, George D.; Chatzizisis, Yiannis S.; Sianos, George; Tsikaderis, Dimitrios; Matakos, Antonis; Koutkias, Vassilios; Diamantopoulos, Panagiotis; Maglaveras, Nicos; Parcharidis, George E.; Louridas, George E.

    2006-01-01

    In conventional intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-based three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of human coronary arteries, IVUS images are arranged linearly generating a straight vessel volume. However, with this approach real vessel curvature is neglected. To overcome this limitation an imaging method was developed based on integration of IVUS and biplane coronary angiography (BCA). In 17 coronary arteries from nine patients, IVUS and BCA were performed. From each angiographic projection, a single end-diastolic frame was selected and in each frame the IVUS catheter was interactively detected for the extraction of 3D catheter path. Ultrasound data was obtained with a sheath-based catheter and recorded on S-VHS videotape. S-VHS data was digitized and lumen and media-adventitia contours were semi-automatically detected in end-diastolic IVUS images. Each pair of contours was aligned perpendicularly to the catheter path and rotated in space by implementing an algorithm based on Frenet-Serret rules. Lumen and media-adventitia contours were interpolated through generation of intermediate contours creating a real 3D lumen and vessel volume, respectively. The absolute orientation of the reconstructed lumen was determined by back-projecting it onto both angiographic planes and comparing the projected lumen with the actual angiographic lumen. In conclusion, our method is capable of performing rapid and accurate 3D reconstruction of human coronary arteries in vivo. This technique can be utilized for reliable plaque morphometric, geometrical and hemodynamic analyses

  16. Evaluation of esophageal motility utilizing the functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Dustin A.; Kahrilas, Peter J.; Lin, Zhiyue; Hirano, Ikuo; Gonsalves, Nirmala; Listernick, Zoe; Ritter, Katherine; Tye, Michael; Ponds, Fraukje A.; Wong, Ian; Pandolfino, John E.

    2016-01-01

    Background Esophagogastric junction (EGJ) distensibility and distension-mediated peristalsis can be assessed with the functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) during a sedated upper endoscopy. We aimed to describe esophageal motility assessment using FLIP topography in patients presenting with dysphagia. Methods 145 patients (ages 18 – 85, 54% female) with dysphagia that completed upper endoscopy with a 16-cm FLIP assembly and high-resolution manometry (HRM) were included. HRM was analyzed according to the Chicago Classification of esophageal motility disorders; major esophageal motility disorders were considered ‘abnormal’. FLIP studies were analyzed using a customized program to calculate the EGJ-distensibility index (DI) and generate FLIP topography plots to identify esophageal contractility patterns. FLIP topography was considered ‘abnormal’ if EGJ-DI was esophageal motility and 29 normal motility. 17 (50%) had abnormal FLIP topography including 13 (37%) with abnormal EGJ-DI. Conclusions FLIP topography provides a well-tolerated method for esophageal motility assessment (especially to identify achalasia) at the time of upper endoscopy. FLIP topography findings that are discordant with HRM may indicate otherwise undetected abnormalities of esophageal function, thus FLIP provides an alternative and complementary method to HRM for evaluation of non-obstructive dysphagia. PMID:27725650

  17. Advances in single- and multi-stage Stirling-type pulse tube cryocoolers for space applications in NLIP/SITP/CAS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Haizheng; Tan, Jun; Zha, Rui; Li, Jiaqi; Zhang, Lei; Zhao, Yibo; Gao, Zhiqian; Bao, Dingli; Li, Ning; Zhang, Tao; Zhao, Yongjiang; Zhao, Bangjian

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents a review of recent advances in single- and multi-stage Stirling-type pulse tube cryocoolers (SPTCs) for space applications developed at the National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NLIP/SITP/CAS). A variety of single-stage SPTCs operating at 25-150 K have been developed, including several mid-sized ones operating at 80-110 K. Significant progress has been achieved in coolers operating at 30-40 K which use common stainless steel meshes as regenerator matrices. Another important advance is the micro SPTCs with an overall mass of 300-800 g operating at high frequencies varying from 100 Hz to 400 Hz. The main purpose of developing two-stage SPTCs is to simultaneously acquire cooling capacities at both stages, obviating the need for auxiliary precooling in various applications. The three-stage SPTCs are developed mainly for applications at around 10 K, which are also used for precooling the J-T coolers to achieve further lower temperatures. The four-stage SPTCs are developed to directly achieve the liquid helium temperature for cooling space low-Tc superconducting devices and for the deep space exploration as well. Several typical development programs are described and an overview of the cooler performances is presented.

  18. High-fidelity simulation of lung isolation with double-lumen endotracheal tubes and bronchial blockers in anesthesiology resident training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Failor, Erin; Bowdle, Andrew; Jelacic, Srdjan; Togashi, Kei

    2014-08-01

    Demonstrate the feasibility of using the AirSim Bronchi airway simulator to teach residents how to manage lung isolation with double-lumen endotracheal tubes and bronchial blockers and evaluate their performance with a detailed checklist. Prospective observational study. University anesthesiology residency training program. Anesthesiology residents taking a cardiothoracic anesthesiology rotation. Residents were instructed in 7 tasks using the AirSim Bronchi: The use of the fiberoptic bronchoscope, methods for placing left and right double-lumen endotracheal tubes and 3 bronchial blockers (Univent, Arndt, and Cohen), and application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to the unventilated lung. Two to 3 weeks later, checklists and a detailed scoring system were used to assess performance. Residents rated the curriculum and their own confidence in performing the tasks using a 5-point Likert scale. Thirteen residents completed the curriculum. Their median Likert scale ratings of the curriculum based on a questionnaire with 6 items ranged from 4 to 5 of 5. Resident confidence scores for each lung isolation technique improved after the simulation training, with the median gain ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 Likert levels depending on the task. The largest improvement occurred with the bronchial blockers (psimulator in a novel simulation curriculum to teach lung-isolation techniques to anesthesiology residents and evaluated performance using a detailed checklist scoring system. This curriculum is a promising educational tool. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Segmentation of the lumen and media-adventitia boundaries of the common carotid artery from 3D ultrasound images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukwatta, E.; Awad, J.; Ward, A. D.; Samarabandu, J.; Krasinski, A.; Parraga, G.; Fenster, A.

    2011-03-01

    Three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) vessel wall volume (VWV) measurements provide high measurement sensitivity and reproducibility for the monitoring and assessment of carotid atherosclerosis. In this paper, we describe a semiautomated approach based on the level set method to delineate the media-adventitia and lumen boundaries of the common carotid artery from 3D US images to support the computation of VWV. Due to the presence of plaque and US image artifacts, the carotid arteries are challenging to segment using image information alone. Our segmentation framework combines several image cues with domain knowledge and limited user interaction. Our method was evaluated with respect to manually outlined boundaries on 430 2D US images extracted from 3D US images of 30 patients who have carotid stenosis of 60% or more. The VWV given by our method differed from that given by manual segmentation by 6.7% +/- 5.0%. For the media-adventitia and lumen segmentations, respectively, our method yielded Dice coefficients of 95.2% +/- 1.6%, 94.3% +/- 2.6%, mean absolute distances of 0.3 +/- 0.1 mm, 0.2 +/- 0.1 mm, maximum absolute distances of 0.8 +/- 0.4 mm, 0.6 +/- 0.3 mm, and volume differences of 4.2% +/- 3.1%, 3.4% +/- 2.6%. The realization of a semi-automated segmentation method will accelerate the translation of 3D carotid US to clinical care for the rapid, non-invasive, and economical monitoring of atherosclerotic disease progression and regression during therapy.

  20. 3D time-lapse analysis of Rab11/FIP5 complex: spatiotemporal dynamics during apical lumen formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangan, Anthony; Prekeris, Rytis

    2015-01-01

    Fluorescent imaging of fixed cells grown in two-dimensional (2D) cultures is one of the most widely used techniques for observing protein localization and distribution within cells. Although this technique can also be applied to polarized epithelial cells that form three-dimensional (3D) cysts when grown in a Matrigel matrix suspension, there are still significant limitations in imaging cells fixed at a particular point in time. Here, we describe the use of 3D time-lapse imaging of live cells to observe the dynamics of apical membrane initiation site (AMIS) formation and lumen expansion in polarized epithelial cells.

  1. Effects of cryopreservation on excretory function, cellular adhesion molecules and vessel lumen formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Guoping; Lai, Binbin; Hong, Huaxing; Lin, Peng; Chen, Weifu; Zhu, Zhong; Chen, Haixiao

    2017-07-01

    Cryopreservation is widely used in regenerative medicine for tissue preservation. In the present study, the effects of cryopreservation on excretory function, cellular adhesion molecules and vessel lumen formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were investigated. After 0, 4, 8, 12 or 24 weeks of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen, the HUVECs were thawed. The excretory functions markers (endothelin‑1, prostaglandin E1, von Willebrand factor and nitric oxide) of HUVECs were measured by ELISA assay. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule‑1 (ICAM‑1) in HUVECs was analyzed using flow cytometry. An angiogenesis assay was used to determine the angiogeneic capabilities of the thawed HUVECs. The results demonstrated that cryopreserved/thawed and recultivated HUVECs were unsuitable for tissue‑engineered microvascular construction. Specifically, the excretory function of the cells was significantly decreased in the post‑cryopreserved HUVECs at 24 weeks. In addition, the level of ICAM‑1 in HUVECs was significantly upregulated from the fourth week of cryopreservation. Furthermore, the tube‑like structure‑forming potential was weakened with increasing cryopreservation duration, and the numbers of lumen and the length of the pipeline were decreased in the thawed HUVECs, in a time‑dependent manner. In conclusion, the results of the present study revealed that prolonged cryopreservation may lead to HUVEC dysfunction and did not create stable cell lines for tissue‑engineered microvascular construction.

  2. [Successful One-lung Ventilation with a Right-sided Double-lumen Tube in a Patient with a Right Upper Tracheal Bronchus, who Underwent Left Pneumonectomy for Left Hilar Lung Cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawagoe, Izumi; Kohchiyama, Tsukasa; Hayashida, Masakazu; Satoh, Daizoh; Suzuki, Kenji; Inada, Eiichi

    2016-06-01

    A 60-year-old male patient with left hilar lung cancer was scheduled to undergo left pneumonectomy or left sleeve lower lobectomy. Preoperative computer tomographic and bronchoscopic examinations revealed that the bronchus (B1) to the right apical segment (S1) was a tracheal bronchus (TB) originating from the trachea approximately 10 mm above the carina. Because the left main bronchus was to be dissected, a right-sided double-lumen tube (DLT) was selected to completely protect the right lung from spillage of secretions or cancer cells from the left lung. The right-sided DLT was placed so as to fit its lateral opening of the bronchial lumen to normal upper branches (B2, B3), while sacrificing ventilation of S1 with an abnormal branch (B1). However, one-lung ventilation (OLV) of the right lung could not be achieved, since a gas leakage from the opened tracheal lumen occurred, most probably due to intra-lobar micro-airway communications between S1 and S2/S3. The DLT was withdrawn until the blue bronchial cuff occluded the orifice of the TB (B1). Although the upper half of the blue bronchial cuff appeared above the tracheal carina, OLV through the two bronchial lumen openings could be achieved due to a specific, slanted doughnut shape of the blue bronchial cuff and the location of the abnormal branch (B1) approximate to the carina. Left pneumonectomy using successful OLV was completed safely without hypoxemia or hypercapnea. Our experience indicates that management of OLV for patients with a thoracheal bronchus needs special considerations of the exact location of the TB and intra-lobar micro-airway communications, in addition to types of scheduled surgical procedures.

  3. The structure of single-phase turbulent flows through closely spaced rod arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hooper, J.D.; Rehme, K.

    1983-02-01

    The axial and azimuthal turbulence intensity in the rod gap region has been shown, for developed single-phase turbulent flow through parallel rod arrays, to strongly increase with decreasing rod spacing. Two array geometries are reported, one constructed from a rectangular cross-section duct containing four rods and spaced at five p/d or w/d ratios. The second test section, constructed from six rods set in a regular square-pitch array, represented the interior flow region of a large array. The mean axial velocity, wall shear stress variation and axial pressure distribution were measured, together with hot-wire anemometer measurements of the Reynolds stresses. No significant non-zero secondary flow components were detected, using techniques capable of resolving secondary flow velocities to 1% of the local axial velocity. For the lowest p/d ratio of 1.036, cross-correlation measurements showed the presence of an energetic periodic azimuthal turbulent velocity component, correlated over a significant part of the flow area. The negligible contribution of secondary flows to the axial momentum balance, and the large azimuthal turbulent velocity component in the rod gap area, suggest a different mechanism than Reynolds stress gradient driven secondary flows for the turbulent transport process in the rod gap. (orig.) [de

  4. Analyzing Test-As-You-Fly Single Event Upset (SEU) Responses using SEU Data, Classical Reliability Models, and Space Environment Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie; Label, Kenneth; Campola, Michael; Xapsos, Michael

    2017-01-01

    We propose a method for the application of single event upset (SEU) data towards the analysis of complex systems using transformed reliability models (from the time domain to the particle fluence domain) and space environment data.

  5. Computed tomography airway lumen volumetry in patients with acromegaly: Association with growth hormone levels and lung function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camilo, Gustavo Bittencourt; Carvalho, Alysson Roncally Silva; Guimarães, Alan Ranieri Medeiros; Kasuki, Leandro; Gadelha, Mônica Roberto; Mogami, Roberto; de Melo, Pedro Lopes; Lopes, Agnaldo José

    2017-10-01

    The segmentation and skeletonisation of images via computed tomography (CT) airway lumen volumetry provide a new perspective regarding the incorporation of this technique in medical practice. Our aim was to quantify morphological changes in the large airways of patients with acromegaly through CT and, secondarily, to correlate these findings with hormone levels and pulmonary function testing (PFT) parameters. This was a cross-sectional study in which 28 non-smoker patients with acromegaly and 15 control subjects underwent CT analysis of airway lumen volumetry with subsequent image segmentation and skeletonisation. Moreover, all participants were subjected to PFT. Compared with the controls, patients with acromegaly presented higher diameters in the trachea, right main bronchus and left main bronchus. The patients with acromegaly also showed a higher tracheal sinuosity index (the deviation of a line from the shortest path, calculated by dividing total length by shortest possible path) than the controls [1.06 (1.02-1.09) vs. 1.03 (1.02-1.04), P = 0.04], and tracheal stenosis was observed in 25% of these individuals. The tracheal area was correlated with the levels of growth hormone (r s  = 0.45, P = 0.02) and insulin-like growth factor type I (r s  = 0.38, P = 0.04). The ratio between the forced expiratory flow and forced inspiratory flow at 50% of the forced vital capacity was correlated with the tracheal area (r s  = 0.36, P = 0.02) and Δ tracheal diameters (r s  = 0.58, P volumetry, hormone levels and functional parameters of large airway obstruction. © 2017 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

  6. Can single molecule localization microscopy be used to map closely spaced RGD nanodomains?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahdie Mollazade

    Full Text Available Cells sense and respond to nanoscale variations in the distribution of ligands to adhesion receptors. This makes single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM an attractive tool to map the distribution of ligands on nanopatterned surfaces. We explore the use of SMLM spatial cluster analysis to detect nanodomains of the cell adhesion-stimulating tripeptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD. These domains were formed by the phase separation of block copolymers with controllable spacing on the scale of tens of nanometers. We first determined the topology of the block copolymer with atomic force microscopy (AFM and then imaged the localization of individual RGD peptides with direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM. To compare the data, we analyzed the dSTORM data with DBSCAN (density-based spatial clustering application with noise. The ligand distribution and polymer topology are not necessary identical since peptides may attach to the polymer outside the nanodomains and/or coupling and detection of peptides within the nanodomains is incomplete. We therefore performed simulations to explore the extent to which nanodomains could be mapped with dSTORM. We found that successful detection of nanodomains by dSTORM was influenced by the inter-domain spacing and the localization precision of individual fluorophores, and less by non-specific absorption of ligands to the substratum. For example, under our imaging conditions, DBSCAN identification of nanodomains spaced further than 50 nm apart was largely independent of background localisations, while nanodomains spaced closer than 50 nm required a localization precision of ~11 nm to correctly estimate the modal nearest neighbor distance (NDD between nanodomains. We therefore conclude that SMLM is a promising technique to directly map the distribution and nanoscale organization of ligands and would benefit from an improved localization precision.

  7. Clinical application of hysterosalpingography with a double-lumen catheter of a contrast media combination consisting iohexol and saline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi Jiayuan; Jiang Yong; Cao Xinhua; Zhu Ying; Lv Liang; Zhao Xinxiang; Wei Dingying; Shao Jingxuan; Hua Jian

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of hysteosalpingographic diagnosis in infertile women. Methods: After a catheter with a double-lumen saccule was inserted into the uterine cavity, saline or air of 2.5-3.5 ml was injected to fill the saccule. The filled saccule was inserted at the isthmus of uterus for blocking the internal orifice. The contrast medium was injected through the catheter into the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes to undertake hysterosalpingography and fallopian tube reopening. In case of fallopian tube obstruction, the injection pressure could be increased to obtain recanalization. All operations and selective imagings were carried out under TV supervision. Results: 2698 cases including 806 primary infertile women and 1868 secondary infertile women were examined by this method. Technical success rate was 99.5% with 2198 cases (81.9%) having normal uterus, 249 (9.3%) congenital abnormal uterus and 238 (8.9%) uterus diseases. The number of obstructed fallopian tube was 3028 with 117 serious hydropsy (3.8%). Ninety-eight cases had been examined with lipiodol hysterosalpingography in other hospitals with 35 cases still having lipiodol accumulated within the uterine cavities and fallopian tubes. No serious complications or death occurred except slight pain. Conclusions: Double-lumen cather with a contrast media combination of iohexol and saline for hysterosal pinography is safe, easy and effective, outcoming with excellent quality images. More information can be gained with this method than traditional lipiodol hyterosalpinography, and furthermore could have compression during radiogrophy and avoid the long term stasis of lipiodol. (authors)

  8. Is quantitative coronary angiography reliable in assessing the late lumen loss of the everolimus-eluting bioresorbable polylactide scaffold in comparison with the cobalt-chromium metallic stent?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sotomi, Yohei; Onuma, Yoshinobu; Miyazaki, Yosuke; Asano, Taku; Katagiri, Yuki; Tenekecioglu, Erhan; Jonker, Hans; Dijkstra, Jouke; de Winter, Robbert J.; Wykrzykowska, Joanna J.; Stone, Gregg W.; Popma, Jeffrey J.; Kozuma, Ken; Tanabe, Kengo; Serruys, Patrick W.; Kimura, Takeshi

    2017-01-01

    Aims: Immediately after stent/scaffold implantation, quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) in comparison to optical coherence tomography (OCT) more severely underestimates the lumen diameter (LD) in Absorb than in XIENCE. This OCT-QCA discrepancy has not been evaluated at long-term follow-up. The

  9. The 1.7 Å resolution structure of At2g44920, a pentapeptide-repeat protein in the thylakoid lumen of Arabidopsis thaliana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ni, Shuisong; McGookey, Michael E.; Tinch, Stuart L.; Jones, Alisha N.; Jayaraman, Seetharaman; Tong, Liang; Kennedy, Michael A.

    2011-01-01

    The crystal structure of At2g44920, a pentapeptide repeat protein (PRP) from Arabidopsis thaliana, has been determined at 1.7 Å resolution. The structure represents the first PRP protein whose subcellular localization has been experimentally confirmed to be the thylakoid lumen of a plant species. At2g44920 belongs to a diverse family (Pfam PF00805) of pentapeptide-repeat proteins (PRPs) that are present in all known organisms except yeast. PRPs contain at least eight tandem-repeating sequences of five amino acids with an approximate consensus sequence (STAV)(D/N)(L/F)(S/T/R)(X). Recent crystal structures show that PRPs adopt a highly regular four-sided right-handed β-helical structure consisting mainly of type II and type IV β-turns, sometimes referred to as a repeated five-residue (or Rfr) fold. Among sequenced genomes, PRP genes are most abundant in cyanobacteria, leading to speculation that PRPs play an important role in the unique lifestyle of photosynthetic cyanobacteria. Despite the recent structural characterization of several cyanobacterial PRPs, most of their functions remain unknown. Plants, whose chloroplasts are of cyanobacterial origin, have only four PRP genes in their genomes. At2g44920 is one of three PRPs located in the thylakoid lumen. Here, the crystal structure of a double methionine mutant of residues 81–224 of At2g44920, the naturally processed fragment of one of its full-length isoforms, is reported at 1.7 Å resolution. The structure of At2g44920 consists of the characteristic Rfr fold with five uninterrupted coils made up of 25 pentapeptide repeats and α-helical elements capping both termini. A disulfide bridge links the two α-helices with a conserved loop between the helical elements at its C-terminus. This structure represents the first structure of a PRP protein whose subcellular location has been experimentally confirmed to be the thylakoid lumen in a plant species

  10. Adaptive optics correction into single mode fiber for a low Earth orbiting space to ground optical communication link using the OPALS downlink.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Malcolm W; Morris, Jeffery F; Kovalik, Joseph M; Andrews, Kenneth S; Abrahamson, Matthew J; Biswas, Abhijit

    2015-12-28

    An adaptive optics (AO) testbed was integrated to the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) ground station telescope at the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) as part of the free space laser communications experiment with the flight system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Atmospheric turbulence induced aberrations on the optical downlink were adaptively corrected during an overflight of the ISS so that the transmitted laser signal could be efficiently coupled into a single mode fiber continuously. A stable output Strehl ratio of around 0.6 was demonstrated along with the recovery of a 50 Mbps encoded high definition (HD) video transmission from the ISS at the output of the single mode fiber. This proof of concept demonstration validates multi-Gbps optical downlinks from fast slewing low-Earth orbiting (LEO) spacecraft to ground assets in a manner that potentially allows seamless space to ground connectivity for future high data-rates network.

  11. Increase in data capacity utilising dimensions of wavelength, space, time, polarisation and multilevel modulation using a single laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Anders; Hu, Hao; Ye, Feihong

    2015-01-01

    Increasing the capacity of optical networks while have the objective of lowering the total consumed energy per bit is challenging. By exploiting several dimensions, i.e. wavelength, space, time, polarisation and multilevel modulation simultaneously, a single laser can offer formidable capacity pe...... performance with potentially reduced energy consumption per bit. Up to 43 Tbit/s has been demonstrated....

  12. The Effects of Distention and Obstruction on the Accumulation of Fluid in the Lumen of Small Bowel of Dogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Nand K.; Appert, Hubert E.; Howard, John M.

    1974-01-01

    Fluid accumulation in either the obstructed upper or lower intestinal segments of the dog was found in most animals to be negligible. Distention pressures of 25 cm of water tended to reduce fluid accumulation within the intestinal lumen. These studies suggest that if the dog is comparable to man, the intraluminal accumulation of fluid in the obstructed small bowel of man might be due to alterations in blood supply to the intestine, rather than to obstruction per se, or the accumulated fluid originates proximal to the jejunum. PMID:4419581

  13. EUS-guided drainage of pancreatic fluid collections using a novel lumen-apposing metal stent on an electrocautery-enhanced delivery system : a large retrospective study (with video)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rinninella, Emanuele; Kunda, Rastislav; Dollhopf, Markus; Sanchez-Yague, Andres; Will, Uwe; Tarantino, Ilaria; Gornals Soler, Joan; Ullrich, Sebastian; Meining, Alexander; Esteban, Josè Miguel; Enz, Thomas; Vanbiervliet, Geoffroy; Vleggaar, FP; Attili, Fabia; Larghi, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A lumen-apposing, self-expanding metal stent incorporated in an electrocautery-enhanced delivery system for EUS-guided drainage of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) recently has become available. The aim of this study was to analyze the safety and clinical effectiveness of

  14. Improving the thermal integrity of new single-family detached residential buildings: Documentation for a regional database of capital costs and space conditioning load savings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koomey, J.G.; McMahon, J.E.; Wodley, C.

    1991-07-01

    This report summarizes the costs and space-conditioning load savings from improving new single-family building shells. It relies on survey data from the National Association of Home-builders (NAHB) to assess current insulation practices for these new buildings, and NAHB cost data (aggregated to the Federal region level) to estimate the costs of improving new single-family buildings beyond current practice. Space-conditioning load savings are estimated using a database of loads for prototype buildings developed at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, adjusted to reflect population-weighted average weather in each of the ten federal regions and for the nation as a whole

  15. Quantum sensing of the phase-space-displacement parameters using a single trapped ion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanov, Peter A.; Vitanov, Nikolay V.

    2018-03-01

    We introduce a quantum sensing protocol for detecting the parameters characterizing the phase-space displacement by using a single trapped ion as a quantum probe. We show that, thanks to the laser-induced coupling between the ion's internal states and the motion mode, the estimation of the two conjugated parameters describing the displacement can be efficiently performed by a set of measurements of the atomic state populations. Furthermore, we introduce a three-parameter protocol capable of detecting the magnitude, the transverse direction, and the phase of the displacement. We characterize the uncertainty of the two- and three-parameter problems in terms of the Fisher information and show that state projective measurement saturates the fundamental quantum Cramér-Rao bound.

  16. Separate visualization of endolymphatic space, perilymphatic space and bone by a single pulse sequence; 3D-inversion recovery imaging utilizing real reconstruction after intratympanic Gd-DTPA administration at 3 tesla

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naganawa, Shinji; Satake, Hiroko; Kawamura, Minako; Fukatsu, Hiroshi; Sone, Michihiko; Nakashima, Tsutomu

    2008-01-01

    Twenty-four hours after intratympanic administration of gadolinium contrast material (Gd), the Gd was distributed mainly in the perilymphatic space. Three-dimensional FLAIR can differentiate endolymphatic space from perilymphatic space, but not from surrounding bone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether 3D inversion-recovery turbo spin echo (3D-IR TSE) with real reconstruction could separate the signals of perilymphatic space (positive value), endolymphatic space (negative value) and bone (near zero) by setting the inversion time between the null point of Gd-containing perilymph fluid and that of the endolymph fluid without Gd. Thirteen patients with clinically suspected endolymphatic hydrops underwent intratympanic Gd injection and were scanned at 3 T. A 3D FLAIR and 3D-IR TSE with real reconstruction were obtained. In all patients, low signal of endolymphatic space in the labyrinth on 3D FLAIR was observed in the anatomically appropriate position, and it showed negative signal on 3D-IR TSE. The low signal area of surrounding bone on 3D FLAIR showed near zero signal on 3D-IR TSE. Gd-containing perilymphatic space showed high signal on 3D-IR TSE. In conclusion, by optimizing the inversion time, endolymphatic space, perilymphatic space and surrounding bone can be separately visualized on a single image using a 3D-IR TSE with real reconstruction. (orig.)

  17. Combination of intravenous dexmedetomidine with topicalization of airway for placement of double lumen tube in a spontaneously breathing patient of giant lung bullae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikas Karne

    2016-10-01

    Here we present a patient with giant lung bulla in left lower lobe with severely reduced pulmonary reserves and significant air-trapping posted for VAT assisted bullectomy. Anaesthesia challenges including pathological changes, its effects during induction of anaesthesia, and issues related to placement of double lumen tube in a spontaneously breathing patient are discussed with possible advantages of dexmedetomidine in this special group of patients.

  18. Performance demonstration of a single-frequency optically-pumped cesium beam frequency standard for space applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lecomte, S.; Haldimann, M.; Ruffieux, R.; Thomann, P.; Berthoud, P.

    2017-11-01

    Observatoire de Neuchâtel (ON) is developing a compact optically-pumped cesium beam frequency standard in the frame of an ESA-ARTES 5 project. The simplest optical scheme, which is based on a single optical frequency for both preparation and detection processes of atoms, has been chosen to fulfill reliability constraints of space applications. With our laboratory demonstrator operated at 852 nm (D2 line), we have measured a frequency stability of σy=2.74x10-12 τ -1/2, which is compliant with the Galileo requirement. The atomic resonator is fully compliant to be operated with a single diode laser at 894 nm (D1 line). Sensitivity measurements of the clock signal to the microwave power and to the optical pumping power are also presented. Present performance limitations are discussed and further improvements are proposed in order to reach our ultimate frequency stability goal of σy=1x10-12 τ -1/2. The clock driving software is also briefly described.

  19. A Low-Order Harmonic Elimination Scheme for Induction Motor Drives Using a Multilevel Octadecagonal Space Vector Structure With a Single DC Source

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boby, Mathews; Rahul, Arun; Gopakumar, K.

    2018-01-01

    Conventional voltage-source inverters used for induction motor drives generate a hexagonal space vector structure. In the overmodulation range, the hexagonal space vector structure generates low-order harmonics in the phase voltage resulting in low-order torque ripple in the motor. Inverter...... topologies with an octadecagonal (18 sided) space vector structure eliminate fifth-, seventh-, eleventh-, and thirteenth-order harmonics from the phase voltage, and hence, the dominant sixth- and twelfth-order torque ripple generation is eliminated. Octadecagonal space vector structures proposed in the past...... require multiple dc sources, which makes four-quadrant operation of the drive system difficult and costly. In this paper, the formation of a multilevel nine-concentric octadecagonal space vector structure using a single dc source is proposed. Detailed experimental results, using open-loop V/f control...

  20. Study of the Mn-binding sites in photosystem II using antibodies raised against lumenal regions of the D1 and D2 reaction center proteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dalmasso, Enrique Agustin [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    1992-04-01

    The experiments discussed in this thesis focus on identifying the protein segments or specific amino acids which provide ligands to the Mn cluster of photosystem II (PS II). This Mn cluster plays a central role in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of PS II. The Mn cluster is thought to be bound by lumenal regions of the PS II reaction center proteins known as D1 and D2. First, several peptides were synthesized which correspond to specific lumenal segments of the D1 and D2 proteins. Next, polyclonal antibodies were successfully elicited using three of these peptides. The peptides recognized by these antibodies correspond to protein segments of the spinach reaction center proteins: Ile-321 to Ala-344 of D1 (D1-a), Asp-319 to Arg-334 of D1 (D1-b), and Val-300 to Asn-319 of D2 (D2-a). These antibodies were then used in assays which were developed to structurally or functionally probe the potential Mn-binding regions of the D1 and D2 proteins.

  1. Pleural space infections after image-guided percutaneous drainage of infected intraabdominal fluid collections: a retrospective single institution analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avella, Diego M; Toth, Jennifer W; Reed, Michael F; Gusani, Niraj J; Kimchi, Eric T; Mahraj, Rickeshvar P; Staveley-O'Carroll, Kevin F; Kaifi, Jussuf T

    2015-04-11

    Percutaneous drainage of infected intraabdominal fluid collections is preferred over surgical drainage due to lower morbidity and costs. However, it can be a challenging procedure and catheter insertion carries the potential to contaminate the pleural space from the abdomen. This retrospective analysis demonstrates the clinical and radiographic correlation between percutaneous drainage of infected intraabdominal collections and the development of iatrogenic pleural space infections. A retrospective single institution analysis of 550 consecutive percutaneous drainage procedures for intraabdominal fluid collections was performed over 24 months. Patient charts and imaging were reviewed with regard to pleural space infections that were attributed to percutaneous drain placements. Institutional review board approval was obtained for conduct of the study. 6/550 (1.1%) patients developed iatrogenic pleural space infections after percutaneous drainage of intraabdominal fluid collections. All 6 patients presented with respiratory symptoms and required pleural space drainage (either by needle aspiration or chest tube placement), 2 received intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy and 1 patient had to undergo surgical drainage. Pleural effusion cultures revealed same bacteria in both intraabdominal and pleural fluid in 3 (50%) cases. A video with a dynamic radiographic sequence demonstrating the contamination of the pleural space from percutaneous drainage of an infected intraabdominal collection is included. Iatrogenic pleural space infections after percutaneous drainage of intraabdominal fluid collections occur at a low incidence, but the pleural empyema can be progressive requiring prompt chest tube drainage, intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy or even surgery. Expertise in intraabdominal drain placements, awareness and early recognition of this complication is critical to minimize incidence, morbidity and mortality in these patients.

  2. On the estimation of the current density in space plasmas: Multi- versus single-point techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perri, Silvia; Valentini, Francesco; Sorriso-Valvo, Luca; Reda, Antonio; Malara, Francesco

    2017-06-01

    Thanks to multi-spacecraft mission, it has recently been possible to directly estimate the current density in space plasmas, by using magnetic field time series from four satellites flying in a quasi perfect tetrahedron configuration. The technique developed, commonly called ;curlometer; permits a good estimation of the current density when the magnetic field time series vary linearly in space. This approximation is generally valid for small spacecraft separation. The recent space missions Cluster and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) have provided high resolution measurements with inter-spacecraft separation up to 100 km and 10 km, respectively. The former scale corresponds to the proton gyroradius/ion skin depth in ;typical; solar wind conditions, while the latter to sub-proton scale. However, some works have highlighted an underestimation of the current density via the curlometer technique with respect to the current computed directly from the velocity distribution functions, measured at sub-proton scales resolution with MMS. In this paper we explore the limit of the curlometer technique studying synthetic data sets associated to a cluster of four artificial satellites allowed to fly in a static turbulent field, spanning a wide range of relative separation. This study tries to address the relative importance of measuring plasma moments at very high resolution from a single spacecraft with respect to the multi-spacecraft missions in the current density evaluation.

  3. Femtosecond laser irradiation of olivine single crystals: Experimental simulation of space weathering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fazio, A.; Harries, D.; Matthäus, G.; Mutschke, H.; Nolte, S.; Langenhorst, F.

    2018-01-01

    Space weathering is one of the most common surface process occurring on atmosphere-free bodies such as asteroids and the Moon. It is caused mainly by solar wind irradiation and the impact of micrometeoroids. In order to simulate space weathering effects, in particular those produced by hypervelocity impacts, we produced microcraters via ultra-short (∼100 fs) laser irradiation of crystallographically oriented slices of forsterite-rich (Fo94.7) olivine. The main advantages of the application of a femtosecond laser radiation to reproduce the space weathering effects are (1) the high peak irradiance (1015 W cm-2), which generates the propagation of the shock wave at the nanosecond timescale (i.e., timescale of the micrometeoroid impacts); (2) the rapid transfer of energy to the target material, which avoids the interaction of laser light with the developing vapor plume; (3) a small laser beam, which allows the effects of a single impact to be simulated. The results of our spectroscopic and electron microscopic investigation validate this approach: the samples show strong darkening and reddening of the reflectance spectra and structural damages similar to the natural microcraters found on regolith grains of the Moon and asteroid 25143 Itokawa. Detailed investigations of several microcrater cross-sections by transmission electron microscopy allowed the detection of shock-induced defect microstructures. From the top to the bottom of the grain, the shock wave causes evaporation, melting, solid-state recrystallization, misorientation, fracturing, and the propagation of dislocations with Burgers vectors parallel to [001]. The formation of a short-lived vapor plume causes the kinetic fractionation of the gas and the preferential loss of lighter elements, mostly magnesium and oxygen. The high temperatures within the melt layer and the kinetic loss of oxygen promote the thermal reduction of iron and nickel, which leads to the formation of metallic nanoparticles (npFe0). The

  4. Real-space imaging of non-collinear antiferromagnetic order with a single-spin magnetometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, I.; Akhtar, W.; Garcia, V.; Martínez, L. J.; Chouaieb, S.; Garcia, K.; Carrétéro, C.; Barthélémy, A.; Appel, P.; Maletinsky, P.; Kim, J.-V.; Chauleau, J. Y.; Jaouen, N.; Viret, M.; Bibes, M.; Fusil, S.; Jacques, V.

    2017-09-01

    Although ferromagnets have many applications, their large magnetization and the resulting energy cost for switching magnetic moments bring into question their suitability for reliable low-power spintronic devices. Non-collinear antiferromagnetic systems do not suffer from this problem, and often have extra functionalities: non-collinear spin order may break space-inversion symmetry and thus allow electric-field control of magnetism, or may produce emergent spin-orbit effects that enable efficient spin-charge interconversion. To harness these traits for next-generation spintronics, the nanoscale control and imaging capabilities that are now routine for ferromagnets must be developed for antiferromagnetic systems. Here, using a non-invasive, scanning single-spin magnetometer based on a nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond, we demonstrate real-space visualization of non-collinear antiferromagnetic order in a magnetic thin film at room temperature. We image the spin cycloid of a multiferroic bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin film and extract a period of about 70 nanometres, consistent with values determined by macroscopic diffraction. In addition, we take advantage of the magnetoelectric coupling present in BiFeO3 to manipulate the cycloid propagation direction by an electric field. Besides highlighting the potential of nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry for imaging complex antiferromagnetic orders at the nanoscale, these results demonstrate how BiFeO3 can be used in the design of reconfigurable nanoscale spin textures.

  5. Improving lumen maintenance by nanopore array dispersed quantum dots for on-chip light emitting diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Quan; Yang, Fan; Wan, Renzhuo; Fang, Dong

    2017-12-01

    The temperature stability of quantum dots (QDs), which is crucial for integrating into high power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the on-chip configuration, needs to be further improved. In this letter, we report warm white LEDs, where CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles were incorporated into a porous anodic alumina (PAA) matrix with a chain structure by the self-assembly method. Experiments demonstrate that the QD concentration range in toluene solvent from 1% mg/μl to 1.2% mg/μl in combination with the PAA matrix shows the best luminous property. To verify the reliability of the as-prepared device, a comparison experiment was conducted. It indicates excellent lumen maintenance of the light source and less chromaticity coordinate shift under accelerated life testing conditions. Experiments also prove that optical depreciation was only up to 4.6% of its initial value after the 1500 h aging test at the junction temperature of 76 °C.

  6. Compendium of Single Event Effects Test Results for Commercial Off-The-Shelf and Standard Electronics for Low Earth Orbit and Deep Space Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddell, Brandon D.; Bailey, Charles R.; Nguyen, Kyson V.; O'Neill, Patrick M.; Wheeler, Scott; Gaza, Razvan; Cooper, Jaime; Kalb, Theodore; Patel, Chirag; Beach, Elden R.; hide

    2017-01-01

    We present the results of Single Event Effects (SEE) testing with high energy protons and with low and high energy heavy ions for electrical components considered for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and for deep space applications.

  7. Characterization of System on a Chip (SoC) Single Event Upset (SEU) Responses Using SEU Data, Classical Reliability Models, and Space Environment Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie; Label, Kenneth; Campola, Michael; Xapsos, Michael

    2017-01-01

    We propose a method for the application of single event upset (SEU) data towards the analysis of complex systems using transformed reliability models (from the time domain to the particle fluence domain) and space environment data.

  8. Enhanced power generation in annular single-chamber microbial fuel cell via optimization of electrode spacing using chocolate industry wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noori, Parisa; Najafpour Darzi, Ghasem

    2016-05-01

    Development and practical application of microbial fuel cell (MFC) is restricted because of the limitations such as low power output. To overcome low power limitation, the optimization of specific parameters including electrode materials and surface area, electrode spacing, and MFC's cell shape was investigated. To the best of our knowledge, no investigation has been reported in the literature to implement an annular single-chamber microbial fuel cell (ASCMFC) using chocolate industry wastewater. ASCMFC was fabricated via optimization of the stated parameters. The aspects of ASCMFC were comprehensively examined. In this study, the optimization of electrode spacing and its impact on performance of the ASCMFC were conducted. Reduction of electrode spacing by 46.15% (1.3-0.7 cm) resulted in a decrease in internal resistance from 100 to 50 Ω, which enhanced the power density and current output to 22.898 W/m(3) and 6.42 mA, respectively. An optimum electrode spacing of 0.7 cm was determined. Through this paper, the effects of these parameters and the performance of ASCMFC are also evaluated. © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  9. Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Christopher

    2010-04-28

    The ultimate miniaturization of electronic devices will likely require local and coherent control of single electronic wavefunctions. Wavefunctions exist within both physical real space and an abstract state space with a simple geometric interpretation: this state space - or Hilbert space - is spanned by mutually orthogonal state vectors corresponding to the quantized degrees of freedom of the real-space system. Measurement of superpositions is akin to accessing the direction of a vector in Hilbert space, determining an angle of rotation equivalent to quantum phase. Here we show that an individual atom inside a designed quantum corral1 can control this angle, producing arbitrary coherent superpositions of spatial quantum states. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy and nanostructures assembled atom-by-atom we demonstrate how single spins and quantum mirages can be harnessed to image the superposition of two electronic states. We also present a straightforward method to determine the atom path enacting phase rotations between any desired state vectors. A single atom thus becomes a real-space handle for an abstract Hilbert space, providing a simple technique for coherent quantum state manipulation at the spatial limit of condensed matter.

