Population Pharmacokinetic Modelling of FE 999049, a Recombinant Human Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, in Healthy Women After Single Ascending Doses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Trine Høyer; Röshammar, Daniel; Erichsen, Lars

2016-01-01

reproductive technologies. Methods: Serum FSH levels were measured following a single subcutaneous FE 999049 injection of 37.5, 75, 150, 225 or 450 IU in 27 pituitary-suppressed healthy female subjects participating in this first-in-human single ascending dose trial. Data was analysed by nonlinear mixed...... volume of distribution (V/F) estimates were found to increase with body weight. Body weight was included as an allometrically scaled covariate with a power exponent of 0.75 for CL/F and 1 for V/F. Conclusions: The single-dose pharmacokinetics of FE 999049 were adequately described by a population...

Managing mixed dyslipidemia in special populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Michael

2010-01-01

Controlling low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is one of the major focuses of cardiovascular care. However, the twin global pandemics of obesity and diabetes are promoting an increased prevalence of associated cardiometabolic risk factors. These factors include mixed dyslipidemia, which is prevalent among several important subgroups of the overall population. Cardiovascular risk increases as women reach and extend beyond menopause, partly reflective of dyslipidemia. In addition, women with polycystic ovary syndrome display a cluster of risk factors reminiscent of the metabolic syndrome. Certain ethnic groups are also at increased risk for type 2 diabetes or the metabolic syndrome. Dyslipidemia contributes significantly to overall cardiovascular risk in the elderly, and the frequency of children and adolescents presenting with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome is increasing worldwide. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of mixed dyslipidemia in patients at elevated cardiometabolic risk. However, while combination therapy may successfully correct the associated dyslipidemia, it remains to be established whether the addition of a second agent improves coronary risk beyond statin monotherapy.

Elementary Girls' Attitudes toward Mathematics in Mixed-Gender and Single-Gender Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Tichenor, Mercedes; Welsh, Alyssa; Corcoran, Carol; Piechura, Kathy; Heins, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

By the time girls are second graders, they may be exhibiting negative attitudes toward math (Cvencek, Meltzoff, & Greenwald, 2011). McFarland, Benson and McFarland (2011) examined girls' math achievement in single-gender and mixed-gender classrooms and suggest that single-gendered formats can help females. In this study, we compare the math…

Use and misuse of mixed methods in population oral health research: A scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, A; Keuskamp, D

2018-05-30

Despite the known benefits of a mixed methods approach in health research, little is known of its use in the field of population oral health. To map the extent of literature using a mixed methods approach to examine population oral health outcomes. For a comprehensive search of all the available literature published in the English language, databases including PubMed, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source (DOSS), CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE (including Medline) were searched using a range of keywords from inception to October 2017. Only peer-reviewed, population-based studies of oral health outcomes conducted among non-institutionalised participants and using mixed methods were considered eligible for inclusion. Only nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The most frequent oral health outcome investigated was caries experience. However, most studies lacked a theoretical rationale or framework for using mixed methods, or supporting the use of qualitative data. Concurrent triangulation with a convergent design was the most commonly used mixed methods typology for integrating quantitative and qualitative data. The tools used to collect quantitative and qualitative data were mostly limited to surveys and interviews. With growing complexity recognised in the determinants of oral disease, future studies addressing population oral health outcomes are likely to benefit from the use of mixed methods. Explicit consideration of theoretical framework and methodology will strengthen those investigations. Copyright© 2018 Dennis Barber Ltd.

The Effects of Single versus Mixed Gender Treatment for Adolescent Girls with ADHD

Science.gov (United States)

Babinski, Dara E.; Sibley, Margaret H.; Ross, J. Megan; Pelham, William E.

2013-01-01

This study evaluated the social behavior of adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in single and mixed gender treatment settings. We collected ratings of social behavior (i.e., prosocial peer interactions, assertiveness, self-management, compliance, physical aggression, relational aggression) during single and mixed…

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay for population ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay for population stratification test ... phenotypes and unlinked candidate loci in case-control and cohort studies of ... Key words: Chinese, Japanese, population stratification, ancestry informative ...

Bridging the Timescales of Single-Cell and Population Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Jafarpour, Farshid; Wright, Charles S.; Gudjonson, Herman; Riebling, Jedidiah; Dawson, Emma; Lo, Klevin; Fiebig, Aretha; Crosson, Sean; Dinner, Aaron R.; Iyer-Biswas, Srividya

2018-04-01

How are granular details of stochastic growth and division of individual cells reflected in smooth deterministic growth of population numbers? We provide an integrated, multiscale perspective of microbial growth dynamics by formulating a data-validated theoretical framework that accounts for observables at both single-cell and population scales. We derive exact analytical complete time-dependent solutions to cell-age distributions and population growth rates as functionals of the underlying interdivision time distributions, for symmetric and asymmetric cell division. These results provide insights into the surprising implications of stochastic single-cell dynamics for population growth. Using our results for asymmetric division, we deduce the time to transition from the reproductively quiescent (swarmer) to the replication-competent (stalked) stage of the Caulobacter crescentus life cycle. Remarkably, population numbers can spontaneously oscillate with time. We elucidate the physics leading to these population oscillations. For C. crescentus cells, we show that a simple measurement of the population growth rate, for a given growth condition, is sufficient to characterize the condition-specific cellular unit of time and, thus, yields the mean (single-cell) growth and division timescales, fluctuations in cell division times, the cell-age distribution, and the quiescence timescale.

High efficiency rubrene based inverted top-emission organic light emitting devices with a mixed single layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhaokui; Lou, Yanhui; Naka, Shigeki; Okada, Hiroyuki

2010-01-01

Inverted top-emission organic light emitting devices (TEOLEDs) with a mixed single layer by mixing of electron transport materials (PyPySPyPy and Alq 3 ), hole transport material (α-NPD) and dope material (rubrene) were investigated. Maximum power efficiency of 3.5 lm/W and maximum luminance of 7000 cd/m 2 were obtained by optimizing the mixing ratio of PyPySPyPy:Alq 3 :α-NPD:rubrene=25:50:25:1. Luminance and power efficiency of mixed single layer device were two times improved compared to bi-layer heterojunction device and tri-layer heterojunction device. Lifetime test also shows that the mixed single layer device exhibits longer operational lifetimes of 343 h, which is three times longer than the 109 h for tri-layer device, and two times longer than the 158 h for bi-layer device. In addition, the maximum luminance and power efficiency were obtained at 20,000 cd/m 2 and 7.5 lm/W, respectively, when a TPD layer of 45 nm was capped onto the top metal electrode.

Use of DNA quantification to measure growth and autolysis of Lactococcus and Propionibacterium spp. in mixed populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Treimo, Janneke; Vegarud, Gerd; Langsrud, Thor; Rudi, Knut

2006-09-01

Autolysis is self-degradation of the bacterial cell wall that results in the release of enzymes and DNA. Autolysis of starter bacteria, such as lactococci and propionibacteria, is essential for cheese ripening, but our understanding of this important process is limited. This is mainly because the current tools for measuring autolysis cannot readily be used for analysis of bacteria in mixed populations. We have now addressed this problem by species-specific detection and quantification of free DNA released during autolysis. This was done by use of 16S rRNA gene single-nucleotide extension probes in combination with competitive PCR. We analyzed pure and mixed populations of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and three different species of Propionibacterium. Results showed that L. lactis subsp. lactis INF L2 autolyzed first, followed by Propionibacterium acidipropionici ATCC 4965, Propionibacterium freudenreichii ISU P59, and then Propionibacterium jensenii INF P303. We also investigated the autolytic effect of rennet (commonly used in cheese production). We found that the effect was highly strain specific, with all the strains responding differently. Finally, autolysis of L. lactis subsp. lactis INF L2 and P. freudenreichii ISU P59 was analyzed in a liquid cheese model. Autolysis was detected later in this cheese model system than in broth media. A challenge with DNA, however, is DNA degradation. We addressed this challenge by using a DNA degradation marker. We obtained a good correlation between the degradation of the marker and the target in a model experiment. We conclude that our DNA approach will be a valuable tool for use in future analyses and for understanding autolysis in mixed bacterial populations.

BSocial: Deciphering Social Behaviors within Mixed Microbial Populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Purswani

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Ecosystem functionality depends on interactions among populations, of the same or different taxa, and these are not just the sum of pairwise interactions. Thus, know-how of the social interactions occurring in mixed-populations are of high interest, however they are commonly unknown due to the limitations posed in tagging each population. The limitations include costs/time in tediously fluorescent tagging, and the number of different fluorescent tags. Tag-free strategies exist, such as high-throughput sequencing, but ultimately both strategies require the use of expensive machinery. Our work appoints social behaviors on individual strains in mixed-populations, offering a web-tool (BSocialhttp://m4m.ugr.es/BSocial.html for analyzing the community framework. Our quick and cheap approach includes the periodic monitoring of optical density (OD from a full combinatorial testing of individual strains, where number of generations and growth rate are determined. The BSocial analyses then enable us to determine how the addition/absence of a particular species affects the net productivity of a microbial community and use this to select productive combinations, i.e., designate their social effect on a general community. Positive, neutral, or negative assignations are applied to describe the social behavior within the community by comparing fitness effects of the community against the individual strain. The usefulness of this tool for selection of optimal inoculum in biofilm-based methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE bioremediation was demonstrated. The studied model uses seven bacterial strains with diverse MTBE degradation/growth capacities. Full combinatorial testing of seven individual strains (triplicate tests of 127 combinations were implemented, along with MTBE degradation as the desired function. Sole observation of highest species fitness did not render the best functional outcome, and only when strains with positive and neutral social assignations were

Accuracy of Single-Step versus 2-Step Double-Mix Impression Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franco, Eduardo Batista; da Cunha, Leonardo Fernandes; Herrera, Francyle Simões

2011-01-01

Objective. To investigate the accuracy of dies obtained from single-step and 2-step double-mix impressions. Material and Methods. Impressions (n = 10) of a stainless steel die simulating a complete crown preparation were performed using a polyether (Impregum Soft Heavy and Light body) and a vinyl...

Searching for rigour in the reporting of mixed methods population health research: a methodological review.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, K M; Elliott, S J; Leatherdale, S T; Robertson-Wilson, J

2015-12-01

The environments in which population health interventions occur shape both their implementation and outcomes. Hence, when evaluating these interventions, we must explore both intervention content and context. Mixed methods (integrating quantitative and qualitative methods) provide this opportunity. However, although criteria exist for establishing rigour in quantitative and qualitative research, there is poor consensus regarding rigour in mixed methods. Using the empirical example of school-based obesity interventions, this methodological review examined how mixed methods have been used and reported, and how rigour has been addressed. Twenty-three peer-reviewed mixed methods studies were identified through a systematic search of five databases and appraised using the guidelines for Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study. In general, more detailed description of data collection and analysis, integration, inferences and justifying the use of mixed methods is needed. Additionally, improved reporting of methodological rigour is required. This review calls for increased discussion of practical techniques for establishing rigour in mixed methods research, beyond those for quantitative and qualitative criteria individually. A guide for reporting mixed methods research in population health should be developed to improve the reporting quality of mixed methods studies. Through improved reporting, mixed methods can provide strong evidence to inform policy and practice. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Intercomparison of model simulations of mixed-phase clouds observed during the ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. Part I: Single layer cloud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, S A; McCoy, R B; Morrison, H; Ackerman, A; Avramov, A; deBoer, G; Chen, M; Cole, J; DelGenio, A; Golaz, J; Hashino, T; Harrington, J; Hoose, C; Khairoutdinov, M; Larson, V; Liu, X; Luo, Y; McFarquhar, G; Menon, S; Neggers, R; Park, S; Poellot, M; von Salzen, K; Schmidt, J; Sednev, I; Shipway, B; Shupe, M; Spangenberg, D; Sud, Y; Turner, D; Veron, D; Falk, M; Foster, M; Fridlind, A; Walker, G; Wang, Z; Wolf, A; Xie, S; Xu, K; Yang, F; Zhang, G

2008-02-27

Results are presented from an intercomparison of single-column and cloud-resolving model simulations of a cold-air outbreak mixed-phase stratocumulus cloud observed during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. The observed cloud occurred in a well-mixed boundary layer with a cloud top temperature of -15 C. The observed liquid water path of around 160 g m{sup -2} was about two-thirds of the adiabatic value and much greater than the mass of ice crystal precipitation which when integrated from the surface to cloud top was around 15 g m{sup -2}. The simulations were performed by seventeen single-column models (SCMs) and nine cloud-resolving models (CRMs). While the simulated ice water path is generally consistent with the observed values, the median SCM and CRM liquid water path is a factor of three smaller than observed. Results from a sensitivity study in which models removed ice microphysics indicate that in many models the interaction between liquid and ice-phase microphysics is responsible for the large model underestimate of liquid water path. Despite this general underestimate, the simulated liquid and ice water paths of several models are consistent with the observed values. Furthermore, there is some evidence that models with more sophisticated microphysics simulate liquid and ice water paths that are in better agreement with the observed values, although considerable scatter is also present. Although no single factor guarantees a good simulation, these results emphasize the need for improvement in the model representation of mixed-phase microphysics. This case study, which has been well observed from both aircraft and ground-based remote sensors, could be a benchmark for model simulations of mixed-phase clouds.

A Nanofluidic Mixing Device for High-throughput Fluorescence Sensing of Single Molecules

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mathwig, Klaus; Fijen, C.; Fontana, M.; Lemay, S.G.; Hohlbein, J.C.

2017-01-01

We introduce a nanofluidic mixing device entirely fabricated in glass for the fluorescence detection of single molecules. The design consists of a nanochannel T-junction and allows the continuous monitoring of chemical or enzymatic reactions of analytes as they arrive from two independent inlets.

Mixing times towards demographic equilibrium in insect populations with temperature variable age structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Damos, Petros

2015-08-01

In this study, we use entropy related mixing rate modules to measure the effects of temperature on insect population stability and demographic breakdown. The uncertainty in the age of the mother of a randomly chosen newborn, and how it is moved after a finite act of time steps, is modeled using a stochastic transformation of the Leslie matrix. Age classes are represented as a cycle graph and its transitions towards the stable age distribution are brought forth as an exact Markov chain. The dynamics of divergence, from a non equilibrium state towards equilibrium, are evaluated using the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy. Moreover, Kullback-Leibler distance is applied as information-theoretic measure to estimate exact mixing times of age transitions probabilities towards equilibrium. Using empirically data, we show that on the initial conditions and simulated projection's trough time, that population entropy can effectively be applied to detect demographic variability towards equilibrium under different temperature conditions. Changes in entropy are correlated with the fluctuations of the insect population decay rates (i.e. demographic stability towards equilibrium). Moreover, shorter mixing times are directly linked to lower entropy rates and vice versa. This may be linked to the properties of the insect model system, which in contrast to warm blooded animals has the ability to greatly change its metabolic and demographic rates. Moreover, population entropy and the related distance measures that are applied, provide a means to measure these rates. The current results and model projections provide clear biological evidence why dynamic population entropy may be useful to measure population stability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human leukocyte antigen class I (A, B and C) allele and haplotype variation in a South African Mixed ancestry population.

Science.gov (United States)

Loubser, Shayne; Paximadis, Maria; Tiemessen, Caroline T

South Africa has a large (∼53million), ethnically diverse population (black African, Caucasian, Indian/Asian and Mixed ancestry) and a high disease burden (particularly HIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis). The Mixed ancestry population constitutes ∼9% of the total population and was established ∼365years ago in the Western Cape region through interracial mixing of black Africans, Europeans and Asians. Admixed populations present unique opportunities to identify genetic factors involved in disease susceptibility. Since HLA genes are important mediators of host immunity, we investigated HLA-A, -B and -C allele and haplotype diversity in 50 healthy, unrelated individuals recruited from the Mixed ancestry population. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Intercomparison of model simulations of mixed-phase clouds observed during the ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. Part I: Single layer cloud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, Stephen A.; McCoy, Renata B.; Morrison, Hugh; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Avramov, Alexander; de Boer, Gijs; Chen, Mingxuan; Cole, Jason N.S.; Del Genio, Anthony D.; Falk, Michael; Foster, Michael J.; Fridlind, Ann; Golaz, Jean-Christophe; Hashino, Tempei; Harrington, Jerry Y.; Hoose, Corinna; Khairoutdinov, Marat F.; Larson, Vincent E.; Liu, Xiaohong; Luo, Yali; McFarquhar, Greg M.; Menon, Surabi; Neggers, Roel A. J.; Park, Sungsu; Poellot, Michael R.; Schmidt, Jerome M.; Sednev, Igor; Shipway, Ben J.; Shupe, Matthew D.; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Sud, Yogesh C.; Turner, David D.; Veron, Dana E.; von Salzen, Knut; Walker, Gregory K.; Wang, Zhien; Wolf, Audrey B.; Xie, Shaocheng; Xu, Kuan-Man; Yang, Fanglin; Zhang, Gong

2009-02-02

Results are presented from an intercomparison of single-column and cloud-resolving model simulations of a cold-air outbreak mixed-phase stratocumulus cloud observed during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. The observed cloud occurred in a well-mixed boundary layer with a cloud top temperature of -15 C. The observed average liquid water path of around 160 g m{sup -2} was about two-thirds of the adiabatic value and much greater than the average mass of ice crystal precipitation which when integrated from the surface to cloud top was around 15 g m{sup -2}. The simulations were performed by seventeen single-column models (SCMs) and nine cloud-resolving models (CRMs). While the simulated ice water path is generally consistent with the observed values, the median SCM and CRM liquid water path is a factor of three smaller than observed. Results from a sensitivity study in which models removed ice microphysics suggest that in many models the interaction between liquid and ice-phase microphysics is responsible for the large model underestimate of liquid water path. Despite this general underestimate, the simulated liquid and ice water paths of several models are consistent with the observed values. Furthermore, there is evidence that models with more sophisticated microphysics simulate liquid and ice water paths that are in better agreement with the observed values, although considerable scatter is also present. Although no single factor guarantees a good simulation, these results emphasize the need for improvement in the model representation of mixed-phase microphysics.

High-accuracy self-mixing interferometer based on single high-order orthogonally polarized feedback effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Zhaoli; Qu, Xueming; Tan, Yidong; Tan, Runtao; Zhang, Shulian

2015-06-29

A simple and high-accuracy self-mixing interferometer based on single high-order orthogonally polarized feedback effects is presented. The single high-order feedback effect is realized when dual-frequency laser reflects numerous times in a Fabry-Perot cavity and then goes back to the laser resonator along the same route. In this case, two orthogonally polarized feedback fringes with nanoscale resolution are obtained. This self-mixing interferometer has the advantages of higher sensitivity to weak signal than that of conventional interferometer. In addition, two orthogonally polarized fringes are useful for discriminating the moving direction of measured object. The experiment of measuring 2.5nm step is conducted, which shows a great potential in nanometrology.

Variability and connectivity of plaice populations from the Eastern North Sea to the Baltic Sea, part II. Biological evidence of population mixing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulrich, Clara; Hansen, Jakob Hemmer; Boje, Jesper

2016-01-01

in parallel. Genetic markers suggested the existence of different genetic populations in the transition area. Growth backcalculation with otoliths resulted in significant although limited differences in growth rates between North Sea and Skagerrak, indicating weak differentiation or important mixing......A multi-disciplinary study was conducted to clarify stock identity and connectivity patterns in the populations of European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) in the Skagerrak-Kattegat transition area between the Eastern North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Five independent biological studies were carried out...... constitute a large share of the catches in this area. The mixing of different populations within a management area has implications for stock assessment and management. Choice must be made to either lump or split the populations, and the feasibility and constraints of both options are discussed. The outcomes...

Physics of reshock and mixing in single-mode Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schilling, O; Latini, M; Don, W

2006-01-01

The ninth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) shock-capturing method is used to investigate the physics of reshock and mixing in two-dimensional single-mode Richtmyer-Meshkov instability to late times. The initial conditions and computational domain were adapted from the Mach 1.21 air(acetone)/SF 6 shock tube experiment of Collins and Jacobs [J. Fluid Mech. 464, 113 (2002)]: the growth of the bubble and spike perturbation amplitudes from fifth- and ninth-order WENO simulations of this experiment were compared to the predictions of amplitude growth models, and were shown to be in very good agreement with the experimental data prior to reshock [Latini, Schilling and Don, Phys. Fluids (2007), in press]. In the present investigation, the density, vorticity, baroclinic vorticity production, and simulated density Schlieren fields are first presented to qualitatively describe reshock. The baroclinic circulation deposition on the interface is shown to agree with the predictions of the Samtaney and Zabusky [J. Fluid Mech. 269, 45 (1994)] model and linear instability theory. The time-evolution of the positive and negative circulation on the interface is considered before and after reshock: it is shown that the circulations are equal before, as well as after reshock, until the interaction of the reflected rarefaction with the layer leads to flow symmetry breaking and different evolutions of the positive and negative circulation. The post-reshock mixing layer growth is shown to be in very good agreement with three models predicting linear growth for a short time following reshock. Next, a comprehensive investigation of local and global mixing properties as a function of time is performed. The distribution and amount of mixed fluid along the shock propagation direction is characterized using averaged mole fraction profiles, a fast kinetic reaction model, and molecular mixing fractions. The modal distribution of energy in the mixing layer is quantified using the

Large-Scale Mixed Temperate Forest Mapping at the Single Tree Level using Airborne Laser Scanning

Science.gov (United States)

Scholl, V.; Morsdorf, F.; Ginzler, C.; Schaepman, M. E.

2017-12-01

Monitoring vegetation on a single tree level is critical to understand and model a variety of processes, functions, and changes in forest systems. Remote sensing technologies are increasingly utilized to complement and upscale the field-based measurements of forest inventories. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) systems provide valuable information in the vertical dimension for effective vegetation structure mapping. Although many algorithms exist to extract single tree segments from forest scans, they are often tuned to perform well in homogeneous coniferous or deciduous areas and are not successful in mixed forests. Other methods are too computationally expensive to apply operationally. The aim of this study was to develop a single tree detection workflow using leaf-off ALS data for the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Aargau covers an area of over 1,400km2 and features mixed forests with various development stages and topography. Forest type was classified using random forests to guide local parameter selection. Canopy height model-based treetop maxima were detected and maintained based on the relationship between tree height and window size, used as a proxy to crown diameter. Watershed segmentation was used to generate crown polygons surrounding each maximum. The location, height, and crown dimensions of single trees were derived from the ALS returns within each polygon. Validation was performed through comparison with field measurements and extrapolated estimates from long-term monitoring plots of the Swiss National Forest Inventory within the framework of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research. This method shows promise for robust, large-scale single tree detection in mixed forests. The single tree data will aid ecological studies as well as forest management practices. Figure description: Height-normalized ALS point cloud data (top) and resulting single tree segments (bottom) on the Laegeren mountain in Switzerland.

Solubilization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Single and Binary Mixed Rhamnolipid-Sophorolipid Biosurfactants.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Dandan; Liang, Shengkang; Yan, Lele; Shang, Yujun; Wang, Xiuli

2016-07-01

Biosurfactants are promising additives for surfactant enhanced remediation (SER) technologies due to their low toxicity and high biodegradability. To develop green and efficient additives for SER, the aqueous solubility enhancements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene) by rhamnolipid (RL) and sophorolipid (SL) biosurfactants were investigated in single and binary mixed systems. The solubilization capacities were quantified in terms of the solubility enhancement factor, molar solubilization ratio (MSR), and micelle-water partition coefficient (). Rughbin's model was applied to evaluate the interaction parameters (β) in the mixed RL-SL micelles. The solubility of the PAHs increased linearly with the glycolipid concentration above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) in both single and mixed systems. Binary RL-SL mixtures exhibited greater solubilization than individual glycolipids. At a SL molar fraction of 0.7 to 0.8, the solubilization capacity was the greatest, and the MSR and reached their maximum values, and β values became positive. These results suggest that the two biosurfactants act synergistically to increase the solubility of the PAHs. The solubilization capacity of the RL-SL mixtures increased with increasing temperature and decreased with increasing salinity. The aqueous solubility of phenanthrene reached a maximum value at pH of 5.5. Moreover, the mixed RL-SL systems exhibited a strong ability to solubilize PAHs, even in the presence of heavy metal ions. These mixed biosurfactant systems have the potential to improve the performance of SER technologies using biosurfactants to solubilize hydrophobic organic contaminants by decreasing the applied biosurfactant concentration, which reduces the costs of remediation. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Effect of single and mixed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination on plant biomass yield and PAH dissipation during phytoremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Afegbua, Seniyat Larai; Batty, Lesley Claire

2018-04-27

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated sites have a mixture of PAH of varying concentration which may affect PAH dissipation differently to contamination with a single PAH. In this study, pot experiments investigated the impact of PAH contamination on Medicago sativa, Lolium perenne, and Festuca arundinacea biomass and PAH dissipation from soils spiked with phenanthrene (Phe), fluoranthene (Flu), and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in single and mixed treatments. Stimulatory or inhibitory effects of PAH contamination on plant biomass yields were not different for the single and mixed PAH treatments. Results showed significant effect of PAH treatments on plant growth with an increased root biomass yield for F. arundinacea in the Phe (175%) and Flu (86%) treatments and a root biomass decrease in the mixed treatment (4%). The mean residual PAHs in the planted treatments and unplanted control for the single treatments were not significantly different. B[a]P dissipation was enhanced for single and mixed treatments (71-72%) with F. arundinacea compared to the unplanted control (24-50%). On the other hand, B[a]P dissipation was inhibited with L. perenne (6%) in the single treatment and M. sativa (11%) and L. perenne (29%) in the mixed treatment. Abiotic processes had greater contribution to PAH dissipation compared to rhizodegradation in both treatments. In most cases, a stimulatory effect of PAH contamination on plant biomass yield without an enhancement of PAH dissipation was observed. Plant species among other factors affect the relative contribution of PAH dissipation mechanisms during phytoremediation. These factors determine the effectiveness and suitability of phytoremediation as a remedial strategy for PAH-contaminated sites. Further studies on impact of PAH contamination, plant selection, and rhizosphere activities on soil microbial community structure and remediation outcome are required.

Growth Performance Of Mono-Sex And Mixed Sex Population Of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The growth performance of all-male, all-female and mixed sex population of Oreochromis niloticus fed similar diet was carried out. The fingerlings used in the study were of relatively similar weight ranges (24.8 g – 26.6 g) with initial mean weight of 25.7±1.3 g and initial mean total length of 3.8 ± 1.5 cm. The mean increase ...

Attempts at estimating mixed venous carbon dioxide tension by the single-breath method.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohta, H; Takatani, O; Matsuoka, T

1989-01-01

The single-breath method was originally proposed by Kim et al. [1] for estimating the blood carbon dioxide tension and cardiac output. Its reliability has not been proven. The present study was undertaken, using dogs, to compare the mixed venous carbon dioxide tension (PVCO2) calculated by the single-breath method with the PVCO2 measured in mixed venous blood, and to evaluate the influence of variations in the exhalation duration and the volume of expired air usually discarded from computations as the deadspace. Among the exhalation durations of 15, 30 and 45 s tested, the 15 s duration was found to be too short to obtain an analyzable O2-CO2 curve, but at either 30 or 45 s, the calculated values of PVCO2 were comparable to the measured PVCO2. A significant agreement between calculated and measured PVCO2 was obtained when the expired gas with PCO2 less than 22 Torr was considered as deadspace gas.

Applying mixed reality to simulate vulnerable populations for practicing clinical communication skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Chuah, Joon Hao; Lok, Benjamin; Black, Erik

2013-04-01

Health sciences students often practice and are evaluated on interview and exam skills by working with standardized patients (people that role play having a disease or condition). However, standardized patients do not exist for certain vulnerable populations such as children and the intellectually disabled. As a result, students receive little to no exposure to vulnerable populations before becoming working professionals. To address this problem and thereby increase exposure to vulnerable populations, we propose using virtual humans to simulate members of vulnerable populations. We created a mixed reality pediatric patient that allowed students to practice pediatric developmental exams. Practicing several exams is necessary for students to understand how to properly interact with and correctly assess a variety of children. Practice also increases a student's confidence in performing the exam. Effective practice requires students to treat the virtual child realistically. Treating the child realistically might be affected by how the student and virtual child physically interact, so we created two object interaction interfaces - a natural interface and a mouse-based interface. We tested the complete mixed reality exam and also compared the two object interaction interfaces in a within-subjects user study with 22 participants. Our results showed that the participants accepted the virtual child as a child and treated it realistically. Participants also preferred the natural interface, but the interface did not affect how realistically participants treated the virtual child.

Inflow, Outflow, Yields, and Stellar Population Mixing in Chemical Evolution Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrews, Brett H. [PITT PACC, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States); Weinberg, David H.; Schönrich, Ralph; Johnson, Jennifer A., E-mail: andrewsb@pitt.edu [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)

2017-02-01

Chemical evolution models are powerful tools for interpreting stellar abundance surveys and understanding galaxy evolution. However, their predictions depend heavily on the treatment of inflow, outflow, star formation efficiency (SFE), the stellar initial mass function, the SN Ia delay time distribution, stellar yields, and stellar population mixing. Using flexCE, a flexible one-zone chemical evolution code, we investigate the effects of and trade-offs between parameters. Two critical parameters are SFE and the outflow mass-loading parameter, which shift the knee in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] and the equilibrium abundances that the simulations asymptotically approach, respectively. One-zone models with simple star formation histories follow narrow tracks in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] unlike the observed bimodality (separate high- α and low- α sequences) in this plane. A mix of one-zone models with inflow timescale and outflow mass-loading parameter variations, motivated by the inside-out galaxy formation scenario with radial mixing, reproduces the two sequences better than a one-zone model with two infall epochs. We present [X/Fe]–[Fe/H] tracks for 20 elements assuming three different supernova yield models and find some significant discrepancies with solar neighborhood observations, especially for elements with strongly metallicity-dependent yields. We apply principal component abundance analysis to the simulations and existing data to reveal the main correlations among abundances and quantify their contributions to variation in abundance space. For the stellar population mixing scenario, the abundances of α -elements and elements with metallicity-dependent yields dominate the first and second principal components, respectively, and collectively explain 99% of the variance in the model. flexCE is a python package available at https://github.com/bretthandrews/flexCE.

Inflow, Outflow, Yields, and Stellar Population Mixing in Chemical Evolution Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, Brett H.; Weinberg, David H.; Schönrich, Ralph; Johnson, Jennifer A.

2017-01-01

Chemical evolution models are powerful tools for interpreting stellar abundance surveys and understanding galaxy evolution. However, their predictions depend heavily on the treatment of inflow, outflow, star formation efficiency (SFE), the stellar initial mass function, the SN Ia delay time distribution, stellar yields, and stellar population mixing. Using flexCE, a flexible one-zone chemical evolution code, we investigate the effects of and trade-offs between parameters. Two critical parameters are SFE and the outflow mass-loading parameter, which shift the knee in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] and the equilibrium abundances that the simulations asymptotically approach, respectively. One-zone models with simple star formation histories follow narrow tracks in [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] unlike the observed bimodality (separate high- α and low- α sequences) in this plane. A mix of one-zone models with inflow timescale and outflow mass-loading parameter variations, motivated by the inside-out galaxy formation scenario with radial mixing, reproduces the two sequences better than a one-zone model with two infall epochs. We present [X/Fe]–[Fe/H] tracks for 20 elements assuming three different supernova yield models and find some significant discrepancies with solar neighborhood observations, especially for elements with strongly metallicity-dependent yields. We apply principal component abundance analysis to the simulations and existing data to reveal the main correlations among abundances and quantify their contributions to variation in abundance space. For the stellar population mixing scenario, the abundances of α -elements and elements with metallicity-dependent yields dominate the first and second principal components, respectively, and collectively explain 99% of the variance in the model. flexCE is a python package available at https://github.com/bretthandrews/flexCE.

Female Students' Experiences of Computer Technology in Single- versus Mixed-Gender School Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Lee-Ann; Murphy, Elizabeth

2006-01-01

This study explores how female students compare learning computer technology in a single- versus a mixed- gender school setting. Twelve females participated, all of whom were enrolled in a grade 12 course in Communications' Technology. Data collection included a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and focus groups. Participants described…

Population transcriptomics with single-cell resolution: a new field made possible by microfluidics: a technology for high throughput transcript counting and data-driven definition of cell types.

Science.gov (United States)

Plessy, Charles; Desbois, Linda; Fujii, Teruo; Carninci, Piero

2013-02-01

Tissues contain complex populations of cells. Like countries, which are comprised of mixed populations of people, tissues are not homogeneous. Gene expression studies that analyze entire populations of cells from tissues as a mixture are blind to this diversity. Thus, critical information is lost when studying samples rich in specialized but diverse cells such as tumors, iPS colonies, or brain tissue. High throughput methods are needed to address, model and understand the constitutive and stochastic differences between individual cells. Here, we describe microfluidics technologies that utilize a combination of molecular biology and miniaturized labs on chips to study gene expression at the single cell level. We discuss how the characterization of the transcriptome of each cell in a sample will open a new field in gene expression analysis, population transcriptomics, that will change the academic and biomedical analysis of complex samples by defining them as quantified populations of single cells. Copyright © 2013 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of Aerosol Mixing State Classes in the GISS Modele-matrix Climate Model Using Single-particle Mass Spectrometry Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Susanne E.; Ault, Andrew; Prather, Kimberly A.

2013-01-01

Aerosol particles in the atmosphere are composed of multiple chemical species. The aerosol mixing state, which describes how chemical species are mixed at the single-particle level, provides critical information on microphysical characteristics that determine the interaction of aerosols with the climate system. The evaluation of mixing state has become the next challenge. This study uses aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) data and compares the results to those of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies modelE-MATRIX (Multiconfiguration Aerosol TRacker of mIXing state) model, a global climate model that includes a detailed aerosol microphysical scheme. We use data from field campaigns that examine a variety of air mass regimens (urban, rural, and maritime). At all locations, polluted areas in California (Riverside, La Jolla, and Long Beach), a remote location in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Sugar Pine) and observations from Jeju (South Korea), the majority of aerosol species are internally mixed. Coarse aerosol particles, those above 1 micron, are typically aged, such as coated dust or reacted sea-salt particles. Particles below 1 micron contain large fractions of organic material, internally-mixed with sulfate and black carbon, and few external mixtures. We conclude that observations taken over multiple weeks characterize typical air mass types at a given location well; however, due to the instrumentation, we could not evaluate mass budgets. These results represent the first detailed comparison of single-particle mixing states in a global climate model with real-time single-particle mass spectrometry data, an important step in improving the representation of mixing state in global climate models.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Mixed population Minority Game with generalized strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Jefferies, P.; Hart, M.; Johnson, N. F.; Hui, P. M.

2000-11-01

We present a quantitative theory, based on crowd effects, for the market volatility in a Minority Game played by a mixed population. Below a critical concentration of generalized strategy players, we find that the volatility in the crowded regime remains above the random coin-toss value regardless of the `temperature' controlling strategy use. Our theory yields good agreement with numerical simulations.

Determination of DB10B values of single and mixed cultures of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The survi-ving fraction of isolates decreased with increased irradiation doses. DB10B values of E. coli, S. aureus and S. parat-hyphi B were respectively 0.27, 0.33 and 0.44 kGy when inoculated as single cultures, and 0.24, 0.28 and 0.32 kGy respectively when inoculated as mixed cultures. DB10B values were lower for ...

Patterns of ancestry and genetic diversity in reintroduced populations of the slimy sculpin: Implications for conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Huff, David D.; Miller, Loren M.; Vondracek, Bruce C.

2010-01-01

Reintroductions are a common approach for preserving intraspecific biodiversity in fragmented landscapes. However, they may exacerbate the reduction in genetic diversity initially caused by population fragmentation because the effective population size of reintroduced populations is often smaller and reintroduced populations also tend to be more geographically isolated than native populations. Mixing genetically divergent sources for reintroduction purposes is a practice intended to increase genetic diversity. We documented the outcome of reintroductions from three mixed sources on the ancestral composition and genetic variation of a North American fish, the slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). We used microsatellite markers to evaluate allelic richness and heterozygosity in the reintroduced populations relative to computer simulated expectations. Sculpins in reintroduced populations exhibited higher levels of heterozygosity and allelic richness than any single source, but only slightly higher than the single most genetically diverse source population. Simulations intended to mimic an ideal scenario for maximizing genetic variation in the reintroduced populations also predicted increases, but they were only moderately greater than the most variable source population. We found that a single source contributed more than the other two sources at most reintroduction sites. We urge caution when choosing whether to mix source populations in reintroduction programs. Genetic characteristics of candidate source populations should be evaluated prior to reintroduction if feasible. When combined with knowledge of the degree of genetic distinction among sources, simulations may allow the genetic diversity benefits of mixing populations to be weighed against the risks of outbreeding depression in reintroduced and nearby populations.

The dispersal of phytoplankton populations by enhanced turbulent mixing in a shallow coastal sea

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Jaimie; Nimmo-Smith, W. Alex M.; Hosegood, Philip J.; Torres, Ricardo

2014-08-01

A single tidal cycle survey in a Lagrangian reference frame was conducted in autumn 2010 to evaluate the impact of short-term, episodic and enhanced turbulent mixing on large chain-forming phytoplankton. Observations of turbulence using a free-falling microstructure profiler were undertaken, along with near-simultaneous profiles with an in-line digital holographic camera at station L4 (50° 15‧ N 4° 13‧ W, depth 50 m) in the Western English Channel. Profiles from each instrument were collected hourly whilst following a drogued drifter. Results from an ADCP attached to the drifter showed pronounced vertical shear, indicating that the water column structure consisted of two layers, restricting interpretation of the Lagrangian experiment to the upper ~ 25 m. Atmospheric conditions deteriorated during the mid-point of the survey, resulting in values of turbulent dissipation reaching a maximum of 10- 4 W kg- 1 toward the surface in the upper 10 m. Chain-forming phytoplankton > 200 μm were counted using the data from the holographic camera for the two periods, before and after the enhanced mixing event. As mixing increased phytoplankton underwent chain breakage, were dispersed by advection through their removal from the upper to lower layer and subjected to aggregation with other suspended material. Depth averaged counts of phytoplankton were reduced from a maximum of around 2050 L- 1 before the increased turbulence, to 1070 L- 1 after, with each of these mechanisms contributing to this reduction. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of phytoplantkon populations to moderate increases in turbulent activity, yielding consequences for accurate forecasting of the role played by phytoplankton in climate studies and also for the ecosystem in general in their role as primary producers.

Design optimization of single mixed refrigerant LNG process using a hybrid modified coordinate descent algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Qyyum, Muhammad Abdul; Long, Nguyen Van Duc; Minh, Le Quang; Lee, Moonyong

2018-01-01

Design optimization of the single mixed refrigerant (SMR) natural gas liquefaction (LNG) process involves highly non-linear interactions between decision variables, constraints, and the objective function. These non-linear interactions lead to an irreversibility, which deteriorates the energy efficiency of the LNG process. In this study, a simple and highly efficient hybrid modified coordinate descent (HMCD) algorithm was proposed to cope with the optimization of the natural gas liquefaction process. The single mixed refrigerant process was modeled in Aspen Hysys® and then connected to a Microsoft Visual Studio environment. The proposed optimization algorithm provided an improved result compared to the other existing methodologies to find the optimal condition of the complex mixed refrigerant natural gas liquefaction process. By applying the proposed optimization algorithm, the SMR process can be designed with the 0.2555 kW specific compression power which is equivalent to 44.3% energy saving as compared to the base case. Furthermore, in terms of coefficient of performance (COP), it can be enhanced up to 34.7% as compared to the base case. The proposed optimization algorithm provides a deep understanding of the optimization of the liquefaction process in both technical and numerical perspectives. In addition, the HMCD algorithm can be employed to any mixed refrigerant based liquefaction process in the natural gas industry.

Steady state RANS simulations of temperature fluctuations in single phase turbulent mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kickhofel, J.; Fokken, J.; Kapulla, R.; Prasser, H. M.

2012-01-01

Single phase turbulent mixing in nuclear power plant circuits where a strong temperature gradient is present is known to precipitate pipe failure due to thermal fatigue. Experiments in a square mixing channel offer the opportunity to study the phenomenon under simple and easily reproducible boundary conditions. Measurements of this kind have been performed extensively at the Paul Scherrer Inst. in Switzerland with a high density of instrumentation in the Generic Mixing Experiment (GEMIX). As a fundamental mixing phenomena study closely related to the thermal fatigue problem, the experimental results from GEMIX are valuable for the validation of CFD codes striving to accurately simulate both the temperature and velocity fields in single phase turbulent mixing. In the experiments two iso-kinetic streams meet at a shallow angle of 3 degrees and mix in a straight channel of square cross-section under various degrees of density, temperature, and viscosity stratification over a range of Reynolds numbers ranging from 5*10 3 to 1*10 5 . Conductivity measurements, using wire-mesh and wall sensors, as well as optical measurements, using particle image velocimetry, were conducted with high temporal and spatial resolutions (up to 2.5 kHz and 1 mm in the case of the wire mesh sensor) in the mixing zone, downstream of a splitter plate. The present paper communicates the results of RANS modeling of selected GEMIX tests. Steady-state CFD calculations using a RANS turbulence model represent an inexpensive method for analyzing large and complex components in commercial nuclear reactors, such as the downcomer and reactor pressure vessel heads. Crucial to real world applicability, however, is the ability to model turbulent heat fluctuations in the flow; the Turbulent Heat Flux Transport model developed by ANSYS CFX is capable, by implementation of a transport equation for turbulent heat fluxes, of readily modeling these values. Furthermore, the closure of the turbulent heat flux

Models to understand the population-level impact of mixed strain M. tuberculosis infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Sergeev, Rinat; Colijn, Caroline; Cohen, Ted

2011-07-07

Over the past decade, numerous studies have identified tuberculosis patients in whom more than one distinct strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is present. While it has been shown that these mixed strain infections can reduce the probability of treatment success for individuals simultaneously harboring both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains, it is not yet known if and how this phenomenon impacts the long-term dynamics for tuberculosis within communities. Strain-specific differences in immunogenicity and associations with drug resistance suggest that a better understanding of how strains compete within hosts will be necessary to project the effects of mixed strain infections on the future burden of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis. In this paper, we develop a modeling framework that allows us to investigate mechanisms of strain competition within hosts and to assess the long-term effects of such competition on the ecology of strains in a population. These models permit us to systematically evaluate the importance of unknown parameters and to suggest priority areas for future experimental research. Despite the current scarcity of data to inform the values of several model parameters, we are able to draw important qualitative conclusions from this work. We find that mixed strain infections may promote the coexistence of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains in two ways. First, mixed strain infections allow a strain with a lower basic reproductive number to persist in a population where it would otherwise be outcompeted if has competitive advantages within a co-infected host. Second, some individuals progressing to phenotypically drug-sensitive tuberculosis from a state of mixed drug-sensitive and drug-resistant infection may retain small subpopulations of drug-resistant bacteria that can flourish once the host is treated with antibiotics. We propose that these types of mixed infections, by increasing the ability of low fitness drug

Students' and teachers' perceptions of single-sex and mixed-sex mathematics classes

Science.gov (United States)

Rennie, Léonie J.; Parker, Lesley H.

1997-11-01

This study examines students' perceptions of the learning settings in single-sex and mixed-sex mathematics classes, and teachers' responses to those different classroom contexts. Nearly 300 students in four coeducational secondary schools gave their views of the nature of their participation and interaction in their mathematics classrooms, and data were also obtained from their teachers. There was congruence between students' and teachers' perceptions of the environment in the two kinds of classrooms. Overall, it was perceived that single-sex classrooms provided a more supportive environment for girls, but a rather less supportive environment for boys. Teachers used different strategies with the two kinds of classes and, although many experienced initial difficulty with unruly boys' classes, these problems were overcome. The single-sex environment provided opportunities for teachers to address apparent shortcomings arising from boys' and girls' previous educational experience, which resulted in improved attitudes and performance.

Solving the collective-risk social dilemma with risky assets in well-mixed and structured populations

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaojie; Zhang, Yanling; Huang, Ting-Zhu; Perc, Matjaž

2014-11-01

In the collective-risk social dilemma, players lose their personal endowments if contributions to the common pool are too small. This fact alone, however, does not always deter selfish individuals from defecting. The temptations to free ride on the prosocial efforts of others are strong because we are hardwired to maximize our own fitness regardless of the consequences which might have for the public good. Here we show that the addition of risky assets to the personal endowments, both of which are lost if the collective target is not reached, can contribute to solving the collective-risk social dilemma. In infinite well-mixed populations, risky assets introduce new stable and unstable mixed steady states, whereby the stable mixed steady state converges to full cooperation as either the risk of collective failure or the amount of risky assets increases. Similarly, in finite well-mixed populations, the introduction of risky assets enforces configurations where cooperative behavior thrives. In structured populations cooperation is promoted as well, but the distribution of assets among the groups is crucial. Surprisingly, we find that the completely rational allocation of assets only to the most successful groups is not optimal, and this regardless of whether the risk of collective failure is high or low. Instead, in low-risk situations bounded rational allocation of assets works best, while in high-risk situations the simplest uniform distribution of assets among all the groups is optimal. These results indicate that prosocial behavior depends sensitively on the potential losses individuals are likely to endure if they fail to cooperate.

Comparison of two non-radiographic techniques of mixed dentition space analysis and evaluation of their reliability for Bengali population.

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, Barun; Zahir, Shabnam

2012-09-01

Mixed dentition arch analysis system is an important criterion in determining the type of orthodontic treatment plan. Different mixed dentition arch analysis system are available and among them both Moyer's and Tanaka-Jhonson method of space analysis was developed for North American children. Anthropological study reveals that tooth size varies among different ethnicities The present study was performed to determine the reliability of Moyer's and Tanaka-Jhonson's method of mixed dentition arch analysis system among Bengali population. To perform the comparative evaluation of the two mixed dentition space analysis system among Bengali population. Dental casts of maxillary and mandibular arches of 70 Bengali children with permanent dentitions were fabricated. The mesiodistal crown dimensions of all erupted permanent incisors, canines, and premolars were measured with digital callipers. For particular sum of mandibular incisors, Moyer's and Tanaka-Jhonson's mixed dentition arch analysis were calculated and further statistical analysis was carried on. Descriptive statistics including the mean, standard deviation, and minimum and maximum values, unpaired't' tests, correlation coefficient "r" were calculated and tabulated. Tanaka and Johnston regression equations under-estimated the mesiodistal widths of permanent canines and premolars. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences between actual mesiodistal widths of canines and premolars and the predicted widths from Moyers charts at the 50% level for the lower and upper arches, among Bengali population. The study suggested that both Moyer's and Tanaka-Jhonson's mixed dentition arch analysis are applicable in Bengali population but with little modification in their regression equation.

Trends in Snag Populations in Drought-Stressed Mixed-Conifer and Ponderosa Pine Forests (1997–2007

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph L. Ganey

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Snags provide important biological legacies, resources for numerous species of native wildlife, and contribute to decay dynamics and ecological processes in forested ecosystems. We monitored trends in snag populations from 1997 to 2007 in drought-stressed mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws forests, northern Arizona. Median snag density increased by 75 and 90% in mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine forests, respectively, over this time period. Increased snag density was driven primarily by a large pulse in drought-mediated tree mortality from 2002 to 2007, following a smaller pulse from 1997 to 2002. Decay-class composition and size-class composition of snag populations changed in both forest types, and species composition changed in mixed-conifer forest. Increases in snag abundance may benefit some species of native wildlife in the short-term by providing increased foraging and nesting resources, but these increases may be unsustainable in the long term. Observed changes in snag recruitment and fall rates during the study illustrate the difficulty involved in modeling dynamics of those populations in an era of climate change and changing land management practices.

Quantitation of DNA repair in brain cell cultures: implications for autoradiographic analysis of mixed cell populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dambergs, R.; Kidson, C.

1979-01-01

Quantitation of DNA repair in the mixed cell population of mouse embryo brain cultures has been assessed by autoradiographic analysis of unscheduled DNA synthesis following UV-irradiation. The proportion of labelled neurons and the grain density over neuronal nuclei were both less than the corresponding values for glial cells. The nuclear geometries of these two classes of cell are very different. Partial correction for the different geometries by relating grain density to nuclear area brought estimates of neuronal and glial DNA repair synthesis more closely in line. These findings have general implications for autoradiographic measurement of DNA repair in mixed cell populations and in differentiated versus dividing cells. (author)

ANALYSIS ON THE DYNAMICS OF SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF MIXED SPIDER POPULATION IN RICE FIELD

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZhiWang; Zhe-mingYuan; Da-xiangSong; Ming-shengZhu

2004-01-01

The results make it clear that there are total 11 families, 29 genera and 43 species of spiders in the rice field of Dong Fang Hong Farm. Among them, there are 8 families, 19 genera and 28 species in the early rice field, and 10 families, 27 genera and 36 species in the late rice field. The spatial distribution pattern of mixed spider populations in rice fields was different during different development stages of rice plant. During the prophase, metaphase and anaphase of early rice plant development, the spatial distribution pattern of mixed spider populations was aggregative, random and aggregative respectively. During the prophase, metaphase and anaphase of late rice plant development, the spatial distribution pattern was uniform, aggregative and uniform respectively.

From single-species advice to mixed-species management: taking the next step

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vinther, Morten; Reeves, S.A.; Patterson, K.R.

2004-01-01

Fishery management advice has traditionally been given on a stock-by-stock basis. Recent problems in implementing this advice, particularly for the demersal fisheries of the North Sea, have highlighted the limitations of the approach. In the long term, it would be desirable to give advice...... that accounts for mixed-fishery effects, but in the short term there is a need for approaches to resolve the conflicting management advice for different species within the same fishery, and to generate catch or effort advice that accounts for the mixed-species nature of the fishery. This paper documents...... a recent approach used to address these problems. The approach takes the single-species advice for each species in the fishery as a starting point, then attempts to resolve it into consistent catch or effort advice using fleet-disaggregated catch forecasts in combination with explicitly stated management...

Transgender-inclusive measures of sex/gender for population surveys: Mixed-methods evaluation and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Greta R; Braimoh, Jessica; Scheim, Ayden I; Dharma, Christoffer

2017-01-01

Given that an estimated 0.6% of the U.S. population is transgender (trans) and that large health disparities for this population have been documented, government and research organizations are increasingly expanding measures of sex/gender to be trans inclusive. Options suggested for trans community surveys, such as expansive check-all-that-apply gender identity lists and write-in options that offer maximum flexibility, are generally not appropriate for broad population surveys. These require limited questions and a small number of categories for analysis. Limited evaluation has been undertaken of trans-inclusive population survey measures for sex/gender, including those currently in use. Using an internet survey and follow-up of 311 participants, and cognitive interviews from a maximum-diversity sub-sample (n = 79), we conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of two existing measures: a two-step question developed in the United States and a multidimensional measure developed in Canada. We found very low levels of item missingness, and no indicators of confusion on the part of cisgender (non-trans) participants for both measures. However, a majority of interview participants indicated problems with each question item set. Agreement between the two measures in assessment of gender identity was very high (K = 0.9081), but gender identity was a poor proxy for other dimensions of sex or gender among trans participants. Issues to inform measure development or adaptation that emerged from analysis included dimensions of sex/gender measured, whether non-binary identities were trans, Indigenous and cultural identities, proxy reporting, temporality concerns, and the inability of a single item to provide a valid measure of sex/gender. Based on this evaluation, we recommend that population surveys meant for multi-purpose analysis consider a new Multidimensional Sex/Gender Measure for testing that includes three simple items (one asked only of a small sub-group) to assess gender

Transgender-inclusive measures of sex/gender for population surveys: Mixed-methods evaluation and recommendations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Greta R Bauer

Full Text Available Given that an estimated 0.6% of the U.S. population is transgender (trans and that large health disparities for this population have been documented, government and research organizations are increasingly expanding measures of sex/gender to be trans inclusive. Options suggested for trans community surveys, such as expansive check-all-that-apply gender identity lists and write-in options that offer maximum flexibility, are generally not appropriate for broad population surveys. These require limited questions and a small number of categories for analysis. Limited evaluation has been undertaken of trans-inclusive population survey measures for sex/gender, including those currently in use. Using an internet survey and follow-up of 311 participants, and cognitive interviews from a maximum-diversity sub-sample (n = 79, we conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of two existing measures: a two-step question developed in the United States and a multidimensional measure developed in Canada. We found very low levels of item missingness, and no indicators of confusion on the part of cisgender (non-trans participants for both measures. However, a majority of interview participants indicated problems with each question item set. Agreement between the two measures in assessment of gender identity was very high (K = 0.9081, but gender identity was a poor proxy for other dimensions of sex or gender among trans participants. Issues to inform measure development or adaptation that emerged from analysis included dimensions of sex/gender measured, whether non-binary identities were trans, Indigenous and cultural identities, proxy reporting, temporality concerns, and the inability of a single item to provide a valid measure of sex/gender. Based on this evaluation, we recommend that population surveys meant for multi-purpose analysis consider a new Multidimensional Sex/Gender Measure for testing that includes three simple items (one asked only of a small sub-group to

Transgender-inclusive measures of sex/gender for population surveys: Mixed-methods evaluation and recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Greta R.; Braimoh, Jessica; Scheim, Ayden I.; Dharma, Christoffer

2017-01-01

Given that an estimated 0.6% of the U.S. population is transgender (trans) and that large health disparities for this population have been documented, government and research organizations are increasingly expanding measures of sex/gender to be trans inclusive. Options suggested for trans community surveys, such as expansive check-all-that-apply gender identity lists and write-in options that offer maximum flexibility, are generally not appropriate for broad population surveys. These require limited questions and a small number of categories for analysis. Limited evaluation has been undertaken of trans-inclusive population survey measures for sex/gender, including those currently in use. Using an internet survey and follow-up of 311 participants, and cognitive interviews from a maximum-diversity sub-sample (n = 79), we conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of two existing measures: a two-step question developed in the United States and a multidimensional measure developed in Canada. We found very low levels of item missingness, and no indicators of confusion on the part of cisgender (non-trans) participants for both measures. However, a majority of interview participants indicated problems with each question item set. Agreement between the two measures in assessment of gender identity was very high (K = 0.9081), but gender identity was a poor proxy for other dimensions of sex or gender among trans participants. Issues to inform measure development or adaptation that emerged from analysis included dimensions of sex/gender measured, whether non-binary identities were trans, Indigenous and cultural identities, proxy reporting, temporality concerns, and the inability of a single item to provide a valid measure of sex/gender. Based on this evaluation, we recommend that population surveys meant for multi-purpose analysis consider a new Multidimensional Sex/Gender Measure for testing that includes three simple items (one asked only of a small sub-group) to assess gender

Single-phase and two-phase gas-liquid turbulent mixing between subchannels in a simulated rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadatomi, Michio; Kawahara, Akimaro; Sato, Yoshifusa; Tomino, Takayoshi.

1996-01-01

This study is concerned with turbulent mixing which is one of the three mechanisms of cross flows between subchannels in a nuclear fuel rod bundle. The channel used in this experiments was a vertical simulated rod bundle having two subchannels connected through 1 to 3 gaps between two rods and/or rod and channel wall. The number of the gaps was changed to investigate the effect of the number on the turbulent mixing. Turbulent mixing rates of air and water and fluctuations of pressure difference between the subchannels were measured for single-phase and two-phase gas-liquid flows under hydrodynamic equilibrium flow conditions. It has been confirmed that the turbulent mixing rate is affected strongly by the fluctuations especially for liquid phase in two-phase slug or churn flow. (author)

Degradation of hazardous chemicals in liquid radioactive wastes from biomedical research using a mixed microbial population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfram, J.H.; Radtke, M.; Wey, J.E.; Rogers, R.D.; Rau, E.H.

1997-10-01

As the costs associated with treatment of mixed wastes by conventional methods increase, new technologies will be investigated as alternatives. This study examines the potential of using a selected mixed population of microorganisms to treat hazardous chemical compounds in liquid low level radioactive wastes from biomedical research procedures. Microorganisms were isolated from various waste samples and enriched against compounds known to occur in the wastes. Individual isolates were tested for their ability to degrade methanol, ethanol, phenol, toluene, phthalates, acetonitrile, chloroform, and trichloroacetic acid. Following these tests, the organisms were combined in a media with a mixture of the different compounds. Three compounds: methanol, acetonitrile, and pseudocumene, were combined at 500 microliter/liter each. Degradation of each compound was shown to occur (75% or greater) under batch conditions with the mixed population. Actual wastes were tested by adding an aliquot to the media, determining the biomass increase, and monitoring the disappearance of the compounds. The compounds in actual waste were degraded, but at different rates than the batch cultures that did not have waste added. The potential of using bioprocessing methods for treating mixed wastes from biomedical research is discussed

Comparison of two non-radiographic techniques of mixed dentition space analysis and evaluation of their reliability for Bengali population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barun Dasgupta

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Mixed dentition arch analysis system is an important criterion in determining the type of orthodontic treatment plan. Different mixed dentition arch analysis system are available and among them both Moyer′s and Tanaka-Jhonson method of space analysis was developed for North American children. Anthropological study reveals that tooth size varies among different ethnicities The present study was performed to determine the reliability of Moyer′s and Tanaka-Jhonson′s method of mixed dentition arch analysis system among Bengali population. Aims: To perform the comparative evaluation of the two mixed dentition space analysis system among Bengali population. Materials and Methods: Dental casts of maxillary and mandibular arches of 70 Bengali children with permanent dentitions were fabricated. The mesiodistal crown dimensions of all erupted permanent incisors, canines, and premolars were measured with digital callipers. For particular sum of mandibular incisors, Moyer′s and Tanaka-Jhonson′s mixed dentition arch analysis were calculated and further statistical analysis was carried on. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics including the mean, standard deviation, and minimum and maximum values, unpaired′t′ tests, correlation coefficient "r" were calculated and tabulated. Results: Tanaka and Johnston regression equations under-estimated the mesiodistal widths of permanent canines and premolars. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences between actual mesiodistal widths of canines and premolars and the predicted widths from Moyers charts at the 50% level for the lower and upper arches, among Bengali population. Conclusions: The study suggested that both Moyer′s and Tanaka-Jhonson′s mixed dentition arch analysis are applicable in Bengali population but with little modification in their regression equation.

Quantitative determination of carbonaceous particle mixing state in Paris using single particle mass spectrometer and aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, R. M.; Sciare, J.; Poulain, L.; Crippa, M.; Wiedensohler, A.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Baltensperger, U.; Sarda-Estève, R.; McGuire, M. L.; Jeong, C.-H.; McGillicuddy, E.; O'Connor, I. P.; Sodeau, J. R.; Evans, G. J.; Wenger, J. C.

2013-04-01

Single particle mixing state information can be a powerful tool for assessing the relative impact of local and regional sources of ambient particulate matter in urban environments. However, quantitative mixing state data are challenging to obtain using single particle mass spectrometers. In this study, the quantitative chemical composition of carbonaceous single particles has been estimated using an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) as part of the MEGAPOLI 2010 winter campaign in Paris, France. Relative peak areas of marker ions for elemental carbon (EC), organic aerosol (OA), ammonium, nitrate, sulphate and potassium were compared with concurrent measurements from an Aerodyne high resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), a thermal/optical OCEC analyser and a particle into liquid sampler coupled with ion chromatography (PILS-IC). ATOFMS-derived mass concentrations reproduced the variability of these species well (R2 = 0.67-0.78), and ten discrete mixing states for carbonaceous particles were identified and quantified. Potassium content was used to identify particles associated with biomass combustion. The chemical mixing state of HR-ToF-AMS organic aerosol factors, resolved using positive matrix factorization, was also investigated through comparison with the ATOFMS dataset. The results indicate that hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) detected in Paris is associated with two EC-rich mixing states which differ in their relative sulphate content, while fresh biomass burning OA (BBOA) is associated with two mixing states which differ significantly in their OA/EC ratios. Aged biomass burning OA (OOA2-BBOA) was found to be significantly internally mixed with nitrate, while secondary, oxidized OA (OOA) was associated with five particle mixing states, each exhibiting different relative secondary inorganic ion content. Externally mixed secondary organic aerosol was not observed. These findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of primary and

Quantitative determination of carbonaceous particle mixing state in Paris using single-particle mass spectrometer and aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. M. Healy

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Single-particle mixing state information can be a powerful tool for assessing the relative impact of local and regional sources of ambient particulate matter in urban environments. However, quantitative mixing state data are challenging to obtain using single-particle mass spectrometers. In this study, the quantitative chemical composition of carbonaceous single particles has been determined using an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS as part of the MEGAPOLI 2010 winter campaign in Paris, France. Relative peak areas of marker ions for elemental carbon (EC, organic aerosol (OA, ammonium, nitrate, sulfate and potassium were compared with concurrent measurements from an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS, a thermal–optical OCEC analyser and a particle into liquid sampler coupled with ion chromatography (PILS-IC. ATOFMS-derived estimated mass concentrations reproduced the variability of these species well (R2 = 0.67–0.78, and 10 discrete mixing states for carbonaceous particles were identified and quantified. The chemical mixing state of HR-ToF-AMS organic aerosol factors, resolved using positive matrix factorisation, was also investigated through comparison with the ATOFMS dataset. The results indicate that hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA detected in Paris is associated with two EC-rich mixing states which differ in their relative sulfate content, while fresh biomass burning OA (BBOA is associated with two mixing states which differ significantly in their OA / EC ratios. Aged biomass burning OA (OOA2-BBOA was found to be significantly internally mixed with nitrate, while secondary, oxidised OA (OOA was associated with five particle mixing states, each exhibiting different relative secondary inorganic ion content. Externally mixed secondary organic aerosol was not observed. These findings demonstrate the range of primary and secondary organic aerosol mixing states in Paris. Examination of the

Quantitative determination of carbonaceous particle mixing state in Paris using single-particle mass spectrometer and aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, R. M.; Sciare, J.; Poulain, L.; Crippa, M.; Wiedensohler, A.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Baltensperger, U.; Sarda-Estève, R.; McGuire, M. L.; Jeong, C.-H.; McGillicuddy, E.; O'Connor, I. P.; Sodeau, J. R.; Evans, G. J.; Wenger, J. C.

2013-09-01

Single-particle mixing state information can be a powerful tool for assessing the relative impact of local and regional sources of ambient particulate matter in urban environments. However, quantitative mixing state data are challenging to obtain using single-particle mass spectrometers. In this study, the quantitative chemical composition of carbonaceous single particles has been determined using an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) as part of the MEGAPOLI 2010 winter campaign in Paris, France. Relative peak areas of marker ions for elemental carbon (EC), organic aerosol (OA), ammonium, nitrate, sulfate and potassium were compared with concurrent measurements from an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), a thermal-optical OCEC analyser and a particle into liquid sampler coupled with ion chromatography (PILS-IC). ATOFMS-derived estimated mass concentrations reproduced the variability of these species well (R2 = 0.67-0.78), and 10 discrete mixing states for carbonaceous particles were identified and quantified. The chemical mixing state of HR-ToF-AMS organic aerosol factors, resolved using positive matrix factorisation, was also investigated through comparison with the ATOFMS dataset. The results indicate that hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) detected in Paris is associated with two EC-rich mixing states which differ in their relative sulfate content, while fresh biomass burning OA (BBOA) is associated with two mixing states which differ significantly in their OA / EC ratios. Aged biomass burning OA (OOA2-BBOA) was found to be significantly internally mixed with nitrate, while secondary, oxidised OA (OOA) was associated with five particle mixing states, each exhibiting different relative secondary inorganic ion content. Externally mixed secondary organic aerosol was not observed. These findings demonstrate the range of primary and secondary organic aerosol mixing states in Paris. Examination of the temporal

Corrosion of Bronzes by Extended Wetting with Single versus Mixed Acidic Pollutants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liliana Gianni

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The corrosion of bronzes was examined in the context of single-acid versus mixed-acid (as in urban acid rain solutions. Two bi-component bronzes (copper with either 3% Sn or 7% Sn that closely represent those of historic artifacts were immersed for five weeks in conditions designed to replicate those experienced by statues and ornaments in cities where rainfall and humidity constantly produce an electrolyte layer on the surfaces of bronzes. Ions, acids, and particles of pollutants can dissolve in this layer, resulting in a variety of harsh corrosion processes. The kinetics of corrosion and the properties of the resulting patinas were monitored weekly by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open-circuit potential measurements. The sizes and appearances of the corrosion products were monitored and used to estimate the progress of the corrosion, whose crystalline structures were visualized using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, identified by X-ray diffraction, and characterized by spectrocolorimetry. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated that greater damage (in terms of color change and corrosion product formation did not correspond to deficiencies in protection. The mixed-acid solution did not corrode the bronzes, as would be expected from the additive effects of the single acids. The postulated mechanisms of metal dissolution appear to be specific to a particular bronze alloy, with the tin component playing an important role.

Ferrimagnetic Properties of Bond Dilution Mixed Blume-Capel Model with Random Single-Ion Anisotropy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Lei; Yan Shilei

2005-01-01

We study the ferrimagnetic properties of spin 1/2 and spin-1 systems by means of the effective field theory. The system is considered in the framework of bond dilution mixed Blume-Capel model (BCM) with random single-ion anisotropy. The investigation of phase diagrams and magnetization curves indicates the existence of induced magnetic ordering and single or multi-compensation points. Special emphasis is placed on the influence of bond dilution and random single-ion anisotropy on normal or induced magnetic ordering states and single or multi-compensation points. Normal magnetic ordering states take on new phase diagrams with increasing randomness (bond and anisotropy), while anisotropy induced magnetic ordering states are always occurrence no matter whether concentration of anisotropy is large or small. Existence and disappearance of compensation points rely strongly on bond dilution and random single-ion anisotropy. Some results have not been revealed in previous papers and predicted by Neel theory of ferrimagnetism.

Mixing modes in a population-based interview survey: comparison of a sequential and a concurrent mixed-mode design for public health research.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauz, Elvira; von der Lippe, Elena; Allen, Jennifer; Schilling, Ralph; Müters, Stephan; Hoebel, Jens; Schmich, Patrick; Wetzstein, Matthias; Kamtsiuris, Panagiotis; Lange, Cornelia

2018-01-01

Population-based surveys currently face the problem of decreasing response rates. Mixed-mode designs are now being implemented more often to account for this, to improve sample composition and to reduce overall costs. This study examines whether a concurrent or sequential mixed-mode design achieves better results on a number of indicators of survey quality. Data were obtained from a population-based health interview survey of adults in Germany that was conducted as a methodological pilot study as part of the German Health Update (GEDA). Participants were randomly allocated to one of two surveys; each of the surveys had a different design. In the concurrent mixed-mode design ( n  = 617) two types of self-administered questionnaires (SAQ-Web and SAQ-Paper) and computer-assisted telephone interviewing were offered simultaneously to the respondents along with the invitation to participate. In the sequential mixed-mode design ( n  = 561), SAQ-Web was initially provided, followed by SAQ-Paper, with an option for a telephone interview being sent out together with the reminders at a later date. Finally, this study compared the response rates, sample composition, health indicators, item non-response, the scope of fieldwork and the costs of both designs. No systematic differences were identified between the two mixed-mode designs in terms of response rates, the socio-demographic characteristics of the achieved samples, or the prevalence rates of the health indicators under study. The sequential design gained a higher rate of online respondents. Very few telephone interviews were conducted for either design. With regard to data quality, the sequential design (which had more online respondents) showed less item non-response. There were minor differences between the designs in terms of their costs. Postage and printing costs were lower in the concurrent design, but labour costs were lower in the sequential design. No differences in health indicators were found between

The conversion of BTEX compounds by single and defined mixed cultures to medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikodinovic, Jasmina; Kenny, Shane T; Babu, Ramesh P; Woods, Trevor; Blau, Werner J; O'Connor, Kevin E

2008-09-01

Here, we report the use of petrochemical aromatic hydrocarbons as a feedstock for the biotechnological conversion into valuable biodegradable plastic polymers--polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). We assessed the ability of the known Pseudomonas putida species that are able to utilize benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene (BTEX) compounds as a sole carbon and energy source for their ability to produce PHA from the single substrates. P. putida F1 is able to accumulate medium-chain-length (mcl) PHA when supplied with toluene, benzene, or ethylbenzene. P. putida mt-2 accumulates mcl-PHA when supplied with toluene or p-xylene. The highest level of PHA accumulated by cultures in shake flask was 26% cell dry weight for P. putida mt-2 supplied with p-xylene. A synthetic mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, and styrene (BTEXS) which mimics the aromatic fraction of mixed plastic pyrolysis oil was supplied to a defined mixed culture of P. putida F1, mt-2, and CA-3 in the shake flasks and fermentation experiments. PHA was accumulated to 24% and to 36% of the cell dry weight of the shake flask and fermentation grown cultures respectively. In addition a three-fold higher cell density was achieved with the mixed culture grown in the bioreactor compared to shake flask experiments. A run in the 5-l fermentor resulted in the utilization of 59.6 g (67.5 ml) of the BTEXS mixture and the production of 6 g of mcl-PHA. The monomer composition of PHA accumulated by the mixed culture was the same as that accumulated by single strains supplied with single substrates with 3-hydroxydecanoic acid occurring as the predominant monomer. The purified polymer was partially crystalline with an average molecular weight of 86.9 kDa. It has a thermal degradation temperature of 350 degrees C and a glass transition temperature of -48.5 degrees C.

Population pharmacokinetics of artesunate and dihydroartemisinin following single- and multiple-dosing of oral artesunate in healthy subjects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirsch Lee E

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The population pharmacokinetics of artesunate (AS and its active metabolite dihydroartemisinin (DHA were studied in healthy subjects receiving single- or multiple-dosing of AS orally either in combination with pyronaridine (PYR or as a monotherapy with or without food. Methods Data from 118 concentration-time profiles arising from 91 healthy Korean subjects were pooled from four Phase I clinical studies. Subjects received 2-5 mg/kg of single- and multiple-dosing of oral AS either in combination with PYR or as a monotherapy with or without food. Plasma AS and DHA were measured simultaneously using a validated liquid chromatography- mass spectrometric method with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL for both AS and DHA. Nonlinear mixed-effect modelling was used to obtain the pharmacokinetic and variability (inter-individual and residual variability parameter estimates. Results A novel parent-metabolite pharmacokinetic model consisting of a dosing compartment, a central compartment for AS, a central compartment and a peripheral compartment for DHA was developed. AS and DHA data were modelled simultaneously assuming stoichiometric conversion to DHA. AS was rapidly absorbed with a population estimate of absorption rate constant (Ka of 3.85 h-1. The population estimates of apparent clearance (CL/F and volume of distribution (V2/F for AS were 1190 L/h with 36.2% inter-individual variability (IIV and 1210 L with 57.4% IIV, respectively. For DHA, the population estimates of apparent clearance (CLM/F and central volume of distribution (V3/F were 93.7 L/h with 28% IIV and 97.1 L with 30% IIV, respectively. The population estimates of apparent inter-compartmental clearance (Q/F and peripheral volume of distribution (V4/F for DHA were 5.74 L/h and 18.5 L, respectively. Intake of high-fat and high-caloric meal prior to the drug administration resulted in 84% reduction in Ka. Body weight impacted CLM/F, such that a unit change in

Physiological effects of diet mixing on consumer fitness: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lefcheck, Jonathan S; Whalen, Matthew A; Davenport, Theresa M; Stone, Joshua P; Duffy, J Emmett

2013-03-01

The degree of dietary generalism among consumers has important consequences for population, community, and ecosystem processes, yet the effects on consumer fitness of mixing food types have not been examined comprehensively. We conducted a meta-analysis of 161 peer-reviewed studies reporting 493 experimental manipulations of prey diversity to test whether diet mixing enhances consumer fitness based on the intrinsic nutritional quality of foods and consumer physiology. Averaged across studies, mixed diets conferred significantly higher fitness than the average of single-species diets, but not the best single prey species. More than half of individual experiments, however, showed maximal growth and reproduction on mixed diets, consistent with the predicted benefits of a balanced diet. Mixed diets including chemically defended prey were no better than the average prey type, opposing the prediction that a diverse diet dilutes toxins. Finally, mixed-model analysis showed that the effect of diet mixing was stronger for herbivores than for higher trophic levels. The generally weak evidence for the nutritional benefits of diet mixing in these primarily laboratory experiments suggests that diet generalism is not strongly favored by the inherent physiological benefits of mixing food types, but is more likely driven by ecological and environmental influences on consumer foraging.

Race, Identity and the Transference/Countertransference: A Mixed –Race Patient and a Mixed-Race Therapist- A Single Case Study

OpenAIRE

Millar, Tennyson

2014-01-01

This thesis is a single case-study of a child and adolescent psychotherapist working with a fourteen year old female adolescent patient of similar mixed ethnic background. The thesis presents the completed two year therapeutic work which included periods of intensive therapy (3-4 times-a-week work) following less intensive work.\\ud The patient’s early life was marked by witnessing parental domestic violence and parents who divorced. She subsequently struggled with maintaining relationships an...

Non-Fermi Liquid Behavior in the Single-Impurity Mixed Valence Problem

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Guang-Ming; Su, Zhao-Bin; Yu, Lu

An effective Hamiltonian of the Anderson single-impurity model with finite-range Coulomb interactions is derived near a particular limit, which is analogous to the Toulouse limit of the ordinary Kondo problem, and the physical properties around the mixed valence quantum critical point are calculated. At this quantum critical point, the local moment is only partially quenched and X-ray edge singularities are exhibited. Around this point, a new type of non-Fermi liquid behavior is predicted with an extra specific heat Cimp ~ T1/4 + AT ln T and spin-susceptibility χimp ~T-3/4 + B ln T.

N-of-1-pathways MixEnrich: advancing precision medicine via single-subject analysis in discovering dynamic changes of transcriptomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qike; Schissler, A Grant; Gardeux, Vincent; Achour, Ikbel; Kenost, Colleen; Berghout, Joanne; Li, Haiquan; Zhang, Hao Helen; Lussier, Yves A

2017-05-24

Transcriptome analytic tools are commonly used across patient cohorts to develop drugs and predict clinical outcomes. However, as precision medicine pursues more accurate and individualized treatment decisions, these methods are not designed to address single-patient transcriptome analyses. We previously developed and validated the N-of-1-pathways framework using two methods, Wilcoxon and Mahalanobis Distance (MD), for personal transcriptome analysis derived from a pair of samples of a single patient. Although, both methods uncover concordantly dysregulated pathways, they are not designed to detect dysregulated pathways with up- and down-regulated genes (bidirectional dysregulation) that are ubiquitous in biological systems. We developed N-of-1-pathways MixEnrich, a mixture model followed by a gene set enrichment test, to uncover bidirectional and concordantly dysregulated pathways one patient at a time. We assess its accuracy in a comprehensive simulation study and in a RNA-Seq data analysis of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). In presence of bidirectionally dysregulated genes in the pathway or in presence of high background noise, MixEnrich substantially outperforms previous single-subject transcriptome analysis methods, both in the simulation study and the HNSCCs data analysis (ROC Curves; higher true positive rates; lower false positive rates). Bidirectional and concordant dysregulated pathways uncovered by MixEnrich in each patient largely overlapped with the quasi-gold standard compared to other single-subject and cohort-based transcriptome analyses. The greater performance of MixEnrich presents an advantage over previous methods to meet the promise of providing accurate personal transcriptome analysis to support precision medicine at point of care.

Integrated Spectral Energy Distributions and Absorption Feature Indices of Single Stellar Populations

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Fenghui; Han, Zhanwen; Li, Lifang; Hurley, Jarrod R.

2004-01-01

Using evolutionary population synthesis, we present integrated spectral energy distributions and absorption-line indices defined by the Lick Observatory image dissector scanner (referred to as Lick/IDS) system, for an extensive set of instantaneous burst single stellar populations (SSPs). The ages of the SSPs are in the range 1-19 Gyr and the metallicities [Fe/H] are in the range -2.3 - 0.2. Our models use the rapid single stellar evolution algorithm of Hurley, Pols and Tout for the stellar e...

Mixed Schools versus Single-Sex Schools: Are There Differences in the Academic Results for Boys and Girls in Catalonia?

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Gracia, Maribel; Donoso Vázquez, Trinidad

2016-01-01

This study carries out a comparative analysis of achievement according to gender between mixed and single-sex schools in the region of Catalonia, Spain, for the subjects of Spanish, Catalan, English and Mathematics. After a brief contextualisation, a review of the main findings from international studies on differences in results for mixed schools…

Mixed dentition space analysis in a Thai population.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaroontham, J; Godfrey, K

2000-04-01

This study produced simple linear regression equations to be used for mixed dentition space analysis for males and females, and sexes pooled in a population living in northeastern Thailand. Measurements of teeth were made to within 0.01 mm on the dental casts of 215 boys and 215 girls (mean age 15.7 years). All dentitions were required to be free of any signs of dental pathology or anomalies. It was found that males had significantly larger teeth than females as represented by summations of mandibular incisor, canine, and premolar widths. ANOVA of regression indicated a close relationship between mandibular incisor summation and corresponding summations of canine and premolars. The low coefficients of determination (r2) of the regressions ranged between 0.29 and 0.42, and were higher for females than males, which might be attributable to the ethnic diversity of the sampled population. The regression equations produced predictions of mesio-distal width summations for maxillary and mandibular canine, and premolar arch segments that were slightly different from other reported Asian studies. Moyers' prediction tables at the 50th percentile were found to under-estimate tooth size summation compared with the present investigation. The predictions from simplified regression equations matched well with those of this study for sexes pooled, and for males and females separately.

Enhanced α-Transfer population of the 2ms+ mixed-symmetry state in 52Ti

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Fuad A.; Muecher, Dennis; Bildstein, Vinzenz; Greaves, Beau; Kilic, Ali. I.; Holt, Jason D.; Berner, Christian; Gernhaeuser, R.; Nowak, K.; Hellgartner, S.; Lutter, R.; Reichert, S.

2017-09-01

The residual nucleon-nucleon interaction plays a crucial role in nuclear structure physics. In spherical even-even nuclei the quadrupole interaction leads to so called proton-neutron mixed symmetry states, which are sensitive to the underlying subshell structure. We present new data using the MINIBALL germanium array. States in 52Ti were populated via the α-transfer reaction 48Ca(12C,8Be)52Ti using a 48Ca beam from the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratory in Munich. In the frame work of IBM-2, Alonso et al. have shown that the population of the 2ms+ state is strictly forbidden for the alpha transfer from a doubly magic nucleus. In contrast, we measured a large relative cross section into the 22+ mixed-symmetry state in 52Ti relative to the 21+ state of 31.1(20) %. This value exceeds earlier measurements in the 140Ba nucleus, representing the case of a particular strong population of the 2ms,SUP>+ state. This points towards effects of core polarizations of 48Ca in the low-lying structure of 52Ti. We have performed ab-initio shell model calculations to understand the origin of the discovered discrepancies. Permanent Address: Department of Physics, College of Education, University of Sulaimani, P. O. Box 334, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

Mixed-mode modelling mixing methodologies for organisational intervention

CERN Document Server

Clarke, Steve; Lehaney, Brian

2001-01-01

The 1980s and 1990s have seen a growing interest in research and practice in the use of methodologies within problem contexts characterised by a primary focus on technology, human issues, or power. During the last five to ten years, this has given rise to challenges regarding the ability of a single methodology to address all such contexts, and the consequent development of approaches which aim to mix methodologies within a single problem situation. This has been particularly so where the situation has called for a mix of technological (the so-called 'hard') and human­ centred (so-called 'soft') methods. The approach developed has been termed mixed-mode modelling. The area of mixed-mode modelling is relatively new, with the phrase being coined approximately four years ago by Brian Lehaney in a keynote paper published at the 1996 Annual Conference of the UK Operational Research Society. Mixed-mode modelling, as suggested above, is a new way of considering problem situations faced by organisations. Traditional...

Deconstructing stem cell population heterogeneity: Single-cell analysis and modeling approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jincheng; Tzanakakis, Emmanuel S.

2014-01-01

Isogenic stem cell populations display cell-to-cell variations in a multitude of attributes including gene or protein expression, epigenetic state, morphology, proliferation and proclivity for differentiation. The origins of the observed heterogeneity and its roles in the maintenance of pluripotency and the lineage specification of stem cells remain unclear. Addressing pertinent questions will require the employment of single-cell analysis methods as traditional cell biochemical and biomolecular assays yield mostly population-average data. In addition to time-lapse microscopy and flow cytometry, recent advances in single-cell genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling are reviewed. The application of multiple displacement amplification, next generation sequencing, mass cytometry and spectrometry to stem cell systems is expected to provide a wealth of information affording unprecedented levels of multiparametric characterization of cell ensembles under defined conditions promoting pluripotency or commitment. Establishing connections between single-cell analysis information and the observed phenotypes will also require suitable mathematical models. Stem cell self-renewal and differentiation are orchestrated by the coordinated regulation of subcellular, intercellular and niche-wide processes spanning multiple time scales. Here, we discuss different modeling approaches and challenges arising from their application to stem cell populations. Integrating single-cell analysis with computational methods will fill gaps in our knowledge about the functions of heterogeneity in stem cell physiology. This combination will also aid the rational design of efficient differentiation and reprogramming strategies as well as bioprocesses for the production of clinically valuable stem cell derivatives. PMID:24035899

Searching for Rigour in the Reporting of Mixed Methods Population Health Research: A Methodological Review

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, K. M.; Elliott, S. J.; Leatherdale, S. T.; Robertson-Wilson, J.

2015-01-01

The environments in which population health interventions occur shape both their implementation and outcomes. Hence, when evaluating these interventions, we must explore both intervention content and context. Mixed methods (integrating quantitative and qualitative methods) provide this opportunity. However, although criteria exist for establishing…

Higher fine-scale genetic structure in peripheral than in core populations of a long-lived and mixed-mating conifer--eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Madhav; Rajora, Om P

2012-04-05

Fine-scale or spatial genetic structure (SGS) is one of the key genetic characteristics of plant populations. Several evolutionary and ecological processes and population characteristics influence the level of SGS within plant populations. Higher fine-scale genetic structure may be expected in peripheral than core populations of long-lived forest trees, owing to the differences in the magnitude of operating evolutionary and ecological forces such as gene flow, genetic drift, effective population size and founder effects. We addressed this question using eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) as a model species for declining to endangered long-lived tree species with mixed-mating system. We determined the SGS in two core and two peripheral populations of eastern white cedar from its Maritime Canadian eastern range using six nuclear microsatellite DNA markers. Significant SGS ranging from 15 m to 75 m distance classes was observed in the four studied populations. An analysis of combined four populations revealed significant positive SGS up to the 45 m distance class. The mean positive significant SGS observed in the peripheral populations was up to six times (up to 90 m) of that observed in the core populations (15 m). Spatial autocorrelation coefficients and correlograms of single and sub-sets of populations were statistically significant. The extent of within-population SGS was significantly negatively correlated with all genetic diversity parameters. Significant heterogeneity of within-population SGS was observed for 0-15 m and 61-90 m between core and peripheral populations. Average Sp, and gene flow distances were higher in peripheral (Sp = 0.023, σg = 135 m) than in core (Sp = 0.014, σg = 109 m) populations. However, the mean neighborhood size was higher in the core (Nb = 82) than in the peripheral (Nb = 48) populations. Eastern white cedar populations have significant fine-scale genetic structure at short distances. Peripheral populations have several

Mode Equivalence of Health Indicators Between Data Collection Modes and Mixed-Mode Survey Designs in Population-Based Health Interview Surveys for Children and Adolescents: Methodological Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Robert; Houben, Robin; Krause, Laura; Kamtsiuris, Panagiotis; Gößwald, Antje

2018-01-01

Background The implementation of an Internet option in an existing public health interview survey using a mixed-mode design is attractive because of lower costs and faster data availability. Additionally, mixed-mode surveys can increase response rates and improve sample composition. However, mixed-mode designs can increase the risk of measurement error (mode effects). Objective This study aimed to determine whether the prevalence rates or mean values of self- and parent-reported health indicators for children and adolescents aged 0-17 years differ between self-administered paper-based questionnaires (SAQ-paper) and self-administered Web-based questionnaires (SAQ-Web), as well as between a single-mode control group and different mixed-mode groups. Methods Data were collected for a methodological pilot of the third wave of the "German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents". Questionnaires were completed by parents or adolescents. A population-based sample of 11,140 children and adolescents aged 0-17 years was randomly allocated to 4 survey designs—a single-mode control group with paper-and-pencil questionnaires only (n=970 parents, n=343 adolescents)—and 3 mixed-mode designs, all of which offered Web-based questionnaire options. In the concurrent mixed-mode design, both questionnaires were offered at the same time (n=946 parents, n=290 adolescents); in the sequential mixed-mode design, the SAQ-Web was sent first, followed by the paper questionnaire along with a reminder (n=854 parents, n=269 adolescents); and in the preselect mixed-mode design, both options were offered and the respondents were asked to request the desired type of questionnaire (n=698 parents, n=292 adolescents). In total, 3468 questionnaires of parents of children aged 0-17 years (SAQ-Web: n=708; SAQ-paper: n=2760) and 1194 questionnaires of adolescents aged 11-17 years (SAQ-Web: n=299; SAQ-paper: n=895) were analyzed. Sociodemographic characteristics and a broad

Inequivalence of single-particle and population lifetimes in a cuprate superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuolong [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Sobota, J. A. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Leuenberger, D. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); He, Y. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Hashimoto, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lu, D. H. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Eisaki, H. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki (Japan); Kirchmann, P. S. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Shen, Z. -X. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

We study optimally doped Bi-2212 (T_c=96 K) using femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Energy-resolved population lifetimes are extracted and compared with single-particle lifetimes measured by equilibrium photoemission. The population lifetimes deviate from the single-particle lifetimes in the low excitation limit by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Fundamental considerations of electron scattering unveil that these two lifetimes are in general distinct, yet for systems with only electron-phonon scattering they should converge in the low-temperature, low-fluence limit. As a result, the qualitative disparity in our data, even in this limit, suggests that scattering channels beyond electron-phonon interactions play a significant role in the electron dynamics of cuprate superconductors.

Mode Equivalence of Health Indicators Between Data Collection Modes and Mixed-Mode Survey Designs in Population-Based Health Interview Surveys for Children and Adolescents: Methodological Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauz, Elvira; Hoffmann, Robert; Houben, Robin; Krause, Laura; Kamtsiuris, Panagiotis; Gößwald, Antje

2018-03-05

The implementation of an Internet option in an existing public health interview survey using a mixed-mode design is attractive because of lower costs and faster data availability. Additionally, mixed-mode surveys can increase response rates and improve sample composition. However, mixed-mode designs can increase the risk of measurement error (mode effects). This study aimed to determine whether the prevalence rates or mean values of self- and parent-reported health indicators for children and adolescents aged 0-17 years differ between self-administered paper-based questionnaires (SAQ-paper) and self-administered Web-based questionnaires (SAQ-Web), as well as between a single-mode control group and different mixed-mode groups. Data were collected for a methodological pilot of the third wave of the "German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents". Questionnaires were completed by parents or adolescents. A population-based sample of 11,140 children and adolescents aged 0-17 years was randomly allocated to 4 survey designs-a single-mode control group with paper-and-pencil questionnaires only (n=970 parents, n=343 adolescents)-and 3 mixed-mode designs, all of which offered Web-based questionnaire options. In the concurrent mixed-mode design, both questionnaires were offered at the same time (n=946 parents, n=290 adolescents); in the sequential mixed-mode design, the SAQ-Web was sent first, followed by the paper questionnaire along with a reminder (n=854 parents, n=269 adolescents); and in the preselect mixed-mode design, both options were offered and the respondents were asked to request the desired type of questionnaire (n=698 parents, n=292 adolescents). In total, 3468 questionnaires of parents of children aged 0-17 years (SAQ-Web: n=708; SAQ-paper: n=2760) and 1194 questionnaires of adolescents aged 11-17 years (SAQ-Web: n=299; SAQ-paper: n=895) were analyzed. Sociodemographic characteristics and a broad range of health indicators for

Software engineering the mixed model for genome-wide association studies on large samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiwu; Buckler, Edward S; Casstevens, Terry M; Bradbury, Peter J

2009-11-01

Mixed models improve the ability to detect phenotype-genotype associations in the presence of population stratification and multiple levels of relatedness in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), but for large data sets the resource consumption becomes impractical. At the same time, the sample size and number of markers used for GWAS is increasing dramatically, resulting in greater statistical power to detect those associations. The use of mixed models with increasingly large data sets depends on the availability of software for analyzing those models. While multiple software packages implement the mixed model method, no single package provides the best combination of fast computation, ability to handle large samples, flexible modeling and ease of use. Key elements of association analysis with mixed models are reviewed, including modeling phenotype-genotype associations using mixed models, population stratification, kinship and its estimation, variance component estimation, use of best linear unbiased predictors or residuals in place of raw phenotype, improving efficiency and software-user interaction. The available software packages are evaluated, and suggestions made for future software development.

Comparative biology and population mixing among local, coastal and offshore Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic

Science.gov (United States)

Slotte, Aril; Johannessen, Arne; Kvamme, Cecilie; Clausen, Lotte Worsøe; Nash, Richard D. M.

2017-01-01

The population structure of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) from 13 local, coastal and offshore areas of the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic (northeast Atlantic) was studied using biological and environmental data from 1970–2015. The objective was to identify distinct populations by comparing variability in the temporal and spatial phenotypic characteristics and evaluate the potential for mixing of populations in time and space. The populations varied in biological characteristics such as mean vertebral counts (VS), growth and maturity ogives. Generalized additive models indicated temporally stable VS in the North Sea and western Baltic, whereas intra-annual temporal variation of VS occurred in other areas. High variability of VS within a population was not affected by environmental factors such as temperature and salinity. Consequently, seasonal VS variability can be explained by the presence or absence of herring populations as they migrate between areas. The three main populations identified in this paper correspond to the three managed stocks in this area: Norwegian spring spawners (NSS), western Baltic spring spawners (WBSS) and North Sea autumn spawners (NSAS). In addition, several local populations were identified in fjords or lakes along the coast, but our analyses could not detect direct mixing of local populations with the three main populations. Our results highlight the importance of recognizing herring dynamics and understanding the mixing of populations as a challenge for management of herring. PMID:29084258

Local Genealogies in a Linear Mixed Model for Genome-wide Association Mapping in Complex Pedigreed Populations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sahana, Goutam; Mailund, Thomas; Lund, Mogens Sandø

2011-01-01

be extended to incorporate other effects in a straightforward and rigorous fashion. Here, we present a complementary approach, called ‘GENMIX (genealogy based mixed model)’ which combines advantages from two powerful GWAS methods: genealogy-based haplotype grouping and MMA. Subjects and Methods: We validated......Introduction: The state-of-the-art for dealing with multiple levels of relationship among the samples in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is unified mixed model analysis (MMA). This approach is very flexible, can be applied to both family-based and population-based samples, and can...

Haematological malignancies in childhood in Croatia: Investigating the theories of depleted uranium, chemical plant damage and 'population mixing'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labar, B.; Rudan, I.; Ivankovic, D.; Biloglav, Z.; Mrsic, M.; Strnad, M.; Fucic, A.; Znaor, A.; Bradic, T.; Campbell, H.

2004-01-01

Some of potential causes proposed to explain the reported increase of haematological malignancies in childhood during or after the war period in several countries include depleted uranium, chemical pollution and population mixing theory. The aim of this study was to define the population of Croatian children aged 0-14 years who were potentially exposed to each of those risks during the war and to investigate any possible association between the exposure and the incidence of haematological malignancies. The authors analyzed the data reported by the Cancer Registry of Croatia during the pre-war period (1986-1990), war period (1991-1995) and post-war period (1996-1999). In the group of 10 counties potentially exposed to depleted uranium and two counties where chemical war damage occurred, no significant difference in incidence of the studied haematological malignancies was noted in comparison to pre-war period. The incidence of lymphatic leukaemia significantly increased in four counties where population mixing had occurred during the war period, supporting the 'mixing theory'. In those counties, the incidence of Hodgkin's lymphoma decreased during and after the war. In Croatia as a whole, decreases in incidence of myeloid leukaemias during war and non-Hodgkin lymphoma after the war were noted

Statistical Models of Adaptive Immune populations

Science.gov (United States)

Sethna, Zachary; Callan, Curtis; Walczak, Aleksandra; Mora, Thierry

The availability of large (104-106 sequences) datasets of B or T cell populations from a single individual allows reliable fitting of complex statistical models for naïve generation, somatic selection, and hypermutation. It is crucial to utilize a probabilistic/informational approach when modeling these populations. The inferred probability distributions allow for population characterization, calculation of probability distributions of various hidden variables (e.g. number of insertions), as well as statistical properties of the distribution itself (e.g. entropy). In particular, the differences between the T cell populations of embryonic and mature mice will be examined as a case study. Comparing these populations, as well as proposed mixed populations, provides a concrete exercise in model creation, comparison, choice, and validation.

Degenerate mixing of plasma waves on cold, magnetized single-species plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, M. W.; O'Neil, T. M.; Dubin, D. H. E.; Gould, R. W.

2011-10-01

In the cold-fluid dispersion relation ω =ωp/[1+(k⊥/kz)2]1/2 for Trivelpiece-Gould waves on an infinitely long magnetized plasma cylinder, the transverse and axial wavenumbers appear only in the combination k⊥/kz. As a result, for any frequency ω plasma column, these degenerate waves reflect into one another at the ends; thus, each standing-wave normal mode of the bounded plasma is a mixture of many degenerate waves, not a single standing wave as is often assumed. A striking feature of the many-wave modes is that the short-wavelength waves often add constructively along resonance cones given by dz /dr=±(ωp2/ω2-1)1/2. Also, the presence of short wavelengths in the admixture for a predominantly long-wavelength mode enhances the viscous damping beyond what the single-wave approximation would predict. Here, numerical solutions are obtained for modes of a cylindrical plasma column with rounded ends. Exploiting the fact that the modes of a spheroidal plasma are known analytically (the Dubin modes), a perturbation analysis is used to investigate the mixing of low-order, nearly degenerate Dubin modes caused by small deformations of a plasma spheroid.

Kinetic of formation for single carbon dioxide and mixed carbon dioxide and tetrahydrofuran hydrates in water and sodium chloride aqueous solution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sabil, K.M.; Duarte, A.R.C.; Zevenbergen, J.F.; Ahmad, M.M.; Yusup, S.; Omar, A.A.; Peters, C.J.

2010-01-01

A laboratory-scale reactor system is built and operated to measure the kinetic of formation for single and mixed carbon dioxide-tetrahydrofuran hydrates. The T-cycle method, which is used to collect the kinetic data, is briefly discussed. For single carbon dioxide hydrate, the induction time

A detailed aerosol mixing state model for investigating interactions between mixing state, semivolatile partitioning, and coagulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Lu

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A new method for describing externally mixed particles, the Detailed Aerosol Mixing State (DAMS representation, is presented in this study. This novel method classifies aerosols by both composition and size, using a user-specified mixing criterion to define boundaries between compositional populations. Interactions between aerosol mixing state, semivolatile partitioning, and coagulation are investigated with a Lagrangian box model that incorporates the DAMS approach. Model results predict that mixing state affects the amount and types of semivolatile organics that partition to available aerosol phases, causing external mixtures to produce a more size-varying composition than internal mixtures. Both coagulation and condensation contribute to the mixing of emitted particles, producing a collection of multiple compositionally distinct aerosol populations that exists somewhere between the extremes of a strictly external or internal mixture. The selection of mixing criteria has a significant impact on the size and type of individual populations that compose the modeled aerosol mixture. Computational demands for external mixture modeling are significant and can be controlled by limiting the number of aerosol populations used in the model.

Prediction of the single-phase turbulent mixing rate between two parallel subchannels using a subchannel geometry factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadatomi, M.; Kawahara, A.; Sato, Y.

1996-01-01

This paper presents a simple method for predicting the single-phase turbulent mixing rate between adjacent subchannels in nuclear fuel bundles. In this method, the mixing rate is computed as the sum of the two components of turbulent diffusion and convective transfer. Of these, the turbulent diffusion component is calculated using a newly defined subchannel geometry factor F* and the mean turbulent diffusivity for each subchannel which is computed from Elder's equation. The convective transfer component is evaluated from a mixing Stanton number correlation obtained empirically in this study. In order to confirm the validity of the proposed method, experimental data on turbulent mixing rate were obtained using a tracer technique under adiabatic conditions with three test channels, each consisting of two subchannels. The range of Reynolds number covered was 5000-66 000. From comparisons of the predicted turbulent mixing rates with the experimental data of other investigators as well as the authors, it has been confirmed that the proposed method can predict the data in a range of gap clearance to rod diameter ratio of 0.02-0.4 within about ±25% for square array bundles and about ±35% for triangular array bundles. (orig.)

Higher fine-scale genetic structure in peripheral than in core populations of a long-lived and mixed-mating conifer - eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Fine-scale or spatial genetic structure (SGS) is one of the key genetic characteristics of plant populations. Several evolutionary and ecological processes and population characteristics influence the level of SGS within plant populations. Higher fine-scale genetic structure may be expected in peripheral than core populations of long-lived forest trees, owing to the differences in the magnitude of operating evolutionary and ecological forces such as gene flow, genetic drift, effective population size and founder effects. We addressed this question using eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) as a model species for declining to endangered long-lived tree species with mixed-mating system. Results We determined the SGS in two core and two peripheral populations of eastern white cedar from its Maritime Canadian eastern range using six nuclear microsatellite DNA markers. Significant SGS ranging from 15 m to 75 m distance classes was observed in the four studied populations. An analysis of combined four populations revealed significant positive SGS up to the 45 m distance class. The mean positive significant SGS observed in the peripheral populations was up to six times (up to 90 m) of that observed in the core populations (15 m). Spatial autocorrelation coefficients and correlograms of single and sub-sets of populations were statistically significant. The extent of within-population SGS was significantly negatively correlated with all genetic diversity parameters. Significant heterogeneity of within-population SGS was observed for 0-15 m and 61-90 m between core and peripheral populations. Average Sp, and gene flow distances were higher in peripheral (Sp = 0.023, σg = 135 m) than in core (Sp = 0.014, σg = 109 m) populations. However, the mean neighborhood size was higher in the core (Nb = 82) than in the peripheral (Nb = 48) populations. Conclusion Eastern white cedar populations have significant fine-scale genetic structure at short distances. Peripheral

Higher fine-scale genetic structure in peripheral than in core populations of a long-lived and mixed-mating conifer - eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pandey Madhav

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fine-scale or spatial genetic structure (SGS is one of the key genetic characteristics of plant populations. Several evolutionary and ecological processes and population characteristics influence the level of SGS within plant populations. Higher fine-scale genetic structure may be expected in peripheral than core populations of long-lived forest trees, owing to the differences in the magnitude of operating evolutionary and ecological forces such as gene flow, genetic drift, effective population size and founder effects. We addressed this question using eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis as a model species for declining to endangered long-lived tree species with mixed-mating system. Results We determined the SGS in two core and two peripheral populations of eastern white cedar from its Maritime Canadian eastern range using six nuclear microsatellite DNA markers. Significant SGS ranging from 15 m to 75 m distance classes was observed in the four studied populations. An analysis of combined four populations revealed significant positive SGS up to the 45 m distance class. The mean positive significant SGS observed in the peripheral populations was up to six times (up to 90 m of that observed in the core populations (15 m. Spatial autocorrelation coefficients and correlograms of single and sub-sets of populations were statistically significant. The extent of within-population SGS was significantly negatively correlated with all genetic diversity parameters. Significant heterogeneity of within-population SGS was observed for 0-15 m and 61-90 m between core and peripheral populations. Average Sp, and gene flow distances were higher in peripheral (Sp = 0.023, σg = 135 m than in core (Sp = 0.014, σg = 109 m populations. However, the mean neighborhood size was higher in the core (Nb = 82 than in the peripheral (Nb = 48 populations. Conclusion Eastern white cedar populations have significant fine-scale genetic structure at short

Spectrally pure heralded single photons by spontaneous four-wave mixing in a fiber: reducing impact of dispersion fluctuations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koefoed, Jacob Gade; Friis, Søren Michael Mørk; Christensen, Jesper Bjerge

2017-01-01

We model the spectral quantum-mechanical purity of heralded single photons from a photon-pair source based on nondegenerate spontaneous four-wave mixing taking the impact of distributed dispersion fluctuations into account. The considered photon-pair-generation scheme utilizes pump-pulse walk...

Assessing the concordance between child reports and adult observations of single and mixed emotion in children’s drawings of themselves or another child

OpenAIRE

Burkitt, Esther

2017-01-01

The present study assessed concordance between child reported and adult observed strategies to depict single and mixed emotion in the same human figure drawings. 205 children (104 boys, 101 girls) aged 6 years 2 months to 8 year 3 months formed two age groups (6 yrs. 2 mo. - 7 yrs.2 mo. and 7 yrs.-3 mo. -8 yrs. - 3 mo.) across two conditions drawing either themselves or another child. They heard vignettes designed to elicit single and mixed emotion and drew a baseline drawing, counterbalanced...

Vaccination of cattle only is sufficient to stop FMDV transmission in mixed populations of sheep and cattle

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bravo De Rueda, C.; Dekker, A.; Eblé, P.L.; Jong, de M.

2015-01-01

We quantified the transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus in mixed cattle-sheep populations and the effect of different vaccination strategies. The (partial) reproduction ratios (R) in groups of non-vaccinated and vaccinated cattle and/or sheep were estimated from (published) transmission

Plant Mating Systems Often Vary Widely Among Populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael R. Whitehead

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Most flowering plants are hermaphroditic, yet the proportion of seeds fertilized by self and outcross pollen varies widely among species, ranging from predominant self-fertilization to exclusive outcrossing. A population's rate of outcrossing has important evolutionary outcomes as it influences genetic structure, effective population size, and offspring fitness. Because most mating system studies have quantified outcrossing rates for just one or two populations, past reviews of mating system diversity have not been able to characterize the extent of variation among populations. Here we present a new database of more than 30 years of mating system studies that report outcrossing rates for three or more populations per species. This survey, which includes 741 populations from 105 species, illustrates substantial and prevalent among-population variation in the mating system. Intermediate outcrossing rates (mixed mating are common; 63% of species had at least one mixed mating population. The variance among populations and within species was not significantly correlated with pollination mode or phylogeny. Our review underscores the need for studies exploring variation in the relative influence of ecological and genetic factors on the mating system, and how this varies among populations. We conclude that estimates of outcrossing rates from single populations are often highly unreliable indicators of the mating system of an entire species.

Evaluation of Fermentative Hydrogen Production from Single and Mixed Fruit Wastes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julius Akinbomi

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The economic viability of employing dark fermentative hydrogen from whole fruit wastes as a green alternative to fossil fuels is limited by low hydrogen yield due to the inhibitory effect of some metabolites in the fermentation medium. In exploring means of increasing hydrogen production from fruit wastes, including orange, apple, banana, grape and melon, the present study assessed the hydrogen production potential of singly-fermented fruits as compared to the fermentation of mixed fruits. The fruit feedstock was subjected to varying hydraulic retention times (HRTs in a continuous fermentation process at 55 °C for 47 days. The weight distributions of the first, second and third fruit mixtures were 70%, 50% and 20% orange share, respectively, while the residual weight was shared equally by the other fruits. The results indicated that there was an improvement in cumulative hydrogen yield from all of the feedstock when the HRT was five days. Based on the results obtained, apple as a single fruit and a fruit mixture with 20% orange share have the most improved cumulative hydrogen yields of 504 (29.5% of theoretical yield and 513 mL/g volatile solid (VS (30% of theoretical yield , respectively, when compared to other fruits.

Low-sensitivity, low-bounce, high-linearity current-controlled oscillator suitable for single-supply mixed-mode instrumentation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Yuh-Shyan; Kung, Che-Min; Lin, Ho-Cheng; Chen, Jiann-Jong

2009-02-01

A low-sensitivity, low-bounce, high-linearity current-controlled oscillator (CCO) suitable for a single-supply mixed-mode instrumentation system is designed and proposed in this paper. The designed CCO can be operated at low voltage (2 V). The power bounce and ground bounce generated by this CCO is less than 7 mVpp when the power-line parasitic inductance is increased to 100 nH to demonstrate the effect of power bounce and ground bounce. The power supply noise caused by the proposed CCO is less than 0.35% in reference to the 2 V supply voltage. The average conversion ratio KCCO is equal to 123.5 GHz/A. The linearity of conversion ratio is high and its tolerance is within +/-1.2%. The sensitivity of the proposed CCO is nearly independent of the power supply voltage, which is less than a conventional current-starved oscillator. The performance of the proposed CCO has been compared with the current-starved oscillator. It is shown that the proposed CCO is suitable for single-supply mixed-mode instrumentation systems.

Mixed methods research.

Science.gov (United States)

Halcomb, Elizabeth; Hickman, Louise

2015-04-08

Mixed methods research involves the use of qualitative and quantitative data in a single research project. It represents an alternative methodological approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches, which enables nurse researchers to explore complex phenomena in detail. This article provides a practical overview of mixed methods research and its application in nursing, to guide the novice researcher considering a mixed methods research project.

Mixing ratio sensor of alcohol mixed fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyata, Shigeru; Matsubara, Yoshihiro

1987-08-07

In order to improve combustion efficiency of an internal combustion engine using gasoline-alcohol mixed fuel and to reduce harmful substance in its exhaust gas, it is necessary to control strictly the air-fuel ratio to be supplied and the ignition timing and change the condition of control depending upon the mixing ratio of the mixed fuel. In order to detect the mixing ratio of the mixed fuel, the above mixing ratio has so far been detected by casting a ray of light to the mixed fuel and utilizing a change of critical angle associated with the change of the composition of the fluid of the mixed fuel. However, in case when a light emitting diode is used for the light source above, two kinds of sensors are further needed. Concerning the two kinds of sensors above, this invention offers a mixing ratio sensor for the alcohol mixed fuel which can abolish a temperature sensor to detect the environmental temperature by making a single compensatory light receiving element deal with the compensation of the amount of light emission of the light emitting element due to the temperature change and the compensation of the critical angle caused by the temperature change. (6 figs)

GPS data processing of networks with mixed single- and dual-frequency receivers for deformation monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, X.; Deng, Z.; Ge, M.; Dick, G.; Jiang, W.; Liu, J.

2010-07-01

In order to obtain crustal deformations of higher spatial resolution, existing GPS networks must be densified. This densification can be carried out using single-frequency receivers at moderate costs. However, ionospheric delay handling is required in the data processing. We adapt the Satellite-specific Epoch-differenced Ionospheric Delay model (SEID) for GPS networks with mixed single- and dual-frequency receivers. The SEID model is modified to utilize the observations from the three nearest dual-frequency reference stations in order to avoid contaminations from more remote stations. As data of only three stations are used, an efficient missing data constructing approach with polynomial fitting is implemented to minimize data losses. Data from large scale reference networks extended with single-frequency receivers can now be processed, based on the adapted SEID model. A new data processing scheme is developed in order to make use of existing GPS data processing software packages without any modifications. This processing scheme is evaluated using a sub-network of the German SAPOS network. The results verify that the new scheme provides an efficient way to densify existing GPS networks with single-frequency receivers.

A Study of Naturally Acquired Canine Babesiosis Caused by Single and Mixed Babesia Species in Zambia: Clinicopathological Findings and Case Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

King Shimumbo Nalubamba

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A retrospective and prospective analysis of clinical records of dogs diagnosed with Babesia infections was carried out for the years 2000 to 2013 from practices in Lusaka, Zambia. Records of 363 dogs with confirmed Babesia infections were analysed using demographic factors including sex, breed, age, and clinical signs in relation to haematological findings and Babesia species. The clinical and laboratory findings observed are described as well as Babesia species identification. The study included 18 breeds and the highest proportion were mongrels (32.2%, males representing 64.5% of the population. The most common presenting problems were anorexia (65.3% and lethargy/weakness (65.3%. The most common clinical signs were fever (87.3%, pallor (52.3%, lymphadenopathy (47.4%, and presence of ticks (44.9%. Anaemia (96.4% and nucleated erythrocytes (42.2% were the most common laboratory findings. A mixed infection of Babesia rossi and Babesia gibsoni was present in 59.7% of dogs, whilst 8% and 32.2% had B. rossi and B. gibsoni as a single infection, respectively. Case management mainly involved therapy with tetracyclines and imidocarb and was usually accompanied by clinical improvement. This study highlights, for the first time, the presence of B. gibsoni in natural dog populations in Zambia, where previously only B. rossi was reported.

Temperature-dependent ion beam mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehn, L.E.; Alexander, D.E.