  10. Quantum phase space points for Wigner functions in finite-dimensional spaces

    OpenAIRE

    Luis Aina, Alfredo

    2004-01-01

    We introduce quantum states associated with single phase space points in the Wigner formalism for finite-dimensional spaces. We consider both continuous and discrete Wigner functions. This analysis provides a procedure for a direct practical observation of the Wigner functions for states and transformations without inversion formulas.

  11. Quantum phase space points for Wigner functions in finite-dimensional spaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luis, Alfredo

    2004-01-01

    We introduce quantum states associated with single phase space points in the Wigner formalism for finite-dimensional spaces. We consider both continuous and discrete Wigner functions. This analysis provides a procedure for a direct practical observation of the Wigner functions for states and transformations without inversion formulas

  12. Apicobasal domain identities of expanding tubular membranes depend on glycosphingolipid biosynthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hongjie; Abraham, Nessy; Khan, Liakot A; Hall, David H; Fleming, John T; Göbel, Verena

    2011-09-18

    Metazoan internal organs are assembled from polarized tubular epithelia that must set aside an apical membrane domain as a lumenal surface. In a global Caenorhabditis elegans tubulogenesis screen, interference with several distinct fatty-acid-biosynthetic enzymes transformed a contiguous central intestinal lumen into multiple ectopic lumens. We show that multiple-lumen formation is caused by apicobasal polarity conversion, and demonstrate that in situ modulation of lipid biosynthesis is sufficient to reversibly switch apical domain identities on growing membranes of single post-mitotic cells, shifting lumen positions. Follow-on targeted lipid-biosynthesis pathway screens and functional genetic assays were designed to identify a putative single causative lipid species. They demonstrate that fatty-acid biosynthesis affects polarity through sphingolipid synthesis, and reveal ceramide glucosyltransferases (CGTs) as end-point biosynthetic enzymes in this pathway. Our findings identify glycosphingolipids, CGT products and obligate membrane lipids, as critical determinants of in vivo polarity and indicate that they sort new components to the expanding apical membrane.

  13. Double-lumen tubes and auto-PEEP during one-lung ventilation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spaeth, J; Ott, M; Karzai, W; Grimm, A; Wirth, S; Schumann, S; Loop, T

    2016-01-01

    Double-lumen tubes (DLT) are routinely used to enable one-lung-ventilation (OLV) during thoracic anaesthesia. The flow-dependent resistance of the DLT's bronchial limb may be high as a result of its narrow inner diameter and length, and thus potentially contribute to an unintended increase in positive end-expiratory pressure (auto-PEEP). We therefore studied the impact of adult sized DLTs on the dynamic auto-PEEP during OLV. In this prospective clinical study, dynamic auto-PEEP was determined in 72 patients undergoing thoracic surgery, with right- and left-sided DLTs of various sizes. During OLV, air trapping was provoked by increasing inspiration to expiration ratio from 1:2 to 2:1 (five steps). Based on measured flow rate, airway pressure (Paw) and bronchial pressure (Pbronch), the pressure gradient across the DLT (ΔPDLT) and the total auto-PEEP in the respiratory system (i.e. the lungs, the DLT and the ventilator circuit) were determined. Subsequently the DLT's share in total auto-PEEP was calculated. ΔPDLT was 2.3 (0.7) cm H2O over the entire breathing cycle. At the shortest expiratory time the mean total auto-PEEP was 2.9 (1.5) cm H2O (range 0-5.9 cm H2O). The DLT caused 27 to 31% of the total auto-PEEP. Size and side of the DLT's bronchial limb did not impact auto-PEEP significantly. Although the DLT contributes to the overall auto-PEEP, its contribution is small and independent of size and side of the DLT's bronchial limb. The choice of DLT does not influence the risk of auto-PEEP during OLV to a clinically relevant extent. DRKS00005648. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Space Van system update

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cormier, Len

    1992-07-01

    The Space Van is a proposed commercial launch vehicle that is designed to carry 1150 kg to a space-station orbit for a price of $1,900,000 per flight in 1992 dollars. This price includes return on preoperational investment. Recurring costs are expected to be about $840,000 per flight. The Space Van is a fully reusable, assisted-single-stage-to orbit system. The most innovative new feature of the Space Van system is the assist-stage concept. The assist stage uses only airbreathing engines for vertical takeoff and vertical landing in the horizontal attitude and for launching the rocket-powered orbiter stage at mach 0.8 and an altitude of about 12 km. The primary version of the orbiter is designed for cargo-only without a crew. However, a passenger version of the Space Van should be able to carry a crew of two plus six passengers to a space-station orbit. Since the Space Van is nearly single-stage, performance to polar orbit drops off significantly. The cargo version should be capable of carrying 350 kg to a 400-km polar orbit. In the passenger version, the Space Van should be able to carry two crew members - or one crew member plus a passenger.

  15. "Detachment of the carinal hook following endobronchial intubation with a double lumen tube"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rocha Ana C

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Carinal hooks increases difficulty at endotracheal intubation. Amputation of the carinal hook during passage and malpositioning of the tube to the hook are some of the potential problems related with left-sided Carlens double lumen tube (DLT. This article reports an amputation of the hook during a difficult selective intubation and aimed at calling the attention to complications associated with DLTs and the importance of fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Case presentation A 68 year-old woman was scheduled for right-sided thoracotomy in whom blind DLT insertion was performed. Narrowed trachea causes difficulty in rotating the DLT 90° counter-clockwise. After carinal hook was noticed upon visual inspection of the DLT, fiberoptic bronchoscopy was used to remove the missing part (with the use of forceps from the right mainstem bronchus. Conclusion Insertion of DLTs with carinal hook is associated with technical problems and potentially life-threatening hazards have discouraged their use. Fiberoptic evaluation and repositioning solves most of the problems. Although amputation of the carinal hook has not been previously reported, clinicians should be alert. This case report emphasizes the utility of the fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the operating theatre for placement, positioning and inspection of the carinal hook DLT.

  16. GPIHBP1 autoantibodies in a patient with unexplained chylomicronemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hu, Xuchen; Dallinga-Thie, Geesje M.; Hovingh, G. Kees; Chang, Sandy Y.; Sandoval, Norma P.; Dang, Tiffany Ly P.; Fukamachi, Isamu; Miyashita, Kazuya; Nakajima, Katsuyuki; Murakami, Masami; Fong, Loren G.; Ploug, Michael; Young, Stephen G.; Beigneux, Anne P.

    2017-01-01

    GPIHBP1, a glycolipid-anchored protein of capillary endothelial cells, binds lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the interstitial spaces and transports it to the capillary lumen. GPIHBP1 deficiency prevents LPL from reaching the capillary lumen, resulting in low intravascular LPL levels, impaired

  17. Point-of-care ultrasound versus auscultation in determining the position of double-lumen tube.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Wei-Cai; Xu, Lei; Zhang, Quan; Wei, Li; Zhang, Wei

    2018-03-01

    This study was designed to assess the accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound in determining the position of double-lumen tubes (DLTs).A total of 103 patients who required DLT intubation were enrolled into the study. After DLTs were tracheal intubated in the supine position, an auscultation researcher and ultrasound researcher were sequentially invited in the operating room to conduct their evaluation of the DLT. After the end of their evaluation, fiberscope researchers (FRs) were invited in the operating room to evaluate the position of DLT using a fiberscope. After the patients were changed to the lateral position, the same evaluation process was repeated. These 3 researchers were blind to each other when they made their conclusions. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were obtained by statistical analysis.When left DLTs (LDLTs) were used, the accuracy of ultrasound (84.2% [72.1%, 92.5%]) was higher than the accuracy of auscultation (59.7% [45.8%, 72.4%]) (P auscultation (67.4% [52.0%, 80.5%]) (P auscultation (54.4% [40.7%, 67.6%]) (P auscultation (47.8% [32.9%, 63.1%]) (P auscultation in determining the position of DLTs.

  18. Epithelial organization and cyst lumen expansion require efficient Sec13-Sec31-driven secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townley, Anna K; Schmidt, Katy; Hodgson, Lorna; Stephens, David J

    2012-02-01

    Epithelial morphogenesis is directed by interactions with the underlying extracellular matrix. Secretion of collagen and other matrix components requires efficient coat complex II (COPII) vesicle formation at the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we show that suppression of the outer layer COPII component, Sec13, in zebrafish embryos results in a disorganized gut epithelium. In human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2), Sec13 depletion causes defective epithelial polarity and organization on permeable supports. Defects are seen in the ability of cells to adhere to the substrate, form a monolayer and form intercellular junctions. When embedded in a three-dimensional matrix, Sec13-depleted Caco-2 cells form cysts but, unlike controls, are defective in lumen expansion. Incorporation of primary fibroblasts within the three-dimensional culture substantially restores normal morphogenesis. We conclude that efficient COPII-dependent secretion, notably assembly of Sec13-Sec31, is required to drive epithelial morphogenesis in both two- and three-dimensional cultures in vitro, as well as in vivo. Our results provide insight into the role of COPII in epithelial morphogenesis and have implications for the interpretation of epithelial polarity and organization assays in cell culture.

  19. Rap1 integrates tissue polarity, lumen formation, and tumorigenicpotential in human breast epithelial cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Itoh, Masahiko; Nelson, Celeste M.; Myers, Connie A.; Bissell,Mina J.

    2006-09-29

    Maintenance of apico-basal polarity in normal breast epithelial acini requires a balance between cell proliferation, cell death, and proper cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix signaling. Aberrations in any of these processes can disrupt tissue architecture and initiate tumor formation. Here we show that the small GTPase Rap1 is a crucial element in organizing acinar structure and inducing lumen formation. Rap1 activity in malignant HMT-3522 T4-2 cells is appreciably higher than in S1 cells, their non-malignant counterparts. Expression of dominant-negative Rap1 resulted in phenotypic reversion of T4-2 cells, led to formation of acinar structures with correct apico-basal polarity, and dramatically reduced tumor incidence despite the persistence of genomic abnormalities. The resulting acini contained prominent central lumina not observed when other reverting agents were used. Conversely, expression of dominant-active Rap1 in T4-2 cells inhibited phenotypic reversion and led to increased invasiveness and tumorigenicity. Thus, Rap1 acts as a central regulator of breast architecture, with normal levels of activation instructing apical polarity during acinar morphogenesis, and increased activation inducing tumor formation and progression to malignancy.

  20. Single Shot Measurements of the 4-Dimensional Transverse Phase Space Distribution of Intense Ion Beams at the UNILAC at GSI

    CERN Document Server

    Groening, L

    2003-01-01

    The UNILAC is used as an injector for the synchrotron SIS. It is designed to fill the synchrotron up to its space charge limit. The upper limit for the useful beam emittance of the UNILAC is given by the finite acceptance of the SIS during the injection process. In order to remain within this acceptance the emittance growth during beam acceleration and transportation due to space charge effects must be minimized by applying an appropriate beam focusing. Therefore, the influence of the magnetic focusing strength on the beam emittance growth was investigated experimentally for different beam currents. Measurements of transverse phase space distributions were performed before and after the Alvarez accelerator with a periodic focusing channel, respectively. In order to perform such a wide parameter scan within a reasonable time with respect to machine stability, the pepper pot technique was applied. The pepper pot method allows for single-pulse measurements. For comparison several measurements using the slit-grid...

  1. A Benchmark of Lidar-Based Single Tree Detection Methods Using Heterogeneous Forest Data from the Alpine Space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lothar Eysn

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available In this study, eight airborne laser scanning (ALS-based single tree detection methods are benchmarked and investigated. The methods were applied to a unique dataset originating from different regions of the Alpine Space covering different study areas, forest types, and structures. This is the first benchmark ever performed for different forests within the Alps. The evaluation of the detection results was carried out in a reproducible way by automatically matching them to precise in situ forest inventory data using a restricted nearest neighbor detection approach. Quantitative statistical parameters such as percentages of correctly matched trees and omission and commission errors are presented. The proposed automated matching procedure presented herein shows an overall accuracy of 97%. Method based analysis, investigations per forest type, and an overall benchmark performance are presented. The best matching rate was obtained for single-layered coniferous forests. Dominated trees were challenging for all methods. The overall performance shows a matching rate of 47%, which is comparable to results of other benchmarks performed in the past. The study provides new insight regarding the potential and limits of tree detection with ALS and underlines some key aspects regarding the choice of method when performing single tree detection for the various forest types encountered in alpine regions.

  2. Concentration polarization effects on the macromolecular transport in the presence of non-uniform magnetic field: A numerical study using a lumen-wall model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohammadpourfard, M., E-mail: Mohammadpour@azaruniv.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz 53751-71379 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Aminfar, H., E-mail: hh_aminfar@tabrizu.ac.ir [Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khajeh, K., E-mail: khajeh.k.2005@gmail.com [Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2014-04-01

    In this paper, the concentration polarization phenomena in a two dimensional tube under steady state conditions containing ferrofluid (blood and 4 vol% Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}) is reported in the presence of non-uniform magnetic field. Lumen-wall model has been used for solving the mass transport equation. Hemodynamics parameters such as flow rate, viscosity, wall shear stress (WSS) and the macromolecules surface concentration which accumulate on the blood vessel wall, influenced the formation and progression of atherosclerosis disease. Effective parameters on the low density lipoprotein (LDL) surface concentration (LSC) such as: the wall filtration velocity, inlet Reynolds number and WSS under applied non-uniform magnetic field have been examined. Numerical solution of governing equations of the flow field have been obtained by using the single-phase model and the control volume technique. Magnetic field is generated by an electric current going through a thin and straight wire oriented perpendicular to the tube. Results show WSS in the vicinity of magnetic field source increased and LSC decreased along the wall. - Highlights: • In this paper the concentration polarization phenomena of blood flow is reported in the presence of non-uniform magnetic field. • In presence of non-uniform magnetic field LSC will decrease along the wall due to the increasing the velocity gradients near the magnetic source. • When non-uniform magnetic field intensity increases, LSC along the wall becomes lower. • Non-uniform magnetic field can affects the flow more in low Reynolds numbers.

  3. Lumen apposing metal stents for pancreatic fluid collections: Recognition and management of complications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeSimone, Michael L; Asombang, Akwi W; Berzin, Tyler M

    2017-09-16

    For patients recovering from acute pancreatitis, the development of a pancreatic fluid collection (PFC) predicts a more complex course of recovery, and introduces difficult management decisions with regard to when, whether, and how the collection should be drained. Most PFCs resolve spontaneously and drainage is indicated only in pseudocysts and walled-off pancreatic necrosis when the collections are causing symptoms and/or local complications such as biliary obstruction. Historical approaches to PFC drainage have included surgical (open or laparoscopic cystgastrostomy or pancreatic debridement), and the placement of percutaneous drains. Endoscopic drainage techniques have emerged in the last several years as the preferred approach for most patients, when local expertise is available. Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) have recently been developed as a tool to facilitate potentially safer and easier endoscopic drainage of pancreatic fluid collections, and less commonly, for other indications, such as gallbladder drainage. Physicians considering LAMS placement must be aware of the complications most commonly associated with LAMS including bleeding, migration, buried stent, stent occlusion, and perforation. Because of the patient complexity associated with severe pancreatitis, management of pancreatic fluid collections can be a complex and multidisciplinary endeavor. Successful and safe use of LAMS for patients with pancreatic fluid collections requires that the endoscopist have a full understanding of the potential complications of LAMS techniques, including how to recognize and manage expected complications.

  4. Projected interaction picture of field operators and memory superoperators. A master equation for the single-particle Green's function in a Liouville space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grinberg, H.

    1983-11-01

    The projection operator method of Zwanzig and Feshbach is used to construct the time-dependent field operators in the interaction picture. The formula developed to describe the time dependence involves time-ordered cosine and sine projected evolution (memory) superoperators, from which a master equation for the interaction-picture single-particle Green's function in a Liouville space is derived. (author)

  5. Economic analysis of crystal growth in space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulrich, D. R.; Chung, A. M.; Yan, C. S.; Mccreight, L. R.

    1972-01-01

    Many advanced electronic technologies and devices for the 1980's are based on sophisticated compound single crystals, i.e. ceramic oxides and compound semiconductors. Space processing of these electronic crystals with maximum perfection, purity, and size is suggested. No ecomonic or technical justification was found for the growth of silicon single crystals for solid state electronic devices in space.

  6. Space Maintenance with an Innovative "Tube and Loop" Space Maintainer (Nikhil Appliance).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Nikhil; Grover, Jyotika; Panthri, Prerna

    2016-01-01

    Despite the best efforts in prevention, premature loss of primary teeth continues to be a common problem in pediatric dentistry, resulting in disruption of arch integrity and adversely affecting the proper alignment of permanent successors. Space maintainers (SMs) are special appliances used for maintaining space created due to premature loss of primary teeth. Band and loop SM is mostly indicated for the premature loss of single primary molar, but this appliance has a number of limitations both for operators and for patients. Presented in this article is an innovative "Tube and Loop" SM (Nikhil appliance) which offers several advantages over the conventional band and loop SM. It is not only easy and quick to fabricate but can also be completed in a single sitting and cumbersome steps like impression making and laboratory procedures namely soldering are eliminated. How to cite this article: Srivastava N, Grover J, Panthri P. Space Maintenance with an Innovative "Tube and Loop" Space Maintainer (Nikhil Appliance). Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2016;9(1):86-89.

  7. The lumenal loop M672-P707 of the Menkes protein (ATP7A) transfers copper to peptidylglycine monooxygenase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Otoikhian, Adenike [Oregon Health & Sciences University; Barry, Amanda N. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mayfield, Mary [Oregon Health & Science University; Nilges, Mark [Illinois EPR Center; Huang, Yiping [Johns Hopkins University; Lutsenko, Svetlana [Johns Hopkins University; Blackburn, Ninian [Oregon Health & Science University

    2012-05-14

    Copper transfer to cuproproteins located in vesicular compartments of the secretory pathway depends on activity of the copper translocating ATPase (ATP7A or ATP7B) but the mechanism of transfer is largely unexplored. Copper-ATPase ATP7A is unique in having a sequence rich in histidine and methionine residues located on the lumenal side of the membrane. The corresponding fragment binds Cu(I) when expressed as a chimera with a scaffold protein, and mutations or deletions of His and/or Met residues in its sequence inhibit dephosphorylation of the ATPase, a catalytic step associated with copper release. Here we present evidence for a potential role of this lumenal region of ATP7A in copper transfer to cuproenzymes. Both Cu(II) and Cu(I) forms were investigated since the form in which copper is transferred to acceptor proteins is currently unknown. Analysis of Cu(II) using EPR demonstrated that at Cu:P ratios below 1:1, 15N-substituted protein had Cu(II) bound by 4 His residues, but this coordination changed as the Cu(II) to protein ratio increased towards 2:1. XAS confirmed this coordination via analysis of the intensity of outer-shell scattering from imidazole residues. The Cu(II) complexes could be reduced to their Cu(I) counterparts by ascorbate, but here again, as shown by EXAFS and XANES spectroscopy, the coordination was dependent on copper loading. At low copper Cu(I) was bound by a mixed ligand set of His + Met while at higher ratios His coordination predominated. The copper-loaded loop was able to transfer either Cu(II) or Cu(I) to peptidylglycine monooxygenase in the presence of chelating resin, generating catalytically active enzyme in a process that appeared to involve direct interaction between the two partners. The variation of coordination with copper loading suggests copper-dependent conformational change which in turn could act as a signal for regulating copper release by the ATPase pump.

  8. Dark-lumen magnetic resonance colonography in patients with suspected sigmoid diverticulitis: a feasibility study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajaj, Waleed; Lauenstein, Thomas; Goehde, Susanne; Kuehle, Christiane; Herborn, Christoph U.; Ruehm, Stefan G.; Langhorst, Jost; Zoepf, Thomas; Gerken, Guido; Goyen, Mathias

    2005-01-01

    To assess dark-lumen magnetic resonance colonography (MRC) for the evaluation of patients with suspected sigmoid diverticulitis. Forty patients with suspected sigmoid diverticulitis underwent MRC within 72 h prior to conventional colonoscopy (CC). A three-dimensional T1-weighted volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination sequence was acquired after an aqueous enema and intravenous administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents. All MRC data were evaluated by two radiologists. Based on wall thickness and focal uptake of contrast material and pericolic reaction including mesenteric infiltration on T1-weighted sequence the sigmoid colon was assessed for the presence of diverticulitis. MRC classified 17 of the 40 patients as normal with regard to sigmoid diverticulitis. However, CC confirmed the presence of light inflammatory signs in four patients which were missed in MRC. MRC correctly identified wall thickness and contrast uptake of the sigmoid colon in the other 23 patients. In three of these patients false-positive findings were observed, and MRC classified the inflammation of the sigmoid colon as diverticulitis whereas CC and histopathology confirmed invasive carcinoma. MRC detected additionally relevant pathologies of the entire colon and could be performed in cases where CC was incomplete. MRC may be considered a promising alternative to CC for the detection of sigmoid diverticulitis. (orig.)

  9. Inventaire préliminaire de la faune lombricienne dans la Réserve et Domaine de Chasse de Bombo-Lumene, plateaux Batéké (République Démocratique du Congo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milau, F.

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Preliminary Inventory of the Earthworm Fauna in the "Réserve et Domaine de chasse" of Bombo-Lumene Batéké Plateau (Democratic Republic of the Congo. The soil macrofauna is frequently cited for its important role in the physicochemical parameters of cultivated land. Moreover, the tillage frequency and the cropping intensity are key factors to be considered in the management of cropping systems. An inventory related to the changes in land use on the earthworm fauna was carried out. The diversity and the abundance of the harvested species were determined in savannah and in forest ecosystems. The study was conducted in the "Réserve et Domaine de chasse" of Bombo-Lumene located on Batéké Plateau in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Six types of environments have been prospected: semi-deciduous dense forests, gallery forests, second-growth forests, grasslands, woodland savannas, and crop land. Collected earthworm species are presented according to their habitat, their feeding habit, the kind of prostomium, and their geographical distribution.

  10. Simulation and optimization study on a solar space heating system combined with a low temperature ASHP for single family rural residential houses in Beijing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Jie; Tian, Zhiyong; Fan, Jianhua

    2016-01-01

    A pilot project of the solar water heating system combined with a low temperature air source heat pump (ASHP) unit was established in 2014 in a detached residential house in the rural region of Beijing, in order to investigate the system application prospect for single family houses via system...... optimization design and economic analysis. The established system was comprised of the glass heat-pipe based evacuated tube solar collectors with a gross area of 18.8 m2 and an ASHP with a stated heating power of 8 kW for the space heating of a single family rural house of 81.4 m2. The dynamic thermal...... with good building insulation were undertaken to figure out the system economical efficiency in the rural regions of Beijing. The results show that the payback periods of the solar space heating system combined with the ASHP with the collector areas 15.04-22.56 m2 are 17.3-22.4 years for the established...

  11. Epithelial organization and cyst lumen expansion require efficient Sec13–Sec31-driven secretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townley, Anna K.; Schmidt, Katy; Hodgson, Lorna; Stephens, David J.

    2012-01-01

    Epithelial morphogenesis is directed by interactions with the underlying extracellular matrix. Secretion of collagen and other matrix components requires efficient coat complex II (COPII) vesicle formation at the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we show that suppression of the outer layer COPII component, Sec13, in zebrafish embryos results in a disorganized gut epithelium. In human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2), Sec13 depletion causes defective epithelial polarity and organization on permeable supports. Defects are seen in the ability of cells to adhere to the substrate, form a monolayer and form intercellular junctions. When embedded in a three-dimensional matrix, Sec13-depleted Caco-2 cells form cysts but, unlike controls, are defective in lumen expansion. Incorporation of primary fibroblasts within the three-dimensional culture substantially restores normal morphogenesis. We conclude that efficient COPII-dependent secretion, notably assembly of Sec13–Sec31, is required to drive epithelial morphogenesis in both two- and three-dimensional cultures in vitro, as well as in vivo. Our results provide insight into the role of COPII in epithelial morphogenesis and have implications for the interpretation of epithelial polarity and organization assays in cell culture. PMID:22331354

  12. Delivery of CSF-1R to the lumen of macropinosomes promotes its destruction in macrophages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Jieqiong; Low-Nam, Shalini T.; Kerkvliet, Jason G.; Hoppe, Adam D.

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Activation of the macrophage colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) by CSF-1 stimulates pronounced macropinocytosis and drives proliferation of macrophages. Although the role of macropinocytosis in CSF-1R signaling remains unknown, we show here that, despite internalizing large quantities of plasma membrane, macropinosomes contribute little to the internalization of the CSF-1–CSF-1R complex. Rather, internalization of the CSF-1R in small endocytic vesicles that are sensitive to clathrin disruption, outcompetes macropinosomes for CSF-1R endocytosis. Following internalization, small vesicles carrying the CSF-1R underwent homotypic fusion and then trafficked to newly formed macropinosomes bearing Rab5. As these macropinosomes matured, acquiring Rab7, the CSF-1R was transported into their lumen and degraded. Inhibition of macropinocytosis delayed receptor degradation despite no disruption to CSF-1R endocytosis. These data indicate that CSF-1-stimulated macropinosomes are sites of multivesicular body formation and accelerate CSF-1R degradation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that macropinocytosis and cell growth have a matching dose dependence on CSF-1, suggesting that macropinosomes might be a central mechanism coupling CSF-1R signaling and macrophage growth. PMID:25335894

  13. Blood in the gastric lumen increases splanchnic blood flow and portal pressure in portal-hypertensive rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, L; Groszmann, R J

    1996-10-01

    In portal-hypertensive humans, portal blood flow and pressure increase after a meal. These hemodynamic changes may increase variceal rupture risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether blood in the stomach lumen increases splanchnic flow and portal pressure (PP) in portal-hypertensive rats. superior mesenteric artery flow and PP were measured in conscious, unrestrained, fasted partial portal vein-ligated rats with chronically implanted Doppler flow probes or portal vein catheters before and after gavage with heparinized, warmed blood from donor rats, air, standard meal, or empty tube. Percentage of changes in flow and pressure from baseline were significantly greater after gavage with blood (an increase of 22.6% +/- 3.5% and an increase of 16.4% +/- 3.1%, respectively) than empty tube (an increase of 3.4% +/- 0.6% and a decrease of 5.4% +/- 3.5%, respectively) (P empty tube (P calories probably contributes to these hemodynamic changes. In patients with variceal hemorrhage, blood in the stomach may increase the risk of persistent variceal bleeding or rebleeding.

  14. Investigating steam penetration using thermometric methods in dental handpieces with narrow internal lumens during sterilizing processes with non-vacuum or vacuum processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winter, S; Smith, A; Lappin, D; McDonagh, G; Kirk, B

    2017-12-01

    Dental handpieces are required to be sterilized between patient use. Vacuum steam sterilization processes with fractionated pre/post-vacuum phases or unique cycles for specified medical devices are required for hollow instruments with internal lumens to assure successful air removal. Entrapped air will compromise achievement of required sterilization conditions. Many countries and professional organizations still advocate non-vacuum sterilization processes for these devices. To investigate non-vacuum downward/gravity displacement, type-N steam sterilization of dental handpieces, using thermometric methods to measure time to achieve sterilization temperature at different handpiece locations. Measurements at different positions within air turbines were undertaken with thermocouples and data loggers. Two examples of widely used UK benchtop steam sterilizers were tested: a non-vacuum benchtop sterilizer (Little Sister 3; Eschmann, Lancing, UK) and a vacuum benchtop sterilizer (Lisa; W&H, Bürmoos, Austria). Each sterilizer cycle was completed with three handpieces and each cycle in triplicate. A total of 140 measurements inside dental handpiece lumens were recorded. The non-vacuum process failed (time range: 0-150 s) to reliably achieve sterilization temperatures within the time limit specified by the international standard (15 s equilibration time). The measurement point at the base of the handpiece failed in all test runs (N = 9) to meet the standard. No failures were detected with the vacuum steam sterilization type B process with fractionated pre-vacuum and post-vacuum phases. Non-vacuum downward/gravity displacement, type-N steam sterilization processes are unreliable in achieving sterilization conditions inside dental handpieces, and the base of the handpiece is the site most likely to fail. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Modified Single Stapler Technique in Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akbaba, D.; Ersoy, P.E.; Gundogdu, R.H.

    2015-01-01

    Technical difficulties during colorectal surgery increase the complication rates. We introduce a modified single stapler technique for patients in whom technical problems are encountered while performing double stapler technique. Before pelvic dissection, descending colon is divided at minimum 10 cm proximal to the tumoral segment. Tumor specific mesorectal excision is performed and two purse string sutures are placed at the distal margin with an interval of 1 - 2 cm. After introducing a circular stapler via the anus, the distal purse string suture is tied around the central shaft of the stapler and the proximal purse string suture around the colonic lumen. After the resection is completed between the two sutures, the anvil shaft is connected to the central shaft and the stapler is closed and fired. None of the patients had an anastomotic leak. This technique may be a safe alternative particularly in patients with narrow pelvis and distal tumors. (author)

  16. TANK SPACE OPTIONS REPORT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Willis, W.L.; Ahrendt, M.R.

    2009-01-01

    Since this report was originally issued in 2001, several options proposed for increasing double-shell tank (DST) storage space were implemented or are in the process of implementation. Changes to the single-shell tank (SST) waste retrieval schedule, completion of DST space saving options, and the DST space saving options in progress have delayed the projected shortfall of DST storage space from the 2007-2011 to the 2018-2025 timeframe (ORP-11242, River Protection Project System Plan). This report reevaluates options from Rev. 0 and includes evaluations of new options for alleviating projected restrictions on SST waste retrieval beginning in 2018 because of the lack of DST storage space.

  17. Protection of thylakoids against combined light and drought by a lumenal substance in the resurrection plant Haberlea rhodopensis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgieva, Katya; Sárvári, Éva; Keresztes, Áron

    2010-01-01

    Background and Aims Haberlea rhodopensis is a perennial, herbaceous, saxicolous, poikilohydric flowering plant that is able to survive desiccation to air-dried state under irradiance below 30 µmol m−2 s−1. However, desiccation at irradiance of 350 µmol m−2 s−1 induced irreversible changes in the photosynthetic apparatus, and mature leaves did not recover after rehydration. The aim here was to establish the causes and mechanisms of irreversible damage of the photosynthetic apparatus due to dehydration at high irradiance, and to elucidate the mechanisms determining recovery. Methods Changes in chloroplast structure, CO2 assimilation, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, fluorescence imaging and the polypeptide patterns during desiccation of Haberlea under medium (100 µmol m−2 s−1; ML) irradiance were compared with those under low (30 µmol m−2 s−1; LL) irradiance. Key Results Well-watered plants (control) at 100 µmol m−2 s−1 were not damaged. Plants desiccated at LL or ML had similar rates of water loss. Dehydration at ML decreased the quantum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry, and particularly the CO2 assimilation rate, more rapidly than at LL. Dehydration induced accumulation of stress proteins in leaves under both LL and ML. Photosynthetic activity and polypeptide composition were completely restored in LL plants after 1 week of rehydration, but changes persisted under ML conditions. Electron microscopy of structural changes in the chloroplast showed that the thylakoid lumen is filled with an electron-dense substance (dense luminal substance, DLS), while the thylakoid membranes are lightly stained. Upon dehydration and rehydration the DLS thinned and disappeared, the time course largely depending on the illumination: whereas DLS persisted during desiccation and started to disappear during late recovery under LL, it disappeared from the onset of dehydration and later was completely lost under ML. Conclusions Accumulation of DLS

  18. Sequence polymorphism in an insect RNA virus field population: A snapshot from a single point in space and time reveals stochastic differences among and within individual hosts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stenger, Drake C., E-mail: drake.stenger@ars.usda.gov [USDA, Agricultural Research Service, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, 9611 South Riverbend Ave., Parlier, CA 93648-9757 (United States); Krugner, Rodrigo [USDA, Agricultural Research Service, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, 9611 South Riverbend Ave., Parlier, CA 93648-9757 (United States); Nouri, Shahideh; Ferriol, Inmaculada; Falk, Bryce W. [Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Sisterson, Mark S. [USDA, Agricultural Research Service, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, 9611 South Riverbend Ave., Parlier, CA 93648-9757 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Population structure of Homalodisca coagulata Virus-1 (HoCV-1) among and within field-collected insects sampled from a single point in space and time was examined. Polymorphism in complete consensus sequences among single-insect isolates was dominated by synonymous substitutions. The mutant spectrum of the C2 helicase region within each single-insect isolate was unique and dominated by nonsynonymous singletons. Bootstrapping was used to correct the within-isolate nonsynonymous:synonymous arithmetic ratio (N:S) for RT-PCR error, yielding an N:S value ~one log-unit greater than that of consensus sequences. Probability of all possible single-base substitutions for the C2 region predicted N:S values within 95% confidence limits of the corrected within-isolate N:S when the only constraint imposed was viral polymerase error bias for transitions over transversions. These results indicate that bottlenecks coupled with strong negative/purifying selection drive consensus sequences toward neutral sequence space, and that most polymorphism within single-insect isolates is composed of newly-minted mutations sampled prior to selection. -- Highlights: •Sampling protocol minimized differential selection/history among isolates. •Polymorphism among consensus sequences dominated by negative/purifying selection. •Within-isolate N:S ratio corrected for RT-PCR error by bootstrapping. •Within-isolate mutant spectrum dominated by new mutations yet to undergo selection.

  19. Photoaffinity labeling of the lumenal K+ site of the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keeling, D.J.; Fallowfield, C.; Lawrie, K.M.; Saunders, D.; Richardson, S.; Ife, R.J.

    1989-01-01

    A photoaffinity label for the lumenal K+ site of the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase has been identified. Seven azido derivatives based upon the reversible K+ site inhibitor SCH 28080 were studied, one of which, m-ATIP (8-(3-azidophenylmethoxy)-1,2,3-trimethylimidazo[1,2-a] pyridinium iodide), was subsequently synthesized in radiolabeled form. In the absence of UV irradiation, m-ATIP inhibited K+ -stimulated ATPase activity in lyophilized gastric vesicles competitively with respect to K+, with a Ki value of 2.4 microM at pH 7.0. Irradiation of lyophilized gastric vesicles at pH 7.0 with [ 14 C]m-ATIP in the presence of 0.2 mM ATP resulted in a time-dependent inactivation of ATPase activity that was associated with an incorporation of radioactivity into a 100-kDa polypeptide representing the catalytic subunit of the (H+ + K+)-ATPase. Both inactivation and incorporation were blocked in the presence of 10 mM KCl but not with 10 mM NaCl, consistent with interaction at the K+ site. The level of incorporation required to produce complete inhibition of ATPase activity was 1.9 +/- 0.2 times the number of catalytic phosphorylation sites in the same preparation. Tryptic digestion of gastric vesicle membranes, labeled with [ 14 C]m-ATIP, failed to release the radioactivity from the membranes suggesting that the site of interaction was close to or within the membrane-spanning sections of this ion pump

  20. Common Fixed Points of Mappings and Set-Valued Mappings in Symmetric Spaces with Application to Probabilistic Spaces

    OpenAIRE

    M. Aamri; A. Bassou; S. Bennani; D. El Moutawakil

    2007-01-01

    The main purpose of this paper is to give some common fixed point theorems of mappings and set-valued mappings of a symmetric space with some applications to probabilistic spaces. In order to get these results, we define the concept of E-weak compatibility between set-valued and single-valued mappings of a symmetric space.

  1. Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors for High-Data-Rate Deep-Space Optical Communication

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — High data rate deep space optical communication (DSOC) links for manned and unmanned space exploration have been identified by NASA as a critical future capability,...

  2. Ultrafast Single-Shot Optical Oscilloscope based on Time-to-Space Conversion due to Temporal and Spatial Walk-Off Effects in Nonlinear Mixing Crystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takagi, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Yoshifumi; Ishikawa, Kiyoshi; Shimizu, Seiji; Sakabe, Shuji

    2005-09-01

    A simple method for single-shot sub-picosecond optical pulse diagnostics has been demonstrated by imaging the time evolution of the optical mixing onto the beam cross section of the sum-frequency wave when the interrogating pulse passes over the tested pulse in the mixing crystal as a result of the combined effect of group-velocity difference and walk-off beam propagation. A high linearity of the time-to-space projection is deduced from the process solely dependent upon the spatial uniformity of the refractive indices. A snap profile of the accidental coincidence between asynchronous pulses from separate mode-locked lasers has been detected, which demonstrates the single-shot ability.

  3. Coronary magnetic resonance imaging: visualization of the vessel lumen and the vessel wall and molecular imaging of arteriothrombosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spuentrup, Elmar; Botnar, Rene M.

    2006-01-01

    Coronary magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has dramatically emerged over the last decade. Technical improvements have enabled reliable visualization of the proximal and midportion of the coronary artery tree for exclusion of significant coronary artery disease. However, current technical developments focus also on direct visualization of the diseased coronary vessel wall and imaging of coronary plaque because plaques without stenoses are typically more vulnerable with higher risk of plaque rupture. Plaque rupture with subsequent thrombosis and vessel occlusion is the main cause of myocardial infarction. Very recently, the first success of molecular imaging in the coronary arteries has been demonstrated using a fibrin-specific contrast agent for selective visualization of coronary thrombosis. This demonstrates in general the high potential of molecular MR imaging in the field of coronary artery disease. In this review, we will address recent technical advances in coronary MR imaging, including visualization of the lumen and the vessel wall and molecular imaging of coronary arteriothrombosis. First results of these new approaches will be discussed. (orig.)

  4. Simplicial models for trace spaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raussen, Martin

    Directed Algebraic Topology studies topological spaces in which certain directed paths (d-paths) - in general irreversible - are singled out. The main interest concerns the spaces of directed paths between given end points - and how those vary under variation of the end points. The original...... motivation stems from certain models for concurrent computation. So far, spaces of d-paths and their topological invariants have only been determined in cases that were elementary to overlook. In this paper, we develop a systematic approach describing spaces of directed paths - up to homotopy equivalence...

  5. Numerical Investigation of Characteristic of Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Natural Fiber Bundle with Numbered Lumens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guan-Yu Zheng

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Natural fiber bundle like hemp fiber bundle usually includes many small lumens embedded in solid region; thus, it can present lower thermal conduction than that of conventional fibers. In the paper, characteristic of anisotropic transverse thermal conductivity of unidirectional natural hemp fiber bundle was numerically studied to determine the dependence of overall thermal property of the fiber bundle on that of the solid region phase. In order to efficiently predict its thermal property, the fiber bundle was embedded into an imaginary matrix to form a unit composite cell consisting of the matrix and the fiber bundle. Equally, another unit composite cell including an equivalent solid fiber was established to present the homogenization of the fiber bundle. Next, finite element thermal analysis implemented by ABAQUS was conducted in the two established composite cells by applying proper thermal boundary conditions along the boundary of unit cell, and influences of the solid region phase and the equivalent solid fiber on the composites were investigated, respectively. Subsequently, an optional relationship of thermal conductivities of the natural fiber bundle and the solid region was obtained by curve fitting technique. Finally, numerical results from the obtained fitted curves were compared with the analytic Hasselman-Johnson’s results and others to verify the present numerical model.

  6. WBRT vs. APBI: an interim report of patient satisfaction and outcomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha M. Bitter

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose : To determine differences in patient’s reported quality of life and self-reported breast cosmesis between whole breast radiation therapy (WBRT and accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI via single and multi-lumen high-dose-rate (HDR brachytherapy for women with early stage breast cancer. Material and methods: Patient information was retrospectively reviewed and survey data were prospectively collected for women treated between 2004 to 2014 (APBI and 2012 to 2014 (WBRT. Criteria for APBI treatments were ER+ (after 2010, N0 (after 2010, T 0.05. Conclusions : APBI treated patients reported higher cosmetic satisfaction than patients in the matched WBRT cohort. Quality of life scores tended to improve over time. Multi-lumen catheters provided superior cosmetic results compared to single-lumen catheters.

  7. Harmonic Instability Analysis of Single-Phase Grid Connected Converter using Harmonic State Space (HSS) modeling method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kwon, Jun Bum; Wang, Xiongfei; Bak, Claus Leth

    2015-01-01

    The increasing number of renewable energy sources at the distribution grid is becoming a major issue for utility companies, since the grid connected converters are operating at different operating points due to the probabilistic characteristics of renewable energy. Besides, typically, the harmonics...... proposes a new model of a single phase grid connected renewable energy source using the Harmonic State Space modeling approach, which is able to identify such problems and the model can be extended to be applied in the multiple connected converter analysis. The modeling results show the different harmonic...... and impedance from other renewable energy sources are not taken carefully into account in the installation and design. However, this may bring an unknown harmonic instability into the multiple power sourced system and also make the analysis difficult due to the complexity of the grid network. This paper...

  8. Cleaning Effectiveness of a Reciprocating Single-file and a Conventional Rotary Instrumentation System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Carvalho, Fredson Marcio Acris; Gonçalves, Leonardo Cantanhede de Oliveira; Marques, André Augusto Franco; Alves, Vanessa; Bueno, Carlos Eduardo da Silveira; De Martin, Alexandre Sigrist

    2016-01-01

    To compare cleaning effectiveness by histological analysis of a reciprocating single-file system with ProTaper rotary instruments during the preparation of curved root canals in extracted teeth. A total of 40 root canals with curvatures ranging between 20 - 40 degrees were divided into two groups of 20 canals. Canals were prepared to the following apical sizes: Reciproc size 25 (n=20); ProTaper: F2 (n=20). The normal distribution of data was tested by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the values obtained for the test (Mann-Whitney U test, P .05) between the two groups. The application of reciprocating motion during instrumentation did not result in increased debris when compared with continuous rotation motion, even in the apical part of curved canals. Both instruments resulted in debris in the canal lumen, irrespective of the movement kinematics applied.

  9. High-resolution computed tomography evaluation of the bronchial lumen to vertebral body diameter and pulmonary artery to vertebral body diameter ratios in anesthetized ventilated normal cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee-Fowler, Tekla M; Cole, Robert C; Dillon, A Ray; Tillson, D Michael; Garbarino, Rachel; Barney, Sharron

    2017-10-01

    Objectives Bronchial lumen to pulmonary artery diameter (BA) ratio has been utilized to investigate pulmonary pathology on high-resolution CT images. Diseases affecting both the bronchi and pulmonary arteries render the BA ratio less useful. The purpose of the study was to establish bronchial lumen diameter to vertebral body diameter (BV) and pulmonary artery diameter to vertebral body diameter (AV) ratios in normal cats. Methods Using high-resolution CT images, 16 sets of measurements (sixth thoracic vertebral body [mid-body], each lobar bronchi and companion pulmonary artery diameter) were acquired from young adult female cats and 41 sets from pubertal female cats. Results Young adult and pubertal cat BV ratios were not statistically different from each other in any lung lobe. Significant differences between individual lung lobe BV ratios were noted on combined age group analysis. Caudal lung lobe AV ratios were significantly different between young adult and pubertal cats. All other lung lobe AV ratios were not significantly different. Caudal lung lobe AV ratios were significantly different from all other lung lobes but not from each other in both the young adult and pubertal cats. Conclusions and relevance BV ratio reference intervals determined for individual lung lobes could be applied to both young adult and pubertal cats. Separate AV ratios for individual lung lobes would be required for young adult and pubertal cats. These ratios should allow more accurate evaluation of cats with concurrent bronchial and pulmonary arterial disease.

  10. High core count single-mode multicore fiber for dense space division multiplexing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aikawa, K.; Sasaki, Y.; Amma, Y.

    2016-01-01

    Multicore fibers and few-mode fibers have the potential to realize dense-space-division multiplexing systems. Several dense-space-division multiplexing system transmission experiments over multicore fibers and few-mode fibers have been demonstrated so far. Multicore fibers, including recent resul...

  11. High-speed single-photon signaling for daytime QKD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bienfang, Joshua; Restelli, Alessandro; Clark, Charles

    2011-03-01

    The distribution of quantum-generated cryptographic key at high throughputs can be critically limited by the performance of the systems' single-photon detectors. While noise and afterpulsing are considerations for all single-photon QKD systems, high-transmission rate systems also have critical detector timing-resolution and recovery time requirements. We present experimental results exploiting the high timing resolution and count-rate stability of modified single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in our GHz QKD system operating over a 1.5 km free-space link that demonstrate the ability to apply extremely short temporal gates, enabling daytime free-space QKD with a 4% QBER. We also discuss recent advances in gating techniques for InGaAs SPADs that are suitable for high-speed fiber-based QKD. We present afterpulse-probability measurements that demonstrate the ability to support single-photon count rates above 100 MHz with low afterpulse probability. These results will benefit the design and characterization of free-space and fiber QKD systems. A. Restelli, J.C. Bienfang A. Mink, and C.W. Clark, IEEE J. Sel. Topics in Quant. Electron 16, 1084 (2010).

  12. SU-F-T-20: Novel Catheter Lumen Recognition Algorithm for Rapid Digitization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dise, J; McDonald, D; Ashenafi, M; Peng, J; Mart, C; Koch, N; Vanek, K [Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Manual catheter recognition remains a time-consuming aspect of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR) treatment planning. In this work, a novel catheter lumen recognition algorithm was created for accurate and rapid digitization. Methods: MatLab v8.5 was used to create the catheter recognition algorithm. Initially, the algorithm searches the patient CT dataset using an intensity based k-means filter designed to locate catheters. Once the catheters have been located, seed points are manually selected to initialize digitization of each catheter. From each seed point, the algorithm searches locally in order to automatically digitize the remaining catheter. This digitization is accomplished by finding pixels with similar image curvature and divergence parameters compared to the seed pixel. Newly digitized pixels are treated as new seed positions, and hessian image analysis is used to direct the algorithm toward neighboring catheter pixels, and to make the algorithm insensitive to adjacent catheters that are unresolvable on CT, air pockets, and high Z artifacts. The algorithm was tested using 11 HDR treatment plans, including the Syed template, tandem and ovoid applicator, and multi-catheter lung brachytherapy. Digitization error was calculated by comparing manually determined catheter positions to those determined by the algorithm. Results: he digitization error was 0.23 mm ± 0.14 mm axially and 0.62 mm ± 0.13 mm longitudinally at the tip. The time of digitization, following initial seed placement was less than 1 second per catheter. The maximum total time required to digitize all tested applicators was 4 minutes (Syed template with 15 needles). Conclusion: This algorithm successfully digitizes HDR catheters for a variety of applicators with or without CT markers. The minimal axial error demonstrates the accuracy of the algorithm, and its insensitivity to image artifacts and challenging catheter positioning. Future work to automatically place initial seed

  13. SU-F-T-20: Novel Catheter Lumen Recognition Algorithm for Rapid Digitization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dise, J; McDonald, D; Ashenafi, M; Peng, J; Mart, C; Koch, N; Vanek, K

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Manual catheter recognition remains a time-consuming aspect of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR) treatment planning. In this work, a novel catheter lumen recognition algorithm was created for accurate and rapid digitization. Methods: MatLab v8.5 was used to create the catheter recognition algorithm. Initially, the algorithm searches the patient CT dataset using an intensity based k-means filter designed to locate catheters. Once the catheters have been located, seed points are manually selected to initialize digitization of each catheter. From each seed point, the algorithm searches locally in order to automatically digitize the remaining catheter. This digitization is accomplished by finding pixels with similar image curvature and divergence parameters compared to the seed pixel. Newly digitized pixels are treated as new seed positions, and hessian image analysis is used to direct the algorithm toward neighboring catheter pixels, and to make the algorithm insensitive to adjacent catheters that are unresolvable on CT, air pockets, and high Z artifacts. The algorithm was tested using 11 HDR treatment plans, including the Syed template, tandem and ovoid applicator, and multi-catheter lung brachytherapy. Digitization error was calculated by comparing manually determined catheter positions to those determined by the algorithm. Results: he digitization error was 0.23 mm ± 0.14 mm axially and 0.62 mm ± 0.13 mm longitudinally at the tip. The time of digitization, following initial seed placement was less than 1 second per catheter. The maximum total time required to digitize all tested applicators was 4 minutes (Syed template with 15 needles). Conclusion: This algorithm successfully digitizes HDR catheters for a variety of applicators with or without CT markers. The minimal axial error demonstrates the accuracy of the algorithm, and its insensitivity to image artifacts and challenging catheter positioning. Future work to automatically place initial seed

  14. Compactly supported frames for decomposition spaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Morten; Rasmussen, Kenneth Niemann

    2012-01-01

    In this article we study a construction of compactly supported frame expansions for decomposition spaces of Triebel-Lizorkin type and for the associated modulation spaces. This is done by showing that finite linear combinations of shifts and dilates of a single function with sufficient decay in b...

  15. Dosimetric considerations and early clinical experience of accelerated partial breast irradiation using multi-lumen applicators in the setting of breast augmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akhtari, Mani; Pino, Ramiro; Scarboro, Sarah B.; Bass, Barbara L.; Miltenburg, Darlene M.; Butler, E. Brian

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is an accepted treatment option in breast-conserving therapy for early stage breast cancer. However, data regarding outcomes of patients treated with multi-lumen catheter systems who have existing breast implants is limited. The purpose of this study was to report treatment parameters, outcomes, and possible dosimetric correlation with cosmetic outcome for this population of patients at our institution. Material and methods We report the treatment and outcome of seven consecutive patients with existing breast implants and early stage breast cancer who were treated between 2009 and 2013 using APBI following lumpectomy. All patients were treated twice per day for five days to a total dose of 34 Gy using a high-dose-rate 192Ir source. Cosmetic outcomes were evaluated using the Harvard breast cosmesis scale, and late toxicities were reported using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) late radiation morbidity schema. Results After a mean follow-up of 32 months, all patients have remained cancer free. Six out of seven patients had an excellent or good cosmetic outcome. There were no grade 3 or 4 late toxicities. The average total breast implant volume was 279.3 cc, received an average mean dose of 12.1 Gy, and a maximum dose of 234.1 Gy. The average percentage of breast implant volume receiving 50%, 75%, 100%, 150%, and 200% of the prescribed dose was 15.6%, 7.03%, 4.6%, 1.58%, and 0.46%, respectively. Absolute volume of breast implants receiving more than 50% of prescribed dose correlated with worse cosmetic outcomes. Conclusions Accelerated partial breast irradiation using a multi-lumen applicator in patients with existing breast implants can safely be performed with promising early clinical results. The presence of the implant did not compromise the ability to achieve dosimetric criteria; however, dose to the implant and the irradiated implant volume may be related with worse cosmetic outcomes. PMID:26816499

  16. Pulmonary Dead Space Fraction and Extubation Success in Children After Cardiac Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devor, Renee L; Kang, Paul; Wellnitz, Chasity; Nigro, John J; Velez, Daniel A; Willis, Brigham C

    2018-04-01

    1) Determine the correlation between pulmonary dead space fraction and extubation success in postoperative pediatric cardiac patients; and 2) document the natural history of pulmonary dead space fractions, dynamic compliance, and airway resistance during the first 72 hours postoperatively in postoperative pediatric cardiac patients. A retrospective chart review. Cardiac ICU in a quaternary care free-standing children's hospital. Twenty-nine with balanced single ventricle physiology, 61 with two ventricle physiology. None. We collected data for all pediatric patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery over a 14-month period during the first 72 hours postoperatively as well as prior to extubation. Overall, patients with successful extubations had lower preextubation dead space fractions and shorter lengths of stay. Single ventricle patients had higher initial postoperative and preextubation dead space fractions. Two-ventricle physiology patients had higher extubation failure rates if the preextubation dead space fraction was greater than 0.5, whereas single ventricle patients had similar extubation failure rates whether preextubation dead space fractions were less than or equal to 0.5 or greater than 0.5. Additionally, increasing initial dead space fraction values predicted prolonged mechanical ventilation times. Airway resistance and dynamic compliance were similar between those with successful extubations and those who failed. Initial postoperative dead space fraction correlates with the length of mechanical ventilation in two ventricle patients but not in single ventricle patients. Lower preextubation dead space fractions are a strong predictor of successful extubation in two ventricle patients after cardiac surgery, but may not be as useful in single ventricle patients.

  17. Cortical Spreading Depression Closes Paravascular Space and Impairs Glymphatic Flow: Implications for Migraine Headache.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schain, Aaron J; Melo-Carrillo, Agustin; Strassman, Andrew M; Burstein, Rami

    2017-03-15

    Functioning of the glymphatic system, a network of paravascular tunnels through which cortical interstitial solutes are cleared from the brain, has recently been linked to sleep and traumatic brain injury, both of which can affect the progression of migraine. This led us to investigate the connection between migraine and the glymphatic system. Taking advantage of a novel in vivo method we developed using two-photon microscopy to visualize the paravascular space (PVS) in naive uninjected mice, we show that a single wave of cortical spreading depression (CSD), an animal model of migraine aura, induces a rapid and nearly complete closure of the PVS around surface as well as penetrating cortical arteries and veins lasting several minutes, and gradually recovering over 30 min. A temporal mismatch between the constriction or dilation of the blood vessel lumen and the closure of the PVS suggests that this closure is not likely to result from changes in vessel diameter. We also show that CSD impairs glymphatic flow, as indicated by the reduced rate at which intraparenchymally injected dye was cleared from the cortex to the PVS. This is the first observation of a PVS closure in connection with an abnormal cortical event that underlies a neurological disorder. More specifically, the findings demonstrate a link between the glymphatic system and migraine, and suggest a novel mechanism for regulation of glymphatic flow. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Impairment of brain solute clearance through the recently described glymphatic system has been linked with traumatic brain injury, prolonged wakefulness, and aging. This paper shows that cortical spreading depression, the neural correlate of migraine aura, closes the paravascular space and impairs glymphatic flow. This closure holds the potential to define a novel mechanism for regulation of glymphatic flow. It also implicates the glymphatic system in the altered cortical and endothelial functioning of the migraine brain. Copyright © 2017

  18. Optical design and studies of a tiled single grating pulse compressor for enhanced parametric space and compensation of tiling errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daiya, D.; Patidar, R. K.; Sharma, J.; Joshi, A. S.; Naik, P. A.; Gupta, P. D.

    2017-04-01

    A new optical design of tiled single grating pulse compressor has been proposed, set-up and studied. The parametric space, i.e. the laser beam diameters that can be accommodated in the pulse compressor for the given range of compression lengths, has been calculated and shown to have up to two fold enhancement in comparison to our earlier proposed optical designs. The new optical design of the tiled single grating pulse compressor has an additional advantage of self compensation of various tiling errors like longitudinal and lateral piston, tip and groove density mismatch, compared to the earlier designs. Experiments have been carried out for temporal compression of 650 ps positively chirped laser pulses, at central wavelength 1054 nm, down to 235 fs in the tiled grating pulse compressor set up with the proposed design. Further, far field studies have been performed to show the desired compensation of the tiling errors takes place in the new compressor.

  19. Space Maintenance with an Innovative ?Tube and Loop? Space Maintainer (Nikhil Appliance)

    OpenAIRE

    Srivastava, Nikhil; Grover, Jyotika; Panthri, Prerna

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Despite the best efforts in prevention, premature loss of primary teeth continues to be a common problem in pediatric dentistry, resulting in disruption of arch integrity and adversely affecting the proper alignment of permanent successors. Space maintainers (SMs) are special appliances used for maintaining space created due to premature loss of primary teeth. Band and loop SM is mostly indicated for the premature loss of single primary molar, but this appliance has a number of limit...

  20. Microbial Challenge Testing of Single Liquid Cathode Feed Water Electrolysis Cells for the International Space Station (ISS) Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Robert J.; Wilson, Mark E.; Diderich, Greg S.; Steele, John W.

    2011-01-01

    The International Space Station (ISS) Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA) operational performance may be adversely impacted by microbiological growth and biofilm formation over the electrolysis cell membranes. Biofilms could hinder the transport of water from the bulk fluid stream to the membranes and increase the cell concentration overpotential resulting in higher cell voltages and a shorter cell life. A microbial challenge test was performed on duplicate single liquid-cathode feed water electrolysis cells to evaluate operational performance with increasing levels of a mixture of five bacteria isolated from ISS and Space Shuttle potable water systems. Baseline performance of the single water electrolysis cells was determined for approximately one month with deionized water. Monthly performance was also determined following each inoculation of the feed tank with 100, 1000, 10,000 and 100,000 cells/ml of the mixed suspension of test bacteria. Water samples from the feed tank and recirculating water loops for each cell were periodically analyzed for enumeration and speciation of bacteria and total organic carbon. While initially a concern, this test program has demonstrated that the performance of the electrolysis cell is not adversely impacted by feed water containing the five species of bacteria tested at a concentration measured as high as 1,000,000 colony forming units (CFU)/ml. This paper presents the methodologies used in the conduct of this test program along with the performance test results at each level of bacteria concentration.

  1. Radiation effects on microelectronics in space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srour, J.R.; McGarrity, J.M.

    1988-01-01

    The basic mechanisms of space radiation effects on microelectronics are reviewed in this paper. Topics discussed include the effects of displacement damage and ionizing radiation on devices and circuits, single event phenomena, dose enhancement, radiation effects on optoelectronic devices and passive components, hardening approaches, and simulation of the space radiation environment. A summary is presented of damage mechanisms that can cause temporary or permanent failure of devices and circuits operating in space

  2. Computed Tomographic Window Setting for Bronchial Measurement to Guide Double-Lumen Tube Size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Jeong-Hwa; Bae, Jinyoung; Paik, Hyesun; Koo, Chang-Hoon; Bahk, Jae-Hyon

    2018-04-01

    The bronchial diameter measured on computed tomography (CT) can be used to guide double-lumen tube (DLT) sizes objectively. The bronchus is known to be measured most accurately in the so-called bronchial CT window. The authors investigated whether using the bronchial window results in the selection of more appropriately sized DLTs than using the other windows. CT image analysis and prospective randomized study. Tertiary hospital. Adults receiving left-sided DLTs. The authors simulated selection of DLT sizes based on the left bronchial diameters measured in the lung (width 1,500 Hounsfield unit [HU] and level -700 HU), bronchial (1,000 HU and -450 HU), and mediastinal (400 HU and 25 HU) CT windows. Furthermore, patients were randomly assigned to undergo imaging with either the bronchial or mediastinal window to guide DLT sizes. Using the underwater seal technique, the authors assessed whether the DLT was appropriately sized, undersized, or oversized for the patient. On 130 CT images, the bronchial diameter (9.9 ± 1.2 mm v 10.5 ± 1.3 mm v 11.7 ± 1.3 mm) and the selected DLT size were different in the lung, bronchial, and mediastinal windows, respectively (p study, oversized tubes were chosen less frequently in the bronchial window than in the mediastinal window (6/110 v 23/111; risk ratio 0.38; 95% CI 0.19-0.79; p = 0.003). No tubes were undersized after measurements in these two windows. The bronchial measurement in the bronchial window guided more appropriately sized DLTs compared with the lung or mediastinal windows. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Cost-estimating relationships for space programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandell, Humboldt C., Jr.

    1992-01-01

    Cost-estimating relationships (CERs) are defined and discussed as they relate to the estimation of theoretical costs for space programs. The paper primarily addresses CERs based on analogous relationships between physical and performance parameters to estimate future costs. Analytical estimation principles are reviewed examining the sources of errors in cost models, and the use of CERs is shown to be affected by organizational culture. Two paradigms for cost estimation are set forth: (1) the Rand paradigm for single-culture single-system methods; and (2) the Price paradigms that incorporate a set of cultural variables. For space programs that are potentially subject to even small cultural changes, the Price paradigms are argued to be more effective. The derivation and use of accurate CERs is important for developing effective cost models to analyze the potential of a given space program.

  4. Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Gelatin–Alginate Hydrogels to Stomach Lumen for Treatment of Gastroparesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Binata Joddar

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Gastroparesis (GP is associated with depletion of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs and enteric neurons, which leads to pyloric dysfunction followed by severe nausea, vomiting and delayed gastric emptying. Regenerating these fundamental structures with mesenchymal stem cell (MSC therapy would be helpful to restore gastric function in GP. MSCs have been successfully used in animal models of other gastrointestinal (GI diseases, including colitis. However, no study has been performed with these cells on GP animals. In this study, we explored whether mouse MSCs can be delivered from a hydrogel scaffold to the luminal surfaces of mice stomach explants. Mouse MSCs were seeded atop alginate–gelatin, coated with poly-l-lysine. These cell–gel constructs were placed atop stomach explants facing the luminal side. MSCs grew uniformly all across the gel surface within 48 h. When placed atop the lumen of the stomach, MSCs migrated from the gels to the tissues, as confirmed by positive staining with vimentin and N-cadherin. Thus, the feasibility of transplanting a cell–gel construct to deliver stem cells in the stomach wall was successfully shown in a mice stomach explant model, thereby making a significant advance towards envisioning the transplantation of an entire tissue-engineered ‘gastric patch’ or ‘microgels’ with cells and growth factors.

  5. Single-mode multicore fiber for dense space division multiplexing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sasaki, Yusuke; Amma, Yoshimichi; Takenaga, Katsuhiro

    2016-01-01

    Single-mode multicore fiber (SM-MCF) is attractive for high-capacity transmission. Our fabricated SM-MCFs achieve high core count and low crosstalk with a cladding diameter of 230 µm. Characteristics of fan-in/fan-out for the SM-MCFs are also investigated....

  6. mode of collapse of square single panel reinforced concrete space

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    eobe

    The behavior of the structural elements of a space-framed structure depends on their support conditions. These .... storey frame system, the combination of strut action and of a ... provided by concrete can be estimated using equation. (4). = +.

  7. European accelerator facilities for single event effects testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adams, L; Nickson, R; Harboe-Sorensen, R [ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk (Netherlands); Hajdas, W; Berger, G

    1997-03-01

    Single event effects are an important hazard to spacecraft and payloads. The advances in component technology, with shrinking dimensions and increasing complexity will give even more importance to single event effects in the future. The ground test facilities are complex and expensive and the complexities of installing a facility are compounded by the requirement that maximum control is to be exercised by users largely unfamiliar with accelerator technology. The PIF and the HIF are the result of experience gained in the field of single event effects testing and represent a unique collaboration between space technology and accelerator experts. Both facilities form an essential part of the European infrastructure supporting space projects. (J.P.N.)

  8. Phase Space Exchange in Thick Wedge Absorbers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neuffer, David [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

    2017-01-01

    The problem of phase space exchange in wedge absorbers with ionization cooling is discussed. The wedge absorber exchanges transverse and longitudinal phase space by introducing a position-dependent energy loss. In this paper we note that the wedges used with ionization cooling are relatively thick, so that single wedges cause relatively large changes in beam phase space. Calculation methods adapted to such “thick wedge” cases are presented, and beam phase-space transformations through such wedges are discussed.

  9. Space charge effects: tune shifts and resonances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weng, W.T.

    1986-08-01

    The effects of space charge and beam-beam interactions on single particle motion in the transverse degree of freedom are considered. The space charge force and the resulting incoherent tune shift are described, and examples are given from the AGS and CERN's PSB. Equations of motion are given for resonances in the presence of the space charge force, and particle behavior is examined under resonance and space charge conditions. Resonance phase space structure is described with and without space charge. Uniform and bunched beams are compared. Beam-beam forces and resonances and beam-beam detuning are described. 18 refs., 15 figs

  10. Boundedness and compactness of a new product-type operator from a general space to Bloch-type spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stevo Stević

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract We characterize the boundedness and compactness of a product-type operator, which, among others, includes all the products of the single composition, multiplication, and differentiation operators, from a general space to Bloch-type spaces. We also give some upper and lower bounds for the norm of the operator.

  11. Late lumen loss and intima hyperplasia after sirolimus-eluting and zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation in diabetic patients: the diabetes and drug-eluting stent (DiabeDES III) angiography and intravascular ultrasound trial

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Lisette Okkels; Mæng, Michael; Thayssen, Per

    2011-01-01

    Patients with diabetes mellitus have increased risk of in-stent restenosis after coronary stent implantation due to neointimal hyperplasia (NIH). The aim of this study was to use quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to evaluate the effects...... of the sirolimus-eluting Cypher® stent (SES) and the zotarolimus-eluting Endeavor® stent (ZES) on angiographic late lumen loss and intima hyperplasia in diabetic patients....

  12. Free-space quantum electrodynamics with a single Rydberg superatom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paris-Mandoki, Asaf; Braun, Christoph; Kumlin, Jan

    2017-01-01

    The interaction of a single photon with an individual two-level system is the textbook example of quantum electrodynamics. Achieving strong coupling in this system has so far required confinement of the light field inside resonators or waveguides. Here, we demonstrate strong coherent coupling...

  13. Space polypropulsion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kellett, B. J.; Griffin, D. K.; Bingham, R.; Campbell, R. N.; Forbes, A.; Michaelis, M. M.

    2008-05-01

    Hybrid space propulsion has been a feature of most space missions. Only the very early rocket propulsion experiments like the V2, employed a single form of propulsion. By the late fifties multi-staging was routine and the Space Shuttle employs three different kinds of fuel and rocket engines. During the development of chemical rockets, other forms of propulsion were being slowly tested, both theoretically and, relatively slowly, in practice. Rail and gas guns, ion engines, "slingshot" gravity assist, nuclear and solar power, tethers, solar sails have all seen some real applications. Yet the earliest type of non-chemical space propulsion to be thought of has never been attempted in space: laser and photon propulsion. The ideas of Eugen Saenger, Georgii Marx, Arthur Kantrowitz, Leik Myrabo, Claude Phipps and Robert Forward remain Earth-bound. In this paper we summarize the various forms of nonchemical propulsion and their results. We point out that missions beyond Saturn would benefit from a change of attitude to laser-propulsion as well as consideration of hybrid "polypropulsion" - which is to say using all the rocket "tools" available rather than possibly not the most appropriate. We conclude with three practical examples, two for the next decades and one for the next century; disposal of nuclear waste in space; a grand tour of the Jovian and Saturnian moons - with Huygens or Lunoxod type, landers; and eventually mankind's greatest space dream: robotic exploration of neighbouring planetary systems.

  14. Space nuclear reactor concepts for avoidance of a single point failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Genk, M. S.

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents three space nuclear reactor concepts for future exploration missions requiring electrical power of 10's to 100's kW, for 7-10 years. These concepts avoid a single point failure in reactor cooling; and they could be used with a host of energy conversion technologies. The first is lithium or sodium heat pipes cooled reactor. The heat pipes operate at a fraction of their prevailing capillary or sonic limit. Thus, when a number of heat pipes fail, those in the adjacent modules remove their heat load, maintaining reactor core adequately cooled. The second is a reactor with a circulating liquid metal coolant. The reactor core is divided into six identical sectors, each with a separate energy conversion loop. The sectors in the reactor core are neurotically coupled, but hydraulically decoupled. Thus, when a sector experiences a loss of coolant, the fission power generated in it will be removed by the circulating coolant in the adjacent sectors. In this case, however, the reactor fission power would have to decrease to avoid exceeding the design temperature limits in the sector with a failed loop. These two reactor concepts are used with energy conversion technologies, such as advanced Thermoelectric (TE), Free Piston Stirling Engines (FPSE), and Alkali Metal Thermal-to- Electric Conversion (AMTEC). Gas cooled reactors are a better choice to use with Closed Brayton Cycle engines, such as the third reactor concept to be presented in the paper. It has a sectored core that is cooled with a binary mixture of He-Xe (40 gm/mole). Each of the three sectors in the reactor has its own CBC and neutronically, but not hydraulically, coupled to the other sectors

  15. Combining polysaccharide biosynthesis and transport in a single enzyme: dual-function cell wall glycan synthases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Kent Davis

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Extracellular polysaccharides are synthesized by a wide variety of species, from unicellular bacteria and Archaea to the largest multicellular plants and animals in the biosphere. In every case, the biosynthesis of these polymers requires transport across a membrane, from the cytosol to either the lumen of secretory pathway organelles or directly into the extracellular space. Although some polysaccharide biosynthetic substrates are moved across the membrane to sites of polysaccharide synthesis by separate transporter proteins before being incorporated into polymers by glycosyltransferase proteins, many polysaccharide biosynthetic enzymes appear to have both transporter and transferase activities. In these cases, the biosynthetic enzymes utilize substrate on one side of the membrane and deposit the polymer product on the other side. This review discusses structural characteristics of plant cell wall glycan synthases that couple synthesis with transport, drawing on what is known about such dual-function enzymes in other species.

  16. Future challenges in single event effects for advanced CMOS technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Hongxia; Wang Wei; Luo Yinhong; Zhao Wen; Guo Xiaoqiang; Zhang Keying

    2010-01-01

    SEE have became a substantial Achilles heel for the reliability of space-based advanced CMOS technologies with features size downscaling. Future space and defense systems require identification and understanding of single event effects to develop hardening approaches for advanced technologies, including changes in device geometry and materials affect energy deposition, charge collection,circuit upset, parametric degradation devices. Topics covered include the impact of technology scaling on radiation response, including single event transients in high speed digital circuits, evidence for single event effects caused by proton direct ionization, and the impact for SEU induced by particle energy effects and indirect ionization. The single event effects in CMOS replacement technologies are introduced briefly. (authors)

  17. Multimodality Imaging-based Evaluation of Single-Lumen Silicone Breast Implants for Rupture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seiler, Stephen J; Sharma, Pooja B; Hayes, Jody C; Ganti, Ramapriya; Mootz, Ann R; Eads, Emily D; Teotia, Sumeet S; Evans, W Phil

    2017-01-01

    Breast implants are frequently encountered on breast imaging studies, and it is essential for any radiologist interpreting these studies to be able to correctly assess implant integrity. Ruptures of silicone gel-filled implants often occur without becoming clinically obvious and are incidentally detected at imaging. Early diagnosis of implant rupture is important because surgical removal of extracapsular silicone in the breast parenchyma and lymphatics is difficult. Conversely, misdiagnosis of rupture may prompt a patient to undergo unnecessary additional surgery to remove the implant. Mammography is the most common breast imaging examination performed and can readily depict extracapsular free silicone, although it is insensitive for detection of intracapsular implant rupture. Ultrasonography (US) can be used to assess the internal structure of the implant and may provide an economical method for initial implant assessment. Common US signs of intracapsular rupture include the "keyhole" or "noose" sign, subcapsular line sign, and "stepladder" sign; extracapsular silicone has a distinctive "snowstorm" or echogenic noise appearance. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the most accurate and reliable means for assessment of implant rupture and is highly sensitive for detection of both intracapsular and extracapsular rupture. MR imaging findings of intracapsular rupture include the keyhole or noose sign, subcapsular line sign, and "linguine" sign, and silicone-selective MR imaging sequences are highly sensitive to small amounts of extracapsular silicone. © RSNA, 2017.

  18. 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.

  19. Axiomatics of uniform space-time models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levichev, A.V.

    1983-01-01

    The mathematical statement of space-time axiomatics of the special theory of relativity is given; it postulates that the space-time M is the binding single boundary Hausedorf local-compact four-dimensional topological space with the given order. The theorem is proved: if the invariant order in the four-dimensional group M is given by the semi-group P, which contingency K contains inner points , then M is commutative. The analogous theorem is correct for the group of two and three dimensionalities

  20. Efficacy and safety of novel multi-lumen catheter for chronic total occlusions: from preclinical study to first-in-man experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitsutake, Yoshiaki; Ebner, Adrian; Yeung, Alan C; Taber, Mark D; Davidson, Charles J; Ikeno, Fumiaki

    2015-02-15

    To report our initial animal and human experience with a new multi-lumen catheter called MultiCross™ (Roxwood Medical, Inc.) in a porcine coronary model and patients with a chronic total occlusion (CTO). Preclinical safety study was done in the coronary vasculature of a porcine model. In a clinical setting, patients with a CTO of a coronary artery (n = 5) were enrolled. After an initial unsuccessful attempt using a conventional guidewire, operators could use the MultiCross system. The primary efficacy endpoint was successful recanalization (technical success) and the primary safety endpoint was serious adverse events through 30 days post-procedure. The MultiCross catheter was used for all patients after failure of the initial attempt with a guidewire. Successful recanalization was achieved in all CTOs attempted (100%). No patients reported any adverse events at 30 days post-procedure. In this first-in-man experience, the MultiCross catheter has the potential to enhance crossing of CTOs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. GNSS Single Frequency, Single Epoch Reliable Attitude Determination Method with Baseline Vector Constraint

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ang Gong

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available For Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS single frequency, single epoch attitude determination, this paper proposes a new reliable method with baseline vector constraint. First, prior knowledge of baseline length, heading, and pitch obtained from other navigation equipment or sensors are used to reconstruct objective function rigorously. Then, searching strategy is improved. It substitutes gradually Enlarged ellipsoidal search space for non-ellipsoidal search space to ensure correct ambiguity candidates are within it and make the searching process directly be carried out by least squares ambiguity decorrelation algorithm (LAMBDA method. For all vector candidates, some ones are further eliminated by derived approximate inequality, which accelerates the searching process. Experimental results show that compared to traditional method with only baseline length constraint, this new method can utilize a priori baseline three-dimensional knowledge to fix ambiguity reliably and achieve a high success rate. Experimental tests also verify it is not very sensitive to baseline vector error and can perform robustly when angular error is not great.

  2. Violation of Bell-type inequality in single-neutron interferometry: quantum contextuality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Y.; Loidl, R.; Badurek, G.; Baron, M.; Rauch, H.

    2004-01-01

    We report a single-neutron optical experiment to demonstrate the violation of a Bell-like inequality. Entanglement is achieved between the degrees of freedom for a single particle. The total wave function of the neutron is described in a tensor product Hilbert space. A Bell-like inequality is derived not by a non-locality but by a contextuality. Joint measurements of the spinor and the path properties lead to the violation of a Bell-like inequality. Manipulation of the wavefunction in one Hilbert space influences the result of the measurement in the other Hilbert space

  3. CMsearch: simultaneous exploration of protein sequence space and structure space improves not only protein homology detection but also protein structure prediction

    KAUST Repository

    Cui, Xuefeng

    2016-06-15

    Motivation: Protein homology detection, a fundamental problem in computational biology, is an indispensable step toward predicting protein structures and understanding protein functions. Despite the advances in recent decades on sequence alignment, threading and alignment-free methods, protein homology detection remains a challenging open problem. Recently, network methods that try to find transitive paths in the protein structure space demonstrate the importance of incorporating network information of the structure space. Yet, current methods merge the sequence space and the structure space into a single space, and thus introduce inconsistency in combining different sources of information. Method: We present a novel network-based protein homology detection method, CMsearch, based on cross-modal learning. Instead of exploring a single network built from the mixture of sequence and structure space information, CMsearch builds two separate networks to represent the sequence space and the structure space. It then learns sequence–structure correlation by simultaneously taking sequence information, structure information, sequence space information and structure space information into consideration. Results: We tested CMsearch on two challenging tasks, protein homology detection and protein structure prediction, by querying all 8332 PDB40 proteins. Our results demonstrate that CMsearch is insensitive to the similarity metrics used to define the sequence and the structure spaces. By using HMM–HMM alignment as the sequence similarity metric, CMsearch clearly outperforms state-of-the-art homology detection methods and the CASP-winning template-based protein structure prediction methods.

  4. Cost Modeling for Space Telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, H. Philip

    2011-01-01

    Parametric cost models are an important tool for planning missions, compare concepts and justify technology investments. This paper presents on-going efforts to develop single variable and multi-variable cost models for space telescope optical telescope assembly (OTA). These models are based on data collected from historical space telescope missions. Standard statistical methods are used to derive CERs for OTA cost versus aperture diameter and mass. The results are compared with previously published models.

  5. Grey-box state-space identification of nonlinear mechanical vibrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noël, J. P.; Schoukens, J.

    2018-05-01

    The present paper deals with the identification of nonlinear mechanical vibrations. A grey-box, or semi-physical, nonlinear state-space representation is introduced, expressing the nonlinear basis functions using a limited number of measured output variables. This representation assumes that the observed nonlinearities are localised in physical space, which is a generic case in mechanics. A two-step identification procedure is derived for the grey-box model parameters, integrating nonlinear subspace initialisation and weighted least-squares optimisation. The complete procedure is applied to an electrical circuit mimicking the behaviour of a single-input, single-output (SISO) nonlinear mechanical system and to a single-input, multiple-output (SIMO) geometrically nonlinear beam structure.

  6. Smarandache Spaces as a New Extension of the Basic Space-Time of General Relativity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rabounski D.

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available This short letter manifests how Smarandache geometries can be employed in order to extend the “classical” basis of the General Theory of Relativity (Riemannian geometry through joining the properties of two or more (different geometries in the same single space. Perspectives in this way seem much profitable: the basic space-time of General Relativity can be extended to not only metric geometries, but even to non-metric ones (where no distances can be measured, or to spaces of the mixed kind which possess the properties of both metric and non-metric spaces (the latter should be referred to as “semi-metric spaces”. If both metric and non-metric properties possessed at the same (at least one point of a space, it is one of Smarandache geometries, and should be re- ferred to as “Smarandache semi-metric space”. Such spaces can be introduced accord- ing to the mathematical apparatus of physically observable quantities (chronometric invariants, if we consider a breaking of the observable space metric in the continuous background of the fundamental metric tensor.

  7. Measurement of esophago-gastric junction cross-sectional area and distensibility by an endolumenal functional lumen imaging probe for the diagnosis of gastro-esophageal reflux disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucker, E; Sweis, R; Anggiansah, A; Wong, T; Telakis, E; Knowles, K; Wright, J; Fox, M

    2013-11-01

    Measurement of esophago-gastric junction (EGJ) cross-sectional area (CSA) and distensibility by an Endolumenal Functional Lumen Imaging Probe (EndoFLIP®) may distinguish between gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients and healthy volunteers (HV). We aimed to assess the agreement of EndoFLIP® measurements with clinical and physiologic diagnosis of GERD. Twenty-one HV and 18 patients with typical GERD symptoms were studied. After gastroscopy, EGJ CSA, and distensibility were measured by EndoFLIP®. Forty-eight hour esophageal pH monitoring was then performed by a wireless system. The ability of EndoFLIP® to discriminate GERD patient and HVs was assessed. Planned secondary analysis then assessed whether EGJ CSA and distensibility were increased in individuals with pathologic acid exposure. Healthy volunteers were younger and had lower body mass index (BMI; both p < 0.001). Pathologic acid exposure was present in 3/21 (14%) HVs and 9/18 (50%) patients (p = 0.126). At 30 mL EndoFLIP® bag volume, EGJ CSA was higher (p = 0.058) and EGJ distensibility was lower (p = 0.020) in HVs than patients. Secondary analysis showed that EGJ measurements were similar in participants with and without pathologic acid exposure (CSA 98 mm² vs 107 mm²; p = 0.789, distensibility; p = 0.704). An inverse association between BMI and CSA (R² = 0.2758, p = 0.001) and distensibility (R² = 0.2005, p = 0.005) was present. Endolumenal Functional Lumen Imaging Probe is not useful for GERD diagnosis because EGJ CSA and distensibility do not distinguish between HVs and GERD patients defined by clinical presentation or pH measurement. This unexpected result may be due to an important, confounding interaction of obesity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. 14 CFR 23.71 - Glide: Single-engine airplanes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Glide: Single-engine airplanes. 23.71... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Flight Performance § 23.71 Glide: Single-engine airplanes. The maximum horizontal distance traveled in still air, in nautical miles...