1993-08-01

Recent work on enhanced interdiffusion rates during ion-beam mixing at elevated temperatures is reviewed. As discussed previously, expected increase in ion-beam mixing rates due to 'radiation-enhanced diffusion' (RED), i.e. the free migration of isolated vacancy and interstitial defects, is well documented in single-crystal specimens in the range of 0.4 to 0.6 of absolute melting temperature. In contrast, the increase often observed at somewhat lower temperatures during ion-beam mixing of polycrystalline specimens is not well understood. However, sufficient evidence is available to show that this increase reflects intracascade enhancement of a thermally-activated process that also occurs without irradiation. Recent evidence is presented which suggests that this process is Diffusion-induced Grain-Boundary Migration (DIGM). An important complementary conclusion is that because ion-beam mixing in single-crystal specimens exhibits no significant temperature dependence below that of RED, models that invoke only irradiation-specific phenomena, e.g., cascade-overlap, thermal-spikes, or liquid-diffusion, and hence which predict no difference in mixing behavior between single- or poly-crystalline specimens, cannot account for the existing results

Degenerate mixing of plasma waves on cold, magnetized single-species plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, M. W.; O'Neil, T. M.; Dubin, D. H. E.; Gould, R. W.

2011-01-01

In the cold-fluid dispersion relation ω=ω p /[1+(k perpendicular /k z ) 2 ] 1/2 for Trivelpiece-Gould waves on an infinitely long magnetized plasma cylinder, the transverse and axial wavenumbers appear only in the combination k perpendicular /k z . As a result, for any frequency ω p , there are infinitely many degenerate waves, all having the same value of k perpendicular /k z . On a cold finite-length plasma column, these degenerate waves reflect into one another at the ends; thus, each standing-wave normal mode of the bounded plasma is a mixture of many degenerate waves, not a single standing wave as is often assumed. A striking feature of the many-wave modes is that the short-wavelength waves often add constructively along resonance cones given by dz/dr=±(ω p 2 /ω 2 -1) 1/2 . Also, the presence of short wavelengths in the admixture for a predominantly long-wavelength mode enhances the viscous damping beyond what the single-wave approximation would predict. Here, numerical solutions are obtained for modes of a cylindrical plasma column with rounded ends. Exploiting the fact that the modes of a spheroidal plasma are known analytically (the Dubin modes), a perturbation analysis is used to investigate the mixing of low-order, nearly degenerate Dubin modes caused by small deformations of a plasma spheroid.

Selectivity of single, mixed, and modified pseudostationary phases in electrokinetic chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuguet, Elisabet; Ràfols, Clara; Bosch, Elisabeth; Abraham, Michael H; Rosés, Martí

2006-05-01

The selectivity of a compilation of single, mixed, and modified EKC pseudostationary phases, described in the literature and characterized through the solvation parameter model, is analyzed. Not only have micellar systems of different nature been included but also microemulsions, polymeric, and liposomial phases. In order to compare the systems, a principal component analysis of the coefficients of the solvation equation is performed. From this analysis, direct information of the system properties, differences in selectivity, as well as evidence of lack of accuracy in some system characterizations are obtained. These results become a very useful tool to perform separations with mixtures of surfactants, since it is possible to know which mixtures will provide a greater selectivity variation by changing only the composition of the pseudostationary phases. Furthermore, the variation of the selectivity of some mixtures, as well as the effect of the addition of organic solvents on selectivity, is also discussed.

The prevalence and morbidity of sensitization to fragrance mix I in the general population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thyssen, J P; Linneberg, A; Menné, T

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of sensitization to fragrance mix (FM) I and Myroxylon pereirae (MP, balsam of Peru) has decreased in recent years among Danish women with dermatitis. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether the decrease could be confirmed among women in the general population. Furt...... supported a recent decrease in the prevalence of FM I and MP sensitization in Denmark. The study also showed that fragrance sensitization was associated with self-reported cosmetic dermatitis and use of health care related to cosmetic dermatitis....

The Drosophila genome nexus: a population genomic resource of 623 Drosophila melanogaster genomes, including 197 from a single ancestral range population.

Science.gov (United States)

Lack, Justin B; Cardeno, Charis M; Crepeau, Marc W; Taylor, William; Corbett-Detig, Russell B; Stevens, Kristian A; Langley, Charles H; Pool, John E

2015-04-01

Hundreds of wild-derived Drosophila melanogaster genomes have been published, but rigorous comparisons across data sets are precluded by differences in alignment methodology. The most common approach to reference-based genome assembly is a single round of alignment followed by quality filtering and variant detection. We evaluated variations and extensions of this approach and settled on an assembly strategy that utilizes two alignment programs and incorporates both substitutions and short indels to construct an updated reference for a second round of mapping prior to final variant detection. Utilizing this approach, we reassembled published D. melanogaster population genomic data sets and added unpublished genomes from several sub-Saharan populations. Most notably, we present aligned data from phase 3 of the Drosophila Population Genomics Project (DPGP3), which provides 197 genomes from a single ancestral range population of D. melanogaster (from Zambia). The large sample size, high genetic diversity, and potentially simpler demographic history of the DPGP3 sample will make this a highly valuable resource for fundamental population genetic research. The complete set of assemblies described here, termed the Drosophila Genome Nexus, presently comprises 623 consistently aligned genomes and is publicly available in multiple formats with supporting documentation and bioinformatic tools. This resource will greatly facilitate population genomic analysis in this model species by reducing the methodological differences between data sets. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

Population pharmacokinetics of recombinant coagulation factor VIII-SingleChain in patients with severe hemophilia A.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y; Roberts, J; Tortorici, M; Veldman, A; St Ledger, K; Feussner, A; Sidhu, J

2017-06-01

Essentials rVIII-SingleChain is a unique recombinant factor VIII (FVIII) molecule. A population pharmacokinetic model was based on FVIII activity of severe hemophilia A patients. The model was used to simulate factor VIII activity-time profiles for various dosing scenarios. The model supports prolonged dosing of rVIII-SingleChain with intervals of up to twice per week. Background Single-chain recombinant coagulation factor VIII (rVIII-SingleChain) is a unique recombinant coagulation factor VIII molecule. Objectives To: (i) characterize the population pharmacokinetics (PK) of rVIII-SingleChain in patients with severe hemophilia A; (ii) identify correlates of variability in rVIII-SingleChain PK; and (iii) simulate various dosing scenarios of rVIII-SingleChain. Patients/Methods A population PK model was developed, based on FVIII activity levels of 130 patients with severe hemophilia A (n = 91 for ≥ 12-65 years; n = 39 for  85% and > 93% of patients were predicted to maintain FVIII activity level above 1 IU dL -1 , at all times with three-times-weekly dosing (given on days 0, 2, and 4.5) at the lowest (20 IU kg -1 ) and highest (50 IU kg -1 ) doses, respectively. For twice weekly dosing (days 0 and 3.5) of 50 IU kg -1 rVIII-SingleChain, 62-80% of patients across all ages were predicted to maintain a FVIII activity level above 1 IU dL -1 at day 7. Conclusions The population PK model adequately characterized rVIII-SingleChain PK, and the model can be utilized to simulate FVIII activity-time profiles for various dosing scenarios. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

One size fits all? Mixed methods evaluation of the impact of 100% single-room accommodation on staff and patient experience, safety and costs

Science.gov (United States)

Maben, Jill; Penfold, Clarissa; Simon, Michael; Anderson, Janet E; Robert, Glenn; Pizzo, Elena; Hughes, Jane; Murrells, Trevor; Barlow, James

2016-01-01

Background and objectives There is little strong evidence relating to the impact of single-room accommodation on healthcare quality and safety. We explore the impact of all single rooms on staff and patient experience; safety outcomes; and costs. Methods Mixed methods pre/post ‘move’ comparison within four nested case study wards in a single acute hospital with 100% single rooms; quasi-experimental before-and-after study with two control hospitals; analysis of capital and operational costs associated with single rooms. Results Two-thirds of patients expressed a preference for single rooms with comfort and control outweighing any disadvantages (sense of isolation) felt by some. Patients appreciated privacy, confidentiality and flexibility for visitors afforded by single rooms. Staff perceived improvements (patient comfort and confidentiality), but single rooms were worse for visibility, surveillance, teamwork, monitoring and keeping patients safe. Staff walking distances increased significantly post move. A temporary increase of falls and medication errors in one ward was likely to be associated with the need to adjust work patterns rather than associated with single rooms per se. We found no evidence that single rooms reduced infection rates. Building an all single-room hospital can cost 5% more with higher housekeeping and cleaning costs but the difference is marginal over time. Conclusions Staff needed to adapt their working practices significantly and felt unprepared for new ways of working with potentially significant implications for the nature of teamwork in the longer term. Staff preference remained for a mix of single rooms and bays. Patients preferred single rooms. PMID:26408568

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.

Mixing state of particles with secondary species by single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in an atmospheric pollution event

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lingling; Chen, Jinsheng

2016-04-01

Single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was used to characterize size distribution, chemical composition, and mixing state of particles in an atmospheric pollution event during 20 Oct. - 5 Nov., 2015 in Xiamen, Southeast China. A total of 533,012 particle mass spectra were obtained and clustered into six groups, comprising of industry metal (4.5%), dust particles (2.6%), carbonaceous species (70.7%), K-Rich particles (20.7%), seasalt (0.6%) and other particles (0.9%). Carbonaceous species were further divided into EC (70.6%), OC (28.5%), and mixed ECOC (0.9%). There were 61.7%, 58.3%, 4.0%, and 14.6% of particles internally mixed with sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and C2H3O, respectively, indicating that these particles had undergone significant aging processing. Sulfate was preferentially mixed with carbonaceous particles, while nitrate tended to mix with metal-containing and dust particles. Compared to clear days, the fractions of EC-, metal- and dust particles remarkably increased, while the fraction of OC-containing particles decreased in pollution days. The mixing state of particles, excepted for OC-containing particles with secondary species was much stronger in pollution days than that in clear days, which revealed the significant influence of secondary particles in atmospheric pollution. The different activity of OC-containing particles might be related to their much smaller aerodynamic diameter. These results could improve our understanding of aerosol characteristics and could be helpful to further investigate the atmospheric process of particles.

Reversible Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Structural Transformation in a Mixed-Ligand 2D Layered Metal-Organic Framework: Structural Characterization and Sorption Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Chieh Wang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A 3D supramolecular network, [Cd(bipy(C4O4(H2O2]·3H2O (1 (bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine and C4O42− = dianion of H2C4O4, constructed by mixed-ligand two-dimensional (2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs has been reported and structurally determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction method and characterized by other physicochemical methods. In 1, the C4O42− and bipy both act as bridging ligands connecting the Cd(II ions to form a 2D layered MOF, which are then extended to a 3D supramolecular network via the mutually parallel and interpenetrating arrangements among the 2D-layered MOFs. Compound 1 shows a two-step dehydration process with weight losses of 11.0% and 7.3%, corresponding to the weight-loss of three guest and two coordinated water molecules, respectively, and exhibits an interesting reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC structural transformation upon de-hydration and re-hydration for guest water molecules. The SCSC structural transformation have been demonstrated and monitored by single-crystal and X-ray powder diffraction, and thermogravimetic analysis studies.

Rapid increase in log populations in drought-stressed mixed-conifer and ponderosa pine forests in northern Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph L. Ganey; Scott C. Vojta

2012-01-01

Down logs provide important ecosystem services in forests and affect surface fuel loads and fire behavior. Amounts and kinds of logs are influenced by factors such as forest type, disturbance regime, forest man-agement, and climate. To quantify potential short-term changes in log populations during a recent global- climate-change type drought, we sampled logs in mixed-...

TA Treatment of Depression - A Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design Study - ‘Linda’ - a mixed outcome case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Widdowson

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Hermeneutic Single-Case EfficacyDesign (HSCED is a systematic case study research method involving the cross-examination of mixed method data to generate both plausible arguments that the client changed due to therapy and alternative explanations. The present study is the fourth article of a case series which has investigated the process and outcome of transactional analysis psychotherapy using Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design (Elliott 2002. The client, Linda, was a 45 yearold white British woman with mild depression who attended nine sessions of therapy. The conclusion of the judges was that this was a mixed-outcome case:whilst the client improved over the course of therapy and was positive about her experience of therapy, her changes did not last when she experienced considerable stressful events during follow-up. Linda provided a detailed and idiosyncratic description of the aspects of the therapy which were most helpful for her. A cross-case comparison with other cases in this series suggests several interesting features which are worthy of further investigation. Specifically, the use of a shared theoretical framework and an egalitarian therapeutic relationship were helpful. As with other cases in this series, the client experienced positive changes in her interpersonal relationships suggesting that this outcome of TA therapy warrants further investigation

Double-strand breaks in genome-sized DNA caused by mechanical stress under mixing: Quantitative evaluation through single-molecule observation

Science.gov (United States)

Kikuchi, Hayato; Nose, Keiji; Yoshikawa, Yuko; Yoshikawa, Kenichi

2018-06-01

It is becoming increasingly apparent that changes in the higher-order structure of genome-sized DNA molecules of more than several tens kbp play important roles in the self-control of genome activity in living cells. Unfortunately, it has been rather difficult to prepare genome-sized DNA molecules without damage or fragmentation. Here, we evaluated the degree of double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by mechanical mixing by single-molecule observation with fluorescence microscopy. The results show that DNA breaks are most significant for the first second after the initiation of mechanical agitation. Based on such observation, we propose a novel mixing procedure to significantly decrease DSBs.

A general method to determine sampling windows for nonlinear mixed effects models with an application to population pharmacokinetic studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Foo, Lee Kien; McGree, James; Duffull, Stephen

2012-01-01

Optimal design methods have been proposed to determine the best sampling times when sparse blood sampling is required in clinical pharmacokinetic studies. However, the optimal blood sampling time points may not be feasible in clinical practice. Sampling windows, a time interval for blood sample collection, have been proposed to provide flexibility in blood sampling times while preserving efficient parameter estimation. Because of the complexity of the population pharmacokinetic models, which are generally nonlinear mixed effects models, there is no analytical solution available to determine sampling windows. We propose a method for determination of sampling windows based on MCMC sampling techniques. The proposed method attains a stationary distribution rapidly and provides time-sensitive windows around the optimal design points. The proposed method is applicable to determine sampling windows for any nonlinear mixed effects model although our work focuses on an application to population pharmacokinetic models. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-03-01

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

Demixed principal component analysis of neural population data.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobak, Dmitry; Brendel, Wieland; Constantinidis, Christos; Feierstein, Claudia E; Kepecs, Adam; Mainen, Zachary F; Qi, Xue-Lian; Romo, Ranulfo; Uchida, Naoshige; Machens, Christian K

2016-04-12

Neurons in higher cortical areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, are often tuned to a variety of sensory and motor variables, and are therefore said to display mixed selectivity. This complexity of single neuron responses can obscure what information these areas represent and how it is represented. Here we demonstrate the advantages of a new dimensionality reduction technique, demixed principal component analysis (dPCA), that decomposes population activity into a few components. In addition to systematically capturing the majority of the variance of the data, dPCA also exposes the dependence of the neural representation on task parameters such as stimuli, decisions, or rewards. To illustrate our method we reanalyze population data from four datasets comprising different species, different cortical areas and different experimental tasks. In each case, dPCA provides a concise way of visualizing the data that summarizes the task-dependent features of the population response in a single figure.

Flapping model of scalar mixing in turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerstein, A.R.

1991-01-01

Motivated by the fluctuating plume model of turbulent mixing downstream of a point source, a flapping model is formulated for application to other configurations. For the scalar mixing layer, simple expressions for single-point scalar fluctuation statistics are obtained that agree with measurements. For a spatially homogeneous scalar mixing field, the family of probability density functions previously derived using mapping closure is reproduced. It is inferred that single-point scalar statistics may depend primarily on large-scale flapping motions in many cases of interest, and thus that multipoint statistics may be the principal indicators of finer-scale mixing effects

Rhizospheric salt tolerant bacteria improving plant growth in single and mixed culture inoculations under NaCl stress (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afrasayab, S.; Hasnain, S.

2005-01-01

Salt tolerant bacterial strains isolated from rhizosphere of Mazus plant (inhabitant of salt range) were used singly (ST -1; ST -2; ST -3; ST -4) and in mixed combinations (ST -1,3,4; ST -2,3,4) to improve the growth to Tricticum aestivum in the pot experiments. Growth and yield of T. aestivum var. Inqlab-91 plants exposed to NaCl stress (0.75% NaCl) was markedly affected. Na/sup +//K/sup +/ ratios in shoots and roots were profoundly increased under NaCl stress. Bacterial inoculations improved plant growth under salt stress. Bacterial combinations ST - 1,3,4 and ST -2,3,4 were more effective in stimulating growth and showed prominent results as compared to their pure cultures. Mono and mixed bacterial inoculations improved yield parameters of wheat. ST -1,3,4 mixed culture inoculation maximally improved yield under salt stress. Generally bacterial inoculations resulted in increase in Na/sup +//K/sup +/ ratios in shoots and roots under salt free and salt stress conditions. Overall ST -1,3,4 mixed inoculation yielded promising results under NaCl stress, hence 168 rRNA gene sequence analysis of its pure cultures was obtained for their identification to genus level. (author)

Teachers' implementation of gender-inclusive instructional strategies in single-sex and mixed-sex science classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Lesley H.; Rennie, Léonie J.

2002-09-01

Debate continues over the benefits, or otherwise, of single-sex classes in science and mathematics, particularly for the performance of girls. Previous research and analyses of the circumstances surrounding the implementation of single-sex classes warn that the success of the strategy requires due consideration of the nature of the instructional environment for both boys and girls, together with appropriate support for the teachers involved. This article reports the circumstances under which teachers were able to implement gender-inclusive strategies in single-sex science classes in coeducational high schools and documents some of the difficulties faced. The study was part of the Single-Sex Education Pilot Project (SSEPP) in ten high schools in rural and urban Western Australia. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered during the project from teachers, students and classroom observations. Overall, it was apparent that single-sex grouping created environments in which teachers could implement gender-inclusive science instructional strategies more readily and effectively than in mixed-sex settings. Teachers were able to address some of the apparent shortcomings of the students' previous education (specifically, the poor written and oral communication of boys and the limited experience of girls with 'hands-on' activities and open-ended problem solving). Further, in same-sex classrooms, sexual harassment which inhibited girls' learning was eliminated. The extent to which teachers were successful in implementing gender-inclusive instructional strategies, however, depended upon their prior commitment to the SSEPP as a whole, and upon the support or obstacles encountered from a variety of sources, including parents, the community, students, and non-SSEPP teachers.

Genotyping of single spore isolates of a Pasteuria penetrans population occurring in Florida using SNP-based markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, S; Schmidt, L M; Danquah, W B; Timper, P; Mekete, T

2017-02-01

To generate single spore lines of a population of bacterial parasite of root-knot nematode (RKN), Pasteuria penetrans, isolated from Florida and examine genotypic variation and virulence characteristics exist within the population. Six single spore lines (SSP), 16SSP, 17SSP, 18SSP, 25SSP, 26SSP and 30SSP were generated. Genetic variability was evaluated by comparing single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six protein-coding genes and the 16S rRNA gene. An average of one SNP was observed for every 69 bp in the 16S rRNA, whereas no SNPs were observed in the protein-coding sequences. Hierarchical cluster analysis of 16S rRNA sequences placed the clones into three distinct clades. Bio-efficacy analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in the level virulence and host specificity between the individual clones. The SNP markers developed to the 5' hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene may be useful in biotype differentiation within a population of P. penetrans. This study demonstrates an efficient method for generating single spore lines of P. penetrans and gives a deep insight into genetic heterogeneity and varying level of virulence exists within a population parasitizing a specific Meloidogyne sp. host. The results also suggest that the application of generalist spore lines in nematode management may achieve broad RKN control. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Single Cell Dynamics Causes Pareto-Like Effect in Stimulated T Cell Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cosette, Jérémie; Moussy, Alice; Onodi, Fanny; Auffret-Cariou, Adrien; Neildez-Nguyen, Thi My Anh; Paldi, Andras; Stockholm, Daniel

2015-12-09

Cell fate choice during the process of differentiation may obey to deterministic or stochastic rules. In order to discriminate between these two strategies we used time-lapse microscopy of individual murine CD4 + T cells that allows investigating the dynamics of proliferation and fate commitment. We observed highly heterogeneous division and death rates between individual clones resulting in a Pareto-like dominance of a few clones at the end of the experiment. Commitment to the Treg fate was monitored using the expression of a GFP reporter gene under the control of the endogenous Foxp3 promoter. All possible combinations of proliferation and differentiation were observed and resulted in exclusively GFP-, GFP+ or mixed phenotype clones of very different population sizes. We simulated the process of proliferation and differentiation using a simple mathematical model of stochastic decision-making based on the experimentally observed parameters. The simulations show that a stochastic scenario is fully compatible with the observed Pareto-like imbalance in the final population.

Single-phase cross-mixing measurements in a 4 x 4 rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yloenen, Arto; Bissels, Wilhelm-Martin; Prasser, Horst-Michael

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The wire-mesh sensor technique has been successfully introduced into a fuel rod bundle geometry. → Quantitative information on the turbulent dispersion of the fluid was obtained. → In full spatial and temporal resolution, the data is interesting for the unsteady CFD validation. - Abstract: The wire-mesh sensor technique has been successfully introduced into a fuel rod bundle geometry for the first time. In this context, a dedicated test facility (SUBFLOW) has been designed and constructed at Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in a co-operation with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zuerich). Two wire-mesh sensors designed and built in-house were installed in the upper part of the vertical test section of SUBFLOW, and single-phase experiments on the turbulent mass exchange between neighboring sub-channels were performed. For this purpose, salt tracer was injected locally in one of the sub-channels and conductivity distributions in the bundle measured by the wire-mesh sensor. Both flow rate and distance from the injection point were varied. The latter was achieved by using injection nozzles at different heights. In this way, the sensor located in the upper part of the channel could be used to characterize the progress of the mixing along the flow direction, and the degree of cross-mixing assessed using the quantity of tracer arriving in the neighboring sub-channels. Fluctuations of the tracer concentration in time were used for statistical evaluations, such as the calculation of standard deviations and two-point correlations.

Distinguishing the opponents promotes cooperation in well-mixed populations

Science.gov (United States)

Wardil, Lucas; da Silva, Jafferson K. L.

2010-03-01

Cooperation has been widely studied when an individual strategy is adopted against all coplayers. In this context, some extra mechanisms, such as punishment, reward, memory, and network reciprocity must be introduced in order to keep cooperators alive. Here, we adopt a different point of view. We study the adoption of different strategies against different opponents instead of adoption of the same strategy against all of them. In the context of the prisoner dilemma, we consider an evolutionary process in which strategies that provide more benefits are imitated and the players replace the strategy used in one of the interactions furnishing the worst payoff. Individuals are set in a well-mixed population, so that network reciprocity effect is excluded and both synchronous and asynchronous updates are analyzed. As a consequence of the replacement rule, we show that mutual cooperation is never destroyed and the initial fraction of mutual cooperation is a lower bound for the level of cooperation. We show by simulation and mean-field analysis that (i) cooperation dominates for synchronous update and (ii) only the initial mutual cooperation is maintained for asynchronous update. As a side effect of the replacement rule, an “implicit punishment” mechanism comes up in a way that exploitations are always neutralized providing evolutionary stability for cooperation.

Monoclonal antibody fragment removal mediated by mixed mode resins.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Ellen; Aspelund, Matthew; Bartnik, Frank; Berge, Mark; Coughlin, Kelly; Kambarami, Mutsa; Spencer, David; Yan, Huiming; Wang, William

2017-05-26

Efforts to increase monoclonal antibody expression in cell culture can result in the presence of fragmented species requiring removal in downstream processing. Capto adhere, HEA Hypercel, and PPA Hypercel anion exchange/hydrophobic interaction mixed mode resins were evaluated for their fragment removal capabilities and found to separate large hinge IgG1 antibody fragment (LHF) from monomer. Removal of greater than 75% of LHF population occurred at pH 8 and low conductivity. The mechanism of fragment removal was investigated in two series of experiments. The first experimental series consisted of comparison to chromatographic behavior on corresponding single mode resins. Both single mode anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction resins failed to separate LHF. The second experimental series studied the impact of phase modifiers, ethylene glycol, urea, and arginine on the mixed mode mediated removal. The addition of ethylene glycol decreased LHF removal by half. Further decreases in LHF separation were seen upon incubation with urea and arginine. Therefore, it was discovered that the purification is the result of a mixed mode phenomena dominated by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding effects. The site of interaction between the LHF and mixed mode resin was determined by chemical labeling of lysine residues with sulfo-NHS acetate. The labeling identified the antibody hinge and light chain regions as mediating the fragment separation. Sequence analysis showed that under separation conditions, a hydrophobic proline patch and hydrogen bonding serine and threonine residues mediate the hinge interaction with the Capto adhere ligand. Additionally, a case study is presented detailing the optimization of fragment removal using Capto adhere resin to achieve purity and yield targets in a manufacturing facility. This study demonstrated that mixed mode resins can be readily integrated into commercial antibody platform processes when additional chromatographic abilities

Ventricular assist device use in single ventricle congenital heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlo, Waldemar F; Villa, Chet R; Lal, Ashwin K; Morales, David L

2017-11-01

As VAD have become an effective therapy for end-stage heart failure, their application in congenital heart disease has increased. Single ventricle congenital heart disease introduces unique physiologic challenges for VAD use. However, with regard to the mixed clinical results presented within this review, we suggest that patient selection, timing of implant, and center experience are all important contributors to outcome. This review focuses on the published experience of VAD use in single ventricle patients and details physiologic challenges and novel approaches in this growing pediatric and adult population. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Metrics to quantify the importance of mixing state for CCN activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Ching

2017-06-01

Full Text Available It is commonly assumed that models are more prone to errors in predicted cloud condensation nuclei (CCN concentrations when the aerosol populations are externally mixed. In this work we investigate this assumption by using the mixing state index (χ proposed by Riemer and West (2013 to quantify the degree of external and internal mixing of aerosol populations. We combine this metric with particle-resolved model simulations to quantify error in CCN predictions when mixing state information is neglected, exploring a range of scenarios that cover different conditions of aerosol aging. We show that mixing state information does indeed become unimportant for more internally mixed populations, more precisely for populations with χ larger than 75 %. For more externally mixed populations (χ below 20 % the relationship of χ and the error in CCN predictions is not unique and ranges from lower than −40 % to about 150 %, depending on the underlying aerosol population and the environmental supersaturation. We explain the reasons for this behavior with detailed process analyses.

Ab Initio Modeling of Structure and Properties of Single and Mixed Alkali Silicate Glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Baral, Khagendra; Li, Aize; Ching, Wai-Yim

2017-10-12

A density functional theory (DFT)-based ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) has been applied to simulate models of single and mixed alkali silicate glasses with two different molar concentrations of alkali oxides. The structural environments and spatial distributions of alkali ions in the 10 simulated models with 20% and 30% of Li, Na, K and equal proportions of Li-Na and Na-K are studied in detail for subtle variations among the models. Quantum mechanical calculations of electronic structures, interatomic bonding, and mechanical and optical properties are carried out for each of the models, and the results are compared with available experimental observation and other simulations. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data. We have used the novel concept of using the total bond order density (TBOD), a quantum mechanical metric, to characterize internal cohesion in these glass models. The mixed alkali effect (MAE) is visible in the bulk mechanical properties but not obvious in other physical properties studied in this paper. We show that Li doping deviates from expected trend due to the much stronger Li-O bonding than those of Na and K doping. The approach used in this study is in contrast with current studies in alkali-doped silicate glasses based only on geometric characterizations.

Electrical detection and quantification of single and mixed DNA nucleotides in suspension

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Mahmoud Al; Panicker, Neena G.; Rizvi, Tahir A.; Mustafa, Farah

2016-09-01

High speed sequential identification of the building blocks of DNA, (deoxyribonucleotides or nucleotides for short) without labeling or processing in long reads of DNA is the need of the hour. This can be accomplished through exploiting their unique electrical properties. In this study, the four different types of nucleotides that constitute a DNA molecule were suspended in a buffer followed by performing several types of electrical measurements. These electrical parameters were then used to quantify the suspended DNA nucleotides. Thus, we present a purely electrical counting scheme based on the semiconductor theory that allows one to determine the number of nucleotides in a solution by measuring their capacitance-voltage dependency. The nucleotide count was observed to be similar to the multiplication of the corresponding dopant concentration and debye volume after de-embedding the buffer contribution. The presented approach allows for a fast and label-free quantification of single and mixed nucleotides in a solution.

The population of single and binary white dwarfs of the Galactic bulge

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, S.; García-Berro, E.; Cojocaru, R.; Calamida, A.

2018-05-01

Recent Hubble Space Telescope observations have unveiled the white dwarf cooling sequence of the Galactic bulge. Although the degenerate sequence can be well fitted employing the most up-to-date theoretical cooling sequences, observations show a systematic excess of red objects that cannot be explained by the theoretical models of single carbon-oxygen white dwarfs of the appropriate masses. Here, we present a population synthesis study of the white dwarf cooling sequence of the Galactic bulge that takes into account the populations of both single white dwarfs and binary systems containing at least one white dwarf. These calculations incorporate state-of-the-art cooling sequences for white dwarfs with hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient atmospheres, for both white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen and helium cores, and also take into account detailed prescriptions of the evolutionary history of binary systems. Our Monte Carlo simulator also incorporates all the known observational biases. This allows us to model with a high degree of realism the white dwarf population of the Galactic bulge. We find that the observed excess of red stars can be partially attributed to white dwarf plus main sequence binaries, and to cataclysmic variables or dwarf novae. Our best fit is obtained with a higher binary fraction and an initial mass function slope steeper than standard values, as well as with the inclusion of differential reddening and blending. Our results also show that the possible contribution of double degenerate systems or young and thick-discbulge stars is negligible.

Writing a Mixed Methods Report in Social Work Research

Science.gov (United States)

Bronstein, Laura R.; Kovacs, Pamela J.

2013-01-01

This article briefly chronicles the development of mixed methods research and its use in social work. We then move onto a discussion of terms and designs, reasons for (and for not) using mixed methods. Drawing upon exemplars, we address how to write up a mixed methods study when (1) the sample is single; single for one part, with a subset for the…

A detailed aerosol mixing state model for investigating interactions between mixing state, semivolatile partitioning, and coagulation

OpenAIRE

J. Lu; F. M. Bowman

2010-01-01

A new method for describing externally mixed particles, the Detailed Aerosol Mixing State (DAMS) representation, is presented in this study. This novel method classifies aerosols by both composition and size, using a user-specified mixing criterion to define boundaries between compositional populations. Interactions between aerosol mixing state, semivolatile partitioning, and coagulation are investigated with a Lagrangian box model that incorporates the DAMS approach. Model results predict th...

Reactivity to patch tests with nickel sulfate and fragrance mix in infants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jøhnke, H; Norberg, L A; Vach, W

2004-01-01

sulfate in 3 concentrations, 200, 66 and 22 microg/cm(2), and fragrance mix 430 microg/cm(2) were used. A likely case of nickel sensitivity was defined as a reproducible positive reaction with at least homogeneous erythema and palpable infiltration occurring at least 2x and present at both the 12 and 18......The pattern of patch test reactivity to nickel sulfate and fragrance mix was studied with respect to patch test performance, reproducibility and clinical relevance in a population of unselected infants followed prospectively from birth to 18 months of age. TRUE Testtrade mark patches with nickel...... sensitivity was found in only 1 child. No reproducible positive reaction to fragrance mix was found. The high proportion of transient patch test reactivity to nickel sulfate 200 microg/cm(2) indicates that this standard concentration used for adults cannot be applied to infants. The interpretation of a single...

Lack of Population Structure and Mixed Reproduction Modes in Exserohilum turcicum from South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Human, Maria Petronella; Barnes, Irene; Craven, Maryke; Crampton, Bridget Genevieve

2016-11-01

Exserohilum turcicum is the causal agent of northern corn leaf blight, a destructive foliar disease of maize that results in yield losses worldwide. In South Africa, typical yield losses range from 15 to 30%. Previous studies found high haplotypic diversity with evidence for sexual recombination in E. turcicum populations from tropical climates such as Kenya. However, the population genetic structure and method of reproduction of E. turcicum in South Africa is unknown and, therefore, was investigated. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite markers were screened on 258 E. turcicum isolates from maize collected during 2012 and 2013 from three maize fields in South Africa. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay amplifying both mating type idiomorphs was applied to investigate the distribution of mating types. No distinct genetic clusters were observed. Shared haplotypes were identified between isolates separated by distances of up to 762 km, which provided evidence of migration. High haplotypic diversity indicated that sexual reproduction is occurring among E. turcicum isolates, although mating type ratios and linkage disequilibrium analyses did not support the hypothesis of random mating. The population genetic structure of E. turcicum in South Africa is likely due to the direct movement and spread of isolates undergoing a mixed reproductive lifecycle.

Production of L-lactic acid from Cassava peel wastes using single and mixed cultures of Rhizopus oligosporus and Lactobacillus plantarum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nwokoro Ogbonnaya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Production of L-lactic acid using cultures of Rhizopus oligosporus and Lactobacillus plantarum was investigated. Cassava peels were hydrolyzed by boiling for 1 h in either NaOH or HCl solutions followed by neutralization to a pH of 6.2. Reducing sugar produced from the hydrolysates increased with increasing concentrations of alkali or acid. Samples hydrolyzed with HCl produced a maximum reducing sugar concentration of 402 mg/g substrate while alkali hydrolyzed samples produced a maximum reducing sugar concentration of 213 mg/g substrate. Hydrolysates were amended with 0.5% ammonium sulphate solution and inoculated with either single or mixed cultures of Rhizopus oligosporus and Lactobacillus plantarum and incubated for 48 h for lactic acid production. The best lactic acid production of 50.2 g/100g substrate was observed in a mixed culture fermentation of acid hydrolyzed peels. Mixed culture fermentation of alkali hydrolyzed peels produced a maximum lactic acid concentration of 36.4 g/100g substrate. Un hydrolyzed cassava peels inoculated with a mixed culture of the microorganisms produced only 4.6 g/100g substrate. This work reports an efficient use of cassava peels for bio-product formation through microbial fermentation.

Single-implant overdentures retained by the Novaloc attachment system: study protocol for a mixed-methods randomized cross-over trial.

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza, Raphael F; Bedos, Christophe; Esfandiari, Shahrokh; Makhoul, Nicholas M; Dagdeviren, Didem; Abi Nader, Samer; Jabbar, Areej A; Feine, Jocelyne S

2018-04-23

Overdentures retained by a single implant in the midline have arisen as a minimal implant treatment for edentulous mandibles. The success of this treatment depends on the performance of a single stud attachment that is susceptible to wear-related retention loss. Recently developed biomaterials used in attachments may result in better performance of the overdentures, offering minimal retention loss and greater patient satisfaction. These biomaterials include resistant polymeric matrixes and amorphous diamond-like carbon applied on metallic components. The objective of this explanatory mixed-methods study is to compare Novaloc, a novel attachment system with such characteristics, to a traditional alternative for single implants in the mandible of edentate elderly patients. We will carry out a randomized cross-over clinical trial comparing Novaloc attachments to Locators for single-implant mandibular overdentures in edentate elderly individuals. Participants will be followed for three months with each attachment type; patient-based, clinical, and economic outcomes will be gathered. A sample of 26 participants is estimated to be required to detect clinically relevant differences in terms of the primary outcome (patient ratings of general satisfaction). Participants will choose which attachment they wish to keep, then be interviewed about their experiences and preferences with a single implant prosthesis and with the two attachments. Data from the quantitative and qualitative assessments will be integrated through a mixed-methods explanatory strategy. A last quantitative assessment will take place after 12 months with the preferred attachment; this latter assessment will enable measurement of the attachments' long-term wear and maintenance requirements. Our results will lead to evidence-based recommendations regarding these systems, guiding providers and patients when making decisions on which attachment systems and implant numbers will be most appropriate for

Investigation of cross talk in single grain luminescence measurements using an EMCCD camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gribenski, Natacha; Preusser, Frank; Greilich, Steffen; Huot, Sebastien; Mittelstraß, Dirk

2015-01-01

Highly sensitive electron multiplying charges coupled devices (EMCCD) enable the spatial detection of luminescence emissions from samples and have a high potential in single grain luminescence dating. However, the main challenge of this approach is the potential effect of cross talk, i.e. the influence of signal emitted by neighbouring grains, which will bias the information recorded from individual grains. Here, we present the first investigations into this phenomenon when performing single grain luminescence measurements of quartz grains spread over the flat surface of a sample carrier. Dose recovery tests using mixed populations show an important effect of cross talk, even when some distance is kept between grains. This issue is further investigated by focusing just on two grains and complemented by simulated experiments. Creation of an additional rejection criteria based on the brightness properties of the grains is inefficient in selecting grains unaffected by their surroundings. Therefore, the use of physical approaches or image processing algorithms to directly counteract cross talk is essential to allow routine single grain luminescence dating using EMCCD cameras. - Highlights: • We have performed single grain OSL measurements using an EMCCD detector. • Individual equivalent dose cannot be accurately recovered from a mixed dose population. • Grains are influenced by signal emitted by their neighbours during the measurements. • Simulated data confirm the strong effect of this phenomenon. • Increasing the distance between grains or applying brightness criteria are inefficient.

Bet-hedging in bacteriocin producing Escherichia coli populations: the single cell perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Bayramoglu, Bihter; Toubiana, David; van Vliet, Simon; Inglis, R. Fredrik; Shnerb, Nadav; Gillor, Osnat

2017-02-01

Production of public goods in biological systems is often a collaborative effort that may be detrimental to the producers. It is therefore sustainable only if a small fraction of the population shoulders the cost while the majority reap the benefits. We modelled this scenario using Escherichia coli populations producing colicins, an antibiotic that kills producer cells’ close relatives. Colicin expression is a costly trait, and it has been proposed that only a small fraction of the population actively expresses the antibiotic. Colicinogenic populations were followed at the single-cell level using time-lapse microscopy, and showed two distinct, albeit dynamic, subpopulations: the majority silenced colicin expression, while a small fraction of elongated, slow-growing cells formed colicin-expressing hotspots, placing a significant burden on expressers. Moreover, monitoring lineages of individual colicinogenic cells showed stochastic switching between expressers and non-expressers. Hence, colicin expressers may be engaged in risk-reducing strategies—or bet-hedging—as they balance the cost of colicin production with the need to repel competitors. To test the bet-hedging strategy in colicin-mediated interactions, competitions between colicin-sensitive and producer cells were simulated using a numerical model, demonstrating a finely balanced expression range that is essential to sustaining the colicinogenic population.

Mixed Reality Systems

OpenAIRE

Dieter Müller

2009-01-01

Currently one of the most challenging aspects of human computer interaction design is the integration of physical and digital worlds in a single environment. This fusion involves the development of "Mixed Reality Systems”, including various technologies from the domains of augmented and virtual reality. In this paper I will present related concepts and discuss lessons learned from our own research and prototype development. Our recent work involves the use of mixed reality (as opposed to ‘pur...

Thermal properties of the mixed spin-1 and spin-3/2 Ising ferrimagnetic system with two different random single-ion anisotropies

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, J. R. V.; Tunes, T. M.; de Arruda, A. S.; Godoy, M.

2018-06-01

In this work, we have performed Monte Carlo simulations to study a mixed spin-1 and spin-3/2 Ising ferrimagnetic system on a square lattice with two different random single-ion anisotropies. This lattice is divided in two interpenetrating sublattices with spins SA = 1 in the sublattice A and SB = 3 / 2 in the sublattice B. The exchange interaction between the spins on the sublattices is antiferromagnetic (J single-ion anisotropies, DiA and DjB , on the sublattices A and B, respectively. We have determined the phase diagram of the model in the critical temperature Tc versus strength of the random single-ion anisotropy D plane and we shown that it exhibits only second-order phase transition lines. We also shown that this system displays compensation temperatures for some cases of the random single-ion distribution.

9 CFR 114.6 - Mixing biological products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mixing biological products. 114.6... BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS § 114.6 Mixing biological products. Each biological product, when in liquid form, shall be mixed thoroughly in a single container. During bottling operations, the product shall be...

WKB theory of large deviations in stochastic populations

Science.gov (United States)

Assaf, Michael; Meerson, Baruch

2017-06-01

Stochasticity can play an important role in the dynamics of biologically relevant populations. These span a broad range of scales: from intra-cellular populations of molecules to population of cells and then to groups of plants, animals and people. Large deviations in stochastic population dynamics—such as those determining population extinction, fixation or switching between different states—are presently in a focus of attention of statistical physicists. We review recent progress in applying different variants of dissipative WKB approximation (after Wentzel, Kramers and Brillouin) to this class of problems. The WKB approximation allows one to evaluate the mean time and/or probability of population extinction, fixation and switches resulting from either intrinsic (demographic) noise, or a combination of the demographic noise and environmental variations, deterministic or random. We mostly cover well-mixed populations, single and multiple, but also briefly consider populations on heterogeneous networks and spatial populations. The spatial setting also allows one to study large fluctuations of the speed of biological invasions. Finally, we briefly discuss possible directions of future work.

WKB theory of large deviations in stochastic populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assaf, Michael; Meerson, Baruch

2017-01-01

Stochasticity can play an important role in the dynamics of biologically relevant populations. These span a broad range of scales: from intra-cellular populations of molecules to population of cells and then to groups of plants, animals and people. Large deviations in stochastic population dynamics—such as those determining population extinction, fixation or switching between different states—are presently in a focus of attention of statistical physicists. We review recent progress in applying different variants of dissipative WKB approximation (after Wentzel, Kramers and Brillouin) to this class of problems. The WKB approximation allows one to evaluate the mean time and/or probability of population extinction, fixation and switches resulting from either intrinsic (demographic) noise, or a combination of the demographic noise and environmental variations, deterministic or random. We mostly cover well-mixed populations, single and multiple, but also briefly consider populations on heterogeneous networks and spatial populations. The spatial setting also allows one to study large fluctuations of the speed of biological invasions. Finally, we briefly discuss possible directions of future work. (topical review)

Using Matrix and Tensor Factorizations for the Single-Trial Analysis of Population Spike Trains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arno Onken

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Advances in neuronal recording techniques are leading to ever larger numbers of simultaneously monitored neurons. This poses the important analytical challenge of how to capture compactly all sensory information that neural population codes carry in their spatial dimension (differences in stimulus tuning across neurons at different locations, in their temporal dimension (temporal neural response variations, or in their combination (temporally coordinated neural population firing. Here we investigate the utility of tensor factorizations of population spike trains along space and time. These factorizations decompose a dataset of single-trial population spike trains into spatial firing patterns (combinations of neurons firing together, temporal firing patterns (temporal activation of these groups of neurons and trial-dependent activation coefficients (strength of recruitment of such neural patterns on each trial. We validated various factorization methods on simulated data and on populations of ganglion cells simultaneously recorded in the salamander retina. We found that single-trial tensor space-by-time decompositions provided low-dimensional data-robust representations of spike trains that capture efficiently both their spatial and temporal information about sensory stimuli. Tensor decompositions with orthogonality constraints were the most efficient in extracting sensory information, whereas non-negative tensor decompositions worked well even on non-independent and overlapping spike patterns, and retrieved informative firing patterns expressed by the same population in response to novel stimuli. Our method showed that populations of retinal ganglion cells carried information in their spike timing on the ten-milliseconds-scale about spatial details of natural images. This information could not be recovered from the spike counts of these cells. First-spike latencies carried the majority of information provided by the whole spike train about fine

Mixed methods for telehealth research.

Science.gov (United States)

Caffery, Liam J; Martin-Khan, Melinda; Wade, Victoria

2017-10-01

Mixed methods research is important to health services research because the integrated qualitative and quantitative investigation can give a more comprehensive understanding of complex interventions such as telehealth than can a single-method study. Further, mixed methods research is applicable to translational research and program evaluation. Study designs relevant to telehealth research are described and supported by examples. Quality assessment tools, frameworks to assist in the reporting and review of mixed methods research, and related methodologies are also discussed.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms for assessing genetic diversity in castor bean (Ricinus communis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabinowicz Pablo D

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Castor bean (Ricinus communis is an agricultural crop and garden ornamental that is widely cultivated and has been introduced worldwide. Understanding population structure and the distribution of castor bean cultivars has been challenging because of limited genetic variability. We analyzed the population genetics of R. communis in a worldwide collection of plants from germplasm and from naturalized populations in Florida, U.S. To assess genetic diversity we conducted survey sequencing of the genomes of seven diverse cultivars and compared the data to a reference genome assembly of a widespread cultivar (Hale. We determined the population genetic structure of 676 samples using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs at 48 loci. Results Bayesian clustering indicated five main groups worldwide and a repeated pattern of mixed genotypes in most countries. High levels of population differentiation occurred between most populations but this structure was not geographically based. Most molecular variance occurred within populations (74% followed by 22% among populations, and 4% among continents. Samples from naturalized populations in Florida indicated significant population structuring consistent with local demes. There was significant population differentiation for 56 of 78 comparisons in Florida (pairwise population ϕPT values, p Conclusion Low levels of genetic diversity and mixing of genotypes have led to minimal geographic structuring of castor bean populations worldwide. Relatively few lineages occur and these are widely distributed. Our approach of determining population genetic structure using SNPs from genome-wide comparisons constitutes a framework for high-throughput analyses of genetic diversity in plants, particularly in species with limited genetic diversity.

Impact of growth conditions and role of sigB on Listeria monocytogenes fitness in single and mixed biofilms cultured with Lactobacillus plantarum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saa Ibusquiza, P.; Nierop Groot, M.N.; Deban Valles, A.; Abee, T.; Besten, den H.M.W.

2015-01-01

The role of sigB, a major transcriptional regulator of stress response genes, was assessed in formation of single and mixed species biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e and Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 as secondary species at 20 °C and 30 °C using different medium compositions (nutrient-rich

Mixed quantization dimensions of self-similar measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Meifeng; Wang Xiaoli; Chen Dandan

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We define the mixed quantization dimension of finitely many measures. ► Formula of mixed quantization dimensions of self-similar measures is given. ► Illustrate the behavior of mixed quantization dimension as a function of order. - Abstract: Classical multifractal analysis studies the local scaling behaviors of a single measure. However recently mixed multifractal has generated interest. The purpose of this paper is some results about the mixed quantization dimensions of self-similar measures.

Differing effects of attention in single-units and populations are well predicted by heterogeneous tuning and the normalization model of attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Yuko; Pestilli, Franco; Gardner, Justin L

2014-01-01

Single-unit measurements have reported many different effects of attention on contrast-response (e.g., contrast-gain, response-gain, additive-offset dependent on visibility), while functional imaging measurements have more uniformly reported increases in response across all contrasts (additive-offset). The normalization model of attention elegantly predicts the diversity of effects of attention reported in single-units well-tuned to the stimulus, but what predictions does it make for more realistic populations of neurons with heterogeneous tuning? Are predictions in accordance with population-scale measurements? We used functional imaging data from humans to determine a realistic ratio of attention-field to stimulus-drive size (a key parameter for the model) and predicted effects of attention in a population of model neurons with heterogeneous tuning. We found that within the population, neurons well-tuned to the stimulus showed a response-gain effect, while less-well-tuned neurons showed a contrast-gain effect. Averaged across the population, these disparate effects of attention gave rise to additive-offsets in contrast-response, similar to reports in human functional imaging as well as population averages of single-units. Differences in predictions for single-units and populations were observed across a wide range of model parameters (ratios of attention-field to stimulus-drive size and the amount of baseline response modifiable by attention), offering an explanation for disparity in physiological reports. Thus, by accounting for heterogeneity in tuning of realistic neuronal populations, the normalization model of attention can not only predict responses of well-tuned neurons, but also the activity of large populations of neurons. More generally, computational models can unify physiological findings across different scales of measurement, and make links to behavior, but only if factors such as heterogeneous tuning within a population are properly accounted for.

Unidirectional ring-laser operation using sum-frequency mixing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Cheng, Haynes Pak Hay; Pedersen, Christian

2010-01-01

A technique enforcing unidirectional operation of ring lasers is proposed and demonstrated. The approach relies on sum-frequency mixing between a single-pass laser and one of the two counterpropagating intracavity fields of the ring laser. Sum-frequency mixing introduces a parametric loss for the...... where lossless second-order nonlinear materials are available. Numerical modeling and experimental demonstration of parametric-induced unidirectional operation of a diode-pumped solid-state 1342 nm cw ring laser are presented.......A technique enforcing unidirectional operation of ring lasers is proposed and demonstrated. The approach relies on sum-frequency mixing between a single-pass laser and one of the two counterpropagating intracavity fields of the ring laser. Sum-frequency mixing introduces a parametric loss...

Numerical modeling of two-phase binary fluid mixing using mixed finite elements

KAUST Repository

Sun, Shuyu

2012-07-27

Diffusion coefficients of dense gases in liquids can be measured by considering two-phase binary nonequilibrium fluid mixing in a closed cell with a fixed volume. This process is based on convection and diffusion in each phase. Numerical simulation of the mixing often requires accurate algorithms. In this paper, we design two efficient numerical methods for simulating the mixing of two-phase binary fluids in one-dimensional, highly permeable media. Mathematical model for isothermal compositional two-phase flow in porous media is established based on Darcy\\'s law, material balance, local thermodynamic equilibrium for the phases, and diffusion across the phases. The time-lag and operator-splitting techniques are used to decompose each convection-diffusion equation into two steps: diffusion step and convection step. The Mixed finite element (MFE) method is used for diffusion equation because it can achieve a high-order and stable approximation of both the scalar variable and the diffusive fluxes across grid-cell interfaces. We employ the characteristic finite element method with moving mesh to track the liquid-gas interface. Based on the above schemes, we propose two methods: single-domain and two-domain methods. The main difference between two methods is that the two-domain method utilizes the assumption of sharp interface between two fluid phases, while the single-domain method allows fractional saturation level. Two-domain method treats the gas domain and the liquid domain separately. Because liquid-gas interface moves with time, the two-domain method needs work with a moving mesh. On the other hand, the single-domain method allows the use of a fixed mesh. We derive the formulas to compute the diffusive flux for MFE in both methods. The single-domain method is extended to multiple dimensions. Numerical results indicate that both methods can accurately describe the evolution of the pressure and liquid level. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

EFFECTS OF ROTATIONALLY INDUCED MIXING IN COMPACT BINARY SYSTEMS WITH LOW-MASS SECONDARIES AND IN SINGLE SOLAR-TYPE STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatzopoulos, E.; Robinson, Edward L.; Wheeler, J. Craig

2012-01-01

Many population synthesis and stellar evolution studies have addressed the evolution of close binary systems in which the primary is a compact remnant and the secondary is filling its Roche lobe, thus triggering mass transfer. Although tidal locking is expected in such systems, most studies have neglected the rotationally induced mixing that may occur. Here we study the possible effects of mixing in mass-losing stars for a range of secondary star masses and metallicities. We find that tidal locking can induce rotational mixing prior to contact and thus affect the evolution of the secondary star if the effects of the Spruit-Tayler dynamo are included both for angular momentum and chemical transport. Once contact is made, the effect of mass transfer tends to be more rapid than the evolutionary timescale, so the effects of mixing are no longer directly important, but the mass-transfer strips matter to inner layers that may have been affected by the mixing. These effects are enhanced for secondaries of 1-1.2 M ☉ and for lower metallicities. We discuss the possible implications for the paucity of carbon in the secondaries of the cataclysmic variable SS Cyg and the black hole candidate XTE J1118+480 and for the progenitor evolution of Type Ia supernovae. We also address the issue of the origin of blue straggler stars in globular and open clusters. We find that for models that include rotation consistent with that observed for some blue straggler stars, evolution is chemically homogeneous. This leads to tracks in the H-R diagram that are brighter and bluer than the non-rotating main-sequence turn-off point. Rotational mixing could thus be one of the factors that contribute to the formation of blue stragglers.

Relations between the stimulation of mixed lymphocyte populations and the staging system according Rai in patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heilmann, E.; Venne, U.

1979-01-01

By means of the incorporation rate of 3 H thymidine into the lymphocytes of patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia the possibility of stimulating them by using different mitogens was checked and compared with normal persons. The examination covered 11 patients treated with extracorporeal irradiation of the blood (ECIB), 5 patients treated with a chlorambucil therapy, and 10 untreated patients who where classified according to the staging system proposed by Rai. The lymphocytes of the peripheral blood were stimulated as mixed and isolated T and B-lymphocytes in the microculture by using the mitogens PHA, PWM, ConA, and LPS. In all CLL patients there was a diminished stimulation rate of a mixed lymphocyte population. A relation existed between the seriousness of the stage and the deminution of the incorporation rate of 3 H thymidine. A corresponding correlation could not be identified in untreated CLL patients. Isolated T-lymphocytes revealed better results of stimulation than the total population. As to their function B-lymphocytes showed a dependence on the kind of therapy. In the mixed lymphocyte culture of normal persons the best findings could be observed after stimulation with PHA, that is also valid for CLL patients. PHA, PWA, ConA, and LPS were suitable as substances stimulating B-lymphocytes with different efficacy in normal persons and CLL patients. Both collectives showed the best results in the T-lymphocyte culture after stimulation with LPS. (author)

Intercomparison of model simulations of mixed-phase clouds observed during the ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. Part II: Multi-layered cloud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morrison, H; McCoy, R B; Klein, S A; Xie, S; Luo, Y; Avramov, A; Chen, M; Cole, J; Falk, M; Foster, M; Genio, A D; Harrington, J; Hoose, C; Khairoutdinov, M; Larson, V; Liu, X; McFarquhar, G; Poellot, M; Shipway, B; Shupe, M; Sud, Y; Turner, D; Veron, D; Walker, G; Wang, Z; Wolf, A; Xu, K; Yang, F; Zhang, G

2008-02-27

Results are presented from an intercomparison of single-column and cloud-resolving model simulations of a deep, multi-layered, mixed-phase cloud system observed during the ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. This cloud system was associated with strong surface turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes as cold air flowed over the open Arctic Ocean, combined with a low pressure system that supplied moisture at mid-level. The simulations, performed by 13 single-column and 4 cloud-resolving models, generally overestimate the liquid water path and strongly underestimate the ice water path, although there is a large spread among the models. This finding is in contrast with results for the single-layer, low-level mixed-phase stratocumulus case in Part I of this study, as well as previous studies of shallow mixed-phase Arctic clouds, that showed an underprediction of liquid water path. The overestimate of liquid water path and underestimate of ice water path occur primarily when deeper mixed-phase clouds extending into the mid-troposphere were observed. These results suggest important differences in the ability of models to simulate Arctic mixed-phase clouds that are deep and multi-layered versus shallow and single-layered. In general, models with a more sophisticated, two-moment treatment of the cloud microphysics produce a somewhat smaller liquid water path that is closer to observations. The cloud-resolving models tend to produce a larger cloud fraction than the single-column models. The liquid water path and especially the cloud fraction have a large impact on the cloud radiative forcing at the surface, which is dominated by the longwave flux for this case.