  9. A chloroplast thylakoid lumen protein is required for proper photosynthetic acclimation of plants under fluctuating light environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jun; Last, Robert L

    2017-09-19

    Despite our increasingly sophisticated understanding of mechanisms ensuring efficient photosynthesis under laboratory-controlled light conditions, less is known about the regulation of photosynthesis under fluctuating light. This is important because-in nature-photosynthetic organisms experience rapid and extreme changes in sunlight, potentially causing deleterious effects on photosynthetic efficiency and productivity. Here we report that the chloroplast thylakoid lumenal protein MAINTENANCE OF PHOTOSYSTEM II UNDER HIGH LIGHT 2 (MPH2; encoded by At4g02530 ) is required for growth acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana plants under controlled photoinhibitory light and fluctuating light environments. Evidence is presented that mph2 mutant light stress susceptibility results from a defect in photosystem II (PSII) repair, and our results are consistent with the hypothesis that MPH2 is involved in disassembling monomeric complexes during regeneration of dimeric functional PSII supercomplexes. Moreover, mph2 -and previously characterized PSII repair-defective mutants-exhibited reduced growth under fluctuating light conditions, while PSII photoprotection-impaired mutants did not. These findings suggest that repair is not only required for PSII maintenance under static high-irradiance light conditions but is also a regulatory mechanism facilitating photosynthetic adaptation under fluctuating light environments. This work has implications for improvement of agricultural plant productivity through engineering PSII repair.

  10. Space Station Environmental Control/Life Support System engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, C. W.; Heppner, D. B.

    1985-01-01

    The present paper is concerned with a systems engineering study which has provided an understanding of the overall Space Station ECLSS (Environmental Control and Life Support System). ECLSS/functional partitioning is considered along with function criticality, technology alternatives, a technology description, single thread systems, Space Station architectures, ECLSS distribution, mechanical schematics per space station, and Space Station ECLSS characteristics. Attention is given to trade studies and system synergism. The Space Station functional description had been defined by NASA. The ECLSS will utilize technologies which embody regenerative concepts to minimize the use of expendables.

  11. A novel single-phase phase space-based voltage mode controller for distributed static compensator to improve voltage profile of distribution systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shokri, Abdollah; Shareef, Hussain; Mohamed, Azah; Farhoodnea, Masoud; Zayandehroodi, Hadi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A new phase space based voltage mode controller for D-STATCOM was proposed. • The proposed compensator was tested to mitigate voltage disturbances in distribution systems. • Voltage fluctuation, voltage sag and voltage swell are considered to evaluate the performance of the proposed compensator. - Abstract: Distribution static synchronous compensator (D-STATCOM) has been developed and attained a great interest to compensate the power quality disturbances of distribution systems. In this paper, a novel single-phase control scheme for D-STATCOM is proposed to improve voltage profile at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). The proposed voltage mode (VM) controller is based on the phase space algorithm, which is able to rapidly detect and mitigate any voltage deviations from reference voltage including voltage sags and voltage swells. To investigate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed compensator, a system is modeled using Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results approve the capability of the proposed VM controller to provide a regulated and disturbance-free voltage for the connected loads at the PCC

  12. Single Source 5-dimensional (Space-, Wavelength-, Time-, Polarization-, Quadrature-) 43 Tbit/s Data Transmission of 6 SDM × 6 WDM × 1.2 Tbit/s Nyquist-OTDM-PDM-QPSK

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Hao; Ye, Feihong; Medhin, Ashenafi Kiros

    2014-01-01

    We demonstrate 43-Tbit/s transmission over 67.4-km seven-core fiber using a single source. Each of the 6 outer cores carries 6 Nyquist-WDM channels using 320-Gbaud Nyquist- OTDM-PDM-QPSK 330-GHz spaced, and the center core carries 10-GHz clock pulses....

  13. Temperature and entropy of Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shankaranarayanan, S.

    2003-01-01

    In the light of recent interest in quantum gravity in de Sitter space, we investigate semiclassical aspects of four-dimensional Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time using the method of complex paths. The standard semiclassical techniques (such as Bogoliubov coefficients and Euclidean field theory) have been useful to study quantum effects in space-times with single horizons; however, none of these approaches seem to work for Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time or, in general, for space-times with multiple horizons. We extend the method of complex paths to space-times with multiple horizons and obtain the spectrum of particles produced in these space-times. We show that the temperature of radiation in these space-times is proportional to the effective surface gravity--the inverse harmonic sum of surface gravity of each horizon. For the Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time, we apply the method of complex paths to three different coordinate systems--spherically symmetric, Painleve, and Lemaitre. We show that the equilibrium temperature in Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time is the harmonic mean of cosmological and event horizon temperatures. We obtain Bogoliubov coefficients for space-times with multiple horizons by analyzing the mode functions of the quantum fields near the horizons. We propose a new definition of entropy for space-times with multiple horizons, analogous to the entropic definition for space-times with a single horizon. We define entropy for these space-times to be inversely proportional to the square of the effective surface gravity. We show that this definition of entropy for Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time satisfies the D-bound conjecture

  14. 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

  15. Bone-marrow densitometry: Assessment of marrow space of human vertebrae by single energy high resolution-quantitative computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peña, Jaime A.; Damm, Timo; Bastgen, Jan; Barkmann, Reinhard; Glüer, Claus C.; Thomsen, Felix; Campbell, Graeme M.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Accurate noninvasive assessment of vertebral bone marrow fat fraction is important for diagnostic assessment of a variety of disorders and therapies known to affect marrow composition. Moreover, it provides a means to correct fat-induced bias of single energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) based bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. The authors developed new segmentation and calibration methods to obtain quantitative surrogate measures of marrow-fat density in the axial skeleton. Methods: The authors developed and tested two high resolution-QCT (HR-QCT) based methods which permit segmentation of bone voids in between trabeculae hypothesizing that they are representative of bone marrow space. The methods permit calculation of marrow content in units of mineral equivalent marrow density (MeMD). The first method is based on global thresholding and peeling (GTP) to define a volume of interest away from the transition between trabecular bone and marrow. The second method, morphological filtering (MF), uses spherical elements of different radii (0.1–1.2 mm) and automatically places them in between trabeculae to identify regions with large trabecular interspace, the bone-void space. To determine their performance, data were compared ex vivo to high-resolution peripheral CT (HR-pQCT) images as the gold-standard. The performance of the methods was tested on a set of excised human vertebrae with intact bone marrow tissue representative of an elderly population with low BMD. Results: 86% (GTP) and 87% (MF) of the voxels identified as true marrow space on HR-pQCT images were correctly identified on HR-QCT images and thus these volumes of interest can be considered to be representative of true marrow space. Within this volume, MeMD was estimated with residual errors of 4.8 mg/cm 3 corresponding to accuracy errors in fat fraction on the order of 5% both for GTP and MF methods. Conclusions: The GTP and MF methods on HR-QCT images permit noninvasive

  16. Estimation of the spatial distribution of traps using space-charge-limited current measurements in an organic single crystal

    KAUST Repository

    Dacuña, Javier

    2012-09-06

    We used a mobility edge transport model and solved the drift-diffusion equation to characterize the space-charge-limited current of a rubrene single-crystal hole-only diode. The current-voltage characteristics suggest that current is injection-limited at high voltage when holes are injected from the bottom contact (reverse bias). In contrast, the low-voltage regime shows that the current is higher when holes are injected from the bottom contact as compared to hole injection from the top contact (forward bias), which does not exhibit injection-limited current in the measured voltage range. This behavior is attributed to an asymmetric distribution of trap states in the semiconductor, specifically, a distribution of traps located near the top contact. Accounting for a localized trap distribution near the contact allows us to reproduce the temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics in forward and reverse bias simultaneously, i.e., with a single set of model parameters. We estimated that the local trap distribution contains 1.19×1011 cm -2 states and decays as exp(-x/32.3nm) away from the semiconductor-contact interface. The local trap distribution near one contact mainly affects injection from the same contact, hence breaking the symmetry in the charge transport. The model also provides information of the band mobility, energy barrier at the contacts, and bulk trap distribution with their corresponding confidence intervals. © 2012 American Physical Society.

  17. Complete opacification of the esophageal lumen using helical (slip-ring) CT scanner with cellulose-barium paste, and its application to the evaluation of the effect of radiation therapy for esophageal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noda, Yoshihiro; Ogawa, Yasuhiro; Nishioka, Akihito; Inomata, Taisuke; Yoshida, Shoji; Toki, Taiichi; Ogoshi, Shohei

    1996-01-01

    The esophageal lumen of patients with esophageal cancer or paraesophageal disorders is frequently impossible to visualize on CT image and, consequently, difficulties in the differentiation of esophageal tumor mass and adjacent organs are often encountered. Therefore, we have developed a safe, high viscous, oral contrast medium which contains carboxy-methyl cellulose sodium (a conventionally used laxative with mild effect and inexpensive) and low-density 2% barium. Helical CT scan using this medium plus intravenous injection of iodine contrast enhancement agent was performed in 24 patients with esophageal cancer or paraesophageal diseases. Complete opacification of the esophageal lumen was obtained for almost all images of the upper, middle and lower thoracic esophagus. This method is easy to use and has not caused any serious side effect so far. We have developed a new oral contrast agent for esophageal helical CT to estimate the volume of tumor on CT images before and after treatment. The therapeutic effect of radiotherapy in 10 patients with esophageal cancer was evaluated using this method. In seven of the 10 patients, the rate of decrease of the esophageal tumor mass during radiotherapy was much lower with our new method than with conventionally used method. Combination of these two methods is essential for the evaluation of the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer. (author)

  18. Pure state consciousness and its local reduction to neuronal space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggins, A. J.

    2013-01-01

    The single neuronal state can be represented as a vector in a complex space, spanned by an orthonormal basis of integer spike counts. In this model a scalar element of experience is associated with the instantaneous firing rate of a single sensory neuron over repeated stimulus presentations. Here the model is extended to composite neural systems that are tensor products of single neuronal vector spaces. Depiction of the mental state as a vector on this tensor product space is intended to capture the unity of consciousness. The density operator is introduced as its local reduction to the single neuron level, from which the firing rate can again be derived as the objective correlate of a subjective element. However, the relational structure of perceptual experience only emerges when the non-local mental state is considered. A metric of phenomenal proximity between neuronal elements of experience is proposed, based on the cross-correlation function of neurophysiology, but constrained by the association of theoretical extremes of correlation/anticorrelation in inseparable 2-neuron states with identical and opponent elements respectively.

  19. Penetration of a Small Caliber Projectile into Single and Multi-layered Targets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riad A.M.

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The normal penetration of armor-piercing projectiles into single and multi-layered steel plates has been investigated. An experimental program has been conducted to study the effect of spaced and in-contact layered targets on their ballistic resistance. Armor piercing projectiles with caliber of 7.62 mm were fired against a series of single and multi-layered steel targets. The projectile impact velocities were ranged from 300-600 m/s, whereas the total thicknesses of the tested single, spaced and in-contact layered steel targets were 3 mm. The penetration process of different tested target configurations has been simulated using Autodayn-2D hydrocode. The experimental measurements of the present work were used to discuss the effect of impact velocity, target configurations and number of layers of different spaced and in-contact layered steel targets on their ballistic resistance. In addition, the post-firing examination of the tested targets over the used impact velocity range showed that the single and each layer of spaced and in-contact laminated steel targets were failed by petalling. Finally, the obtained experimental measurements were compared with the corresponding numerical results of Autodyn-2D hydrocode, good agreement was generally obtained.

  20. Analyzing System on A Chip Single Event Upset Responses using Single Event Upset Data, Classical Reliability Models, and Space Environment Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie; LaBel, Kenneth; Campola, Michael; Xapsos, Michael

    2017-01-01

    We are investigating the application of classical reliability performance metrics combined with standard single event upset (SEU) analysis data. We expect to relate SEU behavior to system performance requirements. Our proposed methodology will provide better prediction of SEU responses in harsh radiation environments with confidence metrics. single event upset (SEU), single event effect (SEE), field programmable gate array devises (FPGAs)

  1. Beware the single hit!

    CERN Multimedia

    2008-01-01

    The first time that single particle effects from cosmic rays on electronics were observed was in 1991, when one of the instruments aboard an ESA satellite broke down after only five days in space. On 5 July, the TS-LEA group will have completed the installation of monitors that will help to reduce similar dangerous effects on LHC electronics.

  2. Space Qualified, Radiation Hardened, Dense Monolithic Flash Memory, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Space Micro proposes to build a radiation hardened by design (RHBD) flash memory, using a modified version of our RH-eDRAM Memory Controller to solve all the single...

  3. Observational Model for Precision Astrometry with the Space Interferometry Mission

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Turyshev, Slava G; Milman, Mark H

    2000-01-01

    The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) is a space-based 10-m baseline Michelson optical interferometer operating in the visible waveband that is designed to achieve astrometric accuracy in the single digits of the microarcsecond domain...

  4. On-line single server dial-a-ride problems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feuerstein, E.; Stougie, L.

    1998-01-01

    In this paper results on the dial-a-ride problem with a single server are presented. Requests for rides consist of two points in a metric space, a source and a destination. A ride has to be made by the server from the source to the destination. The server travels at unit speed in the metric space

  5. Preliminary Cost Model for Space Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, H. Philip; Prince, F. Andrew; Smart, Christian; Stephens, Kyle; Henrichs, Todd

    2009-01-01

    Parametric cost models are routinely used to plan missions, compare concepts and justify technology investments. However, great care is required. Some space telescope cost models, such as those based only on mass, lack sufficient detail to support such analysis and may lead to inaccurate conclusions. Similarly, using ground based telescope models which include the dome cost will also lead to inaccurate conclusions. This paper reviews current and historical models. Then, based on data from 22 different NASA space telescopes, this paper tests those models and presents preliminary analysis of single and multi-variable space telescope cost models.

  6. Stochastic sampling of the RNA structural alignment space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harmanci, Arif Ozgun; Sharma, Gaurav; Mathews, David H

    2009-07-01

    A novel method is presented for predicting the common secondary structures and alignment of two homologous RNA sequences by sampling the 'structural alignment' space, i.e. the joint space of their alignments and common secondary structures. The structural alignment space is sampled according to a pseudo-Boltzmann distribution based on a pseudo-free energy change that combines base pairing probabilities from a thermodynamic model and alignment probabilities from a hidden Markov model. By virtue of the implicit comparative analysis between the two sequences, the method offers an improvement over single sequence sampling of the Boltzmann ensemble. A cluster analysis shows that the samples obtained from joint sampling of the structural alignment space cluster more closely than samples generated by the single sequence method. On average, the representative (centroid) structure and alignment of the most populated cluster in the sample of structures and alignments generated by joint sampling are more accurate than single sequence sampling and alignment based on sequence alone, respectively. The 'best' centroid structure that is closest to the known structure among all the centroids is, on average, more accurate than structure predictions of other methods. Additionally, cluster analysis identifies, on average, a few clusters, whose centroids can be presented as alternative candidates. The source code for the proposed method can be downloaded at http://rna.urmc.rochester.edu.

  7. Perceptual Space of Superimposed Dual-Frequency Vibrations in the Hands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Inwook; Seo, Jeongil; Choi, Seungmoon

    2017-01-01

    The use of distinguishable complex vibrations that have multiple spectral components can improve the transfer of information by vibrotactile interfaces. We investigated the qualitative characteristics of dual-frequency vibrations as the simplest complex vibrations compared to single-frequency vibrations. Two psychophysical experiments were conducted to elucidate the perceptual characteristics of these vibrations by measuring the perceptual distances among single-frequency and dual-frequency vibrations. The perceptual distances of dual-frequency vibrations between their two frequency components along their relative intensity ratio were measured in Experiment I. The estimated perceptual spaces for three frequency conditions showed non-linear perceptual differences between the dual-frequency and single-frequency vibrations. A perceptual space was estimated from the measured perceptual distances among ten dual-frequency compositions and five single-frequency vibrations in Experiment II. The effect of the component frequency and the frequency ratio was revealed in the perceptual space. In a percept of dual-frequency vibration, the lower frequency component showed a dominant effect. Additionally, the perceptual difference among single-frequency and dual-frequency vibrations were increased with a low relative difference between two frequencies of a dual-frequency vibration. These results are expected to provide a fundamental understanding about the perception of complex vibrations to enrich the transfer of information using vibrotactile stimuli.

  8. Hybrid fixed point in CAT(0 spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hemant Kumar Pathak

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce an ultrapower approach to prove fixed point theorems for $H^{+}$-nonexpansive multi-valued mappings in the setting of CAT(0 spaces and prove several hybrid fixed point results in CAT(0 spaces for families of single-valued nonexpansive or quasinonexpansive mappings and multi-valued upper semicontinuous, almost lower semicontinuous or $H^{+}$-nonexpansive mappings which are weakly commuting. We also establish a result about structure of the set of fixed points of $H^{+}$-quasinonexpansive mapping on a CAT(0 space.

  9. An Asymmetrical Space Vector Method for Single Phase Induction Motor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cui, Yuanhai; Blaabjerg, Frede; Andersen, Gert Karmisholt

    2002-01-01

    Single phase induction motors are the workhorses in low-power applications in the world, and also the variable speed is necessary. Normally it is achieved either by the mechanical method or by controlling the capacitor connected with the auxiliary winding. Any above method has some drawback which...

  10. Graphene for Expandable Space Structures, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Graphene's tightly bonded impermeable single atomic layer of carbon offers unrivalled potential for lightweight flexible gas barrier applications. Graphene has been...

  11. Diffusion with space memory modelled with distributed order space fractional differential equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Caputo

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Distributed order fractional differential equations (Caputo, 1995, 2001; Bagley and Torvik, 2000a,b were fi rst used in the time domain; they are here considered in the space domain and introduced in the constitutive equation of diffusion. The solution of the classic problems are obtained, with closed form formulae. In general, the Green functions act as low pass fi lters in the frequency domain. The major difference with the case when a single space fractional derivative is present in the constitutive equations of diffusion (Caputo and Plastino, 2002 is that the solutions found here are potentially more fl exible to represent more complex media (Caputo, 2001a. The difference between the space memory medium and that with the time memory is that the former is more fl exible to represent local phenomena while the latter is more fl exible to represent variations in space. Concerning the boundary value problem, the difference with the solution of the classic diffusion medium, in the case when a constant boundary pressure is assigned and in the medium the pressure is initially nil, is that one also needs to assign the fi rst order space derivative at the boundary.

  12. Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor in intestinal immune defense against the lumen-dwelling protozoan parasite Giardia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davids, Barbara J; Palm, J E Daniel; Housley, Michael P; Smith, Jennifer R; Andersen, Yolanda S; Martin, Martin G; Hendrickson, Barbara A; Johansen, Finn-Eirik; Svärd, Staffan G; Gillin, Frances D; Eckmann, Lars

    2006-11-01

    The polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR) is conserved in mammals and has an avian homologue, suggesting evolutionarily important functions in vertebrates. It transports multimeric IgA and IgM across polarized epithelia and is highly expressed in the intestine, yet little direct evidence exists for its importance in defense against common enteric pathogens. In this study, we demonstrate that pIgR can play a critical role in intestinal defense against the lumen-dwelling protozoan parasite Giardia, a leading cause of diarrheal disease. The receptor was essential for the eradication of Giardia when high luminal IgA levels were required. Clearance of Giardia muris, in which IgA plays a dominant role, was severely compromised in pIgR-deficient mice despite significant fecal IgA output at 10% of normal levels. In contrast, eradication of the human strain Giardia lamblia GS/M, for which adaptive immunity is less IgA dependent in mice, was unaffected by pIgR deficiency, indicating that pIgR had no physiologic role when lower luminal IgA levels were sufficient for parasite elimination. Immune IgA was greatly increased in the serum of pIgR-deficient mice, conferred passive protection against Giardia, and recognized several conserved giardial Ags, including ornithine carbamoyltransferase, arginine deiminase, alpha-enolase, and alpha- and beta-giardins, that are also detected in human giardiasis. Corroborative observations were made in mice lacking the J chain, which is required for pIgR-dependent transepithelial IgA transport. These results, together with prior data on pIgR-mediated immune neutralization of luminal cholera toxin, suggest that pIgR is essential in intestinal defense against pathogenic microbes with high-level and persistent luminal presence.

  13. Avoided crossings, conical intersections, and low-lying excited states with a single reference method: the restricted active space spin-flip configuration interaction approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casanova, David

    2012-08-28

    The restricted active space spin-flip CI (RASCI-SF) performance is tested in the electronic structure computation of the ground and the lowest electronically excited states in the presence of near-degeneracies. The feasibility of the method is demonstrated by analyzing the avoided crossing between the ionic and neutral singlet states of LiF along the molecular dissociation. The two potential energy surfaces (PESs) are explored by means of the energies of computed adiabatic and approximated diabatic states, dipole moments, and natural orbital electronic occupancies of both states. The RASCI-SF methodology is also used to study the ground and first excited singlet surface crossing involved in the double bond isomerization of ethylene, as a model case. The two-dimensional PESs of the ground (S(0)) and excited (S(1)) states are calculated for the complete configuration space of torsion and pyramidalization molecular distortions. The parameters that define the state energetics in the vicinity of the S(0)/S(1) conical intersection region are compared to complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) results. These examples show that it is possible to describe strongly correlated electronic states using a single reference methodology without the need to expand the wavefunction to high levels of collective excitations. Finally, RASCI is also examined in the electronic structure characterization of the ground and 2(1)A(g)(-), 1(1)B(u)(+), 1(1)B(u)(-), and 1(3)B(u)(-) states of all-trans polyenes with two to seven double bonds and beyond. Transition energies are compared to configuration interaction singles, time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), CASSCF, and its second-order perturbation correction calculations, and to experimental data. The capability of RASCI-SF to describe the nature and properties of each electronic state is discussed in detail. This example is also used to expose the properties of different truncations of the RASCI wavefunction and to

  14. Initial Results of Accelerated Stress Testing on Single-Channel and Multichannel Drivers: Solid-State Lighting Technology Area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2018-02-28

    This report is the first in a series of studies on accelerated stress testing (AST) of drivers used for SSL luminaires, such as downlights, troffers, and streetlights. A representative group of two-stage commercial driver products was exposed to an AST environment consisting of 75°C and 75% relative humidity (7575). These drivers were a mix of single-channel drivers (i.e., a single output current for one LED primary) and multichannel drivers (i.e., separate output currents for multiple LED primaries). This AST environment was chosen because previous testing on downlights with integrated drivers demonstrated that 38% of the sample population failed in less than 2,500 hours of testing using this method. In addition to AST test results, the performance of an SSL downlight product incorporating an integrated, multichannel driver during extended room temperature operational life (RTOL) testing is also reported. A battery of measurements was used to evaluate these products during accelerated testing, including full electrical characterization (i.e., power consumption, PF, total harmonic distortion [THD], and inrush current) and photometric characterization of external LED loads attached to the drivers (i.e., flicker performance and lumen maintenance).

  15. Linear dispersion codes in space-frequency domain for SCFDE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marchetti, Nicola; Cianca, Ernestina; Prasad, Ramjee

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a general framework for applying the Linear Dispersion Codes (LDC) in the space and frequency domains to Single Carrier - Frequency Domain Equalization (SCFDE) systems. Space-Frequency (SF)LDC are more suitable than Space-Time (ST)-LDC in high mobility environment. However......, the application of LDC in space-frequency domain in SCFDE systems is not straightforward as in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), since there is no direct access to the subcarriers at the transmitter. This paper describes how to build the space-time dispersion matrices to be used...

  16. Single-nanotube tracking reveals the nanoscale organization of the extracellular space in the live brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godin, Antoine G.; Varela, Juan A.; Gao, Zhenghong; Danné, Noémie; Dupuis, Julien P.; Lounis, Brahim; Groc, Laurent; Cognet, Laurent

    2017-03-01

    The brain is a dynamic structure with the extracellular space (ECS) taking up almost a quarter of its volume. Signalling molecules, neurotransmitters and nutrients transit via the ECS, which constitutes a key microenvironment for cellular communication and the clearance of toxic metabolites. The spatial organization of the ECS varies during sleep, development and aging and is probably altered in neuropsychiatric and degenerative diseases, as inferred from electron microscopy and macroscopic biophysical investigations. Here we show an approach to directly observe the local ECS structures and rheology in brain tissue using super-resolution imaging. We inject single-walled carbon nanotubes into rat cerebroventricles and follow the near-infrared emission of individual nanotubes as they diffuse inside the ECS for tens of minutes in acute slices. Because of the interplay between the nanotube geometry and the ECS local environment, we can extract information about the dimensions and local viscosity of the ECS. We find a striking diversity of ECS dimensions down to 40 nm, and as well as of local viscosity values. Moreover, by chemically altering the extracellular matrix of the brains of live animals before nanotube injection, we reveal that the rheological properties of the ECS are affected, but these alterations are local and inhomogeneous at the nanoscale.

  17. Performance and Characterization of a Modular Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector System for Space-to-Earth Optical Communications Links

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyhnalek, Brian E.; Tedder, Sarah A.; Nappier, Jennifer M.

    2018-01-01

    Space-to-ground photon-counting optical communication links supporting high data rates over large distances require enhanced ground receiver sensitivity in order to reduce the mass and power burden on the spacecraft transmitter. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have been demonstrated to offer superior performance in detection efficiency, timing resolution, and count rates over semiconductor photodetectors, and are a suitable technology for high photon efficiency links. Recently photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires have become commercially available, and we have assessed the characteristics and performance of one such commercial system as a candidate for potential utilization in ground receiver designs. The SNSPD system features independent channels which can be added modularly, and we analyze the scalability of the system to support different data rates, as well as consider coupling concepts and issues as the number of channels increases.

  18. A Markovian state-space framework for integrating flexibility into space system design decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lafleur, Jarret M.

    The past decades have seen the state of the art in aerospace system design progress from a scope of simple optimization to one including robustness, with the objective of permitting a single system to perform well even in off-nominal future environments. Integrating flexibility, or the capability to easily modify a system after it has been fielded in response to changing environments, into system design represents a further step forward. One challenge in accomplishing this rests in that the decision-maker must consider not only the present system design decision, but also sequential future design and operation decisions. Despite extensive interest in the topic, the state of the art in designing flexibility into aerospace systems, and particularly space systems, tends to be limited to analyses that are qualitative, deterministic, single-objective, and/or limited to consider a single future time period. To address these gaps, this thesis develops a stochastic, multi-objective, and multi-period framework for integrating flexibility into space system design decisions. Central to the framework are five steps. First, system configuration options are identified and costs of switching from one configuration to another are compiled into a cost transition matrix. Second, probabilities that demand on the system will transition from one mission to another are compiled into a mission demand Markov chain. Third, one performance matrix for each design objective is populated to describe how well the identified system configurations perform in each of the identified mission demand environments. The fourth step employs multi-period decision analysis techniques, including Markov decision processes from the field of operations research, to find efficient paths and policies a decision-maker may follow. The final step examines the implications of these paths and policies for the primary goal of informing initial system selection. Overall, this thesis unifies state-centric concepts of

  19. Prototype readout system for a multi Mpixels UV single-photon imaging detector capable of space flight operation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seljak, A.; Cumming, H. S.; Varner, G.; Vallerga, J.; Raffanti, R.; Virta, V.

    2018-02-01

    Our collaboration works on the development of a large aperture, high resolution, UV single-photon imaging detector, funded through NASA's Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program. The detector uses a microchannel plate for charge multiplication, and orthogonal cross strip (XS) anodes for charge readout. Our target is to make an advancement in the technology readiness level (TRL), which enables real scale prototypes to be tested for future NASA missions. The baseline detector has an aperture of 50×50 mm and requires 160 low-noise charge-sensitive channels, in order to extrapolate the incoming photon position with a spatial resolution of about 20 μm FWHM. Technologies involving space flight require highly integrated electronic systems operating at very low power. We have designed two ASICs which enable the construction of such readout system. First, a charge sensitive amplifier (CSAv3) ASIC provides an equivalent noise charge (ENC) of around 600 e-, and a baseline gain of 10 mV/fC. The second, a Giga Sample per Second (GSPS) ASIC, called HalfGRAPH, is a 12-bit analog to digital converter. Its architecture is based on waveform sampling capacitor arrays and has about 8 μs of analog storage memory per channel. Both chips encapsulate 16 measurement channels. Using these chips, a small scale prototype readout system has been constructed on a FPGA Mezzanine Board (FMC), equipped with 32 measurement channels for system evaluation. We describe the construction of HalfGRAPH ASIC, detector's readout system concept and obtained results from the prototype system. As part of the space flight qualification, these chips were irradiated with a Cobalt gamma-ray source, to verify functional operation under ionizing radiation exposure.

  20. The Economics of Advanced In-Space Propulsion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bangalore, Manju; Dankanich, John

    2016-01-01

    The cost of access to space is the single biggest driver is commercial space sector. NASA continues to invest in both launch technology and in-space propulsion. Low-cost launch systems combined with advanced in-space propulsion offer the greatest potential market capture. Launch market capture is critical to national security and has a significant impact on domestic space sector revenue. NASA typically focuses on pushing the limits on performance. However, the commercial market is driven by maximum net revenue (profits). In order to maximum the infusion of NASA investments, the impact on net revenue must be known. As demonstrated by Boeing's dual launch, the Falcon 9 combined with all Electric Propulsion (EP) can dramatically shift the launch market from foreign to domestic providers.

  1. Bone-marrow densitometry: Assessment of marrow space of human vertebrae by single energy high resolution-quantitative computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peña, Jaime A.; Damm, Timo; Bastgen, Jan; Barkmann, Reinhard; Glüer, Claus C., E-mail: glueer@rad.uni-kiel.de [Sektion Biomedizinische Bildgebung, Klinik für Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Campus Kiel, Kiel 24118 (Germany); Thomsen, Felix [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca 8000 (Argentina); Campbell, Graeme M. [Sektion Biomedizinische Bildgebung, Klinik für Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Campus Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany and Institut für Biomechanik, Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg (TUHH), Hamburg 21073 (Germany)

    2016-07-15

    Purpose: Accurate noninvasive assessment of vertebral bone marrow fat fraction is important for diagnostic assessment of a variety of disorders and therapies known to affect marrow composition. Moreover, it provides a means to correct fat-induced bias of single energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) based bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. The authors developed new segmentation and calibration methods to obtain quantitative surrogate measures of marrow-fat density in the axial skeleton. Methods: The authors developed and tested two high resolution-QCT (HR-QCT) based methods which permit segmentation of bone voids in between trabeculae hypothesizing that they are representative of bone marrow space. The methods permit calculation of marrow content in units of mineral equivalent marrow density (MeMD). The first method is based on global thresholding and peeling (GTP) to define a volume of interest away from the transition between trabecular bone and marrow. The second method, morphological filtering (MF), uses spherical elements of different radii (0.1–1.2 mm) and automatically places them in between trabeculae to identify regions with large trabecular interspace, the bone-void space. To determine their performance, data were compared ex vivo to high-resolution peripheral CT (HR-pQCT) images as the gold-standard. The performance of the methods was tested on a set of excised human vertebrae with intact bone marrow tissue representative of an elderly population with low BMD. Results: 86% (GTP) and 87% (MF) of the voxels identified as true marrow space on HR-pQCT images were correctly identified on HR-QCT images and thus these volumes of interest can be considered to be representative of true marrow space. Within this volume, MeMD was estimated with residual errors of 4.8 mg/cm{sup 3} corresponding to accuracy errors in fat fraction on the order of 5% both for GTP and MF methods. Conclusions: The GTP and MF methods on HR-QCT images permit noninvasive

  2. Time-domain single-source integral equations for analyzing scattering from homogeneous penetrable objects

    KAUST Repository

    Valdés, Felipe

    2013-03-01

    Single-source time-domain electric-and magnetic-field integral equations for analyzing scattering from homogeneous penetrable objects are presented. Their temporal discretization is effected by using shifted piecewise polynomial temporal basis functions and a collocation testing procedure, thus allowing for a marching-on-in-time (MOT) solution scheme. Unlike dual-source formulations, single-source equations involve space-time domain operator products, for which spatial discretization techniques developed for standalone operators do not apply. Here, the spatial discretization of the single-source time-domain integral equations is achieved by using the high-order divergence-conforming basis functions developed by Graglia alongside the high-order divergence-and quasi curl-conforming (DQCC) basis functions of Valdés The combination of these two sets allows for a well-conditioned mapping from div-to curl-conforming function spaces that fully respects the space-mapping properties of the space-time operators involved. Numerical results corroborate the fact that the proposed procedure guarantees accuracy and stability of the MOT scheme. © 2012 IEEE.

  3. Single event effects and performance predictions for space applications of RISC processors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimbrough, J.R.; Colella, N.J.; Denton, S.M.; Shaeffer, D.L.; Shih, D.; Wilburn, J.W.; Coakley, P.G.; Casteneda, C.; Koga, R.; Clark, D.A.; Ullmann, J.L.

    1994-01-01

    Proton and ion Single Event Phenomena (SEP) tests were performed on 32-b processors including R3000A's from all commercial manufacturers along with the Performance PR3400 family, Integrated Device Technology Inc. 79R3081, LSI Logic Corporation LR33000HC, and Intel i80960MX parts. The microprocessors had acceptable upset rates for operation in a low earth orbit or a lunar mission such as CLEMENTINE with a wide range in proton total dose failure. Even though R3000A devices are 60% smaller in physical area than R3000 devices, there was a 340% increase in device Single Event Upset (SEU) cross section. Software tests of varying complexity demonstrate that registers and other functional blocks using register architecture dominate the cross section. The current approach of giving a single upset cross section can lead to erroneous upset rates depending on the application software

  4. Investigation of single event latchup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Yuxiong; Yang Shengsheng; Cao Zhou; Ba Dedong; An Heng; Chen Luojing; Guo Gang

    2012-01-01

    Radiation effects on avionics microelectronics are important reliability issues for many space applications. In particular, single-event latchup (SEL) phenomenon is a major threat to CMOS integrated circuits in space systems. To effectively circumvent the failure, it is important to know the behavior of such devices during latchup. In this paper, the mechanisms for SEL in CMOS devices are investigated. Several microelectronic devices used in avionics are tested using heavy ion beams, pulsed laser and 252 Cf source. Based on the SEL test results, SEL-hardening and monitoring methods for preventing SEL from the systems design level are proposed. (authors)

  5. Does the "Negro" "Still" Need Separate Schools? Single-Sex Educational Settings as Critical Race Counterspaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terry, Clarence L., Sr.; Flennaugh, Terry K.; Blackmon, Samarah M.; Howard, Tyrone C.

    2014-01-01

    This article explores whether contemporary educators should consider single-sex educational settings as viable interventions in educating African American males. Using qualitative data from a 2-year study of single-sex educational spaces in two Los Angeles County high schools, the authors argue that when all-male spaces effectively function as…

  6. Symmetries of nonrelativistic phase space and the structure of quark-lepton generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zenczykowski, Piotr

    2009-01-01

    According to the Hamiltonian formalism, nonrelativistic phase space may be considered as an arena of physics, with momentum and position treated as independent variables. Invariance of x 2 + p 2 constitutes then a natural generalization of ordinary rotational invariance. We consider Dirac-like linearization of this form, with position and momentum satisfying standard commutation relations. This leads to the identification of a quantum-level structure from which some phase space properties might emerge. Genuine rotations and reflections in phase space are tied to the existence of new quantum numbers, unrelated to ordinary 3D space. Their properties allow their identification with the internal quantum numbers characterising the structure of a single quark-lepton generation in the Standard Model. In particular, the algebraic structure of the Harari-Shupe preon model of fundamental particles is reproduced exactly and without invoking any subparticles. Analysis of the Clifford algebra of nonrelativistic phase space singles out an element which might be associated with the concept of lepton mass. This element is transformed into a corresponding element for a single coloured quark, leading to a generalization of the concept of mass and a different starting point for the discussion of quark unobservability.

  7. Computerized tomography anatomy of the kidneys and retroperitoneal space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savchenko, A.P.; Mamaev, V.V.; Pkhakadze, Eh.G.

    1989-01-01

    The authors described the anatomy of the kidneys and retroperitoneal space in health on the basis of computerized tomography (CT) of 90 patients. Five typical levels in CT (ensuring all necessary data on roentgenomorphological trains of the kidneys and retroperitoneal space in the kidney area) were singled out. Some roentgenometric data on kidney cross-sections as well as the quantitative densitometric characterization of the parenchyma of the kidneys, renal sinus and adjacent tissues were presented. X-ray anatomy of the renal fiscia, pararenal space and perirenal fatty space of the kidney with different parts of the tetroperitoneal space was described

  8. Laplacian eigenmodes for spherical spaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lachieze-Rey, M; Caillerie, S

    2005-01-01

    The possibility that our space is multi-rather than singly-connected has gained renewed interest after the discovery of the low power for the first multipoles of the CMB by WMAP. To test the possibility that our space is a multi-connected spherical space, it is necessary to know the eigenmodes of such spaces. Except for lens and prism space, and to some extent for dodecahedral space, this remains an open problem. Here we derive the eigenmodes of all spherical spaces. For dodecahedral space, the demonstration is much shorter, and the calculation method much simpler than before. We also apply our method to tetrahedric, octahedric and icosahedric spaces. This completes the knowledge of eigenmodes for spherical spaces, and opens the door to new observational tests of the cosmic topology. The vector space V k of the eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on the 3-sphere S 3 , corresponding to the same eigenvalue λ k = -k(k + 2), has dimension (k + 1) 2 . We show that the Wigner functions provide a basis for such a space. Using the properties of the latter, we express the behaviour of a general function of V k under an arbitrary rotation G of SO(4). This offers the possibility of selecting those functions of V k which remain invariant under G. Specifying G to be a generator of the holonomy group of a spherical space X, we give the expression of the vector space V x k of the eigenfunctions of X. We provide a method to calculate the eigenmodes up to an arbitrary order. As an illustration, we give the first modes for the spherical spaces mentioned

  9. What Exactly is Space Logistics?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    series, movies, and video games. Such phrases as “the final frontier” (from the opening lines of Star Trek ) or “the ulti- mate high ground” (from...years as NASA , DoD, and commercial space launch customers brought individual requirements to the table; there was no single, focused development

  10. 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.

  11. Development of Guidelines for Use of Proton Single-Event Test Data to Bound Single-Event Effect Susceptibility Due to Light Ions

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Conventional methods for Single-Event Effects (SEE) Hardness Assurance have proven difficult to adapt to Explorer, Cubesat and other risk tolerant platforms with...