Quantitative Single-letter Sequencing: a method for simultaneously monitoring numerous known allelic variants in single DNA samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duborjal Hervé

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pathogens such as fungi, bacteria and especially viruses, are highly variable even within an individual host, intensifying the difficulty of distinguishing and accurately quantifying numerous allelic variants co-existing in a single nucleic acid sample. The majority of currently available techniques are based on real-time PCR or primer extension and often require multiplexing adjustments that impose a practical limitation of the number of alleles that can be monitored simultaneously at a single locus. Results Here, we describe a novel method that allows the simultaneous quantification of numerous allelic variants in a single reaction tube and without multiplexing. Quantitative Single-letter Sequencing (QSS begins with a single PCR amplification step using a pair of primers flanking the polymorphic region of interest. Next, PCR products are submitted to single-letter sequencing with a fluorescently-labelled primer located upstream of the polymorphic region. The resulting monochromatic electropherogram shows numerous specific diagnostic peaks, attributable to specific variants, signifying their presence/absence in the DNA sample. Moreover, peak fluorescence can be quantified and used to estimate the frequency of the corresponding variant in the DNA population. Using engineered allelic markers in the genome of Cauliflower mosaic virus, we reliably monitored six different viral genotypes in DNA extracted from infected plants. Evaluation of the intrinsic variance of this method, as applied to both artificial plasmid DNA mixes and viral genome populations, demonstrates that QSS is a robust and reliable method of detection and quantification for variants with a relative frequency of between 0.05 and 1. Conclusion This simple method is easily transferable to many other biological systems and questions, including those involving high throughput analysis, and can be performed in any laboratory since it does not require specialized

Mixed Reality Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dieter Müller

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Currently one of the most challenging aspects of human computer interaction design is the integration of physical and digital worlds in a single environment. This fusion involves the development of "Mixed Reality Systems”, including various technologies from the domains of augmented and virtual reality. In this paper I will present related concepts and discuss lessons learned from our own research and prototype development. Our recent work involves the use of mixed reality (as opposed to ‘pure’ virtual reality techniques to support seamless collaborative work between remote and hands-on laboratories.

Hydraulic jett mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackerman, J.R.

1989-01-01

Efficient mixing of reactants into a waste stream has always been a problem in that there has been no mixer capable of combining all the elements of enhanced mixing into a single piece of equipment. Through the development of a mixing system for the mining industry to treat acid mine water containing heavy metals, a versatile new hydraulic jetting static mixer has been developed that has no moving parts and a clean bore with no internal components. This paper reports that the main goal of the development of the hydraulic jett mixer was to reduce the size of the tankage required for an acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment plant through development of a static mixing device that could coincidentally aerate the treatment flow. This process equipment being developed would simultaneously adjust the pH and oxidize the metals allowing formation of the hydroxide sludges required for sedimentation and removal of the metals from the treatment stream. In effect, the device eliminates two reaction tanks, the neutralization/mixing tank and the aeration tank

Using mixed methods in health research.

OpenAIRE

Tariq, S.; Woodman, J.

2013-01-01

Mixed methods research is the use of quantitative and qualitative methods in a single study or series of studies. It is an emergent methodology which is increasingly used by health researchers, especially within health services research. There is a growing literature on the theory, design and critical appraisal of mixed methods research. However, there are few papers that summarize this methodological approach for health practitioners who wish to conduct or critically engage with mixed method...

Automatically varying the composition of a mixed refrigerant solution for single mixed refrigerant LNG (liquefied natural gas) process at changing working conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Xiongwen; Liu, Jinping; Cao, Le; Pang, Weiqiang

2014-01-01

The SMR (single mixed refrigerant) process is widely used in the small- and medium-scale liquefaction of NG (natural gas). Operating the MR (mixed-refrigerant) process outside of the design specifications is difficult but essential to save energy. Nevertheless, it is difficult to realize because the process needs to alter the working refrigerant composition. To address this challenge, this study investigated the performance diagnosis mechanism for SMR process. A control strategy was then proposed to control the changes in working refrigerant composition under different working conditions. This strategy separates the working refrigerant flow in the SMR process into three flows through two phase separators before it flows into the cold box. The first liquid flow is rich in the high-temperature component (isopentane). The second liquid flow is rich in the middle-temperature components (ethylene and propane), and the gas flow is rich in the low-temperature components (nitrogen and methane). By adjusting the flow rates, it is easy to decouple the control variables and automate the system. Finally, this approach was validated by process simulation and shown to be highly adaptive and exergy efficient in response to changing working conditions. - Highlights: • The performance diagnosis mechanism of SMR LNG process is studied. • A measure to automatically change the operation composition as per the working conditions is proposed for SMR process. • SMR process simulation is performed to verify the validity of the control solution. • The control solution notably improves the energy efficiency of SMR process at changing working condition

The reverse effects of random perturbation on discrete systems for single and multiple population models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Li; Tang, Sanyi

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The discrete single species and multiple species models with random perturbation are proposed. • The complex dynamics and interesting bifurcation behavior have been investigated. • The reverse effects of random perturbation on discrete systems have been discussed and revealed. • The main results can be applied for pest control and resources management. - Abstract: The natural species are likely to present several interesting and complex phenomena under random perturbations, which have been confirmed by simple mathematical models. The important questions are: how the random perturbations influence the dynamics of the discrete population models with multiple steady states or multiple species interactions? and is there any different effects for single species and multiple species models with random perturbation? To address those interesting questions, we have proposed the discrete single species model with two stable equilibria and the host-parasitoid model with Holling type functional response functions to address how the random perturbation affects the dynamics. The main results indicate that the random perturbation does not change the number of blurred orbits of the single species model with two stable steady states compared with results for the classical Ricker model with same random perturbation, but it can strength the stability. However, extensive numerical investigations depict that the random perturbation does not influence the complexities of the host-parasitoid models compared with the results for the models without perturbation, while it does increase the period of periodic orbits doubly. All those confirm that the random perturbation has a reverse effect on the dynamics of the discrete single and multiple population models, which could be applied in reality including pest control and resources management.

Investigations on mixing phenomena in single-phase flow in a T-junction geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, C.; Simiano, M.; Zboray, R.; Prasser, H.-M.

2009-01-01

The paper deals with T-junction mixing experiments carried out with wire-mesh sensors. The mixing of coolant streams of different temperature in pipe junctions leads to temperature fluctuations that may cause thermal fatigue in the pipe wall. This is practical background for an increased interest in measuring and predicting the transient flow field and the turbulent mixing pattern downstream of a T-junction. Experiments were carried out at a perpendicular connection of two pipes of 51 mm inner diameter. The straight and the side branches were supplied by water of different electrical conductivity, which replaced the temperature in the thermal mixing process. A set of three wire-mesh sensors with a grid of 16 x 16 measuring points each was used to record conductivity distributions downstream of the T-junction. Besides the measurement of profiles of the time averaged mixing scalar over extended measuring domains, the high resolution in time and space of the mesh sensors allow a statistic characterization of the stochastic fluctuations of the mixing scalar in a wide range of frequencies. Information on the scale of turbulent mixing patterns is obtained by cross-correlating the signal fluctuations recorded at different locations within the measuring plane of a sensor

Clinical Experience Using the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability for Identification of Patients at Risk for Aspiration in a Mixed-Disease Population

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Fernandez, Marlis; Sein, Michael T.; Palmer, Jeffrey B.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To determine the clinical performance characteristics of the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) for predicting aspiration (determined by videofluoroscopic swallowing study [VFSS]) in a mixed population. Method: We selected 133 cases clinically evaluated using MASA and VFSS from January through June 2007. Ordinal risk rating…

Mixed Methods and Action Research: similar or different?

OpenAIRE

Wiśniewska, Danuta

2011-01-01

This article attempts to analyse and compare ELT studies grounded solely in mixed methods and ELT action research studies based on a mixed methods approach in order to identify to what degree action research studies combining different methods in a single study comply with the principles of rigorous mixed methods study.

Clonal diversity and population genetic structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus spp.) studied by multilocus genotyping of single spores

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holtgrewe-Stukenbrock, Eva; Rosendahl, Søren

2005-01-01

A nested multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction) approach was used for multilocus genotyping of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal populations. This method allowed us to amplify multiple loci from Glomus single spores in a single PCR amplification. Variable introns in the two protein coding genes Gm......FOX2 and GmTOR2 were applied as codominant genetic markers together with the LSU rDNA.   Genetic structure of Glomus spp. populations from an organically and a conventionally cultured field were compared by hierarchical sampling of spores from four plots in each field. Multilocus genotypes were...

Comparing a single case to a control group - Applying linear mixed effects models to repeated measures data.

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Stefan; Klein, Elise; Moeller, Korbinian; Willmes, Klaus

2015-10-01

In neuropsychological research, single-cases are often compared with a small control sample. Crawford and colleagues developed inferential methods (i.e., the modified t-test) for such a research design. In the present article, we suggest an extension of the methods of Crawford and colleagues employing linear mixed models (LMM). We first show that a t-test for the significance of a dummy coded predictor variable in a linear regression is equivalent to the modified t-test of Crawford and colleagues. As an extension to this idea, we then generalized the modified t-test to repeated measures data by using LMMs to compare the performance difference in two conditions observed in a single participant to that of a small control group. The performance of LMMs regarding Type I error rates and statistical power were tested based on Monte-Carlo simulations. We found that starting with about 15-20 participants in the control sample Type I error rates were close to the nominal Type I error rate using the Satterthwaite approximation for the degrees of freedom. Moreover, statistical power was acceptable. Therefore, we conclude that LMMs can be applied successfully to statistically evaluate performance differences between a single-case and a control sample. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Achieving maximum sustainable yield in mixed fisheries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ulrich, Clara; Vermard, Youen; Dolder, Paul J.; Brunel, Thomas; Jardim, Ernesto; Holmes, Steven J.; Kempf, Alexander; Mortensen, Lars O.; Poos, Jan Jaap; Rindorf, Anna

2017-01-01

Achieving single species maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in complex and dynamic fisheries targeting multiple species (mixed fisheries) is challenging because achieving the objective for one species may mean missing the objective for another. The North Sea mixed fisheries are a representative example

Cowpea viruses: Effect of single and mixed infections on symptomatology and virus concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nsa Imade Y

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Natural multiple viral infections of cultivated cowpeas have been reported in Nigeria. In this study, three Nigerian commercial cowpea cultivars ("Olo 11", "Oloyin" and "White" and two lines from the IITA (IT86D- 719 and TVU 76 were mechanically inoculated with Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV, Bean southern mosaic virus (SBMV and Cowpea mottle virus (CMeV singly, as well as in all possible combinations at 10, 20 and 30 days after planting (DAP. Samples of leaves or stems were collected at 10, 20 and 30 days after inoculation (DAI and analyzed for relative virus concentration by Enzyme-Linked Immunosrbent Assay. All the cultivars and lines {CVS/L} were susceptible to the viruses but the commercial CVS showed more severe symptoms and had relatively higher viral concentration. In single virus infections, CABMV which induced the most severe symptoms had absorbance values (at 405 nm of 0.11 to 0.46 while SBMV and CMeV which induced moderate symptoms had virus titre of 0.74 to 1.99 and 0.11 to 0.90 respectively. Plants inoculated 10 DAP had significantly higher virus concentration than those inoculated 30 DAP. In mixed infections involving CABMV (10 DAP apical necrosis and death were observed in commercial cultivars "Olo 11" and "White". Enhancement of CMeV titers were observed in plants infected with CMeV + CABMV. Multiple viral infections of cowpeas may result in complete yield loss, hence, the availability of seeds of cultivars with a high level of multiple virus resistance is recommended as a means of control.

Exactly solved mixed spin-(1,1/2) Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain with a single-ion anisotropy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisnyi, Bohdan; Strečka, Jozef

2015-01-01

The mixed spin-(1,1/2) Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain with a single-ion anisotropy is exactly solved through the generalized decoration–iteration transformation and the transfer-matrix method. The decoration–iteration transformation is first used for establishing a rigorous mapping equivalence with the corresponding spin-1 Blume–Emery–Griffiths chain, which is subsequently exactly treated within the transfer-matrix technique. Apart from three classical ground states the model exhibits three striking quantum ground states in which a singlet-dimer state of the interstitial Heisenberg spins is accompanied either with a frustrated state or a polarized state or a non-magnetic state of the nodal Ising spins. It is evidenced that two magnetization plateaus at zero and/or one-half of the saturation magnetization may appear in low-temperature magnetization curves. The specific heat may display remarkable temperature dependences with up to three and four distinct round maxima in a zero and non-zero magnetic field, respectively. - Highlights: • Mixed spin-(1,1/2) Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain is exactly solved. • Quantum ground states with a singlet-dimer state of the Heisenberg spins are found. • Magnetization curve displays intermediate plateaus at zero and half of full magnetization. • Thermal dependences of specific heat may display up to four distinct peaks

Reconfigurable Mixed Mode Universal Filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neelofer Afzal

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel mixed mode universal filter configuration capable of working in voltage and transimpedance mode. The proposed single filter configuration can be reconfigured digitally to realize all the five second order filter functions (types at single output port. Other salient features of proposed configuration include independently programmable filter parameters, full cascadability, and low sensitivity figure. However, all these features are provided at the cost of quite large number of active elements. It needs three digitally programmable current feedback amplifiers and three digitally programmable current conveyors. Use of six active elements is justified by introducing three additional reduced hardware mixed mode universal filter configurations and its comparison with reported filters.

Mixing Ventilation System in a Single-Aisle Aircraft Cabin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter Vilhelm; Zhang, Chen; Wojcik, Kamil

2014-01-01

. It is also proven possible to create an acceptable draught level in the cabin. Experiments with tracer gas indicated that the contaminant from exhalation of one manikin is fully mixed in the cabin, and the experiment with personalised ventilation did not show much improvement in this situation....

Re-Examination of Mixed Media Communication: The Impact of Voice, Data Link, and Mixed Air Traffic Control Environments on the Flight Deck

Science.gov (United States)

Dunbar, Melisa; McGann, Alison; Mackintosh, Margaret-Anne; Lozito, Sandra; Ashford, Rose (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A simulation in the B747-400 was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center that compared how crews handled voice and data link air traffic control (ATC) messages in a single medium versus a mixed voice and data link ATC environment The interval between ATC messages was also varied to examine the influence of time pressure in voice, data link, and mixed ATC environments. For messages sent via voice, transaction times were lengthened in the mixed media environment for closely spaced messages. The type of environment did not affect data link times. However, messages times were lengthened in both single and mixed-modality environments under time pressure. Closely spaced messages also increased the number of requests for clarification for voice messages in the mixed environment and review menu use for data link messages. Results indicated that when time pressure is introduced, the mix of voice and data link does not necessarily capitalize on the advantages of both media. These findings emphasize the need to develop procedures for managing communication in mixed voice and data link environments.

Identification of Diagnostic Mitochondrial DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Specific to Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii Populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puji Rianti

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The hypervariable region I of mitochondrial DNA has frequently been used to distinguish among populations, in particular in species with strong female philopatry. In such cases, populations are expected to diverge rapidly for hypervariable region I markers because of the smaller effective population size and thus increased genetic drift. This rapid divergence leads to the accumulation of mutations exclusively found in one population, which may serve as diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs. To date, diagnostic SNPs distinctive to Sumatran orangutan populations have not yet been described. However, given the continuously declining numbers of Sumatran orangutans, this information can be vital for effective conservation measures, especially regarding reintroductions of orangutans in rehabilitation centers. Phylogenetic analyses of 54 samples of Sumatran orangutans from nine sampling sites with good provenance, we found five major clades and a total of 20 haplotypes. We propose a total of 52 diagnostic SNPs that are specific to Sumatran orangutan populations. Data can be used to develop restriction fragment length polymorphism assays to carry out genetic assignments using basic laboratory equipment to assign Sumatran orangutan to their population of origin.

Unsteady single-phase natural circulation flow mixing prediction using CATHARE three-dimensional capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salah, Anis Bousbia; Vlassenbroeck, Jacques [Bel V - Subsidiary of the Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Contro, Brussels (Belize)

2017-04-15

Coolant mixing under natural circulation flow regime constitutes a key parameter that may play a role in the course of an accidental transient in a nuclear pressurized water reactor. This issue has motivated some experimental investigations carried out within the OECD/NEA PKL projects. The aim was to assess the coolant mixing phenomenon in the reactor pressure vessel downcomer and the core lower plenum under several asymmetric steady and unsteady flow conditions, and to provide experimental data for code validations. Former studies addressed the mixing phenomenon using, on the one hand, one-dimensional computational approaches with cross flows that are not fully validated under transient conditions and, on the other hand, expensive computational fluid dynamic tools that are not always justified for large-scale macroscopic phenomena. In the current framework, an unsteady coolant mixing experiment carried out in the Rossendorf coolant mixing test facility is simulated using the three-dimensional porous media capabilities of the thermal–hydraulic system CATHARE code. The current study allows highlighting the current capabilities of these codes and their suitability for reproducing the main phenomena occurring during asymmetric transient natural circulation mixing conditions.

The fairness, predictive validity and acceptability of multiple mini interview in an internationally diverse student population- a mixed methods study

OpenAIRE

Kelly, Maureen E.; Dowell, Jon; Husbands, Adrian; Newell, John; O'Flynn, Siun; Kropmans, Thomas; Dunne, Fidelma P.; Murphy, Andrew W.

2014-01-01

Background International medical students, those attending medical school outside of their country of citizenship, account for a growing proportion of medical undergraduates worldwide. This study aimed to establish the fairness, predictive validity and acceptability of Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) in an internationally diverse student population. Methods This was an explanatory sequential, mixed methods study. All students in First Year Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway 2012 we...

Transient intermediates are populated in the folding pathways of single-domain two-state folding protein L

Science.gov (United States)

Maity, Hiranmay; Reddy, Govardhan

2018-04-01

Small single-domain globular proteins, which are believed to be dominantly two-state folders, played an important role in elucidating various aspects of the protein folding mechanism. However, recent single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments [H. Y. Aviram et al. J. Chem. Phys. 148, 123303 (2018)] on a single-domain two-state folding protein L showed evidence for the population of an intermediate state and it was suggested that in this state, a β-hairpin present near the C-terminal of the native protein state is unfolded. We performed molecular dynamics simulations using a coarse-grained self-organized-polymer model with side chains to study the folding pathways of protein L. In agreement with the experiments, an intermediate is populated in the simulation folding pathways where the C-terminal β-hairpin detaches from the rest of the protein structure. The lifetime of this intermediate structure increased with the decrease in temperature. In low temperature conditions, we also observed a second intermediate state, which is globular with a significant fraction of the native-like tertiary contacts satisfying the features of a dry molten globule.

Preliminary Single-Phase Mixing Test using Wire Mesh System in a wire-wrapped 37-rod Bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Hwang; Kim, Hyungmo; Lee, Dong Won; Choi, Hae Seob; Choi, Sun Rock; Chang, Seokkyu; Kim, Seok; Euh, Dongjin; Lee, Hyeongyeon

2014-01-01

In this paper, preliminary tests of the wire-mesh sensor are introduced before measuring of mixing coefficient in the wire-wrapped 37-pin fuel assembly for a sodium-cooled fast reactor. Through this preliminary test, it was confirmed that city water can be used as a tracer for demineralized water as a base. A simple test was performed to evaluate the characteristics of a wire mesh with of a short pipe shape. The conductivity of de-mineralized water and city water is linearly increased for the limited temperature ranges as the temperature is increased. The reliability of the wire mesh sensor was estimated based on the averages and standard deviations of the plane image using the cross points. A wire mesh sensor is suitable to apply to a single-phase flow measurement for a mixture with de-mineralized water and city water. A wire mesh sensor and system have been traditionally used to measure the void fraction of a two-phase flow field with gas and liquid. Recently, Ylonen et al. successfully designed and commissioned a measurement system for a single-phase flow using a wire mesh sensor

CFD Simulations of a Single-phase Mixing Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertolotto, Davide; Chawla, Rakesh; Manera, Annalisa; Prasser, Horst-Michael

2008-01-01

The current paper reports on an investigation of the capabilities of CFD codes to model multidimensional mixing phenomena in a loop. For the purpose, a test facility consisting of two loops connected by a double T-junction has been built at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI). Experiments were carried out, in which a tracer was injected in one loop and the tracer distribution before and after the T-junction was measured by means of wire-mesh sensors located at the outlets of the junction. The tracer distribution after the T-junction is strongly dependent on 3D mixing phenomena, which are dominant due to the particular geometry of the set-up. For the CFD analysis, a 3D model of the double T-junction was created, and different simulations were performed with ANSYS-CFX to study the sensitivity of the results with respect to parameters such as mesh refinement, integration time step, turbulence model, profiles for inlet velocity and injected tracer concentration. Thereafter, these results were compared with the experimental data. The comparisons have clearly pointed out that 3D modelling is able to reproduce (at least qualitatively) the experimental results. Moreover, it has been found that the CFD results are strongly influenced by the velocity profile assumptions at the inlets of the double T-junction. (authors)

Mixed Methods Research Designs in Counseling Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, William E.; Creswell, John W.; Clark, Vicki L. Plano; Petska, Kelly S.; Creswell, David J.

2005-01-01

With the increased popularity of qualitative research, researchers in counseling psychology are expanding their methodologies to include mixed methods designs. These designs involve the collection, analysis, and integration of quantitative and qualitative data in a single or multiphase study. This article presents an overview of mixed methods…

Charm mixing at LHCb

CERN Document Server

Di Canto, Angelo

2013-01-01

We report a measurement of the time-dependent ratio of $D^0\\to K^+\\pi^-$ to $D^0\\to K^-\\pi^+$ decay rates in $D^{*+}$-tagged events using 1.0\\,fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment. We measure the mixing parameters $x'^2=(-0.9\\pm1.3)\\times10^{-4}$, $y'=(7.2\\pm2.4)\\times10^{-3}$ and the ratio of doubly-Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored decay rates $R_D=(3.52\\pm0.15)\\times10^{-3}$. The result excludes the no-mixing hypothesis with a probability corresponding to 9.1 standard deviations and represents the first observation of charm mixing from a single measurement

Brief communication genotyping of Burkholderia pseudomallei revealed high genetic variability among isolates from a single population group

OpenAIRE

Zueter, Abdelrahman Mohammad; Rahman, Zaidah Abdul; Yean, Chan Yean; Harun, Azian

2015-01-01

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil dwelling Gram-negative bacteria predominates in Southeast Asia zone and the tropical part of Australia. Genetic diversity has been explored among various populations and environments worldwide. To date, little data is available on MLST profiling of clinical B. pseudomallei isolates in peninsular Malaysia. In this brief report, thirteen culture positive B. pseudomallei cases collected from a single population of Terengganu state in the Western Peninsular Mal...

Development of a population of cancer cells: Observation and modeling by a Mixed Spatial Evolutionary Games approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Świerniak, Andrzej; Krześlak, Michał; Student, Sebastian; Rzeszowska-Wolny, Joanna

2016-09-21

Living cells, like whole living organisms during evolution, communicate with their neighbors, interact with the environment, divide, change their phenotypes, and eventually die. The development of specific ways of communication (through signaling molecules and receptors) allows some cellular subpopulations to survive better, to coordinate their physiological status, and during embryonal development to create tissues and organs or in some conditions to become tumors. Populations of cells cultured in vitro interact similarly, also competing for space and nutrients and stimulating each other to better survive or to die. The results of these intercellular interactions of different types seem to be good examples of biological evolutionary games, and have been the subjects of simulations by the methods of evolutionary game theory where individual cells are treated as players. Here we present examples of intercellular contacts in a population of living human cancer HeLa cells cultured in vitro and propose an evolutionary game theory approach to model the development of such populations. We propose a new technique termed Mixed Spatial Evolutionary Games (MSEG) which are played on multiple lattices corresponding to the possible cellular phenotypes which gives the possibility of simulating and investigating the effects of heterogeneity at the cellular level in addition to the population level. Analyses performed with MSEG suggested different ways in which cellular populations develop in the case of cells communicating directly and through factors released to the environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genomic prediction in a nuclear population of layers using single-step models.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yiyuan; Wu, Guiqin; Liu, Aiqiao; Sun, Congjiao; Han, Wenpeng; Li, Guangqi; Yang, Ning

2018-02-01

Single-step genomic prediction method has been proposed to improve the accuracy of genomic prediction by incorporating information of both genotyped and ungenotyped animals. The objective of this study is to compare the prediction performance of single-step model with a 2-step models and the pedigree-based models in a nuclear population of layers. A total of 1,344 chickens across 4 generations were genotyped by a 600 K SNP chip. Four traits were analyzed, i.e., body weight at 28 wk (BW28), egg weight at 28 wk (EW28), laying rate at 38 wk (LR38), and Haugh unit at 36 wk (HU36). In predicting offsprings, individuals from generation 1 to 3 were used as training data and females from generation 4 were used as validation set. The accuracies of predicted breeding values by pedigree BLUP (PBLUP), genomic BLUP (GBLUP), SSGBLUP and single-step blending (SSBlending) were compared for both genotyped and ungenotyped individuals. For genotyped females, GBLUP performed no better than PBLUP because of the small size of training data, while the 2 single-step models predicted more accurately than the PBLUP model. The average predictive ability of SSGBLUP and SSBlending were 16.0% and 10.8% higher than the PBLUP model across traits, respectively. Furthermore, the predictive abilities for ungenotyped individuals were also enhanced. The average improvements of prediction abilities were 5.9% and 1.5% for SSGBLUP and SSBlending model, respectively. It was concluded that single-step models, especially the SSGBLUP model, can yield more accurate prediction of genetic merits and are preferable for practical implementation of genomic selection in layers. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

PIV measurement of turbulent bubbly mixing layer flow with polymer additives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning, T; Guo, F; Chen, B; Zhang, X

2009-01-01

Based on experimental investigation of single-phase turbulent mixing layer flow with polymer additives, bubbly mixing layer was experimentally investigated by PIV. The velocity ratio between high and low speed is 4:1 and the Reynolds number based on the velocity difference of two steams and hydraulic diameter of the channel ranges is 73333. Gas bubbles with about 0.5% gas fraction were injected into pure water mixing layer with/without polymer additives from three different parts at the end of the splitter plate. The comparison between single phase and bubbly mixing layer shows clearly that the dynamic development of mixing layer is great influenced by the bubble injection. Similar with single phase, the Reynolds stress and vorticity still concentrate in a coniform area of central mixing flow field part and the width will increase with increasing the Reynolds number. Mean Reynolds stress will decrease with bubble injection in high Reynolds numbers and the decreasing of Reynolds stress with polymer additives is much more than pure water case.

Molecular genotyping of ABO blood groups in some population groups from India.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Sabita; Gorakshakar, Ajit C; Vasantha, K; Nadkarni, Anita; Italia, Yazdi; Ghosh, Kanjaksha

2014-01-01

Indian population is characterized by the presence of various castes and tribal groups. Various genetic polymorphisms have been used to differentiate among these groups. Amongst these, the ABO blood group system has been extensively studied. There is no information on molecular genotyping of ABO blood groups from India. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize the common A, B and O alleles by molecular analysis in some Indian population groups. One hundred samples from the mixed population from Mumbai, 101 samples from the Dhodia tribe and 100 samples from the Parsi community were included in this study. Initially, the samples were phenotyped by standard serologic techniques. PCR followed by single strand conformational polymorphsim (SSCP) was used for molecular ABO genotyping. Samples showing atypical SSCP patterns were further analysed by DNA sequencing to characterize rare alleles. Seven common ABO alleles with 19 different genotypes were found in the mixed population. The Dhodias showed 12 different ABO genotypes and the Parsis revealed 15 different ABO genotypes with six common ABO alleles identified in each of them. Two rare alleles were also identified. This study reports the distribution of molecular genotypes of ABO alleles among some population groups from India. Considering the extremely heterogeneous nature of the Indian population, in terms of various genotype markers like blood groups, red cell enzymes, etc., many more ABO alleles are likely to be encountered.

Pattern of neutrino mixing in grand unified theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milton, K.; Tanaka, K.

1981-01-01

It was found previously in SO(10) grand unified theories that if the neutrinos have a Dirac mass and a right-handed Majorana mass (approx. 10 15 GeV) but no left-handed Majorana mass, there is small ν/sub e/ mixing but ν/sub μ/ - ν/sub tau/ mixing can be substantial. This problem is reexamined on the basis of a formalism that assumes that the up, down, lepton, and neutrino mass matrices arise from a single complex 10 and a single 126 Higgs boson. This formalism determines the Majorana mass matrix in terms of quark mass matrices. Adopting three different sets of quark mass matrices that produce acceptable fermion mass ratios and Cabbibo mixing produces results consistent with the above; however, in the optimum case, ν/sub e/ - ν/sub μ/ mixing can be of the order of the Cabbibo angle

MixFit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haller, Toomas; Leitsalu, Liis; Fischer, Krista

2017-01-01

Ancestry information at the individual level can be a valuable resource for personalized medicine, medical, demographical and history research, as well as for tracing back personal history. We report a new method for quantitatively determining personal genetic ancestry based on genome-wide data....... Numerical ancestry component scores are assigned to individuals based on comparisons with reference populations. These comparisons are conducted with an existing analytical pipeline making use of genotype phasing, similarity matrix computation and our addition-multidimensional best fitting by Mix......Fit. The method is demonstrated by studying Estonian and Finnish populations in geographical context. We show the main differences in the genetic composition of these otherwise close European populations and how they have influenced each other. The components of our analytical pipeline are freely available...

Brief communication genotyping of Burkholderia pseudomallei revealed high genetic variability among isolates from a single population group.

Science.gov (United States)

Zueter, Abdelrahman Mohammad; Rahman, Zaidah Abdul; Yean, Chan Yean; Harun, Azian

2015-01-01

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil dwelling Gram-negative bacteria predominates in Southeast Asia zone and the tropical part of Australia. Genetic diversity has been explored among various populations and environments worldwide. To date, little data is available on MLST profiling of clinical B. pseudomallei isolates in peninsular Malaysia. In this brief report, thirteen culture positive B. pseudomallei cases collected from a single population of Terengganu state in the Western Peninsular Malaysia and were confirmed by In-house TTS1-PCR. Isolates were subjected for multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) to explore their genotypic diversity and to investigate for possible clonal clustering of a certain sequence type. Patient's clinical information was examined to investigate for clinical correlation among the different genotypes. In spite of small sample set, MLST results indicated predictive results; considerable genotypic diversity, predominance and novelty among B. pseudomallei collected over a single geographically-located population in Malaysia. Massive genotypic heterogeneity was observed; 8 different sequence types with predominance of sequence type 54 and discovery of two novel sequence types. However, no clear pathogenomic or organ tropism clonal relationships were predicted.

Phase transitions and multicritical points in the mixed spin-32 and spin-2 Ising system with a single-ion anisotropy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobak, A.; Dely, J.

2007-01-01

The effect of a single-ion anisotropy on the phase diagram of the mixed spin-32 and spin-2 Ising system is investigated by the use of a mean-field theory based on the Bogoliubov inequality for the free energy. Topologically different kinds of phase diagrams are achieved by changing values of the parameter in the model Hamiltonian. Besides second-order transitions, lines of first-order transitions terminating either at a tricritical point or an isolated critical point, are found

On entanglement in neutrino mixing and oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blasone, Massimo; Dell'Anno, Fabio; De Siena, Silvio; Illuminati, Fabrizio

2010-01-01

We report on recent results about entanglement in the context of particle mixing and oscillations. We study in detail single-particle entanglement arising in two-flavor neutrino mixing. The analysis is performed first in the context of Quantum Mechanics, and then for the case of Quantum Field Theory.

On entanglement in neutrino mixing and oscillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blasone, Massimo; Dell' Anno, Fabio; De Siena, Silvio; Illuminati, Fabrizio, E-mail: blasone@sa.infn.i [Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, I-84084 Fisciano (Italy)

2010-06-01

We report on recent results about entanglement in the context of particle mixing and oscillations. We study in detail single-particle entanglement arising in two-flavor neutrino mixing. The analysis is performed first in the context of Quantum Mechanics, and then for the case of Quantum Field Theory.

The Prevalence of Mixed Helicobacter pylori Infections in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Subjects in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Kibria, Khandoker Mohammad K; Hossain, Md Enayet; Sultana, Jinath; Sarker, Shafiqul A; Bardhan, Pradip Kumar; Rahman, Motiur; Nahar, Shamsun

2015-10-01

Helicobacter pylori is a highly genetically diverse bacterial species, which can persist in the gastric environment for decades. Recent studies have shown that single infections predominate in developed countries, whereas mixed infections are more prevalent in developing countries. Mixed infections of this bacterium may be important for adaptation to the hostile gastric environment and may facilitate dyspeptic symptoms. To calculate the prevalence of mixed infections in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects, 2010 H. pylori isolates collected from 83 symptomatic and 91 asymptomatic subjects from Dhaka, Bangladesh, were analyzed by (i) random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting (RAPD) and (ii) multiplex PCR amplification for cagA and vacA virulence gene alleles. The overall prevalence of mixed H. pylori infection was 60.15% (77/128), indicating substantial co-colonization in this population. We additionally found that symptomatic subjects (53%) had a significantly higher rate of mixed infection than asymptomatic individuals (36.3%) (p = .016) and that the prevalence of the cagA and vacA and vacA m1/s1 and vacA m2/s1 alleles were higher in subjects with mixed infection. Our findings suggest that an increased diversity of the H. pylori strains in the gastric environment may contribute to the development of disease symptoms. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes and production thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, Anne C.; Heben, Michael J.; Gennett, Thomas; Parilla, Philip A.

2007-01-09

Metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes and production thereof. The metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes may be produced according to one embodiment of the invention by combining single-walled carbon nanotube precursor material and metal in a solution, and mixing the solution to incorporate at least a portion of the metal with the single-walled carbon nanotube precursor material. Other embodiments may comprise sputter deposition, evaporation, and other mixing techniques.

Paper-based device for separation and cultivation of single microalga.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chih-Chung; Liu, Yi-Ju; Yao, Da-Jeng

2015-12-01

Single-cell separation is among the most useful techniques in biochemical research, diagnosis and various industrial applications. Microalgae species have great economic importance as industrial raw materials. Microalgae species collected from environment are typically a mixed and heterogeneous population of species that must be isolated and purified for examination and further application. Conventional methods, such as serial dilution and a streaking-plate method, are intensive of labor and inefficient. We developed a paper-based device for separation and cultivation of single microalga. The fabrication was simply conducted with a common laser printer and required only a few minutes without lithographic instruments and clean-room. The driving force of the paper device was simple capillarity without a complicated pump connection that is part of most devices for microfluidics. The open-structure design of the paper device makes it operable with a common laboratory micropipette for sample transfer and manipulation with a naked eye or adaptable to a robotic system with functionality of high-throughput retrieval and analysis. The efficiency of isolating a single cell from mixed microalgae species is seven times as great as with a conventional method involving serial dilution. The paper device can serve also as an incubator for microalgae growth on simply rinsing the paper with a growth medium. Many applications such as highly expressed cell selection and various single-cell analysis would be applicable. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Micro-epidemiological structuring of Plasmodium falciparum parasite populations in regions with varying transmission intensities in Africa. [version 2; referees: 4 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Omedo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background: The first models of malaria transmission assumed a completely mixed and homogeneous population of parasites.  Recent models include spatial heterogeneity and variably mixed populations. However, there are few empiric estimates of parasite mixing with which to parametize such models. Methods: Here we genotype 276 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in 5199 P. falciparum isolates from two Kenyan sites (Kilifi county and Rachuonyo South district and one Gambian site (Kombo coastal districts to determine the spatio-temporal extent of parasite mixing, and use Principal Component Analysis (PCA and linear regression to examine the relationship between genetic relatedness and distance in space and time for parasite pairs. Results: Using 107, 177 and 82 SNPs that were successfully genotyped in 133, 1602, and 1034 parasite isolates from The Gambia, Kilifi and Rachuonyo South district, respectively, we show that there are no discrete geographically restricted parasite sub-populations, but instead we see a diffuse spatio-temporal structure to parasite genotypes.  Genetic relatedness of sample pairs is predicted by relatedness in space and time. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that targeted malaria control will benefit the surrounding community, but unfortunately also that emerging drug resistance will spread rapidly through the population.

A salutogenic approach to prevention of metabolic syndrome: a mixed methods population study.

Science.gov (United States)

Miettola, Juhani; Viljanen, Anna Maria

2014-12-01

To find a salutogenic approach for prevention of metabolic syndrome in primary care practice. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods procedure was used to find salutogenic approaches for lifestyle change by assessing individual need, potential, and personal motivation. Data from a population health survey and interviews that focused on a sense of coherence were analysed. Altogether 480 Finnish subjects participated in a population health survey, and 43 of them were interviewed. The 43 interviewees' data were included in the final analysis. With the health survey participants' liability for MetS was assessed, and the objective need for lifestyle intervention was determined. Through the focused interviews potential and personal motivation for lifestyle modification were explored. Finally the data of the 43 interviewed subjects were merged. Four possible lifestyle intervention approaches were identified for specific intervention. First, subjects with a strong sense of coherence only need encouragement to maintain a healthy lifestyle; second, professional support was found important for subjects with gaps in health awareness to improve health understanding; third, strengthening of social support for lifestyle change is necessary for subjects with various practical constraints in their everyday life; and fourth, strengthening of stress adaptation is important for subjects with redundant concerns about their health. Salutogenic client-centred lifestyle modification approaches should be part of primary care practice. Further, a cross-disciplinary approach is needed in primary care research and practice to combat the exploding lifestyle illnesses.

The Case for Mixed-Age Grouping in Early Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Lilian G.; And Others

In six brief chapters, mixed-age grouping of young children in schools and child care centers is explored and advocated. Chapter 1 defines mixed-age grouping, examines limitations of single-age grouping, and points out positive characteristics of mixed-age classes. Chapter 2 discusses social development as seen in children's interactions in…

Population dynamics during startup of thermophilic anaerobic digesters: The mixing factor

KAUST Repository

Ghanimeh, Sophia A.

2013-11-01

Two thermophilic digesters were inoculated with manure and started-up under mixed and stagnant conditions. The Archaea in the mixed digester (A) were dominated by hydrogenotrophic Methanobateriaceae (61%) with most of the methane being produced via syntrophic pathways. Methanosarcinales (35%) were the only acetoclastic methanogens present. Acetate dissipation seems to depend on balanced hydrogenotrophic-to-acetotrophic abundance, which in turn was statistically correlated to free ammonia levels. Relative abundance of bacterial community was associated with the loading rate. However, in the absence of mixing (digester B), the relationship between microbial composition and operating parameters was not discernible. This was attributed to the development of microenvironments where environmental conditions are significantly different from average measured parameters. The impact of microenvironments was accentuated by the use of a non-acclimated seed that lacks adequate propionate degraders. Failure to disperse the accumulated propionate, and other organics, created high concentration niches where competitive and inhibiting conditions developed and favored undesired genera, such as Halobacteria (65% in B). As a result, digester B experienced higher acid levels and lower allowable loading rate. Mixing was found necessary to dissipate potential inhibitors, and improve stability and loading capacity, particularly when a non-acclimated seed, often lacking balanced thermophilic microflora, is used. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Population dynamics during startup of thermophilic anaerobic digesters: the mixing factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghanimeh, Sophia A; Saikaly, Pascal E; Li, Dong; El-Fadel, Mutasem

2013-11-01

Two thermophilic digesters were inoculated with manure and started-up under mixed and stagnant conditions. The Archaea in the mixed digester (A) were dominated by hydrogenotrophic Methanobateriaceae (61%) with most of the methane being produced via syntrophic pathways. Methanosarcinales (35%) were the only acetoclastic methanogens present. Acetate dissipation seems to depend on balanced hydrogenotrophic-to-acetotrophic abundance, which in turn was statistically correlated to free ammonia levels. Relative abundance of bacterial community was associated with the loading rate. However, in the absence of mixing (digester B), the relationship between microbial composition and operating parameters was not discernible. This was attributed to the development of microenvironments where environmental conditions are significantly different from average measured parameters. The impact of microenvironments was accentuated by the use of a non-acclimated seed that lacks adequate propionate degraders. Failure to disperse the accumulated propionate, and other organics, created high concentration niches where competitive and inhibiting conditions developed and favored undesired genera, such as Halobacteria (65% in B). As a result, digester B experienced higher acid levels and lower allowable loading rate. Mixing was found necessary to dissipate potential inhibitors, and improve stability and loading capacity, particularly when a non-acclimated seed, often lacking balanced thermophilic microflora, is used. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A correlation for single phase turbulent mixing in square rod arrays under highly turbulent conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Hae Yong; Ha, Kwi Seok; Kwon, Young Min; Chang, Won Pyo; Lee, Yong Bum

2006-01-01

The existing experimental data related to the turbulent mixing factor in rod arrays is examined and a new definition of the turbulent mixing factor is introduced to take into account the turbulent mixing of fluids with various Prandtl numbers. The new definition of the mixing factor is based on the eddy diffusivity of energy. With this definition of the mixing factor, it was found that the geometrical parameter, δ ij /D h , correlates the turbulent mixing data better than S/d, which has been used frequently in existing correlations. Based on the experimental data for a highly turbulent condition in square rod arrays, a correlation describing turbulent mixing dependent on the parameter δ ij /D h has been developed. The correlation is insensitive to the Re number and it takes into account the effect of the turbulent Prandtl number. The proposed correlation predicts a reasonable mixing even at a lower S/d ratio

KBr-Li Br and KBr-LiBr doped with Ti mixed single crystal by Czochralski method and glow curve studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faripour, H.; Faripour, N.

2003-01-01

Mixed-single Crystals: pure KBr-LiBr and KBr-LiBr with Ti dopant were grown by Czochralski method. Because of difference between lattice parameters of KBr and LiBr, the growth speed of crystals were relatively low, and they were annealed in a special temperature condition providing some cleavages. They were exposed by β radiation and the glow curve was analysed for each crystal. Analysing of glow curve, showed that Ti impurity has been the curves of main peak curve appearance temperature decreasing

Raman spectroscopy of isotopically pure ({sup 12}C, {sup 13}C) and isotopically mixed ({sup 12.5}C) diamond single crystals at ultrahigh pressures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enkovich, P. V., E-mail: enkovich@hppi.troitsk.ru; Brazhkin, V. V.; Lyapin, S. G.; Novikov, A. P. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Institute for High-Pressure Physics (Russian Federation); Kanda, H. [National Institute for Materials Science (Japan); Stishov, S. M. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Institute for High-Pressure Physics (Russian Federation)

2016-09-15

The Raman scattering by isotopically pure {sup 12}C and {sup 13}C diamond single crystals and by isotopically mixed {sup 12.5}C diamond single crystals is studied at a high accuracy. The studies are performed over a wide pressure range up to 73 GPa using helium as a hydrostatic pressure-transferring medium. It is found that the quantum effects, which determine the difference between the ratio of the Raman scattering frequencies in the {sup 12}C and {sup 13}C diamonds and the classical ratio (1.0408), increase to 30 GPa and then decrease. Thus, inversion in the sign of the quantum contribution to the physical properties of diamond during compression is detected. Our data suggest that the maximum possible difference between the bulk moduli of the {sup 12}C and {sup 13}C diamonds is 0.15%. The investigation of the isotopically mixed {sup 12.5}C diamond shows that the effective mass, which determines the Raman frequency, decreases during compression from 12.38 au at normal pressure to 12.33 au at 73 GPa.

Persistence and extinction of a stochastic single-species population model in a polluted environment with impulsive toxicant input

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Liu

2013-10-01

Full Text Available A stochastic single-species population system in a polluted environment with impulsive toxicant input is proposed and studied. Sufficient conditions for extinction, non-persistence in the mean, strong persistence in the mean and stochastic permanence of the population are established. The threshold between strong persistence in the mean and extinction is obtained. Some simulation figures are introduced to illustrate the main results.

Microelectromechanical System-Based Sensing Arrays for Comparative in Vitro Nanotoxicity Assessment at Single Cell and Small Cell-Population Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Pratikkumar; Zhu, Xuena; Zhang, Xueji; He, Jin; Li, Chen-zhong

2016-03-09

The traditional in vitro nanotoxicity assessment approaches are conducted on a monolayer of cell culture. However, to study a cell response without interference from the neighbor cells, a single cell study is necessary; especially in cases of neuronal, cancerous, and stem cells, wherein an individual cell's fate is often not explained by the whole cell population. Nonetheless, a single cell does not mimic the actual in vivo environment and lacks important information regarding cell communication with its microenvironment. Both a single cell and a cell population provide important and complementary information about cells' behaviors. In this research, we explored nanotoxicity assessment on a single cell and a small cell population using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device. We demonstrated a controlled capture of PC12 cells in different-sized microwells (to capture a different number of cells) using a combined method of surface functionalization and dielectrophoresis. The present approach provides a rapid nanotoxicity response as compared to other conventional approaches. This is the first study, to our knowledge, which demonstrates a comparative response of a single cell and small cell colonies on the same MEMS platform, when exposed to metaloxide nanoparticles. We demonstrated that the microenvironment of a cell is also accountable for cells' behaviors and their responses to nanomaterials. The results of this experimental study open up a new hypothesis to be tested for identifying the role of cell communication in spreading toxicity in a cell population.

Mixing processes in galaxy mergers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, S.D.M.

1980-01-01

Previously published simulations of mergers between galaxies are used to examine the degree to which population gradients are weakened during the coalescence of two or more stellar systems. Although substantial mixing occurs during a merger, its effect on such gradients is quite moderate and can be overwhelmed by the effect of changes in structure. Experiment suggests that the centre-to-edge population difference in a merger remnant will be 20 per cent smaller than that in its progenitor galaxies if these are identical centrally concentrated systems. A sequence of three binary mergers is thus required to reduce such differences by a factor of 2. Because of changes in radial structure, population gradients are, in general, reduced more rapidly than is suggested by these numbers. Mixing is more efficient in mergers between less concentrated systems. In real merger remnants any weakening of gradients may often be masked by star-formation in residual interstellar gas. (author)

Early and late preterm delivery rates - a comparison of differing tocolytic policies in a single urban population.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hehir, Mark P

2012-11-01

Preterm delivery results in neonatal morbidity and mortality. We set out to estimate the difference in rates of preterm delivery in two institutions, serving a single population, with differing policies regarding use of tocolytic drugs for the prevention of preterm delivery.

A Comparison and Integration of MiSeq and MinION Platforms for Sequencing Single Source and Mixed Mitochondrial Genomes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael R Lindberg

Full Text Available Single source and multiple donor (mixed samples of human mitochondrial DNA were analyzed and compared using the MinION and the MiSeq platforms. A generalized variant detection strategy was employed to provide a cursory framework for evaluating the reliability and accuracy of mitochondrial sequences produced by the MinION. The feasibility of long-read phasing was investigated to establish its efficacy in quantitatively distinguishing and deconvolving individuals in a mixture. Finally, a proof-of-concept was demonstrated by integrating both platforms in a hybrid assembly that leverages solely mixture data to accurately reconstruct full mitochondrial genomes.

Sensitivity of Cirrus and Mixed-phase Clouds to the Ice Nuclei Spectra in McRAS-AC: Single Column Model Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Betancourt, R. Morales; Lee, D.; Oreopoulos, L.; Sud, Y. C.; Barahona, D.; Nenes, A.

2012-01-01

The salient features of mixed-phase and ice clouds in a GCM cloud scheme are examined using the ice formation parameterizations of Liu and Penner (LP) and Barahona and Nenes (BN). The performance of LP and BN ice nucleation parameterizations were assessed in the GEOS-5 AGCM using the McRAS-AC cloud microphysics framework in single column mode. Four dimensional assimilated data from the intensive observation period of ARM TWP-ICE campaign was used to drive the fluxes and lateral forcing. Simulation experiments where established to test the impact of each parameterization in the resulting cloud fields. Three commonly used IN spectra were utilized in the BN parameterization to described the availability of IN for heterogeneous ice nucleation. The results show large similarities in the cirrus cloud regime between all the schemes tested, in which ice crystal concentrations were within a factor of 10 regardless of the parameterization used. In mixed-phase clouds there are some persistent differences in cloud particle number concentration and size, as well as in cloud fraction, ice water mixing ratio, and ice water path. Contact freezing in the simulated mixed-phase clouds contributed to transfer liquid to ice efficiently, so that on average, the clouds were fully glaciated at T approximately 260K, irrespective of the ice nucleation parameterization used. Comparison of simulated ice water path to available satellite derived observations were also performed, finding that all the schemes tested with the BN parameterization predicted 20 average values of IWP within plus or minus 15% of the observations.

Genotyping single spore isolates of a Pasteuria penetrans population occurring in Florida using SNP-based markers

Science.gov (United States)

The aim of this study was to examine genotypic variation and virulence characteristics of a population of bacterial parasite of root-knot nematode (RKN), Pasteuria penetrans, isolated from Florida. Six single spore lines (ssp), 16ssp, 17ssp, 18ssp, 25ssp, 26ssp, and 30ssp were generated by infecting...

Intermarriage, children of mixed parentage and mental health

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singla, Rashmi; Bang, Helene

in the mixed parentage population. The terms ‘mixed parentage’; ‘biracial’, ‘mixed ethnicity’ are used to describe offspring of parents of different ‘races’/ ethnicity. Identity formation is crucial for mixed parentage children who challenge the ‘white /black binary’ and essentialising of the ‘race’, which has...... recently received increasing attention in the UK and the USA. This paper deals primarily with the mental health with focus on the identity formation among mixed parentage children, although most manage to achieve integrated identities, some experience identity conflicts. The latter pose a growing challenge...

CFD analysis of supercritical water flow and heat transfer in single channel with mixing vane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuo Guoping; Xie Hongyan; Yu Tao

2012-01-01

Three-dimensional rectangular channel with the mixing wane in supercritical water reactor is investigated with CFX. The mixing vane elevation influenced on temperature distribution and flow field are simulated in the model. The results showed the mixing vane cause fluid circumferential flow, making flow hot and cold fluids mixed and fluid temperature uniform distribution, effectively improve the fuel rod surface temperature distribution and reduced hot temperature. Among the mixing wing elevation of 15, 30, 45, 50, 60 and 70 angle, the 30 angle is the best case in improving temperature distribution. (authors)

Crude versus case-mix-adjusted control charts for safety monitoring in thyroid surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Duclos, Antoine; Voirin, Nicolas; Touzet, Sandrine; Soardo, Pietro; Schott, Anne-Marie; Colin, Cyrille; Peix, Jean-Louis; Lifante, Jean-Christophe

2010-12-01

Patient-safety monitoring based on health-outcome indicators can lead to misinterpretation of changes in case mix. This study aimed to compare the detection of indicator variations between crude and case-mix-adjusted control charts using data from thyroid surgeries. The study population included each patient who underwent thyroid surgery in a teaching hospital from January 2006 to May 2008. Patient safety was monitored according to two indicators, which are immediately recognisable postoperative complications: recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypocalcaemia. Each indicator was plotted monthly on a p-control chart using exact limits. The weighted κ statistic was calculated to measure the agreement between crude and case-mix-adjusted control charts. We evaluated the outcomes of 1405 thyroidectomies. The overall proportions of immediate recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypocalcaemia were 7.4% and 20.5%, respectively. The proportion of agreement in the detection of indicator variations between the crude and case-mix-adjusted p-charts was 95% (95% CI 85% to 99%). The strength of the agreement was κ = 0.76 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.98). The single special cause of variation that occurred was only detected by the case-mix-adjusted p-chart. There was good agreement in the detection of indicator variations between crude and case-mix-adjusted p-charts. The joint use of crude and adjusted charts seems to be a reasonable approach to increase the accuracy of interpretation of variations in outcome indicators.

Prevalence of congenital heart disease in 76,301 mixed-breed dogs and 57,025 mixed-breed cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrope, Donald P

2015-09-01

Assess the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in a large population of mixed-breed dogs and cats. 76,301 mixed-breed dogs and 57,025 mixed-breed cats. Retrospective review of records and examinations based on specified diagnostic criteria. Among mixed-breed dogs, the prevalence of CHD was 0.13% (51.4% female) and of innocent murmurs was 0.10% (53.0% male). Pulmonic stenosis was the most common defect followed by patent ductus arteriosus, aortic stenosis, and ventricular septal defect. Among mixed-breed cats, prevalence of CHD was 0.14% (55.2% male) and of innocent murmurs was 0.16% (54.4% male). When the 25 cats with dynamic left or right ventricular outflow obstruction were counted with cases of innocent murmurs, the overall prevalence was 0.2%. Ventricular septal defects were the most common feline CHD followed closely by aortic stenosis and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. There was no overall sex predilection for CHD in mixed-breed cats or dogs, and no significant difference in CHD prevalence between cats or dogs. Among dogs, subvalvular aortic stenosis and mitral valve dysplasia had a male predisposition while patent ductus arteriosus had a female predisposition. Among cats, valvular pulmonic stenosis, subvalvular and valvular aortic stenosis, and ventricular septal defects had a male predisposition while pulmonary artery stenosis had a female predisposition. The prevalence of CHD in a mixed-breed dogs and cats is lower than for prior studies, perhaps due to the lack of purebreds in the study population or actual changes in disease prevalence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mixing of secondary organic aerosols versus relative humidity

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Qing; Robinson, Ellis Shipley; Ding, Xiang; Ye, Penglin

2016-01-01

Atmospheric aerosols exert a substantial influence on climate, ecosystems, visibility, and human health. Although secondary organic aerosols (SOA) dominate fine-particle mass, they comprise myriad compounds with uncertain sources, chemistry, and interactions. SOA formation involves absorption of vapors into particles, either because gas-phase chemistry produces low-volatility or semivolatile products that partition into particles or because more-volatile organics enter particles and react to form lower-volatility products. Thus, SOA formation involves both production of low-volatility compounds and their diffusion into particles. Most chemical transport models assume a single well-mixed phase of condensing organics and an instantaneous equilibrium between bulk gas and particle phases; however, direct observations constraining diffusion of semivolatile organics into particles containing SOA are scarce. Here we perform unique mixing experiments between SOA populations including semivolatile constituents using quantitative, single-particle mass spectrometry to probe any mass-transfer limitations in particles containing SOA. We show that, for several hours, particles containing SOA from toluene oxidation resist exchange of semivolatile constituents at low relative humidity (RH) but start to lose that resistance above 20% RH. Above 40% RH, the exchange of material remains constant up to 90% RH. We also show that dry particles containing SOA from α-pinene ozonolysis do not appear to resist exchange of semivolatile compounds. Our interpretation is that in-particle diffusion is not rate-limiting to mass transfer in these systems above 40% RH. To the extent that these systems are representative of ambient SOA, we conclude that diffusion limitations are likely not common under typical ambient boundary layer conditions. PMID:27791066

Mixing of secondary organic aerosols versus relative humidity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Qing; Robinson, Ellis Shipley; Ding, Xiang; Ye, Penglin; Sullivan, Ryan C; Donahue, Neil M

2016-10-24

Atmospheric aerosols exert a substantial influence on climate, ecosystems, visibility, and human health. Although secondary organic aerosols (SOA) dominate fine-particle mass, they comprise myriad compounds with uncertain sources, chemistry, and interactions. SOA formation involves absorption of vapors into particles, either because gas-phase chemistry produces low-volatility or semivolatile products that partition into particles or because more-volatile organics enter particles and react to form lower-volatility products. Thus, SOA formation involves both production of low-volatility compounds and their diffusion into particles. Most chemical transport models assume a single well-mixed phase of condensing organics and an instantaneous equilibrium between bulk gas and particle phases; however, direct observations constraining diffusion of semivolatile organics into particles containing SOA are scarce. Here we perform unique mixing experiments between SOA populations including semivolatile constituents using quantitative, single-particle mass spectrometry to probe any mass-transfer limitations in particles containing SOA. We show that, for several hours, particles containing SOA from toluene oxidation resist exchange of semivolatile constituents at low relative humidity (RH) but start to lose that resistance above 20% RH. Above 40% RH, the exchange of material remains constant up to 90% RH. We also show that dry particles containing SOA from α-pinene ozonolysis do not appear to resist exchange of semivolatile compounds. Our interpretation is that in-particle diffusion is not rate-limiting to mass transfer in these systems above 40% RH. To the extent that these systems are representative of ambient SOA, we conclude that diffusion limitations are likely not common under typical ambient boundary layer conditions.