  12. Gastric washing by distilled water can reduce free gastric cancer cells exfoliated into the stomach lumen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohki, Atsuko; Abe, Nobutsugu; Yoshimoto, Eri; Hashimoto, Yoshikazu; Takeuchi, Hirohisa; Nagao, Gen; Masaki, Tadahiko; Mori, Toshiyuki; Ohkura, Yasuo; Sugiyama, Masanori

    2018-04-25

    Intragastric free cancer cells in patients with gastric cancer have rarely been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the detection rate of intragastric free cancer cells in gastric washes using two types of solutions during endoscopic examination. We further clarified risk factors affecting the presence of exfoliated free cancer cells. A total of 175 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled. Lactated Ringer's solution (N = 89) or distilled water (DW; N = 86) via endoscopic working channel was sprayed onto the tumor surface, and the resultant fluid was collected for cytological examination. We compared the cancer-cell positivity rate between the two (Ringer and DW) groups. We also tested the correlation between cancer-cell positivity and clinicopathological factors in the Ringer group to identify risk factors for the presence of exfoliated cancer cells. The cancer-cell positivity rate was significantly higher in the Ringer group than that in the DW group (58 vs 6%). Cytomorphology in the Ringer group was well maintained, but not in the DW group. The larger tumor size (≥ 20 mm) and positive lymphatic involvement were significant risk factors of exfoliated free cancer cells. Cancer cells can be highly exfoliated from the tumor surface into the gastric lumen by endoscopic irrigation in large gastric cancer with lymphatic involvement. Gastric washing by DW can lead to cytoclasis of free cancer cells; therefore, it may minimize the possibility of cancer-cell seeding in procedures carrying potential risks of tumor-cell seeding upon transluminal communication, such as endoscopic full-thickness resection and laparoscopy-endoscopy cooperative surgery.

  13. Accelerometer for Space Applications Based on Light-Pulse Atom Interferometry, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to build a compact, high-precision single-axis accelerometer based on atom interferometry that is applicable to operation in space environments. Based on...

  14. Detection of gastritis by single- and double-contrast radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thoeni, R.F.; Goldberg, H.I.; Ominsky, S.; Cello, J.P.

    1983-01-01

    Sixty-eight patients with various types of gastritis, 23 patients with normal stomachs, and four patients with other gastric diseases were examined in a prospective study to assess the sensitivity and specificity of single-contrast (SC) and double-contrast (DC) upper gastrointestinal examinations in the evaluation of gastritis. All patients underwent endoscopy with biopsy followed first by DC and then by SC radiography. The respective sensitivities of SC and DC radiography were 58% and 72% for all examinations and 59% and 77% for adequate examinations only. The respective specificities were 59% and 55% based on all examinations. Useful radiographic features included polypoid defects and erosions detected by both methods, abnormal folds and flattened margins detected by the SC technique, and narrowed lumen and crenulated margins detected by the DC technique. In 93% of all cases, the correct diagnosis was based on two or more of these radiographic features. According to this study, the radiographic sensitivity in the detection of gastritis is reliable only in cases of moderate-to-severe disease and only when based on findings of the DC examination. Neither SC nor DC radiography should be used as the primary screening method for patients with suspected gastritis, and the radiographic diagnosis should be restricted to the terms ''erosive'' or ''nonerosive gastritis.''

  15. Experimental Test Rig for Optimal Control of Flexible Space Robotic Arms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    the test bed design. A single link arm with a torsional, helical spring at the base was finalized to investigate the effects of coupling due to...test bed design. A single link arm with a torsional, helical spring at the base was finalized to investigate the effects of coupling due to movement...Source: [4]. A challenge with space systems is that it costs a lot of money to put a satellite or spacecraft into space. Estimates to send one kilogram

  16. High Energy Single Frequency Resonant Amplifier, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This SBIR phase I project proposes a single frequency high energy resonant amplifier for remote sensing. Current state-of-art technologies can not provide all...

  17. Space-Time Chip Equalization for Maximum Diversity Space-Time Block Coded DS-CDMA Downlink Transmission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petré Frederik

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In the downlink of DS-CDMA, frequency-selectivity destroys the orthogonality of the user signals and introduces multiuser interference (MUI. Space-time chip equalization is an efficient tool to restore the orthogonality of the user signals and suppress the MUI. Furthermore, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO communication techniques can result in a significant increase in capacity. This paper focuses on space-time block coding (STBC techniques, and aims at combining STBC techniques with the original single-antenna DS-CDMA downlink scheme. This results into the so-called space-time block coded DS-CDMA downlink schemes, many of which have been presented in the past. We focus on a new scheme that enables both the maximum multiantenna diversity and the maximum multipath diversity. Although this maximum diversity can only be collected by maximum likelihood (ML detection, we pursue suboptimal detection by means of space-time chip equalization, which lowers the computational complexity significantly. To design the space-time chip equalizers, we also propose efficient pilot-based methods. Simulation results show improved performance over the space-time RAKE receiver for the space-time block coded DS-CDMA downlink schemes that have been proposed for the UMTS and IS-2000 W-CDMA standards.

  18. Reliability Concerns for Flying SiC Power MOSFETs in Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galloway, K. F.; Witulski, A. F.; Schrimpf, R. D.; Sternberg, A. L.; Ball, D. R.; Javanainen, A.; Reed, R. A.; Sierawski, B. D.; Lauenstein, J-M

    2018-01-01

    SiC power MOSFETs are space-ready in terms of typical reliability measures. However, single event burnout (SEB) often occurs at voltages 50% or lower than specified breakdown. Data illustrating burnout for 1200 V devices is reviewed and the space reliability of SiC MOSFETs is discussed.

  19. Future mission opportunities and requirements for advanced space photovoltaic energy conversion technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flood, Dennis J.

    1990-01-01

    The variety of potential future missions under consideration by NASA will impose a broad range of requirements on space solar arrays, and mandates the development of new solar cells which can offer a wide range of capabilities to mission planners. Major advances in performance have recently been achieved at several laboratories in a variety of solar cell types. Many of those recent advances are reviewed, the areas are examined where possible improvements are yet to be made, and the requirements are discussed that must be met by advanced solar cell if they are to be used in space. The solar cells of interest include single and multiple junction cells which are fabricated from single crystal, polycrystalline and amorphous materials. Single crystal cells on foreign substrates, thin film single crystal cells on superstrates, and multiple junction cells which are either mechanically stacked, monolithically grown, or hybrid structures incorporating both techniques are discussed. Advanced concentrator array technology for space applications is described, and the status of thin film, flexible solar array blanket technology is reported.

  20. The impact of reduced gastric acid secretion on dissolution of salts of weak bases in the fasted upper gastrointestinal lumen: Data in biorelevant media and in human aspirates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litou, Chara; Vertzoni, Maria; Xu, Wei; Kesisoglou, Filippos; Reppas, Christos

    2017-06-01

    To propose media for simulating the intragastric environment under reduced gastric acid secretion in the fasted state at three levels of simulation of the gastric environment and evaluate their usefulness in evaluating the intragastric dissolution of salts of weak bases. To evaluate the importance of bicarbonate buffer in biorelevant in vitro dissolution testing when using Level II biorelevant media simulating the environment in the fasted upper small intestine, regardless of gastric acid secretions. Media for simulating the hypochlorhydric and achlorhydric conditions in stomach were proposed using phosphates, maleates and bicarbonates buffers. The impact of bicarbonates in Level II biorelevant media simulating the environment in upper small intestine was evaluated so that pH and bulk buffer capacity were maintained. Dissolution data were collected using two model compounds, pioglitazone hydrochloride and semifumarate cocrystal of Compound B, and the mini-paddle dissolution apparatus in biorelevant media and in human aspirates. Simulated gastric fluids proposed in this study were in line with pH, buffer capacity, pepsin content, total bile salt/lecithin content and osmolality of the fasted stomach under partial and under complete inhibition of gastric acid secretion. Fluids simulating the conditions under partial inhibition of acid secretion were useful in simulating concentrations of both model compounds in gastric aspirates. Bicarbonates in Level III biorelevant gastric media and in Level II biorelevant media simulating the composition in the upper intestinal lumen did not improve simulation of concentrations in human aspirates. Level III biorelevant media for simulating the intragastric environment under hypochlorhydric conditions were proposed and their usefulness in the evaluation of concentrations of two model salts of weak bases in gastric aspirates was shown. Level II biorelevant media for simulating the environment in upper intestinal lumen led to

  1. 1.26 Single Frequency Fiber Laser, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal is for the development of an innovative compact, high power, and extremely reliable 1.26 micron Ho-doped single frequency fiber laser. The proposed...

  2. 1.26 Single Frequency Fiber Laser, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal is for the development of an innovative compact, high power, and extremely reliable 1.26 micron Ho-doped single frequency fiber laser. The proposed...

  3. Nucleon Compton Scattering with Two Space-Like Photons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrei Afanasev; I. Akushevich; N.P. Merenkov

    2002-01-01

    We calculate two-photon exchange effects for elastic electron-proton scattering at high momentum transfers. The corresponding nucleon Compton amplitude is defined by two space-like virtual photons that appear to have significant virtualities. We make predictions for (a) a single-spin beam asymmetry, and (b) a single-spin target asymmetry or recoil proton polarization caused by an unpolarized electron beam

  4. Galactic cosmic ray simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norbury, John W.; Schimmerling, Walter; Slaba, Tony C.; Azzam, Edouard I.; Badavi, Francis F.; Baiocco, Giorgio; Benton, Eric; Bindi, Veronica; Blakely, Eleanor A.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Boothman, David A.; Borak, Thomas B.; Britten, Richard A.; Curtis, Stan; Dingfelder, Michael; Durante, Marco; Dynan, William S.; Eisch, Amelia J.; Elgart, S. Robin; Goodhead, Dudley T.; Guida, Peter M.; Heilbronn, Lawrence H.; Hellweg, Christine E.; Huff, Janice L.; Kronenberg, Amy; La Tessa, Chiara; Lowenstein, Derek I.; Miller, Jack; Morita, Takashi; Narici, Livio; Nelson, Gregory A.; Norman, Ryan B.; Ottolenghi, Andrea; Patel, Zarana S.; Reitz, Guenther; Rusek, Adam; Schreurs, Ann-Sofie; Scott-Carnell, Lisa A.; Semones, Edward; Shay, Jerry W.; Shurshakov, Vyacheslav A.; Sihver, Lembit; Simonsen, Lisa C.; Story, Michael D.; Turker, Mitchell S.; Uchihori, Yukio; Williams, Jacqueline; Zeitlin, Cary J.

    2017-01-01

    Most accelerator-based space radiation experiments have been performed with single ion beams at fixed energies. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species with a continuous range of energies. Due to recent developments in beam switching technology implemented at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), it is now possible to rapidly switch ion species and energies, allowing for the possibility to more realistically simulate the actual radiation environment found in space. The present paper discusses a variety of issues related to implementation of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) simulation at NSRL, especially for experiments in radiobiology. Advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to developing a GCR simulator are presented. In addition, issues common to both GCR simulation and single beam experiments are compared to issues unique to GCR simulation studies. A set of conclusions is presented as well as a discussion of the technical implementation of GCR simulation. PMID:26948012

  5. Innovative Near Real-Time Data Dissemination Tools Developed by the Space Weather Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mullinix, R.; Maddox, M. M.; Berrios, D.; Kuznetsova, M.; Pulkkinen, A.; Rastaetter, L.; Zheng, Y.

    2012-12-01

    Space weather affects virtually all of NASA's endeavors, from robotic missions to human exploration. Knowledge and prediction of space weather conditions are therefore essential to NASA operations. The diverse nature of currently available space environment measurements and modeling products compels the need for a single access point to such information. The Integrated Space Weather Analysis (iSWA) System provides this single point access along with the capability to collect and catalog a vast range of sources including both observational and model data. NASA Goddard Space Weather Research Center heavily utilizes the iSWA System daily for research, space weather model validation, and forecasting for NASA missions. iSWA provides the capabilities to view and analyze near real-time space weather data from any where in the world. This presentation will describe the technology behind the iSWA system and describe how to use the system for space weather research, forecasting, training, education, and sharing.

  6. System modeling for the advanced thermionic initiative single cell thermionic space nuclear reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, H.H.; Lewis, B.R.; Klein, A.C.; Pawlowski, R.A.

    1993-01-01

    Incore thermionic space reactor design concepts which operate in a nominal power output range of 20 to 40 kWe are described. Details of the neutronics, thermionic, shielding, and heat rejection performance are presented. Two different designs, ATI-Driven and ATI-Driverless, are considered. Comparison of the core overall performance of these two configurations are described. The comparison of these two cores includes the overall conversion efficiency, reactor mass, shield mass, and heat rejection mass. An overall system design has been developed to model the advanced incore thermionic energy conversion based nuclear reactor systems for space applications in this power range

  7. Single Step to Orbit; a First Step in a Cooperative Space Exploration Initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lusignan, Bruce; Sivalingam, Shivan

    1999-01-01

    At the end of the Cold War, disarmament planners included a recommendation to ease reduction of the U.S. and Russian aerospace industries by creating cooperative scientific pursuits. The idea was not new, having earlier been suggested by Eisenhower and Khrushchev to reduce the pressure of the "Military Industrial Complex" by undertaking joint space exploration. The Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) proposed at the end of the Cold War by President Bush and Premier Gorbachev was another attempt to ease the disarmament process by giving the bloated war industries something better to do. The engineering talent and the space rockets could be used for peaceful pursuits, notably for going back to the Moon and then on to Mars with human exploration and settlement. At the beginning of this process in 1992 staff of the Stanford Center for International Cooperation in Space attended the International Space University in Canada, met with Russian participants and invited a Russian team to work with us on a joint Stanford-Russian Mars Exploration Study. A CIA student and Airforce and Navy students just happened to join the Stanford course the next year and all students were aware that the leader of the four Russian engineers was well versed in Russian security. But, as long as they did their homework, they were welcome to participate with other students in defining the Mars mission and the three engineers they sent were excellent. At the end of this study we were invited to give a briefing to Dr. Edward Teller at Stanford's Hoover Institution of War and Peace. We were also encouraged to hold a press conference on Capitol Hill to introduce the study to the world. At a pre-conference briefing at the Space Council, we were asked to please remind the press that President Bush had asked for a cooperative exploration proposal not a U.S. alone initiative. The Stanford-Russian study used Russia's Energia launchers, priced at $300 Million each. The mission totaled out to $71.5 Billion

  8. The European Space Agency's FESTIP initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burleson, Daphne

    1998-01-01

    In an effort to reduce the cost of access and open up new markets, the European Space Agency has begun a program called Future European Space Transportation Investigations Programme or FESTIP, in which reusable launcher concepts are being studied and developed. The ideal reusable launcher would be comparable to a normal aircraft in that it would be capable of taking off from many possible locations on Earth, enter the desired orbital plane, then accelerate to orbital velocity, release its payload, de-orbit, disperse its kinetic energy and land at the take-off base to be prepared for its next flight following a quick turnaround time. This ideal vehicle would be called the `single-stage-to-orbit reusable rocket launcher' or SSTO-RRL. All space launchers currently in use are staged to orbit and expendable, except the US Space Shuttle, and there is no SSTO-RRL in operation as yet. This paper will discuss the design options being studied by the European Space Agency (ESA) as well as their practical use in serving the space-launch market (FESTIP Workshop 1).

  9. Parametric cost models for space telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, H. Philip; Henrichs, Todd; Dollinger, Courtnay

    2017-11-01

    Multivariable parametric cost models for space telescopes provide several benefits to designers and space system project managers. They identify major architectural cost drivers and allow high-level design trades. They enable cost-benefit analysis for technology development investment. And, they provide a basis for estimating total project cost. A survey of historical models found that there is no definitive space telescope cost model. In fact, published models vary greatly [1]. Thus, there is a need for parametric space telescopes cost models. An effort is underway to develop single variable [2] and multi-variable [3] parametric space telescope cost models based on the latest available data and applying rigorous analytical techniques. Specific cost estimating relationships (CERs) have been developed which show that aperture diameter is the primary cost driver for large space telescopes; technology development as a function of time reduces cost at the rate of 50% per 17 years; it costs less per square meter of collecting aperture to build a large telescope than a small telescope; and increasing mass reduces cost.

  10. Parametric Cost Models for Space Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, H. Philip; Henrichs, Todd; Dollinger, Courtney

    2010-01-01

    Multivariable parametric cost models for space telescopes provide several benefits to designers and space system project managers. They identify major architectural cost drivers and allow high-level design trades. They enable cost-benefit analysis for technology development investment. And, they provide a basis for estimating total project cost. A survey of historical models found that there is no definitive space telescope cost model. In fact, published models vary greatly [1]. Thus, there is a need for parametric space telescopes cost models. An effort is underway to develop single variable [2] and multi-variable [3] parametric space telescope cost models based on the latest available data and applying rigorous analytical techniques. Specific cost estimating relationships (CERs) have been developed which show that aperture diameter is the primary cost driver for large space telescopes; technology development as a function of time reduces cost at the rate of 50% per 17 years; it costs less per square meter of collecting aperture to build a large telescope than a small telescope; and increasing mass reduces cost.

  11. SpaceExplorer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Thomas Riisgaard

    2007-01-01

    Web pages are designed to be displayed on a single screen, but as more and more screens are being introduced in our surroundings a burning question becomes how to design, interact, and display web pages on multiple devices and displays. In this paper I present the SpaceExplorer prototype, which...... is able to display standard HTML web pages on multiple displays with only a minor modification to the language. Based on the prototype a number of different examples are presented and discussed and some preliminary findings are presented....

  12. Radiation Effects in the Space Telecommunications Environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fleetwood, Daniel M.; Winokur, Peter S.

    1999-05-17

    Trapped protons and electrons in the Earth's radiation belts and cosmic rays present significant challenges for electronics that must operate reliably in the natural space environment. Single event effects (SEE) can lead to sudden device or system failure, and total dose effects can reduce the lifetime of a telecommmiications system with significant space assets. One of the greatest sources of uncertainty in developing radiation requirements for a space system is accounting for the small but finite probability that the system will be exposed to a massive solar particle event. Once specifications are decided, standard laboratory tests are available to predict the total dose response of MOS and bipolar components in space, but SEE testing of components can be more challenging. Prospects are discussed for device modeling and for the use of standard commercial electronics in space.

  13. Radiation Effects in the Space Telecommunications Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fleetwood, Daniel M.; Winokur, Peter S.

    1999-01-01

    Trapped protons and electrons in the Earth's radiation belts and cosmic rays present significant challenges for electronics that must operate reliably in the natural space environment. Single event effects (SEE) can lead to sudden device or system failure, and total dose effects can reduce the lifetime of a telecommmiications system with significant space assets. One of the greatest sources of uncertainty in developing radiation requirements for a space system is accounting for the small but finite probability that the system will be exposed to a massive solar particle event. Once specifications are decided, standard laboratory tests are available to predict the total dose response of MOS and bipolar components in space, but SEE testing of components can be more challenging. Prospects are discussed for device modeling and for the use of standard commercial electronics in space

  14. Axial p-n junction and space charge limited current in single GaN nanowire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Zhihua; Donatini, Fabrice; Daudin, Bruno; Pernot, Julien

    2018-01-01

    The electrical characterizations of individual basic GaN nanostructures, such as axial nanowire (NW) p-n junctions, are becoming indispensable and crucial for the fully controlled realization of GaN NW based devices. In this study, electron beam induced current (EBIC) measurements were performed on two single axial GaN p-n junction NWs grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. I-V characteristics revealed that both ohmic and space charge limited current (SCLC) regimes occur in GaN p-n junction NW. Thanks to an improved contact process, both the electric field induced by the p-n junction and the SCLC in the p-part of GaN NW were disclosed and delineated by EBIC signals under different biases. Analyzing the EBIC profiles in the vicinity of the p-n junction under 0 V and reverse bias, we deduced a depletion width in the range of 116-125 nm. Following our previous work, the acceptor N a doping level was estimated to be 2-3 × 1017 at cm-3 assuming a donor level N d of 2-3 × 1018 at cm-3. The hole diffusion length in n-GaN was determined to be 75 nm for NW #1 and 43 nm for NW #2, demonstrating a low surface recombination velocity at the m-plane facet of n-GaN NW. Under forward bias, EBIC imaging visualized the electric field induced by the SCLC close to p-side contact, in agreement with unusual SCLC previously reported in GaN NWs.

  15. Axial p-n junction and space charge limited current in single GaN nanowire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Zhihua; Donatini, Fabrice; Daudin, Bruno; Pernot, Julien

    2018-01-05

    The electrical characterizations of individual basic GaN nanostructures, such as axial nanowire (NW) p-n junctions, are becoming indispensable and crucial for the fully controlled realization of GaN NW based devices. In this study, electron beam induced current (EBIC) measurements were performed on two single axial GaN p-n junction NWs grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. I-V characteristics revealed that both ohmic and space charge limited current (SCLC) regimes occur in GaN p-n junction NW. Thanks to an improved contact process, both the electric field induced by the p-n junction and the SCLC in the p-part of GaN NW were disclosed and delineated by EBIC signals under different biases. Analyzing the EBIC profiles in the vicinity of the p-n junction under 0 V and reverse bias, we deduced a depletion width in the range of 116-125 nm. Following our previous work, the acceptor N a doping level was estimated to be 2-3 × 10 17 at cm -3 assuming a donor level N d of 2-3 × 10 18 at cm -3 . The hole diffusion length in n-GaN was determined to be 75 nm for NW #1 and 43 nm for NW #2, demonstrating a low surface recombination velocity at the m-plane facet of n-GaN NW. Under forward bias, EBIC imaging visualized the electric field induced by the SCLC close to p-side contact, in agreement with unusual SCLC previously reported in GaN NWs.

  16. Space Law and China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tronchetti, Fabio

    2017-08-01

    Over the past few years, China has made remarkable achievements in the space sector and become one of the most relevant players in the outer space domain. Highlights of this process have been the deployment in orbit of the first Chinese space station, Tiangong-1, on September 29, 2011; and the landing of the Yutu rover on the lunar surface on December 14, 2013. While technological developments have occurred at such a rapid pace, the same cannot be said of the regulatory framework governing Chinese space activities, which still lays at its infant stage. Indeed, unlike other major space-faring countries, China lacks comprehensive and uniform national space legislation; as of now, China has enacted two low-level administrative regulations addressing the issues of launching and registration of space objects. With the growth of the Chinese space program, such a lack of a structured national space law is beginning to show its limits and to create concerns about its negative impact on business opportunities and the ability of China to fully comply with international obligations. One should keep in mind that the international space treaties (China is part to four international space law treaties) are not self-executing, thus requiring States to adopt domestic measures to ensure their effective implementation. Importantly, Chinese authorities appear to be aware of these issues; as stated by the secretary-general of the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) in 2014, national space law has been listed in the national legislation plan and the CNSA is directly engaged in such a process. However, questions remain as to how this drafting process will be conducted and what legal form and content the law will have. For example, China could either decide to proceed with a gradual approach, consisting in the adoption of laws addressing selected issues to be eventually assembled into one single law; or to directly move to the adoption of one comprehensive law. In any case, if

  17. Space Colonization-Benefits for the World

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegfried, W. H.

    2003-01-01

    We have begun to colonize space, even to the extent of early space tourism. Our early Vostok, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Spacehab, Mir and now ISS are humankind's first ventures toward colonization. Efforts are underway to provide short space tours, and endeavors such as the X-Prize are encouraging entrepreneurs to provide new systems. Many believe that extended space travel (colonization) will do for the 21st century what aviation did for the 20th. Our current concerns including terrorism, hunger, disease, and problems of air quality, safe abundant water, poverty, and weather vagaries tend to overshadow long-term activities such as Space Colonization in the minds of many. Our leading ``think tanks'' such as the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Brookings Institute do not rate space travel high on lists of future beneficial undertakings even though many of the concerns listed above are prominently featured. It is the contention of this paper that Space Colonization will lead toward solutions to many of the emerging problems of our Earth, both technological and sociological. The breadth of the enterprise far exceeds the scope of our normal single-purpose missions and, therefore, its benefits will be greater.

  18. A statistically harmonized alignment-classification in image space enables accurate and robust alignment of noisy images in single particle analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawata, Masaaki; Sato, Chikara

    2007-06-01

    In determining the three-dimensional (3D) structure of macromolecular assemblies in single particle analysis, a large representative dataset of two-dimensional (2D) average images from huge number of raw images is a key for high resolution. Because alignments prior to averaging are computationally intensive, currently available multireference alignment (MRA) software does not survey every possible alignment. This leads to misaligned images, creating blurred averages and reducing the quality of the final 3D reconstruction. We present a new method, in which multireference alignment is harmonized with classification (multireference multiple alignment: MRMA). This method enables a statistical comparison of multiple alignment peaks, reflecting the similarities between each raw image and a set of reference images. Among the selected alignment candidates for each raw image, misaligned images are statistically excluded, based on the principle that aligned raw images of similar projections have a dense distribution around the correctly aligned coordinates in image space. This newly developed method was examined for accuracy and speed using model image sets with various signal-to-noise ratios, and with electron microscope images of the Transient Receptor Potential C3 and the sodium channel. In every data set, the newly developed method outperformed conventional methods in robustness against noise and in speed, creating 2D average images of higher quality. This statistically harmonized alignment-classification combination should greatly improve the quality of single particle analysis.

  19. Applications of quantum entanglement in space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ursin, R.; Aspelmeyer, M.; Jennewein, T.; Zeilinger, A.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: Quantum entanglement is at the heart of quantum physics. At the same time it is the basis for novel quantum communication schemes, such as quantum cryptography over long distances. Bringing quantum entanglement to the space environment will open a new range of fundamental physics experiments, and will provide unique opportunities for quantum communication applications over long distances. We proposed tests of quantum communication in space, whereby an entangled photon Source is placed onboard the ISS, and two entangled photons are transmitted via a simultaneous down link and received at two distant ground stations. Furthermore, performing a series of consecutive single down links with separate ground stations will enable a test of establishing quantum cryptography even on a global scale. This Space-QUEST proposal was submitted within ESA's OA-2004 and was rated as 'outstanding' because of both, a novel and imaginative scientific content and for technological applications of quantum cryptography respectively. We intend to explore the possibilities to send, receive and manipulate single entangled photon pairs using telescopes, reflectors and high-power lasers over a distance of some tens of kilometers up to 100 kilometers experimentally. A distance of approx. 10 kilometer would already correspond to one atmospheric equivalent and would thus imply the feasibility of installing a ground to satellite link. We are already collaborating with European Space Agency ESA, to investigate and outline the accommodation of a quantum communication terminal in existing optical terminals for satellite communication. (author)

  20. Recent Progress in Space-Division Multiplexed Transmission Technologies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morioka, Toshio

    2013-01-01

    Recent development of transmission technologies based on space-division multiplexing is described with future perspectives including a recent achievement of one Pb/s transmission in a single strand of fiber....

  1. Compactly supported linearised observables in single-field inflation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fröob, Markus B.; Higuchi, Atsushi [Department of Mathematics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD (United Kingdom); Hack, Thomas-Paul, E-mail: mbf503@york.ac.uk, E-mail: thomas-paul.hack@itp.uni-leipzig.de, E-mail: atsushi.higuchi@york.ac.uk [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Leipzig, Brüderstraße 16, 04103 Leipzig (Germany)

    2017-07-01

    We investigate the gauge-invariant observables constructed by smearing the graviton and inflaton fields by compactly supported tensors at linear order in general single-field inflation. These observables correspond to gauge-invariant quantities that can be measured locally. In particular, we show that these observables are equivalent to (smeared) local gauge-invariant observables such as the linearised Weyl tensor, which have better infrared properties than the graviton and inflaton fields. Special cases include the equivalence between the compactly supported gauge-invariant graviton observable and the smeared linearised Weyl tensor in Minkowski and de Sitter spaces. Our results indicate that the infrared divergences in the tensor and scalar perturbations in single-field inflation have the same status as in de Sitter space and are both a gauge artefact, in a certain technical sense, at tree level.

  2. Geometry of the Gene Expression Space of Individual Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yael Korem

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available There is a revolution in the ability to analyze gene expression of single cells in a tissue. To understand this data we must comprehend how cells are distributed in a high-dimensional gene expression space. One open question is whether cell types form discrete clusters or whether gene expression forms a continuum of states. If such a continuum exists, what is its geometry? Recent theory on evolutionary trade-offs suggests that cells that need to perform multiple tasks are arranged in a polygon or polyhedron (line, triangle, tetrahedron and so on, generally called polytopes in gene expression space, whose vertices are the expression profiles optimal for each task. Here, we analyze single-cell data from human and mouse tissues profiled using a variety of single-cell technologies. We fit the data to shapes with different numbers of vertices, compute their statistical significance, and infer their tasks. We find cases in which single cells fill out a continuum of expression states within a polyhedron. This occurs in intestinal progenitor cells, which fill out a tetrahedron in gene expression space. The four vertices of this tetrahedron are each enriched with genes for a specific task related to stemness and early differentiation. A polyhedral continuum of states is also found in spleen dendritic cells, known to perform multiple immune tasks: cells fill out a tetrahedron whose vertices correspond to key tasks related to maturation, pathogen sensing and communication with lymphocytes. A mixture of continuum-like distributions and discrete clusters is found in other cell types, including bone marrow and differentiated intestinal crypt cells. This approach can be used to understand the geometry and biological tasks of a wide range of single-cell datasets. The present results suggest that the concept of cell type may be expanded. In addition to discreet clusters in gene-expression space, we suggest a new possibility: a continuum of states within a

  3. Carbon-Ring Microelectrode Arrays for Electrochemical Imaging of Single Cell Exocytosis: Fabrication and Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yuqing; Trouillon, Raphaël; Svensson, Maria I.; Keighron, Jacqueline D.; Cans, Ann-Sofie; Ewing, Andrew G.

    2012-01-01

    Fabrication of carbon microelectrode arrays, with up to 15 electrodes in total tips as small as 10 to 50 μm, is presented. The support structures of microelectrodes were obtained by pulling multiple quartz capillaries together to form hollow capillary arrays before carbon deposition. Carbon ring microelectrodes were deposited by pyrolysis of acetylene in the lumen of these quartz capillary arrays. Each carbon deposited array tip was filled with epoxy, followed by beveling of the tip of the array to form a deposited carbon-ring microelectrode array (CRMA). Both the number of the microelectrodes in the array and the tip size are independently tunable. These CRMAs have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence. Additionally, the electrochemical properties were investigated with steady-state voltammetry. In order to demonstrate the utility of these fabricated microelectrodes in neurochemistry, CRMAs containing eight microring electrodes were used for electrochemical monitoring of exocytotic events from single PC12 cells. Subcellular temporal heterogeneities in exocytosis (ie. cold spots vs. hot spots) were successfully detected with the CRMAs. PMID:22339586

  4. Osteocyte Lacunae are Lenticular/Ellipsoid Spaces or Spiral/Helical Tubules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bijit Kanti Guha

    2017-10-01

    anastomose between themselves. It does appear that the so called osteocyte lacunae are optical illusions in the light microscope representing the depth of the lumen of these tubular spaces, which get sectioned in all possible planes. Conclusion: From the present study we concluded that the whole structure of mature bone is tubular in shape without the presence of lenticular/ellipsoid lacunae. The transport of organic and inorganic material may be by free flow mechanism through this tubular framework. We hope that this fresh understanding of basic bone structure will open new vistas for further research.

  5. Emitter spacing effects on field emission properties of laser-treated single-walled carbon nanotube buckypapers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen Yiwen; Miao, Hsin-Yuan; Zhang Mei; Liang, Richard; Zhang, Chuck; Wang, Ben [High-Performance Materials Institute, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310 (United States); Lin, Ryan Jiyao, E-mail: kenymiao@thu.edu.tw, E-mail: mzhang@eng.fsu.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN 47803 (United States)

    2010-12-10

    Carbon nanotube (CNT) emitters on buckypaper were activated by laser treatment and their field emission properties were investigated. The pristine buckypapers and CNT emitters' height, diameter, and spacing were characterized through optical analysis. The emitter spacing directly impacted the emission results when the laser power and treatment times were fixed. The increasing emitter density increased the enhanced field emission current and luminance. However, a continuous and excessive increase of emitter density with spacing reduction generated the screening effect. As a result, the extended screening effect from the smaller spacing eventually crippled the field emission effectiveness. Luminance intensity and uniformity of field emission suggest that the highly effective buckypaper will have a density of 2500 emission spots cm{sup -2}, which presents an effective field enhancement factor of 3721 and a moderated screening effect of 0.005. Proper laser treatment is an effective post-treatment process for optimizing field emission, luminance, and durability performance for buckypaper cold cathodes.

  6. A space-efficient algorithm for local similarities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, X Q; Hardison, R C; Miller, W

    1990-10-01

    Existing dynamic-programming algorithms for identifying similar regions of two sequences require time and space proportional to the product of the sequence lengths. Often this space requirement is more limiting than the time requirement. We describe a dynamic-programming local-similarity algorithm that needs only space proportional to the sum of the sequence lengths. The method can also find repeats within a single long sequence. To illustrate the algorithm's potential, we discuss comparison of a 73,360 nucleotide sequence containing the human beta-like globin gene cluster and a corresponding 44,594 nucleotide sequence for rabbit, a problem well beyond the capabilities of other dynamic-programming software.

  7. 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.

  8. Deployable reflector configurations. [for space telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meinel, A. B.; Meinel, M. P.; Woolf, N. J.

    1983-01-01

    Both the theoretical reasons for considering a non-circular format for the Large Deployable Reflector, and a potentially realizable concept for such a device, are discussed. The optimum systems for diffraction limited telescopes with incoherent detection have either a single filled aperture, or two such apertures as an interferometer to synthesize a larger aperture. For a single aperture of limited area, a reflector in the form of a slot can be used to give increased angular resolution. It is shown how a 20 x 8 meter telescope can be configured to fit the Space Shuttle bay, and deployed with relatively simple operations. The relationship between the sunshield design and the inclination of the orbit is discussed. The possible use of the LDR as a basic module to permit the construction of supergiant space telescopes and interferometers both for IR/submm studies and for the entire ultraviolet through mm wave spectral region is discussed.

  9. Free-piston Stirling technology for space power

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slaby, Jack G.

    1989-01-01

    An overview is presented of the NASA Lewis Research Center free-piston Stirling engine activities directed toward space power. This work is being carried out under NASA's new Civil Space Technology Initiative (CSTI). The overall goal of CSTI's High Capacity Power element is to develop the technology base needed to meet the long duration, high capacity power requirements for future NASA space missions. The Stirling cycle offers an attractive power conversion concept for space power needs. Discussed here is the completion of the Space Power Demonstrator Engine (SPDE) testing-culminating in the generation of 25 kW of engine power from a dynamically-balanced opposed-piston Stirling engine at a temperature ratio of 2.0. Engine efficiency was approximately 22 percent. The SPDE recently has been divided into two separate single-cylinder engines, called Space Power Research Engine (SPRE), that now serve as test beds for the evaluation of key technology disciplines. These disciplines include hydrodynamic gas bearings, high-efficiency linear alternators, space qualified heat pipe heat exchangers, oscillating flow code validation, and engine loss understanding.

  10. Advances in space biology and medicine. Vol. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonting, Sjoerd L. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    Topics discussed include the effects of prolonged spaceflights on the human body; skeletal responses to spaceflight; gravity effects on reproduction, development, and aging; neurovestibular physiology in fish; and gravity perception and circumnutation in plants. Attention is also given to the development of higher plants under altered gravitational conditions; the techniques, findings, and theory concerning gravity effects on single cells; protein crystal growth in space; and facilities for animal research in space.

  11. Blocking of Single α-Hemolysin Pore by Rhodamine Derivatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rokitskaya, Tatyana I; Nazarov, Pavel A; Golovin, Andrey V; Antonenko, Yuri N

    2017-06-06

    Measurements of ion conductance through α-hemolysin pore in a bilayer lipid membrane revealed blocking of the ion channel by a series of rhodamine 19 and rhodamine B esters. The longest dwell closed time of the blocking was observed with rhodamine 19 butyl ester (C4R1), whereas the octyl ester (C8R1) was of poor effect. Voltage asymmetry in the binding kinetics indicated that rhodamine derivatives bound to the stem part of the aqueous pore lumen. The binding frequency was proportional to a quadratic function of rhodamine concentrations, thereby showing that the dominant binding species were rhodamine dimers. Two levels of the pore conductance and two dwell closed times of the pore were found. The dwell closed times lengthened as the voltage increased, suggesting impermeability of the channel for the ligands. Molecular docking analysis revealed two distinct binding sites within the lumen of the stem of the α-hemolysin pore for the C4R1 dimer, but only one binding site for the C8R1 dimer. The blocking of the α-hemolysin nanopore by rhodamines could be utilized in DNA sequencing as additional optical sensing owing to bright fluorescence of rhodamines if used for DNA labeling. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The Functional Lumen Imaging Probe Detects Esophageal Contractility not Observed with Manometry in Patients with Achalasia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Dustin A.; Lin, Zhiyue; Kahrilas, Peter J.; Sternbach, Joel; Donnan, Erica N.; Friesen, Laurel; Listernick, Zoe; Mogni, Benjamin; Pandolfino, John E.

    2015-01-01

    Background & Aims The functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) could improve characterization of achalasia subtypes by detecting non-occlusive esophageal contractions not observed with standard manometry. We aimed to evaluate for esophageal contractions during volumetric distention in patients with achalasia using FLIP topography. Methods Fifty one treatment-naïve patients with achalasia, defined and sub-classified by high-resolution esophageal pressure topography, and 10 asymptomatic individuals (controls) were evaluated with the FLIP during endoscopy. During stepwise distension, simultaneous intra-bag pressures and 16 channels of cross-sectional areas were measured; data were exported to software that generated FLIP topography plots. Esophageal contractility was identified by noting periods of reduced luminal diameter. Esophageal contractions were further characterized by propagation direction, repetitiveness, and based on whether they were occluding or non-occluding. Results Esophageal contractility was detected in all 10 controls: 8/10 had repetitive, antegrade, contractions and 9/10 had occluding contractions. Contractility was detected in 27% (4/15) of patients with type I achalasia and 65% (18/26, including 9 with occluding contractions) of patients with type II achalasia. Contractility was detected in all 10 patients with type III achalasia; 8 of these patients had a pattern of contractility not observed in controls (repetitive, retrograde contractions). Conclusions Esophageal contractility not observed with manometry can be detected in patients with achalasia using FLIP topography. The presence and patterns of contractility detected with FLIP topography may represent variations in pathophysiology, such as mechanisms of pan-esophageal pressurization in patients with type II achalasia. These findings could have implications for additional sub-classification to supplement prediction of the achalasia disease course. PMID:26278501

  13. Verso una filosofia della luce e dell’ascolto? Il secondo capitolo dell’enciclica sul Lumen fidei

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pasquale Giustiniani

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Normal 0 14 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. This phrase, attributed to Albert Einstein, with the implicit metaphor of light, through blindness, would have wanted to emphasize that faith and science are not irreconcilables. This paper means, at the urging of Pope Francis (but also of Pope Benedict XVI, as we shall see, that is possible to reflect on the relationships between religion and science, faith and reason, theology and philosophy, ethics, religion and art, Hellenism and Christianity, biblical message and achievements of the recent reason… in the light of the second chapter of the encyclical Lumen fidei. In this chapter, summarizing some aspects of the life of St. Augustine, the encyclical speaks of the decisive moment in his journey of faith, identifying listening to the voice of God (philosophy of listening  but never he refuse the light and vision (philosophy of light. From this result, can be proposed again a reflection in predominantly philosophical and religious perspective, with much attention to acoustic and visual perception of the divine, by which the ancient pairs of terms between faith and reason, theology - philosophy, faith - science ... /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabella normale"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

  14. Lumen modifications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rebecca E. Ibach; W. Dale Ellis

    2005-01-01

    Wood is used to produce many products (structural and nonstructural) for applications in which its natural properties are adequate. With the decrease of wood availability and the increase of less durable, younger and faster-growing trees, it is possible to modify wood in various ways to improve the properties, depending on the ultimate application. Wood- polymer...

  15. 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

  16. Safety of information in electronic equipment influenced by the charged space particles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ksenia Gennad’evna Sizova

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A version of the existing evaluation method of electronic equipment to the influence of charged space particles causing single event effects for the purpose of improving the accuracy of calculation in the field of information safety is suggested. On the basis of the existing and modified methods radiation tolerance of real payload spacecraft responsible for the security of transmitted information are defined. The results of comparison are introduced. Significant differences not only in quantitative but also in qualitative character of tolerance indicators are revealed. It is demonstrated that the modified method allows to take into account the functional complexity of the hardware and the application efficiency of the sophisticated single event effects protection tools. To confirm the applicability of the modified method of equipment tolerance evaluation method to the influence of charged space particles causing single event effects proposals to the procedure of ground tests of the payload and the space experiment are developed.

  17. Sensorimotor and social aspects of peripersonal space

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkerman, H. Chris; Farnè, Alessandro

    2015-01-01

    About three decades ago, multisensory coding of the space surrounding the body was first described (Rizzolatti et al., 1981). Neurophysiological primate studies showed that information from different sensory modalities converge at single cell level within a set of interconnected multisensory

  18. Label Space Reduction in MPLS Networks: How Much Can A Single Stacked Label Do?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Solano, Fernando; Stidsen, Thomas K.; Fabregat, Ramon

    2008-01-01

    Most network operators have considered reducing LSR label spaces (number of labels used) as a way of simplifying management of underlaying virtual private networks (VPNs) and therefore reducing operational expenditure (OPEX). The IETF outlined the label merging feature in MPLS-allowing the config......Most network operators have considered reducing LSR label spaces (number of labels used) as a way of simplifying management of underlaying virtual private networks (VPNs) and therefore reducing operational expenditure (OPEX). The IETF outlined the label merging feature in MPLS...

  19. Thermo-Acoustic Convertor for Space Power, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In Phase Sunpower looked at Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engines (TASHEs). These ranged from a TASHE which was sized for the heat from a single General Purpose Heat...

  20. Modeling and Development of Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal outlines a research project as the central component of a Ph.D. program focused on the device physics of superconducting nanowire single photon...

  1. Ultrafast geometric control of a single qubit using chirped pulses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hawkins, Patrick E; Malinovskaya, Svetlana A; Malinovsky, Vladimir S

    2012-01-01

    We propose a control strategy to perform arbitrary unitary operations on a single qubit based solely on the geometrical phase that the qubit state acquires after cyclic evolution in the parameter space. The scheme uses ultrafast linearly chirped pulses and provides the possibility of reducing the duration of a single-qubit operation to a few picoseconds.

  2. Feasibility of Single-Isocenter Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiosurgery for Treatment of Multiple Brain Metastases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clark, Grant M.; Popple, Richard A.; Young, P. Edward; Fiveash, John B.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the relative plan quality of single-isocenter vs. multi-isocenter volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for radiosurgical treatment of multiple central nervous system metastases. Methods and Materials: VMAT plans were created using RapidArc technology for treatment of simulated patients with three brain metastases. The plans consisted of single-arc/single-isocenter, triple-arc (noncoplanar)/single-isocenter, and triple-arc (coplanar)/triple-isocenter configurations. All VMAT plans were normalized to deliver 100% of the 20-Gy prescription dose to all lesions. The plans were evaluated by calculation of Paddick and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group conformity index scores, Paddick gradient index scores, and 12-Gy isodose volumes. Results: All plans were judged clinically acceptable, but differences were observed in the dosimetric parameters, with the use of multiple noncoplanar arcs showing small improvements in the conformity indexes compared with the single-arc/single-isocenter and triple-arc (coplanar)/triple-isocenter plans. Multiple arc plans (triple-arc [noncoplanar]/single-isocenter and triple-arc [coplanar]/triple-isocenter) showed smaller 12-Gy isodose volumes in scenarios involving three metastases spaced closely together, with only small differences noted among all plans involving lesions spaced further apart. Conclusion: Our initial results suggest that single-isocenter VMAT plans can be used to deliver conformity equivalent to that of multiple isocenter VMAT techniques. For targets that are closely spaced, multiple noncoplanar single-isocenter arcs might be required. VMAT radiosurgery for multiple targets using a single isocenter can be efficiently delivered, requiring less than one-half the beam time required for multiple isocenter set ups. VMAT radiosurgery will likely replace multi-isocenter techniques for linear accelerator-based treatment of multiple targets.

  3. Minimal computational-space implementation of multiround quantum protocols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bisio, Alessandro; D'Ariano, Giacomo Mauro; Perinotti, Paolo; Chiribella, Giulio

    2011-01-01

    A single-party strategy in a multiround quantum protocol can be implemented by sequential networks of quantum operations connected by internal memories. Here, we provide an efficient realization in terms of computational-space resources.

  4. LENA Conversion Foils Using Single-Layer Graphene, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Our key innovation will be the use of single-layer graphene as LENA conversion foils, with appropriate microgrids and nanogrids to support the foils. Phase I...

  5. Transvaginal Resection of an Infected Sacrocolpopexy Mesh by Single-Port Trocar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaub, Marie; Lecointre, Lise; Faller, Emilie; Boisramé, Thomas; Baldauf, Jean-Jacques; Akladios, Cherif Youssef

    Laparoscopy using a single port improves morbidity while keeping the same level of requirement. This technique has been evaluated in gynecology for salpingectomy, ovarian surgery, and hysterectomy. Here, the authors illustrate a new use of a single port using the transvaginal approach. Case report (Canadian Task Force classification III). Tertiary referral center in Strasbourg, France. Woman age 59 years. Single-port platform used in the transvaginal approach for resection of sacrocolpopexy mesh. The local institutional review board approved the video. A 59-year-old woman suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes and a tobacco user had 2 laparoscopic sacrocolpopexies for recurrent rectocele, the first in 2007 and the second in 2012. The sequences were marked by mesh erosion and granuloma in the vagina, requiring its surgical excision in 2016. The patient was then symptomatic, with an increasingly foul-smelling vaginal discharge with recurrent mesh erosion. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an abscess formation along the length of the mesh to the promontory. The patient then underwent surgery, realized under probabilistic antibiotic therapy, consisting of complete excision of the sacrocolpopexy mesh by the transvaginal approach. After putting the single-port trocar (GelPoint; Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) into the vagina and obtaining distension with the insufflator (AirSeal; Conmed, Utica, NY), classic laparoscopic instruments were introduced by the single-port trocar. The mesh was entirely resected in the retroperitoneal space. Mesh was again used because the exposed space is almost always surrounded by loose granulation tissue that facilitates dissection and also prevents injury to adjacent structures such as bladder, rectum, and peritoneum. Moreover, the opening of adjacent structures will manifest gas leaks and, consequently, loss of the pneumovagina. At the end of procedure, the vagina is not closed to permit optimal drainage with a multitubular

  6. A self-organizing state-space-model approach for parameter estimation in hodgkin-huxley-type models of single neurons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitrios V Vavoulis

    Full Text Available Traditional approaches to the problem of parameter estimation in biophysical models of neurons and neural networks usually adopt a global search algorithm (for example, an evolutionary algorithm, often in combination with a local search method (such as gradient descent in order to minimize the value of a cost function, which measures the discrepancy between various features of the available experimental data and model output. In this study, we approach the problem of parameter estimation in conductance-based models of single neurons from a different perspective. By adopting a hidden-dynamical-systems formalism, we expressed parameter estimation as an inference problem in these systems, which can then be tackled using a range of well-established statistical inference methods. The particular method we used was Kitagawa's self-organizing state-space model, which was applied on a number of Hodgkin-Huxley-type models using simulated or actual electrophysiological data. We showed that the algorithm can be used to estimate a large number of parameters, including maximal conductances, reversal potentials, kinetics of ionic currents, measurement and intrinsic noise, based on low-dimensional experimental data and sufficiently informative priors in the form of pre-defined constraints imposed on model parameters. The algorithm remained operational even when very noisy experimental data were used. Importantly, by combining the self-organizing state-space model with an adaptive sampling algorithm akin to the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy, we achieved a significant reduction in the variance of parameter estimates. The algorithm did not require the explicit formulation of a cost function and it was straightforward to apply on compartmental models and multiple data sets. Overall, the proposed methodology is particularly suitable for resolving high-dimensional inference problems based on noisy electrophysiological data and, therefore, a

  7. Distributed Graph-Based State Space Generation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blom, Stefan; Kant, Gijs; Rensink, Arend; De Lara, J.; Varro, D.

    LTSMIN provides a framework in which state space generation can be distributed easily over many cores on a single compute node, as well as over multiple compute nodes. The tool works on the basis of a vector representation of the states; the individual cores are assigned the task of computing all

  8. Radiobiological experiments in space: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horneck, G.

    1992-01-01

    This paper deals mainly with results from space experiments on the biological effects of cosmic ray high charge, high energy (HZE) particles and on their potential interactions with the microgravity environment. So far, mainly with resting systems, such as viruses, bacterial spores, plant seeds or shrimp cysts, as well as in a few embryonic systems, methods have been applied to trace injuries to the passage of a single HZE particle of comic radiation Most effects point to damage to the genetic material such as mutations, tumour induction, chromosomal aberrations, cell inactivation, or development anomalies. Using higher organisms, including mammals, a few attempts have been made to identify tissue damage along the passage of single HZE particles, such as microscopically visible injury in brain or eyes, or the light flash sensation. The latter, correlated with orbital parameters, showed highest frequency during the passage of the South Atlantic Anomaly. To study potential interactions of ionizing radiation with microgravity, either additional irradiation was applied, pre-, in-, or post-flight, or a 1 g reference centrifuge was utilized in combination with methods of particle effect correlation. Especially in embryonic systems, synergistic interactions were observed in producing mutations or anomalies with high frequency. It is assumed that, among other mechanisms, microgravity might interfere with the function of DNA repair systems. On the basis of the results obtained on the biological effectiveness of radiation in space and in view of upcoming space activities with an increasing number of manned missions, perspectives are given for future experimental approaches in space radiation biology. (author)

  9. Ultrasonic characterization of single drops of liquids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sinha, Dipen N. (Los Alamos, NM)

    1998-01-01

    Ultrasonic characterization of single drops of liquids. The present invention includes the use of two closely spaced transducers, or one transducer and a closely spaced reflector plate, to form an interferometer suitable for ultrasonic characterization of droplet-size and smaller samples without the need for a container. The droplet is held between the interferometer elements, whose distance apart may be adjusted, by surface tension. The surfaces of the interferometer elements may be readily cleansed by a stream of solvent followed by purified air when it is desired to change samples. A single drop of liquid is sufficient for high-quality measurement. Examples of samples which may be investigated using the apparatus and method of the present invention include biological specimens (tear drops; blood and other body fluid samples; samples from tumors, tissues, and organs; secretions from tissues and organs; snake and bee venom, etc.) for diagnostic evaluation, samples in forensic investigations, and detection of drugs in small quantities.

  10. Ultrasonic characterization of single drops of liquids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sinha, D.N.

    1998-04-14

    Ultrasonic characterization of single drops of liquids is disclosed. The present invention includes the use of two closely spaced transducers, or one transducer and a closely spaced reflector plate, to form an interferometer suitable for ultrasonic characterization of droplet-size and smaller samples without the need for a container. The droplet is held between the interferometer elements, whose distance apart may be adjusted, by surface tension. The surfaces of the interferometer elements may be readily cleansed by a stream of solvent followed by purified air when it is desired to change samples. A single drop of liquid is sufficient for high-quality measurement. Examples of samples which may be investigated using the apparatus and method of the present invention include biological specimens (tear drops; blood and other body fluid samples; samples from tumors, tissues, and organs; secretions from tissues and organs; snake and bee venom, etc.) for diagnostic evaluation, samples in forensic investigations, and detection of drugs in small quantities. 5 figs.

  11. Single Event Upset Analysis: On-orbit performance of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Digital Signal Processor Memory aboard the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jiaqiang; Choutko, Vitaly; Xiao, Liyi

    2018-03-01

    Based on the collection of error data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) Digital Signal Processors (DSP), on-orbit Single Event Upsets (SEUs) of the DSP program memory are analyzed. The daily error distribution and time intervals between errors are calculated to evaluate the reliability of the system. The particle density distribution of International Space Station (ISS) orbit is presented and the effects from the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and the geomagnetic poles are analyzed. The impact of solar events on the DSP program memory is carried out combining data analysis and Monte Carlo simulation (MC). From the analysis and simulation results, it is concluded that the area corresponding to the SAA is the main source of errors on the ISS orbit. Solar events can also cause errors on DSP program memory, but the effect depends on the on-orbit particle density.

  12. Feasibility study of a single-element transcranial focused ultrasound system for blood-brain barrier opening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marquet, Fabrice; Tung, Yao-Sheng; Teichert, Tobias; Ferrera, Vincent P.; Konofagou, Elisa E.

    2012-10-01

    The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a specialized vascular system that impedes entry of all large and the vast majority of small molecules including the most potent CNS disease therapeutic agents from entering from the lumen into the brain parenchyma. Microbubble-enhanced, focused ultrasound (ME-FUS) has been previously shown to disrupt noninvasively, selectively, and transiently the BBB in small animals in vivo. The study addresses the focusing properties of single-element transducers at intermediate frequencies (500 kHz) through primate and human skulls, targeting clinically relevant targets extracted from 3D brain atlases such as the hippocampus and the basal ganglia, which are typically affected by early Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, respectively. A preliminary in vivo study was performed to study the frequency dependence of BBB opening parameters in mice. Then, feasibility of transcranial ME-FUS BBB opening in non-human primates was demonstrated with subsequent BBB recovery. Sonications were combined with two different types of microbubbles (custom made 4-5 μm and Definity®). 3T MRI was used to confirm the BBB disruption and to assess brain damage.

  13. Space Shuttle dosimetry measurements with RME-III

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardy, K.A.; Golightly, M.J.; Hardy, A.C.; Atwell, W.; Quam, W.

    1991-10-01

    A description of the radiation monitoring equipment (RME-III) dosimetry instrument and the results obtained from six Space Shuttle flights are presented. The RME-III is a self-contained, active (real-time), portable dosimeter system developed for the USAF and adapted for utilization in measuring the ionizing radiation environment on the Space Shuttle. This instrument was developed to incorporate the capabilities of two earlier radiation instruments into a single unit and to minimize crew interaction times with longer battery life and expanded memory capacity. Flight data has demonstrated that the RME-III can be used to accurately assess dose from various sources of exposure, such as that encountered in the complex radiation environment of space

  14. Tips of the dual-lumen microcatheter-facilitated reverse wire technique in percutaneous coronary interventions for markedly angulated bifurcated lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Tetsuya; Kikai, Masakazu; Hori, Yusuke; Yoshioka, Kenichi; Kubota, Hiroshi; Miyawaki, Daisuke; Urata, Ryota; Sugimoto, Takeshi; Keira, Natsuya; Tatsumi, Tetsuya

    2018-04-01

    In practical settings of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), we sometimes encounter difficulty in introducing a guidewire (GW) to the markedly angulated side branch (SB), and the reverse wire technique is considered as a last resort to overcome such a situation. We analyzed 12 cases that underwent PCI with dual-lumen microcatheter-facilitated reverse wire technique between January 2013 and July 2016. We retrospectively investigated the lesion's characteristics and the details of the PCI procedures, and discussed tips about the use of this technique. The SB that exhibits both a smaller take-off angle and a larger carina angle is considered to be the most suitable candidate for this technique. The first step of this technique involves the delivery of the reverse wire system to the target bifurcation. However, most cases exhibit significant stenosis proximal to the bifurcation, which often hampers the delivery of the reverse wire system. Because the sharply curved reverse wire system is easier to pass the stenosis as compared to the roundly curved system, we recommend a sharp curve should be adopted for this technique. On the other hand, it is sure that device delivery is much easier on the GW with a round curve as compared to that with a sharp curve. Therefore, it is important to modify the details of this procedure on a case-by-case basis according to the lesion's characteristics.

  15. Room-Temperature Single-Photon Source for Secure Quantum Communication

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We are asking for four years of support for PhD student Justin Winkler's work on a research project entitled "Room temperature single photon source for secure...

  16. Symmetric spaces and the Kashiwara-Vergne method

    CERN Document Server

    Rouvière, François

    2014-01-01

    Gathering and updating results scattered in journal articles over thirty years, this self-contained monograph gives a comprehensive introduction to the subject. Its goal is to: - motivate and explain the method for general Lie groups, reducing the proof of deep results in invariant analysis to the verification of two formal Lie bracket identities related to the Campbell-Hausdorff formula (the "Kashiwara-Vergne conjecture"); - give a detailed proof of the conjecture for quadratic and solvable Lie algebras, which is relatively elementary; - extend the method to symmetric spaces; here an obstruction appears, embodied in a single remarkable object called an "e-function"; - explain the role of this function in invariant analysis on symmetric spaces, its relation to invariant differential operators, mean value operators and spherical functions; - give an explicit e-function for rank one spaces (the hyperbolic spaces); - construct an e-function for general symmetric spaces, in the spirit of Kashiwara and Vergne's or...

  17. Lazy Toggle PRM: A single-query approach to motion planning

    KAUST Repository

    Denny, Jory

    2013-05-01

    Probabilistic RoadMaps (PRMs) are quite suc-cessful in solving complex and high-dimensional motion plan-ning problems. While particularly suited for multiple-query scenarios and expansive spaces, they lack efficiency in both solving single-query scenarios and mapping narrow spaces. Two PRM variants separately tackle these gaps. Lazy PRM reduces the computational cost of roadmap construction for single-query scenarios by delaying roadmap validation until query time. Toggle PRM is well suited for mapping narrow spaces by mapping both Cfree and Cobst, which gives certain theoretical benefits. However, fully validating the two resulting roadmaps can be costly. We present a strategy, Lazy Toggle PRM, for integrating these two approaches into a method which is both suited for narrow passages and efficient single-query calculations. This simultaneously addresses two challenges of PRMs. Like Lazy PRM, Lazy Toggle PRM delays validation of roadmaps until query time, but if no path is found, the algorithm augments the roadmap using the Toggle PRM methodology. We demonstrate the effectiveness of Lazy Toggle PRM in a wide range of scenarios, including those with narrow passages and high descriptive complexity (e.g., those described by many triangles), concluding that it is more effective than existing methods in solving difficult queries. © 2013 IEEE.

  18. Performance of a fully disposable, digital, single-operator cholangiopancreatoscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Raj J; Raijman, Isaac; Brauer, Brian; Gumustop, Bora; Pleskow, Douglas K

    2017-07-01

    Background and study aim  Our aim was to evaluate the first use in humans of a new, single-use, digital, single-operator intraductal cholangiopancreatoscopy system (IDCP). Patients and methods  Data were collected retrospectively from four US institutions between February 2015 and April 2015. The visual impression of neoplasia or benign findings with IDCP was determined by the performing endoscopist. High grade dysplasia, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, neuroendocrine tumor, and malignancy were categorized as neoplasia. Benign disease was defined as the absence of neoplasia during ≥ 6 months of follow-up. Results  Patients (n = 108) with indeterminate strictures, dilatation, or difficult stones underwent IDCP. Of 74 patients with indeterminate stricture or dilatation, 29 (39 %) had neoplasia, of which 25 were confirmed by miniature biopsy forceps, 2 by surgical pathology, and 2 by the presence of metastatic disease on follow-up imaging. In patients with benign disease, 15 had concentric stenosis or normal/erythematous changes, 5 had low papillary mucosal projections, 6 had coarse granular mucosa, and 4 had nodular mucosa. Findings in patients with neoplastic disease included dilated, tortuous vessels ("tumor vessels"; n = 13), irregular margins with partial occlusion of the lumen (infiltrative stricture, n = 12), villous or nodular mass (n = 9), and finger-like villiform projections (n = 5). Operating characteristics for indeterminate stricture or dilatation were: 97 % sensitivity, 93 % specificity, 90 % positive predictive value, 98 % negative predictive value. Targeted biopsy yielded 86 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity. Stone clearance was noted in all cases. Adverse events occurred in 3 %. Conclusion  The new IDCP system provides enhanced image resolution, and may improve the ability to target difficult stones and diagnose indeterminate strictures. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  19. Dual color single particle tracking via nanobodies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albrecht, David; Winterflood, Christian M; Ewers, Helge

    2015-01-01

    Single particle tracking is a powerful tool to investigate the function of biological molecules by following their motion in space. However, the simultaneous tracking of two different species of molecules is still difficult to realize without compromising the length or density of trajectories, the localization accuracy or the simplicity of the assay. Here, we demonstrate a simple dual color single particle tracking assay using small, bright, high-affinity labeling via nanobodies of accessible targets with widely available instrumentation. We furthermore apply a ratiometric step-size analysis method to visualize differences in apparent membrane viscosity. (paper)

  20. Validation of comprehensive space radiation transport code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shinn, J.L.; Simonsen, L.C.; Cucinotta, F.A.

    1998-01-01

    The HZETRN code has been developed over the past decade to evaluate the local radiation fields within sensitive materials on spacecraft in the space environment. Most of the more important nuclear and atomic processes are now modeled and evaluation within a complex spacecraft geometry with differing material components, including transition effects across boundaries of dissimilar materials, are included. The atomic/nuclear database and transport procedures have received limited validation in laboratory testing with high energy ion beams. The codes have been applied in design of the SAGE-III instrument resulting in material changes to control injurious neutron production, in the study of the Space Shuttle single event upsets, and in validation with space measurements (particle telescopes, tissue equivalent proportional counters, CR-39) on Shuttle and Mir. The present paper reviews the code development and presents recent results in laboratory and space flight validation

  1. Why Deep Space Habitats Should Be Different from the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffin, Brand; Brown, MacAulay

    2016-01-01

    It is tempting to view the International Space Station (ISS) as a model for deep space habitats. This is not a good idea for many reasons. The ISS does not have a habitation module; instead the individual crew quarters are dispersed across several modules, the galley is in the US Laboratory and the waste hygiene compartment is in a Node. This distributed arrangement may be inconvenient but more important differences distinguish a deep space habitat from the ISS. First, the Space Shuttle launch system that shaped, sized, and delivered most ISS elements has been retired. Its replacement, the Space Launch System (SLS), is specifically designed for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and is capable of transporting more efficient, large diameter, heavy-lift payloads. Next, because of the Earth's protective geomagnetic field, ISS crews are naturally shielded from lethal radiation. Deep space habitat designs must include either a storm shelter or strategically positioned equipment and stowage for radiation protection. Another important difference is the increased transit time with no opportunity for an ISS-type emergency return. It takes 7 to 10 days to go between Earth and cis-lunar locations and 1000 days for the Mars habitat transit. This long commute calls for greater crew autonomy with habitats designed for the crew to fix their own problems. The ISS rack-enclosed, densely packaged subsystems are a product of the Shuttle era and not maintenance friendly. A solution better suited for deep space habitats spreads systems out allowing direct access to single-layer packaging and providing crew access to each component without having to remove another. Operational readiness is another important discriminator. The ISS required over 100 flights to build, resupply, and transport the crew, whereas SLS offers the capability to launch a fully provisioned habitat that is operational without additional outfitting or resupply flights.

  2. Organizational Metamorphosis in Space Research and Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tompkins, Phillip K.

    1978-01-01

    The communicative, and therefore organizational and managerial, aspects of the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) metamorphosis from Saturn V to Skylab are analyzed. MSFC's consistent successes are attributed to the organization's commitment to communication systems, its technical integrity, and its single-minded purpose. (JMF)

  3. Coalescence of rotating black holes on Eguchi-Hanson space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuno, Ken; Ishihara, Hideki; Kimura, Masashi; Tomizawa, Shinya

    2007-01-01

    We obtain new charged rotating multi-black hole solutions on the Eguchi-Hanson space in the five-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell system with a Chern-Simons term and a positive cosmological constant. In the two-black holes case, these solutions describe the coalescence of two rotating black holes with the horizon topologies of S 3 into a single rotating black hole with the horizon topology of the lens space L(2;1)=S 3 /Z 2 . We discuss the differences in the horizon areas between our solutions and the two-centered Klemm-Sabra solutions which describe the coalescence of two rotating black holes with the horizon topologies of S 3 into a single rotating black hole with the horizon topology of S 3

  4. dSPACE real time implementation of fuzzy PID position controller for vertical rotating single link arm robot using four-quadrant BLDC drive

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manikandan Ramasamy

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Automation has been growing in recent years for the manufacturing industries to increase productivity. Multiple robotic arms are used to handle materials for lifting in flexible directions. The vertical rotation of a 360 degree single arm is considered in this research on a position servo drive with brushless DC motor. The load torque of an arm varies depending upon the angular displacement due to gravity, so it requires four-quadrant operation of the drive with a robust feedback controller. This paper deals with the design and performance comparison of a conventional PID feedback controller with a fuzzy-based PID controller and suggests the most suitable controller. The design was implemented in real time through the dSPACE DS1104 controller environment to verify the dynamic behaviors of the arm.

  5. Tube formation by complex cellular processes in Ciona intestinalis notochord.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Bo; Horie, Takeo; Denker, Elsa; Kusakabe, Takehiro; Tsuda, Motoyuki; Smith, William C; Jiang, Di

    2009-06-15

    In the course of embryogenesis multicellular structures and organs are assembled from constituent cells. One structural component common to many organs is the tube, which consists most simply of a luminal space surrounded by a single layer of epithelial cells. The notochord of ascidian Ciona forms a tube consisting of only 40 cells, and serves as a hydrostatic "skeleton" essential for swimming. While the early processes of convergent extension in ascidian notochord development have been extensively studied, the later phases of development, which include lumen formation, have not been well characterized. Here we used molecular markers and confocal imaging to describe tubulogenesis in the developing Ciona notochord. We found that during tubulogenesis each notochord cell established de novo apical domains, and underwent a mesenchymal-epithelial transition to become an unusual epithelial cell with two opposing apical domains. Concomitantly, extracellular luminal matrix was produced and deposited between notochord cells. Subsequently, each notochord cell simultaneously executed two types of crawling movements bi-directionally along the anterior/posterior axis on the inner surface of notochordal sheath. Lamellipodia-like protrusions resulted in cell lengthening along the anterior/posterior axis, while the retraction of trailing edges of the same cell led to the merging of the two apical domains. As a result, the notochord cells acquired endothelial-like shape and formed the wall of the central lumen. Inhibition of actin polymerization prevented the cell movement and tube formation. Ciona notochord tube formation utilized an assortment of common and fundamental cellular processes including cell shape change, apical membrane biogenesis, cell/cell adhesion remodeling, dynamic cell crawling, and lumen matrix secretion.

  6. Commercial Space Transportation and Approaches to landing sites over Maritime Areas

    OpenAIRE

    Morlang, Frank; Hampe, Jens; Kaltenhäuser, Sven; Schmitt, Dirk-Roger

    2015-01-01

    Commercial Space Transportation becomes an international business and requires landing opportunities all over the world. Hence the integration of space vehicles in other airspace than the US NAS is an important topic to be considered. The Single European Sky ATM Research Programme (SESAR) is preparing the implementation of a new ATM system in Europe. The requirements are defined by the concept of the shared Business Trajectory and System Wide Information Management (SWIM). Space vehicle op...

  7. Space Suit Joint Torque Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valish, Dana J.

    2011-01-01

    In 2009 and early 2010, a test was performed to quantify the torque required to manipulate joints in several existing operational and prototype space suits in an effort to develop joint torque requirements appropriate for a new Constellation Program space suit system. The same test method was levied on the Constellation space suit contractors to verify that their suit design meets the requirements. However, because the original test was set up and conducted by a single test operator there was some question as to whether this method was repeatable enough to be considered a standard verification method for Constellation or other future space suits. In order to validate the method itself, a representative subset of the previous test was repeated, using the same information that would be available to space suit contractors, but set up and conducted by someone not familiar with the previous test. The resultant data was compared using graphical and statistical analysis and a variance in torque values for some of the tested joints was apparent. Potential variables that could have affected the data were identified and re-testing was conducted in an attempt to eliminate these variables. The results of the retest will be used to determine if further testing and modification is necessary before the method can be validated.

  8. 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.

  9. On the path integral in imaginary Lobachevsky space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grosche, C.

    1993-10-01

    The path integral on the single-sheeted hyperboloid, i.e. in D-dimensional imaginary Lobachevsky space, is evaluated. A potential problem which we call 'Kepler-problem', and the case of a constant magnetic field are also discussed. (orig.)

  10. Single-word multiple-bit upsets in static random access devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koga, R.; Pinkerton, S.D.; Lie, T.J.; Crawford, K.B.

    1993-01-01

    Energetic ions and protons can cause single event upsets (SEUs) in static random access memory (SRAM) cells. In some cases multiple bits may be upset as the result of a single event. Space-borne electronics systems incorporating high-density SRAM are vulnerable to single-word multiple-bit upsets (SMUs). The authors review here recent observations of SMU, present the results of a systematic investigation of the physical cell arrangements employed in several currently available SRAM device types, and discuss implications for the occurrence and mitigation of SMU

  11. City project and public space

    CERN Document Server

    2013-01-01

    The book aims at nurturing theoretic reflection on the city and the territory and working out and applying methods and techniques for improving our physical and social landscapes. The main issue is developed around the projectual dimension, with the objective of visualising both the city and the territory from a particular viewpoint, which singles out the territorial dimension as the city’s space of communication and negotiation. Issues that characterise the dynamics of city development will be faced, such as the new, fresh relations between urban societies and physical space, the right to the city, urban equity, the project for the physical city as a means to reveal civitas, signs of new social cohesiveness, the sense of contemporary public space and the sustainability of urban development. Authors have been invited to explore topics that feature a pluralism of disciplinary contributions studying formal and informal practices on the project for the city and seeking conceptual and operative categories capab...

  12. Phase space density representations in fluid dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramshaw, J.D.

    1989-01-01

    Phase space density representations of inviscid fluid dynamics were recently discussed by Abarbanel and Rouhi. Here it is shown that such representations may be simply derived and interpreted by means of the Liouville equation corresponding to the dynamical system of ordinary differential equations that describes fluid particle trajectories. The Hamiltonian and Poisson bracket for the phase space density then emerge as immediate consequences of the corresponding structure of the dynamics. For barotropic fluids, this approach leads by direct construction to the formulation presented by Abarbanel and Rouhi. Extensions of this formulation to inhomogeneous incompressible fluids and to fluids in which the state equation involves an additional transported scalar variable are constructed by augmenting the single-particle dynamics and phase space to include the relevant additional variable

  13. The Functional Lumen Imaging Probe Detects Esophageal Contractility Not Observed With Manometry in Patients With Achalasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Dustin A; Lin, Zhiyue; Kahrilas, Peter J; Sternbach, Joel; Donnan, Erica N; Friesen, Laurel; Listernick, Zoe; Mogni, Benjamin; Pandolfino, John E

    2015-12-01

    The functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) could improve the characterization of achalasia subtypes by detecting nonocclusive esophageal contractions not observed with standard manometry. We aimed to evaluate esophageal contractions during volumetric distention in patients with achalasia using FLIP topography. Fifty-one treatment-naive patients with achalasia, defined and subclassified by high-resolution esophageal pressure topography, and 10 asymptomatic individuals (controls) were evaluated with the FLIP during endoscopy. During stepwise distension, simultaneous intrabag pressures and 16 channels of cross-sectional areas were measured; data were exported to software that generated FLIP topography plots. Esophageal contractility was identified by noting periods of reduced luminal diameter. Esophageal contractions were characterized further by propagation direction, repetitiveness, and based on whether they were occluding or nonoccluding. Esophageal contractility was detected in all 10 controls: 8 of 10 had repetitive antegrade contractions and 9 of 10 had occluding contractions. Contractility was detected in 27% (4 of 15) of patients with type I achalasia and in 65% (18 of 26, including 9 with occluding contractions) of patients with type II achalasia. Contractility was detected in all 10 patients with type III achalasia; 8 of these patients had a pattern of contractility that was not observed in controls (repetitive retrograde contractions). Esophageal contractility not observed with manometry can be detected in patients with achalasia using FLIP topography. The presence and patterns of contractility detected with FLIP topography may represent variations in pathophysiology, such as mechanisms of panesophageal pressurization in patients with type II achalasia. These findings could have implications for additional subclassification to supplement prediction of the achalasia disease course. Copyright © 2015 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

  14. Least square regularized regression in sum space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yong-Li; Chen, Di-Rong; Li, Han-Xiong; Liu, Lu

    2013-04-01

    This paper proposes a least square regularized regression algorithm in sum space of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHSs) for nonflat function approximation, and obtains the solution of the algorithm by solving a system of linear equations. This algorithm can approximate the low- and high-frequency component of the target function with large and small scale kernels, respectively. The convergence and learning rate are analyzed. We measure the complexity of the sum space by its covering number and demonstrate that the covering number can be bounded by the product of the covering numbers of basic RKHSs. For sum space of RKHSs with Gaussian kernels, by choosing appropriate parameters, we tradeoff the sample error and regularization error, and obtain a polynomial learning rate, which is better than that in any single RKHS. The utility of this method is illustrated with two simulated data sets and five real-life databases.

  15. Microwave integrated circuits for space applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonard, Regis F.; Romanofsky, Robert R.

    1991-01-01

    Monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), which incorporate all the elements of a microwave circuit on a single semiconductor substrate, offer the potential for drastic reductions in circuit weight and volume and increased reliability, all of which make many new concepts in electronic circuitry for space applications feasible, including phased array antennas. NASA has undertaken an extensive program aimed at development of MMICs for space applications. The first such circuits targeted for development were an extension of work in hybrid (discrete component) technology in support of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS). It focused on power amplifiers, receivers, and switches at ACTS frequencies. More recent work, however, focused on frequencies appropriate for other NASA programs and emphasizes advanced materials in an effort to enhance efficiency, power handling capability, and frequency of operation or noise figure to meet the requirements of space systems.

  16. Tank Space Options Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    BOYLES, V.C.

    2001-01-01

    A risk-based priority for the retrieval of Hanford Site waste from the 149 single-shell tanks (SSTs) has been adopted as a result of changes to the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (HFFACO) (Ecology et al. 1997) negotiated in 2000. Retrieval of the first three tanks in the retrieval sequence fills available capacity in the double-shell tanks (DSTs) by 2007. As a result, the HFFACO change established a milestone (M-45-12-TO1) requiring the determination of options that could increase waste storage capacity for single-shell tank waste retrieval. The information will be considered in future negotiations. This document fulfills the milestone requirement. This study presents options that were reviewed for the purpose of increasing waste storage capacity. Eight options are identified that have the potential for increasing capacity from 5 to 10 million gallons, thus allowing uninterrupted single-shell tank retrieval until the planned Waste Treatment Plant begins processing substantial volumes of waste from the double-shell tanks in 2009. The cost of implementing these options is estimated to range from less than $1 per gallon to more than $14 per gallon. Construction of new double-shell tanks is estimated to cost about $63 per gallon. Providing 5 to 10 million gallons of available double-shell tank space could enable early retrieval of 5 to 9 high-risk single-shell tanks beyond those identified for retrieval by 2007. These tanks are A-101, AX-101, AX-103, BY-102, C-107, S-105, S-106, S-108, and S-109 (Garfield et al. 2000). This represents a potential to retrieve approximately 14 million total curies, including 3,200 curies of long-lived mobile radionuclides. The results of the study reflect qualitative analyses conducted to identify promising options. The estimated costs are rough-order-of magnitude and, therefore, subject to change. Implementing some of the options would represent a departure from the current baseline and may adversely impact the

  17. Space evaluation of a MOEMs device for space instrumentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamkotsian, Frederic; Tangen, Kyrre; Lanzoni, Patrick; Grassi, Emmanuel; Barette, Rudy; Fabron, Christophe; Valenziano, Luca; Marchand, Laurent; Duvet, Ludovic

    2017-11-01

    Large field of view surveys with a high density of objects such as high-z galaxies or stars benefit of multi-object spectroscopy (MOS) technique. This technique is the best approach to eliminate the problem of spectral confusion, to optimize the quality and the SNR of the spectra, to reach fainter limiting fluxes and to maximize the scientific return. Next generation MOS for space like the Near Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (NIRSpec) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) require a programmable multi-slit mask. The European EUCLID mission has also considered a MOS instrument in its early study phase. Conventional masks or complex fiber-optics-based mechanisms are not attractive for space. The programmable multi-slit mask requires remote control of the multi-slit configuration in real time. A promising possible solution is the use of MOEMS devices such as micromirror arrays (MMA) [1,2,3] or micro-shutter arrays (MSA) [4]. MMAs are designed for generating reflecting slits, while MSAs generate transmissive slits. MSA has been selected to be the multi-slit device for NIRSpec and is under development at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In Europe, an effort is currently under way to develop single-crystalline silicon micromirror arrays for future generation infrared multi-object spectroscopy [5]. By placing the programmable slit mask in the focal plane of the telescope, the light from selected objects is directed toward the spectrograph, while the light from other objects and from the sky background is blocked. Visitech is an engineering company experienced in developing DMD solution for industrial customers. The Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) has, over several years, developed different tools for modeling and characterization of MOEMS-based slit masks, especially during the design studies on JWSTNIRSpec [6,7]. ESA has engaged with Visitech and LAM in a technical assessment of using a Digital Micromirror Devices (DMD) from Texas Instruments for

  18. MR imaging of masticator space infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seong, Chang Kyu; Han, Moon Hee; Kim, Hong Dae; Park, Byung Kwan; Lee, In Hee; Chang, Kee Hyun; Kim, Sam Soo

    1998-01-01

    To identify the characteristic appearances of masticator space infection, as seen on magnetic resonance(MR) imaging. We retrospectively reviewed the MR images of 23 patients with clinically and bacteriologically proven masticator space infection, with attention to the involved structures, spread pattern, abscess formation, mandibular involvement, and etiology. The masseter muscle was involved in 21 of 23 cases, while the cases, medial pterygoid, lateral pterygoid, and temporalis muscles were involved in 14, 12 , and 13 cases, respectively. All muscles in the masticator space were involved in eight cases and only a single muscle in five. In all but one case, extension through the muscle plane was noted, and in 10 cases, transfascial extension was seen. Abscess formation was noted in seven cases. Mandibular involvement was seen in 16 cases, half of which showed focal cortical disruption. The source of infection was odontogenous in 15 cases, with frequent involvement of the mandible and masseter. Masticator space infection frequently originated from an odontogenous source. the characteristic MR appearances of this infection included extension through the muscle plane and frequent transfascial spread to adjacent deep cervical spaces, as well as common mandibular involvement with or without cortical disruption of focal pattern.=20

  19. Modal survey testing of the Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) - A Space Shuttle payload

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, J. B.; Coleman, A. D.; Driskill, T. C.; Lindell, M. C.

    This paper presents the results of the modal survey test of the Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE), a Space Shuttle payload mounted in a Spacelab flight single pallet. The test was performed by the Dynamics Test Branch at Marshall Space Flight Center, AL and run in two phases. In the first phase, an unloaded orthogrid connected to the pallet with 52 tension struts was tested. This test included 73 measurement points in three directions. In the second phase, the pallet was integrated with mass simulators mounted on the flight support structure to represent the dynamics (weight and center of gravity) of the various components comprising the LITE experiment and instrumented at 213 points in 3 directions. The test article was suspended by an air bag system to simulate a free-free boundary condition. This paper presents the results obtained from the testing and analytical model correlation efforts. The effect of the suspension system on the test article is also discussed.

  20. Cosmological black holes on Taub-NUT space in five-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ida, Daisuke; Ishihara, Hideki; Kimura, Masashi; Matsuno, Ken; Morisawa, Yoshiyuki; Tomizawa, Shinya

    2007-01-01

    The cosmological black hole solution on the Gibbons-Hawking space has been constructed. We also investigate the properties of this solution in the case of a single-black hole. Unlike the Kastor-Traschen solution, which becomes a static solution in a single-black hole, this solution is not static even in a single-black hole case

  1. Solar project description for Zien Mechanical Contractors-I single family residence, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beers, D.

    1980-02-01

    The Zien Mechanical site is a single family residence located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The home has two separate solar energy systems: an air system for space heating and cooling; a liquid system to preheat the potable hot water. The space heating and cooling system design and operation modes are described. The space heating system is designed to apply approximately 44 percent of the space heating requirements for the 1388 square foot residence. Engineering drawings are provided and the performance evaluation instrumentation is described.