Why, and how, mixed methods research is undertaken in health services research in England: a mixed methods study

Science.gov (United States)

O'Cathain, Alicia; Murphy, Elizabeth; Nicholl, Jon

2007-01-01

Background Recently, there has been a surge of international interest in combining qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study – often called mixed methods research. It is timely to consider why and how mixed methods research is used in health services research (HSR). Methods Documentary analysis of proposals and reports of 75 mixed methods studies funded by a research commissioner of HSR in England between 1994 and 2004. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 20 researchers sampled from these studies. Results 18% (119/647) of HSR studies were classified as mixed methods research. In the documentation, comprehensiveness was the main driver for using mixed methods research, with researchers wanting to address a wider range of questions than quantitative methods alone would allow. Interviewees elaborated on this, identifying the need for qualitative research to engage with the complexity of health, health care interventions, and the environment in which studies took place. Motivations for adopting a mixed methods approach were not always based on the intrinsic value of mixed methods research for addressing the research question; they could be strategic, for example, to obtain funding. Mixed methods research was used in the context of evaluation, including randomised and non-randomised designs; survey and fieldwork exploratory studies; and instrument development. Studies drew on a limited number of methods – particularly surveys and individual interviews – but used methods in a wide range of roles. Conclusion Mixed methods research is common in HSR in the UK. Its use is driven by pragmatism rather than principle, motivated by the perceived deficit of quantitative methods alone to address the complexity of research in health care, as well as other more strategic gains. Methods are combined in a range of contexts, yet the emerging methodological contributions from HSR to the field of mixed methods research are currently limited to the single

ReMixT: clone-specific genomic structure estimation in cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

McPherson, Andrew W; Roth, Andrew; Ha, Gavin; Chauve, Cedric; Steif, Adi; de Souza, Camila P E; Eirew, Peter; Bouchard-Côté, Alexandre; Aparicio, Sam; Sahinalp, S Cenk; Shah, Sohrab P

2017-07-27

Somatic evolution of malignant cells produces tumors composed of multiple clonal populations, distinguished in part by rearrangements and copy number changes affecting chromosomal segments. Whole genome sequencing mixes the signals of sampled populations, diluting the signals of clone-specific aberrations, and complicating estimation of clone-specific genotypes. We introduce ReMixT, a method to unmix tumor and contaminating normal signals and jointly predict mixture proportions, clone-specific segment copy number, and clone specificity of breakpoints. ReMixT is free, open-source software and is available at http://bitbucket.org/dranew/remixt .

Analyzing phase diagrams and phase transitions in networked competing populations

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Y.-C.; Yin, H. P.; Xu, C.; Hui, P. M.

2011-03-01

Phase diagrams exhibiting the extent of cooperation in an evolutionary snowdrift game implemented in different networks are studied in detail. We invoke two independent payoff parameters, unlike a single payoff often used in most previous works that restricts the two payoffs to vary in a correlated way. In addition to the phase transition points when a single payoff parameter is used, phase boundaries separating homogeneous phases consisting of agents using the same strategy and a mixed phase consisting of agents using different strategies are found. Analytic expressions of the phase boundaries are obtained by invoking the ideas of the last surviving patterns and the relative alignments of the spectra of payoff values to agents using different strategies. In a Watts-Strogatz regular network, there exists a re-entrant phenomenon in which the system goes from a homogeneous phase into a mixed phase and re-enters the homogeneous phase as one of the two payoff parameters is varied. The non-trivial phase diagram accompanying this re-entrant phenomenon is quantitatively analyzed. The effects of noise and cooperation in randomly rewired Watts-Strogatz networks are also studied. The transition between a mixed phase and a homogeneous phase is identify to belong to the directed percolation universality class. The methods used in the present work are applicable to a wide range of problems in competing populations of networked agents.

Albendazole versus combined pyrantel pamoate-mebendazole in the treatment of mixed infection of soil-transmitted helminthiasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiangsa Sembiring

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Background Soil transmitted helminthiasis is still highly prevalent in Indonesia, especially in rural area and among poor socio-economic population. Helminthiasis is frequently found as a single or mixed infection. It is difficult to get a medication with better efficacy, low cost, and simple administration for all types of worms. Objective The aim of this sudy was to compare the effectiveness of albendazole and pyrantel pamoate-mebendazole combination in treating soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Methods A randomized clinical trial was perionned in September until November 1995 on students of a primary school in Tanjung Anom Village whose stool examinations showed mixed infection of helminthiasis. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups. The A group was treated with 400 mg oral albendazole as a single dose, while the B group was treated with the combination of pyrantel pamoate 10 mg/kg body weight as a single dose and mebendazole 100 mg twice a day for three consecutive days. Cure was considered if in the stool examination, no wonn eggs were found. Statistical analysis was periormed by Chi-square test with confidence interval of 95% and p value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Out of 541 children, mixed infection of soil-transmitted helminthiasis was found in 374 children (69%. Three hundreds sixty-six children completed the study, consisted of 182 children in group A and 184 in group B. At 3 weeks after treatment, the cure rate in the A group was significantly better compared to that in B group. Conclusions Albendazole was more effective than the combination of pyrantel pamoate - mebendazole for treating mixed infection of soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Besides the administration was simpler and caused minimal side effect.

The mixing of fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottino, J.M.

1989-01-01

What do the eruption of Krakatau, the manufacture of puff pastry and the brightness of stars have in common? Each involves some aspect of mixing. Mixing also plays a critical role in modern technology. Chemical engineers rely on mixing to ensure that substances react properly, to produce polymer blends that exhibit unique properties and to disperse drag-reducing agents in pipelines. Yet in spite of its of its ubiquity in nature and industry, mixing is only imperfectly under-stood. Indeed, investigators cannot even settle on a common terminology: mixing is often referred to as stirring by oceanographers and geophysicists, as blending by polymer engineers and as agitation by process engineers. Regardless of what the process is called, there is little doubt that it is exceedingly complex and is found in a great variety of systems. In constructing a theory of fluid mixing, for example, one has to take into account fluids that can be miscible or partially miscible and reactive or inert, and flows that are slow and orderly or very fast and turbulent. It is therefore not surprising that no single theory can explain all aspect of mixing in fluids and that straightforward computations usually fail to capture all the important details. Still, both physical experiments and computer simulations can provide insight into the mixing process. Over the past several years the authors and his colleague have taken both approaches in an effort to increase understanding of various aspect of the process-particularly of mixing involving slow flows and viscous fluids such as oils

ddClone: joint statistical inference of clonal populations from single cell and bulk tumour sequencing data.

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Sohrab; Steif, Adi; Roth, Andrew; Aparicio, Samuel; Bouchard-Côté, Alexandre; Shah, Sohrab P

2017-03-01

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of bulk tumour tissue can identify constituent cell populations in cancers and measure their abundance. This requires computational deconvolution of allelic counts from somatic mutations, which may be incapable of fully resolving the underlying population structure. Single cell sequencing (SCS) is a more direct method, although its replacement of NGS is impeded by technical noise and sampling limitations. We propose ddClone, which analytically integrates NGS and SCS data, leveraging their complementary attributes through joint statistical inference. We show on real and simulated datasets that ddClone produces more accurate results than can be achieved by either method alone.

Applications of mixed-methods methodology in clinical pharmacy research.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadi, Muhammad Abdul; Closs, S José

2016-06-01

Introduction Mixed-methods methodology, as the name suggests refers to mixing of elements of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in a single study. In the past decade, mixed-methods methodology has gained popularity among healthcare researchers as it promises to bring together the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Methodology A number of mixed-methods designs are available in the literature and the four most commonly used designs in healthcare research are: the convergent parallel design, the embedded design, the exploratory design, and the explanatory design. Each has its own unique advantages, challenges and procedures and selection of a particular design should be guided by the research question. Guidance on designing, conducting and reporting mixed-methods research is available in the literature, so it is advisable to adhere to this to ensure methodological rigour. When to use it is best suited when the research questions require: triangulating findings from different methodologies to explain a single phenomenon; clarifying the results of one method using another method; informing the design of one method based on the findings of another method, development of a scale/questionnaire and answering different research questions within a single study. Two case studies have been presented to illustrate possible applications of mixed-methods methodology. Limitations Possessing the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, interpretation and integration remains the biggest challenge for researchers conducting mixed-methods studies. Sequential study designs are often time consuming, being in two (or more) phases whereas concurrent study designs may require more than one data collector to collect both qualitative and quantitative data at the same time.

Mixed Methods in Biomedical and Health Services Research

OpenAIRE

Curry, Leslie A.; Krumholz, Harlan M.; O’Cathain, Alicia; Plano Clark, Vicki L.; Cherlin, Emily; Bradley, Elizabeth H.

2013-01-01

Mixed methods studies, in which qualitative and quantitative methods are combined in a single program of inquiry, can be valuable in biomedical and health services research, where the complementary strengths of each approach can yield greater insight into complex phenomena than either approach alone. Although interest in mixed methods is growing among science funders and investigators, written guidance on how to conduct and assess rigorous mixed methods studies is not readily accessible to th...

Chemical control of different Digitaria insularis populations and management of a glyphosate-resistant population

OpenAIRE

CORREIA,N.M.; ACRA,L.T.; BALIEIRO,G.

2015-01-01

This study aimed to control different populations of Digitaria insularisby glyphosate herbicide, isolated and mixed, besides the combination of methods (chemical and mechanical) to manage resistant adult plants. Three experiments were conducted, one in pots which were maintained under non-controlled conditions and two under field conditions. In the experiment in pots, twelve populations of D. insularis were sprayed with isolated glyphosate (1.44 and 2.16 kg a.e. ha-1) and mixed (1.44 and 2.16...

Evaluation of mixing downstream of tees in duct systems with respect to single point representative air sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Taehong; O'Neal, Dennis L; Ortiz, Carlos

2006-09-01

Air duct systems in nuclear facilities must be monitored with continuous sampling in case of an accidental release of airborne radionuclides. The purpose of this work is to identify the air sampling locations where the velocity and contaminant concentrations fall below the 20% coefficient of variation required by the American National Standards Institute/Health Physics Society N13.1-1999. Experiments of velocity and tracer gas concentration were conducted on a generic "T" mixing system which included combinations of three sub ducts, one main duct, and air velocities from 0.5 to 2 m s (100 to 400 fpm). The experimental results suggest that turbulent mixing provides the accepted velocity coefficients of variation after 6 hydraulic diameters downstream of the T-junction. About 95% of the cases achieved coefficients of variation below 10% by 6 hydraulic diameters. However, above a velocity ratio (velocity in the sub duct/velocity in the main duct) of 2, velocity profiles were uniform in a shorter distance downstream of the T-junction as the velocity ratio went up. For the tracer gas concentration, the distance needed for the coefficients of variation to drop 20% decreased with increasing velocity ratio due to the sub duct airflow momentum. The results may apply to other duct systems with similar geometries and, ultimately, be a basis for selecting a proper sampling location under the requirements of single point representative sampling.

Comparison of single and mixed ion implantation effects on the changes of the surface hardness, light transmittance, and electrical conductivity of polymeric materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J. W.; Lee, J. H.; Lee, J. S.; Kil, J. G.; Choi, B. H.; Han, Z. H.

2001-01-01

Single or mixed ions of N, He, C were implanted onto the transparent PET(Polyethylen Terephtalate) with the ion energies of less than 100 keV and the surface hardness, light transmittance and electrical conductivity were examined. As measured with nanoindentation, mixed ion implantations such as N + +He + or N + + C + exhibited more increase in the surface hardness than the single ion implantation. Especially, implantation of C+N ions increased the surface hardness by about three times as compared to the implantation of N ion alone, which means more than 10 times increase than the untreated PET. Surface electrical conductivity was increased along with the hardness increase. The conductivity increase was more proportional to the hardness when used the higher ion energy and ion dose, while it did not show any relationship at as low as 50 keV of ion energy. The light at the 550 nm wavelength (visual range) transmitted more than 85%, which is close to that of as-received PET, and at the wavelength below 300 nm(UV range) the rays were absorbed more than 95% as traveling through the sheet, implying that there are processing parameters which the ion implanted PET maintains the transparency and absorbs the UV rays

Stochastic adaptation and fold-change detection: from single-cell to population behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leier André

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In cell signaling terminology, adaptation refers to a system's capability of returning to its equilibrium upon a transient response. To achieve this, a network has to be both sensitive and precise. Namely, the system must display a significant output response upon stimulation, and later on return to pre-stimulation levels. If the system settles at the exact same equilibrium, adaptation is said to be 'perfect'. Examples of adaptation mechanisms include temperature regulation, calcium regulation and bacterial chemotaxis. Results We present models of the simplest adaptation architecture, a two-state protein system, in a stochastic setting. Furthermore, we consider differences between individual and collective adaptive behavior, and show how our system displays fold-change detection properties. Our analysis and simulations highlight why adaptation needs to be understood in terms of probability, and not in strict numbers of molecules. Most importantly, selection of appropriate parameters in this simple linear setting may yield populations of cells displaying adaptation, while single cells do not. Conclusions Single cell behavior cannot be inferred from population measurements and, sometimes, collective behavior cannot be determined from the individuals. By consequence, adaptation can many times be considered a purely emergent property of the collective system. This is a clear example where biological ergodicity cannot be assumed, just as is also the case when cell replication rates are not homogeneous, or depend on the cell state. Our analysis shows, for the first time, how ergodicity cannot be taken for granted in simple linear examples either. The latter holds even when cells are considered isolated and devoid of replication capabilities (cell-cycle arrested. We also show how a simple linear adaptation scheme displays fold-change detection properties, and how rupture of ergodicity prevails in scenarios where transitions between

Assessing the Concordance between Child Reports and Adult Observations of Single and Mixed Emotion in Children's Drawings of Themselves or Another Child

Science.gov (United States)

Burkitt, Esther

2018-01-01

The present study assessed concordance between child reported and adult observed strategies to depict single and mixed emotion in the same human figure drawings. 205 children (104 boys, 101 girls) aged 6 years 2 months to 8 years 3 months formed two age groups (6 years 2 months-7 years 2 months and 7 years 3 months-8 years 3 months) across two…

Mixed beams for the nuclear microprobe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saint, A.; Breese, M.B.H.; Legge, G.L.F. [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). School of Physics

1996-12-31

Recently the Micro-Analytical Research Centre (MARC) at Melbourne University has developed a technique to provide mixed beams of ions for a magnetically focussed nuclear microprobe. Such a mixed beam is defined as two (or more) beams of different species ions that can quickly and easily be made to have the same magnetic rigidity R{sub m} = (mE/q{sup 2}) and therefore be transported, focused and scanned the same in a magnetic nuclear microprobe. The production of mixed beams in an electrostatically focussed micro- probe have already been demonstrated. This paper will show how mixed beams can be produced on a single-ended accelerator. Indications of how to produce them on a tandem will also be given. Applications of these mixed beams in micro-lithography, scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) imaging and ion beam induced charge (IBIC) imaging will also be presented. 3 refs., 3 figs.

Mixed beams for the nuclear microprobe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saint, A; Breese, M B.H.; Legge, G L.F. [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). School of Physics

1997-12-31

Recently the Micro-Analytical Research Centre (MARC) at Melbourne University has developed a technique to provide mixed beams of ions for a magnetically focussed nuclear microprobe. Such a mixed beam is defined as two (or more) beams of different species ions that can quickly and easily be made to have the same magnetic rigidity R{sub m} = (mE/q{sup 2}) and therefore be transported, focused and scanned the same in a magnetic nuclear microprobe. The production of mixed beams in an electrostatically focussed micro- probe have already been demonstrated. This paper will show how mixed beams can be produced on a single-ended accelerator. Indications of how to produce them on a tandem will also be given. Applications of these mixed beams in micro-lithography, scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) imaging and ion beam induced charge (IBIC) imaging will also be presented. 3 refs., 3 figs.

Mixed and Complex Mixed Migration during Armed Conflict: Multidimensional Empirical Evidence from Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Nathalie E

Historically, legal, policy, and academic communities largely ascribed to a dichotomy between forced and voluntary migration, creating a black and white vision that was convenient for legal and policy purposes. More recently, discussions have begun addressing the possibility of mixed migration, acknowledging that there is likely a wide continuum between forced and voluntary, and most migrants likely move with some amount of compulsion and some volition, even during armed conflict. While the mixed migration hypothesis is well-received, empirical evidence is disparate and somewhat blunt at this point. In this article, I contribute a direct theoretical and causal pathway discussion of mixed migration. I also propose the complex mixed migration hypothesis, which argues that not only do non-conflict related factors influence migration during conflict, but they do so differently than during periods of relative peace. I empirically test both hypotheses in the context of the recent armed conflict in Nepal. Using detailed survey data and event history models, results provide strong evidence for both mixed migration and complex mixed migration during conflict hypotheses. These hypotheses and evidence suggest that armed conflict might have substantial impacts on long-term population growth and change, with significant relevance in both academic and policy spheres.

Reflections on Mixing Methods in Applied Linguistics Research

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi, Mohammad R.

2012-01-01

This commentary advocates the use of mixed methods research--that is the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study--in applied linguistics. Based on preliminary findings from a research project in progress, some reflections on the current practice of mixing methods as a new trend in applied linguistics are put forward.…

Study of GABAergic extra-synaptic tonic inhibition in single neurons and neural populations by traversing neural scales: application to propofol-induced anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutt, Axel; Buhry, Laure

2014-12-01

Anaesthetic agents are known to affect extra-synaptic GABAergic receptors, which induce tonic inhibitory currents. Since these receptors are very sensitive to small concentrations of agents, they are supposed to play an important role in the underlying neural mechanism of general anaesthesia. Moreover anaesthetic agents modulate the encephalographic activity (EEG) of subjects and hence show an effect on neural populations. To understand better the tonic inhibition effect in single neurons on neural populations and hence how it affects the EEG, the work considers single neurons and neural populations in a steady-state and studies numerically and analytically the modulation of their firing rate and nonlinear gain with respect to different levels of tonic inhibition. We consider populations of both type-I (Leaky Integrate-and-Fire model) and type-II (Morris-Lecar model) neurons. To bridge the single neuron description to the population description analytically, a recently proposed statistical approach is employed which allows to derive new analytical expressions for the population firing rate for type-I neurons. In addition, the work shows the derivation of a novel transfer function for type-I neurons as considered in neural mass models and studies briefly the interaction of synaptic and extra-synaptic inhibition. We reveal a strong subtractive and divisive effect of tonic inhibition in type-I neurons, i.e. a shift of the firing rate to higher excitation levels accompanied by a change of the nonlinear gain. Tonic inhibition shortens the excitation window of type-II neurons and their populations while maintaining the nonlinear gain. The gained results are interpreted in the context of recent experimental findings under propofol-induced anaesthesia.

Single and mixed formulations of inoculants with diazotrophic bacteria, under different nitrogen rates and on the paddy rice crop

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Paula Bianchet

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The use of diazotrophic bacteria as a biological input for the production of paddy rice can reduce nitrogen fertilizer applications and contribute to plant development. The use of mixed inoculants’ formulations can increase the efficiency of nitrogen fixation biological process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of single and mixed formulations of inoculants with diazotrophic bacteria on the initial growth of paddy rice plants under different levels of N. The experiment was set in a greenhouse. Treatments consisted of four types of inoculation (no inoculation, inoculation with the isolated AI UDESC 27, inoculation with the isolated FE UDESC 22, and inoculation with the mixed formulation of isolated AI UDESC UDESC 27 and FE UDESC 22; and two levels of mineral nitrogen (30 and 60 mg kg-1 of N. The cultivar used was Epagri 109, which presents late maturity (over 140 days and high yield potential. Treatments were arranged in a factorial design (4 x 2 with five replicates. The experimental design was completely randomized. Inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria reduced by 18% and 26% shoot and root dry matter of rice plants, respectively. Plants also presented lower root area and volume when they were inoculated. There was no significant effect of inoculation and nitrogen rates on the number of leaves and tillers produced per plant or shoot nitrogen accumulation. The results showed that the isolated used in this work were not effective to stimulate shoot and root growth of cv Epagri 109, regardless of formulation type and rate of N.

Image quality optimization and evaluation of linearly mixed images in dual-source, dual-energy CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Lifeng; Primak, Andrew N.; Liu Xin; McCollough, Cynthia H.

2009-01-01

In dual-source dual-energy CT, the images reconstructed from the low- and high-energy scans (typically at 80 and 140 kV, respectively) can be mixed together to provide a single set of non-material-specific images for the purpose of routine diagnostic interpretation. Different from the material-specific information that may be obtained from the dual-energy scan data, the mixed images are created with the purpose of providing the interpreting physician a single set of images that have an appearance similar to that in single-energy images acquired at the same total radiation dose. In this work, the authors used a phantom study to evaluate the image quality of linearly mixed images in comparison to single-energy CT images, assuming the same total radiation dose and taking into account the effect of patient size and the dose partitioning between the low-and high-energy scans. The authors first developed a method to optimize the quality of the linearly mixed images such that the single-energy image quality was compared to the best-case image quality of the dual-energy mixed images. Compared to 80 kV single-energy images for the same radiation dose, the iodine CNR in dual-energy mixed images was worse for smaller phantom sizes. However, similar noise and similar or improved iodine CNR relative to 120 kV images could be achieved for dual-energy mixed images using the same total radiation dose over a wide range of patient sizes (up to 45 cm lateral thorax dimension). Thus, for adult CT practices, which primarily use 120 kV scanning, the use of dual-energy CT for the purpose of material-specific imaging can also produce a set of non-material-specific images for routine diagnostic interpretation that are of similar or improved quality relative to single-energy 120 kV scans.

TRAFFIC SIMULATION FOR MIXED TRAFFIC SYSTEMS

African Journals Online (AJOL)

EGETE

2012-05-04

May 4, 2012 ... Traffic problem is classified into single and mixed, especially in most developing countries, where motorbikes are ..... The traffic light control system presented by its location on ... multi-destination dynamic routing and real-time.

A new method to manipulate broiler chicken growth and metabolism: Response to mixed LED light system

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yefeng; Yu, Yonghua; Pan, Jinming; Ying, Yibin; Zhou, Hong

2016-05-01

Present study introduced a new method to manipulate broiler chicken growth and metabolism by mixing the growth-advantage LED. We found that the green/blue LED mixed light system (G-B and G × B) have the similar stimulatory effect on chick body weight with single green light and single blue light (G and B), compared with normal artificial light (P = 0.028). Moreover, the percentage of carcass was significantly greater in the mixed light (G × B) when compared with the single light (P = 0.003). Synchronized with body weight, the mixed light (G-B and G × B) had a significant improved influence on the feed conversion of birds compared with normal light (P = 0.002). A significant improvement in feed conversion were found in mixed light (G × B) compared with single LED light (P = 0.037). G group resulted in a greater high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level than B group (P = 0.002), whereas B group resulted in a greater low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level than G group (P = 0.017). The mixed light significantly increased the birds’ glucose level in comparison with the single light (P = 0.003). This study might establish an effective strategy for maximizing growth of chickens by mixed LED technology.

Experimental studies of Z-pinches of mixed wire array with aluminum and tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning Cheng; Li Zhenghong; Hua Xinsheng; Xu Rongkun; Peng Xianjue; Xu Zeping; Yang Jianlun; Guo Cun; Jiang Shilun; Feng Shuping; Yang Libing; Yan Chengli; Song Fengjun; Smirnov, V.P.; Kalinin, Yu.G.; Kingsep, A.S.; Chernenko, A.S.; Grabovsky, E.V.

2004-01-01

In the form of joint experiment between China and Russia, the experimental studies of Z-pinches of mixed wire array of aluminum (A1) and tungsten (W) were carried out on S-300 generator, which was located on Kurchatov Institute of Russia. The experimental results were compared with those of single A1 array and single W array, respectively. There are obvious difference between mixed one and single one in their photon spectral distributions. The intensity of K-series emission lines from the mixed wire array Z-pinch is lower than that from single A1 array. The radiated lines with wavelengths less than 1.6 nm were not found in single W array Z-pinches. In the Z-pinch processes, the area radiating x-rays in mixed wire array is smaller than that of single A1 array, but is slightly lower than that from single W array. The FWHM of x-ray pulse with a maximal power 0.3-0.5 TW and total energy 10-20 kJ is about 25 ns, which radiated from Z-pinches with a radial convergence of 4-5 on S-300 generator. The shadow photograph of the mixed wire-array Z-pinch plasma by laser probe shows that the core-corona configuration was formed and the corona was moving toward the center axis during the wire-array plasma formation, that the interface of the plasma is not clear, and that there are a number structures inside. They also suggests that there was an obvious development of Magneto Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the Z-pinch process as well

Cosmeceutical potentials and bioactive compounds of rice bran fermented with single and mix culture of Aspergillus oryzae and Rhizopus oryzae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dang Lelamurni Abd Razak

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In the present study, rice bran, one of the most abundant agricultural by-products in Malaysia, was fermented with single and mixed cultures of Aspergillus oryzae and Rhizopus oryzae. The fermented rice bran extracts were tested for their functional properties and compared to the non-fermented counterparts. Antioxidant activities as well as phenolics and organic acid contents were evaluated. Skincare-related functionalities were also tested by evaluating tyrosinase and elastase inhibition activities. Tyrosinase inhibition activity, measured to determine the anti-pigmentation effect of extracts, was found to be the highest in the extract of rice bran fermented with A. oryzae (56.18% compared to other extracts. In determining the anti-aging effect of fermented rice bran extracts, the same extract showed the highest elastase inhibition activity with a value of 60.52%. Antioxidant activities were found to be highest in the mix-cultured rice bran extract. The results of phenolic and organic acid content were varied; the major phenolic acid detected was ferulic acid with a value of 43.19 μg/ml in the mix-cultured rice bran extract. On the other hand, citric acid was the major organic acid detected, with the highest content found in the same extract (214.6 mg/g. The results of this study suggest that the fermented rice bran extracts may have the potential to be further exploited as ingredients in cosmetics as well as in antioxidant-rich products.

The Case for Mixed-Age Grouping in Early Childhood Education Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Lilian G.; And Others

The seven brief chapters of this paper advocate mixed-age grouping in schools and child care centers. Discussion defines mixed-age grouping and examines some limitations of single-age grouping. Research findings on social and cognitive aspects of mixed-age grouping are reviewed. Social aspects are discussed by considering in turn the following…

[Meta-analysis on relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism of rs2231142 in ABCG2 gene and gout in East Asian population].

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Lei; He, Yao; Zhang, Di

2015-11-01

To systematically evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism of rs2231142 genetic susceptibility and gout in East Asian population. The literature retrieval was conducted by using English databases (Medline, EMbase), Chinese databases (CNKI, Vip, Wanfang, SinaMed) and others to collect the published papers on the association between single nucleotide polymorphism of rs2231142 genetic susceptibility and gout by the end of December 2014. Meta-analysis was performed with software Stata 12.0. Nine studies were included. There were significant associations between increased risk of gout and single nucleotide polymorphism of rs2231142, the combined OR was 2.04 (95%CI: 1.82-2.28) for A allele and C allele, 1.97 (95%CI: 1.57-2.48) for CA and CC, 3.71 (95%CI: 3.07-4.47) for AA and CC. Sex and region specific subgroup analysis showed less heterogeneity. There is significant association between gout and single nucleotide polymorphism of rs2231142 in East Asian population, and A allele is a high risk gene for gout.

Transmission of equine influenza virus during an outbreak is characterized by frequent mixed infections and loose transmission bottlenecks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Hughes

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The ability of influenza A viruses (IAVs to cross species barriers and evade host immunity is a major public health concern. Studies on the phylodynamics of IAVs across different scales - from the individual to the population - are essential for devising effective measures to predict, prevent or contain influenza emergence. Understanding how IAVs spread and evolve during outbreaks is critical for the management of epidemics. Reconstructing the transmission network during a single outbreak by sampling viral genetic data in time and space can generate insights about these processes. Here, we obtained intra-host viral sequence data from horses infected with equine influenza virus (EIV to reconstruct the spread of EIV during a large outbreak. To this end, we analyzed within-host viral populations from sequences covering 90% of the infected yards. By combining gene sequence analyses with epidemiological data, we inferred a plausible transmission network, in turn enabling the comparison of transmission patterns during the course of the outbreak and revealing important epidemiological features that were not apparent using either approach alone. The EIV populations displayed high levels of genetic diversity, and in many cases we observed distinct viral populations containing a dominant variant and a number of related minor variants that were transmitted between infectious horses. In addition, we found evidence of frequent mixed infections and loose transmission bottlenecks in these naturally occurring populations. These frequent mixed infections likely influence the size of epidemics.

Selective propagation of mouse-passaged scrapie prions with long incubation period from a mixed prion population using GT1-7 cells.

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Kohtaro Miyazawa

Full Text Available In our previous study, we demonstrated the propagation of mouse-passaged scrapie isolates with long incubation periods (L-type derived from natural Japanese sheep scrapie cases in murine hypothalamic GT1-7 cells, along with disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc accumulation. We here analyzed the susceptibility of GT1-7 cells to scrapie prions by exposure to infected mouse brains at different passages, following interspecies transmission. Wild-type mice challenged with a natural sheep scrapie case (Kanagawa exhibited heterogeneity of transmitted scrapie prions in early passages, and this mixed population converged upon one with a short incubation period (S-type following subsequent passages. However, when GT1-7 cells were challenged with these heterologous samples, L-type prions became dominant. This study demonstrated that the susceptibility of GT1-7 cells to L-type prions was at least 105 times higher than that to S-type prions and that L-type prion-specific biological characteristics remained unchanged after serial passages in GT1-7 cells. This suggests that a GT1-7 cell culture model would be more useful for the economical and stable amplification of L-type prions at the laboratory level. Furthermore, this cell culture model might be used to selectively propagate L-type scrapie prions from a mixed prion population.

Genetic structure and diversity of three Colombian southwest afrodescendent populations using 8 STR's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guauque Olarte, Sandra; Fuentes Pardo, Angela Patricia; Cardenas Henao, Heiber; Barreto, Guillermo

2010-01-01

To estimate the diversity, structure and genetic flow in three Colombian southwest afrodescendent populations (Buenaventura, Mulalo y Tumaco), the alleles revealed by 8 autosomal STR's were analyzed in 78 no-related individuals, by the use of PCR and comparison with specific allelic ladders for every system resolved by polyacrylamide gel (8%). the results were compared with 2 Amerindian populations (Awa-Kuaikier and Coyaima) and 2 mixed Colombian populations (Valle del Cauca and Cauca). For the afrodescendent and Amerindian populations was found moderate diversity (h between 0.768±0.414 and 0.796±0.424), in contrast, the mixed population showed higher rates (>0.803), which is probably caused by mixing with Amerindians, that also can explain the high endogamy seen in mixed populations. The AMOVA exhibited moderate genetic structure between the afrodescendent populations (FST= 0.098; p<0.05), but higher between the three ethnical groups compared (FST=0.26723; p<0.05). The closer genetics distances are in favor of Tumaco and Buenaventura, supported for the migration rate found (34.298), which was the same inside of Amerindian and mixed populations. Maybe, because Mulalo is a closed isolated population, its differences in front others afrodescendent populations are explained. The neighbor-joining tree showed nearest relations among Amerindian and mixed populations, furthermore, the ancestral character for the afrodescendents. That sustains the idea of genetic flow maintained between the 3 ethnical groups, principally between Amerindian and mixed populations, supported because the genetic differences, migration rates and Amerindian matrilineality reported in the literature

Genetic effects and reparation of single-stranded DNA breaks in Arabidopsis thaliana populations growing in the vicinity of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abramov, V.I.; Sergeeva, S.A.; Ptitsyna, S.N.; Semov, A.B.; Shevchenko, V.A.

1992-01-01

The genetic effects and efficiency of repair of single-stranded DNA breaks in natural populations of Arabidopsis growing within a thirty-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station were studied. A direct relationship was found between the level of radioactive contamination and the frequency of embryonal lethal mutations in the Arabidopsis populations studied. A decrease in the efficiency of reparation of single-stranded DNA breaks was found in Arabidopsis plants growing in the contaminated sites. The level of efficiency of DNA reparation was dependent on the duration for which the Arabidopsis population had been growing in the contaminated sites and on the degree of radioactive contamination of the sites. 9 refs., 4 tabs

Co-isolation of Vahlkampfia and acanthamoeba in acanthamoeba-like keratitis in a Spanish population.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnalich-Montiel, Francisco; Lorenzo-Morales, Jacob; Irigoyen, Cristina; Morcillo-Laiz, Rafael; López-Vélez, Rogelio; Muñoz-Negrete, Francisco; Piñero, Jose E; Valladares, Basilio

2013-05-01

To report the co-isolation incidence of Acanthamoeba and Vahlkampfia in amoebic keratitis from a tertiary care institution in Madrid, Spain. In this retrospective case series, 7 eyes of 7 consecutive patients with culture-proven or polymerase chain reaction-positive Acanthamoeba keratitis were seen at a tertiary care institution from January 2010 to April 2011, and their charts were reviewed. Two of 7 patients showed mixed Acanthamoeba and Vahlkampfia keratitis. Good clinical response to the treatment was strongly correlated with early diagnosis, whereas delayed diagnosis resulted in poor response to the treatment in single or mixed infection. Co-isolation of Vahlkampfia and Acanthamoeba in Acanthamoeba-like keratitis has recently been detected in our population. This finding should raise awareness of the existence of other amoeba different from Acanthamoeba causing keratitis. There are not enough cases yet to determine the impact of mixed amoebic keratitis in the prognosis of this disease.

Short wave infrared hyperspectral imaging for recovered post-consumer single and mixed polymers characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Palmieri, Roberta; Serranti, Silvia

2015-03-01

Postconsumer plastics from packing and packaging represent about the 60% of the total plastic wastes (i.e. 23 million of tons) produced in Europe. The EU Directive (2014/12/EC) fixes as target that the 60%, by weight, of packaging waste has to be recovered, or thermally valorized. When recovered, the same directive established that packaging waste has to be recycled in a percentage ranging between 55% (minimum) and 60% (maximum). The non-respect of these rules can produce that large quantities of end-of-life plastic products, specifically those utilized for packaging, are disposed-off, with a strong environmental impact. The application of recycling strategies, finalized to polymer recovery, can represent an opportunity to reduce: i) not renewable raw materials (i.e. oil) utilization, ii) carbon dioxide emissions and iii) amount of plastic waste disposed-off. Aim of this work was to perform a full characterization of different end-of-life polymers based products, constituted not only by single polymers but also of mixtures, in order to realize their identification for quality control and/or certification assessment. The study was specifically addressed to characterize the different recovered products as resulting from a recycling plant where classical processing flow-sheets, based on milling, classification and separation, are applied. To reach this goal, an innovative sensing technique, based on the utilization of a HyperSpectral[b] I[/b]maging (HSI) device working in the SWIR region (1000-2500 nm), was investigated. Following this strategy, single polymers and/or mixed polymers recovered were correctly recognized. The main advantage of the proposed approach is linked to the possibility to perform "on-line" analyses, that is directly on the different material flow streams, as resulting from processing, without any physical sampling and classical laboratory "off-line" determination.

Quantification of African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV-UG) in single and mixed infected Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) using quantitative PCR.

Science.gov (United States)

Naseem, Saadia; Winter, Stephan

2016-01-01

The quantity of genomic DNA-A and DNA-B of African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic virus Uganda (Uganda variant, EACMV-UG) was analysed using quantitative PCR to assess virus concentrations in plants from susceptible and tolerant cultivars. The concentrations of genome components in absolute and relative quantification experiments in single and mixed viral infections were determined. Virus concentration was much higher in symptomatic leaf tissues compared to non-symptomatic leaves and corresponded with the severity of disease symptoms. In general, higher titres were recorded for EACMV-UG Ca055 compared to ACMV DRC6. The quantitative assessment also showed that the distribution of both viruses in the moderately resistant cassava cv. TMS 30572 was not different from the highly susceptible cv. TME 117. Natural mixed infections with both viruses gave severe disease symptoms. Relative quantification of virus genomes in mixed infections showed higher concentrations of EACMV-UG DNA-A compared to ACMV DNA-A, but a marked reduction of EACMV-UG DNA-B. The higher concentrations of EACMV-UG DNA-B compared to EACMV DNA-A accumulation in single infections were consistent. Since DNA-B is implicated in virus cell-to-cell spread and systemic movement, the abundance of the EACMV-UG DNA-B may be an important factor driving cassava mosaic disease epidemic. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary dynamics of fluctuating populations with strong mutualism

Science.gov (United States)

Chotibut, Thiparat; Nelson, David

2013-03-01

Evolutionary game theory with finite interacting populations is receiving increased attention, including subtle phenomena associated with number fluctuations, i.e., ``genetic drift.'' Models of cooperation and competition often utilize a simplified Moran model, with a strictly fixed total population size. We explore a more general evolutionary model with independent fluctuations in the numbers of two distinct species, in a regime characterized by ``strong mutualism.'' The model has two absorbing states, each corresponding to fixation of one of the two species, and allows exploration of the interplay between growth, competition, and mutualism. When mutualism is favored, number fluctuations eventually drive the system away from a stable fixed point, characterized by cooperation, to one of the absorbing states. Well-mixed populations will thus be taken over by a single species in a finite time, despite the bias towards cooperation. We calculate both the fixation probability and the mean fixation time as a function of the initial conditions and carrying capacities in the strong mutualism regime, using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Our results are compared to computer simulations.

Estimates for Genetic Variance Components in Reciprocal Recurrent Selection in Populations Derived from Maize Single-Cross Hybrids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matheus Costa dos Reis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out to obtain the estimates of genetic variance and covariance components related to intra- and interpopulation in the original populations (C0 and in the third cycle (C3 of reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS which allows breeders to define the best breeding strategy. For that purpose, the half-sib progenies of intrapopulation (P11 and P22 and interpopulation (P12 and P21 from populations 1 and 2 derived from single-cross hybrids in the 0 and 3 cycles of the reciprocal recurrent selection program were used. The intra- and interpopulation progenies were evaluated in a 10×10 triple lattice design in two separate locations. The data for unhusked ear weight (ear weight without husk and plant height were collected. All genetic variance and covariance components were estimated from the expected mean squares. The breakdown of additive variance into intrapopulation and interpopulation additive deviations (στ2 and the covariance between these and their intrapopulation additive effects (CovAτ found predominance of the dominance effect for unhusked ear weight. Plant height for these components shows that the intrapopulation additive effect explains most of the variation. Estimates for intrapopulation and interpopulation additive genetic variances confirm that populations derived from single-cross hybrids have potential for recurrent selection programs.

Mixed mobile ion effect in fluorozincate glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, S; Ghosh, A

2005-01-01

The mixed mobile ion effect has been investigated for the first time in zinc fluoride glasses where in addition to alkali cations fluorine anions also participate in the diffusion process, unlike mixed alkali oxide glasses. The minimum in the conductivity, conductivity relaxation frequency, crossover frequency and decoupling index indicates the existence of the mixed mobile ion effect in these fluoride glasses. It has been observed that the non-exponential parameter and the frequency exponent are independent of temperature. It has been established that alkali ions and fluorine anions exhibit lower dimensionality of the conduction pathways in mixed alkali zinc fluoride glasses than that in the single alkali lithium based zinc fluoride glasses while they are migrating. From the scaling of the conductivity spectra, it has been established that the relaxation dynamics in mixed alkali zinc fluoride glasses is independent of temperature and composition

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-07-01

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

Prediction of Un-erupted Canine and Premolar Tooth Size in Mixed Dentition among Bangladeshi Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Chokrobrty, R; Rafique, T; Ghosh, R; Biswas, A K; Sajedeen, M; Hassan, G S

2017-10-01

Accurate prediction of the space available to accommodate the size of the un-erupted canines and premolars plays an important role in mixed dentition in Orthodontics. This Descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Orthodontics of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University from July 2014 to June 2015. Dental study models of 140 patients were taken as sample. The sample was consisted of 54 Bangladeshi males and 86 females aged between 12 to 17 years and without any previous orthodontic treatment fully erupted permanent teeth and with no dental anomalies were recruited. The study was done by measuring the mesio-distal dimensions of teeth over the dental cast. A pre-structured data collection form which includes the particulars of the patient and data was filled. All patients were having a serial number to maintain their confidentiality. The study protocol was approved by "Institutional Review Board" of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Un-paired t test were used to examine differences between genders, correlation coefficients and linear regression equations were used to carry out the analysis. Descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, and minimum-maximum values were calculated. Unpaired sample 't' tests were carried out to compare tooth size between the sexes. Logistic regression for development of new prediction formula on the basis of study sample of our population. Pearson correlation coefficient test for found the correlation between mandibular incisors and mandibular and maxillary canine and premolars in each quadrant. The difference between the present study with that of Moyers and Tanaka and Johnston were statistically significant (p<0.001). The values from Moyers and Tanaka and Johnston methods exceed while comparing to Bangladeshi population. Therefore, Moyers and Tanaka and Johnston method of prediction are not applicable for our population.

The effect of seasonal harvesting on a single-species discrete population model with stage structure and birth pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Shujing; Chen Lansun

2005-01-01

In this paper, we propose an exploited single-species discrete model with stage structure for the dynamics in a fish population for which births occur in a single pulse once per time period. Using the stroboscopic map, we obtain an exact cycle of the system, and obtain the threshold conditions for its stability. Bifurcation diagrams are constructed with the birth rate as the bifurcation parameter, and these are observed to display complex dynamic behaviors, including chaotic bands with period windows, pitch-fork and tangent bifurcation. This suggests that birth pulse provides a natural period or cyclicity that makes the dynamical behavior more complex. Moreover, we show that the timing of harvesting has a strong impact on the persistence of the fish population, on the volume of mature fish stock and on the maximum annual-sustainable yield. An interesting result is obtained that, after the birth pulse, the earlier culling the mature fish, the larger harvest can tolerate

Stimulated transitions in resonant atom Majorana mixing

Science.gov (United States)

Bernabéu, José; Segarra, Alejandro

2018-02-01

Massive neutrinos demand to ask whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles. Majorana neutrinos are an irrefutable proof of physics beyond the Standard Model. Neutrinoless double electron capture is not a process but a virtual Δ L = 2 mixing between a parent A Z atom and a daughter A ( Z - 2) excited atom with two electron holes. As a mixing between two neutral atoms and the observable signal in terms of emitted two-hole X-rays, the strategy, experimental signature and background are different from neutrinoless double beta decay. The mixing is resonantly enhanced for almost degeneracy and, under these conditions, there is no irreducible background from the standard two-neutrino channel. We reconstruct the natural time history of a nominally stable parent atom since its production either by nature or in the laboratory. After the time periods of atom oscillations and the decay of the short-lived daughter atom, at observable times the relevant "stationary" states are the mixed metastable long-lived state and the non-orthogonal short-lived excited state, as well as the ground state of the daughter atom. We find that they have a natural population inversion which is most appropriate for exploiting the bosonic nature of the observed atomic transitions radiation. Among different observables of the atom Majorana mixing, we include the enhanced rate of stimulated X-ray emission from the long-lived metastable state by a high-intensity X-ray beam: a gain factor of 100 can be envisaged at current XFEL facilities. On the other hand, the historical population of the daughter atom ground state can be probed by exciting it with a current pulsed optical laser, showing the characteristic absorption lines: the whole population can be excited in a shorter time than typical pulse duration.

The single-particle mixing state and cloud scavenging of black carbon: a case study at a high-altitude mountain site in southern China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Guohua; Lin, Qinhao; Peng, Long; Bi, Xinhui; Chen, Duohong; Li, Mei; Li, Lei; Brechtel, Fred J.; Chen, Jianxin; Yan, Weijun; Wang, Xinming; Peng, Ping'an; Sheng, Guoying; Zhou, Zhen

2017-12-01

In the present study, a ground-based counterflow virtual impactor (GCVI) was used to sample cloud droplet residual (cloud RES) particles, while a parallel PM2.5 inlet was used to sample cloud-free or cloud interstitial (cloud INT) particles. The mixing state of black carbon (BC)-containing particles and the mass concentrations of BC in the cloud-free, RES and INT particles were investigated using a single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) and two aethalometers, respectively, at a mountain site (1690 m a. s. l. ) in southern China. The measured BC-containing particles were extensively internally mixed with sulfate and were scavenged into cloud droplets (with number fractions of 0.05-0.45) to a similar (or slightly lower) extent as all the measured particles (0.07-0.6) over the measured size range of 0.1-1.6 µm. The results indicate the preferential activation of larger particles and/or that the production of secondary compositions shifts the BC-containing particles towards larger sizes. BC-containing particles with an abundance of both sulfate and organics were scavenged less than those with sulfate but limited organics, implying the importance of the mixing state on the incorporation of BC-containing particles into cloud droplets. The mass scavenging efficiency of BC with an average of 33 % was similar for different cloud events independent of the air mass. This is the first time that both the mixing state and cloud scavenging of BC in China have been reported. Our results would improve the knowledge on the concentration, mixing state, and cloud scavenging of BC in the free troposphere.

Genetic management strategies for controlling infectious diseases in livestock populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bishop Stephen C

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper considers the use of disease resistance genes to control the transmission of infection through an animal population. Transmission is summarised by R0, the basic reproductive ratio of a pathogen. If R0 > 1.0 a major epidemic can occur, thus a disease control strategy should aim to reduce R0 below 1.0, e.g. by mixing resistant with susceptible wild-type animals. Suppose there is a resistance allele, such that transmission of infection through a population homozygous for this allele will be R02 01, where R01 describes transmission in the wildtype population. For an otherwise homogeneous population comprising animals of these two groups, R0 is the weighted average of the two sub-populations: R0 = R01ρ + R02 (1 - ρ, where ρ is the proportion of wildtype animals. If R01 > 1 and R02 0 ≤ 1, i.e. ρ ≤ (R0 - R02/(R01 - R02. If R02 = 0, the proportion of resistant animals must be at least 1 - 1/R01. For an n genotype model the requirement is still to have R0 ≤ 1.0. Probabilities of epidemics in genetically mixed populations conditional upon the presence of a single infected animal were derived. The probability of no epidemic is always 1/(R0 + 1. When R0 ≤ 1 the probability of a minor epidemic, which dies out without intervention, is R0/(R0 + 1. When R0 > 1 the probability of a minor and major epidemics are 1/(R0 + 1 and (R0 - 1/(R0 + 1. Wherever possible a combination of genotypes should be used to minimise the invasion possibilities of pathogens that have mutated to overcome the effects of specific resistance alleles.

Dynamic population gratings in rare-earth-doped optical fibres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stepanov, Serguei [Optics Department, CICESE, km.107 carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, 22860, BC (Mexico)], E-mail: steps@cicese.mx

2008-11-21

Dynamic Bragg gratings can be recorded in rare-earth (e.g. Er, Yb) doped optical fibres by two counter-propagating mutually coherent laser waves via local saturation of the fibre optical absorption or gain (in optically pumped fibres). Typical recording cw light power needed for efficient grating formation is of sub-mW-mW scale which results in characteristic recording/erasure times of 10-0.1 ms. This review paper discusses fundamental aspects of the population grating formation, their basic properties, relating wave-mixing processes and also considers different applications of these dynamic gratings in single-frequency fibre lasers, tunable filters, optical fibre sensors and adaptive interferometry.

Dynamic population gratings in rare-earth-doped optical fibres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepanov, Serguei

2008-01-01

Dynamic Bragg gratings can be recorded in rare-earth (e.g. Er, Yb) doped optical fibres by two counter-propagating mutually coherent laser waves via local saturation of the fibre optical absorption or gain (in optically pumped fibres). Typical recording cw light power needed for efficient grating formation is of sub-mW-mW scale which results in characteristic recording/erasure times of 10-0.1 ms. This review paper discusses fundamental aspects of the population grating formation, their basic properties, relating wave-mixing processes and also considers different applications of these dynamic gratings in single-frequency fibre lasers, tunable filters, optical fibre sensors and adaptive interferometry.

Effect of mixed and single crops on disease suppressiveness of soils

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hiddink, G.A.; Termorshuizen, A.J.; Raaijmakers, J.M.; Bruggen, van A.H.C.

2005-01-01

The effect of mixed cropping on disease suppressiveness of soils was tested for two cropping systems, Brussels sprouts¿barley and triticale¿white clover. Disease suppressiveness of field soils was evaluated in bioassays for the soilborne pathogens Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lini,

Screening of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Populations with Single-Cell Resolution by Using a High-Throughput Microscale Sample Preparation for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Krismer, Jasmin; Sobek, Jens; Steinhoff, Robert F; Fagerer, Stephan R; Pabst, Martin; Zenobi, Renato

2015-08-15

The consequences of cellular heterogeneity, such as biocide persistence, can only be tackled by studying each individual in a cell population. Fluorescent tags provide tools for the high-throughput analysis of genomes, RNA transcripts, or proteins on the single-cell level. However, the analysis of lower-molecular-weight compounds that elude tagging is still a great challenge. Here, we describe a novel high-throughput microscale sample preparation technique for single cells that allows a mass spectrum to be obtained for each individual cell within a microbial population. The approach presented includes spotting Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells, using a noncontact microarrayer, onto a specialized slide and controlled lysis of cells separated on the slide. Throughout the sample preparation, analytes were traced and individual steps optimized using autofluorescence detection of chlorophyll. The lysates of isolated cells are subjected to a direct, label-free analysis using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. Thus, we were able to differentiate individual cells of two Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains based on single-cell mass spectra. Furthermore, we showed that only population profiles with real single-cell resolution render a nondistorted picture of the phenotypes contained in a population. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Quark-lepton universality and large leptonic mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshipura, Anjan S.; Smirnov, A.Yu.

2006-01-01

A unified description of fermionic mixing is proposed which assumes that in certain basis (i) a single complex unitary matrix V diagonalizes mass matrices of all fermions to the leading order (ii) the SU(5) relation M d =M l T exists between the mass matrices of the down quarks and the charged leptons, and (iii) M d - bar =M d . These assumptions automatically lead to different mixing patterns for quarks and leptons: Quarks remain unmixed to leading order (i.e. V CKM =1) while leptons have non-trivial mixing given by a symmetric unitary matrix V PMNS 0 =V T V. V depends on two physical mixing angles and for values of these angles ∼20 o -25 o it reproduces the observed mixing patterns rather well. We identify conditions under which the universal mixing V follows from the universal mass matrices of fermions. Relatively small perturbations to the leading order structure lead to the CKM mixing and corrections to V PMNS 0 . We find that if the correction matrix equals the CKM matrix, the resulting lepton mixing agrees well with data and predicts (V PMNS ) e3 >0.08

Group-Level EEG-Processing Pipeline for Flexible Single Trial-Based Analyses Including Linear Mixed Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Frömer, Romy; Maier, Martin; Abdel Rahman, Rasha

2018-01-01

Here we present an application of an EEG processing pipeline customizing EEGLAB and FieldTrip functions, specifically optimized to flexibly analyze EEG data based on single trial information. The key component of our approach is to create a comprehensive 3-D EEG data structure including all trials and all participants maintaining the original order of recording. This allows straightforward access to subsets of the data based on any information available in a behavioral data structure matched with the EEG data (experimental conditions, but also performance indicators, such accuracy or RTs of single trials). In the present study we exploit this structure to compute linear mixed models (LMMs, using lmer in R) including random intercepts and slopes for items. This information can easily be read out from the matched behavioral data, whereas it might not be accessible in traditional ERP approaches without substantial effort. We further provide easily adaptable scripts for performing cluster-based permutation tests (as implemented in FieldTrip), as a more robust alternative to traditional omnibus ANOVAs. Our approach is particularly advantageous for data with parametric within-subject covariates (e.g., performance) and/or multiple complex stimuli (such as words, faces or objects) that vary in features affecting cognitive processes and ERPs (such as word frequency, salience or familiarity), which are sometimes hard to control experimentally or might themselves constitute variables of interest. The present dataset was recorded from 40 participants who performed a visual search task on previously unfamiliar objects, presented either visually intact or blurred. MATLAB as well as R scripts are provided that can be adapted to different datasets.

Quark flavor mixing, CP violation, and all that

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilman, F.J.

1988-04-01

We review the present state of knowledge of the mixing of quark flavors under weak interactions and the associated explanation of CP violation inherent in the single nontrivial phase present in the three-generation mixing matrix. In this context we present the phenomenological basis for the increasing possibility that large CP violation asymmetries can be experimentally observed in the B meson system. 39 refs., 11 figs.,

Genomic prediction by single-step genomic BLUP using cow reference population in Holstein crossbred cattle in India

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nayee, Nilesh Kumar; Su, Guosheng; Gajjar, Swapnil

2018-01-01

Advantages of genomic selection in breeds with limited numbers of progeny tested bulls have been demonstrated by adding genotypes of females to the reference population (Thomasen et al., 2014). The current study was conducted to explore the feasibility of implementing genomic selection in a Holst......Advantages of genomic selection in breeds with limited numbers of progeny tested bulls have been demonstrated by adding genotypes of females to the reference population (Thomasen et al., 2014). The current study was conducted to explore the feasibility of implementing genomic selection...... in a Holstein Friesian crossbred population with cows kept under small holder conditions using test day records and single step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP). Milk yield records from 10,797 daughters sired by 258 bulls were used Of these 2194 daughters and 109 sires were genotyped with customized genotyping chip...

Investigating the Differences of Single-Vehicle and Multivehicle Accident Probability Using Mixed Logit Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bowen Dong

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Road traffic accidents are believed to be associated with not only road geometric feature and traffic characteristic, but also weather condition. To address these safety issues, it is of paramount importance to understand how these factors affect the occurrences of the crashes. Existing studies have suggested that the mechanisms of single-vehicle (SV accidents and multivehicle (MV accidents can be very different. Few studies were conducted to examine the difference of SV and MV accident probability by addressing unobserved heterogeneity at the same time. To investigate the different contributing factors on SV and MV, a mixed logit model is employed using disaggregated data with the response variable categorized as no accidents, SV accidents, and MV accidents. The results indicate that, in addition to speed gap, length of segment, and wet road surfaces which are significant for both SV and MV accidents, most of other variables are significant only for MV accidents. Traffic, road, and surface characteristics are main influence factors of SV and MV accident possibility. Hourly traffic volume, inside shoulder width, and wet road surface are found to produce statistically significant random parameters. Their effects on the possibility of SV and MV accident vary across different road segments.

Observation of charm mixing at LHCb

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

Meson-antimeson mixing has been observed in the K0−K0bar, B0−B0bar and B0s−B0sbar systems. Evidence of mixing in the charm system has been reported by three experiments using different D0 decay channels, but only the combination of these results provides confirmation of D0−D0bar mixing with more than 5σ significance. We report a measurement of charm mixing using the time-dependent ratio of D0 → K+π− to D0 → K−π+ decay rates in D∗+-tagged events reconstructed in 1.0 fb−1 of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment in 2011. We measure the mixing parameters x'2 = (−0.9 ± 1.3) × 10−4, y' = (7.2 ± 2.4) × 10−3 and the ratio of doubly-Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored decay rates RD = (3.52 ± 0.15) × 10−3. The result excludes the no-mixing hypothesis with a probability corresponding to 9.1σ and represents the first observation of D0−D0bar oscillations from a single measurement.

1 Mixing state and absorbing properties of black carbon during Arctic haze

Science.gov (United States)

Zanatta, Marco; Gysel, Martin; Eleftheriadis, Kosas; Laj, Paolo; Hans-Werner, Jacobi

2016-04-01

The Arctic atmosphere is periodically affected by the Arctic haze occurring in spring. One of its particulate components is the black carbon (BC), which is considered to be an important contributor to climate change in the Arctic region. Beside BC-cloud interaction and albedo reduction of snow, BC may influence Arctic climate interacting directly with the solar radiation, warming the corresponding aerosol layer (Flanner, 2013). Such warming depends on BC atmospheric burden and also on the efficiency of BC to absorb light, in fact the light absorption is enhanced by mixing of BC with other atmospheric non-absorbing materials (lensing effect) (Bond et al., 2013). The BC reaching the Arctic is evilly processed, due to long range transport. Aging promote internal mixing and thus absorption enhancement. Such modification of mixing and is quantification after long range transport have been observed in the Atlantic ocean (China et al., 2015) but never investigated in the Arctic. During field experiments conducted at the Zeppelin research site in Svalbard during the 2012 Arctic spring, we investigated the relative precision of different BC measuring techniques; a single particle soot photometer was then used to assess the coating of Arctic black carbon. This allowed quantifying the absorption enhancement induced by internal mixing via optical modelling; the optical assessment of aged black carbon in the arctic will be of major interest for future radiative forcing assessment.Optical characterization of the total aerosol indicated that in 2012 no extreme smoke events took place and that the aerosol population was dominated by fine and non-absorbing particles. Low mean concentration of rBC was found (30 ng m-3), with a mean mass equivalent diameter above 200 nm. rBC concentration detected with the continuous soot monitoring system and the single particle soot photometer was agreeing within 15%. Combining absorption coefficient observed with an aethalometer and rBC mass

Mixed-Methods Design in Biology Education Research: Approach and Uses

Science.gov (United States)

Warfa, Abdi-Rizak M.

2016-01-01

Educational research often requires mixing different research methodologies to strengthen findings, better contextualize or explain results, or minimize the weaknesses of a single method. This article provides practical guidelines on how to conduct such research in biology education, with a focus on mixed-methods research (MMR) that uses both…

Pulsed adiabatic structure and complete population transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shore, B.W.

1992-10-01

Population can be transferred between atomic or molecular energy states in a variety of ways. The basic idea of adiabatic transfer, discussed in many textbooks, is as follows. One begins with an atom that is in some single energy state (an eigenstate of an initial Hamiltonian). This energy state is one of many possible states, known variously as the unperturbed states or basis states or diabatic states. Next one begins to change the Hamiltonian very slowly. The changes may occur in either the diagonal elements (the basis state energies) or in the off-diagonal elements (interactions between basis states). If there are off-diagonal elements then the Hamiltonian will no longer commute with the original one. Because the Hamiltonian is no longer the one that was used to define the original basis states, it will cause these states to become mixed. However, if the change is sufficiently slow, the system can remain in a single eigenstate of the changing Hamiltonian -- an adiabatic state, composed of a combination of basis states. Finally, at some later time, one examines the system once again in the original basis. One finds that the population has undergone a change, and now resides in a different unperturbed state. One has produced population transfer. There are many illustrative examples of adiabatic passage, both theory and experiment. The author mentions briefly two common examples, inelastic collisions between atoms, and the static Stark effect in Rydberg atoms, before continuing with the main objective, a discussion of adiabatic passage induced by laser pulses

Perfil de la casuística hospitalaria de la población inmigrante en Barcelona Profile of the hospital case mix of the immigrant population in Barcelona, Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Cots

2002-10-01

la envejecida estructura de edad de los pacientes autóctonos y plantea la necesidad de recuperar el mayor peso de los servicios de ginecología-obstetricia y pediatría. El hecho de que exista menor consumo de recursos por alta hospitalaria en la población inmigrante de países de renta baja contradice la relación esperada de inmigrante-peor situación socioeconómica-mayor intensidad de consumo de recursos por alta hospitalaria. Deben proponerse nuevas hipótesis de trabajo y análisis que permitan explicar esta realidad.Objective: Although the immigrant population in cities such as Barcelona has tripled in the last five years, until now the impact of this group on the health system has not been rigorously evaluated. The aim of this study was to compare hospital resource utilization among the immigrant population with that among the native population through case mix, demographic characteristics and hospital day use. Material and methods: We analyzed 15,057 discharges from Hospital del Mar in Barcelona in 2000. This hospital attends 60% of admissions from the Ciutat Vella district. In 2000, 21% of the population of this district were immigrants. Socio-demographic patient characteristics and case mix were compared between the immigrant and the native population. Hospital resource use was compared according to age, case mix (diagnosis related groups and seriousness (severity, complications and comorbidities of the events requiring medical care. Results: The case mix of the immigrant population differed from that of the autochthonous population due to pronounced ge differences and a higher fertility rate. Thirty-three percent of immigrant admissions were for deliveries. The mean cost of discharge of immigrants from low-income countries was 30% lower than that for the remaining discharges. After adjusting for age, case mix and severity, length of stay among the immigrant population was significantly shorter. A 5% reduction was found after adjusting for case mix and a

The influence of (n-n')-mixing processes in He*(n)+He(1s2) collisions on He*(n) atoms' populations in weakly ionized helium plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihajlov, A.A.; Ignjatovic, Lj.M.; Sreckovic, V.A.; Djuric, Z.

2008-01-01

The results of semi-classical calculations of rate coefficients of (n-n ' )-mixing processes due to collisions of Rydberg atoms He*(n) with He(1s 2 ) atoms are presented. It is assumed that these processes are caused by the resonant energy exchange within the electron component of He*(n)+He collision system. The method is realized through the numerical simulation of the (n-n ' )-mixing processes, and is applied for calculations of the corresponding rate coefficients. The calculations are performed for the principal quantum numbers n,n ' in ranges 4≤n ' ≤10, and the atom and electron temperatures, T a ,T e , in domains 5000K≤T a ≤T e ≤20000K. It is shown that the (n-n ' )-mixing processes can significantly influence the populations of Rydberg atoms in non-equilibrium weakly ionized helium plasmas with ionization degree ∼10 -4 . Therefore, these processes have to be included in the appropriate models of such plasmas

Heteroresistance at the single-cell level: adapting to antibiotic stress through a population-based strategy and growth-controlled interphenotypic coordination.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaorong; Kang, Yu; Luo, Chunxiong; Zhao, Tong; Liu, Lin; Jiang, Xiangdan; Fu, Rongrong; An, Shuchang; Chen, Jichao; Jiang, Ning; Ren, Lufeng; Wang, Qi; Baillie, J Kenneth; Gao, Zhancheng; Yu, Jun

2014-02-11

Heteroresistance refers to phenotypic heterogeneity of microbial clonal populations under antibiotic stress, and it has been thought to be an allocation of a subset of "resistant" cells for surviving in higher concentrations of antibiotic. The assumption fits the so-called bet-hedging strategy, where a bacterial population "hedges" its "bet" on different phenotypes to be selected by unpredicted environment stresses. To test this hypothesis, we constructed a heteroresistance model by introducing a blaCTX-M-14 gene (coding for a cephalosporin hydrolase) into a sensitive Escherichia coli strain. We confirmed heteroresistance in this clone and that a subset of the cells expressed more hydrolase and formed more colonies in the presence of ceftriaxone (exhibited stronger "resistance"). However, subsequent single-cell-level investigation by using a microfluidic device showed that a subset of cells with a distinguishable phenotype of slowed growth and intensified hydrolase expression emerged, and they were not positively selected but increased their proportion in the population with ascending antibiotic concentrations. Therefore, heteroresistance--the gradually decreased colony-forming capability in the presence of antibiotic--was a result of a decreased growth rate rather than of selection for resistant cells. Using a mock strain without the resistance gene, we further demonstrated the existence of two nested growth-centric feedback loops that control the expression of the hydrolase and maximize population growth in various antibiotic concentrations. In conclusion, phenotypic heterogeneity is a population-based strategy beneficial for bacterial survival and propagation through task allocation and interphenotypic collaboration, and the growth rate provides a critical control for the expression of stress-related genes and an essential mechanism in responding to environmental stresses. Heteroresistance is essentially phenotypic heterogeneity, where a population

Comparison of single nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellites in non-invasive genetic monitoring of a wolf population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fabbri, Elena; Caniglia, R.; Mucci, Nadia

2012-01-01

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which represent the most widespread source of sequence variation in genomes, are becoming a routine application in several fields such as forensics, ecology and conservation genetics. Their use, requiring short amplifications, may allow a more efficient geno....... We evaluated the cost, laboratory effort and reliability of these different markers and discuss the possible future use of VeraCode, SNPlex and Fluidigm EP1 system in wild population monitoring....

Mixed-linker zeolitic imidazolate framework mixed-matrix membranes for aggressive CO2 separation from natural gas

KAUST Repository

Thompson, Joshua A.

2014-07-01

Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) materials are a promising subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOF) for gas separations. However, due to the deleterious effects of gate-opening phenomena associated with organic linker rotation near the limiting pore apertures of ZIFs, there have been few demonstrations of improved gas separation properties over pure polymer membranes when utilizing ZIF materials in composite membranes for CO2-based gas separations. Here, we report a study of composite ZIF/polymer membranes, containing mixed-linker ZIF materials with ZIF-8 crystal topologies but composed of different organic linker compositions. Characterization of the mixed-linker ZIFs shows that the mixed linker approach offers control over the porosity and pore size distribution of the materials, as determined from nitrogen physisorption and Horváth-Kawazoe analysis. Single gas permeation measurements on mixed-matrix membranes reveal that inclusion of mixed-linker ZIFs yields membranes with better ideal CO2/CH4 selectivity than membranes containing ZIF-8. This improvement is shown to likely occur from enhancement in the diffusion selectivity of the membranes associated with controlling the pore size distribution of the ZIF filler. Mixed-gas permeation experiments show that membranes with mixed-linker ZIFs display an effective plasticization resistance that is not typical of the pure polymeric matrix. Overall, we demonstrate that mixed-linker ZIFs can improve the gas separation properties in composite membranes and may be applicable to aggressive CO2 concentrations in natural gas feeds. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A New Method to Obtain the Black Carbon Mixing State of Biomass and Combustion Aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, M.; Liu, D.; Joshi, R.; Allan, J. D.; Coe, H.; Flynn, M.; Olfert, J. S.; Broda, K.; Fu, P.; Sun, Y.; Ge, X.; Wang, J.

2017-12-01

Black carbon particles (BC) significantly contribute to warming effects in the atmosphere, altering weather systems, and pose significant health risks. These impacts are especially efficient at regional hotspots with high emissions of pollutants, such as in fast-developing megacities. These urban environments have the most population exposure, and improving the understanding of the sources and the processing of pollutants in these environments is critical in guiding policy making. Here we present the results of BC characterization in Beijing during the winter of 2016 (10th Nov-10th Dec), as part of a large joint UK-China field experiment. During this experiment, we successfully gathered 4 weeks of continuous measurements, including several severe pollution events in Beijing. MethodologyThe mixing state of BC, which is how BC is associated with non-BC material (its coating) within a particle, is crucial to determine its lifetime in the atmosphere and also its optical properties. However precisely quantifying the BC mixing state has posed a challenge, in part due to complex particle morphology. We have applied morphology-independent measurements of BC mixing state on a single-particle basis throughout this experiment: mono-dispersed particle mass (MP) is selected using a Centrifugal Particle Mass Analyser (CPMA, Cambustion Ltd) and a single particle soot photometer (SP2, DMT inc.) was used downstream of the CPMA to measure the refractory BC mass (MrBC). The full scan of CPMA masses (21 mass bins covering most of MP) are performed every half hour, following polydispersed particles measured without running CPMA.

Effect of bacterial components of mixed culture supernatants of planktonic and biofilm Pseudomonas aeruginosa with commensal Escherichia coli on the neutrophil response in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Maslennikova, Irina L; Kuznetsova, Marina V; Nekrasova, Irina V; Shirshev, Sergei V

2017-11-30

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) responsible for acute and chronic infections often forms a well-organized bacterial population with different microbial species including commensal strains of Escherichia coli. Bacterial extracellular components of mixed culture can modulate the influence of bacteria on the neutrophil functions. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of pyocyanin, pyoverdine, LPS, exopolysaccharide of single species and mixed culture supernatants of PA strains and E. coli K12 on microbicidal, secretory activity of human neutrophils in vitro. Bacterial components of E. coli K12 in mixed supernatants with 'biofilm' PA strains (PA ATCC, PA BALG) enhanced short-term microbicidal mechanisms and inhibited neutrophil secretion delayed in time. The influence of 'planktonic' PA (PA 9-3) exometabolites in mixed culture is almost mimicked by E. coli K12 effect on functional neutrophil changes. This investigation may help to understand some of the mechanisms of neutrophil response to mixed infections of different PA with other bacteria species. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Scalar Glueball-Quarkonium Mixing and the Structure of the QCD Vacuum

CERN Document Server

Ellis, Jonathan Richard; Kharzeev, Dima E

1999-01-01

We use Ward identities of broken scale invariance to infer the amount of scalar glueball--$\\bar{q}q$ meson mixing from the ratio of quark and gluon condensates in the QCD vacuum. Assuming dominance by a single scalar state, as suggested by a phase-shift analysis, we find a mixing angle $\\gamma \\sim 36^{\\circ}$, corresponding to near-maximal mixing of the glueball and

Malocclusion and early orthodontic treatment requirements in the mixed dentitions of a population of Nigerian children.

Science.gov (United States)

daCosta, Oluranti Olatokunbo; Aikins, Elfleda Angelina; Isiekwe, Gerald Ikenna; Adediran, Virginia Efunyemi

2016-01-01

The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of dental features that indicate a need for early intervention and to ascertain the prevalence of different methods of early treatment among a population of Nigerian children in mixed dentition. Occlusal relationships were evaluated in 101 children in mixed dentition between the ages of 6 and 12 years who presented at the Orthodontic Unit, Department of Child Dental Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital over a 2 years period. The need for different modes of early orthodontic treatment was also recorded. Anterior tooth rotations (61.4%) and increased overjet (44.6%) were the most prevalent occlusal anomalies. Others included deep bite (31.7%), reverse overjet (13.9%), and anterior open bite (14.8%). Severe maxillary spacing and crowding were exhibited in 12.0% and 5.0%, respectively. About a third (35.7%) of the subjects presented with crossbite while lip incompetence was observed in 43.6% of the subjects. About 44% of the subjects also presented with various oral habits with digit (15.8%) and lip sucking (9.9%) being the most prevalent. Subjects were recommended for treatment with 2 by 4 fixed orthodontic appliances (22.3%), habit breakers (20.7%), removable orthodontic appliances (16.5%), and extractions (15.7%). Increased overjet and anterior tooth rotation were the majority of occlusal anomalies seen, which are not only esthetically displeasing but may also cause an increased susceptibility to trauma to these teeth. Treatment options varied from extractions only to the use of appliance therapy.

Simulating mixed-phase Arctic stratus clouds: sensitivity to ice initiation mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. McFarquhar

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The importance of Arctic mixed-phase clouds on radiation and the Arctic climate is well known. However, the development of mixed-phase cloud parameterization for use in large scale models is limited by lack of both related observations and numerical studies using multidimensional models with advanced microphysics that provide the basis for understanding the relative importance of different microphysical processes that take place in mixed-phase clouds. To improve the representation of mixed-phase cloud processes in the GISS GCM we use the GISS single-column model coupled to a bin resolved microphysics (BRM scheme that was specially designed to simulate mixed-phase clouds and aerosol-cloud interactions. Using this model with the microphysical measurements obtained from the DOE ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (MPACE campaign in October 2004 at the North Slope of Alaska, we investigate the effect of ice initiation processes and Bergeron-Findeisen process (BFP on glaciation time and longevity of single-layer stratiform mixed-phase clouds. We focus on observations taken during 9–10 October, which indicated the presence of a single-layer mixed-phase clouds. We performed several sets of 12-h simulations to examine model sensitivity to different ice initiation mechanisms and evaluate model output (hydrometeors' concentrations, contents, effective radii, precipitation fluxes, and radar reflectivity against measurements from the MPACE Intensive Observing Period. Overall, the model qualitatively simulates ice crystal concentration and hydrometeors content, but it fails to predict quantitatively the effective radii of ice particles and their vertical profiles. In particular, the ice effective radii are overestimated by at least 50%. However, using the same definition as used for observations, the effective radii simulated and that observed were more comparable. We find that for the single-layer stratiform mixed-phase clouds simulated, process

Simulating mixed-phase Arctic stratus clouds: sensitivity to ice initiation mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Sednev, I.; Menon, S.; McFarquhar, G.

2009-07-01

The importance of Arctic mixed-phase clouds on radiation and the Arctic climate is well known. However, the development of mixed-phase cloud parameterization for use in large scale models is limited by lack of both related observations and numerical studies using multidimensional models with advanced microphysics that provide the basis for understanding the relative importance of different microphysical processes that take place in mixed-phase clouds. To improve the representation of mixed-phase cloud processes in the GISS GCM we use the GISS single-column model coupled to a bin resolved microphysics (BRM) scheme that was specially designed to simulate mixed-phase clouds and aerosol-cloud interactions. Using this model with the microphysical measurements obtained from the DOE ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (MPACE) campaign in October 2004 at the North Slope of Alaska, we investigate the effect of ice initiation processes and Bergeron-Findeisen process (BFP) on glaciation time and longevity of single-layer stratiform mixed-phase clouds. We focus on observations taken during 9-10 October, which indicated the presence of a single-layer mixed-phase clouds. We performed several sets of 12-h simulations to examine model sensitivity to different ice initiation mechanisms and evaluate model output (hydrometeors' concentrations, contents, effective radii, precipitation fluxes, and radar reflectivity) against measurements from the MPACE Intensive Observing Period. Overall, the model qualitatively simulates ice crystal concentration and hydrometeors content, but it fails to predict quantitatively the effective radii of ice particles and their vertical profiles. In particular, the ice effective radii are overestimated by at least 50%. However, using the same definition as used for observations, the effective radii simulated and that observed were more comparable. We find that for the single-layer stratiform mixed-phase clouds simulated, process of ice phase initiation

Use of risk to resolve conflicts in assessing hazards at mixed-waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rechard, R.P.; Chu, M.S.Y.

1991-01-01

Two main issues contribute to the assessment of health hazard from mixed waste: the scientific methods to assess these materials and the legislative and regulatory control of these materials. This paper is primarily concerned with the scientific method of assessing hazards from mixed waste (i.e., carcinogenic chemicals, noncarcinogenic chemicals, and radioactive material). This paper discusses SRS, a Site Ranking System, and its use of risk concepts to avoid introducing new inconsistencies when ranking mixed-waste sites. SRS ranks each site by scoring factors that influence the human health risk. The factors are (1) the potentially exposed population, (2) the average amount of exposure to the waste, and (3) the toxicity of the waste. The relative risk of a release is measured as the product of these three factors. The third factor, toxicity, is indexed with a single score, but because methods of measuring toxicity differ for carcinogenic chemicals, noncarcinogenic chemicals, and radionuclides, comparison can be difficult; hence, this paper also summarizes the logic and assumptions used to make toxicity comparisons in SRS. As may be expected, results from a ranking scheme based on risk are different from results generated by the original Hazard Ranking System (HRS), used by the Environmental Protection Agency. This paper briefly discusses these differences for five Superfund sites (no mixed waste). The legislative and regulatory control of these materials to protect human health is also discussed. 37 refs., 1 tab

Nature of the magnetic ground state in the mixed valence compound CeRuSn: a single-crystal study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fikáček, J; Prokleška, J; Prchal, J; Custers, J; Sechovský, V

2013-01-01

We report on detailed low-temperature measurements of the magnetization, the specific heat and the electrical resistivity on high-quality CeRuSn single crystals. The compound orders antiferromagnetically at T N = 2.8 K with the Ce 3+ ions locked within the a–c plane of the monoclinic structure. Magnetization shows that below T N CeRuSn undergoes a metamagnetic transition when applying a magnetic field of 1.5 and 0.8 T along the a- and c-axis, respectively. This transition manifests in a tremendous negative jump of ∼25% in the magnetoresistance. The value of the saturated magnetization along the easy magnetization direction (c-axis) and the magnetic entropy above T N derived from specific heat data correspond to the scenario of only one third of the Ce ions in the compound being trivalent and carrying a stable Ce 3+ magnetic moment, whereas the other two thirds of the Ce ions are in a nonmagnetic tetravalent and/or mixed valence state. This is consistent with the low-temperature CeRuSn crystal structure i.e., a superstructure consisting of three unit cells of the CeCoAl type piled up along the c-axis, and in which the Ce 3+ ions are characterized by large distances from the Ru ligands while the Ce–Ru distances of the other Ce ions are much shorter causing a strong 4f-ligand hybridization and hence leading to tetravalent and/or mixed valence Ce ions. (paper)

Who is MADD? Mixed anxiety depressive disorder in the general population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spijker, J.; Batelaan, N.M.; de Graaf, R.; Cuijpers, P.

2010-01-01

Background: Diagnostic criteria for (subthreshold) mixed anxiety depression (MADD) were proposed in DSM-IV. Yet the usefulness of this classification is questioned. We therefore assessed the prevalence of MADD, and investigated whether MADD adds to separate classifications of pure subthreshold

Who is MADD? Mixed anxiety depressive disorder in the general population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spijker, J.; Batelaan, N.M.; Graaf, R. de; Cuijpers, P.

2010-01-01

Background: Diagnostic criteria for (subthreshold) mixed anxiety depression (MADD) were proposed in DSM-IV. Yet the usefulness of this classification is questioned. We therefore assessed the prevalence of MADD, and investigated whether MADD adds to separate classifications Of pure subthreshold

Analysis of pharmacogenetic traits in two distinct South African populations

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Ikediobi Ogechi

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Our knowledge of pharmacogenetic variability in diverse populations is scarce, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. To bridge this gap in knowledge, we characterised population frequencies of clinically relevant pharmacogenetic traits in two distinct South African population groups. We genotyped 211 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs in 12 genes that influence antiretroviral drug disposition, in 176 South African individuals belonging to two distinct population groups residing in the Western Cape: the Xhosa (n = 109 and Cape Mixed Ancestry (CMA (n = 67 groups. The minor allele frequencies (MAFs of eight tagSNPs in six genes (those encoding the ATP binding cassette sub-family B, member 1 [ABCB1], four members of the cytochrome P450 family [CYP2A7P1, CYP2C18, CYP3A4, CYP3A5] and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 [UGT1A1] were significantly different between the Xhosa and CMA populations (Bonferroni p CYP2C18, CYP3A4, the gene encoding solute carrier family 22 member 6 [SLC22A6] and UGT1A1 between the two South African populations. Characterising the Xhosa and CMA population frequencies of variant alleles important for drug transport and metabolism can help to establish the clinical relevance of pharmacogenetic testing in these populations.

ADVANCED MIXING MODELS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, S; Dimenna, R; Tamburello, D

2011-02-14

The process of recovering and processing High Level Waste (HLW) the waste in storage tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS) typically requires mixing the contents of the tank with one to four mixers (pumps) located within the tank. The typical criteria to establish a mixed condition in a tank are based on the number of pumps in operation and the time duration of operation. To ensure that a mixed condition is achieved, operating times are typically set conservatively long. This approach results in high operational costs because of the long mixing times and high maintenance and repair costs for the same reason. A significant reduction in both of these costs might be realized by reducing the required mixing time based on calculating a reliable indicator of mixing with a suitably validated computer code. The focus of the present work is to establish mixing criteria applicable to miscible fluids, with an ultimate goal of addressing waste processing in HLW tanks at SRS and quantifying the mixing time required to suspend sludge particles with the submersible jet pump. A single-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was taken for the analysis of jet flow patterns with an emphasis on the velocity decay and the turbulent flow evolution for the farfield region from the pump. Literature results for a turbulent jet flow are reviewed, since the decay of the axial jet velocity and the evolution of the jet flow patterns are important phenomena affecting sludge suspension and mixing operations. The work described in this report suggests a basis for further development of the theory leading to the identified mixing indicators, with benchmark analyses demonstrating their consistency with widely accepted correlations. Although the indicators are somewhat generic in nature, they are applied to Savannah River Site (SRS) waste tanks to provide a better, physically based estimate of the required mixing time. Waste storage tanks at SRS contain settled sludge which varies in

Associated equilibria with participatian of single and mixed silver, lead and cadmium halide complexes in mixtures of molten alkali and alkaline earth metal nitrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouk, Kh.S.; Gupta, R.K.; Vekma, K.V.

1983-01-01

Associated equilibria in the systems, which contain single and mixed silver, cadmium and lead halide complexes in the KNO 3 -Ba(N0 3 ) 2 (87.6:12.4 and 89:11 mol.%) and NaNO 3 -Ba(NO 3 ) 2 (94.2-5.8 mol%) melts in the temperature range from 568.2 up to 698.2 K are investigated. Applicability of equations derivated on the base of quasi-lattice model to description of temperature coefficients of association constants is analized

Validación retrospectiva del Johns-Hopkins ACG Case-Mix System en la población Española Validating the Adjusted Clinical Groups [ACG] Case-mix System in a Spanish population setting: a multicenter study

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Antoni Sicras-Mainar

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Introducción: Validar la aplicación retrospectiva de los Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG en varios centros de atención primaria y especializada en la población española. Métodos: Estudio restrospectivo-multicéntrico, realizado a partir de los registros de sujetos atendidos en 5 equipos de atención primaria (AP y dos hospitalarios, durante el año 2005. Las principales mediciones fueron dependientes (visitas, episodios, coste en AP y coste total y de casuística/morbilidad con el ACG Case-Mix-System. Cálculo del poder explicativo: cociente de determinación, pPurpose: To validate the Johns Hopkins ACG case-mix system used in various primary and specialized care centers attending a defined population in Spain. Methods: A retrospective, multicenter study was carried out by applying the ACG case-mix system to the clinical records of patients attending five primary care teams and two hospitals over a 1-year period in 2005. The main measurements were dependent variables (visits, episodes, primary care costs, and total costs, and morbidity. The determination coefficient (R²; p<0.05 was used to measure the explained variability. Results: A total of 81,873 patients were included with a mean (standard deviation number of 4.8 (3.5 episodes and 8.0 (8.1 visits/patient/year. The explained variance (R² of ACG classification was 73.1% (75.5% log transformation for episodes, 43.2% (54.0% log transformation for visits, 19.6% (54.8% log transformation for primary care costs, and 22.7% (48.3% log transformation for total costs (p<0.001. Conclusion: The ACG system classified a defined population on the basis of morbidity and individual resource consumption. Moreover, the ACG system was useful to assess the clinical (comorbidity and economical information of each center.

Laser capture microdissection of enriched populations of neurons or single neurons for gene expression analysis after traumatic brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Boone, Deborah R; Sell, Stacy L; Hellmich, Helen Lee

2013-04-10

Long-term cognitive disability after TBI is associated with injury-induced neurodegeneration in the hippocampus-a region in the medial temporal lobe that is critical for learning, memory and executive function. Hence our studies focus on gene expression analysis of specific neuronal populations in distinct subregions of the hippocampus. The technique of laser capture microdissection (LCM), introduced in 1996 by Emmert-Buck, et al., has allowed for significant advances in gene expression analysis of single cells and enriched populations of cells from heterogeneous tissues such as the mammalian brain that contains thousands of functional cell types. We use LCM and a well established rat model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to investigate the molecular mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of TBI. Following fluid-percussion TBI, brains are removed at pre-determined times post-injury, immediately frozen on dry ice, and prepared for sectioning in a cryostat. The rat brains can be embedded in OCT and sectioned immediately, or stored several months at -80 °C before sectioning for laser capture microdissection. Additionally, we use LCM to study the effects of TBI on circadian rhythms. For this, we capture neurons from the suprachiasmatic nuclei that contain the master clock of the mammalian brain. Here, we demonstrate the use of LCM to obtain single identified neurons (injured and degenerating, Fluoro-Jade-positive, or uninjured, Fluoro-Jade-negative) and enriched populations of hippocampal neurons for subsequent gene expression analysis by real time PCR and/or whole-genome microarrays. These LCM-enabled studies have revealed that the selective vulnerability of anatomically distinct regions of the rat hippocampus are reflected in the different gene expression profiles of different populations of neurons obtained by LCM from these distinct regions. The results from our single-cell studies, where we compare the transcriptional profiles of dying and adjacent surviving

Body-esteem of pupils who attended single-sex versus mixed-sex schools: a cross-sectional study of intrasexual competition and peer victimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Lereya, Suzet Tanya; Eryigit-Madzwamuse, Suna; Patra, Chanchala; Smith, Joshua H; Wolke, Dieter

2014-10-01

In intrasexual competition (competition for reproductive resources), bullying can be viewed as a tool to devalue competitors, gain a high status and a powerful, dominant position in the peer group which may lead to beneficial gains such as access to potential romantic partners. This study investigated the relationship between intrasexual competition, bullying victimization and body-esteem, in single-sex versus mixed-sex schools. 420 participants completed a body-esteem scale, a retrospective bullying questionnaire, and intrasexual competition scales. Our results showed that relational victimization was associated with low body-esteem for both females and males. Females in single-sex schools experienced higher intrasexual competition which in turn was associated with their body-esteem directly and indirectly via relational victimization. In males, intrasexual competition was indirectly associated with body-esteem via relational victimization. Interventions to improve body esteem may focus on reducing intrasexual competition and peer victimization. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Normalized and Unnormalized Single Cell and Population Assemblies (MICW - Metagenomics Informatics Challenges Workshop: 10K Genomes at a Time)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hugenholtz, Phil

2011-10-12

University of Queensland's Phil Hugenholtz on "Comparison of Normalized and Unnormalized Single Cell and Population Assemblies" at the Metagenomics Informatics Challenges Workshop held at the DOE JGI on October 12-13, 2011.

Further Improvements to Linear Mixed Models for Genome-Wide Association Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Widmer, Christian; Lippert, Christoph; Weissbrod, Omer; Fusi, Nicolo; Kadie, Carl; Davidson, Robert; Listgarten, Jennifer; Heckerman, David

2014-11-01

We examine improvements to the linear mixed model (LMM) that better correct for population structure and family relatedness in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). LMMs rely on the estimation of a genetic similarity matrix (GSM), which encodes the pairwise similarity between every two individuals in a cohort. These similarities are estimated from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or other genetic variants. Traditionally, all available SNPs are used to estimate the GSM. In empirical studies across a wide range of synthetic and real data, we find that modifications to this approach improve GWAS performance as measured by type I error control and power. Specifically, when only population structure is present, a GSM constructed from SNPs that well predict the phenotype in combination with principal components as covariates controls type I error and yields more power than the traditional LMM. In any setting, with or without population structure or family relatedness, a GSM consisting of a mixture of two component GSMs, one constructed from all SNPs and another constructed from SNPs that well predict the phenotype again controls type I error and yields more power than the traditional LMM. Software implementing these improvements and the experimental comparisons are available at http://microsoft.com/science.

Mixed-Methods Design in Biology Education Research: Approach and Uses

Science.gov (United States)

Warfa, Abdi-Rizak M.

2016-01-01

Educational research often requires mixing different research methodologies to strengthen findings, better contextualize or explain results, or minimize the weaknesses of a single method. This article provides practical guidelines on how to conduct such research in biology education, with a focus on mixed-methods research (MMR) that uses both quantitative and qualitative inquiries. Specifically, the paper provides an overview of mixed-methods design typologies most relevant in biology education research. It also discusses common methodological issues that may arise in mixed-methods studies and ways to address them. The paper concludes with recommendations on how to report and write about MMR. PMID:27856556

Systematic analysis of the impact of mixing locality on Mixing-DAC linearity for multicarrier GSM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bechthum, E.; Radulov, G.I.; Briaire, J.; Geelen, G.; Roermund, van A.H.M.

2012-01-01

In an RF transmitter, the function of the mixer and the DAC can be combined in a single block: the Mixing-DAC. For the generation of multicarrier GSM signals in a basestation, high dynamic linearity is required, i.e. SFDR>85dBc, at high output signal frequency, i.e. ƒout ˜ 4GHz. This represents a

A panel of 130 autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms for ancestry assignment in five Asian populations and in Caucasians.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwa, Hsiao-Lin; Lin, Chih-Peng; Huang, Tsun-Ying; Kuo, Po-Hsiu; Hsieh, Wei-Hsin; Lin, Chun-Yen; Yin, Hsiang-I; Tseng, Li-Hui; Lee, James Chun-I

2017-06-01

Ancestry informative single-nucleotide polymorphism (AISNP) panels for differentiating between East and Southeast Asian populations are scarce. This study aimed to identify AISNPs for ancestry assignment of five East and Southeast Asian populations, and Caucasians. We analyzed 145 autosomal SNPs of the 627 DNA samples from individuals of six populations (234 Taiwanese Han, 91 Filipinos, 79 Indonesians, 60 Thais, 71 Vietnamese, and 92 Caucasians) using arrays. The multiple logistic regression model and a multi-tier approach were used for ancestry classification. We observed that 130 AISNPs were effective for classifying the ethnic origins with fair accuracy. Among the 130 AISNPs, 122 were useful for stratification between these five Asian populations and 64 were effective for differentiating between Caucasians and these Asian populations. For differentiation between Caucasians and Asians, an accuracy rate of 100% was achieved in these 627 subjects with 50 optimal AISNPs among the 64 effective SNPs. For classification of the five Asian populations, the accuracy rates of ancestry inference using 20 to 57 SNPs for each of the two Asian populations ranged from 74.1% to 100%. Another 14 degraded DNA samples with incomplete profiling were analyzed, and the ancestry of 12 (85.7%) of those subjects was accurately assigned. We developed a 130-AISNP panel for ethnic origin differentiation between the five East and Southeast Asian populations and Caucasians. This AISNP set may be helpful for individual ancestral assignment of these populations in forensic casework.

Teleportations of Mixed States and Multipartite Quantum States

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YU Chang-Shui; WANG Ya-Hong; SONG He-Shan

2007-01-01

In this paper, we propose a protocol to deterministically teleport an unknown mixed state of qubit by utilizing a maximally bipartite entangled state of qubits as quantum channel. Ifa non-maximally entangled bipartite pure state is employed as quantum channel, the unknown mixed quantum state of qubit can be teleported with 1 - √1 - C2 probability, where C is the concurrence of the quantum channel. The protocol can also be generalized to teleport a mixed state of qudit or a multipartite mixed state. More important purpose is that, on the basis of the protocol, the teleportation of an arbitrary multipartite (pure or mixed) quantum state can be decomposed into the teleportation of each subsystem by employing separate entangled states as quantum channels. In the case of deterministic teleportation,Bob only needs to perform unitary transformations on his single particles in order to recover the initial teleported multipartite quantum state.

Mixed-mode elastic-plastic fracture of 2024-T351 aluminium alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakata, Masaru; Aoki, Shigeru; Kishimoto, Kikuo; Chikugo, Hiroshi; Takizawa, Masakazu.

1985-01-01

In order to evaluate accurately the strength and structural soundness of the structures made of high toughness materials, it is necessary to clarify the fracture behavior under the loading condition of mixed mode such as oblique cracks as well as the elasto-plastic fracture behavior of the materials in the case of single opening displacement type mode. About the fracture condition in the state of mixed mode, various theories based on the linear fracture mechanics have been proposed. In this study, the elasto-plastic fracture toughness test of mixed mode was carried out by using an aluminum alloy as the subject, and the behavior of dulling and development of cracks was observed with a scanning electron microscope. Moreover, the state of deformation of the test pieces was analyzed by elasto-plastic finite element method, thus the parameters controlling the elasto-plastic fracture of mixed mode were examined. In the range of this study, the limiting stretch zone width in the case of loading of mixed mode was 12 μm similarly to the case of single mode. Also in the case of mixed mode, there was distinct difference between the inclination of a dulling straight line and an R-curve, and the limit value of J intergral was determined by their intersection. (Kako, I.)

The formation of ethnically mixed partnerships in Estonia: A stalling trend from a two-sided perspective

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Leen Rahnu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Ethnically mixed partnerships are often regarded as the ultimate evidence of the integration of migrants and their descendants into their host society. A common finding in the literature is an increase in the occurrence of mixed partnerships across migrant generations. Objective: This study investigates the formation of minority-majority partnerships in Estonia, with special attention to the variation associated with the migrants' generation and their exposure to the majority population. Methods: The study uses pooled data from the Estonian Family and Fertility Survey (FFS and the Estonian Generations and Gender Survey (GGS, and estimates proportional hazards models. Results: The experience of second-generation migrants indicates a stalling trend in the incidence of mixed partnerships between the majority population and migrant groups, which is rooted in contextual features. Apart from residential proximity, the study shows the salience of early acquisition of the host society language. Our results for the majority population highlight the role of international migration, which exposes host populations to mixed partnership formation. Conclusions: The results lend support to the view that the integration of migrant populations through mixed partnering is a lengthy process that stretches across several generations. A linguistically divided school system and residential segregation contribute to the pillarization of society. Contribution: By focussing on an Eastern European context, the study contributes to a more comprehensive account of mixed unions in different socioeconomic and cultural settings. Estonia provides an interesting case as its migrant-origin minorities span several generations. The study underscores the importance of contextual factors for both the minority and majority populations.

Pressure supression pool thermal mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, D.H.

1984-10-01

A model is developed and verified to describe the thermal mixing that occurs in the pressure suppression pool (PSP) of a commercial BWR. The model is designed specifically for a Mark-I containment and is intended for use in severe accident sequence analyses. The model developed in this work produces space and time dependent temperature results throughout the PSP and is useful for evaluating the bulk PSP thermal mixing, the condensation effectiveness of the PSP, and the long-term containment integrity. The model is designed to accommodate single or multiple discharging T-quenchers, a PSP circumferential circulation induced by the residual heat removal system discharge, and the thermal stratification of the pool that occurs immediately after the relief valves close. The PSP thermal mixing is verified by comparing the model-predicted temperatures to experimental temperatures that were measured in an operating BWR suppression pool. The model is then used to investigate several PSP thermal mixing problems that include the time to saturate at full relief valve flow, the temperature response to a typical stuck open relief valve scenario, and the effect of operator rotation of the relief valve discharge point

Pressure suppression pool thermal mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, D.H.

1984-01-01

A model is developed and verified to describe the thermal mixing that occurs in the pressure suppression pool (PSP) of a commercial BWR. The model is designed specifically for a Mark-I containment and is intended for use in severe accident sequence analyses. The model produces space and time dependent temperature results throughout the PSP and is useful for evaluating the bulk PSP thermal mixing, the condensation effectiveness of the PSP, and the long-term containment integrity. The model is designed to accommodate single or multiple discharging T-quenchers, a PSP circumferential circulation induced by the residual heat removal system discharge, and the thermal stratification of the pool that occurs immediately after the relief valves close. The PSP thermal mixing model is verified by comparing the model predicted temperatures to experimental temperatures that were measured in an operating BWR suppression pool. The model is then used to investigate several PSP thermal mixing problems that include the time to saturate at full relief valve flow, the temperature response to a typical stuck open relief valve scenario, and the effect of operator rotation of the relief valve discharge point

Gene flow connects coastal populations of a habitat specialist, the Clapper Rail Rallus crepitans

Science.gov (United States)

Coster, Stephanie S.; Welsh, Amy B.; Costanzo, Gary R.; Harding, Sergio R.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

2018-01-01

Examining population genetic structure can reveal patterns of reproductive isolation or population mixing and inform conservation management. Some avian species are predicted to exhibit minimal genetic differentiation among populations as a result of the species high mobility, with habitat specialists tending to show greater fine‐scale genetic structure. To explore the relationship between habitat specialization and gene flow, we investigated the genetic structure of a saltmarsh specialist with high potential mobility across a wide geographic range of fragmented habitat. Little variation among mitochondrial sequences (620 bp from ND2) was observed among 149 individual Clapper Rails Rallus crepitans sampled along the Atlantic coast of North America, with the majority of individuals at all sampling sites sharing a single haplotype. Genotyping of nine microsatellite loci across 136 individuals revealed moderate genetic diversity, no evidence of bottlenecks, and a weak pattern of genetic differentiation that increased with geographic distance. Multivariate analyses, Bayesian clustering and an AMOVA all suggested a lack of genetic structuring across the North American Atlantic coast, with all individuals grouped into a single interbreeding population. Spatial autocorrelation analyses showed evidence of weak female philopatry and a lack of male philopatry. We conclude that high gene flow connecting populations of this habitat specialist may result from the interaction of ecological and behavioral factors that promote dispersal and limit natal philopatry and breeding‐site fidelity. As climate change threatens saltmarshes, the genetic diversity and population connectivity of Clapper Rails may promote resilience of their populations. This finding helps inform about potential fates of other similarly behaving saltmarsh specialists on the Atlantic coast.

Invisible nursing research: thoughts about mixed methods research and nursing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Fawcett, Jacqueline

2015-04-01

In this this essay, the author addresses the close connection between mixed methods research and nursing practice. If the assertion that research and practice are parallel processes is accepted, then nursing practice may be considered "invisible mixed methods research," in that almost every encounter between a nurse and a patient involves collection and integration of qualitative (word) and quantitative (number) information that actually is single-case mixed methods research. © The Author(s) 2015.

The standardization of an apparatus for the mixing of soil samples ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Quantitative determination of nematode populations in soils frequently necessitates the mixing of representative soil samples to form a homogeneous, compound sample from which the nematodes are extracted. A mixing apparatus was developed and standardized with the aid of a spectrophotometric technique by which ...

Local genealogies in a linear mixed model for genome-wide association mapping in complex pedigreed populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goutam Sahana

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The state-of-the-art for dealing with multiple levels of relationship among the samples in genome-wide association studies (GWAS is unified mixed model analysis (MMA. This approach is very flexible, can be applied to both family-based and population-based samples, and can be extended to incorporate other effects in a straightforward and rigorous fashion. Here, we present a complementary approach, called 'GENMIX (genealogy based mixed model' which combines advantages from two powerful GWAS methods: genealogy-based haplotype grouping and MMA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We validated GENMIX using genotyping data of Danish Jersey cattle and simulated phenotype and compared to the MMA. We simulated scenarios for three levels of heritability (0.21, 0.34, and 0.64, seven levels of MAF (0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45 and five levels of QTL effect (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0 in phenotypic standard deviation unit. Each of these 105 possible combinations (3 h(2 x 7 MAF x 5 effects of scenarios was replicated 25 times. RESULTS: GENMIX provides a better ranking of markers close to the causative locus' location. GENMIX outperformed MMA when the QTL effect was small and the MAF at the QTL was low. In scenarios where MAF was high or the QTL affecting the trait had a large effect both GENMIX and MMA performed similarly. CONCLUSION: In discovery studies, where high-ranking markers are identified and later examined in validation studies, we therefore expect GENMIX to enrich candidates brought to follow-up studies with true positives over false positives more than the MMA would.

Owner perceived differences between mixed-breed and purebred dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Turcsán, Borbála; Miklósi, Ádám; Kubinyi, Enikő

2017-01-01

Studies about the behaviours of mixed-breed dogs are rare, although mixed-breeds represent the majority of the world's dog population. We have conducted two surveys to investigate the behavioural, demographic, and dog keeping differences between purebred and mixed-breed companion dogs. Questionnaire data were collected on a large sample of dogs living in Germany (N = 7,700 purebred dogs representing more than 200 breeds, and N = 7,691 mixed-breeds). We found that according to their owners, mixed-breeds were (1) less calm, (2) less sociable toward other dogs, and (3) showed more problematic behaviour than purebreds (p dog keeping factors differed between purebred and mixed-breed dogs, and two factors showed considerable (> 10%) differences: neutering was more frequent among mixed-breeds, and they were acquired at older ages than purebreds (p dog keeping factors, we found that mixed-breeds were (1) more trainable than purebreds, (2) less calm, and (3) showed more problematic behaviour than purebreds (p dogs, mixed-breeds represent a special group with characteristic behavioural traits.

Standard Populations (Millions) for Age-Adjustment - SEER Population Datasets

Science.gov (United States)

Download files containing standard population data for use in statististical software. The files contain the same data distributed with SEER*Stat software. You can also view the standard populations, either 19 age groups or single ages.

Assessment of mixed-layer height estimation from single-wavelength ceilometer profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. N. Knepp

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Differing boundary/mixed-layer height measurement methods were assessed in moderately polluted and clean environments, with a focus on the Vaisala CL51 ceilometer. This intercomparison was performed as part of ongoing measurements at the Chemistry And Physics of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (CAPABLE site in Hampton, Virginia and during the 2014 Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ field campaign that took place in and around Denver, Colorado. We analyzed CL51 data that were collected via two different methods (BLView software, which applied correction factors, and simple terminal emulation logging to determine the impact of data collection methodology. Further, we evaluated the STRucture of the ATmosphere (STRAT algorithm as an open-source alternative to BLView (note that the current work presents an evaluation of the BLView and STRAT algorithms and does not intend to act as a validation of either. Filtering criteria were defined according to the change in mixed-layer height (MLH distributions for each instrument and algorithm and were applied throughout the analysis to remove high-frequency fluctuations from the MLH retrievals. Of primary interest was determining how the different data-collection methodologies and algorithms compare to each other and to radiosonde-derived boundary-layer heights when deployed as part of a larger instrument network. We determined that data-collection methodology is not as important as the processing algorithm and that much of the algorithm differences might be driven by impacts of local meteorology and precipitation events that pose algorithm difficulties. The results of this study show that a common processing algorithm is necessary for light detection and ranging (lidar-based MLH intercomparisons and ceilometer-network operation, and that sonde-derived boundary layer heights are higher (10–15 % at

[A study of population pharmacokinetics of linezolid in Chinese].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, L; Bai, N; Liu, Y N; Wang, R

2016-12-12

Objective: To study the population pharmacokinetic (PPK) profiles of linezolid in Chinese healthy volunteers and infected patients. Methods: Linezolid 600 mg was administered to 31 Chinese healthy volunteers with a single dose and to 57 infected patients every 12 h for at least 5 doses. High performance liquid chromatography was applied to determine the plasma concentration of linezolid. Nonlinear mixed-effects modeling method was applied to analyze the PPK profiles. Results: For healthy volunteers with single dose of linezolid, 2-compartment with linear elimination model was the most appropriate structural pharmacokinetic model. The population typical value of apparent volume of central compartment was 26.99 L, volume of peripheral compartment was 22.22 L, apparent clearance of central compartment was 7.99 L/h, and clearance of peripheral compartment was 101.28 L/h. For each 1 kg deviation of weight from the mean value, 0.62 L of volume of peripheral compartment was correlated. For Chinese infected patients with multiple doses of linezolid, 1-compartment with linear elimination model was the most appropriate structural pharmacokinetic model. The population typical value of apparent volume was 38.85 L, and apparent clearance was 4.70 L/h. For each 1 kg deviation of weight from the mean value, 0.79 L of volume, as well as 0.04 L/h of clearance were correlated. For each 1 year deviation of age from the mean value, -0.045 L/h of clearance was correlated. Conclusions: The pharmacokinetic profiles of linezolid in Chinese simulate a 2-compartment with linear elimination model when single dose is administrated, and the weight is linearly positive-correlated to volume. While a 1-compartment with linear elimination model is appropriate when multiple doses are administrated, and the weight is linearly positive-correlated to volume and clearance, but the age is linearly negative-correlated to clearance.

A New Advanced Backcross Tomato Population Enables High Resolution Leaf QTL Mapping and Gene Identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Fulop

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL mapping is a powerful technique for dissecting the genetic basis of traits and species differences. Established tomato mapping populations between domesticated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum and its more distant interfertile relatives typically follow a near isogenic line (NIL design, such as the S. pennellii Introgression Line (IL population, with a single wild introgression per line in an otherwise domesticated genetic background. Here, we report on a new advanced backcross QTL mapping resource for tomato, derived from a cross between the M82 tomato cultivar and S. pennellii. This so-called Backcrossed Inbred Line (BIL population is comprised of a mix of BC2 and BC3 lines, with domesticated tomato as the recurrent parent. The BIL population is complementary to the existing S. pennellii IL population, with which it shares parents. Using the BILs, we mapped traits for leaf complexity, leaflet shape, and flowering time. We demonstrate the utility of the BILs for fine-mapping QTL, particularly QTL initially mapped in the ILs, by fine-mapping several QTL to single or few candidate genes. Moreover, we confirm the value of a backcrossed population with multiple introgressions per line, such as the BILs, for epistatic QTL mapping. Our work was further enabled by the development of our own statistical inference and visualization tools, namely a heterogeneous hidden Markov model for genotyping the lines, and by using state-of-the-art sparse regression techniques for QTL mapping.

Age-dependent mixing of deep-sea sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.R.; Maggaard, L.; Pope, R.H.; DeMaster, D.J.

1993-01-01

Rates of bioturbation measured in deep-sea sediments commonly are tracer dependent; in particular, shorter lived radiotracers (such as 234 Th) often yield markedly higher diffusive mixing coefficients than their longer-lived counterparts (e.g., 210 Pb). At a single station in the 1,240-m deep Santa Catalina Basin, the authors document a strong negative correlation between bioturbation rate and tracer half-life. Sediment profiles of 234 Th (half-life = 24 days) yield an average mixing coefficient (60 cm 2 y -1 ) two orders of magnitude greater than that for 210 Pb (half-life = 22 y, mean mixing coefficient = 0.4 cm 2 y -1 ). A similar negative relationship between mixing rate and tracer time scale is observed at thirteen other deep-sea sites in which multiple radiotracers have been used to assess diffusive mixing rates. This relationship holds across a variety of radiotracer types and time scales. The authors hypothesize that this negative relationship results from age-dependent mixing, a process in which recently sedimented, food-rich particles are ingested and mixed at higher rates by deposit feeders than are older, food-poor particles. Results from an age-dependent mixing model demonstrate that this process indeed can yield the bioturbation-rate vs. tracer-time-scale correlations observed in deep-sea sediments. Field data on mixing rates of recently sedimented particles, as well as the radiotracer activity of deep-sea deposit feeders, provide strong support for the age-dependent mixing model. The presence of age-dependent mixing in deep-sea sediments may have major implications for diagenetic modeling, requiring a match between the characteristic time scales of mixing tracers and modeled reactants. 102 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs

Single cell genomics indicates horizontal gene transfer and viral infections in a deep subsurface Firmicutes population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica eLabonté

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A major fraction of Earth's prokaryotic biomass dwells in the deep subsurface, where cellular abundances per volume of sample are lower, metabolism is slower, and generation times are longer than those in surface terrestrial and marine environments. How these conditions impact biotic interactions and evolutionary processes is largely unknown. Here we employed single cell genomics to analyze cell-to-cell genome content variability and signatures of horizontal gene transfer (HGT and viral infections in five cells of Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, which were collected from a three km-deep fracture water in the 2.9 Ga-old Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa. Between 0 and 32 % of genes recovered from single cells were not present in the original, metagenomic assembly of Desulforudis, which was obtained from a neighboring subsurface fracture. We found a transposable prophage, a retron, multiple clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs and restriction-modification systems, and an unusually high frequency of transposases in the analyzed single cell genomes. This indicates that recombination, HGT and viral infections are prevalent evolutionary events in the studied population of microorganisms inhabiting a highly stable deep subsurface environment.

Mixed-substrate (glycerol tributyrate and fibrin) zymography for simultaneous detection of lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes on a single gel.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Nack-Shick; Choi, Jong Hyun; Kim, Bo-Hye; Han, Yun-Jon; Kim, Joong Su; Lee, Seung-Goo; Song, Jae Jun

2009-06-01

A new zymography method for simultaneous detection of two different enzymatic activities (lipolytic and proteolytic) using a single SDS-containing or native-conformation gel and a mixed-substrate (glycerol tributyrate and fibrin) (MS)(1) gel was developed. After routine electrophoresis, SDS in the gel was removed by treatment with Triton X-100. Gel proteins were electrotransferred to the MS gel. To visualize lipolytic activity, the MS gel was incubated at 37 degrees C (for 6 or 24 h) until clear bands against an opaque background were observed. To detect proteolytic activity, the same MS gel was stained with Coomassie brilliant blue. Using this method, we show that six lipolytic enzymes from Staphylococcus pasteuri NJ-1 and four proteolytic enzymes from two Bacillus strains, B. licheniformis DJ-2 and B. licheniformis NJ-5, isolated from soil, can be simultaneously detected.

A single-longitudinal-mode Brillouin fiber laser passively stabilized at the pump resonance frequency with a dynamic population inversion grating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spirin, V V; López-Mercado, C A; Kinet, D; Mégret, P; Fotiadi, A A; Zolotovskiy, I O

2013-01-01

We demonstrate a single-longitudinal-mode Brillouin ring fiber laser passively stabilized at the resonance frequency with a 1.7 m section that is an unpumped polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fiber. The two coupled all-fiber Fabry–Perot interferometers that comprise the cavity, in combination with the dynamical population inversion gratings self-induced in the active fiber, provide adaptive pump-mode selection and Stokes wave generation at the same time. The laser is shown to emit a single-frequency Stokes wave with a linewidth narrower than 100 Hz. (letter)

Case‐mix adjustment in non‐randomised observational evaluations: the constant risk fallacy

OpenAIRE

Nicholl, Jon

2007-01-01

Observational studies comparing groups or populations to evaluate services or interventions usually require case‐mix adjustment to account for imbalances between the groups being compared. Simulation studies have, however, shown that case‐mix adjustment can make any bias worse.

Mixed Methods in Biomedical and Health Services Research

Science.gov (United States)

Curry, Leslie A.; Krumholz, Harlan M.; O’Cathain, Alicia; Plano Clark, Vicki L.; Cherlin, Emily; Bradley, Elizabeth H.

2013-01-01

Mixed methods studies, in which qualitative and quantitative methods are combined in a single program of inquiry, can be valuable in biomedical and health services research, where the complementary strengths of each approach can yield greater insight into complex phenomena than either approach alone. Although interest in mixed methods is growing among science funders and investigators, written guidance on how to conduct and assess rigorous mixed methods studies is not readily accessible to the general readership of peer-reviewed biomedical and health services journals. Furthermore, existing guidelines for publishing mixed methods studies are not well known or applied by researchers and journal editors. Accordingly, this paper is intended to serve as a concise, practical resource for readers interested in core principles and practices of mixed methods research. We briefly describe mixed methods approaches and present illustrations from published biomedical and health services literature, including in cardiovascular care, summarize standards for the design and reporting of these studies, and highlight four central considerations for investigators interested in using these methods. PMID:23322807

Enhanced solubilization of curcumin in mixed surfactant vesicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Arun; Kaur, Gurpreet; Kansal, S K; Chaudhary, Ganga Ram; Mehta, S K

2016-05-15

Self-assemblies of equimolar double and single chain mixed ionic surfactants, with increasing numbers of carbon atoms of double chain surfactant, were analyzed on the basis of fluorescence and conductivity results. Attempts were also made to enhance the solubilization of curcumin in aqueous equimolar mixed surfactant systems. Mixed surfactant assembly was successful in retarding the degradation of curcumin in alkaline media (only 25-28 40% degraded in 10h at pH 13). Fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence quenching methods were employed to predict the binding position and mechanism of curcumin with self-assemblies. Results indicate that the interactions take place according to both dynamic and static quenching mechanisms and curcumin was distributed in a palisade layer of mixed aggregates. Antioxidant activity (using DPPH radical) and biocompatibility (using calf-thymus DNA) of curcumin-loaded mixed surfactant formulations were also evaluated. The prepared systems improved the stability, solubility and antioxidant activity of curcumin and additionally are biocompatible. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single-Sex Education in Public School Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford-Ferre, Heather Glynn; Wiest, Lynda R.

2013-01-01

Although researchers have studied the effectiveness of single-sex education (SSE), the findings have been mixed. This exploratory study reports the perceived goals and effectiveness of single-sex education based on interviews with a small group of educators involved with SSE in various ways. Research participants included a school principal and…

Seebeck and Nernst effects in the mixed state of YBa2Cu3Oy single crystals: A probe for the scattering rate of quasiparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Y.; Terasaki, I.; Tajima, S.

1996-01-01

Transport properties under a temperature gradient were investigated in the mixed state of YBa 2 Cu 3 O y single crystals. The ratio of the Seebeck coefficient S xx to the resistivity ρ xx , which is proportional to the thermal current, exhibits a remarkable magnetic field dependence. This implies that the quasiparticles driven by the temperature gradient are scattered by vortices to reduce their lifetime. Quantitative investigation for the H dependence of S xx /ρ xx reveals the lifetime enhancement of the quasiparticle below T c . copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Multi-objective parametric optimization of powder mixed electro ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Multiple linear regression models have ... surface optimization scheme to select the parameters in powder mixed EDM process. Keskin ... Genetic algorithm (GA) is a subclass of population based stochastic search procedure which is.

Population genetics of reef coral endosymbionts (Symbiodinium, Dinophyceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Thornhill, D J; Howells, E J; Wham, D C; Steury, T D; Santos, S R

2017-05-01

Symbiodinium is a diverse genus of unicellular dinoflagellate symbionts associating with various marine protists and invertebrates. Although the broadscale diversity and phylogenetics of the Symbiodinium complex is well established, there have been surprisingly few data on fine-scale population structure and biogeography of these dinoflagellates. Yet population-level processes contribute strongly to the biology of Symbiodinium, including how anthropogenic-driven global climate change impacts these symbionts and their host associations. Here, we present a synthesis of population-level characteristics for Symbiodinium, with an emphasis on how phylogenetic affinities, dynamics within and among host individuals, and a propensity towards clonality shape patterns on and across reefs. Major inferences include the following: (i) Symbiodinium populations within individual hosts are comprised mainly of cells belonging to a single or few genetic clones. (ii) Symbiont populations exhibit a mixed mode of reproduction, wherein at least one sexual recombination event occurs in the genealogy between most genotypes, but clonal propagation predominates overall. (iii) Mutualistic Symbiodinium do not perpetually persist outside their hosts, instead undergoing turnover and replacement via the continuous shedding of viable clonal cells from host individuals. (iv) Symbiont populations living in the same host, but on different reefs, are often genetically subdivided, suggesting low connectivity, adaptation to local conditions, or prolific asexual reproduction and low effective population sizes leading to disproportionate success within and among hosts. Overall, this synthesis forms a basis for future investigations of coral symbiosis ecology and evolution as well as delimitation of species boundaries in Symbiodinium and other eukaryotic microorganisms. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Basal cell carcinoma of the skin with mixed histomorphology: a comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartoš, Vladimír; Kullová, Milada

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin exhibits a very heterogeneous histomorphology, on the basis of which it is classified into several subtypes and variants. In many cases, however, a definite categorization remains difficult, because BCC may consist of more than one histopathological subtype. There are limited data exploring the characteristics of these mixed BCCs, since they have not been specifically analysed. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of BCCs with mixed histomorphology observed in a set of primary BCCs and to compare their clinicopathological features with a single type BCC subgroup. A total of 911 histologically proven primary BCCs from 697 patients were investigated. Prevalence of single and mixed type BCCs was 64.9 % and 35.1 %, respectively. In mixed type BCC subgroup, a very heterogeneous histomorphology was found comprising a mixture of two to four different subtypes in various proportions. The most frequent combinations included nodular-infiltrative, superficial-nodular, nodular-trichoepithelial and nodular-micronodular subtype. Comparative analysis of the two given subgroups showed that mixed type BCCs were significantly more frequently localized on the extrafacial regions of the head (30.0 % vs. 20.0 %, p = 0.02) and less often on the face (37.2 % vs. 45.2 %, p = 0.03). There were not convincing differences in the occurrence of single vs mixed type BCCs in other parts of the body. Histologically, mixed type BCCs exhibited an aggressive-growth pattern more frequently (64.6 % vs. 13.0 %, p < 0.0001). Positive surgical margins were significantly more common in mixed type BCC subgroup (17.8 % vs. 12.6 %, p = 0.02). Cutaneous BCCs with mixed histomorphology represented about one third of the cases. It is a common finding in routine pathological practice, probably suggestive of evolution and phenotypic transformation of the cancer. Since mixed type BCCs are frequently composed of aggressive histological subtypes, regardless the

Sustainability of a Compartmentalized Host-Parasite Replicator System under Periodic Washout-Mixing Cycles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taro Furubayashi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The emergence and dominance of parasitic replicators are among the major hurdles for the proliferation of primitive replicators. Compartmentalization of replicators is proposed to relieve the parasite dominance; however, it remains unclear under what conditions simple compartmentalization uncoupled with internal reaction secures the long-term survival of a population of primitive replicators against incessant parasite emergence. Here, we investigate the sustainability of a compartmentalized host-parasite replicator (CHPR system undergoing periodic washout-mixing cycles, by constructing a mathematical model and performing extensive simulations. We describe sustainable landscapes of the CHPR system in the parameter space and elucidate the mechanism of phase transitions between sustainable and extinct regions. Our findings revealed that a large population size of compartments, a high mixing intensity, and a modest amount of nutrients are important factors for the robust survival of replicators. We also found two distinctive sustainable phases with different mixing intensities. These results suggest that a population of simple host–parasite replicators assumed before the origin of life can be sustained by a simple compartmentalization with periodic washout-mixing processes.

Single cell metabolomics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heinemann, Matthias; Zenobi, Renato

Recent discoveries suggest that cells of a clonal population often display multiple metabolic phenotypes at the same time. Motivated by the success of mass spectrometry (MS) in the investigation of population-level metabolomics, the analytical community has initiated efforts towards MS-based single

Off-diagonal generalization of the mixed-state geometric phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filipp, Stefan; Sjoeqvist, Erik

2003-01-01

The concept of off-diagonal geometric phases for mixed quantal states in unitary evolution is developed. We show that these phases arise from three basic ideas: (1) fulfillment of quantum parallel transport of a complete basis, (2) a concept of mixed-state orthogonality adapted to unitary evolution, and (3) a normalization condition. We provide a method for computing the off-diagonal mixed-state phases to any order for unitarities that divide the parallel transported basis of Hilbert space into two parts: one part where each basis vector undergoes cyclic evolution and one part where all basis vectors are permuted among each other. We also demonstrate a purification based experimental procedure for the two lowest-order mixed-state phases and consider a physical scenario for a full characterization of the qubit mixed-state geometric phases in terms of polarization-entangled photon pairs. An alternative second order off-diagonal mixed-state geometric phase, which can be tested in single-particle experiments, is proposed

A population model evaluating the consequences of the evolution of double-resistance and tradeoffs on the benefits of two-drug antibiotic treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Ellsworth M; Chao, Lin

2014-01-01

The evolution of antibiotic resistance in microbes poses one of the greatest challenges to the management of human health. Because addressing the problem experimentally has been difficult, research on strategies to slow the evolution of resistance through the rational use of antibiotics has resorted to mathematical and computational models. However, despite many advances, several questions remain unsettled. Here we present a population model for rational antibiotic usage by adding three key features that have been overlooked: 1) the maximization of the frequency of uninfected patients in the human population rather than the minimization of antibiotic resistance in the bacterial population, 2) the use of cocktails containing antibiotic pairs, and 3) the imposition of tradeoff constraints on bacterial resistance to multiple drugs. Because of tradeoffs, bacterial resistance does not evolve directionally and the system reaches an equilibrium state. When considering the equilibrium frequency of uninfected patients, both cycling and mixing improve upon single-drug treatment strategies. Mixing outperforms optimal cycling regimens. Cocktails further improve upon aforementioned strategies. Moreover, conditions that increase the population frequency of uninfected patients also increase the recovery rate of infected individual patients. Thus, a rational strategy does not necessarily result in a tragedy of the commons because benefits to the individual patient and general public are not in conflict. Our identification of cocktails as the best strategy when tradeoffs between multiple-resistance are operating could also be extended to other host-pathogen systems. Cocktails or other multiple-drug treatments are additionally attractive because they allow re-using antibiotics whose utility has been negated by the evolution of single resistance.

Does the thermal spike affect low energy ion-induced interfacial mixing?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suele, P.; Menyhard, M.; Nordlund, K.

2003-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to obtain the three-dimensional distribution of interfacial mixing and cascade defects in Ti/Pt multilayer system due to single 1 keV Ar + impact at grazing angle of incidence. The Ti/Pt system was chosen because of its relatively high heat of mixing in the binary alloy and therefore a suitable candidate for testing the effect of heat of mixing on ion-beam mixing. However, the calculated mixing profile is not sensitive to the heat of mixing. Therefore the thermal spike model of mixing is not fully supported under these irradiation conditions. Instead we found that the majority of mixing occurs after the thermal spike during the relaxation process. These conclusions are supported by liquid, vacancy as well as adatom analysis. The interfacial mixing is in various aspects anomalous in this system: the time evolution of mixing is leading to a phase delay for Ti mixing, and Pt exhibits an unexpected double peaked mixing evolution. The reasons to these effects are discussed

LIDAR forest inventory with single-tree, double- and single-phase procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Robert C. Parker; David L. Evans

2009-01-01

Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data at 0.5- to 2-m postings were used with doublesample, stratified inventory procedures involving single-tree attribute relationships in mixed, natural, and planted species stands to yield sampling errors (one-half the confidence interval expressed as a percentage of the mean) ranging from ±2.1 percent to ±11.5...

Transcriptional profiling at whole population and single cell levels reveals somatosensory neuron molecular diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Isaac M; Barrett, Lee B; Williams, Erika K; Strochlic, David E; Lee, Seungkyu; Weyer, Andy D; Lou, Shan; Bryman, Gregory S; Roberson, David P; Ghasemlou, Nader; Piccoli, Cara; Ahat, Ezgi; Wang, Victor; Cobos, Enrique J; Stucky, Cheryl L; Ma, Qiufu; Liberles, Stephen D; Woolf, Clifford J

2014-01-01

The somatosensory nervous system is critical for the organism's ability to respond to mechanical, thermal, and nociceptive stimuli. Somatosensory neurons are functionally and anatomically diverse but their molecular profiles are not well-defined. Here, we used transcriptional profiling to analyze the detailed molecular signatures of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons. We used two mouse reporter lines and surface IB4 labeling to purify three major non-overlapping classes of neurons: 1) IB4+SNS-Cre/TdTomato+, 2) IB4−SNS-Cre/TdTomato+, and 3) Parv-Cre/TdTomato+ cells, encompassing the majority of nociceptive, pruriceptive, and proprioceptive neurons. These neurons displayed distinct expression patterns of ion channels, transcription factors, and GPCRs. Highly parallel qRT-PCR analysis of 334 single neurons selected by membership of the three populations demonstrated further diversity, with unbiased clustering analysis identifying six distinct subgroups. These data significantly increase our knowledge of the molecular identities of known DRG populations and uncover potentially novel subsets, revealing the complexity and diversity of those neurons underlying somatosensation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04660.001 PMID:25525749

Mixed finite element simulations in two-dimensional groundwater flow problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Hideo

1989-01-01

A computer code of groundwater flow in two-dimensional porous media based on the mixed finite element method was developed for accurate approximations of Darcy velocities in safety evaluation of radioactive waste disposal. The mixed finite element procedure solves for both the Darcy velocities and pressure heads simultaneously in the Darcy equation and continuity equation. Numerical results of a single well pumping at a constant rate in a uniform flow field showed that the mixed finite element method gives more accurate Darcy velocities nearly 50 % on average error than standard finite element method. (author)

Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins and evidence for their historic rise and recent decline

KAUST Repository

Vignaud, Thomas M.

2014-05-01

This study presents genetic evidence that whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, are comprised of at least two populations that rarely mix and is the first to document a population expansion. Relatively high genetic structure is found when comparing sharks from the Gulf of Mexico with sharks from the Indo-Pacific. If mixing occurs between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, it is not sufficient to counter genetic drift. This suggests whale sharks are not all part of a single global metapopulation. The significant population expansion we found was indicated by both microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA. The expansion may have happened during the Holocene, when tropical species could expand their range due to sea-level rise, eliminating dispersal barriers and increasing plankton productivity. However, the historic trend of population increase may have reversed recently. Declines in genetic diversity are found for 6 consecutive years at Ningaloo Reef in Australia. The declines in genetic diversity being seen now in Australia may be due to commercial-scale harvesting of whale sharks and collision with boats in past decades in other countries in the Indo-Pacific. The study findings have implications for models of population connectivity for whale sharks and advocate for continued focus on effective protection of the world\\'s largest fish at multiple spatial scales. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins and evidence for their historic rise and recent decline.

Science.gov (United States)

Vignaud, Thomas M; Maynard, Jeffrey A; Leblois, Raphael; Meekan, Mark G; Vázquez-Juárez, Ricardo; Ramírez-Macías, Dení; Pierce, Simon J; Rowat, David; Berumen, Michael L; Beeravolu, Champak; Baksay, Sandra; Planes, Serge

2014-05-01

This study presents genetic evidence that whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, are comprised of at least two populations that rarely mix and is the first to document a population expansion. Relatively high genetic structure is found when comparing sharks from the Gulf of Mexico with sharks from the Indo-Pacific. If mixing occurs between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, it is not sufficient to counter genetic drift. This suggests whale sharks are not all part of a single global metapopulation. The significant population expansion we found was indicated by both microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA. The expansion may have happened during the Holocene, when tropical species could expand their range due to sea-level rise, eliminating dispersal barriers and increasing plankton productivity. However, the historic trend of population increase may have reversed recently. Declines in genetic diversity are found for 6 consecutive years at Ningaloo Reef in Australia. The declines in genetic diversity being seen now in Australia may be due to commercial-scale harvesting of whale sharks and collision with boats in past decades in other countries in the Indo-Pacific. The study findings have implications for models of population connectivity for whale sharks and advocate for continued focus on effective protection of the world's largest fish at multiple spatial scales. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dynamic single-cell analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under process perturbation: Comparison of different methods for monitoring the intensity of population heterogeneity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Delvigne, Frank; Baert, Jonathan; Gofflot, Sébastien

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Single cell biology has attracted a lot of attention in recent years and has led to numerous fundamental results pointing out the heterogeneity of clonal cell populations. In this context, microbial phenotypic heterogeneity under bioprocessing conditions needs to be further investigat...

Resolving Mixed Algal Species in Hyperspectral Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrube Mehrubeoglu

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We investigated a lab-based hyperspectral imaging system’s response from pure (single and mixed (two algal cultures containing known algae types and volumetric combinations to characterize the system’s performance. The spectral response to volumetric changes in single and combinations of algal mixtures with known ratios were tested. Constrained linear spectral unmixing was applied to extract the algal content of the mixtures based on abundances that produced the lowest root mean square error. Percent prediction error was computed as the difference between actual percent volumetric content and abundances at minimum RMS error. Best prediction errors were computed as 0.4%, 0.4% and 6.3% for the mixed spectra from three independent experiments. The worst prediction errors were found as 5.6%, 5.4% and 13.4% for the same order of experiments. Additionally, Beer-Lambert’s law was utilized to relate transmittance to different volumes of pure algal suspensions demonstrating linear logarithmic trends for optical property measurements.

Parents' Views on Mixed and Single-Sex Secondary Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Anne; Hunter, Jay

1993-01-01

Reports on two studies of British parental attitudes toward coeducational and single-sex secondary schools. Finds few differences between the parents of primary school girls and boys who will attend secondary schools in the future. Also finds a large majority of boys' parents believe that social advantages accrue for boys educated with girls. (CFR)

Persistence and extinction of a single-species population system in a polluted environment with random perturbations and impulsive toxicant input

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Meng; Wang Ke

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Random population model with pulse toxicant input in polluted environments. ► Threshold between persistence and extinction is obtained. ► Different random noises have different effects on the persistence of the population. ► Impulsive period plays a key role in determining persistence of the population. ► Simulation figures support the analytical findings. - Abstract: Taking both white noises and colored noises into account, a stochastic single-species model with Markov switching and impulsive toxicant input in a polluted environment is proposed and investigated. Sufficient conditions for extinction, non-persistence in the mean, weak persistence and stochastic permanence are established. The threshold between weak persistence and extinction is obtained. Some simulation figures are introduced to illustrate the main results.

Influence of stimulated Raman scattering on the conversion efficiency in four wave mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wunderlich, R.; Moore, M.A.; Garrett, W.R.; Payne, M.G.

1988-01-01

Secondary nonlinear optical effects following parametric four wave mixing in sodium vapor are investigated. The generated ultraviolet radiation induces stimulated Raman scattering and other four wave mixing process. Population transfer due to Raman transitions strongly influences the phase matching conditions for the primary mixing process. Pulse shortening and a reduction in conversion efficiency are observed. 8 refs., 3 figs

Population stochastic modelling (PSM)--an R package for mixed-effects models based on stochastic differential equations.

Science.gov (United States)

Klim, Søren; Mortensen, Stig Bousgaard; Kristensen, Niels Rode; Overgaard, Rune Viig; Madsen, Henrik

2009-06-01

The extension from ordinary to stochastic differential equations (SDEs) in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modelling is an emerging field and has been motivated in a number of articles [N.R. Kristensen, H. Madsen, S.H. Ingwersen, Using stochastic differential equations for PK/PD model development, J. Pharmacokinet. Pharmacodyn. 32 (February(1)) (2005) 109-141; C.W. Tornøe, R.V. Overgaard, H. Agersø, H.A. Nielsen, H. Madsen, E.N. Jonsson, Stochastic differential equations in NONMEM: implementation, application, and comparison with ordinary differential equations, Pharm. Res. 22 (August(8)) (2005) 1247-1258; R.V. Overgaard, N. Jonsson, C.W. Tornøe, H. Madsen, Non-linear mixed-effects models with stochastic differential equations: implementation of an estimation algorithm, J. Pharmacokinet. Pharmacodyn. 32 (February(1)) (2005) 85-107; U. Picchini, S. Ditlevsen, A. De Gaetano, Maximum likelihood estimation of a time-inhomogeneous stochastic differential model of glucose dynamics, Math. Med. Biol. 25 (June(2)) (2008) 141-155]. PK/PD models are traditionally based ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with an observation link that incorporates noise. This state-space formulation only allows for observation noise and not for system noise. Extending to SDEs allows for a Wiener noise component in the system equations. This additional noise component enables handling of autocorrelated residuals originating from natural variation or systematic model error. Autocorrelated residuals are often partly ignored in PK/PD modelling although violating the hypothesis for many standard statistical tests. This article presents a package for the statistical program R that is able to handle SDEs in a mixed-effects setting. The estimation method implemented is the FOCE(1) approximation to the population likelihood which is generated from the individual likelihoods that are approximated using the Extended Kalman Filter's one-step predictions.

Mixing of ν/sub e/ and ν/sub μ/ in SO(10) models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milton, K.; Nandi, S.; Tanaka, K.

1982-01-01

We found previously in SO(10) grand unified theories that if the neutrinos have a Dirac mass and a right-handed Majorana mass (approx.10 15 GeV) but no left-handed Majorana mass, there is small ν/sub e/ mixing but ν/sub μ/-ν/sub tau/ mixing can be substantial. We reexamine this problem on the basis of a formalism that assumes that the up, down, lepton, and neutrino mass matrices arise from a single complex 10 and a single 126 Higgs boson. This formalism determines the Majorana mass matrix in terms of quark mass matrices. Adopting three different sets of quark mass matrices that produce acceptable fermion mass ratios and Cabbibo mixing, we obtain results consistent with the above; however, in the optimum case, ν/sub e/-ν/sub μ/ mixing can be of the order of the Cabbibo angle. In an extension of this model wherein the Witten mechanism generates the Majorana mass, we illustrate quantitatively how the parameter characterizing the Majorana sector must be tuned in order to achieve large ν/sub e/-ν/sub μ/ mixing

Micro-epidemiological structuring of Plasmodium falciparum parasite populations in regions with varying transmission intensities in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Omedo, I.; Mogeni, P.; Bousema, T.; Rockett, K.; Amambua-Ngwa, A.; Oyier, I.; Baidjoe, A.Y.; Villiers, E.P. de; Fegan, G.; Ross, A.; Hubbart, C.; Jeffreys, A.; Kwiatkowski, D.; Bejon, P.

2017-01-01

Background: The first models of malaria transmission assumed a completely mixed and homogeneous population of parasites. Recent models include spatial heterogeneity and variably mixed populations. However, there are few empiric estimates of parasite mixing with which to parametize such models.

Mixed Uranium/Refractory Metal Carbide Fuels for High Performance Nuclear Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, Travis; Anghaie, Samim

2002-01-01

Single phase, solid-solution mixed uranium/refractory metal carbides have been proposed as an advanced nuclear fuel for advanced, high-performance reactors. Earlier studies of mixed carbides focused on uranium and either thorium or plutonium as a fuel for fast breeder reactors enabling shorter doubling owing to the greater fissile atom density. However, the mixed uranium/refractory carbides such as (U, Zr, Nb)C have a lower uranium densities but hold significant promise because of their ultra-high melting points (typically greater than 3700 K), improved material compatibility, and high thermal conductivity approaching that of the metal. Various compositions of (U, Zr, Nb)C were processed with 5% and 10% metal mole fraction of uranium. Stoichiometric samples were processed from the constituent carbide powders, while hypo-stoichiometric samples with carbon-to-metal (C/M) ratios of 0.92 were processed from uranium hydride, graphite, and constituent refractory carbide powders. Processing techniques of cold uniaxial pressing, dynamic magnetic compaction, sintering, and hot pressing were investigated to optimize the processing parameters necessary to produce high density (low porosity), single phase, solid-solution mixed carbide nuclear fuels for testing. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate and characterize the performance of these mixed uranium/refractory metal carbides for high performance, ultra-safe nuclear reactor applications. (authors)

Ratiometric, single-dye, pH-sensitive inhibited laser-induced fluorescence for the characterization of mixing and mass transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Lacassagne, Tom; Simoëns, Serge; El Hajem, Mahmoud; Champagne, Jean-Yves

2018-01-01

Inhibited planar laser-induced fluorescence (I-PLIF) techniques are widely used for heat and mass transfer studies in fluid mechanics. They allow the visualization of instantaneous two-dimensional field of a passive or reactive scalar, providing that this scalar acts as an inhibitor to the fluorescence of a specific molecule, and that this molecule is homogeneously mixed in the fluid at a known concentration. Local scalar values are deduced from fluorescence recordings thanks to preliminary calibration procedure. When confronted with non-optically thin systems, however, the knowledge of the excitation intensity distribution in the region of interest is also required, and this information is most of the time hard to obtain. To overcome that problem, two-color ratiometric PLIF techniques ( {I}^ {r}-PLIF) have been developed. In these methods, the ratio of two different fluorescence wavelengths triggered by the same excitation is used as an indicator of the scalar value. Such techniques have been used for temperature measurements in several studies but never, to the author's knowledge, for pH tracking and acid-base mixing, despite the frequent use of the one-color version in mass transfer studies. In the present work, a ratiometric pH-sensitive-inhibited PLIF technique ( {I}_ {pH}^ {r}-PLIF) using fluorescein sodium as a single dye and applicable to complex geometries and flows is developed. Theoretical considerations show that the ratio of the two-color fluorescence intensities should only depend on the dye's spectral quantum yield, itself pH-dependent. A detailed spectrofluorimetric study of fluorescein reveals that this ratio strictly increases with the pH for two well-chosen spectral bands (fluorescence colors). A similar trend is found when using sCmos cameras equipped with optical filters to record fluorescence signals. The method is then experimented on a test flow, a turbulent acidic jet injected in an initially pH-neutral volume of fluid. The results obtained

Laser synthesis of a copper–single-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposite via molecular-level mixing and non-equilibrium solidification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tu, Jay F; Rajule, Nilesh; Molian, Pal; Liu, Yi

2016-01-01

A copper–single-walled carbon nanotube (Cu–SWCNT) metal nanocomposite could be an ideal material if it can substantially improve the strength of copper while preserving the metal’s excellent thermal and electrical properties. However, synthesis of such a nanocomposite is highly challenging, because copper and SWCNTs do not form intermetallic compounds and are insoluble; as a result, there are serious issues regarding wettability and fine dispersion of SWCNTs within the copper matrix. In this paper we present a novel wet process, called the laser surface implantation process (LSI), to synthesize Cu–SWCNT nanocomposites by mixing SWCNTs into molten copper. The LSI process includes drilling several microholes on a copper substrate, filling the microholes with SWCNTs suspended in solution, and melting the copper substrate to create a micro-well of molten copper. The molten copper advances radially outward to engulf the microholes with pre-deposited SWCNTs to form the Cu–SWCNT implant upon solidification. Rapid and non-equilibrium solidification is achieved due to copper’s excellent heat conductivity, so that SWCNTs are locked in position within the copper matrix without agglomerating into large clusters. This wet process is very different from the typical dry processes used in powder metallurgy. Very high hardness improvement, up to 527% over pure copper, was achieved, confirmed by micro-indentation tests, with only a 0.23% SWCNT volume fraction. The nanostructure of the nanocomposite was characterized by TEM imaging, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy mapping and spectroscopy measurements. The SWCNTs were found to be finely dispersed within the copper matrix with cluster sizes in the range of nanometers, achieving the goal of molecular-level mixing. (paper)

Elective single-embryo transfer: persuasive communication strategies can affect choice in a young British population.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Akker, O B A; Purewal, S

2011-12-01

This study tested the effectiveness of the framing effect and fear appeals to inform young people about the risks of multiple births and the option of selecting elective single-embryo transfer (eSET). A non-patient student sample (age (mean±SD) 23±5.5 years; n=321) were randomly allocated to one of seven groups: (1) framing effect: (1a) gain and (1b) loss frame; (2) fear appeal: (2a) high, (2b) medium and (2c) low fear; or (3) a control group: (3a) education and (3b) non-education. The primary outcome measure was the Attitudes towards Single Embryo Transfer questionnaire, before exposure to the messages (time 1) and immediately afterwards (time 2). Results revealed participants in the high fear, medium fear and gain condition demonstrated the most positive and significant differences (Pframe and education and non-education messages. The results demonstrate that the use of complex persuasive communication techniques on a student population to promote immediate and hypothetical eSET preferences is more successful at promoting eSET than merely reporting educational content. Future research should investigate its application in a clinical population. A multiple pregnancy is a health risk to both infant and mother following IVF treatment. The aims of this study were to test the effectiveness of two persuasive communication techniques (the framing effect and fear appeals) to inform young people about the risks of multiple births and the hypothetical option of selecting elective single-embryo transfer (eSET) (i.e., only one embryo is transferred to the uterus using IVF treatment). A total of 321 non-patient student sample (mean age 23) were randomly allocated to read a message from one of seven groups: (1) framing effect: (1a) gain and (1b) loss frame; (2) fear appeal: (2a) high, (2b) medium and (2c) low fear; or (3) a control group: education (3a) and (3b) non-education. Participants completed the Attitudes towards Single Embryo Transfer questionnaire, before exposure

Genetic and experimental evidence for a mixed-age, mixed-origin bank of kelp microscopic stages in southern California.

Science.gov (United States)

Carney, Laura T; Bohonak, Andrew J; Edwards, Matthew S; Alberto, Filipe

2013-09-01

Laboratory studies have demonstrated that the microscopic stages of kelps can rapidly resume development from a delayed state. Like terrestrial seeds or aquatic resting eggs, banks of delayed kelp stages may supplement population recovery after periods of stress, playing an important role for kelp populations that experience adult sporophyte absences due to seasonal or interannual disturbances. We found that removing the microscopic stages from natural rock substratum could prevent the appearance of juvenile kelp sporophytes for three months and the establishment of a diverse kelp assemblage for over four months within a southern California kelp forest. Juveniles were observed within one month in plots where microscopic stages were left intact, which may confer an advantage for the resulting sporophytes as they attain larger sizes before later recruiting neighbors. Microsatellite diversity was high (expected heterozygosity HE approximately 0.9) for juveniles and adults within our sites. Using a microsatellite-based parentage analysis for the dominant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, we estimated that a portion of the new M. pyrifera sporophyte recruits had originated from their parents at least seven months after their parents had disappeared. Similar delay durations have been demonstrated in recent laboratory studies. Additionally, our results suggest that zoospore dispersal distances > 50 m may be supported by including additional microsatellite loci in the analysis. We propose a mixed-age and, potentially, a mixed-origin bank of M. pyrifera gametophytes promotes maximal genetic diversity in recovering populations and reduces population genetic subdivision and self-fertilization rates for intact populations by promoting the survival of zoospores dispersed > 10 m and during inhospitable environmental conditions.

Mixed chemical-induced oxidative stress in occupational exposure ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mixed chemical-induced oxidative stress in occupational exposure in Nigerians. JI Anetor, SA Yaqub, GO Anetor, AC Nsonwu, FAA Adeniyi, S Fukushima. Abstract. Exposure to single chemicals and associated disorders in occupational environments has received significant attention. Understanding these events holds ...

Mixed-methods approaches in health research in Nepal

OpenAIRE

Simkhada, Padam; Van Teijlingen, Edwin; Wasti, Sharada Prasad; Sathian, B.

2014-01-01

Combining and integrating a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods in one single study is widely used in health and social care research in high-income countries. This editorial adds a few words of advice to the novice mixed-methods researcher in Nepal.

Defect-induced mix experiment for NIF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schmitt M.J.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The Defect Induced Mix Experiment (DIME-II will measure the implosion and mix characteristics of CH capsules filled with 5 atmospheres of DT by incorporating mid-Z dopant layers of Ge and Ga. This polar direct drive (PDD experiment also will demonstrate the filling of a CH capsule at target chamber center using a fill tube. Diagnostics for these experiments include areal x-ray backlighting to obtain early time images of the implosion trajectory and a multiple-monochromatic imager (MMI to collect spectrally-resolved images of the capsule dopant line emission near bangtime. The inclusion of two (or more thin dopant layers at separate depths within the capsule shell facilitates spatial correlation of mix between the layers and the hot gas core on a single shot. The dopant layers are typically 2 μm thick and contain dopant concentrations of 1.5%. Three dimensional Hydra simulations have been performed to assess the effects of PDD asymmetry on capsule performance.

The Bifurcation and Control of a Single-Species Fish Population Logistic Model with the Invasion of Alien Species

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Qiaoling; Li, Jinghao; Zhang, Qingling

2014-01-01

The objective of this paper is to study systematically the bifurcation and control of a single-species fish population logistic model with the invasion of alien species based on the theory of singular system and bifurcation. It regards Spartina anglica as an invasive species, which invades the fisheries and aquaculture. Firstly, the stabilities of equilibria in this model are discussed. Moreover, the sufficient conditions for existence of the trans-critical bifurcation and the singularity ind...

On the apllication of single specie dynamic population model | Iguda ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Method of mathematical models of Malthus and Verhults were applied on ten years data collected from Magaram Poultry Farm to determine the nature of population growth, population decay or constant ... Keywords: Birth rate, sustainable population, overcrowding, harvesting, independent t-test and one way Anova.

Performance simulation of planar SOFC using mixed hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases as fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inui, Y. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan)]. E-mail: inui@eee.tut.ac.jp; Urata, A. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan); Ito, N. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan); Nakajima, T. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan); Tanaka, T. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan)

2006-08-15

The authors investigate in detail the influence of the mixing ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the fuel on the cell performance of the SOFC through numerical simulations for a single cell plate of the co-flow type planar cell. It is made clear that the cell performance is almost the same and excellent, independent of the mixing ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide under the nominal operating condition. The electromotive force of the hydrogen rich fuel gas is a little higher than that of the carbon monoxide rich fuel gas. The internal voltage drop in the cell decreases as the fraction of carbon monoxide becomes high. Since the value of the single cell voltage is determined by the balance of these two phenomena, the lowering of the electromotive force is dominant and the single cell voltage of the hydrogen rich fuel gas is higher when the inlet gas temperature is high, whereas the voltage drop reduction is dominant and the single cell voltage of the carbon monoxide rich fuel gas is higher when the temperature is low. The effect of the additional gases of water vapor and carbon dioxide is restricted to the single cell voltage shift, and the qualitative dependence of the single cell voltage on the inlet gas temperature is determined by the mixing ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Performance simulation of planar SOFC using mixed hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases as fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inui, Y.; Urata, A.; Ito, N.; Nakajima, T.; Tanaka, T.

2006-01-01

The authors investigate in detail the influence of the mixing ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the fuel on the cell performance of the SOFC through numerical simulations for a single cell plate of the co-flow type planar cell. It is made clear that the cell performance is almost the same and excellent, independent of the mixing ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide under the nominal operating condition. The electromotive force of the hydrogen rich fuel gas is a little higher than that of the carbon monoxide rich fuel gas. The internal voltage drop in the cell decreases as the fraction of carbon monoxide becomes high. Since the value of the single cell voltage is determined by the balance of these two phenomena, the lowering of the electromotive force is dominant and the single cell voltage of the hydrogen rich fuel gas is higher when the inlet gas temperature is high, whereas the voltage drop reduction is dominant and the single cell voltage of the carbon monoxide rich fuel gas is higher when the temperature is low. The effect of the additional gases of water vapor and carbon dioxide is restricted to the single cell voltage shift, and the qualitative dependence of the single cell voltage on the inlet gas temperature is determined by the mixing ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide

Mean-Field Studies of a Mixed Spin-3/2 and Spin-2 and a Mixed Spin-3/2 and Spin-5/2 Ising System with Different Anisotropies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Guozhu; Miao Hailing

2009-01-01

The magnetic properties of a mixed spin-3/2 and spin-2 and a mixed spin-3/2 and spin-5/2 Ising ferromagnetic system with different anisotropies are studied by means of mean-field theory (MFT). The dependence of the phase diagram on single-ion anisotropy strengths is studied too. In the mixed spin-3/2 and spin-2 Ising model, besides the second-order phase transition, the first order-disorder phase transition and the tricritical line are found. In the mixed spin-3/2 and spin-5/2 Ising model, there is no first-order transition and tricritical line. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Integrated aeroelastic vibrator for fluid mixing in open microwells

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, H. M.; Jin, X.; Zhang, Y. Y.; Wu, J. W.; Zhang, J.; Wang, Z. P.

2018-01-01

Fluid mixing in micro-wells/chambers is required in a variety of biological and biochemical processes. However, mixing fluids of small volumes is usually difficult due to increased viscous effects. In this study, we propose a new method for mixing enhancement in microliter-scale open wells. A thin elastic diaphragm is used to seal the bottom of the mixing microwell, underneath which an air chamber connects an aeroelastic vibrator. Driven by an air flow, the vibrator produces self-excited vibrations and causes pressure oscillations in the air chamber. Then the elastic diaphragm is actuated to mix the fluids in the microwell. Two designs that respectively have one single well and 2  ×  2 wells were prototyped. Testing results show that for liquids with a volume ranging from 10-60 µl and viscosity ranging from 1-5 cP, complete mixing can be obtained within 5-20 s. Furthermore, the device is operable with an air micropump, and hence facilitating the miniaturization and integration of lab-on-a-chip and microbioreactor systems.

Morphology development during single droplet drying of mixed component formulations and milk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Both, E.M.; Nuzzo, N.; Millqvist-Fureby, A.; Boom, R.M.; Schutyser, M.A.I.

2018-01-01

We report on the influence of selected components and their mixtures on the development of the morphology during drying of single droplets and extend the results to the morphology of whole milk powder particles. Sessile single droplet drying and acoustic levitation methods were employed to study

QCD sum-rules analysis of vector (1-) heavy quarkonium meson-hybrid mixing

Science.gov (United States)

Palameta, A.; Ho, J.; Harnett, D.; Steele, T. G.

2018-02-01

We use QCD Laplace sum rules to study meson-hybrid mixing in vector (1-) heavy quarkonium. We compute the QCD cross-correlator between a heavy meson current and a heavy hybrid current within the operator product expansion. In addition to leading-order perturbation theory, we include four- and six-dimensional gluon condensate contributions as well as a six-dimensional quark condensate contribution. We construct several single and multiresonance models that take known hadron masses as inputs. We investigate which resonances couple to both currents and so exhibit meson-hybrid mixing. Compared to single resonance models that include only the ground state, we find that models that also include excited states lead to significantly improved agreement between QCD and experiment. In the charmonium sector, we find that meson-hybrid mixing is consistent with a two-resonance model consisting of the J /ψ and a 4.3 GeV resonance. In the bottomonium sector, we find evidence for meson-hybrid mixing in the ϒ (1 S ) , ϒ (2 S ), ϒ (3 S ), and ϒ (4 S ).

Structural Complexity and Ecosystem Functions in a Natural Mixed Forest under a Single-Tree Selection Silviculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toshiya Yoshida

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The objective of forest management has become broader, and it is essential to harmonize timber production with conservation of the forest ecosystem. Selection cutting is recognized as a major alternative of clear-cutting, because it can maintain the complexity and heterogeneity of a natural forest; however, its long-term evaluations are limited. This study compared various attributes of stand structures, which are indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem carbon stock between managed and unmanaged blocks (12.6 ha area in total in a natural mixed forest in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. We found that 30 years’ implementation of single-tree selection did not affect the volume, size structure, species diversity nor spatial distribution of overstory trees in the managed stands. Also, the total carbon stock in the managed stands was almost equal to that of the unmanaged stands. In contrast, several structural attributes and indicator elements that are significant for biodiversity (such as large-diameter live trees, dead trees, cavities, epiphytic bryophytes, and some avian guilds showed marked decrease in the managed stands. We conclude that it is required to leave these structures and elements to some extent for deriving the merit of the management as an alternative silvicultural regime in the region.

Association analysis of two single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the RELN gene with autism in the South African population

KAUST Repository

Sharma, Jyoti Rajan

2013-02-01

Background: Autism (MIM209850) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a triad of impairments, namely impairment in social interaction, impaired communication skills, and restrictive and repetitive behavior. A number of family and twin studies have demonstrated that genetic factors play a pivotal role in the etiology of autistic disorder. Various reports of reduced levels of reelin protein in the brain and plasma in autistic patients highlighted the role of the reelin gene (RELN) in autism. There is no such published study on the South African (SA) population. Aims: The aim of the present study was to find the genetic association of intronic rs736707 and exonic rs362691 (single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] of the RELN gene) with autism in a SA population. Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from cheek cell swabs from autistic (136) as well as control (208) subjects. The TaqMan ® Real-Time polymerase chain reaction and genotyping assay was utilized to determine the genotypes. Results: A significant association of SNP rs736707, but not for SNP rs362691, with autism in the SA population is observed. Conclusion: There might be a possible role of RELN in autism, especially for SA populations. The present study represents the first report on genetic association studies on the RELN gene in the SA population. © 2013, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

A mixed-methods approach to systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Alan; White, Heath; Bath-Hextall, Fiona; Salmond, Susan; Apostolo, Joao; Kirkpatrick, Pamela

2015-09-01

There are an increasing number of published single-method systematic reviews that focus on different types of evidence related to a particular topic. As policy makers and practitioners seek clear directions for decision-making from systematic reviews, it is likely that it will be increasingly difficult for them to identify 'what to do' if they are required to find and understand a plethora of syntheses related to a particular topic.Mixed-methods systematic reviews are designed to address this issue and have the potential to produce systematic reviews of direct relevance to policy makers and practitioners.On the basis of the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute International Mixed Methods Reviews Methodology Group in 2012, the Institute adopted a segregated approach to mixed-methods synthesis as described by Sandelowski et al., which consists of separate syntheses of each component method of the review. Joanna Briggs Institute's mixed-methods synthesis of the findings of the separate syntheses uses a Bayesian approach to translate the findings of the initial quantitative synthesis into qualitative themes and pooling these with the findings of the initial qualitative synthesis.

Perturbation treatment of mixing in Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levinsen, M.T.; Ulrich, B.T.

1975-01-01

A current biased, resistively shunted Josephson Junction irradiated at two frequencies is considered. The perturbation technique introduced by Aslamasov and Larkin is used in the calculations, and both signals are treated as perturbations. The second order calculation yields the size of the mixing steps at V/sub +-/ = h(ω 1 +- ω 2 )/2e. As in the case of a single frequency, subharmonic mixing steps are absent. The amplitude of the voltage oscillation at the difference and sum frequencies is shown to be non-zero at all voltages. The microwave resistance is calculated for one frequency ω 2 to third order in the perturbation. There are negative resistance regions near V/sub +-/ (as well as near V 2 = hω 2 /2e). Near V/sub -/, the negative resistance region appears for bias voltage V just above V/sub -/, while near V the region appears for V just below V/sub +/. This means that when an incident frequency mixes with a cavity mode, the mixing step at V/sub -/ will be inverted compared to the cavity step itself

Flow structure of steam-water mixed spray

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanada, Toshiyuki; Mitsuhashi, Yuki; Mizutani, Hiroya; Saito, Takayuki

2010-01-01

In this study, the flow structure of a steam-water mixed spray is studied both numerically and experimentally. The velocity and pressure profiles of single-phase flow are calculated using numerical methods. On the basis of the calculated flow fields, the droplet behavior is predicted by a one-way interaction model. This numerical analysis reveals that the droplets are accelerated even after they are sprayed from the nozzle. Experimentally, the mixed spray is observed using an ultra-high-speed video camera, and the velocity field is measured by using the oarticle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. Along with this PIV velocity field measurement, the velocities and diameters of droplets are measured by phase Doppler anemometry. Furthermore, the mixing process of steam and water and the atomization process of a liquid film are observed using a transparent nozzle. High-speed photography observations reveal that the flow inside the nozzle is annular flow and that most of the liquid film is atomized at the nozzle throat and nozzle outlet. Finally, the optimum mixing method for steam and water is determined.

Flow structure of steam-water mixed spray

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanada, Toshiyuki, E-mail: ttsanad@ipc.shizuoka.ac.j [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu 432-8561, Shizuoka (Japan); Mitsuhashi, Yuki; Mizutani, Hiroya; Saito, Takayuki [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu 432-8561, Shizuoka (Japan)

2010-12-15

In this study, the flow structure of a steam-water mixed spray is studied both numerically and experimentally. The velocity and pressure profiles of single-phase flow are calculated using numerical methods. On the basis of the calculated flow fields, the droplet behavior is predicted by a one-way interaction model. This numerical analysis reveals that the droplets are accelerated even after they are sprayed from the nozzle. Experimentally, the mixed spray is observed using an ultra-high-speed video camera, and the velocity field is measured by using the oarticle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. Along with this PIV velocity field measurement, the velocities and diameters of droplets are measured by phase Doppler anemometry. Furthermore, the mixing process of steam and water and the atomization process of a liquid film are observed using a transparent nozzle. High-speed photography observations reveal that the flow inside the nozzle is annular flow and that most of the liquid film is atomized at the nozzle throat and nozzle outlet. Finally, the optimum mixing method for steam and water is determined.

Response of Listeria monocytogenes to disinfection stress at the single-cell and population levels as monitored by intracellular pH measurements and viable-cell counts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kastbjerg, Vicky Gaedt; Nielsen, Dennis S.; Arneborg, Nils

2009-01-01

of the bacterium. In situ analyses of Listeria monocytogenes single cells were performed during exposure to different concentrations of the disinfectant Incimaxx DES to study a possible population subdivision. Bacterial survival was quantified with plate counting and disinfection stress at the single-cell level...... by measuring intracellular pH (pHi) over time by fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy. pHi values were initially 7 to 7.5 and decreased in both attached and planktonic L. monocytogenes cells during exposure to sublethal and lethal concentrations of Incimaxx DES. The response of the bacterial population...... was homogenous; hence, subpopulations were not detected. However, pregrowth with NaCl protected the planktonic bacterial cells during disinfection with Incimaxx (0.0015%) since pHi was higher (6 to 6.5) for the bacterial population pregrown with NaCl than for cells grown without NaCl (pHi 5 to 5.5) (P

Effects of Single-Gender Middle School Classes on Science Achievement and Attitude

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Tanisha

Many girls continue to achieve below their male counterparts and portray negative attitudes towards science classes. Some school districts are using single-gender education as a way to shrink the gender gap in school achievement and science related attitude. The purpose of this study was to compare achievement and science-related attitudes of 7th grade girls in single-gender education to 7th grade girls in mixed-gender education. The theoretical base for this study included knowledge from brain-based learning and assimilation, accommodation and age factors of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. The 12-week study included 48 7th grade girls, 21 in the single-gender classroom and 14 in each mixed-gender classroom. This quantitative randomized posttest only control group design utilized the TerraNova Science Assessment and the Test of Science Related Attitudes. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if significant differences existed in the achievement and attitudes of girls in single and mixed-gender science classes. ANOVA analyses revealed that the girls in the single-gender classroom showed a significantly higher achievement level when compared to girls in the mixed-gender classrooms. Results showed no significant difference in attitude between the two groups. The results of this study contribute to social change by raising awareness about gender issues in science achievement and attitude, addressing a deficiency in the single-gender science education literature, and assisting educational systems in decision making to address achievement gaps while moving toward adequate yearly progress and meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Effects of sludge recirculation rate and mixing time on performance of a prototype single-stage anaerobic digester for conversion of food wastes to biogas and energy recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratanatamskul, Chavalit; Saleart, Tawinan

2016-04-01

Food wastes have been recognized as the largest waste stream and accounts for 39.25 % of total municipal solid waste in Thailand. Chulalongkorn University has participated in the program of in situ energy recovery from food wastes under the Ministry of Energy (MOE), Thailand. This research aims to develop a prototype single-stage anaerobic digestion system for biogas production and energy recovery from food wastes inside Chulalongkorn University. Here, the effects of sludge recirculation rate and mixing time were investigated as the main key parameters for the system design and operation. From the results obtained in this study, it was found that the sludge recirculation rate of 100 % and the mixing time of 60 min per day were the most suitable design parameters to achieve high efficiencies in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), and total volatile solid (TVS) removal and also biogas production by this prototype anaerobic digester. The obtained biogas production was found to be 0.71 m(3)/kg COD and the composition of methane was 61.6 %. Moreover, the efficiencies of COD removal were as high as 82.9 % and TVS removal could reach 83.9 % at the optimal condition. Therefore, the developed prototype single-stage anaerobic digester can be highly promising for university canteen application to recover energy from food wastes via biogas production.

The physical and chemical properties of nanostructured mixed-metal catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Li [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Goodman, David Wayne [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

2016-04-21

The main targets of this study has been to synthesize well-defined nanoclusters of Ni, Co, Pt, Rh and Pd as well as mixed-metal nanoclusters on ultrathin oxide surfaces and to characterize their detailed morphology using scanning probe techniques. The focus of the research is an understanding of the effects of metal-substrate interactions and overall composition on the structure/stability of single metal and mixed-metal nanoclusters and their catalytic activity.

Mixed waste treatment using the ChemChar thermolytic detoxification technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuchynka, D. [Mirage Systems, Sunnyvale, CA (United States)

1995-10-01

The diversity of mixed waste matrices contained at Department of Energy sites that require treatment preclude a single, universal treatment technology capable of handling sludges, solids, heterogeneous debris, aqueous and organic liquids and soils. This report describes the ChemChar thermolytic detoxification process. The process is a thermal, chemically reductive technology that converts the organic portion of mixed wastes to a synthesis gas, while simultaneously absorbing volatile inorganics on a carbon-based char.

Using mixed methods research in medical education: basic guidelines for researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Schifferdecker, Karen E; Reed, Virginia A

2009-07-01

Mixed methods research involves the collection, analysis and integration of both qualitative and quantitative data in a single study. The benefits of a mixed methods approach are particularly evident when studying new questions or complex initiatives and interactions, which is often the case in medical education research. Basic guidelines for when to use mixed methods research and how to design a mixed methods study in medical education research are not readily available. The purpose of this paper is to remedy that situation by providing an overview of mixed methods research, research design models relevant for medical education research, examples of each research design model in medical education research, and basic guidelines for medical education researchers interested in mixed methods research. Mixed methods may prove superior in increasing the integrity and applicability of findings when studying new or complex initiatives and interactions in medical education research. They deserve an increased presence and recognition in medical education research.

A Highly Efficient Mixed-culture Biofilm as Anodic Catalyst and Insights into Its Enhancement through Electrochemistry by Comparison with G. sulfurreducens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Ying; Deng, Dandan; Lan, Xiaoji

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A mixed-culture biofilm with 68.6% higher current than Geobacter sulfurreducens was firstly reported, while G. sulfurreducens biofilm showed five-time higher apparent affinity than the mixed-culture. • The mixed-culture biofilm showed surface-controlled process, while diffusion-controlled process was obtained for G. sulfurreducens as at certain accelerating scan rates. • When the used medium was replaced with the fresh, decrease percentage of currents for both kinds of biofilms is similar (50%). • A suitable community will be an alternative for improving MFC performance. - Abstract: In this paper an efficient mixed-culture microbial biofilm with increased current density by 68.6% (1020.9 ± 47 μA cm −2 ) than that on typical culture of Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilm was firstly reported. The insights into the enhanced electricity-producing ability was investigated through evaluating the dependence of limiting current density on electroactive biomass coverage, replacing used growth medium, applying stirring and electron transfer kinetics. It was shown that the enhanced electricity generation ability of the mixed-culture biofilm is from population superiority of active molecules or electron shuttles from the biofilm. This work suggested that the optimized synergistic effect between interspecies in community could significantly improve electricity-producing performance than single strain. This study highlighted the potential synergistic role in special community on electricity generation capability

Emergence of cytotoxic resistance in cancer cell populations: Single-cell mechanisms and population-level consequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenzi, Tommaso; Chisholm, Rebecca H.; Lorz, Alexander; Neves de Almeida, Luís; Clairambault, Jean; Larsen, Annette K.; Escargueil, Alexandre

2016-01-01

We formulate an individual-based model and a population model of phenotypic evolution, under cytotoxic drugs, in a cancer cell population structured by the expression levels of survival-potential and proliferation-potential. We apply these models to a recently studied experimental system. Our results suggest that mechanisms based on fundamental laws of biology can reversibly push an actively-proliferating, and drug-sensitive, cell population to transition into a weakly-proliferative and drug-tolerant state, which will eventually facilitate the emergence of more potent, proliferating and drug-tolerant cells.

Emergence of cytotoxic resistance in cancer cell populations: Single-cell mechanisms and population-level consequences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenzi, Tommaso [Centre de Mathématiques et de Leurs Applications, ENS Cachan, CNRS, Cachan 94230 Cedex, France & INRIA-Paris-Rocquencourt, MAMBA Team, Domaine de Voluceau, BP105, 78153 Le Chesnay Cedex (France); Chisholm, Rebecca H. [School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 (Australia); Lorz, Alexander; Neves de Almeida, Luís; Clairambault, Jean [Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7598, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions, F-75005, Paris (France); CNRS, UMR 7598, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions, F-75005, Paris (France); INRIA-Paris-Rocquencourt, MAMBA Team, Domaine de Voluceau, BP105, 78153 Le Chesnay Cedex (France); Larsen, Annette K.; Escargueil, Alexandre [Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, F-75005, Paris (France); INSERM, UMR-S 938, Laboratory of “Cancer Biology and Therapeutics”, F-75012, Paris (France)

2016-06-08

We formulate an individual-based model and a population model of phenotypic evolution, under cytotoxic drugs, in a cancer cell population structured by the expression levels of survival-potential and proliferation-potential. We apply these models to a recently studied experimental system. Our results suggest that mechanisms based on fundamental laws of biology can reversibly push an actively-proliferating, and drug-sensitive, cell population to transition into a weakly-proliferative and drug-tolerant state, which will eventually facilitate the emergence of more potent, proliferating and drug-tolerant cells.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms unravel hierarchical divergence and signatures of selection among Alaskan sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Habicht Christopher

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Disentangling the roles of geography and ecology driving population divergence and distinguishing adaptive from neutral evolution at the molecular level have been common goals among evolutionary and conservation biologists. Using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP multilocus genotypes for 31 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka populations from the Kvichak River, Alaska, we assessed the relative roles of geography (discrete boundaries or continuous distance and ecology (spawning habitat and timing driving genetic divergence in this species at varying spatial scales within the drainage. We also evaluated two outlier detection methods to characterize candidate SNPs responding to environmental selection, emphasizing which mechanism(s may maintain the genetic variation of outlier loci. Results For the entire drainage, Mantel tests suggested a greater role of geographic distance on population divergence than differences in spawn timing when each variable was correlated with pairwise genetic distances. Clustering and hierarchical analyses of molecular variance indicated that the largest genetic differentiation occurred between populations from distinct lakes or subdrainages. Within one population-rich lake, however, Mantel tests suggested a greater role of spawn timing than geographic distance on population divergence when each variable was correlated with pairwise genetic distances. Variable spawn timing among populations was linked to specific spawning habitats as revealed by principal coordinate analyses. We additionally identified two outlier SNPs located in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC class II that appeared robust to violations of demographic assumptions from an initial pool of eight candidates for selection. Conclusions First, our results suggest that geography and ecology have influenced genetic divergence between Alaskan sockeye salmon populations in a hierarchical manner depending on the spatial scale. Second

Approximate probabilistic cellular automata for the dynamics of single-species populations under discrete logisticlike growth with and without weak Allee effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendonça, J Ricardo G; Gevorgyan, Yeva

2017-05-01

We investigate one-dimensional elementary probabilistic cellular automata (PCA) whose dynamics in first-order mean-field approximation yields discrete logisticlike growth models for a single-species unstructured population with nonoverlapping generations. Beginning with a general six-parameter model, we find constraints on the transition probabilities of the PCA that guarantee that the ensuing approximations make sense in terms of population dynamics and classify the valid combinations thereof. Several possible models display a negative cubic term that can be interpreted as a weak Allee factor. We also investigate the conditions under which a one-parameter PCA derived from the more general six-parameter model can generate valid population growth dynamics. Numerical simulations illustrate the behavior of some of the PCA found.

Design optimization of single mixed refrigerant natural gas liquefaction process using the particle swarm paradigm with nonlinear constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Mohd Shariq; Lee, Moonyong

2013-01-01

The particle swarm paradigm is employed to optimize single mixed refrigerant natural gas liquefaction process. Liquefaction design involves multivariable problem solving and non-optimal execution of these variables can waste energy and contribute to process irreversibilities. Design optimization requires these variables to be optimized simultaneously; minimizing the compression energy requirement is selected as the optimization objective. Liquefaction is modeled using Honeywell UniSim Design ™ and the resulting rigorous model is connected with the particle swarm paradigm coded in MATLAB. Design constraints are folded into the objective function using the penalty function method. Optimization successfully improved efficiency by reducing the compression energy requirement by ca. 10% compared with the base case. -- Highlights: ► The particle swarm paradigm (PSP) is employed for design optimization of SMR NG liquefaction process. ► Rigorous SMR process model based on UniSim is connected with PSP coded in MATLAB. ► Stochastic features of PSP give more confidence in the optimality of complex nonlinear problems. ► Optimization with PSP notably improves energy efficiency of the SMR process.

Effect of power plant condenser coolant discharge on population density of intertidal bivalve Donax cuneatus (L. 1758)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahir Hussain, K.; Mohanty, A.K.; Prasad, M.V.R.; Satpathy, K.K.

2008-01-01

Impact of thermal discharge from a coastal power station (Madras Atomic Power Station, south-east coast of India) on the spatial variability of Donax cuneatus abundance was assessed to determine the impact boundary. Totally twenty sites were selected both on south and north side of effluents mixing zone in increasing spatial scale. Twelve locations were selected towards south side at a distance from 0 (near mixing point) to 2000 m and eight locations were selected towards north from the effluent mixing zone. The present study was conducted during January 2008. Mean water temperature along the coast ranged from 29.1 ± 0.1 - 31.2 ± 0.1 deg C. Total organic carbon content in the sediment ranged from 0.27 to 0.70%. D. cuneatus population in the swash zone ranged between 1.3 ± 1.5 to 88.3 ± 9.6 m -2 . Meager population of the wedge clam was observed up to 100 m south from mixing point and abundance gradually increased with increasing distance from the mixing zone. Comparatively high abundance was observed from 400 m; the density reached maximum at 1000 m (64.0 ± 3.6 m -2 ). Similar pattern was observed on north side too but less abundance was observed only up to 80m. Maximum abundance was observed (88.3 ± 9.6 m -2 ) at control location located 500 m north of the discharge point. 40 m on either side of discharge point were highly impacted, 80 to 100m towards plume flow (south) were moderately impacted and 80 m north of mixing point also witnessed moderate impact. After 100 m, effluents did not affect the northern side, whereas between 100 to 400 m, south was influenced slightly. Multivariate clustering pattern on the environmental variables of all sampling locations and abundance pattern of D. cuneatus showed similarity. Present investigation unambiguously showed that the abundance pattern of D. cuneatus on the sandy beach of Kalpakkam is not governed by single major factor but is influenced by multiple interacting factors. The population size of the wedge clam

Single nucleotide polymorphism discovery via genotyping by sequencing to assess population genetic structure and recurrent polyploidization in Andropogon gerardii.

Science.gov (United States)

McAllister, Christine A; Miller, Allison J

2016-07-01

Autopolyploidy, genome duplication within a single lineage, can result in multiple cytotypes within a species. Geographic distributions of cytotypes may reflect the evolutionary history of autopolyploid formation and subsequent population dynamics including stochastic (drift) and deterministic (differential selection among cytotypes) processes. Here, we used a population genomic approach to investigate whether autopolyploidy occurred once or multiple times in Andropogon gerardii, a widespread, North American grass with two predominant cytotypes. Genotyping by sequencing was used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in individuals collected from across the geographic range of A. gerardii. Two independent approaches to SNP calling were used: the reference-free UNEAK pipeline and a reference-guided approach based on the sequenced Sorghum bicolor genome. SNPs generated using these pipelines were analyzed independently with genetic distance and clustering. Analyses of the two SNP data sets showed very similar patterns of population-level clustering of A. gerardii individuals: a cluster of A. gerardii individuals from the southern Plains, a northern Plains cluster, and a western cluster. Groupings of individuals corresponded to geographic localities regardless of cytotype: 6x and 9x individuals from the same geographic area clustered together. SNPs generated using reference-guided and reference-free pipelines in A. gerardii yielded unique subsets of genomic data. Both data sets suggest that the 9x cytotype in A. gerardii likely evolved multiple times from 6x progenitors across the range of the species. Genomic approaches like GBS and diverse bioinformatics pipelines used here facilitate evolutionary analyses of complex systems with multiple ploidy levels. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Mixed methods research - the best of both worlds?

Science.gov (United States)

van Griensven, Hubert; Moore, Ann P; Hall, Valerie

2014-10-01

There has been a bias towards quantitative research approaches within manual therapy, which may have resulted in a narrow understanding of manual therapy practice. The aim of this Masterclass is to make a contribution to the expansion of methodologies used in manual therapy enquiry by discussing mixed methods research (MMR), a methodology which utilises both qualitative and quantitative methods within a single study in order to provide more comprehensive insights. To review rationales for MMR, as well as some of the common design options and potential difficulties. The paper also discusses theoretical frameworks that have been used to underpin qualitative and quantitative research, and ongoing debates about the possibility of combining them. Complexities associated with health and manual therapy cannot always be investigated satisfactorily by using a single research method. Some issues require a more comprehensive understanding, which may be provided by combining the strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods in a mixed methods study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of effective population size in continuously distributed populations: There goes the neighborhood

Science.gov (United States)

M. C. Neel; K. McKelvey; N. Ryman; M. W. Lloyd; R. Short Bull; F. W. Allendorf; M. K. Schwartz; R. S. Waples

2013-01-01

Use of genetic methods to estimate effective population size (Ne) is rapidly increasing, but all approaches make simplifying assumptions unlikely to be met in real populations. In particular, all assume a single, unstructured population, and none has been evaluated for use with continuously distributed species. We simulated continuous populations with local mating...

Mitochondrial Genome Diversity of Native Americans Supports a Single Early Entry of Founder Populations into America

Science.gov (United States)

Silva Jr., Wilson A.; Bonatto, Sandro L.; Holanda, Adriano J.; Ribeiro-dos-Santos, Andrea K.; Paixão, Beatriz M.; Goldman, Gustavo H.; Abe-Sandes, Kiyoko; Rodriguez-Delfin, Luis; Barbosa, Marcela; Paçó-Larson, Maria Luiza; Petzl-Erler, Maria Luiza; Valente, Valeria; Santos, Sidney E. B.; Zago, Marco A.

2002-01-01

There is general agreement that the Native American founder populations migrated from Asia into America through Beringia sometime during the Pleistocene, but the hypotheses concerning the ages and the number of these migrations and the size of the ancestral populations are surrounded by controversy. DNA sequence variations of several regions of the genome of Native Americans, especially in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, have been studied as a tool to help answer these questions. However, the small number of nucleotides studied and the nonclocklike rate of mtDNA control-region evolution impose several limitations to these results. Here we provide the sequence analysis of a continuous region of 8.8 kb of the mtDNA outside the D-loop for 40 individuals, 30 of whom are Native Americans whose mtDNA belongs to the four founder haplogroups. Haplogroups A, B, and C form monophyletic clades, but the five haplogroup D sequences have unstable positions and usually do not group together. The high degree of similarity in the nucleotide diversity and time of differentiation (i.e., ∼21,000 years before present) of these four haplogroups support a common origin for these sequences and suggest that the populations who harbor them may also have a common history. Additional evidence supports the idea that this age of differentiation coincides with the process of colonization of the New World and supports the hypothesis of a single and early entry of the ancestral Asian population into the Americas. PMID:12022039

Moyer's method of mixed dentition analysis: a meta-analysis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The applicability of tables derived from the data Moyer used to other ethnic groups has ... This implies that Moyer's method of prediction may have population variations. ... Key Words: meta-analysis, mixed dentition analysis, Moyer's method

Mixing in Circular and Non-circular Jets in Crossflow

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salewski, Mirko; Stankovic, D.; Fuchs, L.

2008-01-01

orthogonal decomposition of the transverse velocity indicates that coherent structures may be responsible for this phenomenon. Nozzles which have a single-peaked distribution have stronger modes in transverse direction. The global mixing performance is superior for these nozzle types. This is the case......Coherent structures and mixing in the flow field of a jet in crossflow have been studied using computational (large eddy simulation) and experimental (particle image velocimetry and laser-induced fluorescence) techniques. The mean scalar fields and turbulence statistics as determined by both...

From Parasite Encounter to Infection: Multiple-Scale Drivers of Parasite Richness in a Wild Social Primate Population

Science.gov (United States)

Benavides J. A.; Huchard, E.; Pettorelli, N.; King, A. J.; Brown, M. E.; Archer, C. E.; Appleton, C. C.; Raymond, M.; Cowlishaw, G.

2011-01-01

Host parasite diversity plays a fundamental role in ecological and evolutionary processes, yet the factors that drive it are still poorly understood. A variety of processes, operating across a range of spatial scales, are likely to influence both the probability of parasite encounter and subsequent infection. Here, we explored eight possible determinants of parasite richness, comprising rainfall and temperature at the population level, ranging behavior and home range productivity at the group level, and age, sex, body condition, and social rank at the individual level. We used a unique dataset describing gastrointestinal parasites in a terrestrial subtropical vertebrate (chacma baboons, Papio ursinus), comprising 662 faecal samples from 86 individuals representing all age-sex classes across two groups over two dry seasons in a desert population. Three mixed models were used to identify the most important factor at each of the three spatial scales (population, group, individual); these were then standardised and combined in a single, global, mixed model. Individual age had the strongest influence on parasite richness, in a convex relationship. Parasite richness was also higher in females and animals in poor condition, albeit at a lower order of magnitude than age. Finally, with a further halving of effect size, parasite richness was positively correlated to day range and temperature. These findings indicate that a range of factors influence host parasite richness through both encounter and infection probabilities, but that individual-level processes may be more important than those at the group or population level.

Carbon isotope ratios in field Population II giant stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sneden, C.; Pilachowski, C.A.; Vandenberg, D.A.; Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, AZ; Victoria Univ., Canada)

1986-01-01

Carbon isotope ratios have been derived from high-resolution spectra of the CH G-band in 15 very metal-poor Population II giant stars and two similar dwarf stars. Many of the giants possess very low C-12/C-13 ratios, some approaching the CN cycle equilibrium value. The metal-poor dwarfs do not have detectable CH-13 features; thus the low carbon isotope ratios in the giants probably are due to their internal evolutions. These results strongly support the idea that at least part of the anomalously low C/N values in Population II giants arises from very efficient mixing of their envelopes into the CN cycle burning layers. Detailed calculations of the expected CNO surface abundances in Population II giants in different evolutionary states have been performed. These computations demonstrate that the observed carbon isotope ratios cannot be produced during the first dredge-up mixing phases in low-mass, low metal abundance stars. Numerical experiments show that theoretical and observational results can be brought into agreement with artificially induced extra mixing. An agent to provoke this additional mixing has not been identified with certainty yet, although internal stellar rotation is a promising candidate. 63 references

Age and case mix-standardised survival for all cancer patients in Europe 1999-2007: Results of EUROCARE-5, a population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Baili, Paolo; Di Salvo, Francesca; Marcos-Gragera, Rafael; Siesling, Sabine; Mallone, Sandra; Santaquilani, Mariano; Micheli, Andrea; Lillini, Roberto; Francisci, Silvia

2015-10-01

Overall survival after cancer is frequently used when assessing a health care service's performance as a whole. It is mainly used by the public, politicians and the media, and is often dismissed by clinicians because of the heterogeneous mix of different cancers, risk factors and treatment modalities. Here we give survival details for all cancers combined in Europe, correlating it with economic variables to suggest reasons for differences. We computed age and cancer site case-mix standardised relative survival for all cancers combined (ACRS) for 29 countries participating in the EUROCARE-5 project with data on more than 7.5million cancer cases from 87 population-based cancer registries, using complete and period approach. Denmark, United Kingdom (UK) and Eastern European countries had lower survival than neighbouring countries. Five-year ACRS has been increasing throughout Europe, and substantial increases, between 1999-2001 and 2005-2007, have been achieved in countries where survival was lower in the past. Five-year ACRS for men and women are positively correlated with macro-economic variables like the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Total National Expenditure on Health (TNEH) (R 2 about 70%). Countries with recent larger increases in GDP and TNEH had greater increases in cancer survival. ACRS serves to compare all cancer survival in Europe taking account of the geographical variability in case-mixes. The EUROCARE-5 data on ACRS confirm previous EUROCARE findings. Survival appears to correlate with macro-economic determinants, particularly with investments in the health care system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effects of long-term mixed application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on canopy apparent photosynthesis and yield of winter wheat].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jun; Dong, Shu-ting; Liu, Peng; Zhang, Ji-wang; Zhao, Bin

2015-08-01

A field experiment was conducted using the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) variety Shimai 15. The source of organic nitrogen was cow manure, and four fertilization treatments were included, i.e., no N fertilizer application, single application of urea, single application of cow manure, and mixed application of urea and cow manure. The effects of different applications of inorganic and organic nitrogen on canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP), photosynthetic rate of flag leaves (Pn), leaf area index (LAI), florescence parameters and grain yield of winter wheat were determined. The results showed that urea had the largest effect on the early growth period, as at this stage the CAP, Pn and LAI of the single application of urea were the highest, which was followed by the mixed application and the single application of cow manure. However, 10 days after anthesis, the single application of cow manure and the mixed application delayed the leaf senescence process when compared with the single application of urea. This could be due to the two treatments having higher anti-oxidant enzyme activity and promoting a longer green leaf duration, which could maintain a higher photosynthetic capability. What' s more, the mixed application had a better performance and got the highest grain yield. Consequently, the mixed application of organic and inorganic fertilizers could delay leaf senescence and maintain a better canopy structure and higher photosynthesis capability at the late grain filling stage, which resulted in a higher grain yield.

Elucidating distinct ion channel populations on the surface of hippocampal neurons via single-particle tracking recurrence analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sikora, Grzegorz; Wyłomańska, Agnieszka; Gajda, Janusz; Solé, Laura; Akin, Elizabeth J.; Tamkun, Michael M.; Krapf, Diego

2017-12-01

Protein and lipid nanodomains are prevalent on the surface of mammalian cells. In particular, it has been recently recognized that ion channels assemble into surface nanoclusters in the soma of cultured neurons. However, the interactions of these molecules with surface nanodomains display a considerable degree of heterogeneity. Here, we investigate this heterogeneity and develop statistical tools based on the recurrence of individual trajectories to identify subpopulations within ion channels in the neuronal surface. We specifically study the dynamics of the K+ channel Kv1.4 and the Na+ channel Nav1.6 on the surface of cultured hippocampal neurons at the single-molecule level. We find that both these molecules are expressed in two different forms with distinct kinetics with regards to surface interactions, emphasizing the complex proteomic landscape of the neuronal surface. Further, the tools presented in this work provide new methods for the analysis of membrane nanodomains, transient confinement, and identification of populations within single-particle trajectories.

Analysis of the Δ(X) - L intervalley mixing in group-IV heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Kiselev, A. A.; Kim, K. W.; Yablonovitch, E.

2005-06-01

We provide a treatment of the problem of Δ(X) - L intervalley mixing in differently oriented SiGe heterostructures in the transparent effective mass method. Mixing potentials can be calculated, considering changes in the constituent Concentrations of individual heterolayers from some "virtual crystal level" as a bunch of microscopic single-ion perturbations. Strong mixing between lowest localized Δ and L states can be achieved in (113) structures, making them favorable for the electrically controlled gigantic intervalley g factor modulation. We provide estimates for the mixing potential and further consider limitations related to the strength of the in-plane localization and quality of the interface.

Mixed-mode oscillations and chaos in a prey-predator system with dormancy of predators.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwamura, Masataka; Chiba, Hayato

2009-12-01

It is shown that the dormancy of predators induces mixed-mode oscillations and chaos in the population dynamics of a prey-predator system under certain conditions. The mixed-mode oscillations and chaos are shown to bifurcate from a coexisting equilibrium by means of the theory of fast-slow systems. These results may help to find experimental conditions under which one can demonstrate chaotic population dynamics in a simple phytoplankton-zooplankton (-resting eggs) community in a microcosm with a short duration.

Longitudinal mixed-effects models for latent cognitive function

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Hout, Ardo; Fox, Gerardus J.A.; Muniz-Terrera, Graciela

2015-01-01

A mixed-effects regression model with a bent-cable change-point predictor is formulated to describe potential decline of cognitive function over time in the older population. For the individual trajectories, cognitive function is considered to be a latent variable measured through an item response

Estimating marginal properties of quantitative real-time PCR data using nonlinear mixed models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerhard, Daniel; Bremer, Melanie; Ritz, Christian

2014-01-01

A unified modeling framework based on a set of nonlinear mixed models is proposed for flexible modeling of gene expression in real-time PCR experiments. Focus is on estimating the marginal or population-based derived parameters: cycle thresholds and ΔΔc(t), but retaining the conditional mixed mod...

Jet mixing long horizontal storage tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perona, J.J.; Hylton, T.D.; Youngblood, E.L.; Cummins, R.L.

1994-12-01

Large storage tanks may require mixing to achieve homogeneity of contents for several reasons: prior to sampling for mass balance purposes, for blending in reagents, for suspending settled solids for removal, or for use as a feed tank to a process. At ORNL, mixed waste evaporator concentrates are stored in 50,000-gal tanks, about 12 ft in diameter and 60 ft long. This tank configuration has the advantage of permitting transport by truck and therefore fabrication in the shop rather than in the field. Jet mixing experiments were carried out on two model tanks: a 230-gal (1/6-linear-scale) Plexiglas tank and a 25,000-gal tank (about 2/3 linear scale). Mixing times were measured using sodium chloride tracer and several conductivity probes distributed through the tanks. Several jet sizes and configurations were tested. One-directional and two-directional jets were tested in both tanks. Mixing times for each tank were correlated with the jet Reynolds number. Mixing times were correlated for the two tank sizes using the recirculation time for the developed jet. When the recirculation times were calculated using the distance from the nozzle to the end of the tank as the length of the developed jet, the correlation was only marginally successful. Data for the two tank sizes were correlated empirically using a modified effective jet length expressed as a function of the Reynolds number raised to the 1/3 power. Mixing experiments were simulated using the TEMTEST computer program. The simulations predicted trends correctly and were within the scatter of the experimental data with the lower jet Reynolds numbers. Agreement was not as good at high Reynolds numbers except for single nozzles in the 25,000-gal tank, where agreement was excellent over the entire range

Challenges of rehabilitation case mix measurement in Ontario hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, Jason Murray; Walker, Jan

2008-03-01

Case mix classification systems have been adopted in many countries as a method to manage and finance healthcare in acute care settings; the most popular systems are based on diagnosis related groups. The most successful of those case mix systems differentiate patient types by reflecting both the intensity of resources consumed and patient acuity. Case mix systems for use with non-acute hospital activity have not been as wide-spread; other than in the United States, little attention has been directed towards case mix classification for rehabilitation activity. In a province with over 13 million inhabitants with 2496 rehabilitation beds, inpatient rehabilitation is an important component of hospital care in Ontario, Canada, and consists of the spectrum of intensive rehabilitation activities intended to restore function. Although case mix adjusted activity has been the currency in Ontario's Integrated Population Based Allocation hospital funding formula, rehabilitation activity has not been subjected to case mix measurement. A project to examine case mix classification for adult inpatient rehabilitation activity was initiated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care whose outcome was a case mix system and associated cost weights that would result in rehabilitation activity being incorporated into the hospital funding formula. The process described in this study provides Ontario's provincial government with a case mix classification system for adult inpatient rehabilitation activity although there remain areas for improvement.

The Bifurcation and Control of a Single-Species Fish Population Logistic Model with the Invasion of Alien Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to study systematically the bifurcation and control of a single-species fish population logistic model with the invasion of alien species based on the theory of singular system and bifurcation. It regards Spartina anglica as an invasive species, which invades the fisheries and aquaculture. Firstly, the stabilities of equilibria in this model are discussed. Moreover, the sufficient conditions for existence of the trans-critical bifurcation and the singularity induced bifurcation are obtained. Secondly, the state feedback controller is designed to eliminate the unexpected singularity induced bifurcation by combining harvested effort with the purification capacity. It obviously inhibits the switch of population and makes the system stable. Finally, the numerical simulation is proposed to show the practical significance of the bifurcation and control from the biological point of view.

Mixing with applications to inertial-confinement-fusion implosions

Science.gov (United States)

Rana, V.; Lim, H.; Melvin, J.; Glimm, J.; Cheng, B.; Sharp, D. H.

2017-01-01

Approximate one-dimensional (1D) as well as 2D and 3D simulations are playing an important supporting role in the design and analysis of future experiments at National Ignition Facility. This paper is mainly concerned with 1D simulations, used extensively in design and optimization. We couple a 1D buoyancy-drag mix model for the mixing zone edges with a 1D inertial confinement fusion simulation code. This analysis predicts that National Ignition Campaign (NIC) designs are located close to a performance cliff, so modeling errors, design features (fill tube and tent) and additional, unmodeled instabilities could lead to significant levels of mix. The performance cliff we identify is associated with multimode plastic ablator (CH) mix into the hot-spot deuterium and tritium (DT). The buoyancy-drag mix model is mode number independent and selects implicitly a range of maximum growth modes. Our main conclusion is that single effect instabilities are predicted not to lead to hot-spot mix, while combined mode mixing effects are predicted to affect hot-spot thermodynamics and possibly hot-spot mix. Combined with the stagnation Rayleigh-Taylor instability, we find the potential for mix effects in combination with the ice-to-gas DT boundary, numerical effects of Eulerian species CH concentration diffusion, and ablation-driven instabilities. With the help of a convenient package of plasma transport parameters developed here, we give an approximate determination of these quantities in the regime relevant to the NIC experiments, while ruling out a variety of mix possibilities. Plasma transport parameters affect the 1D buoyancy-drag mix model primarily through its phenomenological drag coefficient as well as the 1D hydro model to which the buoyancy-drag equation is coupled.

Spatial Variability of Sources and Mixing State of Atmospheric Particles in a Metropolitan Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Qing; Gu, Peishi; Li, Hugh Z; Robinson, Ellis S; Lipsky, Eric; Kaltsonoudis, Christos; Lee, Alex K Y; Apte, Joshua S; Robinson, Allen L; Sullivan, Ryan C; Presto, Albert A; Donahue, Neil M

2018-05-30

Characterizing intracity variations of atmospheric particulate matter has mostly relied on fixed-site monitoring and quantifying variability in terms of different bulk aerosol species. In this study, we performed ground-based mobile measurements using a single-particle mass spectrometer to study spatial patterns of source-specific particles and the evolution of particle mixing state in 21 areas in the metropolitan area of Pittsburgh, PA. We selected sampling areas based on traffic density and restaurant density with each area ranging from 0.2 to 2 km 2 . Organics dominate particle composition in all of the areas we sampled while the sources of organics differ. The contribution of particles from traffic and restaurant cooking varies greatly on the neighborhood scale. We also investigate how primary and aged components in particles mix across the urban scale. Lastly we quantify and map the particle mixing state for all areas we sampled and discuss the overall pattern of mixing state evolution and its implications. We find that in the upwind and downwind of the urban areas, particles are more internally mixed while in the city center, particle mixing state shows large spatial heterogeneity that is mostly driven by emissions. This study is to our knowledge, the first study to perform fine spatial scale mapping of particle mixing state using ground-based mobile measurement and single-particle mass spectrometry.

Evolutionary dynamics with fluctuating population sizes and strong mutualism

Science.gov (United States)

Chotibut, Thiparat; Nelson, David R.

2015-08-01

Game theory ideas provide a useful framework for studying evolutionary dynamics in a well-mixed environment. This approach, however, typically enforces a strictly fixed overall population size, deemphasizing natural growth processes. We study a competitive Lotka-Volterra model, with number fluctuations, that accounts for natural population growth and encompasses interaction scenarios typical of evolutionary games. We show that, in an appropriate limit, the model describes standard evolutionary games with both genetic drift and overall population size fluctuations. However, there are also regimes where a varying population size can strongly influence the evolutionary dynamics. We focus on the strong mutualism scenario and demonstrate that standard evolutionary game theory fails to describe our simulation results. We then analytically and numerically determine fixation probabilities as well as mean fixation times using matched asymptotic expansions, taking into account the population size degree of freedom. These results elucidate the interplay between population dynamics and evolutionary dynamics in well-mixed systems.

Evolutionary dynamics with fluctuating population sizes and strong mutualism.

Science.gov (United States)

Chotibut, Thiparat; Nelson, David R

2015-08-01

Game theory ideas provide a useful framework for studying evolutionary dynamics in a well-mixed environment. This approach, however, typically enforces a strictly fixed overall population size, deemphasizing natural growth processes. We study a competitive Lotka-Volterra model, with number fluctuations, that accounts for natural population growth and encompasses interaction scenarios typical of evolutionary games. We show that, in an appropriate limit, the model describes standard evolutionary games with both genetic drift and overall population size fluctuations. However, there are also regimes where a varying population size can strongly influence the evolutionary dynamics. We focus on the strong mutualism scenario and demonstrate that standard evolutionary game theory fails to describe our simulation results. We then analytically and numerically determine fixation probabilities as well as mean fixation times using matched asymptotic expansions, taking into account the population size degree of freedom. These results elucidate the interplay between population dynamics and evolutionary dynamics in well-mixed systems.

Biofilm extracellular DNA enhances mixed species biofilms of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans.

Science.gov (United States)

Pammi, Mohan; Liang, Rong; Hicks, John; Mistretta, Toni-Ann; Versalovic, James

2013-11-14

Polymicrobial infections are responsible for significant mortality and morbidity in adults and children. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans are the most frequent combination of organisms isolated from polymicrobial infections. Vascular indwelling catheters are sites for mixed species biofilm formation and pose a significant risk for polymicrobial infections. We hypothesized that enhancement of biofilms in a mixed species environment increases patient mortality and morbidity. Mixed species biofilms of S. epidermidis and C. albicans were evaluated in vitro and in a subcutaneous catheter infection model in vivo. Mixed species biofilms were enhanced compared to single species biofilms of either S. epidermidis or C. albicans. A mixed species environment increased catheter infection and increased dissemination of S. epidermidis in mice. Microarrays were used to explore differential gene expression of S. epidermidis in the mixed species biofilms. In mixed species biofilms, compared to single species S. epidermidis biofilms, 2.7% of S. epidermidis genes were upregulated and 6% were down regulated. Staphylococcal autolysis repressors lrgA and lrgB were down regulated 36-fold and 27-fold respectively. The role of biofilm extracellular DNA was investigated by quantitation and by evaluating the effects of DNAse in a concentration and time dependent manner. S. epidermidis specific eDNA was increased in mixed species biofilms and further confirmed by degradation with DNAse. Mixed-species biofilms are enhanced and associated with increased S. epidermidis-specific eDNA in vitro and greater systemic dissemination of S. epidermidis in vivo. Down regulation of the lrg operon, a repressor of autolysis, associated with increased eDNA suggests a possible role for bacterial autolysis in mixed species biofilms. Enhancement and systemic dissemination of S. epidermidis may explain adverse outcomes after clinical polymicrobial infections of S. epidermidis and C. albicans.

Biofilm extracellular DNA enhances mixed species biofilms of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Polymicrobial infections are responsible for significant mortality and morbidity in adults and children. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans are the most frequent combination of organisms isolated from polymicrobial infections. Vascular indwelling catheters are sites for mixed species biofilm formation and pose a significant risk for polymicrobial infections. We hypothesized that enhancement of biofilms in a mixed species environment increases patient mortality and morbidity. Results Mixed species biofilms of S. epidermidis and C. albicans were evaluated in vitro and in a subcutaneous catheter infection model in vivo. Mixed species biofilms were enhanced compared to single species biofilms of either S. epidermidis or C. albicans. A mixed species environment increased catheter infection and increased dissemination of S. epidermidis in mice. Microarrays were used to explore differential gene expression of S. epidermidis in the mixed species biofilms. In mixed species biofilms, compared to single species S. epidermidis biofilms, 2.7% of S. epidermidis genes were upregulated and 6% were down regulated. Staphylococcal autolysis repressors lrgA and lrgB were down regulated 36-fold and 27-fold respectively. The role of biofilm extracellular DNA was investigated by quantitation and by evaluating the effects of DNAse in a concentration and time dependent manner. S. epidermidis specific eDNA was increased in mixed species biofilms and further confirmed by degradation with DNAse. Conclusions Mixed-species biofilms are enhanced and associated with increased S. epidermidis-specific eDNA in vitro and greater systemic dissemination of S. epidermidis in vivo. Down regulation of the lrg operon, a repressor of autolysis, associated with increased eDNA suggests a possible role for bacterial autolysis in mixed species biofilms. Enhancement and systemic dissemination of S. epidermidis may explain adverse outcomes after clinical polymicrobial infections of S

Response of single bacterial cells to stress gives rise to complex history dependence at the population level

Science.gov (United States)

Mathis, Roland; Ackermann, Martin

2016-01-01

Most bacteria live in ever-changing environments where periods of stress are common. One fundamental question is whether individual bacterial cells have an increased tolerance to stress if they recently have been exposed to lower levels of the same stressor. To address this question, we worked with the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus and asked whether exposure to a moderate concentration of sodium chloride would affect survival during later exposure to a higher concentration. We found that the effects measured at the population level depended in a surprising and complex way on the time interval between the two exposure events: The effect of the first exposure on survival of the second exposure was positive for some time intervals but negative for others. We hypothesized that the complex pattern of history dependence at the population level was a consequence of the responses of individual cells to sodium chloride that we observed: (i) exposure to moderate concentrations of sodium chloride caused delays in cell division and led to cell-cycle synchronization, and (ii) whether a bacterium would survive subsequent exposure to higher concentrations was dependent on the cell-cycle state. Using computational modeling, we demonstrated that indeed the combination of these two effects could explain the complex patterns of history dependence observed at the population level. Our insight into how the behavior of single cells scales up to processes at the population level provides a perspective on how organisms operate in dynamic environments with fluctuating stress exposure. PMID:26960998

SU-E-T-319: Dosimetric Evaluation of IMRT with Mix-Energy Beam for Deep Seated Targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, S; Manigandan, D; Gandhi, A; Sharma, D; Subramani, V; Chander, S; Julkha, P [Fortis Hospital, Mohali, Punjab (India); Rath, G

2015-06-15

Purpose: IMRT is preferred in the range of 6–10MV X-rays. Partially adding high energy (>10MV) treatment fields, may provide advantage of both higher and lower energies. To study IMRT dose distribution obtained from treatment plans with single (6MV) and mixed-energy (6MV and 15MV) for deep seated targets (separation more than 30cm). Methods: Five patients of carcinoma of cervix were studied using eclipse planning system. Two different dynamic IMRT plans were generated for Varian CL2300C/D linear accelerator; one is by using 6MV X-ray with seven equally spaced coplanar beams. In second plan, 2 lateral oblique fields (gantry angle 102°, 255°) beam energy was modified to 15MV by keeping all other parameters and dose volume constraints constant. Dose prescription for the planning target volume (PTV) was (5040cGy/28f). For plan comparison, dose volume histogram (DVH) was used and PTV coverage index (CI=Target volume covered by prescription dose/Target volume), heterogeneity index (D5/D95), mean dose to organ at risk (OAR) and normal tissue integral dose (NTID, liter-Gray) was also noted. Total monitor unit (MU) required to deliver a plan was also noted. Results: Mixed-energy plan showed a better conformity and CI values were 0.942±0.032 and 0.960±0.040 for single-energy and mixed-energy plan, respectively. In addition, HI value of mixed energy beam is comparable to that of single energy and the values were within 1.084±0.034 and 1.082±0.032 for single energy and mixed-energy plan, respectively. Variation in mean dose to bladder, rectum and bowel were within 1.05%, 0.87% and 0.90%. NTID was lesser for mixed-energy beam due to use of two high-energy fields. NTID were 1573.40±214.60 and 1510.20±249.80 litre-Gray for single energy and mixed-energy plan. MU needed to deliver a plan was similar in both plans and MUs were 238±45 and 237±47. Conclusion: Partial use of 15MV treatment fields in IMRT plan for deep seated targets showed dosimetric advantage over 6MV

Population pharmacokinetics of adefovir dipivoxil tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jihan; Zhang, Yaping; Huang, Xiaohui; Li, Lujin; Li, Yunfei; Wang, Kun; Yang, Juan; He, Yingchun; Lv, Yinghua; Zheng, Qingshan

2014-01-01

To develop a population pharmacokinetic model of adefovir dipivoxil in healthy volunteers and evaluate the effect of individual factors on the pharmacokinetics of adefovir dipivoxil. Plasma concentration data collected from 32 healthy Chinese subjects in a Phase I clinical study was pooled. Subjects received a single oral dose of 10 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg adefovir dipivoxil, or multiple doses of 10 mg once a day for 9 days. Plasma concentrations of adefovir dipivoxil were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric method. A nonlinear mixed-effect model was used to analyze the plasma concentration data of adefovir dipivoxil in healthy volunteers and to calculate the relevant parameters as well as inter- and intra-individual variability. The time course of adefovir dipivoxil concentration is best described by a first-order absorption and first-order elimination two-compartment model with lag time. The final estimate of total body clearance (CL) is 56.9 L/h and 78.7 L/h for single and multiple dosing regimen, respectively; the volume distribution of the central compartment (V2) is 106 L; inter-compartmental clearance (Q) is 220 L/h; volume distribution of the peripheral compartment (V3) is 498 L and 800 L for single and multiple dosing regimen, respectively; absorption rate is 0.509 h-1; and lag time is 0.315 hours. The inter-individual variabilities of CL and V2 were 22.4% and 58.9%, respectively. The proportional error of residual variability is 14.1% and the additive error is 0.30 ng/L. The final pharmacokinetic model was evaluated using a bootstrap method. A nonlinear mixed effect model for oral adefovir dipivoxil formulations was developed in healthy Chinese subjects. A multiple dosing regimen may significantly increase the body clearance and volume distribution of the peripheral compartment compared to a single dosing regimen. *These authors contribute equally to this work.

Lepton mixing in A_5 family symmetry and generalized CP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Cai-Chang; Ding, Gui-Jun

2015-01-01

We study lepton mixing patterns which can be derived from the A_5 family symmetry and generalized CP. We find five phenomenologically interesting mixing patterns for which one column of the PMNS matrix is (√(((5+√5)/10)),(1/(√(5+√5))),(1/(√(5+√5))))"T (the first column of the golden ratio mixing), (√(((5−√5)/10)),(1/(√(5−√5))),(1/(√(5−√5))))"T (the second column of the golden ratio mixing), (1,1,1)"T/√3 or (√5+1,−2,√5−1)"T/4. The three lepton mixing angles are determined in terms of a single real parameter θ, and agreement with experimental data can be achieved for certain values of θ. The Dirac CP violating phase is predicted to be trivial or maximal while Majorana phases are trivial. We construct a supersymmetric model based on A_5 family symmetry and generalized CP. The lepton mixing is exactly the golden ratio pattern at leading order, and the mixing patterns of case III and case IV are reproduced after higher order corrections are considered.

Mixed-use development in a high-rise context

Science.gov (United States)

Generalova, Elena M.; Generalov, Viktor P.; Kuznetsova, Anna A.; Bobkova, Oksana N.

2018-03-01

The article deals with an actual problem of finding techniques and methods to create a comfortable urban environment. The authors emphasize that in the existing conditions of intensive urban development greater attention should be given to spatial concentration based on and more compact distribution of population in urban space. It is stressed that including mixed-use facilities into urban realm results in a significant improvement of living environment qualitative characteristics. The paper also examines modern approaches to constructing a «compact city» for comfortable and convenient living with a mixed-use tall building development. The authors explore the world's experience of designing tall mixed-use buildings and reveal modern trends in their construction. The statistics given is based on the data analysis of a group of tall mixed-use buildings consisting of more than 400 objects, constructed in 2007-2016. The research shows functional and architectural peculiarities of this typology of tall buildings and investigates a mechanism of creating zones of mixed-use tall building development in the urban structure. In conclusion, the authors consider prospects of development and major directions of improvement of mixed-use tall building parameters for a reasonable territorial urban growth and creation of high-density and comfortable building development.

Population pharmacokinetics of methadone hydrochloride after a single intramuscular administration in adult Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon nippon).

Science.gov (United States)

Scala, Christopher; Marsot, Amélie; Limoges, Marie-Josée; Locatelli, Yann; Simon, Nicolas; Alvarez, Jean-Claude

2015-03-01

To assess the population pharmacokinetics of methadone in deer. Prospective non-randomized experimental trial. Twelve healthy adult sika deer (nine males and three females). Deer received intramuscular administration of racemic methadone hydrochloride at 0.5 mg kg(-1) or 1 mg kg(-1) . Plasma methadone and its metabolite 2-Ethylidene-1,5-Dimethyl-3,3-Diphenyl-Pyrolidine (EDDP) concentrations were determined by validated liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry methods, at times 0, 30 minutes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours. Population pharmacokinetics analysis was undertaken using a non-linear mixed effects modelling (NONMEM). A two-compartment linear disposition model best described observed time-concentration profiles of methadone and EDDP. Population parameter estimates of methadone were elimination clearance (17.3 L hour(-1) ), metabolic clearance (34.6 L hour(-1) ), volume of distribution of compartment 1 (216.0 L) and volume of distribution of compartment 2 (384.0 L). Population parameter estimates of EDDP were elimination clearance (121.0 L hour(-1) ), volume of distribution of compartment 3 (1.08 L) and volume of distribution of compartment 4 (499.5 L). The total clearance and total volume of distribution of methadone and EDDP were 51.9 L hour(-1) , 121.0 L hour (-1) , 600.0 L and 500.6 L, respectively. The methadone terminal elimination half-life was 8.19 hours. No adverse effects were observed after methadone administration. Following intramuscular injection, methadone was characterized by a large total volume of distribution, high systemic clearance and intermediate terminal half-life in sika deer. © 2014 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.

Wave mixing spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R.W.

1980-08-01

Several new aspects of nonlinear or wave mixing spectroscopy were investigated utilizing the polarization properties of the nonlinear output field and the dependence of this field upon the occurrence of multiple resonances in the nonlinear susceptibility. First, it is shown theoretically that polarization-sensitive detection may be used to either eliminate or controllably reduce the nonresonant background in coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy, allowing weaker Raman resonances to be studied. The features of multi-resonant four-wave mixing are examined in the case of an inhomogeneously broadened medium. It is found that the linewidth of the nonlinear output narrows considerably (approaching the homogeneous width) when the quantum mechanical expressions for the doubly- and triply-resonant susceptibilities are averaged over a Doppler or strain broadened profile. Experimental studies of nonlinear processes in Pr +3 :LaF 3 verify this linewidth narrowing, but indicate that this strain broadened system cannot be treated with a single broadening parameter as in the case of Doppler broadening in a gas. Several susceptibilities are measured from which are deduced dipole matrix elements and Raman polarizabilities related to the 3 H 4 , 3 H 6 , and 3 P 0 levels of the praseodymium ions

Signs of tops from highly mixed stops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Backović, Mihailo [Center for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology - CP3,Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-neuve (Belgium); Mariotti, Alberto [Theoretische Natuurkunde and IIHE/ELEM, Vrije Universiteit Brussel,and International Solvay Institutes, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium); Spannowsky, Michael [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Department of Physics,Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2015-06-17

Supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model with highly mixed squark flavours beyond minimal flavour violation provide interesting scenarios of new physics, which have so far received limited attention. We propose a calculable realization of such scenarios in models of gauge mediation augmented with an extra interaction between the messengers and the up type squark. We compute the supersymmetric spectrum and analyze the flavour physics constraints on such models. In a simplified model approach, we show that scenarios with maximal squark flavour mixing result in interesting phenomenological signatures at the LHC. We show that the model can be probed up to masses of m{sub ũ}≲950 GeV in the single-top event topology at LHC14 with as little as 300 fb{sup −1}. The most distinctive signature of highly mixed scenarios, the same sign positive charge di-top, can be also probed to comparable squark masses at high luminosity LHC14.

CFD simulation on reactor flow mixing phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, T.S.; Kim, K.H.

2016-01-01

A pre-test calculation for multi-dimensional flow mixing in a reactor core and downcomer has been studied using a CFD code. To study the effects of Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) and core zone on the boron mixing behaviors in a lower downcomer and core inlet, a 1/5-scale CFD model of flow mixing test facility for the APR+ reference plant was simulated. The flow paths of the 1/5-scale model were scaled down by the linear scaling method. The aspect ratio (L/D) of all flow paths was preserved to 1. To preserve a dynamic similarity, the ratio of Euler number was also preserved to 1. A single phase water flow at low pressure and temperature conditions was considered in this calculation. The calculation shows that the asymmetric effect driven by RCPs shifted the high velocity field to the failed pump's flow zone. The borated water flow zone at the core inlet was also shifted to the failed RCP side. (author)

The Accuracy and Bias of Single-Step Genomic Prediction for Populations Under Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wan-Ling Hsu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In single-step analyses, missing genotypes are explicitly or implicitly imputed, and this requires centering the observed genotypes using the means of the unselected founders. If genotypes are only available for selected individuals, centering on the unselected founder mean is not straightforward. Here, computer simulation is used to study an alternative analysis that does not require centering genotypes but fits the mean μg of unselected individuals as a fixed effect. Starting with observed diplotypes from 721 cattle, a five-generation population was simulated with sire selection to produce 40,000 individuals with phenotypes, of which the 1000 sires had genotypes. The next generation of 8000 genotyped individuals was used for validation. Evaluations were undertaken with (J or without (N μg when marker covariates were not centered; and with (JC or without (C μg when all observed and imputed marker covariates were centered. Centering did not influence accuracy of genomic prediction, but fitting μg did. Accuracies were improved when the panel comprised only quantitative trait loci (QTL; models JC and J had accuracies of 99.4%, whereas models C and N had accuracies of 90.2%. When only markers were in the panel, the 4 models had accuracies of 80.4%. In panels that included QTL, fitting μg in the model improved accuracy, but had little impact when the panel contained only markers. In populations undergoing selection, fitting μg in the model is recommended to avoid bias and reduction in prediction accuracy due to selection.

Tourette's syndrome in a special education population: a pilot study involving a single school district.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurlan, R; Whitmore, D; Irvine, C; McDermott, M P; Como, P G

1994-04-01

To determine whether children requiring special education represent a high-risk group for identifying Tourette's syndrome (TS), we performed direct examinations for the presence of tics in 35 special education and 35 regular classroom students from a single school district. Of the special education students, nine (26%) had definite or probable tics as compared with only two (6%) of the regular classroom students. About one-third of the students with tics currently meet diagnostic criteria for TS and probably more will do so in the future. About one-half of the subjects with tics have evidence of obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCB) or an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For three randomly selected students with definite tics, direct examinations of first-degree relatives revealed the presence of tics in all families. Subjects to the limitations of this pilot study, we conclude that TS and related tic disorders are commonly associated with the need for special education in this single school district. TS might also be an important contributor to school problems in the childhood population at large and may be a highly prevalent condition. In addition, we conclude that childhood tics are associated with OCB and ADHD, are genetically determined, and are part of the TS clinical spectrum.

Growth and characterization of gel grown pure and mixed iron ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

is to grow pure and mixed iron (II)–manganese levo-tartrate crystals by the single diffusion gel growth technique and characterize them by several methods. 2. ... also attracted several researchers to grow different crystals for various ...

Development of Mixed Mode MPI / OpenMP Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorna Smith

2001-01-01

Full Text Available MPI / OpenMP mixed mode codes could potentially offer the most effective parallelisation strategy for an SMP cluster, as well as allowing the different characteristics of both paradigms to be exploited to give the best performance on a single SMP. This paper discusses the implementation, development and performance of mixed mode MPI / OpenMP applications. The results demonstrate that this style of programming will not always be the most effective mechanism on SMP systems and cannot be regarded as the ideal programming model for all codes. In some situations, however, significant benefit may be obtained from a mixed mode implementation. For example, benefit may be obtained if the parallel (MPI code suffers from: poor scaling with MPI processes due to load imbalance or too fine a grain problem size, memory limitations due to the use of a replicated data strategy, or a restriction on the number of MPI processes combinations. In addition, if the system has a poorly optimised or limited scaling MPI implementation then a mixed mode code may increase the code performance.

Detailed genetic structure of European bitterling populations in Central Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronika Bartáková

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus is a small cyprinid fish whose populations declined markedly between 1950 and 1980. However, its range currently expands, partly due to human-assisted introductions. We determined the genetic variability and detailed spatial structure among bitterling populations in Central Europe and tested alternative hypotheses about colonization of this area. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci on a large sample of 688 individuals had been used to analyse genetic variability and population structure. Samples originated from 27 localities with emphasis on area of the Czech Republic where three major sea drainages (Black, Baltic, and Northern Sea meet. Highly variable level of intrapopulation genetic variability had generally been detected and a recent decrease in numbers (“bottleneck” had been indicated by genetic data among six populations. High level of interpopulation differentiation was identified even within the basins. There was a significant role of genetic drift and indications of low dispersal ability of R. amarus. Surprisingly, the Odra River was inhabited by two distinct populations without any genetic signatures of a secondary contact. Czech part of the Odra (Baltic basin was colonized from the Danubian refugium (similarly to adjacent Danubian basin rivers including the Morava, while Polish part of the Odra was genetically similar to the populations in the Vistula River (Baltic basin, that has been colonized by a different (Eastern phylogeographic lineage of R. amarus. Most Czech R. amarus populations were colonized from the Danubian refugium, suggesting potential for a human-mediated colonization of the Odra or Elbe Rivers by R. amarus. One Elbe basin population was genetically mixed from the two (Danubian and Eastern phylogeographic lineages. In general the Czech populations of R. amarus were genetically stable except for a single population which has probably been recently introduced. This research

Intracellular Drug Uptake-A Comparison of Single Cell Measurements Using ToF-SIMS Imaging and Quantification from Cell Populations with LC/MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Carla F; Havelund, Rasmus; Passarelli, Melissa K; Marshall, Peter S; Francis, Ian; West, Andy; Alexander, Morgan R; Gilmore, Ian S; Dollery, Colin T

2017-11-21

ToF-SIMS is a label-free imaging method that has been shown to enable imaging of amiodarone in single rat macrophage (NR8383) cells. In this study, we show that the method extends to three other cell lines relevant to drug discovery: human embryonic kidney (HEK293), cervical cancer (HeLa), and liver cancer (HepG2). There is significant interest in the variation of drug uptake at the single cell level, and we use ToF-SIMS to show that there is great diversity between individual cells and when comparing each of the cell types. These single cell measurements are compared to quantitative measurements of cell-associated amiodarone for the population using LC/MS/MS and cell counting with flow cytometry. NR8383 and HepG2 cells uptake the greatest amount of amiodarone with an average of 2.38 and 2.60 pg per cell, respectively, and HeLa and Hek 293 have a significantly lower amount of amiodarone at 0.43 and 0.36 pg per cell, respectively. The amount of cell-associated drug for the ensemble population measurement (LC/MS/MS) is compared with the ToF-SIMS single cell data: a similar amount of drug was detected per cell for the NR8383, and HepG2 cells at a greater level than that for the HEK293 cells. However, the two techniques did not agree for the HeLa cells, and we postulate potential reasons for this.

SEL Hardness Assurance in a Mixed Radiation Field

CERN Document Server

Garcia Alia, Ruben; Danzeca, Salvatore; Ferlet-Cavrois, Veronique; Frost, Christopher; Gaillard, Remi; Mekki, Julien; Saigné, Frédéric; Thornton, Adam; Uznanski, Slawosz; Worbel, Frédéric; CERN. Geneva. ATS Department

2015-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between monoenergetic and mixed-field Single Event Latchup (SEL) cross sections, concluding for components with a very strong energy dependence and highly-energetic environments, test results from monoenergetic or soft mixed-field spectra can significantly underestimate the operational failure rate. We introduce a semi-empirical approach that can be used to evaluate the SEL rate for such environments based on monoenergetic measurements and information or assumptions on the respective sensitive volume and materials surrounding it. We show that the presence of high-Z materials such as tungsten is particularly important in determining the hadron cross section energy dependence for components with relatively large LET thresholds.

Species mixing effects on forest productivity in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lu, Huicui

2017-01-01

Many monoculture forests (dominated by a single tree species) have been converted to mixed-species forests (dominated by more than one tree species) in Europe over the last decades. The main reason for this conversion was to increase productivity, including timber production, and enhance other

Two-phase flow and cross-mixing measurements in a rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yloenen, A.; Prasser, H.-M.

2011-01-01

The wire-mesh sensor technique has been used for the first time to study two-phase flow and liquid mixing in a rod bundle. A dedicated test facility (SUBFLOW) was constructed at Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in a co-operation with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). Simultaneous injection of salt water as tracer and air bubbles can be used to quantify the enhancement of liquid mixing in two-phase flow when the results are compared with the single-phase mixing experiment with the same test parameters. The second aspect in the current experiments is the two-phase flow in bundle geometry. (author)

Mixed methods research in tobacco control with youth and young adults: A methodological review of current strategies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Craig S Fryer

Full Text Available Tobacco use among young people is a complex and serious global dilemma that demands innovative and diverse research approaches. The purpose of this methodological review was to examine the current use of mixed methods research in tobacco control with youth and young adult populations and to develop practical recommendations for tobacco control researchers interested in this methodology.Using PubMed, we searched five peer-reviewed journals that publish tobacco control empirical literature for the use of mixed methods research to study young populations, age 12-25 years. Our team analyzed the features of each article in terms of tobacco control topic, population, youth engagement strategies, and several essential elements of mixed methods research.We identified 23 mixed methods studies published by authors from five different countries reported between 2004 and 2015. These 23 articles examined various topics that included tobacco use behavior, tobacco marketing and branding, and cessation among youth and young adults. The most common mixed methods approach was variations of the concurrent design in which the qualitative and quantitative strands were administered at the same time and given equal priority. This review documented several innovative applications of mixed methods research as well as challenges in the reporting of the complex research designs.The use of mixed methods research in tobacco control has great potential for advancing the understanding of complex behavioral and sociocultural issues for all groups, especially youth and young adults.

Mixed methods research in tobacco control with youth and young adults: A methodological review of current strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Fryer, Craig S; Seaman, Elizabeth L; Clark, Rachael S; Plano Clark, Vicki L

2017-01-01

Tobacco use among young people is a complex and serious global dilemma that demands innovative and diverse research approaches. The purpose of this methodological review was to examine the current use of mixed methods research in tobacco control with youth and young adult populations and to develop practical recommendations for tobacco control researchers interested in this methodology. Using PubMed, we searched five peer-reviewed journals that publish tobacco control empirical literature for the use of mixed methods research to study young populations, age 12-25 years. Our team analyzed the features of each article in terms of tobacco control topic, population, youth engagement strategies, and several essential elements of mixed methods research. We identified 23 mixed methods studies published by authors from five different countries reported between 2004 and 2015. These 23 articles examined various topics that included tobacco use behavior, tobacco marketing and branding, and cessation among youth and young adults. The most common mixed methods approach was variations of the concurrent design in which the qualitative and quantitative strands were administered at the same time and given equal priority. This review documented several innovative applications of mixed methods research as well as challenges in the reporting of the complex research designs. The use of mixed methods research in tobacco control has great potential for advancing the understanding of complex behavioral and sociocultural issues for all groups, especially youth and young adults.

Non-Born-Oppenheimer trajectories with self-consistent decay of mixing