  2. Tunable Single Frequency 1.55 Micron Fiber Laser, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In this proposal, we propose to demonstrate and build a widely tunable, narrow linewidth, single frequency fiber laser by developing an innovative Er/Yb-co-doped...

  3. 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...

  4. Space Guiding Us

    Science.gov (United States)

    Primikiri, Athina

    2016-04-01

    Taking into consideration the fact that general education provides the passport for a successful career the charting of Space consists of a constructive instrument available to every single teacher. Activities touching directly upon Space comprise a source of inspiration that encourages pupils to get acquainted with natural sciences and technology while consolidating their cross-curriculum knowledge. The applications and endeavors arising out of Space play a vital role for the further development and growth of our societies. Moreover, the prosperity of people is inextricably bound up with the implementation of Space policies adapted to different sectors such as the Environment, the phenomenon of climate change, matters affecting public or private safety, humanitarian aid and other technological issues. Therefore, the thorough analysis of Space endows us with insights about new products and innovative forms of industrial collaboration. As a teacher, I have consciously chosen to utilize the topic of Space in class as an instructive tool during the last 4 years. The lure of Space combined with the fascination provided by Space flights contributes to the enrichment of children's knowledge in the field of STEM. Space consists of the perfect cross-curriculum tool for the teaching of distinct subjects such as History, Geography, Science, Environment, Literature, Music, Religion and Physical Education. Following the Curriculum for pupils aged 9-10 I opted to teach the topic of Space under the title 'Space Guiding Us' as well as its subunits: • International Space Station • Cassini/Huygens, Mission to Titan • Rosetta & Philae • European Union and Space • Mission X: Train like an Astronaut The main purpose of choosing the module of 'Space' is to stimulate the scientific and critical thought of the pupils, to foster the co-operative spirit among them and to make them aware of how the application of Science affects their everyday lives. Aims • To incite pupils

  5. High energy, single frequency, tunable laser source operating in burst mode for space based lidar applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosentino, Alberto; Mondello, Alessia; Sapia, Adalberto; D'Ottavi, Alessandro; Brotini, Mauro; Gironi, Gianna; Suetta, Enrico

    2017-11-01

    This paper describes energetic, spatial, temporal and spectral characterization measurements of the Engineering Qualification Model (EQM) of the Laser Transmitter Assembly (TXA) used in the ALADIN instrument currently under development for the ESA ADM-AEOLUS mission (EADS Astrium as prime contractor for the satellite and the instrument). The EQM is equivalent to the Flight Model, with the exception of some engineering grade components. The Laser Transmitter Assembly, based on a diode pumped tripled Nd:YAG laser, is used to generate laser pulses at a nominal wavelength of 355 nm. This laser is operated in burst mode, with a pulse repetition cycle of 100 Hz during bursts. It is capable to operate in Single Longitudinal Mode and to be tuned over 25 GHz range. An internal "network" of sensors has been implemented inside the laser architecture to allow "in flight" monitoring of transmitter. Energy in excess of 100 mJ, with a spatial beam quality factor (M2) lower than 3, a spectral linewidth less than 50 MHz with a frequency stability better than 4 MHz on short term period have been measured on the EQM. Most of the obtained results are well within the expected values and match the Instrument requirements. They constitute an important achievement, showing the absence of major critical areas in terms of performance and the capability to obtain them in a rugged and compact structure suitable for space applications. The EQM will be submitted in the near future to an Environmental test campaign.

  6. An improved single sensor parity space algorithm for sequential probability ratio test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Racz, A. [Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (Hungary). Atomic Energy Research Inst.

    1995-12-01

    In our paper we propose a modification of the single sensor parity algorithm in order to make the statistical properties of the generated residual determinable in advance. The algorithm is tested via computer simulated ramp failure at the temperature readings of the pressurizer. (author).

  7. Transformation from a Single Antenna to a Series Array Using Push/Pull Origami

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Imran Hussain Shah

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available We propose a push/pull origami antenna, transformable between a single antenna element and a three-element array. In limited space, the proposed origami antenna can work as a single antenna. When the space is not limited and a higher gain is required, the proposed origami antenna can be transformed to a series antenna array by pulling the frame. In order to push the antenna array back to a single antenna, the frame for each antenna element size must be different. The frame and supporting dielectric materials are built using a three-dimensional (3D printer. The conductive patterns are inkjet-printed on paper. Thus, the proposed origami antenna is built using hybrid printing technology. The 10-dB impedance bandwidth is 2.5–2.65 GHz and 2.48–2.62 GHz for the single-antenna and array mode, respectively, and the peak gains in the single-antenna and array mode are 5.8 dBi and 7.6 dBi, respectively. The proposed antenna can be used for wireless remote-sensing applications.

  8. Transformation from a Single Antenna to a Series Array Using Push/Pull Origami.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Syed Imran Hussain; Lim, Sungjoon

    2017-08-26

    We propose a push/pull origami antenna, transformable between a single antenna element and a three-element array. In limited space, the proposed origami antenna can work as a single antenna. When the space is not limited and a higher gain is required, the proposed origami antenna can be transformed to a series antenna array by pulling the frame. In order to push the antenna array back to a single antenna, the frame for each antenna element size must be different. The frame and supporting dielectric materials are built using a three-dimensional (3D) printer. The conductive patterns are inkjet-printed on paper. Thus, the proposed origami antenna is built using hybrid printing technology. The 10-dB impedance bandwidth is 2.5-2.65 GHz and 2.48-2.62 GHz for the single-antenna and array mode, respectively, and the peak gains in the single-antenna and array mode are 5.8 dBi and 7.6 dBi, respectively. The proposed antenna can be used for wireless remote-sensing applications.

  9. Fiber-based laser MOPA transmitter packaging for space environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephen, Mark; Yu, Anthony; Chen, Jeffrey; Numata, Kenji; Wu, Stewart; Gonzales, Brayler; Han, Lawrence; Fahey, Molly; Plants, Michael; Rodriguez, Michael; Allan, Graham; Abshire, James; Nicholson, Jeffrey; Hariharan, Anand; Mamakos, William; Bean, Brian

    2018-02-01

    NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been developing lidar to remotely measure CO2 and CH4 in the Earth's atmosphere. The ultimate goal is to make space-based satellite measurements with global coverage. We are working on maturing the technology readiness of a fiber-based, 1.57-micron wavelength laser transmitter designed for use in atmospheric CO2 remote-sensing. To this end, we are building a ruggedized prototype to demonstrate the required power and performance and survive the required environment. We are building a fiber-based master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) laser transmitter architecture. The laser is a wavelength-locked, single frequency, externally modulated DBR operating at 1.57-micron followed by erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. The last amplifier stage is a polarization-maintaining, very-large-mode-area fiber with 1000 μm2 effective area pumped by a Raman fiber laser. The optical output is single-frequency, one microsecond pulses with >450 μJ pulse energy, 7.5 KHz repetition rate, single spatial mode, and < 20 dB polarization extinction.

  10. Triple modular redundancy (TMR) in a configurable fault-tolerant processor (CFTP) for space applications

    OpenAIRE

    Yuan, Rong

    2003-01-01

    Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited Without the protection of atmosphere, space systems have to mitigate radiation effects. Several different technologies are used to deal with different radiation effects in order to keep the space device work properly. One of the radiation effects called Single Event Upset (SEU) can change the state of a component or data on the bus. A single error is possible to cause a system failure if it is not corrected. Besides error correction, a...

  11. Single Molecule Scanning of DNA Radiation Oxidative Damage, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal will develop an assay to map genomic DNA, at the single molecule level and in a nanodevice, for oxidative DNA damage arising from radiation exposure;...

  12. Biomechanics Strategies for Space Closure in Deep Overbite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harryanto Wijaya

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Space closure is an interesting aspect of orthodontic treatment related to principles of biomechanics. It should be tailored individually based on patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan. Understanding the space closure biomechanics basis leads to achieve the desired treatment objective. Overbite deepening and losing posterior anchorage are the two most common unwanted side effects in space closure. Conventionally, correction of overbite must be done before space closure resulted in longer treatment. Application of proper space closure biomechanics strategies is necessary to achieve the desired treatment outcome. This cases report aimed to show the space closure biomechanics strategies that effectively control the overbite as well as posterior anchorage in deep overbite patients without increasing treatment time. Two patients who presented with class II division 1 malocclusion were treated with fixed orthodontic appliance. The primary strategies included extraction space closure on segmented arch that employed two-step space closure, namely single canine retraction simultaneously with incisors intrusion followed by enmasse retraction of four incisors by using differential moment concept. These strategies successfully closed the space, corrected deep overbite and controlled posterior anchorage simultaneously so that the treatment time was shortened. Biomechanics strategies that utilized were effective to achieve the desired treatment outcome.

  13. Review of Nuclear Physics Experiments for Space Radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norbury, John W.; Miller, Jack; Adamczyk, Anne M.; Heilbronn, Lawrence H.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Norman, Ryan B.; Guetersloh, Stephen B.; Zeitlin, Cary J.

    2011-01-01

    Human space flight requires protecting astronauts from the harmful effects of space radiation. The availability of measured nuclear cross section data needed for these studies is reviewed in the present paper. The energy range of interest for radiation protection is approximately 100 MeV/n to 10 GeV/n. The majority of data are for projectile fragmentation partial and total cross sections, including both charge changing and isotopic cross sections. The cross section data are organized into categories which include charge changing, elemental, isotopic for total, single and double differential with respect to momentum, energy and angle. Gaps in the data relevant to space radiation protection are discussed and recommendations for future experiments are made.

  14. Cryogenic Fluid Transfer Components Using Single Crystal Piezoelectric Actuators, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cryogenic fluid transfer components using single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable low thermal mass, minimal heat leak, low power consumption...

  15. Cryogenic Fluid Transfer Components Using Single Crystal Piezoelectric Actuators, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cryogenic fluid transfer components using single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable low thermal mass, minimal heat leak, low power consumption...

  16. Physics and technology of tunable pulsed single longitudinal mode ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    precious materials. In particular, single-longitudinal mode dye lasers are useful ... to the longitudinal mode spacing of 10 GHz. Grating of 3300 .... the band of wavelength covering 3 pm and SLM operation was shown in the band of 0.5 pm.

  17. Compressing the hidden variable space of a qubit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montina, Alberto

    2011-01-01

    In previously exhibited hidden variable models of quantum state preparation and measurement, the number of continuous hidden variables describing the actual state of single realizations is never smaller than the quantum state manifold dimension. We introduce a simple model for a qubit whose hidden variable space is one-dimensional, i.e., smaller than the two-dimensional Bloch sphere. The hidden variable probability distributions associated with quantum states satisfy reasonable criteria of regularity. Possible generalizations of this shrinking to an N-dimensional Hilbert space are discussed.

  18. The master space of N = 1 gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forcella, Davide; Hanany, Amihay; He Yanghui; Zaffaroni, Alberto

    2008-01-01

    The full moduli space M of a class of N = 1 supersymmetric gauge theories is studied. For gauge theories living on a stack of D3-branes at Calabi-Yau singularities X, M is a combination of the mesonic and baryonic branches. In consonance with the mathematical literature, the single brane moduli space is called the master space F b . Illustrating with a host of explicit examples, we exhibit many algebro-geometric properties of the master space such as when F b is toric Calabi-Yau, behaviour of its Hilbert series, its irreducible components and its symmetries. In conjunction with the plethystic programme, we investigate the counting of BPS gauge invariants, baryonic and mesonic, using the geometry of F b and show how its refined Hilbert series not only engenders the generating functions for the counting but also beautifully encode 'hidden' global symmetries of the gauge theory which manifest themselves as symmetries of the complete moduli space M for N number of branes.

  19. SpaceX's Dragon America's next generation spacecraft

    CERN Document Server

    Seedhouse, Erik

    2016-01-01

    This book describes Dragon V2, a futuristic vehicle that not only provides a means for NASA to transport its astronauts to the orbiting outpost but also advances SpaceX’s core objective of reusability. A direct descendant of Dragon, Dragon V2 can be retrieved, refurbished and re-launched. It is a spacecraft with the potential to completely revolutionize the economics of an industry where equipment costing hundreds of millions of dollars is routinely discarded after a single use. It was presented by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in May 2014 as the spaceship that will carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station as soon as 2016 SpaceX’s Dragon – America’s Next Generation Spacecraft describes the extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement that have placed this revolutionary spacecraft at the forefront of the launch industry and positioned it as the precursor for ultimately transporting humans to Mars. It describes the design and development of Dragon, provides mission highlights of the f...

  20. Lazy Toggle PRM: A single-query approach to motion planning

    KAUST Repository

    Denny, Jory; Shi, Kensen; Amato, Nancy M.

    2013-01-01

    Probabilistic RoadMaps (PRMs) are quite suc-cessful in solving complex and high-dimensional motion plan-ning problems. While particularly suited for multiple-query scenarios and expansive spaces, they lack efficiency in both solving single

  1. Subadventitial techniques for chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention: The concept of "vessel architecture".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azzalini, Lorenzo; Carlino, Mauro; Brilakis, Emmanouil S; Vo, Minh; Rinfret, Stéphane; Uretsky, Barry F; Karmpaliotis, Dimitri; Colombo, Antonio

    2018-03-01

    Despite improvements in guidewire technologies, the traditional antegrade wire escalation approach to chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization is successful in only 60-80% of selected cases. In particular, long, calcified, and tortuous occlusions are less successfully approached with a true-to-true lumen approach. Frequently, the guidewire tracks into the subadventitial space, with no guarantee of distal re-entry into the true lumen. The ability to manage the subadventitial space has been a key step in the tremendous improvement in success rates of contemporary CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whether operating antegradely or retrogradely. A modern approach to CTO PCI involves understanding the concept of "vessel architecture," which is based on the distinction between coronary structures (occlusive plaque, comprising the disrupted intima and media, and the outer adventitia) and extravascular space. The vessel architecture represents a safe work environment for guidewire and device manipulation. This review provides an anatomy-based description of the concept of vessel architecture, along with a historical perspective of subadventitial techniques for CTO PCI, and outcome data of CTO PCI utilizing the subadventitial space. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Fair Exchange in Strand Spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshua D. Guttman

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Many cryptographic protocols are intended to coordinate state changes among principals. Exchange protocols coordinate delivery of new values to the participants, e.g. additions to the set of values they possess. An exchange protocol is fair if it ensures that delivery of new values is balanced: If one participant obtains a new possession via the protocol, then all other participants will, too. Fair exchange requires progress assumptions, unlike some other protocol properties. The strand space model is a framework for design and verification of cryptographic protocols. A strand is a local behavior of a single principal in a single session of a protocol. A bundle is a partially ordered global execution built from protocol strands and adversary activities. The strand space model needs two additions for fair exchange protocols. First, we regard the state as a multiset of facts, and we allow strands to cause changes in this state via multiset rewriting. Second, progress assumptions stipulate that some channels are resilient-and guaranteed to deliver messages-and some principals are assumed not to stop at certain critical steps. This method leads to proofs of correctness that cleanly separate protocol properties, such as authentication and confidentiality, from invariants governing state evolution. G. Wang's recent fair exchange protocol illustrates the approach.

  3. Urban Spaces and Safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Grazia De Paoli

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The concept of vulnerability understood in the traditional sense as a “single manufactured good” is insufficient when it comes to describing the real conditions of an urban system’s vulnerability within which an indefinite variable of factors interact with one another thereby determining the damage caused by an earthquake. These interacting factors constitute so-called “urban vulnerability” which town planners use in order to contribute to the field in the form of analysis definition and interventions in the mitigation of seismic risk on an urban scale. The research paper “Relational Spaces as Safe Places” positions itself firmly in the vein of town planning research which focuses on the mitigation of seismic risk, and which intends to blaze a new methodological trail that aims to identify safety traits in urban spaces. The research paper’s starting point is the assumption that empty urban spaces, given the indications provided by the principal organs for Civic Protection, have come to be seen as the spaces designed to accommodate the public in cases of emergency. This can generate new thought regarding town planning by reviewing early post-earthquake urban designs where the rules were laid out for earthquake-proof cities: a “chessboard” plan with wide streets, both straight and perpendicular, empty spaces like squares and markets positioned along the longitudinal streets, and buildings with regular layouts all at right-angles. These simple guidelines, which are often disregarded and distorted in modern towns, are extraordinarily relevant and oriented towards new definitions of the urban traits of quality and security.

  4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMonigal, Kathleen A.; Pietrzyk, Robert a.; Johnson, Mary Anne

    2008-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository (Repository) is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. Samples from the International Space Station (ISS), including blood and urine, will be collected, processed and archived during the preflight, inflight and postflight phases of ISS missions. This investigation has been developed to archive biosamples for use as a resource for future space flight related research. The International Space Station (ISS) provides a platform to investigate the effects of microgravity on human physiology prior to lunar and exploration class missions. The storage of crewmember samples from many different ISS flights in a single repository will be a valuable resource with which researchers can study space flight related changes and investigate physiological markers. The development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository will allow for the collection, processing, storage, maintenance, and ethical distribution of biosamples to meet goals of scientific and programmatic relevance to the space program. Archiving of the biosamples will provide future research opportunities including investigating patterns of physiological changes, analysis of components unknown at this time or analyses performed by new methodologies.

  5. Space space space

    CERN Document Server

    Trembach, Vera

    2014-01-01

    Space is an introduction to the mysteries of the Universe. Included are Task Cards for independent learning, Journal Word Cards for creative writing, and Hands-On Activities for reinforcing skills in Math and Language Arts. Space is a perfect introduction to further research of the Solar System.

  6. Is power-space a continuum? Distance effect during power judgments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Tianjiao; Zhu, Lei

    2015-12-01

    Despite the increasing evidence suggesting that power processing can activate vertical space schema, it still remains unclear whether this power-space is dichotomic or continuous. Here we tested the nature of the power-space by the distance effect, a continuous property of space cognition. In two experiments, participants were required to judge the power of one single word (Experiment 1) or compare the power of two words presented in pairs (Experiment 2). The power distance was indexed by the absolute difference of power ratings. Results demonstrated that reaction time decreased with the power distance, whereas accuracy increased with the power distance. The findings indicated that different levels of power were presented as different vertical heights, implying that there was a common mechanism underlying space and power cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Direction of single obstacle circumvention in middle-aged children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hackney, Amy L; Van Ruymbeke, Nicole; Bryden, Pamela J; Cinelli, Michael E

    2014-01-01

    When required to walk around a stationary object, adults use the location of the goal to set up their locomotor axis and obstacles presented along the locomotor axis will repel the individual towards the side that affords more space [1]. Research has yet to examine whether children can identify the locomotor axis and choose their paths accordingly. Therefore, the current study examined the factors that influence the direction in which children choose to deviate around a single obstacle and whether the presence or absence of a goal influences path selection and trajectory. Ten children (age: 7.1 years±0.8) walked along a 9 m path and avoided a single obstacle that was located in one of three locations (midline, 15 cm to the right or 15 cm to the left). On half the trials, an end-goal was visible from the start of the path while the other half of the trials had no visible goal. The results demonstrate that: (1) children are able to perceive and move towards more open space but are more variable when the end-goal is not visible; (2) children are capable of maintaining an elliptical-shaped protective envelope when avoiding a single obstacle regardless of whether or not the locomotor axis is established; and (3) although children are capable of choosing paths that afford the most space, the manner in which they arrive at their goal is not driven by factors similar to adults. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. NOFBX Single-Stage-to-Orbit Mars Ascent Vehicle Engine, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose the continuation of our research and development of a Nitrous Oxide Fuel Blend (NOFBXTM) Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) monopropellant propulsion system for...

  9. Calibration Methods for a Space Borne Backscatter Lidar

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kunz, G.J.

    1996-01-01

    Lidar returns from cloud decks and from the Earth's surface are useful for calibrating single scatter lidar signals from space. To this end analytical methods (forward and backward) are presented for inverting lidar waveforms in terms of the path integrated lidar retum and the transmission losses

  10. Phase-space quantum control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fechner, Susanne

    2008-01-01

    The von Neumann-representation introduced in this thesis describes each laser pulse in a one-to-one manner as a sum of bandwidth-limited, Gaussian laser pulses centered around different points in phase space. These pulses can be regarded as elementary building blocks from which every single laser pulse can be constructed. The von Neumann-representation combines different useful properties for applications in quantum control. First, it is a one-to-one map between the degrees of freedom of the pulse shaper and the phase-space representation of the corresponding shaped laser pulse. In other words: Every possible choice of pulse shaper parameters corresponds to exactly one von Neumann-representation and vice versa. Moreover, since temporal and spectral structures become immediately sizable, the von Neumann-representation, as well as the Husimi- or the Wigner-representations, allows for an intuitive interpretation of the represented laser pulse. (orig.)

  11. The geometry of the Pareto front in biological phenotype space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheftel, Hila; Shoval, Oren; Mayo, Avi; Alon, Uri

    2013-01-01

    When organisms perform a single task, selection leads to phenotypes that maximize performance at that task. When organisms need to perform multiple tasks, a trade-off arises because no phenotype can optimize all tasks. Recent work addressed this question, and assumed that the performance at each task decays with distance in trait space from the best phenotype at that task. Under this assumption, the best-fitness solutions (termed the Pareto front) lie on simple low-dimensional shapes in trait space: line segments, triangles and other polygons. The vertices of these polygons are specialists at a single task. Here, we generalize this finding, by considering performance functions of general form, not necessarily functions that decay monotonically with distance from their peak. We find that, except for performance functions with highly eccentric contours, simple shapes in phenotype space are still found, but with mildly curving edges instead of straight ones. In a wide range of systems, complex data on multiple quantitative traits, which might be expected to fill a high-dimensional phenotype space, is predicted instead to collapse onto low-dimensional shapes; phenotypes near the vertices of these shapes are predicted to be specialists, and can thus suggest which tasks may be at play. PMID:23789060

  12. The regeneration of living space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Umberto Cao

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Technicism and technocracy, and that is to say, the methodologies that originate and develop from strictly technical issues, risk overshadow the great wealth of knowledge acquired in “urban studies” between the 60s and 80s. If we refer to the Italian condition: the architecture must manage urban phenomena with the same role as before, yet with a single, substantial innovation: rejecting, as much as possible, to design and build on open space and instead increase revitalization projects that build through renewal strategies of recovery, transformation or recycling. We ought to go back to when an architecture project was considered a path of knowledge and not just of invention, giving preference to space instead of image, content instead of form and wisdom over creative impulse.

  13. Quantum scattering theory of a single-photon Fock state in three-dimensional spaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jingfeng; Zhou, Ming; Yu, Zongfu

    2016-09-15

    A quantum scattering theory is developed for Fock states scattered by two-level systems in three-dimensional free space. It is built upon the one-dimensional scattering theory developed in waveguide quantum electrodynamics. The theory fully quantizes the incident light as Fock states and uses a non-perturbative method to calculate the scattering matrix.

  14. Frequency-Locked Single-Frequency Fiber Laser at 2 Micron, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Frequency-locked single-frequency 2 micron fiber laser is proposed to be used for airborne/spaceborne coherent lidar measurements, i.e., Active Sensing of CO2...

  15. A simple method for encapsulating single cells in alginate microspheres allows for direct PCR and whole genome amplification.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saharnaz Bigdeli

    Full Text Available Microdroplets are an effective platform for segregating individual cells and amplifying DNA. However, a key challenge is to recover the contents of individual droplets for downstream analysis. This paper offers a method for embedding cells in alginate microspheres and performing multiple serial operations on the isolated cells. Rhodobacter sphaeroides cells were diluted in alginate polymer and sprayed into microdroplets using a fingertip aerosol sprayer. The encapsulated cells were lysed and subjected either to conventional PCR, or whole genome amplification using either multiple displacement amplification (MDA or a two-step PCR protocol. Microscopic examination after PCR showed that the lumen of the occupied microspheres contained fluorescently stained DNA product, but multiple displacement amplification with phi29 produced only a small number of polymerase colonies. The 2-step WGA protocol was successful in generating fluorescent material, and quantitative PCR from DNA extracted from aliquots of microspheres suggested that the copy number inside the microspheres was amplified up to 3 orders of magnitude. Microspheres containing fluorescent material were sorted by a dilution series and screened with a fluorescent plate reader to identify single microspheres. The DNA was extracted from individual isolates, re-amplified with full-length sequencing adapters, and then a single isolate was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. After filtering the reads, the only sequences that collectively matched a genome in the NCBI nucleotide database belonged to R. sphaeroides. This demonstrated that sequencing-ready DNA could be generated from the contents of a single microsphere without culturing. However, the 2-step WGA strategy showed limitations in terms of low genome coverage and an uneven frequency distribution of reads across the genome. This paper offers a simple method for embedding cells in alginate microspheres and performing PCR on isolated

  16. Importance-truncated shell model for multi-shell valence spaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stumpf, Christina; Vobig, Klaus; Roth, Robert [Institut fuer Kernphysik, TU Darmstadt (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    The valence-space shell model is one of the work horses in nuclear structure theory. In traditional applications, shell-model calculations are carried out using effective interactions constructed in a phenomenological framework for rather small valence spaces, typically spanned by one major shell. We improve on this traditional approach addressing two main aspects. First, we use new effective interactions derived in an ab initio approach and, thus, establish a connection to the underlying nuclear interaction providing access to single- and multi-shell valence spaces. Second, we extend the shell model to larger valence spaces by applying an importance-truncation scheme based on a perturbative importance measure. In this way, we reduce the model space to the relevant basis states for the description of a few target eigenstates and solve the eigenvalue problem in this physics-driven truncated model space. In particular multi-shell valence spaces are not tractable otherwise. We combine the importance-truncated shell model with refined extrapolation schemes to approximately recover the exact result. We present first results obtained in the importance-truncated shell model with the newly derived ab initio effective interactions for multi-shell valence spaces, e.g., the sdpf shell.

  17. Colin Rowe: Space as well-composed illusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph Schnoor

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Architectural historian Colin Rowe, although well known for his intriguing analytical writings on modern architecture, rarely examined architectural space as a scholarly subject-matter. Historians examining Rowe’s writings rarely refer to the issue of space, either. Anthony Vidler, Werner Oechslin, Alexander Caragonne and others have examined Rowe’s investigations into urban space, his analyses of formal principles in architecture, or his critical stance towards the myths of modernism, but have not singled out architectural space as subject matter. Nevertheless, this paper argues that Rowe is indeed one of the few post-war historians writing in the English language to have conveyed analyses of architectural space, particularly in the volume The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa (1976. The paper examines how Rowe understood architectural space as relevant only when not seen as ‘pure’ but ‘contaminated’ with ambiguity and active character: notions of flatness versus depth and horizontal versus vertical, as well as the overlapping of conflicting scales or whole structural or spatial systems are central for Rowe’s reading of architectural space, which is also always infused with an idea of movement. Further, the paper traces influences of Rowe’s approach beyond the obvious influence by Rudolf Wittkower to Heinrich Wölfflin’s style and method, partially conveyed through the translation of Sigfried Giedion’s writings.

  18. Anion-exchange and anthracene-encapsulation within copper(II) and manganese(II)-triazole metal-organic confined space in a single crystal-to-single crystal transformation fashion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ju-Yan; Wang, Qian; Zhang, Li-Jun; Yuan, Bin; Xu, Yao-Yao; Zhang, Xin; Zhao, Cong-Ying; Wang, Dan; Yuan, Yue; Wang, Ying; Ding, Bin; Zhao, Xiao-Jun; Yue, Min Min

    2014-06-16

    A new multidentate ligand 1-(9-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)anthracen-10-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (tatrz) was designed and synthesized. Using tatrz as a building block, three novel coordination frameworks, namely, {[Cu(tatrz)2(NO3)2]·(CH3OH)·4H2O}n (1), {[Cu(tatrz)2(H2O)2](BF4)2}n (2), and [Mn(tatrz)2(SCN)2(CH3OH)]·2H2O (3) can be isolated. Anion-exchange experiment indicates that NO3(-) anions in the two-dimensional (2D) copper framework of 1 can be completely exchanged by ClO4(-) in an irreversible single crystal-to-single crystal (SC-SC) transformation fashion, as evidenced by the anion-exchange products of {[Cu(tatrz)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2·4CH3OH} (1a). Further, if 1a was employed as a precursor in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), an isomorphic solvate of {[Cu(tatrz)2(DMF)2](ClO4)2·2H2O}n (1b) can be generated during the reversible dynamic transformation process. When 1 was immersed in CH3OH, a distinct 2D layer {[Cu(tatrz)2(NO3)2]·4.4CH3OH·0.6H2O}n (1c) was isolated. Interestingly, the solvent-exchange conversion is also invertible between 1 and 1c, which exhibits spongelike dynamic behavior with retention of crystalline integrity. If the 2-fold interpenetrating three-dimensional (3D) framework 2 is selected, it can be transformed into another 2-fold interpenetrating 3D framework {[Cu(tatrz)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2·5.56H2O}n (2a) in a reversible SC-SC transformation fashion. However, when the light yellow crystals of mononuclear complex 3 were exposed to trichloromethane containing aromatic organic anthracene (atan), through our careful observation, the crystals of 3 were dissolved and reassembled into dark brown crystals of 2D crystalline coordination framework {[Mn(tatrz)2(SCN)2]·(atan)}n (3a). X-ray diffraction revealed that in 3a, atan acting as an organic template was encapsulated in the confined space of the 2D grid. Luminescent measurements illustrate that 3a is the first report of multidimensional polymers based on triazole derivatives as luminescent probes of Mg(2+).

  19. On spinless null propagation in five-dimensional space-times with approximate space-like Killing symmetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Breban, Romulus [Institut Pasteur, Paris Cedex 15 (France)

    2016-09-15

    Five-dimensional (5D) space-time symmetry greatly facilitates how a 4D observer perceives the propagation of a single spinless particle in a 5D space-time. In particular, if the 5D geometry is independent of the fifth coordinate then the 5D physics may be interpreted as 4D quantum mechanics. In this work we address the case where the symmetry is approximate, focusing on the case where the 5D geometry depends weakly on the fifth coordinate. We show that concepts developed for the case of exact symmetry approximately hold when other concepts such as decaying quantum states, resonant quantum scattering, and Stokes drag are adopted, as well. We briefly comment on the optical model of the nuclear interactions and Millikan's oil drop experiment. (orig.)

  20. Learning Spaces and Collaborative Work: Barriers or Supports?

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Hayley

    2016-01-01

    Drawing on 18 months of fieldwork, this article discusses the use of physical, virtual and social space to support collaborative work in translator education programs. The study adopted a contrastive ethnography approach that incorporated single- and multiple-case design rationales for site selection. Extended observation, informal chats and…

  1. Space-Time Dependent Transport, Activation, and Dose Rates for Radioactivated Fluids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gavazza, Sergio

    Two methods are developed to calculate the space - and time-dependent mass transport of radionuclides, their production and decay, and the associated dose rates generated from the radioactivated fluids flowing through pipes. The work couples space- and time-dependent phenomena, treated as only space- or time-dependent in the open literature. The transport and activation methodology (TAM) is used to numerically calculate space- and time-dependent transport and activation of radionuclides in fluids flowing through pipes exposed to radiation fields, and volumetric radioactive sources created by radionuclide motions. The computer program Radionuclide Activation and Transport in Pipe (RNATPA1) performs the numerical calculations required in TAM. The gamma ray dose methodology (GAM) is used to numerically calculate space- and time-dependent gamma ray dose equivalent rates from the volumetric radioactive sources determined by TAM. The computer program Gamma Ray Dose Equivalent Rate (GRDOSER) performs the numerical calculations required in GAM. The scope of conditions considered by TAM and GAM herein include (a) laminar flow in straight pipe, (b)recirculating flow schemes, (c) time-independent fluid velocity distributions, (d) space-dependent monoenergetic neutron flux distribution, (e) space- and time-dependent activation process of a single parent nuclide and transport and decay of a single daughter radionuclide, and (f) assessment of space- and time-dependent gamma ray dose rates, outside the pipe, generated by the space- and time-dependent source term distributions inside of it. The methodologies, however, can be easily extended to include all the situations of interest for solving the phenomena addressed in this dissertation. A comparison is made from results obtained by the described calculational procedures with analytical expressions. The physics of the problems addressed by the new technique and the increased accuracy versus non -space and time-dependent methods

  2. Submonotone mappings in Banach spaces and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgiev, P.G.

    1995-11-01

    The notions 'submonotone' and 'strictly submonotone' mapping, introduced by J. Spingarn in R n , are extended in a natural way to arbitrary Banach spaces. Several results about monotone operators are proved for submonotone and strictly submonotone ones: Rockafellar's result about local boundedness of monotone operators; Kenderov's result about single-valuedness and upper-semicontinuity almost everywhere of monotone operators in Asplund spaces; minimality (as w * - cusco mappings) of maximal strictly submonotone mappings, etc. It is shown that subdifferentials of various classes non-convex functions defined as pointwise suprema of quasi-differentiable functions possess submonotone properties. Results about generic differentiability of such functions are obtained (among them are new generalizations of an Ekeland and Lebourg's theorem). Applications are given to the properties of the distance function in a Banach space with uniformly Gateaux differentiable norm. (author). 29 refs

  3. The N-Terminus of Human Lactoferrin Displays Anti-biofilm Activity on Candida parapsilosis in Lumen Catheters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fais, Roberta; Di Luca, Mariagrazia; Rizzato, Cosmeri; Morici, Paola; Bottai, Daria; Tavanti, Arianna; Lupetti, Antonella

    2017-01-01

    Candida parapsilosis is a major cause of hospital-acquired infection, often related to parenteral nutrition administered via catheters and hand colonization of health care workers, and its peculiar biofilm formation ability on plastic surfaces. The mortality rate of 30% points to the pressing need for new antifungal drugs. The present study aimed at analyzing the inhibitory activity of the N-terminal lactoferrin-derived peptide, further referred to as hLF 1-11, against biofilms produced by clinical isolates of C. parapsilosis characterized for their biofilm forming ability and fluconazole susceptibility. hLF 1-11 anti-biofilm activity was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm biomass, metabolic activity, and observation of sessile cell morphology on polystyrene microtiter plates and using an in vitro model of catheter-associated C. parapsilosis biofilm production. Moreover, fluctuation in transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production upon peptide exposure were evaluated by quantitative real time RT-PCR. The results revealed that hLF 1-11 exhibits an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all the C. parapsilosis isolates tested, in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. In addition, hLF 1-11 induced a statistically significant dose-dependent reduction of preformed-biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity at high peptide concentrations only. Interestingly, when assessed in a catheter lumen, hLF 1-11 was able to induce a 2-log reduction of sessile cell viability at both the peptide concentrations used in RPMI diluted in NaPB. A more pronounced anti-biofilm effect was observed (3.5-log reduction) when a 10% glucose solution was used as experimental condition on both early and preformed C. parapsilosis biofilm. Quantitative real time RT-PCR experiments confirmed that hLF 1-11 down-regulates key biofilm related genes. The overall findings suggest hLF 1-11 as a

  4. Contaminant ingress into multizone buildings: An analytical state-space approach

    KAUST Repository

    Parker, Simon; Coffey, Chris; Gravesen, Jens; Kirkpatrick, James; Ratcliffe, Keith; Lingard, Bryan; Nally, James

    2013-01-01

    The ingress of exterior contaminants into buildings is often assessed by treating the building interior as a single well-mixed space. Multizone modelling provides an alternative way of representing buildings that can estimate concentration time

  5. Single, Complete, Probability Spaces Consistent With EPR-Bohm-Bell Experimental Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avis, David; Fischer, Paul; Hilbert, Astrid; Khrennikov, Andrei

    2009-03-01

    We show that paradoxical consequences of violations of Bell's inequality are induced by the use of an unsuitable probabilistic description for the EPR-Bohm-Bell experiment. The conventional description (due to Bell) is based on a combination of statistical data collected for different settings of polarization beam splitters (PBSs). In fact, such data consists of some conditional probabilities which only partially define a probability space. Ignoring this conditioning leads to apparent contradictions in the classical probabilistic model (due to Kolmogorov). We show how to make a completely consistent probabilistic model by taking into account the probabilities of selecting the settings of the PBSs. Our model matches both the experimental data and is consistent with classical probability theory.

  6. Diffracted X-ray tracking: new system for single molecular detection with X-rays

    CERN Document Server

    Sasaki, Y C; Adachi, S; Suzuki, Y; Yagi, N

    2001-01-01

    We propose a new X-ray methodology for direct observations of the behaviors of single molecular units in real time and real space. This new system, which we call Diffracted X-ray Tracking (DXT), monitors the Brownian motions of a single molecular unit by observations of X-ray diffracted spots from a nanocrystal, tightly bound to the individual single molecular unit in bio-systems. DXT does not determine any translational movements, but only orientational movements.

  7. Diffracted X-ray tracking: new system for single molecular detection with X-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Y.C.; Okumura, Y.; Adachi, S.; Suzuki, Y.; Yagi, N.

    2001-01-01

    We propose a new X-ray methodology for direct observations of the behaviors of single molecular units in real time and real space. This new system, which we call Diffracted X-ray Tracking (DXT), monitors the Brownian motions of a single molecular unit by observations of X-ray diffracted spots from a nanocrystal, tightly bound to the individual single molecular unit in bio-systems. DXT does not determine any translational movements, but only orientational movements

  8. A study of intraluminal flow in patients with aortic disease by cine magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnishi, Shusaku; Fukui, Sugao; Kusuoka, Hideo; Kitabatake, Akira; Kamada, Takenobu.

    1990-01-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of cine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of aortic disease, we applied cine MR sequences with conventional spin echo (SE) sequence to 15 patients with aortic aneurysm and 5 patients with aortic dissection. ECG gated multi slice SE images (single echo) were obtained in transverse plane and the planes along the long axis of aorta. TE of SE sequence ranged from 15 to 32 msec. Cine MR images were obtained in 17 frames, where TR ranged from 30 to 60 msec and TE from 10 to 22 msec. We got these results as follows. For aortic aneurysm, SE images showed aneurysmal dilatation in thoracic aorta in 9 cases, and in abdominal aorta in 6 cases. Cine MR images showed us the intraluminal flow with high signal intensity. We could differentiate the slow flow image from mural thrombus using SE and cine MR sequences in the same plane. We could evaluate the dynamic flow image within a cavity of aneurysm and in in-flow and out-flow portions of aorta by cine MR imaging. For aortic dissection, SE images delineated the intimal tear and two separated lumens in all cases. We could obtain flow images within true and false lumen by cine MR imaging. The signal intensity within true lumen was higher than that within false lumen. It seemed to be due to the difference of flow velocity and the turbulence within false lumen. Entry to false lumen was seen as the interruption of dissected intima on SE images. Cine MR images clearly depicted the blood flow communication between two lumens through the entry. In 3 of 5 cases the blood flow through the entry was seen in both directions, from true to false lumen in systole and inversely in diastole. Thus, cine MR imaging will add the useful hemodynamic information in the diagnosis of aortic disease by conventional MR imaging. (author)

  9. Incomplete Detection of Nonclassical Phase-Space Distributions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohmann, M.; Tiedau, J.; Bartley, T.; Sperling, J.; Silberhorn, C.; Vogel, W.

    2018-02-01

    We implement the direct sampling of negative phase-space functions via unbalanced homodyne measurement using click-counting detectors. The negativities significantly certify nonclassical light in the high-loss regime using a small number of detectors which cannot resolve individual photons. We apply our method to heralded single-photon states and experimentally demonstrate the most significant certification of nonclassicality for only two detection bins. By contrast, the frequently applied Wigner function fails to directly indicate such quantum characteristics for the quantum efficiencies present in our setup without applying additional reconstruction algorithms. Therefore, we realize a robust and reliable approach to characterize nonclassical light in phase space under realistic conditions.

  10. Quantum contextual phenomena observed in single-neutron interferometer experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Yuji; Rauch, Helmut

    2006-01-01

    Neutron optical experiments are presented, which exhibit quantum contextual phenomena. Entanglement is achieved not between particles, but between degrees of freedom, in this case, for a single-particle. Appropriate combinations of the direction of spin analysis and the position of the phase shifter allow an experimental verification of the violation of a Bell-like inequality. Our experiments manifest the fact that manipulation of the wavefunction in one Hilbert space influences the result of the measurement in the other Hilbert space: manipulation without touch! Next, we report another experiment which exhibits other peculiarity of quantum contextuality, e.g., originally intended to show a Kochen-Specker-like phenomenon. We have introduced inequalities for quantitative analysis of the experiments. The value obtained in the experiments clearly showed violations of prediction by non-contextual theory. Finally, we have accomplished a tomographic determination of entangled quantum state in single-neutrons. There, characteristics of the Bell-sate are confirmed: four poles for the real part of the density matrix are clearly seen

  11. Plastic Response of Tracheids in Pinus pinaster in a Water-Limited Environment: Adjusting Lumen Size instead of Wall Thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carvalho, Ana; Nabais, Cristina; Vieira, Joana; Rossi, Sergio; Campelo, Filipe

    2015-01-01

    The formation of wood results from cambial activity and its anatomical properties reflect the variability of environmental conditions during the growing season. Recently, it was found that wood density variations in conifers growing under cold-limited environment result from the adjustment of cell wall thickness (CWT) to temperature. Additionally, it is known that intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) are formed in response to precipitation after the summer drought. Although IADFs are frequent in Mediterranean conifers no study has yet been conducted to determine if these structures result from the adjustment of lumen diameter (LD) or CWT to soil water availability. Our main objective is to investigate the intra-ring variation of wood anatomical features (LD and CWT) in Pinus pinaster Ait. growing under a water-limited environment. We compared the tracheidograms of LD and CWT for the years 2010-2013 in P. pinaster growing in the west coast of Portugal. Our results suggest a close association between LD and soil moisture content along the growing season, reinforcing the role of water availability in determining tracheid size. Compared with CWT, LD showed a higher intra- and inter-annual variability suggesting its strong adjustment value to variations in water availability. The formation of a latewood IADF appears to be predisposed by higher rates of cell production in spring and triggered by early autumn precipitation. Our findings reinforce the crucial role of water availability on cambial activity and wood formation in Mediterranean conifers, and emphasize the high plasticity of wood anatomical features under Mediterranean climate.

  12. Plastic Response of Tracheids in Pinus pinaster in a Water-Limited Environment: Adjusting Lumen Size instead of Wall Thickness.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Carvalho

    Full Text Available The formation of wood results from cambial activity and its anatomical properties reflect the variability of environmental conditions during the growing season. Recently, it was found that wood density variations in conifers growing under cold-limited environment result from the adjustment of cell wall thickness (CWT to temperature. Additionally, it is known that intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs are formed in response to precipitation after the summer drought. Although IADFs are frequent in Mediterranean conifers no study has yet been conducted to determine if these structures result from the adjustment of lumen diameter (LD or CWT to soil water availability. Our main objective is to investigate the intra-ring variation of wood anatomical features (LD and CWT in Pinus pinaster Ait. growing under a water-limited environment. We compared the tracheidograms of LD and CWT for the years 2010-2013 in P. pinaster growing in the west coast of Portugal. Our results suggest a close association between LD and soil moisture content along the growing season, reinforcing the role of water availability in determining tracheid size. Compared with CWT, LD showed a higher intra- and inter-annual variability suggesting its strong adjustment value to variations in water availability. The formation of a latewood IADF appears to be predisposed by higher rates of cell production in spring and triggered by early autumn precipitation. Our findings reinforce the crucial role of water availability on cambial activity and wood formation in Mediterranean conifers, and emphasize the high plasticity of wood anatomical features under Mediterranean climate.

  13. Phase-space analysis of the Schwinger effect in inhomogeneous electromagnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohlfürst, Christian

    2018-05-01

    Schwinger pair production in spatially and temporally inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields is studied. The focus is on the particle phase-space distribution within a high-intensity few-cycle pulse. Accurate numerical solutions of a quantum kinetic theory (DHW formalism) are presented in momentum space and, with the aid of coarse-graining techniques, in a mixed spatial-momentum representation. Additionally, signatures of the carrier-envelope phase as well as spin-field interactions are discussed on the basis of a trajectory-based model taking into account instantaneous pair production and relativistic single-particle dynamics. Although our simple semi-classical single-particle model cannot describe every aspect of the particle production process (quantum interferences), essential features such as spin-field interactions are captured.

  14. Statistical convergence of double sequences in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mursaleen, M.; Mohiuddine, S.A.

    2009-01-01

    Recently, the concept of intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces was introduced by Saadati and Park [Saadati R, Park JH. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2006;27:331-44]. Karakus et al. [Karakus S, Demirci K, Duman O. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2008;35:763-69] have quite recently studied the notion of statistical convergence for single sequences in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces. In this paper, we study the concept of statistically convergent and statistically Cauchy double sequences in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces. Furthermore, we construct an example of a double sequence to show that in IFNS statistical convergence does not imply convergence and our method of convergence even for double sequences is stronger than the usual convergence in intuitionistic fuzzy normed space.

  15. Single crystal spectrometer FOX at KENS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, M.

    2001-01-01

    Single crystal spectrometer FOX installed at H1 thermal neutron line on KENS has been renewed recently for the measurement of very weak scattering. We have installed a multidetector system of 36 linearly placed 3 He detectors with collimators instead of former four-circle diffractometer and scintillator detectors. Though the system is quite simple, a large two-dimensional reciprocal space is observed effectively with high S/N rate on new FOX. (author)

  16. On the Implementation of a European Space Traffic Management System - I. A White Paper

    OpenAIRE

    Tüllmann, Ralph; Arbinger, Christian; Baskcomb, Stuart; Berdermann, Jens; Fiedler, Hauke; Klock, Erich; Schildknecht, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    There are high expectations for a global commercial space travel market which is expected to turn into a multi-billion Euro business in the next two decades. Several key players in the space business, companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Blue Origin or SNC are preparing to serve this market by developing their own ballistic reusable space vehicles to carry humans and cargo payloads into suborbital and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space. Europe’s single stage to orbit concepts, e.g., REL’s Skylon ...

  17. Biological and psychosocial effects of space travel: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsia, Robert Edward Tien Ming

    This dissertation interviewed a single astronaut to explore psychosocial issues relevant to long-duration space travel and how these issues relate to the astronaut's training. It examined the psychological impact of isolation, crew interaction, and the experience of microgravity with the goal of increasing understanding of how to foster crew survivability and positive small group interactions in space (Santy, 1994). It also focused on how to develop possible treatments for crews when they transition back to Earth from the extreme environment of space missions. The astronaut's responses agreed with the literature and the predictions for long-duration space missions except the participant reported no temporary or permanent cognitive or memory deficits due to microgravity exposure. The dissertation identified five frequently endorsed themes including communication, environmental stressors, personal strengths, un-researched problems, and other. The agreement found between the literature and astronaut's responses offer a strong foundation of questions and data that needs to be further studied before conducting research in space or long-duration space missions.

  18. Efficient placement of structural dynamics sensors on the space station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lepanto, Janet A.; Shepard, G. Dudley

    1987-01-01

    System identification of the space station dynamic model will require flight data from a finite number of judiciously placed sensors on it. The placement of structural dynamics sensors on the space station is a particularly challenging problem because the station will not be deployed in a single mission. Given that the build-up sequence and the final configuration for the space station are currently undetermined, a procedure for sensor placement was developed using the assembly flights 1 to 7 of the rephased dual keel space station as an example. The procedure presented approaches the problem of placing the sensors from an engineering, as opposed to a mathematical, point of view. In addition to locating a finite number of sensors, the procedure addresses the issues of unobserved structural modes, dominant structural modes, and the trade-offs involved in sensor placement for space station. This procedure for sensor placement will be applied to revised, and potentially more detailed, finite element models of the space station configuration and assembly sequence.

  19. Space radiation evaluation of 16Mbit DRAMs for mass memory applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calvel, P.; Lamothe, P.; Barillot, C.; Ecoffet, R.; Duzellier, S.; Stassinopoulos, E.G.

    1994-01-01

    In the frame of Mass Memory Applications for space missions, 16 Mbit DRAM from IBM and TEXAS INSTRUMENTS have been evaluated to space radiation, by the CECIL heavy ions testing coordination group. This paper presents heavy ions, protons and total dose data results for 16 Mbit DRAMs from IBM and TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, including a 'built-in ECC' DRAM. Single Event Phenomena rate are calculated for low earth orbits

  20. Deficiency of the Space Syntax method as an urban design tool in designing traditional urban space and the need for some supplementary methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Bahrainy

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Urban design problems have become so complex that no single designer is able to consider all aspects of a design area simultaneously. Lately the application of computerized and scientific methods have helped designers analyze complex problems. One of these new methods is Space Syntax. The purpose of this study is to first investigate the strengths and weaknesses of this method and then suggest some supplementary methods to cover its pitfalls. On the next phase Space Syntax and supplementary methods will be used to design a pedestrian pathway in the Imamzade Ghasem neighborhood as a traditional context. Space Syntax will identify the existing spatial structure and direct future changes toward its strengthening. The case study reveals that Space Syntax can be successfully used in analysis of traditional spaces, but in order to successfully design a neighborhood in such a complex context, it involves logistical shortcomings which could be eliminated through supplementary methods.

  1. Discriminability of Single and Multichannel Intracortical Microstimulation within Somatosensory Cortex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cynthia Kay Overstreet

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The addition of tactile and proprioceptive feedback to neuroprosthetic limbs is expected to significantly improve the control of these devices. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS of somatosensory cortex is a promising method of delivering this sensory feedback. To date, the main focus of somatosensory ICMS studies has been to deliver discriminable signals, corresponding to varying intensity, to a single location in cortex. However, multiple independent and simultaneous streams of sensory information will need to be encoded by ICMS to provide functionally relevant feedback for a neuroprosthetic limb (e.g. encoding contact events and pressure on multiple digits.In this study, we evaluated the ability of an awake, behaving non-human primate (Macaca mulatta to discriminate ICMS stimuli delivered on multiple electrodes spaced within somatosensory cortex. We delivered serial stimulation on single electrodes to evaluate the discriminability of sensations corresponding to ICMS of distinct cortical locations. Additionally, we delivered trains of multichannel stimulation, derived from a tactile sensor, synchronously across multiple electrodes. Our results indicate that discrimination of multiple ICMS stimuli is a challenging task, but that discriminable sensory percepts can be elicited by both single and multichannel ICMS on electrodes spaced within somatosensory cortex.

  2. Cermet fuels for space power systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barner, J.O.; Coomes, E.P.; Williford, R.E.; Neimark, L.A.

    1986-01-01

    A refractory-metal matrix, UN-fueled cermet is a very promising fuel candidate for a wide range of multi-megawatt space reactor systems, e.g., steady-state, flexible duty-cycle, or bimodal, single- or two-phase liquid-metal cooled reactors, or thermionic reactors. Cermet fuel is especially promising for reactor designs that require operational strategies which incorporate rapid power changes because of its anticipated capability to withstand thermal shock

  3. Inequivalent quantizations and fundamentally perfect spaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imbo, T.D.; Sudarshan, E.C.G.

    1987-06-01

    We investigate the problem of inequivalent quantizations of a physical system with multiply connected configuration space X. For scalar quantum theory on X we show that state vectors must be single-valued if and only if the first homology group H 1 (X) is trivial, or equivalently the fundamental group π 1 (X) is perfect. The θ-structure of quantum gauge and gravitational theories is discussed in light of this result

  4. AN LED-BASED SOLAR SIMULATOR FOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TESTING OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SPACE POWER SYSTEMS, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Solar cells are the critical power source for the majority of space missions. The advancement from single junction silicon cells to current, state-of-the-art, triple...

  5. QIPS: quantum information and quantum physics in space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt-Manderbach, Tobias; Scheidl, Thomas; Ursin, Rupert; Tiefenbacher, Felix; Weier, Henning; Fürst, Martin; Jennewein, T.; Perdigues, J.; Sodnik, Z.; Rarity, J.; Zeilinger, Anton; Weinfurter, Harald

    2017-11-01

    The aim of the QIPS project (financed by ESA) is to explore quantum phenomena and to demonstrate quantum communication over long distances. Based on the current state-of-the-art a first study investigating the feasibility of space based quantum communication has to establish goals for mid-term and long-term missions, but also has to test the feasibility of key issues in a long distance ground-to-ground experiment. We have therefore designed a proof-of-concept demonstration for establishing single photon links over a distance of 144 km between the Canary Islands of La Palma and Tenerife to evaluate main limitations for future space experiments. Here we report on the progress of this project and present first measurements of crucial parameters of the optical free space link.

  6. Advanced Electroactive Single Crystal and Polymer Actuator Concepts for Passive Optics, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TRS Technologies proposes large stroke and high precision piezoelectric single crystal and electroactive polymer actuator concepts?HYBrid Actuation System (HYBAS)...

  7. Solar Power Beaming: From Space to Earth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rubenchik, A M; Parker, J M; Beach, R J; Yamamoto, R M

    2009-04-14

    Harvesting solar energy in space and power beaming the collected energy to a receiver station on Earth is a very attractive way to help solve mankind's current energy and environmental problems. However, the colossal and expensive 'first step' required in achieving this goal has to-date stifled its initiation. In this paper, we will demonstrate that recent advance advances in laser and optical technology now make it possible to deploy a space-based system capable of delivering 1 MW of energy to a terrestrial receiver station, via a single unmanned commercial launch into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Figure 1 depicts the overall concept of our solar power beaming system, showing a large solar collector in space, beaming a coherent laser beam to a receiving station on Earth. We will describe all major subsystems and provide technical and economic discussion to support our conclusions.

  8. L70 life prediction for solid state lighting using Kalman Filter and Extended Kalman Filter based models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lall, Pradeep; Wei, Junchao; Davis, Lynn

    2013-08-08

    Solid-state lighting (SSL) luminaires containing light emitting diodes (LEDs) have the potential of seeing excessive temperatures when being transported across country or being stored in non-climate controlled warehouses. They are also being used in outdoor applications in desert environments that see little or no humidity but will experience extremely high temperatures during the day. This makes it important to increase our understanding of what effects high temperature exposure for a prolonged period of time will have on the usability and survivability of these devices. Traditional light sources “burn out” at end-of-life. For an incandescent bulb, the lamp life is defined by B50 life. However, the LEDs have no filament to “burn”. The LEDs continually degrade and the light output decreases eventually below useful levels causing failure. Presently, the TM-21 test standard is used to predict the L70 life of LEDs from LM-80 test data. Several failure mechanisms may be active in a LED at a single time causing lumen depreciation. The underlying TM-21 Model may not capture the failure physics in presence of multiple failure mechanisms. Correlation of lumen maintenance with underlying physics of degradation at system-level is needed. In this paper, Kalman Filter (KF) and Extended Kalman Filters (EKF) have been used to develop a 70-percent Lumen Maintenance Life Prediction Model for LEDs used in SSL luminaires. Ten-thousand hour LM-80 test data for various LEDs have been used for model development. System state at each future time has been computed based on the state space at preceding time step, system dynamics matrix, control vector, control matrix, measurement matrix, measured vector, process noise and measurement noise. The future state of the lumen depreciation has been estimated based on a second order Kalman Filter model and a Bayesian Framework. The measured state variable has been related to the underlying damage using physics-based models. Life

  9. Creation of short microwave ablation zones: in vivo characterization of single and paired modified triaxial antennas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubner, Meghan G; Ziemlewicz, Tim J; Hinshaw, J Louis; Lee, Fred T; Sampson, Lisa A; Brace, Christopher L

    2014-10-01

    To characterize modified triaxial microwave antennas configured to produce short ablation zones. Fifty single-antenna and 27 paired-antenna hepatic ablations were performed in domestic swine (N = 11) with 17-gauge gas-cooled modified triaxial antennas powered at 65 W from a 2.45-GHz generator. Single-antenna ablations were performed at 2 (n = 16), 5 (n = 21), and 10 (n = 13) minutes. Paired-antenna ablations were performed at 1-cm and 2-cm spacing for 5 (n = 7 and n = 8, respectively) and 10 minutes (n = 7 and n = 5, respectively). Mean transverse width, length, and aspect ratio of sectioned ablation zones were measured and compared. For single antennas, mean ablation zone lengths were 2.9 cm ± 0.45, 3.5 cm ± 0.55, and 4.2 cm ± 0.40 at 2, 5, and 10 minutes, respectively. Mean widths were 1.8 cm ± 0.3, 2.0 cm ± 0.32, and 2.5 cm ± 0.25 at 2, 5, and 10 minutes, respectively. For paired antennas, mean length at 5 minutes with 1-cm and 2-cm spacing and 10 minutes with 1-cm and 2-cm spacing was 4.2 cm ± 0.9, 4.9 cm ± 1.0, 4.8 cm ± 0.5, and 4.8 cm ± 1.3, respectively. Mean width was 3.1 cm ± 1.0, 4.4 cm ± 0.7, 3.8 cm ± 0.4, and 4.5 cm ± 0.7, respectively. Paired-antenna ablations were more spherical (aspect ratios, 0.72-0.79 for 5-10 min) than single-antenna ablations (aspect ratios, 0.57-0.59). For paired-antenna ablations, 1-cm spacing appeared optimal, with improved circularity and decreased clefting compared with 2-cm spacing (circularity, 0.85 at 1 cm, 0.78 at 2 cm). Modified triaxial antennas can generate relatively short, spherical ablation zones. Paired-antenna ablations were rounder and larger in transverse dimension than single antenna ablations, with 1-cm spacing optimal for confluence of the ablation zone. Copyright © 2014 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. A radio-frequency single-electron transistor based on an InAs/InP heterostructure nanowire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nilsson, Henrik A.; Duty, Tim; Abay, Simon

    2008-01-01

    We demonstrate radio frequency single-electron transistors fabricated from epitaxially grown InAs/InP heterostructure nanowires. Two sets of double-barrier wires with different barrier thicknesses were grown. The wires were suspended 15 nm above a metal gate electrode. Electrical measurements...... on a high-resistance nanowire showed regularly spaced Coulomb oscillations at a gate voltage from −0.5 to at least 1.8 V. The charge sensitivity was measured to 32 µerms Hz−1/2 at 1.5 K. A low-resistance single-electron transistor showed regularly spaced oscillations only in a small gate-voltage region just...

  11. Single Photon Sensitive HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiode Detector (APD), Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Leveraging Phase I SBIR successes, in Phase II, a single photon sensitive LIDAR receiver will be fabricated and delivered to NASA. In Phase I, high-gain,...

  12. Camera Embedded Single Lumen Tube as a Rescue Device for Airway Handling during Lung Separation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højberg Holm, Jimmy; Andersen, Claus

    2016-01-01

    .Keywords: Thoracic anesthesia; Airway handling; VivaSight; Vivasight-SL; Lobectomy; Camera-embedded tube; Endotracheal; Lung isolation; Video tube Taking the small stature into account, use of a small conventional 35-Fr right sided DLT was planned for the procedure. As it turned out, this tube could not be passed...

  13. Single event upset test programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russen, L.C.

    1984-11-01

    It has been shown that the heavy ions in cosmic rays can give rise to single event upsets in VLSI random access memory devices (RAMs). Details are given of the programs written to test 1K, 4K, 16K and 64K memories during their irradiation with heavy charged ions, in order to simulate the effects of cosmic rays in space. The test equipment, which is used to load the memory device to be tested with a known bit pattern, and subsequently interrogate it for upsets, or ''flips'', is fully described. (author)

  14. Space commercialization: Analysis of R and D investments with long time horizons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheahen, T. P.

    1984-01-01

    By following a single hypothetical example through a series of variations, the way different potential investors might look at the opportunity to participate in space commercialization is described. The example itself is fairly typical of commercial opportunities in space. The chief characteristics are a steadily increasing requirement for capital infusion over an 8 year period, followed by a very generous stream of profits running another decade or more beyond. There is a decision point at 3 years, at the conclusion of laboratory R&D; and another at 6 years, following 2 initial space flights.

  15. On pattern recognition of fireballs and isobars in the Lobachevsky velocity space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bubelev, E.G.

    1977-01-01

    It is shown that a multidimensional statistical analysis of high particle jets means the classification of invariant pictures for their kinematics into types (with the production of fireballs and isobars and without one or the other) and recognition of statistical patterms for fireballs and isobars in the Lobachevsky velocity space (invariant phase space in high energy physics). The concept of likeness (closeness) of single-type pictures is taken as basis for such a classification. Two known methods of formalizing this concept are generalized in application to the noneuclidean metric of the velocity space

  16. The Benefits of Single-Touch Screens in Intersubjective Meaning Making

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davidsen, Jacob; Christiansen, Ellen Tove

    2013-01-01

    the possibilities for equal levels of verbal and physical participation.Additionally, these studies suggest that multi-touch technologies offer more task-oriented activities compared to single-touch screen interaction, in which discussion about turn-taking is more prevalent from the outset. In contrast, applying......What are the benefits of single-touch screens? The paper presents findings of one video extract from ten months of observation of single-touch screen interaction among 8-9 year-old children. Recent studies of collaborative learning mediated by digital touch screens and tabletops emphasize...... the Embodied Interaction Analysis, we find that the constraints of single-touch screens offer support for intersubjective meaning making in their capacity of constraining the interaction. This “grain of sand” shows how children display and construct a shared work space through embodied interaction...

  17. Resonant tunnelling features in a suspended silicon nanowire single-hole transistor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Llobet, Jordi; Pérez-Murano, Francesc, E-mail: francesc.perez@csic.es, E-mail: z.durrani@imperial.ac.uk [Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM CSIC), Campus UAB, E-08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia (Spain); Krali, Emiljana; Wang, Chen; Jones, Mervyn E.; Durrani, Zahid A. K., E-mail: francesc.perez@csic.es, E-mail: z.durrani@imperial.ac.uk [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Arbiol, Jordi [Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) and Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia (Spain); CELLS-ALBA Synchrotron Light Facility, 08290 Cerdanyola, Catalonia (Spain)

    2015-11-30

    Suspended silicon nanowires have significant potential for a broad spectrum of device applications. A suspended p-type Si nanowire incorporating Si nanocrystal quantum dots has been used to form a single-hole transistor. Transistor fabrication uses a novel and rapid process, based on focused gallium ion beam exposure and anisotropic wet etching, generating <10 nm nanocrystals inside suspended Si nanowires. Electrical characteristics at 10 K show Coulomb diamonds with charging energy ∼27 meV, associated with a single dominant nanocrystal. Resonant tunnelling features with energy spacing ∼10 meV are observed, parallel to both diamond edges. These may be associated either with excited states or hole–acoustic phonon interactions, in the nanocrystal. In the latter case, the energy spacing corresponds well with reported Raman spectroscopy results and phonon spectra calculations.

  18. Resonant tunnelling features in a suspended silicon nanowire single-hole transistor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Llobet, Jordi; Pérez-Murano, Francesc; Krali, Emiljana; Wang, Chen; Jones, Mervyn E.; Durrani, Zahid A. K.; Arbiol, Jordi

    2015-01-01

    Suspended silicon nanowires have significant potential for a broad spectrum of device applications. A suspended p-type Si nanowire incorporating Si nanocrystal quantum dots has been used to form a single-hole transistor. Transistor fabrication uses a novel and rapid process, based on focused gallium ion beam exposure and anisotropic wet etching, generating <10 nm nanocrystals inside suspended Si nanowires. Electrical characteristics at 10 K show Coulomb diamonds with charging energy ∼27 meV, associated with a single dominant nanocrystal. Resonant tunnelling features with energy spacing ∼10 meV are observed, parallel to both diamond edges. These may be associated either with excited states or hole–acoustic phonon interactions, in the nanocrystal. In the latter case, the energy spacing corresponds well with reported Raman spectroscopy results and phonon spectra calculations

  19. Optimal fit of chairside-fabricated distal shoe space maintainer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nouri, M R; Kennedy, D B

    2013-10-01

    Premature loss of a primary second molar may lead to space loss in the dental arch. This space loss tends to be more severe in unfavourable malocclusions. The distal shoe space maintainer (DSSM) may be beneficial in controlling the path of eruption of an unerupted permanent first molar from the primary into the early mixed dentition. This article describes the technique for achieving optimal fit of a chairside-fabricated band and DSSM in a single visit by contouring the distal shoe blade, and by extending it to the mesial surface of the permanent first molar. Upon the eruption of the permanent first molar DSSM may be modified to a reverse band-and-loop, or replaced by a lingual holding arch.

  20. Command and Control Software for Single-Operator Multiple UAS Missions, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Existing command and control (C2) paradigms for UAS platforms are extremely limited and cumbersome, requiring at least a single operator per UAS, if not more than...

  1. Command and Control Software for Single-Operator Multiple UAS Missions, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Existing command and control (C2) paradigms for UAS platforms are extremely limited and cumbersome, requiring at least a single operator per UAS, if not more than...

  2. A primer on Hilbert space theory linear spaces, topological spaces, metric spaces, normed spaces, and topological groups

    CERN Document Server

    Alabiso, Carlo

    2015-01-01

    This book is an introduction to the theory of Hilbert space, a fundamental tool for non-relativistic quantum mechanics. Linear, topological, metric, and normed spaces are all addressed in detail, in a rigorous but reader-friendly fashion. The rationale for an introduction to the theory of Hilbert space, rather than a detailed study of Hilbert space theory itself, resides in the very high mathematical difficulty of even the simplest physical case. Within an ordinary graduate course in physics there is insufficient time to cover the theory of Hilbert spaces and operators, as well as distribution theory, with sufficient mathematical rigor. Compromises must be found between full rigor and practical use of the instruments. The book is based on the author's lessons on functional analysis for graduate students in physics. It will equip the reader to approach Hilbert space and, subsequently, rigged Hilbert space, with a more practical attitude. With respect to the original lectures, the mathematical flavor in all sub...

  3. Multiple Hypothesis Tracking (MHT) for Space Surveillance: Results and Simulation Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, N.; Poore, A.; Sheaff, C.; Aristoff, J.; Jah, M.

    2013-09-01

    With the anticipated installation of more accurate sensors and the increased probability of future collisions between space objects, the potential number of observable space objects is likely to increase by an order of magnitude within the next decade, thereby placing an ever-increasing burden on current operational systems. Moreover, the need to track closely-spaced objects due, for example, to breakups as illustrated by the recent Chinese ASAT test or the Iridium-Kosmos collision, requires new, robust, and autonomous methods for space surveillance to enable the development and maintenance of the present and future space catalog and to support the overall space surveillance mission. The problem of correctly associating a stream of uncorrelated tracks (UCTs) and uncorrelated optical observations (UCOs) into common objects is critical to mitigating the number of UCTs and is a prerequisite to subsequent space catalog maintenance. Presently, such association operations are mainly performed using non-statistical simple fixed-gate association logic. In this paper, we report on the salient features and the performance of a newly-developed statistically-robust system-level multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) system for advanced space surveillance. The multiple-frame assignment (MFA) formulation of MHT, together with supporting astrodynamics algorithms, provides a new joint capability for space catalog maintenance, UCT/UCO resolution, and initial orbit determination. The MFA-MHT framework incorporates multiple hypotheses for report to system track data association and uses a multi-arc construction to accommodate recently developed algorithms for multiple hypothesis filtering (e.g., AEGIS, CAR-MHF, UMAP, and MMAE). This MHT framework allows us to evaluate the benefits of many different algorithms ranging from single- and multiple-frame data association to filtering and uncertainty quantification. In this paper, it will be shown that the MHT system can provide superior

  4. Ergodicity of a single particle confined in a nanopore

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bernardi, S.; Hansen, Jesper Schmidt; Frascolli, F.

    2012-01-01

    -ergodic component of the phase space for energy levels typical of experiments, is surprisingly small, i.e. we conclude that the ergodic hypothesis is a reasonable approximation even for a single particle trapped in a nanopore. Due to the numerical scope of this work, our focus will be the onset of ergodic behavior...

  5. Space Systems Failures Disasters and Rescues of Satellites, Rockets and Space Probes

    CERN Document Server

    Harland, David M

    2005-01-01

    In the 1960s and 1970s deep space missions were dispatched in pairs in case one was lost in launch or failed during its journey. Following the triumphs of the Viking landings on Mars in 1976 and both Voyagers spacecraft successfully surveying the outer giant planets of the Solar System, it was decided by NASA to cut costs and send out just a single probe. Although Magellan successfully mapped Venus by radar, it suffered from problems during the flight. Then came the loss of Mars Observer, whose engine exploded as it was preparing to enter Mars’ orbit because it was using technology designed for Earth’s satellites and the engine was not suited to spending several months in space. Later came the high-profile losses of Mars Climate Observer and Mars Polar Lander - a consequence of the faster, better, cheaper philosophy introduced by Dan Goldin in 1993. Even the highly successful Galileo mission suffered a major setback when its high-gain antenna (also based on satellite mission suffered a major setback when ...

  6. Radiation Test Results on COTS and non-COTS Electronic Devices for NASA-JSC Space Flight Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allums, Kimberly K.; O'Neill, P. M.; Reddell, B. D.; Nguyen, K. V.; Bailey, C. R.

    2012-01-01

    This presentation reports the results of recent proton and heavy ion Single Event Effect (SEE) testing on a variety of COTS and non-COTs electronic devices and assemblies tested for the Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS) and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).

  7. Deep Space Habitat Configurations Based on International Space Station Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smitherman, David; Russell, Tiffany; Baysinger, Mike; Capizzo, Pete; Fabisinski, Leo; Griffin, Brand; Hornsby, Linda; Maples, Dauphne; Miernik, Janie

    2012-01-01

    A Deep Space Habitat (DSH) is the crew habitation module designed for long duration missions. Although humans have lived in space for many years, there has never been a habitat beyond low-Earth-orbit. As part of the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Habitation Project, a study was conducted to develop weightless habitat configurations using systems based on International Space Station (ISS) designs. Two mission sizes are described for a 4-crew 60-day mission, and a 4-crew 500-day mission using standard Node, Lab, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) sized elements, and ISS derived habitation systems. These durations were selected to explore the lower and upper bound for the exploration missions under consideration including a range of excursions within the Earth-Moon vicinity, near earth asteroids, and Mars orbit. Current methods for sizing the mass and volume for habitats are based on mathematical models that assume the construction of a new single volume habitat. In contrast to that approach, this study explored the use of ISS designs based on existing hardware where available and construction of new hardware based on ISS designs where appropriate. Findings included a very robust design that could be reused if the DSH were assembled and based at the ISS and a transportation system were provided for its return after each mission. Mass estimates were found to be higher than mathematical models due primarily to the use of multiple ISS modules instead of one new large module, but the maturity of the designs using flight qualified systems have potential for improved cost, schedule, and risk benefits.

  8. Single Crystal Piezomotor for Large Stroke, High Precision and Cryogenic Actuations, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TRS Technologies proposes a novel single crystal piezomotor for large stroke, high precision, and cryogenic actuations with capability of position set-hold with...

  9. NFAD Arrays for Single Photon Optical Communications at 1.5 um, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — For this program, we propose to develop large pixel-count single photon counting detector arrays suitable for deployment in spacecraft terminal receivers supporting...

  10. Anderson localization and momentum-space entanglement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrade, Eric C; Steudtner, Mark; Vojta, Matthias

    2014-01-01

    We consider Anderson localization and the associated metal–insulator transition for non-interacting fermions in D = 1, 2 space dimensions in the presence of spatially correlated on-site random potentials. To assess the nature of the wave function, we follow a recent proposal to study momentum-space entanglement. For a D = 1 model with long-range disorder correlations, both the entanglement spectrum and the entanglement entropy allow us to clearly distinguish between extended and localized states based upon a single realization of disorder. However, for other models, including the D = 2 case with long-range correlated disorder, we find that the method is not similarly successful. We analyze the reasons for its failure, concluding that the much desired generalization to higher dimensions may be problematic. (paper)

  11. Deep Space Habitat ECLSS Design Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curley, Su; Stambaugh, Imelda; Swickrath, Michael; Anderson, Molly S.; Rotter, Henry

    2012-01-01

    Life support is vital to human spaceflight, and most current life support systems employ single-use hardware or regenerable technologies that throw away the waste products, relying on resupply to make up the consumables lost in the process. Because the long-term goal of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is to expand human presence beyond low-earth orbit, life support systems must become self-sustaining for missions where resupply is not practical. From May through October 2011, the life support team at the Johnson Space Center was challenged to define requirements, develop a system concept, and create a preliminary life support system design for a non-planetary Deep Space Habitat that could sustain a crew of four in near earth orbit for a duration of 388 days. Some of the preferred technology choices to support this architecture were passed over because the mission definition has an unmanned portion lasting 825 days. The main portion of the architecture was derived from technologies currently integrated on the International Space Station as well as upcoming technologies with moderate Technology Readiness Levels. The final architecture concept contains only partially-closed air and water systems, as the breakeven point for some of the closure technologies was not achieved with the mission duration.

  12. Deep Space Habitat ECLS Design Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curley, Su; Stambaugh, Imelda; Swickrath, Mike; Anderson, Molly; Rotter, Hank

    2011-01-01

    Life support is vital to human spaceflight, and most current life support systems employ single-use hardware or regenerable technologies that throw away the waste products, relying on resupply to make up the consumables lost in the process. Because the long-term goal of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is to expand human presence beyond low-earth orbit, life support systems must become self-sustaining for missions where resupply is not practical. From May through October 2011, the life support team at the Johnson Space Center was challenged to define requirements, develop a system concept, and create a preliminary life support system design for a non-planetary Deep Space Habitat that could sustain a crew of four in near earth orbit for a duration of 388 days. Some of the preferred technology choices to support this architecture were passed over as the mission definition also has an unmanned portion lasting 825 days. The main portion of the architecture was derived from technologies currently integrated on the International Space Station as well as upcoming technologies with moderate Technology Readiness Levels. The final architecture concept contains only partially-closed air and water systems, as the breakeven point for some of the closure technologies was not achieved with the mission duration.

  13. Deformed two-photon squeezed states in noncommutative space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jianzu

    2004-01-01

    Recent studies on nonperturbation aspects of noncommutative quantum mechanics explored a new type of boson commutation relations at the deformed level, described by deformed annihilation-creation operators in noncommutative space. This correlated boson commutator correlates different degrees of freedom, and shows an essential influence on dynamics. This Letter devotes to the development of formalism of deformed two-photon squeezed states in noncommutative space. General representations of deformed annihilation-creation operators and the consistency condition for the electromagnetic wave with a single mode of frequency in noncommunicative space are obtained. Two-photon squeezed states are studied. One finds that variances of the dimensionless Hermitian quadratures of the annihilation operator in one degree of freedom include variances in the other degree of freedom. Such correlations show the new feature of spatial noncommutativity and allow a deeper understanding of the correlated boson commutator

  14. Can a quantum state over time resemble a quantum state at a single time?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horsman, Dominic; Heunen, Chris; Pusey, Matthew F; Barrett, Jonathan; Spekkens, Robert W

    2017-09-01

    The standard formalism of quantum theory treats space and time in fundamentally different ways. In particular, a composite system at a given time is represented by a joint state, but the formalism does not prescribe a joint state for a composite of systems at different times. If there were a way of defining such a joint state, this would potentially permit a more even-handed treatment of space and time, and would strengthen the existing analogy between quantum states and classical probability distributions. Under the assumption that the joint state over time is an operator on the tensor product of single-time Hilbert spaces, we analyse various proposals for such a joint state, including one due to Leifer and Spekkens, one due to Fitzsimons, Jones and Vedral, and another based on discrete Wigner functions. Finding various problems with each, we identify five criteria for a quantum joint state over time to satisfy if it is to play a role similar to the standard joint state for a composite system: that it is a Hermitian operator on the tensor product of the single-time Hilbert spaces; that it represents probabilistic mixing appropriately; that it has the appropriate classical limit; that it has the appropriate single-time marginals; that composing over multiple time steps is associative. We show that no construction satisfies all these requirements. If Hermiticity is dropped, then there is an essentially unique construction that satisfies the remaining four criteria.

  15. Polarization entangled photon pair source for space-based quantum communication, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The overall goal of this NASA effort is to develop and deliver efficient, single-pass quantum optical waveguide sources generating high purity hyper-entangled photon...

  16. 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.

  17. Compendium of Single Event Effects, Total Ionizing Dose, and Displacement Damage for Candidate Spacecraft Electronics for NASA

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaBel, Kenneth A.; OBryan, Martha V.; Chen, Dakai; Campola, Michael J.; Casey, Megan C.; Pellish, Jonathan A.; Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Wilcox, Edward P.; Topper, Alyson D.; Ladbury, Raymond L.; hide

    2014-01-01

    We present results and analysis investigating the effects of radiation on a variety of candidate spacecraft electronics to proton and heavy ion induced single event effects (SEE), proton-induced displacement damage (DD), and total ionizing dose (TID). Introduction: This paper is a summary of test results.NASA spacecraft are subjected to a harsh space environment that includes exposure to various types of ionizing radiation. The performance of electronic devices in a space radiation environment is often limited by its susceptibility to single event effects (SEE), total ionizing dose (TID), and displacement damage (DD). Ground-based testing is used to evaluate candidate spacecraft electronics to determine risk to spaceflight applications. Interpreting the results of radiation testing of complex devices is quite difficult. Given the rapidly changing nature of technology, radiation test data are most often application-specific and adequate understanding of the test conditions is critical. Studies discussed herein were undertaken to establish the application-specific sensitivities of candidate spacecraft and emerging electronic devices to single-event upset (SEU), single-event latchup (SEL), single-event gate rupture (SEGR), single-event burnout (SEB), single-event transient (SET), TID, enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS), and DD effects.

  18. Hadron production at LHC in dipole momentum space

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Basso, E. A.; Gay Ducati, M. B. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, 91501-970 - Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); De Oliveira, E. G. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Caixa Postal 66318, 05314-970 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2013-03-25

    The dipole color approach is the framework that considers the quark-antiquark pair scattering off the target. The rapidity evolution of color dipoles is given by the nonlinear Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) equation, for which analytical solutions are not yet known. A good way to explore the asymptotic BK solutions is through the traveling wave method of QCD, that uses a correspondence between the BK evolution equation in momentum space and reaction-diffusion physics. Using the traveling wave based AGBS model for the dipole amplitude in momentum space, and within the k{sub t}-factorization formalism, we describe the LHC data on single inclusive hadron yield for p-p collisions.

  19. Hadron production at LHC in dipole momentum space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basso, E. A.; Gay Ducati, M. B.; De Oliveira, E. G.

    2013-01-01

    The dipole color approach is the framework that considers the quark-antiquark pair scattering off the target. The rapidity evolution of color dipoles is given by the nonlinear Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) equation, for which analytical solutions are not yet known. A good way to explore the asymptotic BK solutions is through the traveling wave method of QCD, that uses a correspondence between the BK evolution equation in momentum space and reaction-diffusion physics. Using the traveling wave based AGBS model for the dipole amplitude in momentum space, and within the k t -factorization formalism, we describe the LHC data on single inclusive hadron yield for p–p collisions.

  20. Feature-Space Clustering for fMRI Meta-Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goutte, Cyril; Hansen, Lars Kai; Liptrot, Mathew G.

    2001-01-01

    MRI sequences containing several hundreds of images, it is sometimes necessary to invoke feature extraction to reduce the dimensionality of the data space. A second interesting application is in the meta-analysis of fMRI experiment, where features are obtained from a possibly large number of single......-voxel analyses. In particular this allows the checking of the differences and agreements between different methods of analysis. Both approaches are illustrated on a fMRI data set involving visual stimulation, and we show that the feature space clustering approach yields nontrivial results and, in particular......, shows interesting differences between individual voxel analysis performed with traditional methods. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc....