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Sample records for slowly activating delayed

  1. Accumulation of slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs) in canine ventricular myocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stengl, Milan; Volders, Paul G A; Thomsen, Morten Bækgaard

    2003-01-01

    In guinea-pig ventricular myocytes, in which the deactivation of slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs) is slow, IKs can be increased by rapid pacing as a result of incomplete deactivation and subsequent current accumulation. Whether accumulation of IKs occurs in dogs, in which...

  2. Pharmacological modulations of cardiac ultra-rapid and slowly activating delayed rectifier currents: potential antiarrhythmic approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Mohammed A

    2010-01-01

    Despite the emerging new insights into our understandings of the cellular mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmia, medical therapy for this disease remains unsatisfactory. Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent arrhythmia, is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. On the other hand, ventricular fibrillation results in sudden cardiac deaths in many instances. Prolongation of cardiac action potential (AP) is a proven principle of antiarrhythmic therapy. Class III antiarrhythmic agents prolong AP and QT interval by blocking rapidly activating delayed rectifier current (I(Kr)). However, I(Kr) blocking drugs carry the risk of life-threatening proarrhythmia. Recently, modulation of atrial-selective ultra-rapid delayed rectifier current (I(Kur)), has emerged as a novel therapeutic approach to treat AF. A number of I(Kur) blockers are being evaluated for the treatment of AF. The inhibition of slowly activating delayed rectifier current (I(Ks)) has also been proposed as an effective and safer antiarrhythmic approach because of its distinguishing characteristics that differ in remarkable ways from other selective class III agents. Selective I(Ks) block may prolong AP duration (APD) at rapid rates without leading to proarrhythmia. This article reviews the pathophysiological roles of I(Kur) and I(Ks) in cardiac repolarization and the implications of newly developed I(Kur) and I(Ks) blocking agents as promising antiarrhythmic approaches. Several recent patents pertinent to antiarrhythmic drug development have been discussed. Further research will be required to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these agents in the clinical setting.

  3. Aldosterone down-regulates the slowly activated delayed rectifier potassium current in adult guinea pig cardiomyocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Yankun; Bai, Song; Zhang, Hua; Zhang, Hongxue; Meng, Jing; Li, Li; Xu, Yanfang

    2015-12-01

    There is emerging evidence that the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone is associated with arrhythmias in cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of aldosterone on the slowly activated delayed rectifier potassium current (IK s ) remains poorly understood. The present study was designed to investigate the modulation of IK s by aldosterone. Adult guinea pigs were treated with aldosterone for 28 days via osmotic pumps. Standard glass microelectrode recordings and whole-cell patch-clamp techniques were used to record action potentials in papillary muscles and IK s in ventricular cardiomyocytes. The aldosterone-treated animals exhibited a prolongation of the QT interval and action potential duration with a higher incidence of early afterdepolarizations. Patch-clamp recordings showed a significant down-regulation of IK s density in the ventricular myocytes of these treated animals. These aldosterone-induced electrophysiological changes were fully prevented by a combined treatment with spironolactone, a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist. In addition, in in vitro cultured ventricular cardiomyocytes, treatment with aldosterone (sustained exposure for 24 h) decreased the IK s density in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, a significant corresponding reduction in the mRNA/protein expression of IKs channel pore and auxiliary subunits, KCNQ1 and KCNE1 was detected in ventricular tissue from the aldosterone-treated animals. Aldosterone down-regulates IK s by inhibiting the expression of KCNQ1 and KCNE1, thus delaying the ventricular repolarization. These results provide new insights into the mechanism underlying K(+) channel remodelling in heart disease and may explain the highly beneficial effects of MR antagonists in HF. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

  4. Inhibitory Effect of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor on the Slowly Activating Delayed Rectifier Potassium Current in Guinea Pig Ventricular Myocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Zhenhao; Xing, Wenlu; Gao, Chuanyu; Wang, Xianpei; Qi, Datun; Dai, Guoyou; Zhao, Wen; Yan, Ganxin

    2018-01-26

    Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) exerts a number of beneficial effects on ischemic myocardium via its angiogenic properties. However, little is known about whether VEGF has a direct effect on the electrical properties of cardiomyocytes. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different concentrations of VEGF on delayed rectifier potassium currents (I K ) in guinea pig ventricular myocytes and their effects on action potential (AP) parameters. I K and AP were recorded by the whole-cell patch clamp method in ventricular myocytes. Cells were superfused with control solution or solution containing VEGF at different concentrations for 10 minutes before recording. Some ventricular myocytes were pretreated with a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor for 1 hour before the addition of VEGF. We found that VEGF inhibited the slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (I K s ) in a concentration-dependent manner (18.13±1.04 versus 12.73±0.34, n=5, P =0.001; 12.73±0.34 versus 9.05±1.20, n=5, P =0.036) and prolonged AP duration (894.5±36.92 versus 746.3±33.71, n=5, P =0.021). Wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, eliminated these VEGF-induced effects. VEGF had no significant effect on the rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (I K r ), resting membrane potential, AP amplitude, or maximal velocity of depolarization. VEGF inhibited I K s in a concentration-dependent manner through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-mediated signaling pathway, leading to AP prolongation. The results indicate a promising therapeutic potential of VEGF in prevention of ventricular tachyarrhythmias under conditions of high sympathetic activity and ischemia. © 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  5. Interaction between the cardiac rapidly (IKr) and slowly (IKs) activating delayed rectifier potassium channels revealed by low K+-induced hERG endocytic degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Jun; Wang, Tingzhong; Yang, Tonghua; Xu, Jianmin; Li, Wentao; Fridman, Michael D; Fisher, John T; Zhang, Shetuan

    2011-10-07

    Cardiac repolarization is controlled by the rapidly (I(Kr)) and slowly (I(Ks)) activating delayed rectifier potassium channels. The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) encodes I(Kr), whereas KCNQ1 and KCNE1 together encode I(Ks). Decreases in I(Kr) or I(Ks) cause long QT syndrome (LQTS), a cardiac disorder with a high risk of sudden death. A reduction in extracellular K(+) concentration ([K(+)](o)) induces LQTS and selectively causes endocytic degradation of mature hERG channels from the plasma membrane. In the present study, we investigated whether I(Ks) compensates for the reduced I(Kr) under low K(+) conditions. Our data show that when hERG and KCNQ1 were expressed separately in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, exposure to 0 mM K(+) for 6 h completely eliminated the mature hERG channel expression but had no effect on KCNQ1. When hERG and KCNQ1 were co-expressed, KCNQ1 significantly delayed 0 mM K(+)-induced hERG reduction. Also, hERG degradation led to a significant reduction in KCNQ1 in 0 mM K(+) conditions. An interaction between hERG and KCNQ1 was identified in hERG+KCNQ1-expressing HEK cells. Furthermore, KCNQ1 preferentially co-immunoprecipitated with mature hERG channels that are localized in the plasma membrane. Biophysical and pharmacological analyses indicate that although hERG and KCNQ1 closely interact with each other, they form distinct hERG and KCNQ1 channels. These data extend our understanding of delayed rectifier potassium channel trafficking and regulation, as well as the pathology of LQTS.

  6. Protein kinase C epsilon mediates the inhibition of angiotensin II on the slowly activating delayed-rectifier potassium current through channel phosphorylation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gou, Xiangbo; Wang, Wenying; Zou, Sihao; Qi, Yajuan; Xu, Yanfang

    2018-03-01

    The slowly activating delayed rectifier K + current (I Ks ) is one of the main repolarizing currents in the human heart. Evidence has shown that angiotensin II (Ang II) regulates I Ks through the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway, but the related results are controversial. This study was designed to identify PKC isoenzymes involved in the regulation of I Ks by Ang II and the underlying molecular mechanism. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to record I Ks in isolated guinea pig ventricular cardiomyocytes and in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells co-transfected with human KCNQ1/KCNE1 genes and Ang II type 1 receptor genes. Ang II inhibited I Ks in a concentration-dependent manner in native cardiomyocytes. A broad PKC inhibitor Gö6983 (not inhibiting PKCε) and a selective cPKC inhibitor Gö6976 did not affect the inhibitory action of Ang II. In contrast, the inhibition was significantly attenuated by PKCε-selective peptide inhibitor εV1-2. However, direct activation of PKC by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) increased the cloned human I Ks in HEK293 cells. Similarly, the cPKC peptide activator significantly enhanced the current. In contrast, the PKCε peptide activator inhibited the current. Further evidence showed that PKCε knockdown by siRNA antagonized the Ang II-induced inhibition on KCNQ1/KCNE1 current, whereas knockdown of cPKCs (PKCα and PKCβ) attenuated the potentiation of the current by PMA. Moreover, deletion of four putative phosphorylation sites in the C-terminus of KCNQ1 abolished the action of PMA. Mutation of two putative phosphorylation sites in the N-terminus of KCNQ1 and one site in KCNE1 (S102) blocked the inhibition of Ang II. Our results demonstrate that PKCε isoenzyme mediates the inhibitory action of Ang II on I Ks and by phosphorylating distinct sites in KCNQ1/KCNE1, cPKC and PKCε isoenzymes produce the contrary regulatory effects on the channel. These findings have provided new insight into the molecular mechanism

  7. Classic conditioning in aged rabbits: delay, trace, and long-delay conditioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, P R; Groccia-Ellison, M E

    1996-06-01

    Young (0.5 years) and aged (2+, 3+, and 4+ years) rabbits underwent acquisition of the classically conditioned nictitating membrane response in a delay (500-ms conditioned stimulus [CS], 400-ms interstimulus interval [ISI]), long-delay (1,000-ms CS, 900-ms ISI), or trace (500-ms CS, 400-ms stimulus-free period) paradigm. Collapsing across age groups, there is a general tendency for animals to acquire trace conditioning more slowly than delay conditioning. Collapsing across conditioning paradigms, there is a general tendency for aged animals to acquire more slowly than younger animals. Of greater significance, however, are the age differences in the different conditioning paradigms. In the delay and long-delay paradigms, significant conditioning deficits first appeared in the 4(+)-year-old group. In the trace conditioning paradigm, significant conditioning deficits became apparent in the 2(+)-year-old animals.

  8. Reward acts as a signal to control delay-period activity in delayed-response tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ichihara-Takeda, Satoe; Takeda, Kazuyoshi; Funahashi, Shintaro

    2010-03-31

    Prefrontal delay-period activity represents a neural mechanism for the active maintenance of information and needs to be controlled by some signal to appropriately operate working memory. To examine whether reward-delivery acts as this signal, the effects of delay-period activity in response to unexpected reward-delivery were examined by analyzing single-neuron activity recorded in the primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Among neurons that showed delay-period activity, 34% showed inhibition of this activity in response to unexpected reward-delivery. The delay-period activity of these neurons was affected by the expectation of reward-delivery. The strength of the reward signal in controlling the delay-period activity is related to the strength of the effect of reward information on the delay-period activity. These results indicate that reward-delivery acts as a signal to control delay-period activity.

  9. Cell cycle disturbances in slowly growing sublines isolated from X-irradiated L5178Y-S cell populations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beer, J.Z.; Bocian, E.; Budzicka, E.; Szumiel, I.; Ziemba-Zak, B.; Kopec, M.

    1974-01-01

    Cell cycle was analyzed autoradiographically in a test line of murine leukaemic lymphoblasts L5178Y-S and in two slowly growing sublines isolated from cell cultures irradiated with 300 rad of X-rays. It was found that prolongation of the cell cycle in the slowly growing sublines is connected primarily with delayed progression through G2 phase. This conclusion was further supported by results of determination of DNA content per cell in 13 slowly growing cell sublines and karyotype analysis of 18 sublines. No correlation was found between a sublines' mean doubling time and its chromosome number whereas DNA content per cell was clearly dependent on the growth rate. (author)

  10. Molecular Basis of Cardiac Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channel Function and Pharmacology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wei; Sanguinetti, Michael C

    2016-06-01

    Human cardiomyocytes express 3 distinct types of delayed rectifier potassium channels. Human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channels conduct the rapidly activating current IKr; KCNQ1/KCNE1 channels conduct the slowly activating current IKs; and Kv1.5 channels conduct an ultrarapid activating current IKur. Here the authors provide a general overview of the mechanistic and structural basis of ion selectivity, gating, and pharmacology of the 3 types of cardiac delayed rectifier potassium ion channels. Most blockers bind to S6 residues that line the central cavity of the channel, whereas activators interact with the channel at 4 symmetric binding sites outside the cavity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Feedback Control of Resistive Wall Modes in Slowly Rotating DIII-D Plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okabayashi, M.; Chance, M. S.; Takahashi, H.; Garofalo, A. M.; Reimerdes, H.; in, Y.; Chu, M. S.; Jackson, G. L.; La Haye, R. J.; Strait, E. J.

    2006-10-01

    In slowly rotating plasmas on DIII-D, the requirement of RWM control feedback have been identified, using a MHD code along with measured power supply characteristics. It was found that a small time delay is essential for achieving high beta if no rotation stabilization exists. The overall system delay or the band pass time constant should be in the range of 0.4 of the RWM growth time. Recently the control system was upgraded using twelve linear audio amplifiers and a faster digital control system, reducing the time-delay from 600 to 100 μs. The advantage has been clearly observed when the RWMs excited by ELMs were effectively controlled by feedback even if the rotation transiently slowed nearly to zero. This study provides insight on stability in the low- rotation plasmasw with balanced NBI in DIII-D and also in ITER.

  12. A Developmental Study of Static Postural Control and Superimposed Arm Movements in Normal and Slowly Developing Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Janet M.

    Selected electromyographic parameters underlying static postural control in 4, 6, and 8 year old normally and slowly developing children during performance of selected arm movements were studied. Developmental delays in balance control were assessed by the Cashin Test of Motor Development (1974) and/or the Williams Gross Motor Coordination Test…

  13. Simulation of activation and propagation delay during tripolar neural stimulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goodall, E.V.; Goodall, Eleanor V.; Kosterman, L. Martin; Struijk, Johannes J.; Struijk, J.J.; Holsheimer, J.

    1993-01-01

    Computer simulations were perfonned to investigate the influence of stimulus amplitude on cathodal activation delay, propagation delay and blocking during stimulation with a bipolar cuff electrode. Activation and propagation delays were combined in a total delay term which was minimized between the

  14. Spacetimes containing slowly evolving horizons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kavanagh, William; Booth, Ivan

    2006-01-01

    Slowly evolving horizons are trapping horizons that are ''almost'' isolated horizons. This paper reviews their definition and discusses several spacetimes containing such structures. These include certain Vaidya and Tolman-Bondi solutions as well as (perturbatively) tidally distorted black holes. Taking into account the mass scales and orders of magnitude that arise in these calculations, we conjecture that slowly evolving horizons are the norm rather than the exception in astrophysical processes that involve stellar-scale black holes

  15. Spiking Activity of a LIF Neuron in Distributed Delay Framework

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saket Kumar Choudhary

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Evolution of membrane potential and spiking activity for a single leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF neuron in distributed delay framework (DDF is investigated. DDF provides a mechanism to incorporate memory element in terms of delay (kernel function into a single neuron models. This investigation includes LIF neuron model with two different kinds of delay kernel functions, namely, gamma distributed delay kernel function and hypo-exponential distributed delay kernel function. Evolution of membrane potential for considered models is studied in terms of stationary state probability distribution (SPD. Stationary state probability distribution of membrane potential (SPDV for considered neuron models are found asymptotically similar which is Gaussian distributed. In order to investigate the effect of membrane potential delay, rate code scheme for neuronal information processing is applied. Firing rate and Fano-factor for considered neuron models are calculated and standard LIF model is used for comparative study. It is noticed that distributed delay increases the spiking activity of a neuron. Increase in spiking activity of neuron in DDF is larger for hypo-exponential distributed delay function than gamma distributed delay function. Moreover, in case of hypo-exponential delay function, a LIF neuron generates spikes with Fano-factor less than 1.

  16. Slowly braked, rotating neutron stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, H.

    1975-01-01

    A slowly braked, rotating neutron star is believed to be a star which rapidly rotates, has no nebula, is nonpulsing, and has a long initial braking time of ten thousand to a million years because of a low magnetic field. Such an object might be observable as an extended weak source of infrared or radio wave radiation due to the scattering of low-frequency strong-wave photons by accelerated electrons. If these objects exist abundantly in the Galaxy, they would act as sources of relatively low-energy cosmic rays. Pulsars (rapidly braked neutron stars) are shown to have difficulties in providing an adequate amount of cosmic-ray matter, making these new sources seem necessary. The possibility that the acceleration mechanism around a slowly braked star may be not a direct acceleration by the strong wave but an acceleration due to plasma turbulence excited by the strong wave is briefly explored. It is shown that white dwarfs may also be slowly braked stars with braking times longer than 3.15 million years.

  17. Time delay effects on large-scale MR damper based semi-active control strategies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cha, Y-J; Agrawal, A K; Dyke, S J

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a detailed investigation on the robustness of large-scale 200 kN MR damper based semi-active control strategies in the presence of time delays in the control system. Although the effects of time delay on stability and performance degradation of an actively controlled system have been investigated extensively by many researchers, degradation in the performance of semi-active systems due to time delay has yet to be investigated. Since semi-active systems are inherently stable, instability problems due to time delay are unlikely to arise. This paper investigates the effects of time delay on the performance of a building with a large-scale MR damper, using numerical simulations of near- and far-field earthquakes. The MR damper is considered to be controlled by four different semi-active control algorithms, namely (i) clipped-optimal control (COC), (ii) decentralized output feedback polynomial control (DOFPC), (iii) Lyapunov control, and (iv) simple-passive control (SPC). It is observed that all controllers except for the COC are significantly robust with respect to time delay. On the other hand, the clipped-optimal controller should be integrated with a compensator to improve the performance in the presence of time delay. (paper)

  18. Factors associated with delay in trauma team activation and impact on patient outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connolly, Rory; Woo, Michael Y; Lampron, Jacinthe; Perry, Jeffrey J

    2017-09-05

    Trauma code activation is initiated by emergency physicians using physiological and anatomical criteria, mechanism of injury, and patient demographic factors. Our objective was to identify factors associated with delayed trauma team activation. We assessed consecutive cases from a regional trauma database from January 2008 to March 2014. We defined a delay in trauma code activation as a time greater than 30 minutes from the time of arrival. We conducted univariate analysis for factors potentially influencing trauma team activation, and we subsequently used multiple logistic regression analysis models for delayed activation in relation to mortality, length of stay, and time to operative management. Patients totalling 846 were included for our analysis; 4.1% (35/846) of trauma codes were activated after 30 minutes. Mean age was 40.8 years in the early group versus 49.2 in the delayed group (p=0.01). Patients were over age 70 years in 7.6% in the early activation group versus 17.1% in the delayed group (p=0.04). There was no significant difference in sex, type of injury, injury severity, or time from injury between the two groups. There was no significant difference in mortality, median length of stay, or median time to operative management. Delayed activation is linked with increasing age with no clear link to increased mortality. Given the severe injuries in the delayed cohort that required activation of the trauma team, further emphasis on the older trauma patient and interventions to recognize this vulnerable population should be made.

  19. Slowly progressive fluent aphasia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Yasuhisa; Momose, Toshimitsu; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Ishikawa, Takashi; Iwata, Makoto; Bando, Mitsuaki.

    1991-01-01

    Three patients with slowly progressive fluent aphasia are reported. One of the patients presented with memory disturbance. They were characterized clinically by having selective deficits in vocabulary, which resulted in impairment of confrontation naming, and auditory comprehension. MRI showed an atrophy not only in the left temporal lobe (including the superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri), hippocampus, parahippocampual gyrus, and fusiform gyrus, but also in the left parietal lobe. I-123 IMP SPECT and F-18 FDG PET were used to determine regional cerebral blood flow and regional cerebral metabolic rate, respectively. In addition to the decreased tracer uptake in the left temporal and/or parietal lobe, a decreased uptake was seen in the bilateral basal ganglia, the inner side of the temporal lobe (including the bilateral hippocampus), the right anterior temporal lobe, and the left thalamus. These findings may deny the previous thought that lesions are localized in slowly progressive fluent aphasia. Furthermore, noticeable difficulty in naming, i.e., patients unable to recognize the right answer, are considered attributable to widespread lesions from the whole left temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, to the right temporal lobe. (N.K.)

  20. Crenelated fast oscillatory outputs of a two-delay electro-optic oscillator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weicker, Lionel; Erneux, Thomas; Jacquot, Maxime; Chembo, Yanne; Larger, Laurent

    2012-02-01

    An electro-optic oscillator subject to two distinct delayed feedbacks has been designed to develop pronounced broadband chaotic output. Its route to chaos starts with regular pulsating gigahertz oscillations that we investigate both experimentally and theoretically. Of particular physical interest are the transitions to various crenelated fast time-periodic oscillations, prior to the onset of chaotic regimes. The two-delay problem is described mathematically by two coupled delay-differential equations, which we analyze by using multiple-time-scale methods. We show that the interplay of a large delay and a relatively small delay is responsible for the onset of fast oscillations modulated by a slowly varying square-wave envelope. As the bifurcation parameter progressively increases, this envelope undergoes a sequence of bifurcations that corresponds to successive fixed points of a sine map.

  1. Constitutive activation of a slowly migrating isoform of Stat3 in mycosis fungoides: tyrphostin AG490 inhibits Stat3 activation and growth of mycosis fungoides tumor cell lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, M; Kaltoft, K; Nordahl, M

    1997-01-01

    . Jaks link cytokine receptors to Stats, and abnormal Jak/Stat signaling has been observed in some hemopoietic cancers. In MF tumor cells, a slowly migrating isoform of Stat3, Stat3(sm), was found to be constitutively activated, i.e., (i) Stat3(sm) was constitutively phosphorylated on tyrosine residues...... specific. Thus, neither the fast migrating isoform of Stat3 (Stat3(fm)) nor other Stats (Stat1, Stat2, and Stat4 through Stat6) were constitutively activated. The Jak kinase inhibitor, tyrphostin AG490, blocked the constitutive activation of Stat3(sm) and inhibited spontaneous as well as interleukin 2...

  2. Ginseng gintonin activates the human cardiac delayed rectifier K+ channel: involvement of Ca2+/calmodulin binding sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sun-Hye; Lee, Byung-Hwan; Kim, Hyeon-Joong; Jung, Seok-Won; Kim, Hyun-Sook; Shin, Ho-Chul; Lee, Jun-Hee; Kim, Hyoung-Chun; Rhim, Hyewhon; Hwang, Sung-Hee; Ha, Tal Soo; Kim, Hyun-Ji; Cho, Hana; Nah, Seung-Yeol

    2014-09-01

    Gintonin, a novel, ginseng-derived G protein-coupled lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand, elicits [Ca(2+)]i transients in neuronal and non-neuronal cells via pertussis toxin-sensitive and pertussis toxin-insensitive G proteins. The slowly activating delayed rectifier K(+) (I(Ks)) channel is a cardiac K(+) channel composed of KCNQ1 and KCNE1 subunits. The C terminus of the KCNQ1 channel protein has two calmodulin-binding sites that are involved in regulating I(Ks) channels. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of gintonin-mediated activation of human I(Ks) channel activity by expressing human I(Ks) channels in Xenopus oocytes. We found that gintonin enhances IKs channel currents in concentration- and voltage-dependent manners. The EC50 for the I(Ks) channel was 0.05 ± 0.01 μg/ml. Gintonin-mediated activation of the I(Ks) channels was blocked by an LPA1/3 receptor antagonist, an active phospholipase C inhibitor, an IP3 receptor antagonist, and the calcium chelator BAPTA. Gintonin-mediated activation of both the I(Ks) channel was also blocked by the calmodulin (CaM) blocker calmidazolium. Mutations in the KCNQ1 [Ca(2+)]i/CaM-binding IQ motif sites (S373P, W392R, or R539W)blocked the action of gintonin on I(Ks) channel. However, gintonin had no effect on hERG K(+) channel activity. These results show that gintonin-mediated enhancement of I(Ks) channel currents is achieved through binding of the [Ca(2+)]i/CaM complex to the C terminus of KCNQ1 subunit.

  3. Frontal eye field sends delay activity related to movement, memory, and vision to the superior colliculus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, M A; Wurtz, R H

    2001-04-01

    Many neurons within prefrontal cortex exhibit a tonic discharge between visual stimulation and motor response. This delay activity may contribute to movement, memory, and vision. We studied delay activity sent from the frontal eye field (FEF) in prefrontal cortex to the superior colliculus (SC). We evaluated whether this efferent delay activity was related to movement, memory, or vision, to establish its possible functions. Using antidromic stimulation, we identified 66 FEF neurons projecting to the SC and we recorded from them while monkeys performed a Go/Nogo task. Early in every trial, a monkey was instructed as to whether it would have to make a saccade (Go) or not (Nogo) to a target location, which permitted identification of delay activity related to movement. In half of the trials (memory trials), the target disappeared, which permitted identification of delay activity related to memory. In the remaining trials (visual trials), the target remained visible, which permitted identification of delay activity related to vision. We found that 77% (51/66) of the FEF output neurons had delay activity. In 53% (27/51) of these neurons, delay activity was modulated by Go/Nogo instructions. The modulation preceded saccades made into only part of the visual field, indicating that the modulation was movement-related. In some neurons, delay activity was modulated by Go/Nogo instructions in both memory and visual trials and seemed to represent where to move in general. In other neurons, delay activity was modulated by Go/Nogo instructions only in memory trials, which suggested that it was a correlate of working memory, or only in visual trials, which suggested that it was a correlate of visual attention. In 47% (24/51) of FEF output neurons, delay activity was unaffected by Go/Nogo instructions, which indicated that the activity was related to the visual stimulus. In some of these neurons, delay activity occurred in both memory and visual trials and seemed to represent a

  4. Activation delay-induced mechanical dyssynchrony in single-ventricle heart disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Forsha, Daniel; Risum, Niels; Barker, Piers

    2017-01-01

    We present the case of an infant with a single functional ventricle who developed ventricular dysfunction and heart failure due to an electrical activation delay and dyssynchrony. Earlier recognition of this potentially reversible aetiology may have changed her poor outcome.......We present the case of an infant with a single functional ventricle who developed ventricular dysfunction and heart failure due to an electrical activation delay and dyssynchrony. Earlier recognition of this potentially reversible aetiology may have changed her poor outcome....

  5. Bactericidal effects of antibiotics on slowly growing and nongrowing bacteria.

    OpenAIRE

    Eng, R H; Padberg, F T; Smith, S M; Tan, E N; Cherubin, C E

    1991-01-01

    Antimicrobial agents are most often tested against bacteria in the log phase of multiplication to produce the maximum bactericidal effect. In an infection, bacteria may multiply less optimally. We examined the effects of several classes of antimicrobial agents to determine their actions on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria during nongrowing and slowly growing phases. Only ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin exhibited bactericidal activity against nongrowing gram-negative bacteria, and no antib...

  6. Distributed optimisation problem with communication delay and external disturbance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Ngoc-Tu; Xiao, Jiang-Wen; Wang, Yan-Wu; Yang, Wu

    2017-12-01

    This paper investigates the distributed optimisation problem for the multi-agent systems (MASs) with the simultaneous presence of external disturbance and the communication delay. To solve this problem, a two-step design scheme is introduced. In the first step, based on the internal model principle, the internal model term is constructed to compensate the disturbance asymptotically. In the second step, a distributed optimisation algorithm is designed to solve the distributed optimisation problem based on the MASs with the simultaneous presence of disturbance and communication delay. Moreover, in the proposed algorithm, each agent interacts with its neighbours through the connected topology and the delay occurs during the information exchange. By utilising Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, the delay-dependent conditions are derived for both slowly and fast time-varying delay, respectively, to ensure the convergence of the algorithm to the optimal solution of the optimisation problem. Several numerical simulation examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

  7. Exploring the daily activities associated with delayed bedtime of Japanese university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asaoka, Shoichi; Komada, Yoko; Fukuda, Kazuhiko; Sugiura, Tatsuki; Inoue, Yuichi; Yamazaki, Katuo

    2010-07-01

    University students show delayed sleep-wake patterns, i.e., later bed- and rise-times, and this pattern is known to be associated with various malfunctions. There may be a variety of daily activities associated with their delayed sleep patterns, such as watching TV. However, it is unclear to what extent each activity possesses an impact on their sleep patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine the daily activities associated with delayed bedtime in Japanese university students who live with or without their families. Three hundred and thirty-one participants were required to record the timing and duration of their sleep and daily activities, and the data from the 275 students (160 men and 115 women; 19.01 +/- 1.66 years) who completely filled forms were used for analysis. The results of multiple regression analyses suggested that interpersonal communication late at night is one of the major factors leading to the delayed bedtime of students living away from home. Among those living with their families, indoor activities such as watching TV and using the Internet were related to their delayed bedtimes. Attending classes and having a morning meal were related to the earlier bedtimes of the students living away from home, but there were no activities associated with those of the students living with their families. These results suggest that ensuring attendance at morning classes and having appropriate mealtimes, as well as restricting the use of visual media and socializing activities at night, are necessary for preventing late bedtimes in university students.

  8. Electrical Activity in a Time-Delay Four-Variable Neuron Model under Electromagnetic Induction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keming Tang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available To investigate the effect of electromagnetic induction on the electrical activity of neuron, the variable for magnetic flow is used to improve Hindmarsh–Rose neuron model. Simultaneously, due to the existence of time-delay when signals are propagated between neurons or even in one neuron, it is important to study the role of time-delay in regulating the electrical activity of the neuron. For this end, a four-variable neuron model is proposed to investigate the effects of electromagnetic induction and time-delay. Simulation results suggest that the proposed neuron model can show multiple modes of electrical activity, which is dependent on the time-delay and external forcing current. It means that suitable discharge mode can be obtained by selecting the time-delay or external forcing current, which could be helpful for further investigation of electromagnetic radiation on biological neuronal system.

  9. Pseudotumoral delayed cerebral radionecrosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ciaudo-Lacroix, C.; Lapresle, J.

    1985-01-01

    A 60 year-old woman with a scalp epithelioma underwent radiotherapy, the dose being 57 Gray. A first epileptic seizure occurred twenty months later. Neurological examination revealed signs of left hemisphere involvement. γEG, angiography, CT scans, demonstrated a pseudotumoral avascular process. On account of the localisation, the patient being right-handed, no surgical procedure was performed. In spite of corticotherapy and anticonvulsive treatment, seizures recurred and neurological signs slowly progressed. The patient died, 22 months after the first seizure, of an associated disseminated carcinoma with cachexia. Neuropathological examination showed a massive lesion presenting all the features of delayed radionecrosis in the left hemisphere: situated mainly in the white matter; numerous vascular abnormalities; wide-spread demyelination; disappearance of oligoglial cells. The Authors recall the clinical and anatomical aspects of this condition for which the only successful treatment is surgical removal when location and size of the lesion permit. Finally, the mechanisms which have been proposed to explain this delayed cerebral radionecrosis are discussed [fr

  10. Pseudotumoral delayed cerebral radionecrosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ciaudo-Lacroix, C; Lapresle, J [Centre Hospitalier de Bicetre, 94 - Le Kremlin-Bicetre (France)

    1985-01-01

    A 60 year-old woman with a scalp epithelioma underwent radiotherapy, the dose being 57 Gray. A first epileptic seizure occurred twenty months later. Neurological examination revealed signs of left hemisphere involvement. ..gamma..EG, angiography, CT scans, demonstrated a pseudotumoral avascular process. On account of the localisation, the patient being right-handed, no surgical procedure was performed. In spite of corticotherapy and anticonvulsive treatment, seizures recurred and neurological signs slowly progressed. The patient died, 22 months after the first seizure, of an associated disseminated carcinoma with cachexia. Neuropathological examination showed a massive lesion presenting all the features of delayed radionecrosis in the left hemisphere: situated mainly in the white matter; numerous vascular abnormalities; wide-spread demyelination; disappearance of oligoglial cells. The Authors recall the clinical and anatomical aspects of this condition for which the only successful treatment is surgical removal when location and size of the lesion permit. Finally, the mechanisms which have been proposed to explain this delayed cerebral radionecrosis are discussed.

  11. Quantitative analysis of the Ca2+ -dependent regulation of delayed rectifier K+ current IKs in rabbit ventricular myocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartos, Daniel C; Morotti, Stefano; Ginsburg, Kenneth S; Grandi, Eleonora; Bers, Donald M

    2017-04-01

    [Ca 2+ ] i enhanced rabbit ventricular slowly activating delayed rectifier K + current (I Ks ) by negatively shifting the voltage dependence of activation and slowing deactivation, similar to perfusion of isoproterenol. Rabbit ventricular rapidly activating delayed rectifier K + current (I Kr ) amplitude and voltage dependence were unaffected by high [Ca 2+ ] i . When measuring or simulating I Ks during an action potential, I Ks was not different during a physiological Ca 2+ transient or when [Ca 2+ ] i was buffered to 500 nm. The slowly activating delayed rectifier K + current (I Ks ) contributes to repolarization of the cardiac action potential (AP). Intracellular Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) and β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation modulate I Ks amplitude and kinetics, but details of these important I Ks regulators and their interaction are limited. We assessed the [Ca 2+ ] i dependence of I Ks in steady-state conditions and with dynamically changing membrane potential and [Ca 2+ ] i during an AP. I Ks was recorded from freshly isolated rabbit ventricular myocytes using whole-cell patch clamp. With intracellular pipette solutions that controlled free [Ca 2+ ] i , we found that raising [Ca 2+ ] i from 100 to 600 nm produced similar increases in I Ks as did β-AR activation, and the effects appeared additive. Both β-AR activation and high [Ca 2+ ] i increased maximally activated tail I Ks , negatively shifted the voltage dependence of activation, and slowed deactivation kinetics. These data informed changes in our well-established mathematical model of the rabbit myocyte. In both AP-clamp experiments and simulations, I Ks recorded during a normal physiological Ca 2+ transient was similar to I Ks measured with [Ca 2+ ] i clamped at 500-600 nm. Thus, our study provides novel quantitative data as to how physiological [Ca 2+ ] i regulates I Ks amplitude and kinetics during the normal rabbit AP. Our results suggest that micromolar [Ca 2+ ] i , in the submembrane or

  12. Functions of delay-period activity in the prefrontal cortex and mnemonic scotomas revisited

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shintaro eFunahashi

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Working memory is one of key concepts to understand functions of the prefrontal cortex. Delay-period activity is an important neural correlate to understand the role of working memory in prefrontal functions. The importance of delay-period activity is that this activity can encode not only visuospatial information but also a variety of information including non-spatial visual features, auditory and tactile stimuli, task rules, expected reward, and numerical quantity. This activity also participates in a variety of information processing including sensory-to-motor information transformation. These mnemonic features of delay-period activity enable to perform various important operations that the prefrontal cortex participates in, such as executive controls, and therefore, support the notion that working memory is an important function to understand prefrontal functions. On the other hand, although experiments using manual versions of the delayed-response task had revealed many important findings, an oculomotor version of this task enabled us to use multiple cue positions, exclude postural orientation during the delay period, and further prove the importance of mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex. In addition, monkeys with unilateral lesions exhibited specific impairment only in the performance of memory-guided saccades directed toward visual cues in the visual field contralateral to the lesioned hemisphere. This result indicates that memories for visuospatial coordinates in each hemifield are processed primarily in the contralateral prefrontal cortex. This result further strengthened the idea of mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex. Thus, the mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex and delay-period activity may not need to be reconsidered, but should be emphasized.

  13. In vitro batch fecal fermentation comparison of gas and short-chain fatty acid production using "slowly fermentable" dietary fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Amandeep; Rose, Devin J; Rumpagaporn, Pinthip; Patterson, John A; Hamaker, Bruce R

    2011-01-01

    Sustained colonic fermentation supplies beneficial fermentative by-products to the distal colon, which is particularly prone to intestinal ailments. Blunted/delayed initial fermentation may also lead to less bloating. Previously, we reported that starch-entrapped alginate-based microspheres act as a slowly fermenting dietary fiber. This material was used in the present study to provide a benchmark to compare to other "slowly fermentable" fibers. Dietary fibers with previous reports of slow fermentation, namely, long-chain inulin, psyllium, alkali-soluble corn bran arabinoxylan, and long-chain β-glucan, as well as starch-entrapped microspheres were subjected to in vitro upper gastrointestinal digestion and human fecal fermentation and measured over 48 h for pH, gas, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). The resistant fraction of cooked and cooled potato starch was used as another form of fermentable starch and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) served as a fast fermenting control. Corn bran arabinoxylan and long-chain β-glucan initially appeared slower fermenting with comparatively low gas and SCFA production, but later fermented rapidly with little remaining in the final half of the fermentation period. Long-chain inulin and psyllium had slow and moderate, but incomplete, fermentation. The resistant fraction of cooked and cooled potato starch fermented rapidly and appeared similar to FOS. In conclusion, compared to the benchmark slowly fermentable starch-entrapped microspheres, a number of the purported slowly fermentable fibers fermented fairly rapidly overall and, of this group, only the starch-entrapped microspheres appreciably fermented in the second half of the fermentation period. Consumption of dietary fibers, particularly commercial prebiotics, leads to uncomfortable feelings of bloating and flatulence due to their rapid degradation in our large intestine. This article employs claimed potential slowly fermenting fibers and compares their fermentation rates

  14. Quantitative analysis of the Ca2+‐dependent regulation of delayed rectifier K+ current I Ks in rabbit ventricular myocytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartos, Daniel C.; Morotti, Stefano; Ginsburg, Kenneth S.; Grandi, Eleonora

    2017-01-01

    Key points [Ca2+]i enhanced rabbit ventricular slowly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (I Ks) by negatively shifting the voltage dependence of activation and slowing deactivation, similar to perfusion of isoproterenol.Rabbit ventricular rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (I Kr) amplitude and voltage dependence were unaffected by high [Ca2+]i.When measuring or simulating I Ks during an action potential, I Ks was not different during a physiological Ca2+ transient or when [Ca2+]i was buffered to 500 nm. Abstract The slowly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (I Ks) contributes to repolarization of the cardiac action potential (AP). Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and β‐adrenergic receptor (β‐AR) stimulation modulate I Ks amplitude and kinetics, but details of these important I Ks regulators and their interaction are limited. We assessed the [Ca2+]i dependence of I Ks in steady‐state conditions and with dynamically changing membrane potential and [Ca2+]i during an AP. I Ks was recorded from freshly isolated rabbit ventricular myocytes using whole‐cell patch clamp. With intracellular pipette solutions that controlled free [Ca2+]i, we found that raising [Ca2+]i from 100 to 600 nm produced similar increases in I Ks as did β‐AR activation, and the effects appeared additive. Both β‐AR activation and high [Ca2+]i increased maximally activated tail I Ks, negatively shifted the voltage dependence of activation, and slowed deactivation kinetics. These data informed changes in our well‐established mathematical model of the rabbit myocyte. In both AP‐clamp experiments and simulations, I Ks recorded during a normal physiological Ca2+ transient was similar to I Ks measured with [Ca2+]i clamped at 500–600 nm. Thus, our study provides novel quantitative data as to how physiological [Ca2+]i regulates I Ks amplitude and kinetics during the normal rabbit AP. Our results suggest that micromolar [Ca2+]i, in the submembrane or junctional cleft

  15. Synchronization of Different Fractional Order Time-Delay Chaotic Systems Using Active Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianeng Tang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Chaos synchronization of different fractional order time-delay chaotic systems is considered. Based on the Laplace transform theory, the conditions for achieving synchronization of different fractional order time-delay chaotic systems are analyzed by use of active control technique. Then numerical simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the developed method. At last, effects of the fraction order and the time delay on synchronization are further researched.

  16. Time delay between cardiac and brain activity during sleep transitions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Long, X.; Arends, J.B.A.M.; Aarts, R.M.; Haakma, R.; Fonseca, P.; Rolink, J.

    2015-01-01

    Human sleep consists of wake, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and non-REM (NREM) sleep that includes light and deep sleep stages. This work investigated the time delay between changes of cardiac and brain activity for sleep transitions. Here, the brain activity was quantified by

  17. Calibration of the delayed-gamma neutron activation facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, R.; Zhao, X.; Rarback, H.M.; Yasumura, S.; Dilmanian, F.A.; Moore, R.I.; Lo Monte, A.F.; Vodopia, K.A.; Liu, H.B.; Economos, C.D.; Nelson, M.E.; Aloia, J.F.; Vaswani, A.N.; Weber, D.A.; Pierson, R.N. Jr.; Joel, D.D.

    1996-01-01

    The delayed-gamma neutron activation facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory was originally calibrated using an anthropomorphic hollow phantom filled with solutions containing predetermined amounts of Ca. However, 99% of the total Ca in the human body is not homogeneously distributed but contained within the skeleton. Recently, an artificial skeleton was designed, constructed, and placed in a bottle phantom to better represent the Ca distribution in the human body. Neutron activation measurements of an anthropomorphic and a bottle (with no skeleton) phantom demonstrate that the difference in size and shape between the two phantoms changes the total body calcium results by less than 1%. To test the artificial skeleton, two small polyethylene jerry-can phantoms were made, one with a femur from a cadaver and one with an artificial bone in exactly the same geometry. The femur was ashed following the neutron activation measurements for chemical analysis of Ca. Results indicate that the artificial bone closely simulates the real bone in neutron activation analysis and provides accurate calibration for Ca measurements. Therefore, the calibration of the delayed-gamma neutron activation system is now based on the new bottle phantom containing an artificial skeleton. This change has improved the accuracy of measurement for total body calcium. Also, the simple geometry of this phantom and the artificial skeleton allows us to simulate the neutron activation process using a Monte Carlo code, which enables us to calibrate the system for human subjects larger and smaller than the phantoms used as standards. copyright 1996 American Association of Physicists in Medicine

  18. Perturbation methods and the Melnikov functions for slowly varying oscillators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lakrad, Faouzi; Charafi, Moulay Mustapha

    2005-01-01

    A new approach to obtaining the Melnikov function for homoclinic orbits in slowly varying oscillators is proposed. The present method applies the Lindstedt-Poincare method to determine an approximation of homoclinic solutions. It is shown that the resultant Melnikov condition is the same as that obtained in the usual way involving distance functions in three dimensions by Wiggins and Holmes [Homoclinic orbits in slowly varying oscillators. SIAM J Math Anal 1987;18(3):612

  19. Thin accretion disk signatures of slowly rotating black holes in Horava gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harko, Tiberiu; Kovacs, Zoltan; Lobo, Francisco S N

    2011-01-01

    In this work, we consider the possibility of observationally testing Horava gravity by using the accretion disk properties around slowly rotating black holes of the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) solution in asymptotically flat spacetimes. The energy flux, temperature distribution, the emission spectrum as well as the energy conversion efficiency are obtained, and compared to the standard slowly rotating general relativistic Kerr solution. Comparing the mass accretion in a slowly rotating KS geometry in Horava gravity with the one of a slowly rotating Kerr black hole, we verify that the intensity of the flux emerging from the disk surface is greater for the slowly rotating Kehagias-Sfetsos solution than for rotating black holes with the same geometrical mass and accretion rate. We also present the conversion efficiency of the accreting mass into radiation, and show that the rotating KS solution provides a much more efficient engine for the transformation of the accreting mass into radiation than the Kerr black holes. Thus, distinct signatures appear in the electromagnetic spectrum, leading to the possibility of directly testing Horava gravity models by using astrophysical observations of the emission spectra from accretion disks.

  20. Thin accretion disk signatures of slowly rotating black holes in Horava gravity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harko, Tiberiu; Kovacs, Zoltan [Department of Physics and Center for Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road (Hong Kong); Lobo, Francisco S N, E-mail: harko@hkucc.hku.hk, E-mail: zkovacs@hku.hk, E-mail: flobo@cii.fc.ul.pt [Centro de Astronomia e Astrofisica da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Ed. C8 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal)

    2011-08-21

    In this work, we consider the possibility of observationally testing Horava gravity by using the accretion disk properties around slowly rotating black holes of the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) solution in asymptotically flat spacetimes. The energy flux, temperature distribution, the emission spectrum as well as the energy conversion efficiency are obtained, and compared to the standard slowly rotating general relativistic Kerr solution. Comparing the mass accretion in a slowly rotating KS geometry in Horava gravity with the one of a slowly rotating Kerr black hole, we verify that the intensity of the flux emerging from the disk surface is greater for the slowly rotating Kehagias-Sfetsos solution than for rotating black holes with the same geometrical mass and accretion rate. We also present the conversion efficiency of the accreting mass into radiation, and show that the rotating KS solution provides a much more efficient engine for the transformation of the accreting mass into radiation than the Kerr black holes. Thus, distinct signatures appear in the electromagnetic spectrum, leading to the possibility of directly testing Horava gravity models by using astrophysical observations of the emission spectra from accretion disks.

  1. Boundary layer phenomena for differential-delay equations with state-dependent time lags: III

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallet-Paret, John; Nussbaum, Roger D.

    We consider a class of singularly perturbed delay-differential equations of the form ɛ ẋ(t)=f(x(t),x(t-r)), where r= r( x( t)) is a state-dependent delay. We study the asymptotic shape, as ɛ→0, of slowly oscillating periodic solutions. In particular, we show that the limiting shape of such solutions can be explicitly described by the solution of a pair of so-called max-plus equations. We are able thereby to characterize both the regular parts of the solution graph and the internal transition layers arising from the singular perturbation structure.

  2. Urocortin2 prolongs action potential duration and modulates potassium currents in guinea pig myocytes and HEK293 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Li-Zhen; Zhu, Yi-Chun

    2015-07-05

    We previously reported that activation of corticotropin releasing factor receptor type 2 by urocortin2 up-regulates both L-type Ca(2+) channels and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in ventricular myocytes and plays an important role in cardiac contractility and arrhythmogenesis. This study goal was to further test the hypothesis that urocortin2 may modulate action potentials as well as rapidly and slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium currents. With whole cell patch-clamp techniques, action potentials and slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium currents were recorded in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes, respectively. And rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium currents were tested in hERG-HEK293 cells. Urocortin2 produced a time- and concentration-dependent prolongation of action potential duration. The EC50 values of action potential duration and action potential duration at 90% of repolarization were 14.73 and 24.3nM respectively. The prolongation of action potential duration of urocortin2 was almost completely or partly abolished by H-89 (protein kinase A inhibitor) or KB-R7943 (Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange inhibitor) pretreatment respectively. And urocortin2 caused reduction of rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium currents in hERG-HEK293 cells. In addition, urocortin2 slowed the rate of slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium channel activation, and rightward shifted the threshold of slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium currents to more positive potentials. Urocortin2 prolonged action potential duration via activation of protein kinase A and Na(+)/ Ca(2+) exchange in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes in a time- and concentration- dependent manner. In hERG-HEK293 cells, urocortin2 reduced rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current density which may contribute to action potential duration prolongation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Projective Synchronization in Modulated Time-Delayed Chaotic Systems Using an Active Control Approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Cun-Fang; Wang Ying-Hai

    2011-01-01

    Projective synchronization in modulated time-delayed systems is studied by applying an active control method. Based on the Lyapunov asymptotical stability theorem, the controller and sufficient condition for projective synchronization are calculated analytically. We give a general method with which we can achieve projective synchronization in modulated time-delayed chaotic systems. This method allows us to adjust the desired scaling factor arbitrarily. The effectiveness of our method is confirmed by using the famous delay-differential equations related to optical bistable or hybrid optical bistable devices. Numerical simulations fully support the analytical approach. (general)

  4. [Clinico-psychological features of patients with favorable outcomes of slowly-progressive juvenile schizophrenia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsutsul'kovskaia, M Ia; Bil'zho, A G; Kritskaia, V P; Meleshko, T K

    1986-01-01

    A follow-up study of patients with favourable outcomes of juvenile slowly progressing schizophrenia at the level of clinical cure (n = 84) revealed a number of clinical characteristics in the pattern of personality changes which correlated with a high level of the patients' social and occupational adaptation. The authors also determined external factors contributing to the achievement and stabilization of the "clinical cure" status. An experimental and psychological examination of these patients revealed finer mechanisms contributing to their social adaptation. These are high motivation of activities, compliance with social norms, a high level of voluntary regulation of activity and self-regulation, as well as the ability to overcome autistic trends in situations of interpersonal activities and cooperation.

  5. Detection of active bile leak with Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MR cholangiography: Comparison of 20–25 min delayed and 60–180 min delayed images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cieszanowski, Andrzej; Stadnik, Anna; Lezak, Aleksandra; Maj, Edyta; Zieniewicz, Krzysztof; Rowinska-Berman, Katarzyna; Grudzinski, Ireneusz P.; Krawczyk, Marek; Rowiński, Olgierd

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the value of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) performed in different time delays after injection of gadoxetic acid disodium (Gd-EOB-DTPA) for the diagnosis of active bile leak. Methods: This retrospective analysis included Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MR images of 34 patients suspected of bile leak. Images were acquired 20–25 min after Gd-EOB-DTPA injection. If there was inadequate contrast in the bile ducts then delayed images after 60–90 min and 150–180 min were obtained. Results were correlated with intraoperative findings, ERCP results, clinical data, laboratory tests, and follow-up examinations. Results: Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRC yielded an overall sensitivity of 96.4%, specificity of 100% and accuracy of 97.1% for the diagnosis of an active bile leak. The sensitivity of 20–25 min delayed MR images was 42.9%, of combined 20–25 min and 60–90 min delayed images was 92.9% and of combined 20–25 min, 60–90 min and 150–180 min delayed images was 96.4%. Conclusions: Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRC utilizing delayed phase images was effective for detecting the presence and location of active bile leaks. The images acquired 60–180 min post-injection enabled identification of bile leaks even in patients with a dilated biliary system or moderate liver dysfunction

  6. An electronic implementation for Liao's chaotic delayed neuron model with non-monotonous activation function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duan Shukai; Liao Xiaofeng

    2007-01-01

    A new chaotic delayed neuron model with non-monotonously increasing transfer function, called as chaotic Liao's delayed neuron model, was recently reported and analyzed. An electronic implementation of this model is described in detail. At the same time, some methods in circuit design, especially for circuit with time delayed unit and non-monotonously increasing activation unit, are also considered carefully. We find that the dynamical behaviors of the designed circuits are closely similar to the results predicted by numerical experiments

  7. Clinical and radiological aspects of limited forms of infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis and slowly resolving pneumonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caraiani, Olga; Lesnic, Evelina; Niguleanu, Adriana; Niguleanu, Radu

    2016-01-01

    Despite of a clearly defined diagnostic algorithm of pulmonary tuberculosis, low sensibility of contemporary laboratory methods in limited forms of pulmonary tuberculosis contributes to a difficult differential diagnosis with community acquired pneumonia, especially with slowly resolving pneumonia. A case-control, prospective, selective, comparative and descriptive study was performed using a group of 180 patients, divided into two samples: I group - 125 cases with limited form of pulmonary infiltrative tuberculosis; II group - 55 cases with slowly resolving community-acquired pneumonia. The findings identified the prevalence of intoxication syndrome in the slowly resolving pneumonia sample. Lung destructions and bronchogenous dissemination was identified only in the tuberculosis sample. A higher impact of comorbidities and old age was more relevant in slowly resolving pneumonia sample. Clinical and radiological improvement was established in most patients of both groups, but the considerable resorption of lung infiltrates predominated in slowly resolving pneumonia sample. (authors)

  8. Chronic Alcohol Ingestion Delays T Cell Activation and Effector Function in Sepsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margoles, Lindsay M; Mittal, Rohit; Klingensmith, Nathan J; Lyons, John D; Liang, Zhe; Serbanescu, Mara A; Wagener, Maylene E; Coopersmith, Craig M; Ford, Mandy L

    2016-01-01

    Sepsis is the leading cause of death in intensive care units in the US, and it is known that chronic alcohol use is associated with higher incidence of sepsis, longer ICU stays, and higher mortality from sepsis. Both sepsis and chronic alcohol use are associated with immune deficits such as decreased lymphocyte numbers, impaired innate immunity, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions, and susceptibility to infections; however, understanding of specific pathways of interaction or synergy between these two states of immune dysregulation is lacking. This study therefore sought to elucidate mechanisms underlying the immune dysregulation observed during sepsis in the setting of chronic alcohol exposure. Using a murine model of chronic ethanol ingestion followed by sepsis induction via cecal ligation and puncture, we determined that while CD4+ and CD8+ T cells isolated from alcohol fed mice eventually expressed the same cellular activation markers (CD44, CD69, and CD43) and effector molecules (IFN-γ, TNF) as their water fed counterparts, there was an overall delay in the acquisition of these phenotypes. This early lag in T cell activation was associated with significantly reduced IL-2 production at a later timepoint in both the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments in alcohol sepsis, as well as with a reduced accumulation of CD8dim activated effectors. Taken together, these data suggest that delayed T cell activation may result in qualitative differences in the immune response to sepsis in the setting of chronic alcohol ingestion.

  9. Effects of Noise and Time Delay Upon Active Control of Combustion Instabilities

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Zinn, Ben

    2001-01-01

    To improve the performance of practical active control system (ACS) for unstable combustors, the effects of system noise and ACS time delay upon combustion instabilities and the ACS performance were studied...

  10. The effects of physical activity on impulsive choice: Influence of sensitivity to reinforcement amount and delay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland, Justin C; Feinstein, Max A; Lacy, Ryan T; Smith, Mark A

    2016-05-01

    Impulsive choice is a diagnostic feature and/or complicating factor for several psychological disorders and may be examined in the laboratory using delay-discounting procedures. Recent investigators have proposed using quantitative measures of analysis to examine the behavioral processes contributing to impulsive choice. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity (i.e., wheel running) on impulsive choice in a single-response, discrete-trial procedure using two quantitative methods of analysis. To this end, rats were assigned to physical activity or sedentary groups and trained to respond in a delay-discounting procedure. In this procedure, one lever always produced one food pellet immediately, whereas a second lever produced three food pellets after a 0, 10, 20, 40, or 80-s delay. Estimates of sensitivity to reinforcement amount and sensitivity to reinforcement delay were determined using (1) a simple linear analysis and (2) an analysis of logarithmically transformed response ratios. Both analyses revealed that physical activity decreased sensitivity to reinforcement amount and sensitivity to reinforcement delay. These findings indicate that (1) physical activity has significant but functionally opposing effects on the behavioral processes that contribute to impulsive choice and (2) both quantitative methods of analysis are appropriate for use in single-response, discrete-trial procedures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Nucleolar re-activation is delayed in mouse embryos cloned from two different cell lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svarcova, Olga; Dinnyes, A.; Polgar, Z.

    2009-01-01

    displayed early NPBs transformation. In conclusion, despite normal onset of EGA in cloned embryos, activation of functional nucleoli was one cell cycle delayed in NT embryos. NT-MEF embryos displayed normal targeting but delayed activation of nucleolar proteins. Contrary, in NT-HM1 embryos, both......Aim of this study was to evaluate and compare embryonic genome activation (EGA) in mouse embryos of different origin using nucleolus as a marker. Early and late 2-cell and late 4-cell stage embryos, prepared by in vitro fertilization (IVF), parthenogenetic activation (PG), and nuclear transfer...... ofmouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) and mouse HM1 emryonic stem cells (HM1), were processed for autoradiography following 3H-uridine incubation (transcriptional activity), transmission electron microscopy (ultrastructure) and immunofluorescence (nucleolar proteins; upstream binding factor, UBF...

  12. Soliton-effect generation of Raman pulses in optical fibers with slowly decreasing dispersion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenhua Cao; Youwei Zhang

    1995-01-01

    We suggested that single-mode fibers with slowly decreasing dispersion (FSDD) should be used for the generation of tunable ultrashort RAman pulses. A mathematical model is obtained for the description of ultrafast stimulated Raman scattering in optical fibers with slowly decreasing dispersion. Numerical simulations show that, under identical pump conditions, Raman pulse generated from this kind of fiber is shorter with a higher peak power than that generated from conventional fibers. This means that the Raman threshold of fibers with slowly decreasing dispersion may be lower than that of conventional fibers. Given pump conditions, we found that the highest peak power and narrowest width of the Raman pulse correspond to an optimal decrement velocity of the fiber dispersion

  13. Management of Recurrent Delayed Neurologic Deficit After Thoracoabdominal Aortic Operation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boutrous, Mina L; Afifi, Rana O; Safi, Hazim J; Estrera, Anthony L

    2016-01-01

    Delayed neurologic deficit (DND) is a devastating adverse event after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Multiple adjuncts have been devised to counteract the development of DND, most notably cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. We report a case of a 63-year-old woman in whom DND developed four times during the first 10 days after her thoracoabdominal aortic operation. This necessitated lumbar drain "weaning" to allow for a slowly rising CSF pressure and preservation of lower extremity motor function. Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Chronic Alcohol Ingestion Delays T Cell Activation and Effector Function in Sepsis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lindsay M Margoles

    Full Text Available Sepsis is the leading cause of death in intensive care units in the US, and it is known that chronic alcohol use is associated with higher incidence of sepsis, longer ICU stays, and higher mortality from sepsis. Both sepsis and chronic alcohol use are associated with immune deficits such as decreased lymphocyte numbers, impaired innate immunity, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions, and susceptibility to infections; however, understanding of specific pathways of interaction or synergy between these two states of immune dysregulation is lacking. This study therefore sought to elucidate mechanisms underlying the immune dysregulation observed during sepsis in the setting of chronic alcohol exposure. Using a murine model of chronic ethanol ingestion followed by sepsis induction via cecal ligation and puncture, we determined that while CD4+ and CD8+ T cells isolated from alcohol fed mice eventually expressed the same cellular activation markers (CD44, CD69, and CD43 and effector molecules (IFN-γ, TNF as their water fed counterparts, there was an overall delay in the acquisition of these phenotypes. This early lag in T cell activation was associated with significantly reduced IL-2 production at a later timepoint in both the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments in alcohol sepsis, as well as with a reduced accumulation of CD8dim activated effectors. Taken together, these data suggest that delayed T cell activation may result in qualitative differences in the immune response to sepsis in the setting of chronic alcohol ingestion.

  15. Detection of active intraabdominal hemorrhage after blunt trauma: value of delayed CT scanning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sivit, C.J. [Department of Radiology, Rainbow Babies and Children' s Hospital of the University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH (United States)

    2000-02-01

    Active hemorrhage is a rare finding at CT following blunt abdominal trauma. The time interval between IV contrast administration and scanning the abdomen may impact on the ability to visualize active hemorrhage at CT. We report a case of active hemorrhage associated with splenic injury that was identified only at delayed CT scanning. (orig.)

  16. Detection of active intraabdominal hemorrhage after blunt trauma: value of delayed CT scanning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sivit, C.J.

    2000-01-01

    Active hemorrhage is a rare finding at CT following blunt abdominal trauma. The time interval between IV contrast administration and scanning the abdomen may impact on the ability to visualize active hemorrhage at CT. We report a case of active hemorrhage associated with splenic injury that was identified only at delayed CT scanning. (orig.)

  17. Analytical determination of the bifurcation thresholds in stochastic differential equations with delayed feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudreault, Mathieu; Drolet, François; Viñals, Jorge

    2010-11-01

    Analytical expressions for pitchfork and Hopf bifurcation thresholds are given for a nonlinear stochastic differential delay equation with feedback. Our results assume that the delay time τ is small compared to other characteristic time scales, not a significant limitation close to the bifurcation line. A pitchfork bifurcation line is found, the location of which depends on the conditional average , where x(t) is the dynamical variable. This conditional probability incorporates the combined effect of fluctuation correlations and delayed feedback. We also find a Hopf bifurcation line which is obtained by a multiple scale expansion around the oscillatory solution near threshold. We solve the Fokker-Planck equation associated with the slowly varying amplitudes and use it to determine the threshold location. In both cases, the predicted bifurcation lines are in excellent agreement with a direct numerical integration of the governing equations. Contrary to the known case involving no delayed feedback, we show that the stochastic bifurcation lines are shifted relative to the deterministic limit and hence that the interaction between fluctuation correlations and delay affect the stability of the solutions of the model equation studied.

  18. Osteopontin deficiency delays inflammatory infiltration and the onset of muscle regeneration in a mouse model of muscle injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kitipong Uaesoontrachoon

    2013-01-01

    Osteopontin is secreted by skeletal muscle myoblasts and stimulates their proliferation. Expression of osteopontin in skeletal muscle is upregulated in pathological conditions including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and recent evidence suggests that osteopontin might influence the course of this disease. The current study was undertaken to determine whether osteopontin regulates skeletal muscle regeneration. A whole muscle autografting model of regeneration in osteopontin-null and wild-type mice was used. Osteopontin expression was found to be strongly upregulated in wild-type grafts during the initial degeneration and subsequent early regeneration phases that are observed in this model. Grafted muscle from osteopontin-null mice degenerated more slowly than that of wild-type mice, as determined by histological assessment, fibre diameter and fibre number. The delayed degeneration in osteopontin-null grafts was associated with a delay in neutrophil and macrophage infiltration. Centrally nucleated (regenerating muscle fibres also appeared more slowly in osteopontin-null grafts than in wild-type grafts. These results demonstrate that osteopontin plays a non-redundant role in muscle remodelling following injury.

  19. Slowly Digestible Carbohydrate for Balanced Energy: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vishnupriya Gourineni

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available There is growing interest among consumers in foods for sustained energy management, and an increasing number of ingredients are emerging to address this demand. The SUSTRA™ 2434 slowly digestible carbohydrate is a blend of tapioca flour and corn starch, with the potential to provide balanced energy after a meal. The aim of the study was to characterize this starch’s digestion profile in vitro (modified Englyst assay and in vivo (intact and cecectomized rooster study, and to determine its effects on available energy, by measuring post-prandial glycemia in healthy adults (n = 14, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, with two food forms: cold-pressed bar and pudding. The in vitro starch digestion yielded a high slowly digestible fraction (51% compared to maltodextrin (9%. In the rooster digestibility model, the starch was highly digestible (94%. Consumption of slowly digestible starch (SDS, in an instant pudding or bar, yielded a significantly lower glycemic index compared to a control. At individual time points, the SDS bar and pudding yielded blood glucose levels with significantly lower values at 30–60 min and significantly higher values at 120–240 min, demonstrating a balanced energy release. This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the physiological responses to slowly digestible starch (tapioca and corn blend in in vitro and in vivo studies.

  20. Slowly Digestible Carbohydrate for Balanced Energy: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gourineni, Vishnupriya; Stewart, Maria L.; Skorge, Rob; Sekula, Bernard C.

    2017-01-01

    There is growing interest among consumers in foods for sustained energy management, and an increasing number of ingredients are emerging to address this demand. The SUSTRA™ 2434 slowly digestible carbohydrate is a blend of tapioca flour and corn starch, with the potential to provide balanced energy after a meal. The aim of the study was to characterize this starch’s digestion profile in vitro (modified Englyst assay) and in vivo (intact and cecectomized rooster study), and to determine its effects on available energy, by measuring post-prandial glycemia in healthy adults (n = 14), in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, with two food forms: cold-pressed bar and pudding. The in vitro starch digestion yielded a high slowly digestible fraction (51%) compared to maltodextrin (9%). In the rooster digestibility model, the starch was highly digestible (94%). Consumption of slowly digestible starch (SDS), in an instant pudding or bar, yielded a significantly lower glycemic index compared to a control. At individual time points, the SDS bar and pudding yielded blood glucose levels with significantly lower values at 30–60 min and significantly higher values at 120–240 min, demonstrating a balanced energy release. This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the physiological responses to slowly digestible starch (tapioca and corn blend) in in vitro and in vivo studies. PMID:29125542

  1. Slowly biodegradable organic compounds impact the biostability of non-chlorinated drinking water produced from surface water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hijnen, W A M; Schurer, R; Bahlman, J A; Ketelaars, H A M; Italiaander, R; van der Wal, A; van der Wielen, P W J J

    2018-02-01

    It is possible to distribute drinking water without a disinfectant residual when the treated water is biologically stable. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of easily and slowly biodegradable compounds on the biostability of the drinking water at three full-scale production plants which use the same surface water, and on the regrowth conditions in the related distribution systems. Easily biodegradable compounds in the drinking water were determined with AOC-P17/Nox during 2012-2015. Slowly biodegradable organic compounds measured as particulate and/or high-molecular organic carbon (PHMOC), were monitored at the inlet and after the different treatment stages of the three treatments during the same period. The results show that PHMOC (300-470 μg C L -1 ) was approximately 10% of the TOC in the surface water and was removed to 50-100 μg C L -1 . The PHMOC in the water consisted of 40-60% of carbohydrates and 10% of proteins. A significant and strong positive correlation was observed for PHMOC concentrations and two recently introduced bioassay methods for slowly biodegradable compounds (AOC-A3 and biomass production potential, BPC 14 ). Moreover, these three parameters in the biological active carbon effluent (BACF) of the three plants showed a positive correlation with regrowth in the drinking water distribution system, which was assessed with Aeromonas, heterotrophic plate counts, coliforms and large invertebrates. In contrast, the AOC-P17/Nox concentrations did not correlate with these regrowth parameters. We therefore conclude that slowly biodegradable compounds in the treated water from these treatment plants seem to have a greater impact on regrowth in the distribution system than easily biodegradable compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Global Asymptotic Stability of Impulsive CNNs with Proportional Delays and Partially Lipschitz Activation Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xueli Song

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper researches global asymptotic stability of impulsive cellular neural networks with proportional delays and partially Lipschitz activation functions. Firstly, by means of the transformation vi(t=ui(et, the impulsive cellular neural networks with proportional delays are transformed into impulsive cellular neural networks with the variable coefficients and constant delays. Secondly, we provide novel criteria for the uniqueness and exponential stability of the equilibrium point of the latter by relative nonlinear measure and prove that the exponential stability of equilibrium point of the latter implies the asymptotic stability of one of the former. We furthermore obtain a sufficient condition to the uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point of the former. Our method does not require conventional assumptions on global Lipschitz continuity, boundedness, and monotonicity of activation functions. Our results are generalizations and improvements of some existing ones. Finally, an example and its simulations are provided to illustrate the correctness of our analysis.

  3. Activity of the Delayed Neutron Working Group of JNDC and the International Evaluation Cooperation - WPEC/SG6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Tadashi

    1999-01-01

    The Delayed Neutron Working Group was established in April 1997 within the Nuclear Data Subcommittee of JNDC. It has two principal missions. One is to coordinate the Japanese activities toward the WPEC/Subgroup-6 efforts, and the other is to recommend the delayed neutron data for JENDL-3.3. The final report of Subgroup-6, which in one of the subgroups of the NEA International Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) and is in charge of the delayed neutron data, is to be completed in 1999. Here in Japan, JENDL-3.3 is planned to be released in early 2000. Delayed Neutron Working Group is, then, going to finalize its activity by the end of the fiscal year 1999 after recommending appropriate sets of data as coherently as possible with the of Subgroup-6 efforts. (author)

  4. Forced solitary Rossby waves under the influence of slowly varying topography with time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Hong-Wei; Yin Bao-Shu; Yang De-Zhou; Xu Zhen-Hua

    2011-01-01

    By using a weakly nonlinear and perturbation method, the generalized inhomogeneous Korteweg—de Vries (KdV)—Burgers equation is derived, which governs the evolution of the amplitude of Rossby waves under the influence of dissipation and slowly varying topography with time. The analysis indicates that dissipation and slowly varying topography with time are important factors in causing variation in the mass and energy of solitary waves. (general)

  5. β1-Adrenoceptor autoantibodies affect action potential duration and delayed rectifier potassium currents in guinea pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yuhui; Huang, Haixia; Du, Yunhui; Li, Xiao; Lv, Tingting; Zhang, Suli; Wei, Hua; Shang, Jianyu; Liu, Ping; Liu, Huirong

    2015-01-01

    β1-Adrenoceptor autoantibodies (β1-AAs) affect the action potential duration (APD) in cardiomyocytes and are related to ventricular arrhythmias. The delayed rectifier potassium current (I K) plays a crucial role in APD, but the effects of β1-AAs on I K have not been completely illuminated. This work aimed to observe the effects of β1-AAs on I K and APD and further explore the mechanisms of β1-AA-mediated ventricular arrhythmias. β1-AAs were obtained from sera of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. With whole-cell patch clamp technique, action potentials and I K were recorded. The results illustrated 0.1 μmol/L β1-AAs shortened APD at 50 % (APD50) and 90 % (APD90) of the repolarization. However, at 0.01 μmol/L, β1-AAs had no effects on either APD90 or APD50 (P > 0.05). At 0.001 μmol/L, β1-AAs significantly prolonged APD90 and APD50. Moreover, β1-AAs (0.001, 0.01, 0.1 μmol/L) dose-dependently increased the rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (I Kr), but similarly decreased the slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (I Ks) and increased L-type calcium currents at the different concentrations. Taken together, the IKr increase induced by high β1-AA concentrations is responsible for a significant APD reduction which would contribute to repolarization changes and trigger the malignant ventricular arrhythmias in CHD patients.

  6. Effect of Magnetic Activity on Ionospheric Time Delay at Low Latitude

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of magnetic activity on ionospheric time delay at low latitude Station Bhopal (geom. lat. 23.2°N, geom. long. 77.6°E) using ... Space Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal 462 026, India. National Institute of Technical, ...

  7. Parietal and premotor cortices: activation reflects imitation accuracy during observation, delayed imitation and concurrent imitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krüger, Britta; Bischoff, Matthias; Blecker, Carlo; Langhanns, Christine; Kindermann, Stefan; Sauerbier, Isabell; Reiser, Mathias; Stark, Rudolf; Munzert, Jörn; Pilgramm, Sebastian

    2014-10-15

    This study investigated whether activation within areas belonging to the action observation and imitation network reveals a linear relation to the subsequent accuracy of imitating a bimanual rhythmic movement measured via a motion capturing system. 20 participants were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) when asked to imitate observed bimanual movements either concurrently versus with a delay (2s) or simply to observe the movements without imitation. Results showed that action observation relates to activation within classic mirror-related areas. Activation patterns were more widespread when participants were asked to imitate the movement. During observation with concurrent imitation, activation in the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL) was associated negatively with imitation accuracy. During observation in the delayed imitation condition, higher subsequent imitation accuracy was coupled with higher activation in the right superior parietal lobe (SPL) and the left parietal operculum (POp). During the delayed imitation itself, a negative association between imitation accuracy and brain activation was revealed in the right ventral premotor cortex (vPMC). We conclude that the IPL is involved in online comparison and visuospatial attention processes during imitation, the SPL provides a kinesthetic blueprint during movement observation, the POp preserves body identity, and the vPMC recruits motor representations--especially when no concurrent visual guidance is possible. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. An electronic implementation for Liao's chaotic delayed neuron model with non-monotonous activation function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duan Shukai [Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China)], E-mail: duansk@swu.edu.cn; Liao Xiaofeng [Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)], E-mail: xfliao@cqu.edu.cn

    2007-09-10

    A new chaotic delayed neuron model with non-monotonously increasing transfer function, called as chaotic Liao's delayed neuron model, was recently reported and analyzed. An electronic implementation of this model is described in detail. At the same time, some methods in circuit design, especially for circuit with time delayed unit and non-monotonously increasing activation unit, are also considered carefully. We find that the dynamical behaviors of the designed circuits are closely similar to the results predicted by numerical experiments.

  9. The structure of the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei. I. Reconstructed velocity-delay maps

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grier, C.J.; Peterson, B.M.; Pogge, R.W.

    2013-01-01

    We present velocity-resolved reverberation results for five active galactic nuclei. We recovered velocity-delay maps using the maximum entropy method for four objects: Mrk 335, Mrk 1501, 3C 120, and PG 2130+099. For the fifth, Mrk 6, we were only able to measure mean time delays in different velo...

  10. Cesium levels in foodstuffs fall slowly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rantavaara, A.

    1994-01-01

    Since spring 1986, radioactive decay has reduced the total amount of radioactive cesium 137 in the Finnish environment, originating in Chernobyl, by 17 per cent. The cesium content in fish keeps falling at a diminishing rate, depending on the species of fish and environmental factors. The use of fish from lakes need not be restricted anymore. The cesium contents of game, mushrooms and wild berries have remained steady for some years now. The same is true for agricultural produce. The contents in milk and meat still keep falling slowly. Most of the cesium ingested by finns comes from fish, then from game, reindeer and gathered foods; the lowest amounts are received from agricultural products. (orig.)

  11. Beta-delayed proton activities: 147Dy and 149Er

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toth, K.S.; Moltz, D.M.; Schloemer, E.C.; Cable, M.D.; Avignone, F.T. III; Ellis-Akovali, Y.A.

    1984-01-01

    The present paper discusses mainly the β-delayed proton spectra of 147 Dy and of the hitherto unknown isotope, 149 Er. However, following the submittal of the abstract for this conference we have now observed delayed protons following the decay of 145 Dy. Additionally, we have identified a 0.5-s delayed-proton emitter and tentatively assign it to the new isotope, 151 Yb

  12. Total body-calcium measurements: comparison of two delayed-gamma neutron activation facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, R.; Ellis, K.J.; Shypailo, R.J.; Pierson, R.N. Jr.

    1999-01-01

    This study compares two independently calibrated delayed-gamma neutron activation (DGNA) facilities, one at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York, and the other at the Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), Houston, Texas that measure total body calcium (TBCa). A set of BNL phantoms was sent to CNRC for neutron activation analysis, and a set of CNRC phantoms was measured at BNL. Both facilities showed high precision (<2%), and the results were in good agreement, within 5%. (author)

  13. Muscle cooling delays activation of the muscle metaboreflex in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, C A; Hume, K M; Gracey, K H; Mahoney, E T

    1997-11-01

    Elevation of muscle temperature has been shown to increase muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) during isometric exercise in humans. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of muscle cooling on MSNA responses during exercise. Eight subjects performed ischemic isometric handgrip at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction to fatigue followed by 2 min of postexercise muscle ischemia (PEMI), with and without local cooling of the forearm. Local cooling of the forearm decreased forearm muscle temperature from 31.8 +/- 0.4 to 23.1 +/- 0.8 degrees C (P = 0.001). Time to fatigue was not different during the control and cold trials (156 +/- 11 and 154 +/- 5 s, respectively). Arterial pressures and heart rate were not significantly affected by muscle cooling during exercise, although heart rate tended to be higher during the second minute of exercise (P = 0.053) during muscle cooling. Exercise-induced increases in MSNA were delayed during handgrip with local cooling compared with control. However, MSNA responses at fatigue and PEMI were not different between the two conditions. These findings suggest that muscle cooling delayed the activation of the muscle metaboreflex during ischemic isometric exercise but did not prevent its full expression during fatiguing contraction. These results support the concept that muscle temperature can play a role in the regulation of MSNA during exercise.

  14. Weakly Coupled Oscillators in a Slowly Varying World

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Youngmin; Ermentrout, Bard

    2016-01-01

    We extend the theory of weakly coupled oscillators to incorporate slowly varying inputs and parameters. We employ a combination of regular perturbation and an adiabatic approximation to derive equations for the phase-difference between a pair of oscillators. We apply this to the simple Hopf oscillator and then to a biophysical model. The latter represents the behavior of a neuron that is subject to slow modulation of a muscarinic current such as would occur during transient attention through ...

  15. Neural correlates of sample-coding and reward-coding in the delay activity of neurons in the entopallium and nidopallium caudolaterale of pigeons (Columba livia).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Melissa; Anderson, Catrona; Colombo, Michael

    2017-01-15

    We recorded neuronal activity from the nidopallium caudolaterale, the avian equivalent of mammalian prefrontal cortex, and the entopallium, the avian equivalent of the mammalian visual cortex, in four birds trained on a differential outcomes delayed matching-to-sample procedure in which one sample stimulus was followed by reward and the other was not. Despite similar incidence of reward-specific and reward-unspecific delay cell types across the two areas, overall entopallium delay activity occurred following both rewarded and non-rewarded stimuli, whereas nidopallium caudolaterale delay activity tended to occur following the rewarded stimulus but not the non-rewarded stimulus. These findings are consistent with the view that delay activity in entopallium represents a code of the sample stimulus whereas delay activity in nidopallium caudolaterale represents a code of the possibility of an upcoming reward. However, based on the types of delay cells encountered, cells in NCL also code the sample stimulus and cells in ENTO are influenced by reward. We conclude that both areas support the retention of information, but that the activity in each area is differentially modulated by factors such as reward and attentional mechanisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. [Delayed reactions of active avoidance in white rats under conditions of an alternative choice].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ioseliani, T K; Sikharulidze, N I; Kadagishvili, A Ia; Mitashvili, E G

    1995-01-01

    It was shown that if the rats had been learned and then tested using conventional pain punishment of erroneous choice they were able to solve the problem of alternative choice only in the period of immediate action of conditioned stimuli. If the pain punishment for erroneously chosen compartment had not been applied in animal learning and testing, rats successfully solved the problem of alternative choice even after 5-second delay. Introduction of pain punishment led to the frustration of earlier elaborated delayed avoidance reactions. Analysis of the obtained results allows us to argue that the apparent incapability of white rats for solving the problems of delayed avoidance is caused by simultaneous action of two different mechanisms, i.e., those of the active and passive avoidance rather than short-term memory deficit.

  17. Bubbling in delay-coupled lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flunkert, V; D'Huys, O; Danckaert, J; Fischer, I; Schöll, E

    2009-06-01

    We theoretically study chaos synchronization of two lasers which are delay coupled via an active or a passive relay. While the lasers are synchronized, their dynamics is identical to a single laser with delayed feedback for a passive relay and identical to two delay-coupled lasers for an active relay. Depending on the coupling parameters the system exhibits bubbling, i.e., noise-induced desynchronization, or on-off intermittency. We associate the desynchronization dynamics in the coherence collapse and low-frequency fluctuation regimes with the transverse instability of some of the compound cavity's antimodes. Finally, we demonstrate how, by using an active relay, bubbling can be suppressed.

  18. Periodicity and global exponential stability of generalized Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with discontinuous activations and mixed delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dongshu; Huang, Lihong

    2014-03-01

    In this paper, we investigate the periodic dynamical behaviors for a class of general Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with discontinuous right-hand sides, time-varying and distributed delays. By means of retarded differential inclusions theory and the fixed point theorem of multi-valued maps, the existence of periodic solutions for the neural networks is obtained. After that, we derive some sufficient conditions for the global exponential stability and convergence of the neural networks, in terms of nonsmooth analysis theory with generalized Lyapunov approach. Without assuming the boundedness (or the growth condition) and monotonicity of the discontinuous neuron activation functions, our results will also be valid. Moreover, our results extend previous works not only on discrete time-varying and distributed delayed neural networks with continuous or even Lipschitz continuous activations, but also on discrete time-varying and distributed delayed neural networks with discontinuous activations. We give some numerical examples to show the applicability and effectiveness of our main results. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Contribution of delayed rectifier potassium currents to the electrical activity of murine colonic smooth muscle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, S D; Ward, S M; Dick, G M; Epperson, A; Bonner, H P; Sanders, K M; Horowitz, B; Kenyon, J L

    1999-01-01

    We used intracellular microelectrodes to record the membrane potential (Vm) of intact murine colonic smooth muscle. Electrical activity consisted of spike complexes separated by quiescent periods (Vm≈−60 mV). The spike complexes consisted of about a dozen action potentials of approximately 30 mV amplitude. Tetraethylammonium (TEA, 1–10 mM) had little effect on the quiescent periods but increased the amplitude of the action potential spikes. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP, ⋧ 5 mM) caused continuous spiking.Voltage clamp of isolated myocytes identified delayed rectifier K+ currents that activated rapidly (time to half-maximum current, 11.5 ms at 0 mV) and inactivated in two phases (τf = 96 ms, τs = 1.5 s at 0 mV). The half-activation voltage of the permeability was −27 mV, with significant activation at −50 mV.TEA (10 mM) reduced the outward current at potentials positive to 0 mV. 4-AP (5 mM) reduced the early current but increased outward current at later times (100–500 ms) consistent with block of resting channels relieved by depolarization. 4-AP inhibited outward current at potentials negative to −20 mV, potentials where TEA had no effect.Qualitative PCR amplification of mRNA identified transcripts encoding delayed rectifier K+ channel subunits Kv1.6, Kv4.1, Kv4.2, Kv4.3 and the Kvβ1.1 subunit in murine colon myocytes. mRNA encoding Kv 1.4 was not detected.We find that TEA-sensitive delayed rectifier currents are important determinants of action potential amplitude but not rhythmicity. Delayed rectifier currents sensitive to 4-AP are important determinants of rhythmicity but not action potential amplitude. PMID:10050014

  20. Active Listening Delays Attentional Disengagement and Saccadic Eye Movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lester, Benjamin D; Vecera, Shaun P

    2017-05-23

    Successful goal-directed visual behavior depends on efficient disengagement of attention. Attention must be withdrawn from its current focus before being redeployed to a new object or internal process. Previous research has demonstrated that occupying cognitive processes with a secondary cellular phone conversation impairs attentional functioning and driving behavior. For example, attentional processing is significantly impacted by concurrent cell phone use, resulting in decreased explicit memory for on-road information. Here, we examined the impact of a critical component of cell-phone use-active listening-on the effectiveness of attentional disengagement. In the gap task-a saccadic manipulation of attentional disengagement-we measured saccade latencies while participants performed a secondary active listening task. Saccadic latencies significantly increased under an active listening load only when attention needed to be disengaged, indicating that active listening delays a disengagement operation. Simple dual-task interference did not account for the observed results. Rather, active cognitive engagement is required for measurable disengagement slowing to be observed. These results have implications for investigations of attention, gaze behavior, and distracted driving. Secondary tasks such as active listening or cell-phone conversations can have wide-ranging impacts on cognitive functioning, potentially impairing relatively elementary operations of attentional function, including disengagement.

  1. Experience of Comamonas acidovorans keratitis with delayed onset and treatment response in immunocompromised cornea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang Mok; Kim, Mee Kum; Lee, Jae Lim; Wee, Won Ryang; Lee, Jin Hak

    2008-03-01

    To report 2 cases of Comamonas acidovorans keratitis in immunocompromised cornea. A complete review of the medical records of the two cases of Comamonas acidovorans keratitis. We found some similarities in clinical courses of two cases. Both of them showed development of keratitis during the management with corticosteroids, delayed onset, slow response to antibiotics, and relatively less affected corneal epithelium. Comamonas acidovorans is known as a less virulent organism. However it can cause an indolent infection that responds slowly even to adequate antibiotics therapy in immunocompromised corneas.

  2. An interpolated activity during the knowledge-of-results delay interval eliminates the learning advantages of self-controlled feedback schedules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Michael J; Ste-Marie, Diane M

    2017-03-01

    The learning advantages of self-controlled knowledge-of-results (KR) schedules compared to yoked schedules have been linked to the optimization of the informational value of the KR received for the enhancement of one's error-detection capabilities. This suggests that information-processing activities that occur after motor execution, but prior to receiving KR (i.e., the KR-delay interval) may underlie self-controlled KR learning advantages. The present experiment investigated whether self-controlled KR learning benefits would be eliminated if an interpolated activity was performed during the KR-delay interval. Participants practiced a waveform matching task that required two rapid elbow extension-flexion reversals in one of four groups using a factorial combination of choice (self-controlled, yoked) and KR-delay interval (empty, interpolated). The waveform had specific spatial and temporal constraints, and an overall movement time goal. The results indicated that the self-controlled + empty group had superior retention and transfer scores compared to all other groups. Moreover, the self-controlled + interpolated and yoked + interpolated groups did not differ significantly in retention and transfer; thus, the interpolated activity eliminated the typically found learning benefits of self-controlled KR. No significant differences were found between the two yoked groups. We suggest the interpolated activity interfered with information-processing activities specific to self-controlled KR conditions that occur during the KR-delay interval and that these activities are vital for reaping the associated learning benefits. These findings add to the growing evidence that challenge the motivational account of self-controlled KR learning advantages and instead highlights informational factors associated with the KR-delay interval as an important variable for motor learning under self-controlled KR schedules.

  3. Petroleum demand continues to grow but slowly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1998-01-01

    While it is always entertaining and intellectually stimulating to look at all the marvelous technological alternatives just around the corner for transport, the transport task in Australia continues to grow and so does petroleum consumption. Australia presently consumes more than 750,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Latest figures are given for petroleum consumption up to the end of August 1998. They indicate that total demand for petrol has continued to grow, but very slowly. Growth in 1997-1998 compared with 1996-1997 was only 0.3%. This trend for very low growth has been continued into July and August, perhaps indicative of a slow down in the economy

  4. Time delay between cardiac and brain activity during sleep transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Xi; Arends, Johan B.; Aarts, Ronald M.; Haakma, Reinder; Fonseca, Pedro; Rolink, Jérôme

    2015-04-01

    Human sleep consists of wake, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and non-REM (NREM) sleep that includes light and deep sleep stages. This work investigated the time delay between changes of cardiac and brain activity for sleep transitions. Here, the brain activity was quantified by electroencephalographic (EEG) mean frequency and the cardiac parameters included heart rate, standard deviation of heartbeat intervals, and their low- and high-frequency spectral powers. Using a cross-correlation analysis, we found that the cardiac variations during wake-sleep and NREM sleep transitions preceded the EEG changes by 1-3 min but this was not the case for REM sleep transitions. These important findings can be further used to predict the onset and ending of some sleep stages in an early manner.

  5. An active balance board system with real-time control of stiffness and time-delay to assess mechanisms of postural stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruise, Denise R; Chagdes, James R; Liddy, Joshua J; Rietdyk, Shirley; Haddad, Jeffrey M; Zelaznik, Howard N; Raman, Arvind

    2017-07-26

    Increased time-delay in the neuromuscular system caused by neurological disorders, concussions, or advancing age is an important factor contributing to balance loss (Chagdes et al., 2013, 2016a,b). We present the design and fabrication of an active balance board system that allows for a systematic study of stiffness and time-delay induced instabilities in standing posture. Although current commercial balance boards allow for variable stiffness, they do not allow for manipulation of time-delay. Having two controllable parameters can more accurately determine the cause of balance deficiencies, and allows us to induce instabilities even in healthy populations. An inverted pendulum model of human posture on such an active balance board predicts that reduced board rotational stiffness destabilizes upright posture through board tipping, and limit cycle oscillations about the upright position emerge as feedback time-delay is increased. We validate these two mechanisms of instability on the designed balance board, showing that rotational stiffness and board time-delay induced the predicted postural instabilities in healthy, young adults. Although current commercial balance boards utilize control of rotational stiffness, real-time control of both stiffness and time-delay on an active balance board is a novel and innovative manipulation to reveal balance deficiencies and potentially improve individualized balance training by targeting multiple dimensions contributing to standing balance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Thermal radiation and nonthermal radiation of the slowly changing dynamic Kerr–Newman black hole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng Qingmiao; Wang Shuai; Jiang Jijian; Deng Deli

    2008-01-01

    Using the related formula of dynamic black hole, we have calculated the instantaneous radiation energy density of the slowly changing dynamic Kerr–Newman black hole. It is found that the instantaneous radiation energy density of a black hole is always proportional to the quartic of the temperature of the event horizon in the same direction. By using the Hamilton–Jacobin equation of scalar particles in the curved spacetime, the spontaneous radiation of the slowly changing dynamic Kerr–Newman black hole is studied. The energy condition for the occurrence of the spontaneous radiation is obtained. (general)

  7. Sound transmission in slowly varying circular and annular ducts with flow

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rienstra, S.W.

    1999-01-01

    Sound transmission through straight circular ducts with a uniform inviscid mean flow and a constant acoustic lining (impedance wall) is classically described by a modal expansion. A natural extension for ducts with axially slowly varying properties (diameter and mean flow, wall impedance) is a

  8. Dimensional Modeling By Using a New Response to Slowly Changing Dimensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frank, L.; Frank, C.; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

    2005-01-01

    Dimensions are defined as dynamic or slowly changing if the attributes or relationships of a dimension can be updated. Aggregations to dynamic dimensions might be misleading if the measures are aggregated without regarding the changes of the dimensions. Kimball et al. has described three classic ...

  9. BSW process of the slowly evaporating charged black hole

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Liancheng; He, Feng; Fu, Xiangyun

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we study the BSW process of the slowly evaporating charged black hole. It can be found that the BSW process will also arise near black hole horizon when the evaporation of charged black hole is very slow. But now the background black hole does not have to be an extremal black hole, and it will be approximately an extremal black hole unless it is nearly a huge stationary black hole.

  10. Note: Large active area solid state photon counter with 20 ps timing resolution and 60 fs detection delay stability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prochazka, Ivan; Kodet, Jan; Eckl, Johann; Blazej, Josef

    2017-10-01

    We are reporting on the design, construction, and performance of a photon counting detector system, which is based on single photon avalanche diode detector technology. This photon counting device has been optimized for very high timing resolution and stability of its detection delay. The foreseen application of this detector is laser ranging of space objects, laser time transfer ground to space and fundamental metrology. The single photon avalanche diode structure, manufactured on silicon using K14 technology, is used as a sensor. The active area of the sensor is circular with 200 μm diameter. Its photon detection probability exceeds 40% in the wavelength range spanning from 500 to 800 nm. The sensor is operated in active quenching and gating mode. A new control circuit was optimized to maintain high timing resolution and detection delay stability. In connection to this circuit, timing resolution of the detector is reaching 20 ps FWHM. In addition, the temperature change of the detection delay is as low as 70 fs/K. As a result, the detection delay stability of the device is exceptional: expressed in the form of time deviation, detection delay stability of better than 60 fs has been achieved. Considering the large active area aperture of the detector, this is, to our knowledge, the best timing performance reported for a solid state photon counting detector so far.

  11. Slowly moving test charge in two-electron component non-Maxwellian plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, S.; Eliasson, B.

    2015-01-01

    Potential distributions around a slowly moving test charge are calculated by taking into account the electron-acoustic waves in an unmagnetized plasma. Considering a neutralizing background of static positive ions, the supra-thermal hot and cold electrons are described by the Vlasov equations to account for the Kappa (power-law in velocity space) and Maxwell equilibrium distributions. Fourier analysis further leads to the derivation of electrostatic potential showing the impact of supra-thermal hot electrons. The test charge moves slowly in comparison with the hot and cold electron thermal speeds and is therefore shielded by the electrons. This gives rise to a short-range Debye-Hückel potential decaying exponentially with distance and to a far field potential decaying as inverse third power of the distance from the test charge. The results are relevant for both laboratory and space plasmas, where supra-thermal hot electrons with power-law distributions have been observed

  12. Near Real-Time Nondestructive Active Inspection Technologies Utilizing Delayed γ-Rays and Neutrons for Advanced Safeguards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hunt, Alan; Tobin, S. J.

    2015-01-01

    In this two year project, the research team investigated how delayed γ-rays from short-lived fission fragments detected in the short interval between irradiating pulses can be exploited for advanced safeguards technologies. This program contained experimental and modeling efforts. The experimental effort measured the emitted spectra, time histories and correlations of the delayed γ-rays from aqueous solutions and solid targets containing fissionable isotopes. The modeling effort first developed and benchmarked a hybrid Monte Carlo simulation technique based on these experiments. The benchmarked simulations were then extended to other safeguards scenarios, allowing comparisons to other advanced safeguards technologies and to investigate combined techniques. Ultimately, the experiments demonstrated the possible utility of actively induced delayed γ-ray spectroscopy for fissionable material assay.

  13. Near Real-Time Nondestructive Active Inspection Technologies Utilizing Delayed γ-Rays and Neutrons for Advanced Safeguards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hunt, Alan [Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID (United States). Idaho Accelerator Center, Dept. of Physics; Reedy, E. T.E. [Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID (United States). Dept. of Phyics, Idaho Accelerator Center; Mozin, V. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Tobin, S. J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Nuclear Nonproliferation

    2015-02-12

    In this two year project, the research team investigated how delayed γ-rays from short-lived fission fragments detected in the short interval between irradiating pulses can be exploited for advanced safeguards technologies. This program contained experimental and modeling efforts. The experimental effort measured the emitted spectra, time histories and correlations of the delayed γ-rays from aqueous solutions and solid targets containing fissionable isotopes. The modeling effort first developed and benchmarked a hybrid Monte Carlo simulation technique based on these experiments. The benchmarked simulations were then extended to other safeguards scenarios, allowing comparisons to other advanced safeguards technologies and to investigate combined techniques. Ultimately, the experiments demonstrated the possible utility of actively induced delayed γ-ray spectroscopy for fissionable material assay.

  14. Dimensional Modeling By Using a New Response to Slowly Changing Dimensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frank, L.; Frank, C.; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

    2005-01-01

    solutions/responses to handling the aggregation problems caused by slowly changing dimensions. In this paper, we will describe a fourth solution. A special aspect of our new response is that it should be used before the other responses, as it will change the design of the data warehouse. Afterwards, it may...

  15. Assessment of the slowly-imploding liner (LINUS) fusion reactor concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.

    1980-01-01

    Prospects for the slowly-imploding liner (LINUS) fusion reactor concept are reviewed. The concept envisages the nondestructive, repetitive and reversible implosion of a liquid-metal cylindrical annulus (liner) onto field-reversed DT plasmoids. Adiabatic heating of the plasmoid to ignition at ultra-high magnetic fields results in a compact, high power density fusion reactor with unique solutions to several technological problems and potentially favorable economics

  16. Behaviour of direct and delayed fast ion losses during NBI on TJ-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guasp, J.; Liniers; M.

    1995-09-01

    The dependence with density and beam energy of the different kind of fast ion losses, direct and delayed, during tangential balanced NBI injection in TJ-II helical axis stellerator has been analysed. Direct losses increase with energy and a strong difference between the two injection directions appears, are produced by passing particles that loss confinement in a dew mu,sec and the influence of birth profiles produces an increase with density. Delayed losses are very well separated in time from direct ones, are produced by particles experimenting pitch angle scattering an,d, most o them, correspond to trapped particles. Are much less important than the direct ones (about 1/3), decrease slowly with energy and, with CX, increase with density (an effect of initial profile). The absorption is rather independent of energy with low values at low density in reason of high shine trough and CX losses, but reovers quickly with the density increase

  17. Behaviour of direct and delayed fast ion losses during NBI on TJ-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guasp, J.; Liniers, M.

    1995-01-01

    The dependence with density and beam energy of the different kind of fast ion losses, direct and delayed, during tangential balanced NBI injection in TJ-II helical axis stellarator has been analysed. Direct losses increase with energy and a strong difference between the two injection directions appears, are produced by passing particles that loss confinement in a few μsec and the influence of birth profiles produces an increase with density. Delayed losses are very well separated in time from direct ones, are produced by particles experimenting pitch angle scattering and, most o them, correspond to trapped particles. Are much less important than the direct ones (about 1/3), decrease slowly with energy and, with C X, increase with density (an effect of initial profile). The absorption is rather independent of energy with low values at low density in reason of high shine through and C X losses, but recovers quickly with the density increase. (Author) 4 refs

  18. A theory of working memory without consciousness or sustained activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trübutschek, Darinka; Marti, Sébastien; Ojeda, Andrés; King, Jean-Rémi; Mi, Yuanyuan; Tsodyks, Misha; Dehaene, Stanislas

    2017-01-01

    Working memory and conscious perception are thought to share similar brain mechanisms, yet recent reports of non-conscious working memory challenge this view. Combining visual masking with magnetoencephalography, we investigate the reality of non-conscious working memory and dissect its neural mechanisms. In a spatial delayed-response task, participants reported the location of a subjectively unseen target above chance-level after several seconds. Conscious perception and conscious working memory were characterized by similar signatures: a sustained desynchronization in the alpha/beta band over frontal cortex, and a decodable representation of target location in posterior sensors. During non-conscious working memory, such activity vanished. Our findings contradict models that identify working memory with sustained neural firing, but are compatible with recent proposals of ‘activity-silent’ working memory. We present a theoretical framework and simulations showing how slowly decaying synaptic changes allow cell assemblies to go dormant during the delay, yet be retrieved above chance-level after several seconds. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23871.001 PMID:28718763

  19. Delay-dependent stability of neural networks of neutral type with time delay in the leakage term

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Xiaodi; Cao, Jinde

    2010-01-01

    This paper studies the global asymptotic stability of neural networks of neutral type with mixed delays. The mixed delays include constant delay in the leakage term (i.e. 'leakage delay'), time-varying delays and continuously distributed delays. Based on the topological degree theory, Lyapunov method and linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach, some sufficient conditions are derived ensuring the existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point, which are dependent on both the discrete and distributed time delays. These conditions are expressed in terms of LMI and can be easily checked by the MATLAB LMI toolbox. Even if there is no leakage delay, the obtained results are less restrictive than some recent works. It can be applied to neural networks of neutral type with activation functions without assuming their boundedness, monotonicity or differentiability. Moreover, the differentiability of the time-varying delay in the non-neutral term is removed. Finally, two numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method

  20. Computations of slowly moving shocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karni, S.; Canic, S.

    1997-01-01

    Computations of slowly moving shocks by shock capturing schemes may generate oscillations are generated already by first-order schemes, but become more pronounced in higher-order schemes which seem to exhibit different behaviors: (i) the first-order upwind (UW) scheme which generates strong oscillations and (ii) the Lax-Friedrichs scheme which appears not to generate any disturbances at all. A key observation is that in the UW case, the numerical viscosity in the shock family vanishes inside the slow shock layer. Simple scaling arguments show the third-order effects on the solution may no longer be neglected. We derive the third-order modified equation for the UW scheme and regard the oscillatory solution as a traveling wave solution of the parabolic modified equation for the perturbation. We then look at the governing equation for the perturbation, which points to a plausible mechanism by which postshock oscillations are generated. It contains a third-order source term that becomes significant inside the shock layer, and a nonlinear coupling term which projects the perturbation on all characteristic fields, including those not associated with the shock family. 5 refs., 8 figs

  1. Periodic or chaotic bursting dynamics via delayed pitchfork bifurcation in a slow-varying controlled system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yue; Zhang, Zhengdi; Han, Xiujing

    2018-03-01

    In this work, we aim to demonstrate the novel routes to periodic and chaotic bursting, i.e., the different bursting dynamics via delayed pitchfork bifurcations around stable attractors, in the classical controlled Lü system. First, by computing the corresponding characteristic polynomial, we determine where some critical values about bifurcation behaviors appear in the Lü system. Moreover, the transition mechanism among different stable attractors has been introduced including homoclinic-type connections or chaotic attractors. Secondly, taking advantage of the above analytical results, we carry out a study of the mechanism for bursting dynamics in the Lü system with slowly periodic variation of certain control parameter. A distinct delayed supercritical pitchfork bifurcation behavior can be discussed when the control item passes through bifurcation points periodically. This delayed dynamical behavior may terminate at different parameter areas, which leads to different spiking modes around different stable attractors (equilibriums, limit cycles, or chaotic attractors). In particular, the chaotic attractor may appear by Shilnikov connections or chaos boundary crisis, which leads to the occurrence of impressive chaotic bursting oscillations. Our findings enrich the study of bursting dynamics and deepen the understanding of some similar sorts of delayed bursting phenomena. Finally, some numerical simulations are included to illustrate the validity of our study.

  2. Delay-Dependent Control for Networked Control Systems with Large Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yilin Wang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider the problems of robust stability and control for a class of networked control systems with long-time delays. Firstly, a nonlinear discrete time model with mode-dependent time delays is proposed by converting the uncertainty of time delay into the uncertainty of parameter matrices. We consider a probabilistic case where the system is switched among different subsystems, and the probability of each subsystem being active is defined as its occurrence probability. For a switched system with a known subsystem occurrence probabilities, we give a stochastic stability criterion in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. Then, we extend the results to a more practical case where the subsystem occurrence probabilities are uncertain. Finally, a simulation example is presented to show the efficacy of the proposed method.

  3. A novel delay-dependent criterion for delayed neural networks of neutral type

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, S.M.; Kwon, O.M.; Park, Ju H.

    2010-01-01

    This Letter considers a robust stability analysis method for delayed neural networks of neutral type. By constructing a new Lyapunov functional, a novel delay-dependent criterion for the stability is derived in terms of LMIs (linear matrix inequalities). A less conservative stability criterion is derived by using nonlinear properties of the activation function of the neural networks. Two numerical examples are illustrated to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  4. On the dynamics of slowly rotating stellar systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davoust, E.

    1989-01-01

    Kinematical observations are now available for stellar systems which might rotate slowly. The study of periodic orbits in model stellar systems shows that a mean motion in epicyclic or circular orbits contributes to balance the centrifugal force, in addition to the velocity dispersions. Two dynamical models, the generalized Toomre and Plummer models, are adapted to the case of slow rotation. They are applied to two globular clusters, M 3 and 47 Tucanae, and 12 clusters of galaxies. 47 Tucanae is found to rotate, but none of the clusters of galaxies has any significant mean motion, except SC 316-44. 34 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs. (author)

  5. High-efficiency electroluminescence and amplified spontaneous emission from a thermally activated delayed fluorescent near-infrared emitter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae-Hyeon; D'Aléo, Anthony; Chen, Xian-Kai; Sandanayaka, Atula D. S.; Yao, Dandan; Zhao, Li; Komino, Takeshi; Zaborova, Elena; Canard, Gabriel; Tsuchiya, Youichi; Choi, Eunyoung; Wu, Jeong Weon; Fages, Frédéric; Brédas, Jean-Luc; Ribierre, Jean-Charles; Adachi, Chihaya

    2018-02-01

    Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers could benefit a variety of applications including night-vision displays, sensors and information-secured displays. Organic dyes can generate electroluminescence efficiently at visible wavelengths, but organic light-emitting diodes are still underperforming in the near-infrared region. Here, we report thermally activated delayed fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes that operate at near-infrared wavelengths with a maximum external quantum efficiency of nearly 10% using a boron difluoride curcuminoid derivative. As well as an effective upconversion from triplet to singlet excited states due to the non-adiabatic coupling effect, this donor-acceptor-donor compound also exhibits efficient amplified spontaneous emission. By controlling the polarity of the active medium, the maximum emission wavelength of the electroluminescence spectrum can be tuned from 700 to 780 nm. This study represents an important advance in near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes and the design of alternative molecular architectures for photonic applications based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence.

  6. THE STRUCTURE OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. I. RECONSTRUCTED VELOCITY-DELAY MAPS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grier, C. J.; Peterson, B. M.; Pogge, R. W.; De Rosa, G.; Martini, Paul; Kochanek, C. S.; Zu, Y.; Shappee, B.; Beatty, T. G.; Salvo, C. Araya; Bird, J. C.; Horne, Keith; Bentz, M. C.; Denney, K. D.; Siverd, R.; Sergeev, S. G.; Borman, G. A.; Kaspi, S.; Bord, D. J.; Che, X.

    2013-01-01

    We present velocity-resolved reverberation results for five active galactic nuclei. We recovered velocity-delay maps using the maximum entropy method for four objects: Mrk 335, Mrk 1501, 3C 120, and PG 2130+099. For the fifth, Mrk 6, we were only able to measure mean time delays in different velocity bins of the Hβ emission line. The four velocity-delay maps show unique dynamical signatures for each object. For 3C 120, the Balmer lines show kinematic signatures consistent with both an inclined disk and infalling gas, but the He II λ4686 emission line is suggestive only of inflow. The Balmer lines in Mrk 335, Mrk 1501, and PG 2130+099 show signs of infalling gas, but the He II emission in Mrk 335 is consistent with an inclined disk. We also see tentative evidence of combined virial motion and infalling gas from the velocity-binned analysis of Mrk 6. The maps for 3C 120 and Mrk 335 are two of the most clearly defined velocity-delay maps to date. These maps constitute a large increase in the number of objects for which we have resolved velocity-delay maps and provide evidence supporting the reliability of reverberation-based black hole mass measurements.

  7. THE STRUCTURE OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. I. RECONSTRUCTED VELOCITY-DELAY MAPS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grier, C. J.; Peterson, B. M.; Pogge, R. W.; De Rosa, G.; Martini, Paul; Kochanek, C. S.; Zu, Y.; Shappee, B.; Beatty, T. G.; Salvo, C. Araya; Bird, J. C. [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 W 18th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Horne, Keith [SUPA Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS Scotland (United Kingdom); Bentz, M. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Astronomy Offices, One Park Place South SE, Suite 700, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Denney, K. D. [Marie Curie Fellow at the Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Siverd, R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, 5301 Stevenson Center, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States); Sergeev, S. G.; Borman, G. A. [Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, P/O Nauchny Crimea 98409 (Ukraine); Kaspi, S. [School of Physics and Astronomy, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); Bord, D. J. [Department of Natural Sciences, The University of Michigan - Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI 48128 (United States); Che, X. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 41809 (United States); and others

    2013-02-10

    We present velocity-resolved reverberation results for five active galactic nuclei. We recovered velocity-delay maps using the maximum entropy method for four objects: Mrk 335, Mrk 1501, 3C 120, and PG 2130+099. For the fifth, Mrk 6, we were only able to measure mean time delays in different velocity bins of the H{beta} emission line. The four velocity-delay maps show unique dynamical signatures for each object. For 3C 120, the Balmer lines show kinematic signatures consistent with both an inclined disk and infalling gas, but the He II {lambda}4686 emission line is suggestive only of inflow. The Balmer lines in Mrk 335, Mrk 1501, and PG 2130+099 show signs of infalling gas, but the He II emission in Mrk 335 is consistent with an inclined disk. We also see tentative evidence of combined virial motion and infalling gas from the velocity-binned analysis of Mrk 6. The maps for 3C 120 and Mrk 335 are two of the most clearly defined velocity-delay maps to date. These maps constitute a large increase in the number of objects for which we have resolved velocity-delay maps and provide evidence supporting the reliability of reverberation-based black hole mass measurements.

  8. Global exponential stability of octonion-valued neural networks with leakage delay and mixed delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popa, Călin-Adrian

    2018-06-08

    This paper discusses octonion-valued neural networks (OVNNs) with leakage delay, time-varying delays, and distributed delays, for which the states, weights, and activation functions belong to the normed division algebra of octonions. The octonion algebra is a nonassociative and noncommutative generalization of the complex and quaternion algebras, but does not belong to the category of Clifford algebras, which are associative. In order to avoid the nonassociativity of the octonion algebra and also the noncommutativity of the quaternion algebra, the Cayley-Dickson construction is used to decompose the OVNNs into 4 complex-valued systems. By using appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals, with double and triple integral terms, the free weighting matrix method, and simple and double integral Jensen inequalities, delay-dependent criteria are established for the exponential stability of the considered OVNNs. The criteria are given in terms of complex-valued linear matrix inequalities, for two types of Lipschitz conditions which are assumed to be satisfied by the octonion-valued activation functions. Finally, two numerical examples illustrate the feasibility, effectiveness, and correctness of the theoretical results. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Effects of travel time delay on multi-faceted activity scheduling under space-time constraints : a simulation study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rasouli, S.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a study, which simulates the effects of travel time delay on adaptations of planned activity-travel schedules. The activity generation and scheduling engine of the Albatross model system is applied to a fraction of the synthetic population of the Rotterdam region,

  10. High-efficiency white organic light-emitting diodes using thermally activated delayed fluorescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishide, Jun-ichi; Hiraga, Yasuhide; Nakanotani, Hajime; Adachi, Chihaya

    2014-01-01

    White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) have attracted much attention recently, aimed for next-generation lighting sources because of their high potential to realize high electroluminescence efficiency, flexibility, and low-cost manufacture. Here, we demonstrate high-efficiency WOLED using red, green, and blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials as emissive dopants to generate white electroluminescence. The WOLED has a maximum external quantum efficiency of over 17% with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates of (0.30, 0.38).

  11. Slowly varying dilaton cosmologies and their field theory duals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awad, Adel; Das, Sumit R.; Ghosh, Archisman; Oh, Jae-Hyuk; Trivedi, Sandip P.

    2009-01-01

    We consider a deformation of the AdS 5 xS 5 solution of IIB supergravity obtained by taking the boundary value of the dilaton to be time dependent. The time dependence is taken to be slowly varying on the anti-de Sitter (AdS) scale thereby introducing a small parameter ε. The boundary dilaton has a profile which asymptotes to a constant in the far past and future and attains a minimum value at intermediate times. We construct the supergravity (sugra) solution to first nontrivial order in ε, and find that it is smooth, horizon-free, and asymptotically AdS 5 xS 5 in the far future. When the intermediate values of the dilaton becomes small enough the curvature becomes of order the string scale and the sugra approximation breaks down. The resulting dynamics is analyzed in the dual SU(N) gauge theory on S 3 with a time dependent coupling constant which varies slowly. When Nε 5 xS 5 again. When Nε>>1, we formulate a classical adiabatic perturbation theory based on coherent states which arises in the large N limit. For large values of the 't Hooft coupling this reproduces the supergravity results. For small 't Hooft coupling the coherent state calculations become involved and we cannot reach a definite conclusion. We argue that the final state should have a dual description which is mostly smooth AdS 5 space with the possible presence of a small black hole.

  12. Management of the slowly emerging zoonosis, Hendra virus, by private veterinarians in Queensland, Australia: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendez, Diana H; Kelly, Jenny; Buttner, Petra; Nowak, Madeleine; Speare, Rick

    2014-09-17

    Veterinary infection control for the management of Hendra virus (HeV), an emerging zoonosis in Australia, remained suboptimal until 2010 despite 71.4% (5/7) of humans infected with HeV being veterinary personnel or assisting a veterinarian, three of whom died before 2009. The aim of this study was to identify the perceived barriers to veterinary infection control and HeV management in private veterinary practice in Queensland, where the majority of HeV outbreaks have occurred in Australia. Most participants agreed that a number of key factors had contributed to the slow uptake of adequate infection control measures for the management of HeV amongst private veterinarians: a work culture characterised by suboptimal infection control standards and misconceptions about zoonotic risks; a lack of leadership and support from government authorities; the difficulties of managing biosecurity and public health issues from a private workforce perspective; and the slow pattern of emergence of HeV. By 2010, some infection control and HeV management changes had been implemented. Participants interviewed agreed that further improvements remained necessary; but also cautioned that this was a complex process which would require time. Private veterinarians and government authorities prior to 2009 were unprepared to handle new slowly emerging zoonoses, which may explain their mismanagement of HeV. Slowly emerging zoonoses may be of low public health significance but of high significance for specialised groups such as veterinarians. Private veterinarians, who are expected to fulfil an active biosecurity and public health role in the frontline management of such emerging zoonoses, need government agencies to better recognise their contribution, to consult with the veterinary profession when devising guidelines for the management of zoonoses and to provide them with greater leadership and support. We propose that specific infection control guidelines for the management of slowly emerging

  13. Delay-related cerebral activity and motor preparation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mars, R.B.; Coles, M.G.H.; Hulstijn, W.

    2008-01-01

    Flexible goal-oriented behavior requires the ability to carry information across temporal delays. This ability is associated with sustained neural firing. In cognitive terms, this ability has often been associated with the maintenance of sensory material online, as during short-term memory tasks, or

  14. Working memory delay period activity marks a domain-unspecific attention mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katus, Tobias; Müller, Matthias M

    2016-03-01

    Working memory (WM) recruits neural circuits that also perform perception- and action-related functions. Among the functions that are shared between the domains of WM and perception is selective attention, which supports the maintenance of task-relevant information during the retention delay of WM tasks. The tactile contralateral delay activity (tCDA) component of the event-related potential (ERP) marks the attention-based rehearsal of tactile information in somatosensory brain regions. We tested whether the tCDA reflects the competition for shared attention resources between a WM task and a perceptual task under dual-task conditions. The two tasks were always performed on opposite hands. In different blocks, the WM task had higher or lower priority than the perceptual task. The tCDA's polarity consistently reflected the hand where the currently prioritized task was performed. This suggests that the process indexed by the tCDA is not specific to the domain of WM, but mediated by a domain-unspecific attention mechanism. The analysis of transient ERP components evoked by stimuli in the two tasks further supports the interpretation that the tCDA marks a goal-directed bias in the allocation of selective attention. Larger spatially selective modulations were obtained for stimulus material related to the high-, as compared to low-priority, task. While our results generally indicate functional overlap between the domains of WM and perception, we also found evidence suggesting that selection in internal (mnemonic) and external (perceptual) stimulus representations involves processes that are not active during shifts of preparatory attention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Contralateral Delay Activity Tracks Fluctuations in Working Memory Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adam, Kirsten C S; Robison, Matthew K; Vogel, Edward K

    2018-01-08

    Neural measures of working memory storage, such as the contralateral delay activity (CDA), are powerful tools in working memory research. CDA amplitude is sensitive to working memory load, reaches an asymptote at known behavioral limits, and predicts individual differences in capacity. An open question, however, is whether neural measures of load also track trial-by-trial fluctuations in performance. Here, we used a whole-report working memory task to test the relationship between CDA amplitude and working memory performance. If working memory failures are due to decision-based errors and retrieval failures, CDA amplitude would not differentiate good and poor performance trials when load is held constant. If failures arise during storage, then CDA amplitude should track both working memory load and trial-by-trial performance. As expected, CDA amplitude tracked load (Experiment 1), reaching an asymptote at three items. In Experiment 2, we tracked fluctuations in trial-by-trial performance. CDA amplitude was larger (more negative) for high-performance trials compared with low-performance trials, suggesting that fluctuations in performance were related to the successful storage of items. During working memory failures, participants oriented their attention to the correct side of the screen (lateralized P1) and maintained covert attention to the correct side during the delay period (lateralized alpha power suppression). Despite the preservation of attentional orienting, we found impairments consistent with an executive attention theory of individual differences in working memory capacity; fluctuations in executive control (indexed by pretrial frontal theta power) may be to blame for storage failures.

  16. Nitrogen excess in slowly-rotating beta Cephei stars: deep mixing or diffusion?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Morel, T.; Butler, K.; Aerts, C.C.; Neiner, C.; Briquet, M.

    2007-01-01

    We present the results of an NLTE abundance study of a small sample of beta Cephei stars, which point to the existence of a population of slowly-rotating B-type pulsators exhibiting a significant amount of nitrogen-enriched material at their surface. Although the origin of this nitrogen excess

  17. When a Slowly Rotating Aquaplanet is Coupled to a Dynamical Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salameh, J.; Marotzke, J.

    2017-12-01

    Planets orbiting in close distance from their stars have a high probability to be detected, and are expected to be slowly rotating due to strong tidal forces. By increasing the rotation period from 1 Earth-day to 365 Earth-days, we previously found that the global-mean surface temperature of an aquaplanet with a static mixed-layer ocean decreases by up to 27 K. The cooling is attributed to an increase of the planetary albedo with the rotation period, which is associated with the different distributions of the sea ice and the deep convective clouds. However, we had there assumed a fixed mixed-layer depth and a zero oceanic heat transport in the aquaplanet configuration. The limitations of these assumptions in such exotic climates are still unclear. We therefore perform coupled atmosphere-ocean aquaplanet simulations with the general circulation model ICON for various rotation periods ranging from 1 Earth-day to 365 Earth-days. We investigate how the underlying oceanic circulation modifies the mean climate of slowly rotating aquaplanets, and whether the day-to-night oceanic heat transport reduces the surface-temperature gradients and the sea-ice extent.

  18. Impact of Dielectric Constant on the Singlet-Triplet Gap in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF) Materials

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haitao; Hu, Zhubin; Zhong, Cheng; Chen, Xiankai; Sun, Zhenrong; Bredas, Jean-Luc

    2017-01-01

    Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) relies on the presence of a very small energy gap, ΔEST, between the lowest singlet and triplet excited states. ΔEST is thus a key factor in the molecular design of more efficient materials. However

  19. Multistability of neural networks with discontinuous non-monotonic piecewise linear activation functions and time-varying delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Xiaobing; Zheng, Wei Xing

    2015-05-01

    This paper is concerned with the problem of coexistence and dynamical behaviors of multiple equilibrium points for neural networks with discontinuous non-monotonic piecewise linear activation functions and time-varying delays. The fixed point theorem and other analytical tools are used to develop certain sufficient conditions that ensure that the n-dimensional discontinuous neural networks with time-varying delays can have at least 5(n) equilibrium points, 3(n) of which are locally stable and the others are unstable. The importance of the derived results is that it reveals that the discontinuous neural networks can have greater storage capacity than the continuous ones. Moreover, different from the existing results on multistability of neural networks with discontinuous activation functions, the 3(n) locally stable equilibrium points obtained in this paper are located in not only saturated regions, but also unsaturated regions, due to the non-monotonic structure of discontinuous activation functions. A numerical simulation study is conducted to illustrate and support the derived theoretical results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A New Design Strategy for Efficient Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Organic Emitters: From Twisted to Planar Structures

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Xiankai; Tsuchiya, Youichi; Ishikawa, Yuma; Zhong, Cheng; Adachi, Chihaya; Bredas, Jean-Luc

    2017-01-01

    In the traditional molecular design of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters composed of electron-donor and electron-acceptor moieties, achieving a small singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST ) in strongly twisted structures usually

  1. Delay-active damage versus non-local enhancement for anisotropic damage dynamics computations with alternated loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desmorat, R.; Chambart, M.; Gatuingt, F.; Guilbaud, D.

    2010-01-01

    Anisotropic damage thermodynamics framework allows to model the concrete-like materials behavior and in particular their dissymmetric tension/compression response. To deal with dynamics applications such as impact, it is furthermore necessary to take into account the strain rate effect observed experimentally. This is done in the present work by means of anisotropic visco-damage, by introducing a material strain rate effect in the cases of positive hydrostatic stresses only. The proposed delay-damage law assumes no viscous effect in compression as the consideration of inertia effects proves sufficient to model the apparent material strength increase. High-rate dynamics applications imply to deal with wave propagation and reflection which can generate alternated loading in the impacted structure. In order to do so, the key concept of active damage is defined and introduced within both the damage criterion and the delay-damage evolution law. At the structural level, strain localization often leads to spurious mesh dependency. Three-dimensional Finite Element computations of dynamic tensile tests by spalling are presented, with visco-damage and either without or with non-local enhancement. Delay-damage, as introduced, regularizes the solution in fast dynamics. The location of the macro-crack initiated is found influenced by non-local regularization. The strain rate range in which each enhancement, delay-damage or non-local enhancement, has a regularizing effect is studied. (authors)

  2. Relative Attitude Estimation for a Uniform Motion and Slowly Rotating Noncooperative Spacecraft

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Zhang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel relative attitude estimation approach for a uniform motion and slowly rotating noncooperative spacecraft. It is assumed that the uniform motion and slowly rotating noncooperative chief spacecraft is in failure or out of control and there is no a priori rotation rate information. We utilize a very fast binary descriptor based on binary robust independent elementary features (BRIEF to obtain the features of the target, which are rotational invariance and resistance to noise. And then, we propose a novel combination of single candidate random sample consensus (RANSAC with extended Kalman filter (EKF that makes use of the available prior probabilistic information from the EKF in the RANSAC model hypothesis stage. The advantage of this combination obviously reduces the sample size to only one, which results in large computational savings without the loss of accuracy. Experimental results from real image sequence of a real model target show that the relative angular error is about 3.5% and the mean angular velocity error is about 0.1 deg/s.

  3. Methyl bromide fumigation and delayed mortality: safe trade of live pests?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, C B; Iline, I I; Novoselov, M; McNeill, M R; Richards, N K; van Koten, C; Stephenson, B P

    Live organisms intercepted from treated commodities during phytosanitary inspections usually arouse suspicions of treatment failure, sub-standard treatment application, or post-treatment infestation. The additional possibility that some treatments could kill slowly, meaning commodities might be inspected before pests have succumbed, is seldom considered for treatments other than irradiation. We used a novel biochemical viability assay to measure delays between methyl bromide fumigation and mortality of dipteran eggs, and evaluated the correspondence between egg viability and egg morphological features. Our experimental conditions simulated shipping of rock melons from Australia to New Zealand by sea and air. No eggs survived fumigation, but they took 3-20 days to die, whereas phytosanitary inspections of rock melons occur within 2-7 days. Delays were not influenced by methyl bromide concentration, but were significantly lengthened by cooler storage temperatures. Methyl bromide's preservative effects delayed degradation of egg morphology, so the biochemical assay detected mortality long before morphological signs of egg death appeared. The results show that commodities subjected to effective methyl bromide treatments are at risk of being inspected before all pests have either died, or started to exhibit morphological signs of death. This could cause commodities to be unnecessarily rejected by quarantine authorities. Better methods than inspection for live pests are needed to assist authorities to gain assurance that treated commodities have been effectively disinfested. These could be developed by exploiting biochemical responses of pests and commodities to treatments.

  4. Lateralized delay period activity marks the focus of spatial attention in working memory: evidence from somatosensory event-related brain potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katus, Tobias; Eimer, Martin

    2015-04-29

    The short-term retention of sensory information in working memory (WM) is known to be associated with a sustained enhancement of neural activity. What remains controversial is whether this neural trace indicates the sustained storage of information or the allocation of attention. To evaluate the storage and attention accounts, we examined sustained tactile contralateral delay activity (tCDA component) of the event-related potential. The tCDA manifests over somatosensory cortex contralateral to task-relevant tactile information during stimulus retention. Two tactile sample sets (S1, S2) were presented sequentially, separated by 1.5 s. Each set comprised two stimuli, one per hand. Human participants memorized the location of one task-relevant stimulus per sample set and judged whether one of these locations was stimulated again at memory test. The two relevant pulses were unpredictably located on the same hand (stay trials) or on different hands (shift trials). Initially, tCDA components emerged contralateral to the relevant S1 pulse. Sequential loading of WM enhanced the tCDA after S2 was presented on stay trials. On shift trials, the tCDA's polarity reversed after S2 presentation, resulting in delay activity that was now contralateral to the task-relevant S2 pulse. The disappearance of a lateralized neural trace for the relevant S1 pulse did not impair memory accuracy for this stimulus on shift trials. These results contradict the storage account and suggest that delay period activity indicates the sustained engagement of an attention-based rehearsal mechanism. In conclusion, somatosensory delay period activity marks the current focus of attention in tactile WM. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/356689-07$15.00/0.

  5. Dynamics of Nonlinear Time-Delay Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Lakshmanan, Muthusamy

    2010-01-01

    Synchronization of chaotic systems, a patently nonlinear phenomenon, has emerged as a highly active interdisciplinary research topic at the interface of physics, biology, applied mathematics and engineering sciences. In this connection, time-delay systems described by delay differential equations have developed as particularly suitable tools for modeling specific dynamical systems. Indeed, time-delay is ubiquitous in many physical systems, for example due to finite switching speeds of amplifiers in electronic circuits, finite lengths of vehicles in traffic flows, finite signal propagation times in biological networks and circuits, and quite generally whenever memory effects are relevant. This monograph presents the basics of chaotic time-delay systems and their synchronization with an emphasis on the effects of time-delay feedback which give rise to new collective dynamics. Special attention is devoted to scalar chaotic/hyperchaotic time-delay systems, and some higher order models, occurring in different bran...

  6. Does Early Versus Delayed Active Range of Motion Affect Rotator Cuff Healing After Surgical Repair? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kluczynski, Melissa A; Isenburg, Maureen M; Marzo, John M; Bisson, Leslie J

    2016-03-01

    The timing of passive range of motion (ROM) after surgical repair of the rotator cuff (RC) has been shown to affect healing. However, it is unknown if early or delayed active ROM affects healing. To determine whether early versus delayed active ROM affects structural results of RC repair surgery. Systematic review and meta-analysis. A systematic review of articles published between January 2004 and April 2014 was conducted. Structural results were compared for early (repair method. A total of 37 studies (2251 repairs) were included in the analysis, with 10 (649 repairs) in the early group and 27 (1602 repairs) in the delayed group. For tears ≤3 cm, the risk of a structural tendon defect was higher in the early versus delayed group for transosseous plus single-row suture anchor repairs (39.7% vs 24.3%; RR, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.28-2.08]). For tears >3 cm, the risk of a structural tendon defect was higher in the early versus delayed group for suture bridge repairs (48% vs 17.5%; RR, 2.74 [95% CI, 1.59-4.73]) and all repair methods combined (40.5% vs 26.7%; RR, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.17-1.97]). For tears >5 cm, the risk of structural tendon defect was higher in the early versus delayed group for suture bridge repairs (100% vs 16.7%; RR, 6.00 [95% CI, 1.69-21.26]). There were no statistically significant associations for tears measuring ≤1, 1-3, or 3-5 cm. Early active ROM was associated with increased risk of a structural defect for small and large RC tears, and thus might not be advisable after RC repair. © 2015 The Author(s).

  7. Quasi-stationary gravitational collapse of slowly rotating bodies in general relativity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, J C [Oxford Univ. (UK). Dept. of Astrophysics

    1977-05-01

    This paper presents results of quasi-stationary collapse calculations for a class of slowly rotating non-homogeneous bodies in general relativity. The results are qualitatively similar to those obtained previously for homogeneous models indicating that the effects described for the homogeneous models are likely to have some relevance for the gravitational collapse of real stars towards the black hole state. There is also a discussion of some basic questions associated with such calculations.

  8. Uni-directional waves over slowly varying bottom, part II: Deformation of travelling waves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pudjaprasetya, S.R.; Pudjaprasetya, S.R.; van Groesen, Embrecht W.C.

    1996-01-01

    A new Korteweg-de Vries type of equation for uni-directional waves over slowly varying bottom has been derived in Part I. The equation retains the Hamiltonian structure of the underlying complete set of equations for surface waves. For flat bottom it reduces to the standard Korteweg-de Vries

  9. The retention of radioactive noble gases in nuclear power stations by means of activated charcoal delay systems. A status report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schroeder, H.J.

    1983-01-01

    Since the beginning of the 1970s off-gas systems using activated charcoal have been used in BWRs and PWRs to minimize the release of radioactive noble gases and the resultant exposure of the environment. In practice, the power-related noble gas emission rate achieved is 1-10 Ci/MWa in the case of BWRs and 0.1-1 Ci/MWa for PWRs. The systems are relatively simple in design and operators state that they are easy and cheap to run. The activated charcoal used shows no signs of becoming spent and, if protected from humidity, retains its full efficiency. On the basis of the information to hand it has never been necessary to replace it. Experience to date suggests that a charge of activated charcoal can last the life of the facility as a whole. All knowledge and experience gained so far indicate that off-gas systems using activated delay systems for BWR facilities are indispensable and must therefore be considered an integral part of such facilities. Capital expenditure amounts to approximately 1% of the total cost and should, therefore, not be unacceptable. In PWRs off-gas systems using pressure vessels as delay trains are in competition with off-gas systems based on activated charcoal delay systems. The activated charcoal systems have proved themselves and their use, which involves capital expenditure equivalent to approximately of 0.5% to the overall cost, can be recommended without reservation

  10. Smoothing of the Time Structure of Slowly Extracted Beam From Synchrotron by RF-Knock-out Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voloshnyuk, A.V.; Bezshyjko, O.A.; Dolinskiy, A.V.; Dolinskij, A.V.

    2005-01-01

    Results of the study are presented in work on smoothing of the time structure of the bunch, slowly extracted from synchrotron. The numerical algorithm has been designed for study of the influence of the radio-frequency field of the resonator on time structure of the bunch. The numerical algorithm is based on method Monte-Carlo, where particles in the beam have been extracted by means of slow moving to the third-order resonance conditions. Characteristics of the time structure are vastly smoothed when synchrotron oscillations have been used as first experiments showed. Theoretical motivation of the reasons, influencing upon time structure of the slowly extracted beam is explained in given work

  11. Delayed xenon post-conditioning mitigates spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in rabbits by regulating microglial activation and inflammatory factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yan-Wei; Wang, Yun-Lu; Lu, Jia-Kai; Tian, Lei; Jin, Mu; Cheng, Wei-Ping

    2018-03-01

    The neuroprotective effect against spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats exerted by delayed xenon post-conditioning is stronger than that produced by immediate xenon post-conditioning. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Activated microglia are the main inflammatory cell type in the nervous system. The release of pro-inflammatory factors following microglial activation can lead to spinal cord damage, and inhibition of microglial activation can relieve spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury. To investigate how xenon regulates microglial activation and the release of inflammatory factors, a rabbit model of spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury was induced by balloon occlusion of the infrarenal aorta. After establishment of the model, two interventions were given: (1) immediate xenon post-conditioning-after reperfusion, inhalation of 50% xenon for 1 hour, 50% N 2 /50%O 2 for 2 hours; (2) delayed xenon post-conditioning-after reperfusion, inhalation of 50% N 2 /50%O 2 for 2 hours, 50% xenon for 1 hour. At 4, 8, 24, 48 and 72 hours after reperfusion, hindlimb locomotor function was scored using the Jacobs locomotor scale. At 72 hours after reperfusion, interleukin 6 and interleukin 10 levels in the spinal cord of each group were measured using western blot assays. Iba1 levels were determined using immunohistochemistry and a western blot assay. The number of normal neurons at the injury site was quantified using hematoxylin-eosin staining. At 72 hours after reperfusion, delayed xenon post-conditioning remarkably enhanced hindlimb motor function, increased the number of normal neurons at the injury site, decreased Iba1 levels, and inhibited interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 levels in the spinal cord. Immediate xenon post-conditioning did not noticeably affect the above-mentioned indexes. These findings indicate that delayed xenon post-conditioning after spinal cord injury improves the recovery of neurological function by reducing

  12. Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence in Polymers: A New Route toward Highly Efficient Solution Processable OLEDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikolaenko, Andrey E; Cass, Michael; Bourcet, Florence; Mohamad, David; Roberts, Matthew

    2015-11-25

    Efficient intermonomer thermally activated delayed fluorescence is demonstrated for the first time, opening a new route to achieving high-efficiency solution processable polymer light-emitting device materials. External quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 10% is achieved in a simple fully solution-processed device structure, and routes for further EQE improvement identified. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Comparing Active Delay and Procrastination from a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corkin, Danya M.; Yu, Shirley L.; Lindt, Suzanne F.

    2011-01-01

    Researchers have proposed that the act of postponing academic work may be divided into a traditional definition of procrastination, viewed as maladaptive, and adaptive forms of delay. Adaptive forms of delay may be more consistent with certain facets of self-regulated learning. The current study investigated this issue by examining whether the…

  14. Dual role of delay effects in a tumour-immune system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Min; Dong, Yueping; Takeuchi, Yasuhiro

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, a previous tumour-immune interaction model is simplified by neglecting a relatively weak direct immune activation by the tumour cells, which can still keep the essential dynamics properties of the original model. As the immune activation process is not instantaneous, we now incorporate one delay for the activation of the effector cells (ECs) by helper T cells (HTCs) into the model. Furthermore, we investigate the stability and instability regions of the tumour-presence equilibrium state of the delay-induced system with respect to two parameters, the activation rate of ECs by HTCs and the HTCs stimulation rate by the presence of identified tumour antigens. We show the dual role of this delay that can induce stability switches exhibiting destabilization as well as stabilization of the tumour-presence equilibrium. Besides, our results reveal that an appropriate immune activation time delay plays a significant role in control of tumour growth.

  15. Improved Criteria on Delay-Dependent Stability for Discrete-Time Neural Networks with Interval Time-Varying Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. M. Kwon

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to investigate the delay-dependent stability analysis for discrete-time neural networks with interval time-varying delays. Based on Lyapunov method, improved delay-dependent criteria for the stability of the networks are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs by constructing a suitable Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and utilizing reciprocally convex approach. Also, a new activation condition which has not been considered in the literature is proposed and utilized for derivation of stability criteria. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  16. Purely organic thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)

    OpenAIRE

    Wong, Michael Y.; Zysman-Colman, Eli

    2017-01-01

    We thank the University of St Andrews for support. EZ-C thanks the Leverhulme Trust for financial support (RPG-2016-047). and the EPSRC (EP/P010482/1) for financial support. The design of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials both as emitters and as hosts is an exploding area of research. The replacement of phosphorescent metal complexes with inexpensive organic compounds in electroluminescent (EL) devices that demonstrate comparable performance metrics is paradigm shif...

  17. Stability results for stochastic delayed recurrent neural networks with discrete and distributed delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Guiling; Li, Dingshi; Shi, Lin; van Gaans, Onno; Verduyn Lunel, Sjoerd

    2018-03-01

    We present new conditions for asymptotic stability and exponential stability of a class of stochastic recurrent neural networks with discrete and distributed time varying delays. Our approach is based on the method using fixed point theory, which do not resort to any Liapunov function or Liapunov functional. Our results neither require the boundedness, monotonicity and differentiability of the activation functions nor differentiability of the time varying delays. In particular, a class of neural networks without stochastic perturbations is also considered. Examples are given to illustrate our main results.

  18. Model for analyzing growth kinetics of a slowly growing Mycobacterium sp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambrecht, R.S.; Carriere, J.F.; Collins, M.T.

    1988-01-01

    This report describes a simple method for quantifying viable mycobacteria and for determining generation time. We used statistical models and computer analysis of growth curves generated for the slowly growing mycobacterium Mycobacterium paratuberculosis under controlled conditions to derive a mathematical formula relating the dependent variable, growth, to the independent variables, log10 number of organisms in the inoculum (inoculum size) and incubation time. Growth was measured by a radiometric method which detects 14 CO 2 release during metabolism of a 14 C-labeled substrate. The radiometric method allowed for early detection of growth and detected as few as three viable bacteria. The coefficient of variation between culture vials inoculated with the same number of M. paratuberculosis was 0.083. Radiometric measurements were highly correlated to spectrophotometric and plate count methods for measuring growth (r = 0.962 and 0.992, respectively). The proportion of the total variability explained by the model in a goodness of fit test was 0.9994. Application of the model to broth cultures provided accurate estimates of the number of M. paratuberculosis (standard error = 0.21, log10 scale) and the growth rate (coefficient of variation, 0.03). Generation time was observed to be dependent upon the number of organisms in the inoculum. The model accurately described all phases of growth of M. paratuberculosis and can likely be applied to other slowly growing microorganisms

  19. Modeling delay in genetic networks: from delay birth-death processes to delay stochastic differential equations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Chinmaya; López, José Manuel; Azencott, Robert; Bennett, Matthew R; Josić, Krešimir; Ott, William

    2014-05-28

    Delay is an important and ubiquitous aspect of many biochemical processes. For example, delay plays a central role in the dynamics of genetic regulatory networks as it stems from the sequential assembly of first mRNA and then protein. Genetic regulatory networks are therefore frequently modeled as stochastic birth-death processes with delay. Here, we examine the relationship between delay birth-death processes and their appropriate approximating delay chemical Langevin equations. We prove a quantitative bound on the error between the pathwise realizations of these two processes. Our results hold for both fixed delay and distributed delay. Simulations demonstrate that the delay chemical Langevin approximation is accurate even at moderate system sizes. It captures dynamical features such as the oscillatory behavior in negative feedback circuits, cross-correlations between nodes in a network, and spatial and temporal information in two commonly studied motifs of metastability in biochemical systems. Overall, these results provide a foundation for using delay stochastic differential equations to approximate the dynamics of birth-death processes with delay.

  20. Modeling delay in genetic networks: From delay birth-death processes to delay stochastic differential equations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, Chinmaya; López, José Manuel; Azencott, Robert; Ott, William [Department of Mathematics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004 (United States); Bennett, Matthew R. [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77204, USA and Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005 (United States); Josić, Krešimir [Department of Mathematics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004 (United States); Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204 (United States)

    2014-05-28

    Delay is an important and ubiquitous aspect of many biochemical processes. For example, delay plays a central role in the dynamics of genetic regulatory networks as it stems from the sequential assembly of first mRNA and then protein. Genetic regulatory networks are therefore frequently modeled as stochastic birth-death processes with delay. Here, we examine the relationship between delay birth-death processes and their appropriate approximating delay chemical Langevin equations. We prove a quantitative bound on the error between the pathwise realizations of these two processes. Our results hold for both fixed delay and distributed delay. Simulations demonstrate that the delay chemical Langevin approximation is accurate even at moderate system sizes. It captures dynamical features such as the oscillatory behavior in negative feedback circuits, cross-correlations between nodes in a network, and spatial and temporal information in two commonly studied motifs of metastability in biochemical systems. Overall, these results provide a foundation for using delay stochastic differential equations to approximate the dynamics of birth-death processes with delay.

  1. Modeling delay in genetic networks: From delay birth-death processes to delay stochastic differential equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, Chinmaya; López, José Manuel; Azencott, Robert; Ott, William; Bennett, Matthew R.; Josić, Krešimir

    2014-01-01

    Delay is an important and ubiquitous aspect of many biochemical processes. For example, delay plays a central role in the dynamics of genetic regulatory networks as it stems from the sequential assembly of first mRNA and then protein. Genetic regulatory networks are therefore frequently modeled as stochastic birth-death processes with delay. Here, we examine the relationship between delay birth-death processes and their appropriate approximating delay chemical Langevin equations. We prove a quantitative bound on the error between the pathwise realizations of these two processes. Our results hold for both fixed delay and distributed delay. Simulations demonstrate that the delay chemical Langevin approximation is accurate even at moderate system sizes. It captures dynamical features such as the oscillatory behavior in negative feedback circuits, cross-correlations between nodes in a network, and spatial and temporal information in two commonly studied motifs of metastability in biochemical systems. Overall, these results provide a foundation for using delay stochastic differential equations to approximate the dynamics of birth-death processes with delay

  2. Bioactive Peptides from Angelica sinensis Protein Hydrolyzate Delay Senescence in Caenorhabditis elegans through Antioxidant Activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiangqiang Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Since excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS is known to be associated with aging and age-related diseases, strategies modulating ROS level and antioxidant defense systems may contribute to the delay of senescence. Here we show that the protein hydrolyzate from Angelica sinensis was capable of increasing oxidative survival of the model animal Caenorhabditis elegans intoxicated by paraquat. The hydrolyzate was then fractionated by ultrafiltration, and the antioxidant fraction (<3 kDa was purified by gel filtration to obtain the antioxidant A. sinensis peptides (AsiPeps, which were mostly composed of peptides with <20 amino acid residues. Further studies demonstrate that AsiPeps were able to reduce the endogenous ROS level, increase the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, and decrease the content of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde in nematodes treated with paraquat or undergoing senescence. AsiPeps were also shown to reduce age pigments accumulation and extend lifespan but did not affect the food-intake behavior of the nematodes. Taken together, our results demonstrate that A. sinensis peptides (AsiPeps are able to delay aging process in C. elegans through antioxidant activities independent of dietary restriction.

  3. Delineating slowly and rapidly evolving fractions of the Drosophila genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keith, Jonathan M; Adams, Peter; Stephen, Stuart; Mattick, John S

    2008-05-01

    Evolutionary conservation is an important indicator of function and a major component of bioinformatic methods to identify non-protein-coding genes. We present a new Bayesian method for segmenting pairwise alignments of eukaryotic genomes while simultaneously classifying segments into slowly and rapidly evolving fractions. We also describe an information criterion similar to the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) for determining the number of classes. Working with pairwise alignments enables detection of differences in conservation patterns among closely related species. We analyzed three whole-genome and three partial-genome pairwise alignments among eight Drosophila species. Three distinct classes of conservation level were detected. Sequences comprising the most slowly evolving component were consistent across a range of species pairs, and constituted approximately 62-66% of the D. melanogaster genome. Almost all (>90%) of the aligned protein-coding sequence is in this fraction, suggesting much of it (comprising the majority of the Drosophila genome, including approximately 56% of non-protein-coding sequences) is functional. The size and content of the most rapidly evolving component was species dependent, and varied from 1.6% to 4.8%. This fraction is also enriched for protein-coding sequence (while containing significant amounts of non-protein-coding sequence), suggesting it is under positive selection. We also classified segments according to conservation and GC content simultaneously. This analysis identified numerous sub-classes of those identified on the basis of conservation alone, but was nevertheless consistent with that classification. Software, data, and results available at www.maths.qut.edu.au/-keithj/. Genomic segments comprising the conservation classes available in BED format.

  4. LH Dynamics in Overweight Girls with Premature Adrenarche and Slowly Progressive Sexual Precocity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosenfield RobertL

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Background. Excess adiposity and premature adrenarche (PA are risk factors for the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS. Methods. Girls with slowly progressive precocious breast development, who were overweight and had PA (SPPOPA, 6.2–8.2 years, , overweight PA (6.6–10.8 years, , and overweight premenarcheal controls (OW-PUB, 10.6–12.8 years, underwent hormonal sleep testing and GnRH agonist (GnRHag and ACTH tests. Results. Despite an insignificant sleep-related increase in LH and prepubertal baseline hormone levels, SPPOPA peak LH and estradiol responses to GnRHag were intermediate between those of PA and OW-PUB, the LH being significantly different from both. Conclusions. GnRHag tests indicate that SPPOPA is a slowly progressive form of true puberty with blunted LH dynamics. These results argue against the prepubertal hyperandrogenism of excess adiposity or PA enhancing LH secretion or causing ovarian hyperandrogenism prior to menarche. Excess adiposity may contribute to both the early onset and slow progression of puberty.

  5. Experience of slowly infused high-iodine-dose contrast computed tomography (SHD) of intracranial tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muraoka, Kiyoaki; Numata, Hideharu; Hokama, Yasuo

    1983-01-01

    A study was done on 20 patients with intracranial tumors by means of the slowly infused high-iodine-dose (SHD) contrast-enhancement technique. An intravenous drip infusion of 300 ml of Angiografin was given for three hours. Computerized tomograms were taken 1 hour, (2 hours), and 3 hours after the beginning of the drip infusion. The authors divided the lesions into four groups by analyzing the sequential changes in CT numbers using a histograms or profile of the region of interest. In group I, additional lesions were visible on the SHD scan (one case of metastatic brain tumors from lung cancer). In group 2, lesions were better displayed on the SHD scan due to increased enhancement (17 cases). In group 3, SHD scans showed no change (2 cases of fibrous astrocytoma). In group 4, the enhancement was diminished, but the lesion per se was still clealy identifiable (no case). Finally, in 18 cases out of 20 (90%), an additional or better display of the lesion was detected on SHD enhanced CT. The rational for doing the SHD enhancement is to detect a lesion with a minimally impaired blood-brain barrier by exposing a prolonged high blood-iodine level, and so the scanning is delayed until detectable levels of the contrast medium have accumulated within the vascular-channel pool or extravascular space of the lesion. SHD enhancement is useful: I) for revealing any additional lesion in a metastatic brain tumor; 2) for better displaying an obscure lesion on a usual scan; 3) for differentiating the quality of the lesion (for example, malignancy or cyst formation), and 4) for predicting the prognosis of the lesion. (J.P.N.)

  6. Peat - a slowly renewable biofuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2000-01-01

    The international investigation group of the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry suggest that peat should be classified as a slowly renewable energy source. Regeneration of peat can take up to thousands of years. Hence peat differs from wood energy, classified as renewable energy, and on the other hand from fossil fuels, such as coal. The report of the investigation group includes all the present research information on greenhouse gas balances of Finnish peatlands, i.e. how much greenhouse gases are liberated from Finnish mires, and on the other hand how much greenhouse gases they absorb. The net emissions of greenhouse gases of Finnish mires are over 10 million tons per year, and those of combustion of peat, mainly CO 2 , are over 8 million tons. The total greenhouse gas emissions of peat combustion and Finnish mire are estimated to be 19 (+- 9) % per year. This corresponds to about 25% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Finland. The objective of the report was also to study the effects of the utilization of cutaway peat production areas (reforestation, returning the areas back to mires, agricultural utilization) on the greenhouse gas emission balances. The precise investigation of the effects of the greenhouse gas balances and the utilization of cutaway areas require further investigation and measurements at Finnish mires. The group consisted of Patrick Crill (USA), Ken Hargraves (GB) and Atte Korhola (FIN). The report of the group will be published in the Studies and Reports Serie of the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry both in English and in Finnish

  7. Time-varying delays compensation algorithm for powertrain active damping of an electrified vehicle equipped with an axle motor during regenerative braking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Junzhi; Li, Yutong; Lv, Chen; Gou, Jinfang; Yuan, Ye

    2017-03-01

    The flexibility of the electrified powertrain system elicits a negative effect upon the cooperative control performance between regenerative and hydraulic braking and the active damping control performance. Meanwhile, the connections among sensors, controllers, and actuators are realized via network communication, i.e., controller area network (CAN), that introduces time-varying delays and deteriorates the control performances of the closed-loop control systems. As such, the goal of this paper is to develop a control algorithm to cope with all these challenges. To this end, the models of the stochastic network induced time-varying delays, based on a real in-vehicle network topology and on a flexible electrified powertrain, were firstly built. In order to further enhance the control performances of active damping and cooperative control of regenerative and hydraulic braking, the time-varying delays compensation algorithm for the electrified powertrain active damping during regenerative braking was developed based on a predictive scheme. The augmented system is constructed and the H∞ performance is analyzed. Based on this analysis, the control gains are derived by solving a nonlinear minimization problem. The simulations and hardware-in-loop (HIL) tests were carried out to validate the effectiveness of the developed algorithm. The test results show that the active damping and cooperative control performances are enhanced significantly.

  8. Delay-slope-dependent stability results of recurrent neural networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tao; Zheng, Wei Xing; Lin, Chong

    2011-12-01

    By using the fact that the neuron activation functions are sector bounded and nondecreasing, this brief presents a new method, named the delay-slope-dependent method, for stability analysis of a class of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays. This method includes more information on the slope of neuron activation functions and fewer matrix variables in the constructed Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional. Then some improved delay-dependent stability criteria with less computational burden and conservatism are obtained. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and the benefits of the proposed method.

  9. Controlling flow time delays in flexible manufacturing cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Slomp, J.; Caprihan, R.; Bokhorst, J. A. C.

    2009-01-01

    Flow time delays in Flexible Manufacturing Cells (FMCs) are caused by transport and clamping/reclamping activities. This paper shows how dynamic scheduling parameters may control the flow times of jobs and the available task windows for flow time delays.

  10. Modeling Directional Selectivity Using Self-Organizing Delay-Aadaptation Maps

    OpenAIRE

    Tversky, Mr. Tal; Miikkulainen, Dr. Risto

    2002-01-01

    Using a delay adaptation learning rule, we model the activity-dependent development of directionally selective cells in the primary visual cortex. Based on input stimuli, a learning rule shifts delays to create synchronous arrival of spikes at cortical cells. As a result, delays become tuned creating a smooth cortical map of direction selectivity. This result demonstrates how delay adaption can serve as a powerful abstraction for modeling temporal learning in the brain.

  11. Facilitating tolerance of delayed reinforcement during functional communication training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, W W; Thompson, R H; Hagopian, L P; Bowman, L G; Krug, A

    2000-01-01

    Few clinical investigations have addressed the problem of delayed reinforcement. In this investigation, three individuals whose destructive behavior was maintained by positive reinforcement were treated using functional communication training (FCT) with extinction (EXT). Next, procedures used in the basic literature on delayed reinforcement and self-control (reinforcer delay fading, punishment of impulsive responding, and provision of an alternative activity during reinforcer delay) were used to teach participants to tolerate delayed reinforcement. With the first case, reinforcer delay fading alone was effective at maintaining low rates of destructive behavior while introducing delayed reinforcement. In the second case, the addition of a punishment component reduced destructive behavior to near-zero levels and facilitated reinforcer delay fading. With the third case, reinforcer delay fading was associated with increases in masturbation and head rolling, but prompting and praising the individual for completing work during the delay interval reduced all problem behaviors and facilitated reinforcer delay fading.

  12. Mycobacterium alsiense, a novel, slowly growing species isolated from two patients with pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Richter, Elvira; Tortoli, Enrico; Fischer, Arno

    2007-01-01

    A previously undescribed, slowly growing Mycobacterium species was isolated from pulmonary specimens of two patients, one from Denmark and one from Italy. The isolates showed unique 16S rRNA internal transcribed spacers and hsp65 sequences: the 16S rRNA was most closely related to Mycobacterium...

  13. Hubble Diagram Test of Expanding and Static Cosmological Models: The Case for a Slowly Expanding Flat Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laszlo A. Marosi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a new redshift (RS versus photon travel time ( test including 171 supernovae RS data points. We extended the Hubble diagram to a range of z = 0,0141–8.1 in the hope that at high RSs, the fitting of the calculated RS/ diagrams to the observed RS data would, as predicted by different cosmological models, set constraints on alternative cosmological models. The Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM, the static universe model, and the case for a slowly expanding flat universe (SEU are considered. We show that on the basis of the Hubble diagram test, the static and the slowly expanding models are favored.

  14. Voltage sensitivity of M2 muscarinic receptors underlies the delayed rectifier-like activation of ACh-gated K(+) current by choline in feline atrial myocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro-Polanco, Ricardo A; Aréchiga-Figueroa, Iván A; Salazar-Fajardo, Pedro D; Benavides-Haro, Dora E; Rodríguez-Elías, Julio C; Sachse, Frank B; Tristani-Firouzi, Martin; Sánchez-Chapula, José A; Moreno-Galindo, Eloy G

    2013-09-01

    Choline (Ch) is a precursor and metabolite of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). In canine and guinea pig atrial myocytes, Ch was shown to activate an outward K(+) current in a delayed rectifier fashion. This current has been suggested to modulate cardiac electrical activity and to play a role in atrial fibrillation pathophysiology. However, the exact nature and identity of this current has not been convincingly established. We recently described the unique ligand- and voltage-dependent properties of muscarinic activation of ACh-activated K(+) current (IKACh) and showed that, in contrast to ACh, pilocarpine induces a current with delayed rectifier-like properties with membrane depolarization. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Ch activates IKACh in feline atrial myocytes in a voltage-dependent manner similar to pilocarpine. Single-channel recordings, biophysical profiles, specific pharmacological inhibition and computational data indicate that the current activated by Ch is IKACh. Moreover, we show that membrane depolarization increases the potency and efficacy of IKACh activation by Ch and thus gives the appearance of a delayed rectifier activating K(+) current at depolarized potentials. Our findings support the emerging concept that IKACh modulation is both voltage- and ligand-specific and reinforce the importance of these properties in understanding cardiac physiology.

  15. Time-delay interferometry for LISA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tinto, Massimo; Estabrook, F.B.; Armstrong, J.W.

    2002-01-01

    LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a mission to detect and study low-frequency cosmic gravitational radiation through its influence on the phases or frequencies of laser beams exchanged between three remote spacecraft. We previously showed how, with lasers of identical frequencies on stationary spacecraft, the measurement of twelve time series of Doppler shifts could be combined to cancel exactly the phase noise of the lasers and the Doppler fluctuations due to noninertial motions of the six optical benches, while preserving gravitational wave signals. Here we generalize those results on gravitational wave detection with time-delay interferometry to the expected LISA instrument. The six lasers have different center frequencies (in the nominal LISA configuration these center frequencies may well differ by several hundred megahertz) and the distances between spacecraft pairs will change with time (these slowly varying orbital Doppler shifts are expected to be up to tens of megahertz). We develop time-delay data combinations which, as previously, preserve gravitational waves and exactly cancel the leading noise source (phase fluctuations of the six lasers); these data combinations then imply transfer functions for the remaining system noises. Using these, we plot frequency and phase power spectra for modeled system noises in the unequal Michelson combination X and the symmetric Sagnac combination ζ. Although optical bench noise can no longer be cancelled exactly, with the current LISA specifications it is suppressed to negligible levels. It is known that the presently anticipated laser center frequency differences and the orbital Doppler drifts introduce another source of phase noise, arising from the onboard oscillators required to track the photodetector fringes. For the presently planned mission, our analysis indeed demonstrates that noise from current-generation ultrastable oscillators would, if uncorrected, dominate the LISA noise budget. To meet the

  16. Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on delayed neutron nuclear data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katakura, Jun-ichi

    1999-07-01

    This report is the Proceedings of the Specialists' Meeting on Delayed Neutron Nuclear Data. The meeting was held on January 28-29, 1999, at the Tokai Research Establishment of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute with the participation of thirty specialists, who are evaluators, theorist, experimentalists. Although the fraction of the delayed neutron is no more than 1% in the total neutrons emitted in the fission process, it plays an important roll in the control of fission reactor. In the meeting, the following topics were reported: the present status of delayed neutron data in the major evaluated data libraries, measurements of effective delayed neutron fraction using FCA (Fast Critical Assembly) and TCA (Tank-type Critical Assembly) and their analyses, sensitivity analysis for fast reactor, measurements of delayed neutron emission from actinides and so on. As another topics, delayed neutron in transmutation system and fission yield data were also presented. Free discussion was held on the future activity of delayed neutron data evaluation. The discussion was helpful for the future activity of the delayed neutron working group of JNDC aiming to the evaluation of delayed neutron data for JENDL-3.3. The 15 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  17. Antiarrhythmic properties of a rapid delayed-rectifier current activator in rabbit models of acquired long QT syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Diness, Thomas G; Yeh, Yung-Hsin; Qi, Xiao Yan

    2008-01-01

    effect of a novel compound (NS1643) that activates the rapid delayed-rectifier K+ current, I(Kr), in two rabbit models of acquired LQTS. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used two clinically relevant in vivo rabbit models of TdP in which we infused NS1643 or vehicle: (i) three-week atrioventricular block...

  18. Human fMRI Reveals That Delayed Action Re-Recruits Visual Perception

    OpenAIRE

    Singhal, Anthony; Monaco, Simona; Kaufman, Liam D.; Culham, Jody C.

    2013-01-01

    Behavioral and neuropsychological research suggests that delayed actions rely on different neural substrates than immediate actions; however, the specific brain areas implicated in the two types of actions remain unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure human brain activation during delayed grasping and reaching. Specifically, we examined activation during visual stimulation and action execution separated by a 18-s delay interval in which subjects had to rememb...

  19. Dynamics of a slowly evaporating solvent-polymer mixture with a deformable upper surface

    KAUST Repository

    Hennessy, M. G.

    2014-06-17

    This paper examines how surface deformations affect the stability of a slowly evaporating solvent-polymer mixture. The destabilizing effect of surface-tension variations arising from evaporation-induced concentration gradients and the counteracting influence of mean gravity and surface tension are incorporated into the mathematical model. A linear stability analysis that takes advantage of the separation between the characteristic time scales of the slowly evolving base state and the perturbations is carried out in combination with numerical solutions of the linearized system. It is shown that the onset of instability can occur for Marangoni numbers that are much lower than the critical value for a non-deformable surface. Moreover, two types of Marangoni instabilities appear in the system: one is associated with the traditional stationary instability, and the other is an oscillatory instability that is not present for a non-deformable liquid surface. A region of the parameter space where the oscillatory instability dominates is identified and used to formulate appropriate conditions for future experiments. © 2014 The authors 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved.

  20. Dynamics of a slowly evaporating solvent-polymer mixture with a deformable upper surface

    KAUST Repository

    Hennessy, M. G.; Munch, A.

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines how surface deformations affect the stability of a slowly evaporating solvent-polymer mixture. The destabilizing effect of surface-tension variations arising from evaporation-induced concentration gradients and the counteracting influence of mean gravity and surface tension are incorporated into the mathematical model. A linear stability analysis that takes advantage of the separation between the characteristic time scales of the slowly evolving base state and the perturbations is carried out in combination with numerical solutions of the linearized system. It is shown that the onset of instability can occur for Marangoni numbers that are much lower than the critical value for a non-deformable surface. Moreover, two types of Marangoni instabilities appear in the system: one is associated with the traditional stationary instability, and the other is an oscillatory instability that is not present for a non-deformable liquid surface. A region of the parameter space where the oscillatory instability dominates is identified and used to formulate appropriate conditions for future experiments. © 2014 The authors 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved.

  1. Optimal Joint Expected Delay Forwarding in Delay Tolerant Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Jia Xu; Xin Feng; Wen Jun Yang; Ru Chuan Wang; Bing Qing Han

    2013-01-01

    Multicopy forwarding schemes have been employed in delay tolerant network (DTN) to improve the delivery delay and delivery rate. Much effort has been focused on reducing the routing cost while retaining high performance. This paper aims to provide an optimal joint expected delay forwarding (OJEDF) protocol which minimizes the expected delay while satisfying a certain constant on the number of forwardings per message. We propose a comprehensive forwarding metric called joint expected delay (JE...

  2. SLOWLY ADAPTING SENSORY UNITS HAVE MORE RECEPTORS IN LARGE AIRWAYS THAN IN SMALL AIRWAYS IN RABBITS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Liu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Sensory units of pulmonary slowly adapting receptors (SARs are more active in large airways than in small airways. However, there is no explanation for this phenomenon. Although sensory structures in large airways resemble those in small airways, they are bigger and more complex. Possibly, a larger receptor provides greater surface area for depolarization, and thus has a lower activating threshold and/or a higher sensitivity to stretch, leading to more nerve electrical activities. Recently, a single sensory unit has been reported to contain multiple receptors. Therefore, sensory units in large airways may contain more SARs, which may contribute to high activities. To test this hypothesis, we used a double staining technique to identify sensory receptor sizes. We labeled the sensory structure with Na+/K+-ATPase antibodies and the myelin sheath with myelin basic protein (MBP antibodies. A SAR can be defined as the end formation beyond MBP labeling. Thus, we are able to compare sizes of sensory structures and SARs in large (trachea and bronchi vs small (bronchioles 0.05. However, the sensory structure contains more SARs in large airways than in small airways (9.6±0.6 vs 3.6±0.3; P<0.0001. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that greater numbers of SARs in sensory units of large airways may contribute to higher activities.

  3. Mycobacterium arosiense sp. nov., a slowly growing, scotochromogenic species causing osteomyelitis in an immunocompromised child

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bang, D.; Herlin, T.; Stegger, M.

    2008-01-01

    A yellow-pigmented, scotochromogenic, slowly growing mycobacterial strain, designated T1921(T), was isolated from the disseminated osteomyelitic lesions of a 7-year-old child with an underlying partial gamma interferon receptor alpha-1 deficiency. Hybridization by the line probe assay indicated...

  4. Retrieval cue and delay interval influence the relationship between prospective memory and activities of daily living in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tierney, Savanna M; Bucks, Romola S; Weinborn, Michael; Hodgson, Erica; Woods, Steven Paul

    2016-01-01

    Older adults commonly experience mild declines in everyday functioning and the strategic aspects of prospective memory (PM). This study used multiprocess theory to examine whether the strategic demands of retrieval cue type (event vs. time based) and delay interval length (2 vs. 15 min) influence the relationship between PM and activities of daily living (ADLs) in older adults. Participants included 97 community-dwelling older adults recruited from the Western Australia Participant Pool. Participants were administered the Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST) and Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) as part of a larger neurocognitive assessment. A knowledgeable informant completed the Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (ADLQ), from which a cutpoint of ≥ 1 was used to classify participants into "ADL normal" (n = 37) or "mild ADL problems" (n = 60) groups. Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) controlling for age was conducted with ADL group as the between-subjects factor and either MIST or PRMQ cue and delay scores as the within-subjects factors. We observed a significant ADL group by PM interaction on the MIST, with pair-wise analyses showing that the mild ADL problems group performed worse than ADL normal participants on the 15-min time-based scale (p cue-delay variable differed between the two ADL groups (ps > .10). Findings indicate that decrements in strategically demanding cue monitoring and detection over longer PM delays may partly explain older adults' mild problems in everyday functioning. Findings may inform neuropsychological interventions aimed at maintaining ADL independence and enhancing quality of life in older adults.

  5. Neural network compensation of semi-active control for magneto-rheological suspension with time delay uncertainty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong Xiaomin; Yu Miao; Liao Changrong; Chen Weimin; Li Zushu

    2009-01-01

    This study presents a new intelligent control method, human-simulated intelligent control (HSIC) based on the sensory motor intelligent schema (SMIS), for a magneto-rheological (MR) suspension system considering the time delay uncertainty of MR dampers. After formulating the full car dynamic model featuring four MR dampers, the HSIC based on eight SMIS is derived. A neural network model is proposed to compensate for the uncertain time delay of the MR dampers. The HSIC based on SMIS is then experimentally realized for the manufactured full vehicle MR suspension system on the basis of the dSPACE platform. Its performance is evaluated and compared under various road conditions and presented in both time and frequency domains. The results show that significant gains are made in the improvement of vehicle performance. Results include a reduction of over 35% in the acceleration peak-to-peak value of a sprung mass over a bumpy road and a reduction of over 24% in the root-mean-square (RMS) sprung mass acceleration over a random road as compared to passive suspension with typical original equipment (OE) shock absorbers. In addition, the semi-active full vehicle system via HSIC based on SMIS provides better isolation than that via the original HSIC, which can avoid the effect of the time delay uncertainty of the MR dampers

  6. Positive solutions of a three-point boundary-value problem for differential equations with damping and actively bounded delayed forcing term

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George L. Karakostas

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available We provide sufficient conditions for the existence of positive solutions of a three-point boundary value problem concerning a second order delay differential equation with damping and forcing term whose the delayed part is an actively bounded function, a meaning introduced in [19]. By writing the damping term as a difference of two factors one can extract more information on the solutions. (For instance, in an application, given in the last section, we can give the exact value of the norm of the solution.

  7. The role of social toxicity in responses to a slowly-evolving environmental disaster: the case of amphibole asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, Rebecca J W; Orom, Heather; Chung, Jae Eun; Hernandez, Tanis

    2014-09-01

    Experiencing a disaster has significant negative effects on psychological adjustment. Case study accounts point to two consistent trends in slowly-evolving environmental disasters: (a) patterns of negative social dynamics, and (b) relatively worse psychological outcomes than in natural disasters. Researchers have begun to explicitly postulate that the social consequences of slowly-evolving environmental disasters (e.g., community conflict) have their own effects on victims' psychological outcomes. This study tested a model of the relationship between those social consequences and psychological adjustment of victims of a slowly-evolving environmental disaster, specifically those whose health has been compromised by the amphibole asbestos disaster in Libby, MT. Results indicate that experiencing greater community conflict about the disaster was associated with greater family conflict about the disaster which, in turn, was associated with greater social constraints on talking with others about their disease, both directly and indirectly through experiencing stigmatization. Experiencing greater social constraints was associated with worse psychological adjustment, both directly and indirectly through failed social support. Findings have implications for understanding pathways by which social responses create negative effects on mental health in slowly-evolving environmental disasters. These pathways suggest points for prevention and response (e.g., social support, stigmatization of victims) for communities experiencing slowly-evolving environmental disasters.

  8. Global robust stability of neural networks with multiple discrete delays and distributed delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Ming; Cui Baotong

    2009-01-01

    The problem of global robust stability is investigated for a class of uncertain neural networks with both multiple discrete time-varying delays and distributed time-varying delays. The uncertainties are assumed to be of norm-bounded form and the activation functions are supposed to be bounded and globally Lipschitz continuous. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality technique, some robust stability conditions guaranteeing the global robust convergence of the equilibrium point are derived. The proposed LMI-based criteria are computationally efficient as they can be easily checked by using recently developed algorithms in solving LMIs. Two examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed results.

  9. Every-other-day feeding extends lifespan but fails to delay many symptoms of aging in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Kan; Neff, Frauke; Markert, Astrid; Rozman, Jan; Aguilar-Pimentel, Juan Antonio; Amarie, Oana Veronica; Becker, Lore; Brommage, Robert; Garrett, Lillian; Henzel, Kristin S; Hölter, Sabine M; Janik, Dirk; Lehmann, Isabelle; Moreth, Kristin; Pearson, Brandon L; Racz, Ildiko; Rathkolb, Birgit; Ryan, Devon P; Schröder, Susanne; Treise, Irina; Bekeredjian, Raffi; Busch, Dirk H; Graw, Jochen; Ehninger, Gerhard; Klingenspor, Martin; Klopstock, Thomas; Ollert, Markus; Sandholzer, Michael; Schmidt-Weber, Carsten; Weiergräber, Marco; Wolf, Eckhard; Wurst, Wolfgang; Zimmer, Andreas; Gailus-Durner, Valerie; Fuchs, Helmut; Hrabě de Angelis, Martin; Ehninger, Dan

    2017-07-24

    Dietary restriction regimes extend lifespan in various animal models. Here we show that longevity in male C57BL/6J mice subjected to every-other-day feeding is associated with a delayed onset of neoplastic disease that naturally limits lifespan in these animals. We compare more than 200 phenotypes in over 20 tissues in aged animals fed with a lifelong every-other-day feeding or ad libitum access to food diet to determine whether molecular, cellular, physiological and histopathological aging features develop more slowly in every-other-day feeding mice than in controls. We also analyze the effects of every-other-day feeding on young mice on shorter-term every-other-day feeding or ad libitum to account for possible aging-independent restriction effects. Our large-scale analysis reveals overall only limited evidence for a retardation of the aging rate in every-other-day feeding mice. The data indicate that every-other-day feeding-induced longevity is sufficiently explained by delays in life-limiting neoplastic disorders and is not associated with a more general slowing of the aging process in mice.Dietary restriction can extend the life of various model organisms. Here, Xie et al. show that intermittent periods of fasting achieved through every-other-day feeding protect mice against neoplastic disease but do not broadly delay organismal aging in animals.

  10. Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on delayed neutron nuclear data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Katakura, Jun-ichi [ed.] [Japanese Nuclear Data Committee, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan)

    1999-07-01

    This report is the Proceedings of the Specialists' Meeting on Delayed Neutron Nuclear Data. The meeting was held on January 28-29, 1999, at the Tokai Research Establishment of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute with the participation of thirty specialists, who are evaluators, theorist, experimentalists. Although the fraction of the delayed neutron is no more than 1% in the total neutrons emitted in the fission process, it plays an important roll in the control of fission reactor. In the meeting, the following topics were reported: the present status of delayed neutron data in the major evaluated data libraries, measurements of effective delayed neutron fraction using FCA (Fast Critical Assembly) and TCA (Tank-type Critical Assembly) and their analyses, sensitivity analysis for fast reactor, measurements of delayed neutron emission from actinides and so on. As another topics, delayed neutron in transmutation system and fission yield data were also presented. Free discussion was held on the future activity of delayed neutron data evaluation. The discussion was helpful for the future activity of the delayed neutron working group of JNDC aiming to the evaluation of delayed neutron data for JENDL-3.3. The 15 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  11. Thermal adaptation of the crucian carp (Carassius carassius) cardiac delayed rectifier current, IKs, by homomeric assembly of Kv7.1 subunits without MinK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassinen, Minna; Laulaja, Salla; Paajanen, Vesa; Haverinen, Jaakko; Vornanen, Matti

    2011-07-01

    Ectothermic vertebrates experience acute and chronic temperature changes which affect cardiac excitability and may threaten electrical stability of the heart. Nevertheless, ectothermic hearts function over wide range of temperatures without cardiac arrhythmias, probably due to special molecular adaptations. We examine function and molecular basis of the slow delayed rectifier K(+) current (I(Ks)) in cardiac myocytes of a eurythermic fish (Carassius carassius L.). I(Ks) is an important repolarizing current that prevents excessive prolongation of cardiac action potential, but it is extremely slowly activating when expressed in typical molecular composition of the endothermic animals. Comparison of the I(Ks) of the crucian carp atrial myocytes with the currents produced by homomeric K(v)7.1 and heteromeric K(v)7.1/MinK channels in Chinese hamster ovary cells indicates that activation kinetics and pharmacological properties of the I(Ks) are similar to those of the homomeric K(v)7.1 channels. Consistently with electrophysiological properties and homomeric K(v)7.1 channel composition, atrial transcript expression of the MinK subunit is only 1.6-1.9% of the expression level of the K(v)7.1 subunit. Since activation kinetics of the homomeric K(v)7.1 channels is much faster than activation of the heteromeric K(v)7.1/MinK channels, the homomeric K(v)7.1 composition of the crucian carp cardiac I(Ks) is thermally adaptive: the slow delayed rectifier channels can open despite low body temperatures and curtail the duration of cardiac action potential in ectothermic crucian carp. We suggest that the homomeric K(v)7.1 channel assembly is an evolutionary thermal adaptation of ectothermic hearts and the heteromeric K(v)7.1/MinK channels evolved later to adapt I(Ks) to high body temperature of endotherms.

  12. Stability and delay sensitivity of neutral fractional-delay systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Qi; Shi, Min; Wang, Zaihua

    2016-08-01

    This paper generalizes the stability test method via integral estimation for integer-order neutral time-delay systems to neutral fractional-delay systems. The key step in stability test is the calculation of the number of unstable characteristic roots that is described by a definite integral over an interval from zero to a sufficient large upper limit. Algorithms for correctly estimating the upper limits of the integral are given in two concise ways, parameter dependent or independent. A special feature of the proposed method is that it judges the stability of fractional-delay systems simply by using rough integral estimation. Meanwhile, the paper shows that for some neutral fractional-delay systems, the stability is extremely sensitive to the change of time delays. Examples are given for demonstrating the proposed method as well as the delay sensitivity.

  13. Propagation of 3D internal gravity wave beams in a slowly varying stratification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Boyu; Akylas, T. R.

    2017-11-01

    The time-mean flows induced by internal gravity wave beams (IGWB) with 3D variations have been shown to have dramatic implications for long-term IGWB dynamics. While uniform stratifications are convenient both theoretically and in the laboratory, stratifications in the ocean can vary by more than an order of magnitude over the ocean depth. Here, in view of this fact, we study the propagation of a 3D IGWB in a slowly varying stratification. We assume that the stratification varies slowly relative to the local variations in the wave profile. In the 2D case, the IGWB bends in response to the changing stratification, but nonlinear effects are minor even in the finite amplitude regime. For a 3D IGWB, in addition to bending, we find that nonlinearity results in the transfer of energy from waves to a large-scale time-mean flow associated with the mean potential vorticity, similar to IGWB behavior in a uniform stratification. In a weakly nonlinear setting, we derive coupled evolution equations that govern this process. We also use these equations to determine the stability properties of 2D IGWB to 3D perturbations. These findings indicate that 3D effects may be relevant and possibly fundamental to IGWB dynamics in nature. Supported by NSF Grant DMS-1512925.

  14. Delay-dependent exponential stability for neural networks with discrete and distributed time-varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Xunlin; Wang Youyi

    2009-01-01

    This Letter studies the exponential stability for a class of neural networks (NNs) with both discrete and distributed time-varying delays. Under weaker assumptions on the activation functions, by defining a more general type of Lyapunov functionals and developing a new convex combination technique, new less conservative and less complex stability criteria are established to guarantee the global exponential stability of the discussed NNs. The obtained conditions are dependent on both discrete and distributed delays, are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), and contain fewer decision variables. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and the less conservatism of the proposed conditions.

  15. Electric and magnetic mirrors and grating for slowly moving neutral atoms and molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Opat, G.I.; Washington Univ., Seattle, WA; Wark, S.J.; Hajnal, J.V.; Cimmino, A.

    1990-01-01

    Those atoms or molecules which happen to have positive Stark or Zeeman energies (by virtue of their internal quantum state) are repelled by regions of high electrostatic or magnetostatic energy density, respectively. Using electrostatic or magnetostatic fields, which are periodic in a plane, it is possible to construct mirrors and gratings for slowly moving atoms and molecules. The theory of such devices is presented, together with some ideas for their fabrication. 10 refs., 4 figs

  16. Signal shape registration in the JINR synchrophasotron slowly extracted beam parameter control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volkov, V.I.; Kulikov, I.I.; Romanov, S.V.

    1982-01-01

    Signal shape registration in the JINR synchrophasotron slowly estracted beam parameter control system on-line with the ES-1010 computer is described. 32 input signals can be connected to the registrator. The maximum measurement rate of signal shape registration is about 38 kHz. The registrator consists of 32-channel analog multiplexer, 10-bit analog-to-digital converter, 1024-word buffer memory and control circuits. For information representation the colour TV monitor is used

  17. A delay-dependent approach to robust control for neutral uncertain neural networks with mixed interval time-varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Chien-Yu

    2011-01-01

    This paper considers the problem of delay-dependent global robust stabilization for discrete, distributed and neutral interval time-varying delayed neural networks described by nonlinear delay differential equations of the neutral type. The parameter uncertainties are norm bounded. The activation functions are assumed to be bounded and globally Lipschitz continuous. Using a Lyapunov functional approach and linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques, the stability criteria for the uncertain neutral neural networks with interval time-varying delays are established in the form of LMIs, which can be readily verified using the standard numerical software. An important feature of the result reported is that all the stability conditions are dependent on the upper and lower bounds of the delays. Another feature of the results lies in that it involves fewer free weighting matrix strategy, and upper bounds of the inner product between two vectors are not introduced to reduce the conservatism of the criteria. Two illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and the reduced conservatism of the proposed method

  18. A novel fair active queue management algorithm based on traffic delay jitter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xue-Shun; Yu, Shao-Hua; Dai, Jin-You; Luo, Ting

    2009-11-01

    In order to guarantee the quantity of data traffic delivered in the network, congestion control strategy is adopted. According to the study of many active queue management (AQM) algorithms, this paper proposes a novel active queue management algorithm named JFED. JFED can stabilize queue length at a desirable level by adjusting output traffic rate and adopting a reasonable calculation of packet drop probability based on buffer queue length and traffic jitter; and it support burst packet traffic through the packet delay jitter, so that it can traffic flow medium data. JFED impose effective punishment upon non-responsible flow with a full stateless method. To verify the performance of JFED, it is implemented in NS2 and is compared with RED and CHOKe with respect to different performance metrics. Simulation results show that the proposed JFED algorithm outperforms RED and CHOKe in stabilizing instantaneous queue length and in fairness. It is also shown that JFED enables the link capacity to be fully utilized by stabilizing the queue length at a desirable level, while not incurring excessive packet loss ratio.

  19. Delayed neutron spectra and their uncertainties in fission product summation calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyazono, T.; Sagisaka, M.; Ohta, H.; Oyamatsu, K.; Tamaki, M. [Nagoya Univ. (Japan)

    1997-03-01

    Uncertainties in delayed neutron summation calculations are evaluated with ENDF/B-VI for 50 fissioning systems. As the first step, uncertainty calculations are performed for the aggregate delayed neutron activity with the same approximate method as proposed previously for the decay heat uncertainty analyses. Typical uncertainty values are about 6-14% for {sup 238}U(F) and about 13-23% for {sup 243}Am(F) at cooling times 0.1-100 (s). These values are typically 2-3 times larger than those in decay heat at the same cooling times. For aggregate delayed neutron spectra, the uncertainties would be larger than those for the delayed neutron activity because much more information about the nuclear structure is still necessary. (author)

  20. Use of delayed gamma rays for active non-destructive assay of {sup 235}U irradiated by pulsed neutron source (plasma focus)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andola, Sanjay; Niranjan, Ram [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Kaushik, T.C., E-mail: tckk@barc.gov.in [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Rout, R.K. [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Kumar, Ashwani; Paranjape, D.B.; Kumar, Pradeep; Tomar, B.S.; Ramakumar, K.L. [Radioanalytical Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Gupta, S.C. [Applied Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

    2014-07-01

    A pulsed neutron source based on plasma focus device has been used for active interrogation and assay of {sup 235}U by monitoring its delayed high energy γ-rays. The method involves irradiation of fissile material by thermal neutrons obtained after moderation of a burst of neutrons emitted upon fusion of deuterium in plasma focus (PF) device. The delayed gamma rays emitted from the fissile material as a consequence of induced fission were detected by a large volume sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) detector. The detector is coupled to a data acquisition system of 2k input size with 2k ADC conversion gain. Counting was carried out in pulse height analysis mode for time integrated counts up to 100 s while the temporal profile of delayed gamma has been obtained by counting in multichannel scaling mode with dwell time of 50 ms. To avoid the effect of passive (natural) and active (from surrounding materials) backgrounds, counts have been acquired for gamma energy between 3 and 10 MeV. The lower limit of detection of {sup 235}U in the oxide samples with this set-up is estimated to be 14 mg.

  1. Global synchronization in finite time for fractional-order neural networks with discontinuous activations and time delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Xiao; Wu, Huaiqin; Song, Ka; Shi, Jiaxin

    2017-10-01

    This paper is concerned with the global Mittag-Leffler synchronization and the synchronization in finite time for fractional-order neural networks (FNNs) with discontinuous activations and time delays. Firstly, the properties with respect to Mittag-Leffler convergence and convergence in finite time, which play a critical role in the investigation of the global synchronization of FNNs, are developed, respectively. Secondly, the novel state-feedback controller, which includes time delays and discontinuous factors, is designed to realize the synchronization goal. By applying the fractional differential inclusion theory, inequality analysis technique and the proposed convergence properties, the sufficient conditions to achieve the global Mittag-Leffler synchronization and the synchronization in finite time are addressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). In addition, the upper bound of the setting time of the global synchronization in finite time is explicitly evaluated. Finally, two examples are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed design method and theoretical results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Highly efficient electroluminescence from a solution-processable thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wada, Yoshimasa; Kubo, Shosei; Suzuki, Katsuaki; Kaji, Hironori, E-mail: kaji@scl.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Shizu, Katsuyuki [Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Tanaka, Hiroyuki [Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Adachi, Chihaya [Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), ERATO, Adachi Molecular Exciton Engineering Project, 744 Motooka, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan)

    2015-11-02

    We developed a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter, 2,4,6-tris(4-(9,9-dimethylacridan-10-yl)phenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (3ACR-TRZ), suitable for use in solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). When doped into 4,4′-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl (CBP) host at 16 wt. %, 3ACR-TRZ showed a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 98%. Transient photoluminescence decay measurements of the 16 wt. % 3ACR-TRZ:CBP film confirmed that 3ACR-TRZ exhibits efficient TADF with a triplet-to-light conversion efficiency of 96%. This high conversion efficiency makes 3ACR-TRZ attractive as an emitting dopant in OLEDs. Using 3ACR-TRZ as an emitter, we fabricated a solution-processed OLED exhibiting a maximum external quantum efficiency of 18.6%.

  3. Development of a photonuclear activation file and measurement of delayed neutron spectra; Creation d'une bibliotheque d'activation photonucleaire et mesures de spectres d'emission de neutrons retardes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giacri-Mauborgne, M.L

    2005-11-15

    This thesis work consists in two parts. The first part is the description of the creation of a photonuclear activation file which will be used to calculated photonuclear activation. To build this file we have used different data sources: evaluations but also calculations done using several cross sections codes (HMS-ALICE, GNASH, ABLA). This file contains photonuclear activation cross sections for more than 600 nuclides and fission fragments distributions for 30 actinides at tree different Bremsstrahlung energies and the delay neutron spectrum associated. These spectra are not in good agreement with experimental data. That is why we decided to launch measurement of delayed neutrons spectra from photofission. The second part of this thesis consists in demonstrating the possibility to do such measurements at the ELSA accelerator facility. To that purpose, we have developed the detection, the acquisition system and the analysis method of such spectra. These were tested for the measurement of the delayed neutron spectrum of uranium-238 after irradiation in a 2 MeV neutron flux. Finally, we have measured the delayed neutron spectrum of uranium-238 after irradiation in a 15 MeV Bremsstrahlung flux. We compare our results with experimental data. The experiment has allowed us to improve the value of {nu}{sub p}-bar with an absolute uncertainty below 7%, we propose {nu}{sub p}-bar = (3.03 {+-} 0.02) n/100 fissions, and to correct the Nikotin's parameters for the six group representation. Particularly, we have improved the data concerning the sixth group by taking into account results from different irradiation times.

  4. Delayed early proprioceptive information processing in schizophrenia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arnfred, Sidse M; Hemmingsen, RP; Parnas, Josef

    2006-01-01

    . In the patients, the early contralateral parietal activity was delayed and later central activity had increased amplitude, but gating was unaffected. The results could be understood within the "deficiency of corollary discharge" model of schizophrenia but not within the "filtering" theory. Further studies...

  5. Human fMRI reveals that delayed action re-recruits visual perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singhal, Anthony; Monaco, Simona; Kaufman, Liam D; Culham, Jody C

    2013-01-01

    Behavioral and neuropsychological research suggests that delayed actions rely on different neural substrates than immediate actions; however, the specific brain areas implicated in the two types of actions remain unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure human brain activation during delayed grasping and reaching. Specifically, we examined activation during visual stimulation and action execution separated by a 18-s delay interval in which subjects had to remember an intended action toward the remembered object. The long delay interval enabled us to unambiguously distinguish visual, memory-related, and action responses. Most strikingly, we observed reactivation of the lateral occipital complex (LOC), a ventral-stream area implicated in visual object recognition, and early visual cortex (EVC) at the time of action. Importantly this reactivation was observed even though participants remained in complete darkness with no visual stimulation at the time of the action. Moreover, within EVC, higher activation was observed for grasping than reaching during both vision and action execution. Areas in the dorsal visual stream were activated during action execution as expected and, for some, also during vision. Several areas, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), primary motor cortex (M1) and the supplementary motor area (SMA), showed sustained activation during the delay phase. We propose that during delayed actions, dorsal-stream areas plan and maintain coarse action goals; however, at the time of execution, motor programming requires re-recruitment of detailed visual information about the object through reactivation of (1) ventral-stream areas involved in object perception and (2) early visual areas that contain richly detailed visual representations, particularly for grasping.

  6. Human fMRI reveals that delayed action re-recruits visual perception.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony Singhal

    Full Text Available Behavioral and neuropsychological research suggests that delayed actions rely on different neural substrates than immediate actions; however, the specific brain areas implicated in the two types of actions remain unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI to measure human brain activation during delayed grasping and reaching. Specifically, we examined activation during visual stimulation and action execution separated by a 18-s delay interval in which subjects had to remember an intended action toward the remembered object. The long delay interval enabled us to unambiguously distinguish visual, memory-related, and action responses. Most strikingly, we observed reactivation of the lateral occipital complex (LOC, a ventral-stream area implicated in visual object recognition, and early visual cortex (EVC at the time of action. Importantly this reactivation was observed even though participants remained in complete darkness with no visual stimulation at the time of the action. Moreover, within EVC, higher activation was observed for grasping than reaching during both vision and action execution. Areas in the dorsal visual stream were activated during action execution as expected and, for some, also during vision. Several areas, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS, dorsal premotor cortex (PMd, primary motor cortex (M1 and the supplementary motor area (SMA, showed sustained activation during the delay phase. We propose that during delayed actions, dorsal-stream areas plan and maintain coarse action goals; however, at the time of execution, motor programming requires re-recruitment of detailed visual information about the object through reactivation of (1 ventral-stream areas involved in object perception and (2 early visual areas that contain richly detailed visual representations, particularly for grasping.

  7. Eating slowly led to decreases in energy intake within meals in healthy women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrade, Ana M; Greene, Geoffrey W; Melanson, Kathleen J

    2008-07-01

    Although reducing eating rate is frequently advocated for control of food intake and thus body weight, empirical evidence is extremely limited and inconsistent. We sought to compare the impact of slow and quick eating rates on development of satiation in healthy women. In a randomized design, 30 healthy women (22.9+/-7.1 years; body mass index [calculated as kg/m(2)] 22.1+/-2.9) were studied on two test visits to compare slow and quick eating rates. Satiation was examined as the main outcome, using the objective measure of energy intake during ad libitum meals. At designated times, subjects also rated perceived hunger, satiety, desire to eat, thirst and meal palatability on visual analogue scales. Slow rates of ingestion led to significant decreases in energy intake (quick: 645.7+/-155.9 kcal; slow: 579.0+/-154.7 kcal; Pmeal completion under the quick condition, satiety was significantly lower than the slow condition (PIndex (quick: 0.1; slow: 0.2; Pmeal completion, pleasantness ratings tended to be higher under the slow condition (P=0.04; but not significant after Bonferroni adjustment). Ad libitum energy intake was lower when the meal was eaten slowly, and satiety was higher at meal completion. Although more study is needed, these data suggest that eating slowly may help to maximize satiation and reduce energy intake within meals.

  8. Slowly biodegradable organic compounds impact the biostability of non-chlorinated drinking water produced from surface water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hijnen, W.A.M.; Schurer, R.; Bahlman, J.A.; Ketelaars, H.A.M.; Italiaander, R.; Wal, van der A.; Wielen, van der P.W.J.J.

    2018-01-01

    It is possible to distribute drinking water without a disinfectant residual when the treated water is biologically stable. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of easily and slowly biodegradable compounds on the biostability of the drinking water at three full-scale production

  9. Multistability of delayed complex-valued recurrent neural networks with discontinuous real-imaginary-type activation functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Yu-Jiao; Hu Hai-Gen

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, the multistability issue is discussed for delayed complex-valued recurrent neural networks with discontinuous real-imaginary-type activation functions. Based on a fixed theorem and stability definition, sufficient criteria are established for the existence and stability of multiple equilibria of complex-valued recurrent neural networks. The number of stable equilibria is larger than that of real-valued recurrent neural networks, which can be used to achieve high-capacity associative memories. One numerical example is provided to show the effectiveness and superiority of the presented results. (paper)

  10. Delayed neutrons in liquid metal spallation targets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ridikas, D.; Bokov, P.; David, J.C.; Dore, D.; Giacri, M.L.; Van Lauwe, A.; Plukiene, R.; Plukis, A.; Ignatiev, S.; Pankratov, D.

    2003-01-01

    The next generation spallation neutron sources, neutrino factories or RIB production facilities currently being designed and constructed around the world will increase the average proton beam power on target by a few orders of magnitude. Increased proton beam power results in target thermal hydraulic issues leading to new target designs, very often based on flowing liquid metal targets such as Hg, Pb, Pb-Bi. Radioactive nuclides produced in liquid metal targets are transported into hot cells, past electronics, into pumps with radiation sensitive components, etc. Besides the considerable amount of photon activity in the irradiated liquid metal, a significant amount of the delayed neutron precursor activity can be accumulated in the target fluid. The transit time from the front of a liquid metal target into areas, where delayed neutrons may be important, can be as short as a few seconds, well within one half-life of many delayed neutron precursors. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the total neutron flux (including delayed neutrons) as a function of time and determine if delayed neutrons contribute significantly to the dose rate. In this study the multi-particle transport code MCNPX combined with the material evolution program CINDER'90 will be used to evaluate the delayed neutron flux and spectra. The following scientific issues will be addressed in this paper: - Modeling of a typical geometry of the liquid metal spallation target; - Predictions of the prompt neutron fluxes, fission fragment and spallation product distributions; - Comparison of the above parameters with existing experimental data; - Time-dependent calculations of delayed neutron precursors; - Neutron flux estimates due to the prompt and delayed neutron emission; - Proposal of an experimental program to measure delayed neutron spectra from high energy spallation-fission reactions. The results of this study should be directly applicable in the design study of the European MegaPie (1 MW

  11. Fuzzy delay model based fault simulator for crosstalk delay fault test ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In this paper, a fuzzy delay model based crosstalk delay fault simulator is proposed. As design trends move towards nanometer technologies, more number of new parameters affects the delay of the component. Fuzzy delay models are ideal for modelling the uncertainty found in the design and manufacturing steps.

  12. Anomalous delayed loss of trapped D-D fusion products in TFTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zweben, S.J.; Darrow, D.S.; Fredrickson, E.D.; Mynick, H.E.

    1993-02-01

    A new anomalous delayed loss of D-D fusion products has been measured at the bottom of the TFRR vessel. This loss is delayed by ∼ 0.2 sec with respect to the usual prompt first-orbit loss, and has a correspondingly lower energy, i.e. about half the fusion product birth energy. This loss process dominates the total fusion product loss measured 90 degrees below the midplane for plasma currents. I≥ 1.8 MA and major radii near R=2.45 m, e.g. for recent TFTR supershots. This delayed feature can occur without large coherent MED activity, although it can be strongly modulated by such activity. Several possible causes for this phenomenon are discussed, but no clear explanation for this delayed loss has yet been found

  13. On the cost/delay tradeoff of wireless delay tolerant geographic routing

    OpenAIRE

    Tasiopoulos, Argyrios; Tsiaras, Christos; Toumpis, Stavros

    2012-01-01

    In Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs), there is a fundamental tradeoff between the aggregate transport cost of a packet and the delay in its delivery. We study this tradeoff in the context of geographical routing in wireless DTNs.We ?rst specify the optimal cost/delay tradeoff, i.e., the tradeoff under optimal network operation, using a dynamic network construction termed the Cost/Delay Evolving Graph (C/DEG) and the Optimal Cost/Delay Curve (OC/DC), a function that gives the minimum possible agg...

  14. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase delays cellular senescence by upregulating SIRT1 activity and antioxidant gene expression in mouse cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaidizar, Fiqri D; Nakahata, Yasukazu; Kume, Akira; Sumizawa, Kyosuke; Kohno, Kenji; Matsui, Takaaki; Bessho, Yasumasa

    2017-12-01

    Senescent cells accumulate in tissues of aged animals and deteriorate tissue functions. The elimination of senescent cells from aged mice not only attenuates progression of already established age-related disorders, but also extends median lifespan. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting enzyme in mammalian NAD + salvage pathway, has shown a protective effect on cellular senescence of human primary cells. However, it still remains unclear how NAMPT has a protective impact on aging in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we found that primary mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells undergo progressive decline of NAMPT and NAD + contents during serial passaging before becoming senescent. Furthermore, we showed that constitutive Nampt over-expression increases cellular NAD + content and delays cellular senescence of MEF cells in vitro. We further found that constitutive Nampt over-expression increases SIRT1 activity, increases the expression of antioxidant genes, superoxide dismutase 2 and catalase and promotes resistance against oxidative stress. These findings suggest that Nampt over-expression in MEF cells delays cellular senescence by the mitigation of oxidative stress via the upregulation of superoxide dismutase 2 and catalase gene expressions by SIRT1 activation. © 2017 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  15. Solid state photon upconversion utilizing thermally activated delayed fluorescence molecules as triplet sensitizer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Tony C.; Congreve, Daniel N.; Baldo, Marc A., E-mail: baldo@mit.edu [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2015-07-20

    The ability to upconvert light is useful for a range of applications, from biological imaging to solar cells. But modern technologies have struggled to upconvert incoherent incident light at low intensities. Here, we report solid state photon upconversion employing triplet-triplet exciton annihilation in an organic semiconductor, sensitized by a thermally activated-delayed fluorescence (TADF) dye. Compared to conventional phosphorescent sensitizers, the TADF dye maximizes the wavelength shift in upconversion due to its small singlet-triplet splitting. The efficiency of energy transfer from the TADF dye is 9.1%, and the conversion yield of sensitizer exciton pairs to singlet excitons in the annihilator is 1.1%. Our results demonstrate upconversion in solid state geometries and with non-heavy metal-based sensitizer materials.

  16. Changes in hormonal balance and meristematic activity in primary root tips on the slowly rotating clinostat and their effect on the development of the rapeseed root system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aarrouf, J; Schoevaert, D; Maldiney, R; Perbal, G

    1999-04-01

    The morphometry of the root system, the meristematic activity and the level of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA) and zeatin in the primary root tips of rapeseed seedlings were analyzed as functions of time on a slowly rotating clinostat (1 rpm) or in the vertical controls (1 rpm). The fresh weight of the root system was 30% higher throughout the growth period (25 days) in clinorotated seedlings. Morphometric analysis showed that the increase in biomass on the clinostat was due to greater primary root growth, earlier initiation and greater elongation of the secondary roots, which could be observed even in 5-day-old seedlings. However, after 15 days, the growth of the primary root slowed on the clinostat, whereas secondary roots still grew faster in clinorotated plants than in the controls. At this time, the secondary roots began to be initiated closer to the root tip on the clinostat than in the control. Analysis of the meristematic activity and determination of the levels in IAA, ABA and zeatin in the primary root tips demonstrated that after 5 days on the clinostat, the increased length of the primary root could be the consequence of higher meristematic activity and coincided with an increase in both IAA and ABA concentrations. After 15 days on the clinostat, a marked increase in IAA, ABA and zeatin, which probably reached supraoptimal levels, seems to cause a progressive disturbance of the meristematic cells, during a decrease of primary root growth between 15 and 25 days. These modifications in the hormonal balance and the perturbation of the meristematic activity on the clinostat were followed by a loss of apical dominance, which was responsible for the early initiation of secondary roots, the greater elongation of the root system and the emergence of the lateral roots near the tip of the primary root.

  17. Compensating for telecommunication delays during robotic telerehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Consoni, Leonardo J; Siqueira, Adriano A G; Krebs, Hermano I

    2017-07-01

    Rehabilitation robotic systems may afford better care and telerehabilitation may extend the use and benefits of robotic therapy to the home. Data transmissions over distance are bound by intrinsic communication delays which can be significant enough to deem the activity unfeasible. Here we describe an approach that combines unilateral robotic telerehabilitation and serious games. This approach has a modular and distributed design that permits different types of robots to interact without substantial code changes. We demonstrate the approach through an online multiplayer game. Two users can remotely interact with each other with no force exchanges, while a smoothing and prediction algorithm compensates motions for the delay in the Internet connection. We demonstrate that this approach can successfully compensate for data transmission delays, even when testing between the United States and Brazil. This paper presents the initial experimental results, which highlight the performance degradation with increasing delays as well as improvements provided by the proposed algorithm, and discusses planned future developments.

  18. Leveraging delay discounting for health: Can time delays influence food choice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appelhans, Bradley M; French, Simone A; Olinger, Tamara; Bogucki, Michael; Janssen, Imke; Avery-Mamer, Elizabeth F; Powell, Lisa M

    2018-03-15

    Delay discounting, the tendency to choose smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards, is theorized to promote consumption of immediately rewarding but unhealthy foods at the expense of long-term weight maintenance and nutritional health. An untested implication of delay discounting models of decision-making is that selectively delaying access to less healthy foods may promote selection of healthier (immediately available) alternatives, even if they may be less desirable. The current study tested this hypothesis by measuring healthy versus regular vending machine snack purchasing before and during the implementation of a 25-s time delay on the delivery of regular snacks. Purchasing was also examined under a $0.25 discount on healthy snacks, a $0.25 tax on regular snacks, and the combination of both pricing interventions with the 25-s time delay. Across 32,019 vending sales from three separate vending locations, the 25-s time delay increased healthy snack purchasing from 40.1% to 42.5%, which was comparable to the impact of a $0.25 discount (43.0%). Combining the delay and the discount had a roughly additive effect (46.0%). However, the strongest effects were seen under the $0.25 tax on regular snacks (53.7%) and the combination of the delay and the tax (50.2%). Intervention effects varied substantially between vending locations. Importantly, time delays did not harm overall vending sales or revenue, which is relevant to the real-world feasibility of this intervention. More investigation is needed to better understand how the impact of time delays on food choice varies across populations, evaluate the effects of time delays on beverage vending choices, and extend this approach to food choices in contexts other than vending machines. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02359916. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. More target features in visual working memory leads to poorer search guidance: Evidence from contralateral delay activity

    OpenAIRE

    Schmidt, Joseph; MacNamara, Annmarie; Proudfit, Greg Hajcak; Zelinsky, Gregory J.

    2014-01-01

    The visual-search literature has assumed that the top-down target representation used to guide search resides in visual working memory (VWM). We directly tested this assumption using contralateral delay activity (CDA) to estimate the VWM load imposed by the target representation. In Experiment 1, observers previewed four photorealistic objects and were cued to remember the two objects appearing to the left or right of central fixation; Experiment 2 was identical except that observers previewe...

  20. Teaching Students to Request the Continuation of Routine Activities by Using Time Delay and Decreasing Physical Assistance in the Context of Chain Interruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gee, Kathleen; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Three students (ages 5-10) with profound intellectual, sensory, and physical disabilities were taught to activate a communication device to request the continuation of activities in which they were involved. The intervention consisted of a consistent response interval and increasing time delay paired with decreasing physical assistance in…

  1. Dynamics of delay-coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo neural rings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Xiaochen; Sun, Jianqiao; Li, Shaofan

    2018-01-01

    This paper studies the dynamical behaviors of a pair of FitzHugh-Nagumo neural networks with bidirectional delayed couplings. It presents a detailed analysis of delay-independent and delay-dependent stabilities and the existence of bifurcated oscillations. Illustrative examples are performed to validate the analytical results and to discover interesting phenomena. It is shown that the network exhibits a variety of complicated activities, such as multiple stability switches, the coexistence of periodic and quasi-periodic oscillations, the coexistence of periodic and chaotic orbits, and the coexisting chaotic attractors.

  2. Representing delayed force feedback as a combination of current and delayed states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avraham, Guy; Mawase, Firas; Karniel, Amir; Shmuelof, Lior; Donchin, Opher; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A; Nisky, Ilana

    2017-10-01

    To adapt to deterministic force perturbations that depend on the current state of the hand, internal representations are formed to capture the relationships between forces experienced and motion. However, information from multiple modalities travels at different rates, resulting in intermodal delays that require compensation for these internal representations to develop. To understand how these delays are represented by the brain, we presented participants with delayed velocity-dependent force fields, i.e., forces that depend on hand velocity either 70 or 100 ms beforehand. We probed the internal representation of these delayed forces by examining the forces the participants applied to cope with the perturbations. The findings showed that for both delayed forces, the best model of internal representation consisted of a delayed velocity and current position and velocity. We show that participants relied initially on the current state, but with adaptation, the contribution of the delayed representation to adaptation increased. After adaptation, when the participants were asked to make movements with a higher velocity for which they had not previously experienced with the delayed force field, they applied forces that were consistent with current position and velocity as well as delayed velocity representations. This suggests that the sensorimotor system represents delayed force feedback using current and delayed state information and that it uses this representation when generalizing to faster movements. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The brain compensates for forces in the body and the environment to control movements, but it is unclear how it does so given the inherent delays in information transmission and processing. We examined how participants cope with delayed forces that depend on their arm velocity 70 or 100 ms beforehand. After adaptation, participants applied opposing forces that revealed a partially correct representation of the perturbation using the current and the

  3. Aerobic co-treatment of landfill leachate and domestic wastewater - are slowly biodegradable organics removed or simply diluted?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campos, R; Ferraz, F M; Vieira, E M; Povinelli, J

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the co-treatment of landfill leachate/domestic wastewater in bench-scale activated sludge (AS) reactors to determine whether the slowly biodegradable organic matter (SBOM) was removed rather than diluted. The AS reactors were loaded with mixtures of raw leachate and leachate that was pretreated by air stripping. The tested volumetric ratios were 0%, 0.2%, 2% and 5%. For all of the tested conditions, the reactors performed better when pretreated leachate was used rather than raw leachate, and the best volumetric ratio was 2%. The following removals were obtained: 97% for the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5,20), 79% for total suspended solids, 77% for dissolved organic carbon and 84% for soluble chemical oxygen demand. Most of the pretreated leachate SBOM (65%) was removed rather than diluted or adsorbed into the sludge, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses.

  4. Generalized synchronization-based multiparameter estimation in modulated time-delayed systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Dibakar; Bhattacharyya, Bidyut K.

    2011-09-01

    We propose a nonlinear active observer based generalized synchronization scheme for multiparameter estimation in time-delayed systems with periodic time delay. A sufficient condition for parameter estimation is derived using Krasovskii-Lyapunov theory. The suggested tool proves to be globally and asymptotically stable by means of Krasovskii-Lyapunov method. With this effective method, parameter identification and generalized synchronization of modulated time-delayed systems with all the system parameters unknown, can be achieved simultaneously. We restrict our study for multiple parameter estimation in modulated time-delayed systems with single state variable only. Theoretical proof and numerical simulation demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed technique. The block diagram of electronic circuit for multiple time delay system shows that the method is easily applicable in practical communication problems.

  5. Introduction to Focus Issue: Time-delay dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erneux, Thomas; Javaloyes, Julien; Wolfrum, Matthias; Yanchuk, Serhiy

    2017-11-01

    The field of dynamical systems with time delay is an active research area that connects practically all scientific disciplines including mathematics, physics, engineering, biology, neuroscience, physiology, economics, and many others. This Focus Issue brings together contributions from both experimental and theoretical groups and emphasizes a large variety of applications. In particular, lasers and optoelectronic oscillators subject to time-delayed feedbacks have been explored by several authors for their specific dynamical output, but also because they are ideal test-beds for experimental studies of delay induced phenomena. Topics include the control of cavity solitons, as light spots in spatially extended systems, new devices for chaos communication or random number generation, higher order locking phenomena between delay and laser oscillation period, and systematic bifurcation studies of mode-locked laser systems. Moreover, two original theoretical approaches are explored for the so-called Low Frequency Fluctuations, a particular chaotical regime in laser output which has attracted a lot of interest for more than 30 years. Current hot problems such as the synchronization properties of networks of delay-coupled units, novel stabilization techniques, and the large delay limit of a delay differential equation are also addressed in this special issue. In addition, analytical and numerical tools for bifurcation problems with or without noise and two reviews on concrete questions are proposed. The first review deals with the rich dynamics of simple delay climate models for El Nino Southern Oscillations, and the second review concentrates on neuromorphic photonic circuits where optical elements are used to emulate spiking neurons. Finally, two interesting biological problems are considered in this Focus Issue, namely, multi-strain epidemic models and the interaction of glucose and insulin for more effective treatment.

  6. Contralateral delay activity provides a neural measure of the number of representations in visual working memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikkai, Akiko; McCollough, Andrew W; Vogel, Edward K

    2010-04-01

    Visual working memory (VWM) helps to temporarily represent information from the visual environment and is severely limited in capacity. Recent work has linked various forms of neural activity to the ongoing representations in VWM. One piece of evidence comes from human event-related potential studies, which find a sustained contralateral negativity during the retention period of VWM tasks. This contralateral delay activity (CDA) has previously been shown to increase in amplitude as the number of memory items increases, up to the individual's working memory capacity limit. However, significant alternative hypotheses remain regarding the true nature of this activity. Here we test whether the CDA is modulated by the perceptual requirements of the memory items as well as whether it is determined by the number of locations that are being attended within the display. Our results provide evidence against these two alternative accounts and instead strongly support the interpretation that this activity reflects the current number of objects that are being represented in VWM.

  7. Slowly progressive fluent aphasia; Clinical features and an imaging study including MRI, SPECT and PET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sakurai, Yasuhisa; Momose, Toshimitsu; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Ishikawa, Takashi; Iwata, Makoto (Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine); Bando, Mitsuaki

    1991-05-01

    Three patients with slowly progressive fluent aphasia are reported. One of the patients presented with memory disturbance. They were characterized clinically by having selective deficits in vocabulary, which resulted in impairment of confrontation naming, and auditory comprehension. MRI showed an atrophy not only in the left temporal lobe (including the superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri), hippocampus, parahippocampual gyrus, and fusiform gyrus, but also in the left parietal lobe. I-123 IMP SPECT and F-18 FDG PET were used to determine regional cerebral blood flow and regional cerebral metabolic rate, respectively. In addition to the decreased tracer uptake in the left temporal and/or parietal lobe, a decreased uptake was seen in the bilateral basal ganglia, the inner side of the temporal lobe (including the bilateral hippocampus), the right anterior temporal lobe, and the left thalamus. These findings may deny the previous thought that lesions are localized in slowly progressive fluent aphasia. Furthermore, noticeable difficulty in naming, i.e., patients unable to recognize the right answer, are considered attributable to widespread lesions from the whole left temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, to the right temporal lobe. (N.K.).

  8. Asymptotic Delay Analysis for Cross-Layer Delay-Based Routing in Ad Hoc Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philippe Jacquet

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the problem of the evaluation of the delay distribution via analytical means in IEEE 802.11 wireless ad hoc networks. We show that the asymptotic delay distribution can be expressed as a power law. Based on the latter result, we present a cross-layer delay estimation protocol and we derive new delay-distribution-based routing algorithms, which are well adapted to the QoS requirements of real-time multimedia applications. In fact, multimedia services are not sensitive to average delays, but rather to the asymptotic delay distributions. Indeed, video streaming applications drop frames when they are received beyond a delay threshold, determined by the buffer size. Although delay-distribution-based routing is an NP-hard problem, we show that it can be solved in polynomial time when the delay threshold is large, because of the asymptotic power law distribution of the link delays.

  9. Kinetics of the formation of chromosome aberrations in x-irradiated human lymphocytes: Analysis by premature chromosome condensation with delayed fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greinert, R.; Detzler, E.; Volkmer, B.

    1995-01-01

    Human lymphocytes irradiated with graded doses of up to 5 Gy of 150 kV X rays were fused with mitotic CHO cells after delay times ranging from 0 to 14 h after irradiation. The yields of dicentrics seen under PCC conditions, using C-banding for centromere detection, and of excess acentric fragments observed in the PCC experiment were determined by image analysis. At 4 Gy the time course of the yield of dicentrics shows an early plateau for delay times up to 2 h, then an S-shaped rise and a final plateau which is reached after a delay time of about 8 to 10 h. Whereas the dose-yield curve measured at zero delay time is strictly linear, the shape of the curve obtained for 8 h delay time is linear-quadratic. The linear yield component, αD is formed entirely in the fast process manifested in the early plateau, while component βD 2 is developed slowly in the subsequent hours. Analysis of the kinetics of the rise of the S-shaped curve for yield as a function of time leads to the postulate of an open-quotes intermediate productclose quotes of pairwise DNA lesion interaction, still fragile when subjected to the stress of PCC, but gradually processed into a stable dicentric chromosome. It is concluded that the observed difference in the kinetics of the α and β components explains a number of earlier results, especially the disappearance of the β component at high LET, and opens possibilities for chemical and physical modification of the β component during the extended formation process after irradiation observed here. 22 refs., 4 figs

  10. Kinetics of the formation of chromosome aberrations in X-irradiated human lymphocytes: analysis by premature chromosome condensation with delayed fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greinert, R; Detzler, E; Volkmer, B; Harder, D

    1995-11-01

    Human lymphocytes irradiated with graded doses of up to 5 Gy of 150 kV X rays were fused with mitotic CHO cells after delay times ranging from 0 to 14 h after irradiation. The yields of dicentrics seen under PCC conditions, using C-banding for centromere detection, and of excess acentric fragments observed in the PCC experiment were determined by image analysis. At 4 Gy the time course of the yield of dicentrics shows an early plateau for delay times up to 2 h, then an S-shaped rise and a final plateau which is reached after a delay time of about 8 to 10 h. Whereas the dose-yield curve measured at zero delay time is strictly linear, the shape of the curve obtained for 8 h delay time is linear-quadratic. The linear yield component, alpha D, is formed entirely in the fast process manifested in the early plateau, while component beta D2 is developed slowly in the subsequent hours. Analysis of the kinetics of the rise of the S-shaped curve for yield as a function of time leads to the postulate of an "intermediate product" of pairwise DNA lesion interaction, still fragile when subjected to the stress of PCC, but gradually processed into a stable dicentric chromosome. It is concluded that the observed difference in the kinetics of the alpha and beta components explains a number of earlier results, especially the disappearance of the beta component at high LET, and opens possibilities for chemical and physical modification of the beta component during the extended formation process after irradiation observed here.

  11. O(t-α)-synchronization and Mittag-Leffler synchronization for the fractional-order memristive neural networks with delays and discontinuous neuron activations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jiejie; Chen, Boshan; Zeng, Zhigang

    2018-04-01

    This paper investigates O(t -α )-synchronization and adaptive Mittag-Leffler synchronization for the fractional-order memristive neural networks with delays and discontinuous neuron activations. Firstly, based on the framework of Filippov solution and differential inclusion theory, using a Razumikhin-type method, some sufficient conditions ensuring the global O(t -α )-synchronization of considered networks are established via a linear-type discontinuous control. Next, a new fractional differential inequality is established and two new discontinuous adaptive controller is designed to achieve Mittag-Leffler synchronization between the drive system and the response systems using this inequality. Finally, two numerical simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the theoretical results. Our approach and theoretical results have a leading significance in the design of synchronized fractional-order memristive neural networks circuits involving discontinuous activations and time-varying delays. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. An Efficient Hierarchical Multiscale Finite Element Method for Stokes Equations in Slowly Varying Media

    KAUST Repository

    Brown, Donald L.

    2013-01-01

    Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of fluid flow in porous media with many scales is often not feasible, and an effective or homogenized description is more desirable. To construct the homogenized equations, effective properties must be computed. Computation of effective properties for nonperiodic microstructures can be prohibitively expensive, as many local cell problems must be solved for different macroscopic points. In addition, the local problems may also be computationally expensive. When the microstructure varies slowly, we develop an efficient numerical method for two scales that achieves essentially the same accuracy as that for the full resolution solve of every local cell problem. In this method, we build a dense hierarchy of macroscopic grid points and a corresponding nested sequence of approximation spaces. Essentially, solutions computed in high accuracy approximation spaces at select points in the the hierarchy are used as corrections for the error of the lower accuracy approximation spaces at nearby macroscopic points. We give a brief overview of slowly varying media and formal Stokes homogenization in such domains. We present a general outline of the algorithm and list reasonable and easily verifiable assumptions on the PDEs, geometry, and approximation spaces. With these assumptions, we achieve the same accuracy as the full solve. To demonstrate the elements of the proof of the error estimate, we use a hierarchy of macro-grid points in [0, 1]2 and finite element (FE) approximation spaces in [0, 1]2. We apply this algorithm to Stokes equations in a slowly porous medium where the microstructure is obtained from a reference periodic domain by a known smooth map. Using the arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian (ALE) formulation of the Stokes equations (cf. [G. P. Galdi and R. Rannacher, Fundamental Trends in Fluid-Structure Interaction, Contemporary Challenges in Mathematical Fluid Dynamics and Its Applications 1, World Scientific, Singapore, 2010]), we obtain

  13. Taurine activates delayed rectifier KV channels via a metabotropic pathway in retinal neurons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulley, Simon; Liu, Yufei; Ripps, Harris; Shen, Wen

    2013-01-01

    Taurine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the retina, throughout the CNS, and in heart and muscle cells. In keeping with its broad tissue distribution, taurine serves as a modulator of numerous basic processes, such as enzyme activity, cell development, myocardial function and cytoprotection. Despite this multitude of functional roles, the precise mechanism underlying taurine's actions has not yet been identified. In this study we report findings that indicate a novel role for taurine in the regulation of voltage-gated delayed rectifier potassium (KV) channels in retinal neurons by means of a metabotropic receptor pathway. The metabotropic taurine response was insensitive to the Cl− channel blockers, picrotoxin and strychnine, but it was inhibited by a specific serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, MDL11939. Moreover, we found that taurine enhanced KV channels via intracellular protein kinase C-mediated pathways. When 5-HT2A receptors were expressed in human embryonic kidney cells, taurine and AL34662, a non-specific 5-HT2 receptor activator, produced a similar regulation of KIR channels. In sum, this study provides new evidence that taurine activates a serotonin system, apparently via 5-HT2A receptors and related intracellular pathways. PMID:23045337

  14. Delayed fission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hatsukawa, Yuichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1997-07-01

    Delayed fission is a nuclear decay process that couples {beta} decay and fission. In the delayed fission process, a parent nucleus undergoes {beta} decay and thereby populates excited states in the daughter. If these states are of energies comparable to or greater than the fission barrier of the daughter, then fission may compete with other decay modes of the excited states in the daughter. In this paper, mechanism and some experiments of the delayed fission will be discussed. (author)

  15. On homogenization of stokes flow in slowly varying media with applications to fluid–structure interaction

    KAUST Repository

    Brown, Donald L.

    2011-09-11

    In this paper we establish corrector estimates for Stokes flow in slowly varying perforated media via two scale asymptotic analysis. Current methods and techniques are often not able to deal with changing geometries prevalent in applied problems. For example, in a deformable porous medium environment, the geometry does not remain periodic under mechanical deformation and if slow variation in the geometry occurs. For such problems, one cannot use classical homogenization results directly and new homogenization results and estimates are needed. Our work uses asymptotic techniques of Marusic-Paloka and Mikelic (Bollettino U. M. I 7:661-671, 1996) where the authors constructed a downscaled velocity which converges to the fine-scale velocity at a rate of ε1/6 where ε is the characteristic length scale. We assume a slowly varying porous medium and study homogenization and corrector estimates for the Stokes equations. Slowly varying media arise, e. g., in fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems (Popov et al. in Iterative upscaling of flows in deformable porous media, 2008), carbonation of porous concrete (Peter in C. R. Mecanique 335:357-362, 2007a; C. R. Mecanique 335:679-684, 2007b), and various other multiphysics processes. To homogenize Stokes flows in such media we restate the cell problems of Marusic-Paloka and Mikelic (Bollettino U. M. I 7:661-671, 1996) in a moving RVE framework. Further, to recover the same convergence properties it is necessary to solve an additional cell problem and add one more corrector term to the downscaled velocity. We further extend the framework of Marusic-Paloka and Mikelic (Bollettino U. M. I 7:661-671, 1996) to three spatial dimensions in both periodic and variable pore-space cases. Next, we also propose an efficient algorithm for computing the correctors by solving a limited number of cell problems at selected spatial locations. We present two computational examples: one for a constructed medium of elliptical perforations, and

  16. Exploration of the Reasons for Delays in Construction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindhard, Søren Munch; Wandahl, Søren

    2014-01-01

    Construction sites are dominated by chaos and complexity, enforcing challenging conditions for establishing reliable and robust schedules that are easy to observe. The consequence is a large amount of delayed activities that again results in an unreliable schedule. Last planner system (LPS...... used in the LPS theory. Therefore, the results can directly be applied to the making-ready process and used as guidance of where to intervene in attempt to reduce future delay....

  17. Time and decision making: differential contribution of the posterior insular cortex and the striatum during a delay discounting task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wittmann, Marc; Leland, David S; Paulus, Martin P

    2007-06-01

    Delay discounting refers to the fact that an immediate reward is valued more than the same reward if it occurs some time in the future. To examine the neural substrates underlying this process, we studied 13 healthy volunteers who repeatedly had to decide between an immediate and parametrically varied delayed hypothetical reward using a delay discounting task during event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subject's preference judgments resulted in different discounting slopes for shorter ( or =1 year) delays. Neural activation associated with the shorter delays relative to the longer delays was associated with increased activation in the head of the left caudate nucleus and putamen. When individuals selected the delayed relative to the immediate reward, a strong activation was found in bilateral posterior insular cortex. Several brain areas including the left caudate nucleus showed a correlation between the behaviorally determined discounting and brain activation for the contrast of intervals with delays or =1 year. These results suggest that (1) the posterior insula, which is a critical component of the decision-making neural network, is involved in delaying gratification and (2) the degree of neural activation in the striatum, which plays a fundamental role in reward prediction and in time estimation, may code for the time delay.

  18. An optical and electrical study of full thermally activated delayed fluorescent white organic light-emitting diodes

    OpenAIRE

    Pereira, Daniel de Sa; dos Santos, Paloma L.; Ward, Jonathan S.; Data, Przemyslaw; Okazaki, Masato; Takeda, Youhei; Minakata, Satoshi; Bryce, Martin R.; Monkman, Andrew P.

    2017-01-01

    We report on the engineering of full thermally activated delayed fluorescence – based white organic light emitting diodes (W-OLEDs) composed of three emitters (2,7-bis(9,9-dimethyl-acridin-10-yl)-9,9-dimethylthioxanthene-S,S-dioxide (DDMA-TXO2), 2,7-bis(phenoxazin-10-yl)-9,9-dimethylthioxanthene-S,S-dioxide (DPO-TXO2) and 3,11-di(10H-phenoxazin-10-yl)dibenzo[a,j]phenazine (POZ-DBPHZ) in two different hosts. By controlling the device design through the study of the emission of DDMA-TXO2 and DP...

  19. Unusual Slowly Rotating Brown Dwarfs Discovered through Precision Spitzer Photometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinze, Aren; Metchev, S.

    2014-01-01

    Many brown dwarfs exhibit low-amplitude rotationally modulated variability due to photospheric inhomogeneities caused by condensate clouds in their atmospheres. The Spitzer Space Telescope 'Weather on Other Worlds' (WoW) project has monitored 44 brown dwarfs at unprecedented photometric precision from space. We present one of several important new results from WoW: the discovery of brown dwarfs with unexpectedly slow rotation periods. While most brown dwarfs have periods of 2-12 hours, we have identified two with well-constrained periods of 13±1 and >20 hours, respectively, and 2 others that show more tentative evidence of longer than 20-hour periods. By serving as almost non-rotating standards, these objects will allow more accurate calibration of spectroscopic measurements of brown dwarfs' projected rotational velocities. The existence of such slowly-rotating objects also constrains models of brown dwarf formation and angular momentum evolution.

  20. The neuropsychological and neuroradiological correlates of slowly progressive visual agnosia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giovagnoli, Anna Rita; Aresi, Anna; Reati, Fabiola; Riva, Alice; Gobbo, Clara; Bizzi, Alberto

    2009-04-01

    The case of a 64-year-old woman affected by slowly progressive visual agnosia is reported aiming to describe specific cognitive-brain relationships. Longitudinal clinical and neuropsychological assessment, combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spectroscopy, and positron emission tomography (PET) were used. Sequential neuropsychological evaluations performed during a period of 9 years since disease onset showed the appearance of apperceptive and associative visual agnosia, alexia without agraphia, agraphia, finger agnosia, and prosopoagnosia, but excluded dementia. MRI showed moderate diffuse cortical atrophy, with predominant atrophy in the left posterior cortical areas (temporal, parietal, and lateral occipital cortical gyri). 18FDG-PET showed marked bilateral posterior cortical hypometabolism; proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging disclosed severe focal N-acetyl-aspartate depletion in the left temporoparietal and lateral occipital cortical areas. In conclusion, selective metabolic alterations and neuronal loss in the left temporoparietooccipital cortex may determine progressive visual agnosia in the absence of dementia.

  1. Fuzzy delay model based fault simulator for crosstalk delay fault test ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In this paper, a fuzzy delay model based crosstalk delay fault simulator is proposed. As design .... To find the quality of non-robust tests, a fuzzy delay ..... Dubois D and Prade H 1989 Processing Fuzzy temporal knowledge. IEEE Transactions ...

  2. Effect of Magnetic Activity on Ionospheric Time Delay at Low ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    E) using dual frequency (1575.42 and 1227.60 MHz) GPS measurements. Data from GSV4004A GPS Iono- spheric Scintillation and TEC monitor (GISTM) have been chosen to study these effects. This paper presents the results of ionospheric time delay during quiet and disturbed days for the year 2005. Results show that.

  3. Delayed power analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adamovich, L.A.; Azarov, V.V.

    1999-01-01

    Time dependent core power behavior in a nuclear reactor is described with well-known neutron kinetics equations. At the same time, two portions are distinguished in energy released from uranium nuclei fission; one released directly at fission and another delayed (residual) portion produced during radioactive decay of fission products. While prompt power is definitely described with kinetics equations, the delayed power presentation still remains outstanding. Since in operation the delayed power part is relatively small (about 6%) operation, it can be neglected for small reactivity disturbances assuming that entire power obeys neutron kinetics equations. In case of a high negative reactivity rapidly inserted in core (e.g. reactor scram initiation) the prompt and delayed components can be calculated separately with practically no impact on each other, employing kinetics equations for prompt power and known approximation formulas for delayed portion, named residual in this specific case. Under substantial disturbances the prompt component in the dynamic process becomes commensurable with delayed portion, thus making necessary to take into account their cross impact. A system of differential equations to describe time-dependent behavior of delayed power is presented. Specific NPP analysis shows a way to significantly simplify the task formulation. (author)

  4. Turn-on delay of QD and QW laser diodes: What is the difference?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokolovskii, G S; Dudelev, V V; Kolykhalova, E D; Deryagin, A G; Maximov, M V; Nadtochiy, A M; Kuchinskii, V I; Mikhrin, S S; Livshits, D A; Viktorov, E A; Erneux, T

    2013-01-01

    Turn-on delay of laser diodes with quantum-sized active media is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In this research we show the striking difference in turn-on delay of quantum dot and quantum well laser diodes: With quantum-well lasers turn on delay tends to zero in the limit of high pumping, while with quantum dot lasers turn-on delay has the non-vanishing component which is independent of pumping

  5. A new delay-independent condition for global robust stability of neural networks with time delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samli, Ruya

    2015-06-01

    This paper studies the problem of robust stability of dynamical neural networks with discrete time delays under the assumptions that the network parameters of the neural system are uncertain and norm-bounded, and the activation functions are slope-bounded. By employing the results of Lyapunov stability theory and matrix theory, new sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point for delayed neural networks are presented. The results reported in this paper can be easily tested by checking some special properties of symmetric matrices associated with the parameter uncertainties of neural networks. We also present a numerical example to show the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Patient Delay, Diagnosis Delay and Treatment Delay for Breast Cancer: Comparison of the Pattern between Patients in Public and Private Health Sectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iraj Harirchi

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: The purpose of this study was to compare patient delay, diagnosis delay and treatment delay in breast cancer patients of selected public and private health centers in Tehran, Iran.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, female patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer in a public medical complex and a private breast clinic within one year were included. Patient delay was considered positive, if the interval between the detection of the first symptom by the patient and the first visit to a health care provider took longer than one month. Delay in diagnosis was defined as the period of more than one week between the first medical visit for the symptoms and the diagnosis of breast cancer. Following the confirmed diagnosis of breast malignancy, if the medical treatment was initiated later than one week, treatment delay had occurred. The potential reasons for patient, diagnosis and treatment delay according to the patients’ reports were also recorded.Results: Overall, 385 patients were included of whom 52.7% were recruited from the public hospitals and 47.3% from a private clinic. The prevalence of patient delay, diagnosis delay and treatment delay were 31.7%, 17.9% and 28.3%, respectively. Patient delay was significantly more common among patients with lower socio-economic status and those recruited from the public hospitals. All the patients with diagnosis delay were in the group recruited from the public hospitals.Conclusions: Gaps between women of different socio-economic levels of the society need to be addressed in order to decrease patient, diagnosis and treatment delay.

  7. Pinning, de-pinning and re-pinning of a slowly varying rivulet

    KAUST Repository

    Paterson, C.; Wilson, S.K.; Duffy, B.R.

    2013-01-01

    The solutions for the unidirectional flow of a thin rivulet with prescribed volume flux down an inclined planar substrate are used to describe the locally unidirectional flow of a rivulet with constant width (i.e. pinned contact lines) but slowly varying contact angle as well as the possible pinning and subsequent de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle and the possible de-pinning and subsequent re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width as they flow in the azimuthal direction from the top to the bottom of a large horizontal cylinder. Despite being the same locally, the global behaviour of a rivulet with constant width can be very different from that of a rivulet with constant contact angle. In particular, while a rivulet with constant non-zero contact angle can always run from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, the behaviour of a rivulet with constant width depends on the value of the width. Specifically, while a narrow rivulet can run all the way from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, a wide rivulet can run from the top of the cylinder only to a critical azimuthal angle. The scenario in which the hitherto pinned contact lines of the rivulet de-pin at the critical azimuthal angle and the rivulet runs from the critical azimuthal angle to the bottom of the cylinder with zero contact angle but slowly varying width is discussed. The pinning and de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle, and the corresponding situation involving the de-pinning and re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width at a non-zero contact angle which generalises the de-pinning at zero contact angle discussed earlier, are described. In the latter situation, the mass of fluid on the cylinder is found to be a monotonically increasing function of the constant width. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  8. Pinning, de-pinning and re-pinning of a slowly varying rivulet

    KAUST Repository

    Paterson, C.

    2013-09-01

    The solutions for the unidirectional flow of a thin rivulet with prescribed volume flux down an inclined planar substrate are used to describe the locally unidirectional flow of a rivulet with constant width (i.e. pinned contact lines) but slowly varying contact angle as well as the possible pinning and subsequent de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle and the possible de-pinning and subsequent re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width as they flow in the azimuthal direction from the top to the bottom of a large horizontal cylinder. Despite being the same locally, the global behaviour of a rivulet with constant width can be very different from that of a rivulet with constant contact angle. In particular, while a rivulet with constant non-zero contact angle can always run from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, the behaviour of a rivulet with constant width depends on the value of the width. Specifically, while a narrow rivulet can run all the way from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, a wide rivulet can run from the top of the cylinder only to a critical azimuthal angle. The scenario in which the hitherto pinned contact lines of the rivulet de-pin at the critical azimuthal angle and the rivulet runs from the critical azimuthal angle to the bottom of the cylinder with zero contact angle but slowly varying width is discussed. The pinning and de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle, and the corresponding situation involving the de-pinning and re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width at a non-zero contact angle which generalises the de-pinning at zero contact angle discussed earlier, are described. In the latter situation, the mass of fluid on the cylinder is found to be a monotonically increasing function of the constant width. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. The effects of activating the money concept on perseverance and preference for delayed gratification in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agata eTrzcińska

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The psychological model of thinking about money assumes that implicit reminders of money lead to self-sufficient motivation. Previous research has demonstrated that children react to money in similar ways to adults. The priming of young children with money related concepts or images has negatively affected their social behaviour and social preferences, leading them to make more individualist and less pro-social choices and be less willing to help others. The aim of this research was to investigate the positive influence of money activation on children’s behaviour. The participants were six to eight year old children who do not yet fully understand the instrumental function of money due to their young age. Two experimental studies were performed, the first of which analysed the effect of perseverance and performance on a challenging task and the second investigated preferences with respect to delaying gratification. Sixty-one children aged 6 took part in the first study and forty-six scout camp participants 6 to 8 years of age were involved in the second experiment. The results support the hypotheses concerning the effects of money activation stating that (1 money activation influences children’s perseverance and effectiveness in difficult individual tasks, and that (2 it increases children’s preferences for delayed gratification. These results suggest that money has a symbolic power which may exert both positive and negative effects on children’s behaviour. Since children between the ages of 6 and 8 do not understand the instrumental function of money fully, certain symbolic meanings of money may have been responsible for the money priming effects. The findings suggest that the symbolic function of money is more primal than its instrumental function and that it probably develops at an earlier stage in life.

  10. Speech and Language Delay

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... OTC Relief for Diarrhea Home Diseases and Conditions Speech and Language Delay Condition Speech and Language Delay Share Print Table of Contents1. ... Treatment6. Everyday Life7. Questions8. Resources What is a speech and language delay? A speech and language delay ...

  11. Thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic dots for two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Tingchao; Ren, Can; Li, Zhuohua; Xiao, Shuyu; Li, Junzi; Lin, Xiaodong; Ye, Chuanxiang; Zhang, Junmin; Guo, Lihong; Hu, Wenbo; Chen, Rui

    2018-05-01

    Autofluorescence is a major challenge in complex tissue imaging when molecules present in the biological tissue compete with the fluorophore. This issue may be resolved by designing organic molecules with long fluorescence lifetimes. The present work reports the two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecule with carbazole as the electron donor and dicyanobenzene as the electron acceptor (i.e., 4CzIPN). The results indicate that 4CzIPN exhibits a moderate TPA cross-section (˜9 × 10-50 cm4 s photon-1), high fluorescence quantum yield, and a long fluorescence lifetime (˜1.47 μs). 4CzIPN was compactly encapsulated into an amphiphilic copolymer via nanoprecipitation to achieve water-soluble organic dots. Interestingly, 4CzIPN organic dots have been utilized in applications involving two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). Our work aptly demonstrates that TADF molecules are promising candidates of nonlinear optical probes for developing next-generation multiphoton FLIM applications.

  12. Wavelength-stepped, actively mode-locked fiber laser based on wavelength-division-multiplexed optical delay lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Eunjoo; Kim, Byoung Yoon

    2017-12-01

    We propose a new scheme for an actively mode-locked wavelength-swept fiber laser that produces a train of discretely wavelength-stepped pulses from a short fiber cavity. Pulses with different wavelengths are split and combined by standard wavelength division multiplexers with fiber delay lines. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate a laser using an erbium doped fiber amplifier and commercially available wavelength-division multiplexers with wavelength spacing of 0.8 nm. The results show simultaneous mode-locking at three different wavelengths. Laser output parameters in time domain, optical and radio frequency spectral domain, and the noise characteristics are presented. Suggestions for the improved design are discussed.

  13. Activity deprivation induces neuronal cell death: mediation by tissue-type plasminogen activator.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eldi Schonfeld-Dado

    Full Text Available Spontaneous activity is an essential attribute of neuronal networks and plays a critical role in their development and maintenance. Upon blockade of activity with tetrodotoxin (TTX, neurons degenerate slowly and die in a manner resembling neurodegenerative diseases-induced neuronal cell death. The molecular cascade leading to this type of slow cell death is not entirely clear. Primary post-natal cortical neurons were exposed to TTX for up to two weeks, followed by molecular, biochemical and immunefluorescence analysis. The expression of the neuronal marker, neuron specific enolase (NSE, was down-regulated, as expected, but surprisingly, there was a concomitant and striking elevation in expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that tPA was highly elevated inside affected neurons. Transfection of an endogenous tPA inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1, protected the TTX-exposed neurons from dying. These results indicate that tPA is a pivotal player in slowly progressing activity deprivation-induced neurodegeneration.

  14. The Influence of Slowly Varying Mass on Severity of Dynamics Nonlinearity of Bearing-Rotor Systems with Pedestal Looseness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mian Jiang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Nonlinearity measure is proposed to investigate the influence of slowly varying mass on severity of dynamics nonlinearity of bearing-rotor systems with pedestal looseness. A nonlinear mathematical model including the effect of slowly varying disk mass is developed for a bearing-rotor system with pedestal looseness. The varying of equivalent disk mass is described by a cosine function, and the amplitude coefficient is used as a control parameter. Then, nonlinearity measure is employed to quantify the severity of dynamics nonlinearity of bearing-rotor systems. With the increasing of looseness clearances, the curves that denote the trend of nonlinearity degree are plotted for each amplitude coefficient of mass varying. It can be concluded that larger amplitude coefficients of the disk mass varying will have more influence on the severity of dynamics nonlinearity and generation of chaotic behaviors in rotor systems with pedestal looseness.

  15. Delay-dependent exponential stability analysis of bi-directional associative memory neural networks with time delay: an LMI approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Chuandong; Liao Xiaofeng; Zhang Rong

    2005-01-01

    For bi-directional associative memory (BAM) neural networks (NNs) with different constant or time-varying delays, the problems of determining the exponential stability and estimating the exponential convergence rate are investigated in this paper. An approach combining the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional with the linear matrix inequality (LMI) is taken to study the problems, which provide bounds on the interconnection matrix and the activation functions, so as to guarantee the system's exponential stability. Some criteria for the exponential stability, which give information on the delay-dependent property, are derived. The results obtained in this paper provide one more set of easily verified guidelines for determining the exponential stability of delayed BAM (DBAM) neural networks, which are less conservative and less restrictive than the ones reported so far in the literature. Some typical examples are presented to show the application of the criteria obtained in this paper

  16. Λ( t ) cosmology induced by a slowly varying Elko field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pereira, S.H.; Pinho, A.S.S.; Silva, J.M. Hoff da [Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Faculdade de Engenharia, Guaratinguetá, Departamento de Física e Química Av. Dr. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha 333, 12516-410—Guaratinguetá, SP (Brazil); Jesus, J.F., E-mail: shpereira@feg.unesp.br, E-mail: alexandre.pinho510@gmail.com, E-mail: hoff@feg.unesp.br, E-mail: jfjesus@itapeva.unesp.br [Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Campus Experimental de Itapeva, R. Geraldo Alckmin, 519 Itapeva, SP (Brazil)

    2017-01-01

    In this work the exact Friedmann-Robertson-Walker equations for an Elko spinor field coupled to gravity in an Einstein-Cartan framework are presented. The torsion functions coupling the Elko field spin-connection to gravity can be exactly solved and the FRW equations for the system assume a relatively simple form. In the limit of a slowly varying Elko spinor field there is a relevant contribution to the field equations acting exactly as a time varying cosmological model Λ( t )=Λ{sub *}+3β H {sup 2}, where Λ{sub *} and β are constants. Observational data using distance luminosity from magnitudes of supernovae constraint the parameters Ω {sub m} and β, which leads to a lower limit to the Elko mass. Such model mimics, then, the effects of a dark energy fluid, here sourced by the Elko spinor field. The density perturbations in the linear regime were also studied in the pseudo-Newtonian formalism.

  17. Synchronization of delayed systems in the presence of delay time modulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kye, Won-Ho; Choi, Muhan; Kim, Myung-Woon; Lee, Soo-Young; Rim, Sunghwan; Kim, Chil-Min; Park, Young-Jai

    2004-01-01

    We investigate synchronization in the presence of delay time modulation for application to communication. We have observed that the robust synchronization is established by a common delay signal and its threshold is presented using Lyapunov exponents analysis. The influence of the delay time modulation in chaotic oscillators is also discussed

  18. The neural basis of cultural differences in delay discounting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Bokyung; Sung, Young Shin; McClure, Samuel M

    2012-03-05

    People generally prefer to receive rewarding outcomes sooner rather than later. Such preferences result from delay discounting, or the process by which outcomes are devalued for the expected delay until their receipt. We investigated cultural differences in delay discounting by contrasting behaviour and brain activity in separate cohorts of Western (American) and Eastern (Korean) subjects. Consistent with previous reports, we find a dramatic difference in discounting behaviour, with Americans displaying much greater present bias and elevated discount rates. Recent neuroimaging findings suggest that differences in discounting may arise from differential involvement of either brain reward areas or regions in the prefrontal and parietal cortices associated with cognitive control. We find that the ventral striatum is more greatly recruited in Americans relative to Koreans when discounting future rewards, but there is no difference in prefrontal or parietal activity. This suggests that a cultural difference in emotional responsivity underlies the observed behavioural effect. We discuss the implications of this research for strategic interrelations between Easterners and Westerners.

  19. Chaos synchronization in time-delayed systems with parameter mismatches and variable delay times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shahverdiev, E.M.; Nuriev, R.A.; Hashimov, R.H.; Shore, K.A.

    2004-06-01

    We investigate synchronization between two undirectionally linearly coupled chaotic nonidentical time-delayed systems and show that parameter mismatches are of crucial importance to achieve synchronization. We establish that independent of the relation between the delay time in the coupled systems and the coupling delay time, only retarded synchronization with the coupling delay time is obtained. We show that with parameter mismatch or without it neither complete nor anticipating synchronization occurs. We derive existence and stability conditions for the retarded synchronization manifold. We demonstrate our approach using examples of the Ikeda and Mackey Glass models. Also for the first time we investigate chaos synchronization in time-delayed systems with variable delay time and find both existence and sufficient stability conditions for the retarded synchronization manifold with the coupling-delay lag time. (author)

  20. Factors associated with delayed tuberculosis test-seeking behavior in the Peruvian Amazon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Carolyn M; Bayer, Angela M; Gilman, Robert H; Onifade, Dami; Acosta, Colleen; Cabrera, Lilia; Vidal, Carlos; Evans, Carlton A

    2009-12-01

    This study aimed to determine the psychosocial factors associated with delayed test-seeking among tuberculosis patients. The duration of symptoms before seeking medical care was assessed by interview for 108 newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients in the city of Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon, which has high tuberculosis incidence. Beliefs associated with test-seeking behavior and delay was assessed in these patients. The median delay from symptom onset to seeking diagnostic testing was 61 days (inter-quartile range 30-91 days). The belief that tuberculosis is curable was associated with a 100% longer test-seeking delay; the perception that tuberculosis was common was associated with a 57% longer delay; male gender was associated with a 48% longer delay; and education less than complete secondary schooling was associated with a 44% longer delay. In conclusion, current health promotion activities that emphasize tuberculosis curability and high prevalence may paradoxically increase test-seeking delay and therefore require prospective evaluation.

  1. Complex Dynamics of Delay-Coupled Neural Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Xiaochen

    2016-09-01

    This paper reveals the complicated dynamics of a delay-coupled system that consists of a pair of sub-networks and multiple bidirectional couplings. Time delays are introduced into the internal connections and network-couplings, respectively. The stability and instability of the coupled network are discussed. The sufficient conditions for the existence of oscillations are given. Case studies of numerical simulations are given to validate the analytical results. Interesting and complicated neuronal activities are observed numerically, such as rest states, periodic oscillations, multiple switches of rest states and oscillations, and the coexistence of different types of oscillations.

  2. Hyperactivity and frustration: the influence of control over and size of rewards in delaying gratification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rapport, M D; Tucker, S B; DuPaul, G J; Merlo, M; Stoner, G

    1986-06-01

    This study examined the differential effects of frustration on normal children and those diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity. Each group consisted of 16 boys between the ages of 6 and 8 years who were prematched for age, grade, and classroom placement. All children completed a series of arithmetic problems in order to earn toy rewards. Using a variant of Mischel's (1974) delay-of-gratification paradigm, children were presented with two choice-of-delay conditions in a randomly assigned, counterbalanced sequence: a free-choice conflict situation involving a long-passive or short-active reward delay, and a short-active delay. Results showed that a significantly greater proportion of hyperactive children chose to complete problems for an immediate reward compared to their normal control counterparts (p less than .01). Group differences were no longer apparent in the short-active delay trial. The results are discussed in terms of frustration tolerance and contributing factors such as cognitive-attentional style. Implications for treatment and future directions are delineated.

  3. Factors associated with long diagnostic delay in celiac disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuchs, Valma; Kurppa, Kalle; Huhtala, Heini; Collin, Pekka; Mäki, Markku; Kaukinen, Katri

    2014-11-01

    Here, we investigated the factors associated with long diagnostic delay in celiac disease and the impact of the national Current Care Guidelines in reducing the delay. This population-based study involved 825 adult celiac disease patients. The diagnosis was considered delayed when the interval between first symptoms and diagnosis was >10 years. The patients were asked about the duration and type of symptoms before diagnosis, time and site (tertiary, secondary, or primary care) of the diagnosis, family history of the disease, and presence of significant comorbidities. Analysis was performed by binary logistic regression. Altogether, 261 (32%) out of 825 participants reported a diagnostic delay of >10 years. Female gender, neurological or musculoskeletal disorders and presence of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and malabsorption were associated with prolonged delay. Male gender, diagnosis after the introduction of the first Current Care Guidelines in 1997, and being detected by serological screening, and family history of celiac disease were associated with a lower risk of delayed diagnosis. Factors not associated with the delay were site of diagnosis, age, and presence of dermatitis herpetiformis, type 1 diabetes, or thyroidal disease. The number of long diagnostic delays in celiac disease has decreased over the past decades. The shift of diagnostics from secondary and tertiary care to primary care has not been detrimental. National guidelines together with increased awareness and active screening in at-risk groups of celiac disease are important in these circumstances.

  4. The activation of visual face memory and explicit face recognition are delayed in developmental prosopagnosia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parketny, Joanna; Towler, John; Eimer, Martin

    2015-08-01

    Individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) are strongly impaired in recognizing faces, but the causes of this deficit are not well understood. We employed event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to study the time-course of neural processes involved in the recognition of previously unfamiliar faces in DPs and in age-matched control participants with normal face recognition abilities. Faces of different individuals were presented sequentially in one of three possible views, and participants had to detect a specific Target Face ("Joe"). EEG was recorded during task performance to Target Faces, Nontarget Faces, or the participants' Own Face (which had to be ignored). The N250 component was measured as a marker of the match between a seen face and a stored representation in visual face memory. The subsequent P600f was measured as an index of attentional processes associated with the conscious awareness and recognition of a particular face. Target Faces elicited reliable N250 and P600f in the DP group, but both of these components emerged later in DPs than in control participants. This shows that the activation of visual face memory for previously unknown learned faces and the subsequent attentional processing and conscious recognition of these faces are delayed in DP. N250 and P600f components to Own Faces did not differ between the two groups, indicating that the processing of long-term familiar faces is less affected in DP. However, P600f components to Own Faces were absent in two participants with DP who failed to recognize their Own Face during the experiment. These results provide new evidence that face recognition deficits in DP may be linked to a delayed activation of visual face memory and explicit identity recognition mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Up-Conversion Intersystem Crossing Rates in Organic Emitters for Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Impact of the Nature of Singlet vs Triplet Excited States

    KAUST Repository

    Samanta, Pralok Kumar; Kim, Dongwook; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Bredas, Jean-Luc

    2017-01-01

    The rates for up-conversion intersystem crossing (UISC) from the T1 state to the S1 state are calculated for a series of organic emitters with an emphasis on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. Both the spin-orbit coupling

  6. Curcumin Delays Retinal Degeneration by Regulating Microglia Activation in the Retina of rd1 Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanhe Wang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP is characterized by degeneration of photoreceptors, and there are currently no effective treatments for this disease. However, curcumin has shown neuroprotectant efficacy in a RP rat and swine model, and thus, may have neuroprotective effects in this disease. Methods: Immunofluorescence staining, electroretinogram recordings, and behavioral tests were used to analyze the effects of curcumin and the underlying mechanism in retinal degeneration 1 (rd1 mice. Results: The number of apoptotic cells in the retina of rd1 mice at postnatal day 14 significantly decreased with curcumin treatment and visual function was improved. The activation of microglia and secretion of chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases in the retina were inhibited by curcumin. These effects were also observed in a co-culture of BV2 microglial cells and retina-derived 661W cells. Conclusions: Curcumin delayed retinal degeneration by suppressing microglia activation in the retina of rd1 mice. Thus, it may be an effective treatment for neurodegenerative disorders such as RP.

  7. Enhancement of the Electrocatalytic Activity of Gold Nanoparticles via Anodic Treatment and the Decrease of the Enhanced Activity with Aging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jo, Kyung Min; Kang, Hyun Ju; Yang, Hae Sik

    2011-01-01

    We have recently shown that the electrocatalytic activity of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be enhanced via NaBH 4 treatment and cathodic treatment and that the enhanced activity slowly decreases with aging. We have also demonstrated that the electrocatalytic activity of the AuNPs freshly prepared by electrochemical or chemical reduction slowly decreases with aging in both air and solution. Likewise, the electrocatalytic activity of anodically treated Au electrodes or AuNPs might change with aging. Herein, we report that the electrocatalytic activity of long-aged AuNPs can be enhanced via anodic treatment and that the enhanced electrocatalytic activity decreases with aging in air. The change in the electrocatalytic activity of AuNPs was evaluated by comparing cyclic voltammograms for the electrooxi-dation of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and formic acid

  8. Adding delayed recall to the ADAS-cog improves measurement precision in mild Alzheimer's disease: Implications for predicting instrumental activities of daily living.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowe, Deborah A; Balsis, Steve; Benge, Jared F; Doody, Rachelle S

    2015-12-01

    As research increasingly focuses on preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), instruments must be retooled to identify early cognitive markers of AD. A supplemental delayed recall subtest for the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive (ADAS-cog; Mohs, Rosen, & Davis, 1983; Rosen, Mohs, & Davis, 1984) is commonly implemented, but it is not known precisely where along the spectrum of cognitive dysfunction this subtest yields incremental information beyond what is gained from the standard ADAS-cog, or whether it can improve prediction of functional outcomes. An item response theory approach can analyze this in a psychometrically rigorous way. Seven hundred eighty-eight patients with AD or amnestic complaints or impairment completed a battery including the ADAS-cog and 2 activities of daily living measures. The delayed recall subtest slightly improved the ADAS-cog's measurement precision in the mild range of cognitive dysfunction and increased prediction of instrumental activities of daily living for individuals with subjective memory impairment. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  9. Prolactin modulates luteal activity in the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx during delayed embryonic development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anuradha; Krishna, Amitabh

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of prolactin as a modulator of luteal steroidogenesis during the period of delayed embryonic development in Cynopterus sphinx. A marked decline in circulating prolactin levels was noted during the months of November through December coinciding with the period of decreased serum progesterone and delayed embryonic development. The seasonal changes in serum prolactin levels correlated positively with circulating progesterone (P) level, but inversely with circulating melatonin level during first pregnancy showing delayed development in Cynopterus sphinx. The results also showed decreased expression of prolactin receptor-short form (PRL-RS) both in the corpus luteum and in the utero-embryonic unit during the period of delayed embryonic development. Bats treated in vivo with prolactin during the period of delayed development showed significant increase in serum progesterone and estradiol levels together with significant increase in the expression of PRL-RS, luteinizing hormone receptor (LH-R), steroidogenic acute receptor protein (STAR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) in the ovary. Prolactin stimulated ovarian angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor) and cell survival (B-cell lymphoma 2) in vivo. Significant increases in ovarian progesterone production and the expression of prolactin-receptor, LH-R, STAR and 3β-HSD proteins were noted following the exposure of LH or prolactin in vitro during the delayed period. In conclusion, short-day associated increased melatonin level may be responsible for decreased prolactin release during November-December. The decline in prolactin level might play a role in suppressing P and estradiol-17β (E2) estradiol levels thereby causing delayed embryonic development in C. sphinx. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Expression of antibacterial resistance at the site of a delayed hypersensitivity reaction.

    OpenAIRE

    Patel, P J

    1980-01-01

    The site of a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to tuberculin or bovine serum ablumin was shown to contain mechanisms that expressed increased antibacterial activity, as evidenced by restricted growth of a local inoculum of Listeria monocytogenes. As was the case with a delayed hypersensitivity reaction, the local generation of antibacterial activity was antigen specific and T-cell dependent. Antibacterial resistance was always expressed at the site of injection of specific antigen in sensiti...

  11. Effect of ultraviolet B irradiation on delayed-type hypersensitivity, cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity, and skin graft rejection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamaki, K.; Iijima, M.

    1989-01-01

    The influence of ultraviolet B irradiation on the induction of delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to alloantigens by epidermal cells (EC), on the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity to alloantigens, and on skin graft rejection was studied. After the skin was irradiated with UVB in vitro, EC were obtained. The EC were injected subcutaneously, and the DTH reaction was compared with that induced by non-UVB-irradiated EC. A reduction in the DTH reaction was observed (from 62% to 99.1%). CTL activity in these mice was assessed after in vitro stimulation. CTL activity in mice sensitized with UVB-irradiated EC was significantly reduced. Furthermore, mice sensitized with UVB-irradiated EC did not reject a subsequent skin allograft in an accelerated fashion, whereas mice sensitized with non-UVB-irradiated EC did. The mechanism(s) of these reactions and the clinical application of the UVB irradiation prior to grafting are discussed

  12. Global synchronization criteria with channel time-delay for chaotic time-delay system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Jitao

    2004-01-01

    Based on the Lyapunov stabilization theory, matrix measure, and linear matrix inequality (LMIs), this paper studies the chaos synchronization of time-delay system using the unidirectional linear error feedback coupling with time-delay. Some generic conditions of chaos synchronization with time-delay in the transmission channel is established. The chaotic Chua's circuit is used for illustration, where the coupling parameters are determined according to the criteria under which the global chaos synchronization of the time-delay coupled systems is achieved

  13. Emergence of White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Xiao

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Recently, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs have attracted both academic and industrial interest due to their extraordinary characteristics, such as high efficiency, low driving voltage, bright luminance, lower power consumption and potentially long lifetime. In this invited review, the fundamental concepts of TADF have been firstly introduced. Then, main approaches to realize WOLEDs based on TADF have been summarized. More specifically, the recent development of WOLEDs based on all TADF emitters, WOLEDs based on TADF and conventional fluorescence emitters, hybrid WOLEDs based on blue TADF and phosphorescence emitters and WOLEDs based on TADF exciplex host and phosphorescence dopants is highlighted. In particular, design strategies, device structures, working mechanisms and electroluminescent processes of the representative WOLEDs based on TADF are reviewed. Finally, challenges and opportunities for further enhancement of the performance of WOLEDs based on TADF are presented.

  14. Delayed minocycline but not delayed mild hypothermia protects against embolic stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noor Raza

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inflammatory reactions occurring in the brain after ischemia may contribute to secondary damage. In the present study, effects of minocycline, an anti-inflammatory agent, alone or in combination with mild hypothermia on focal embolic cerebral ischemia have been examined. Methods Focal ischemic injury was induced by embolizing a preformed clot into the middle cerebral artery (MCA. Infarction volume was measured at 48 h after the injury. Mortality was also recorded. Results Delayed administration of minocycline alone or delayed minocycline plus delayed mild hypothermia reduced the infarction volume significantly. However, delayed mild hypothermia alone was not protective and delayed mild hypothermia in combination with minocycline did not show any additive effect. Conclusions These results suggest that minocycline is beneficial in focal ischemic brain injury, and the lack of the enhanced neuroprotection may be due to the brief exposure to hypothermia.

  15. Linear time delay methods and stability analyses of the human spine. Effects of neuromuscular reflex response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, Timothy C; Granata, Kevin P; Madigan, Michael L; Hendricks, Scott L

    2008-08-01

    Linear stability methods were applied to a biomechanical model of the human musculoskeletal spine to investigate effects of reflex gain and reflex delay on stability. Equations of motion represented a dynamic 18 degrees-of-freedom rigid-body model with time-delayed reflexes. Optimal muscle activation levels were identified by minimizing metabolic power with the constraints of equilibrium and stability with zero reflex time delay. Muscle activation levels and associated muscle forces were used to find the delay margin, i.e., the maximum reflex delay for which the system was stable. Results demonstrated that stiffness due to antagonistic co-contraction necessary for stability declined with increased proportional reflex gain. Reflex delay limited the maximum acceptable proportional reflex gain, i.e., long reflex delay required smaller maximum reflex gain to avoid instability. As differential reflex gain increased, there was a small increase in acceptable reflex delay. However, differential reflex gain with values near intrinsic damping caused the delay margin to approach zero. Forward-dynamic simulations of the fully nonlinear time-delayed system verified the linear results. The linear methods accurately found the delay margin below which the nonlinear system was asymptotically stable. These methods may aid future investigations in the role of reflexes in musculoskeletal stability.

  16. Delayed puberty in girls

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... sexual development - girls; Pubertal delay - girls; Constitutional delayed puberty ... In most cases of delayed puberty, growth changes just begin later than usual, sometimes called a late bloomer. Once puberty begins, it progresses normally. This pattern runs ...

  17. Delayed effects of radiation on enzymes in erythrocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jinying; Zhang Weiping; Liu Benti

    1998-01-01

    Objective: To study the delayed effects of radiation on the enzymes in erythrocytes. Methods: The activity of 8 enzymes, related glycolysis, hexose monophosphate shunt, nucleotide metabolism, redox reaction and esterase in erythrocytes of five patients with bone marrow form of acute radiation sickness (ARS) were assayed at 1,2,3 and 6 years after exposure to 60 Co radiation. Results: The decreased activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), pyruvate kinase (PK), NADH-methemoglobin reductase (MR) during the stage of crisis and of acetylcholinesterase (ACE) during the stage of convalescence were recovered to varying extent, whereas the lowered activities of the first three enzymes in some cases remained unchanged. There was no correlation between the enzyme activity and the radiation dose as well as the age of the patients. Conclusion: It is demonstrated that the delayed effects of radiation damage to erythrocyte enzymes are most significant in PK of glycolysis, G6PD of hexose monophosphate shunt and MR of redox reaction. It is suggested that the genes related to the synthesis of erythrocyte enzymes may be damaged by radiation

  18. A delay-dependent LMI approach to dynamics analysis of discrete-time recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Qiankun; Wang, Zidong

    2007-01-01

    In this Letter, the analysis problem for the existence and stability of periodic solutions is investigated for a class of general discrete-time recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays. For the neural networks under study, a generalized activation function is considered, and the traditional assumptions on the boundedness, monotony and differentiability of the activation functions are removed. By employing the latest free-weighting matrix method, an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is constructed and several sufficient conditions are established to ensure the existence, uniqueness, and globally exponential stability of the periodic solution for the addressed neural network. The conditions are dependent on both the lower bound and upper bound of the time-varying time delays. Furthermore, the conditions are expressed in terms of the linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be checked numerically using the effective LMI toolbox in MATLAB. Two simulation examples are given to show the effectiveness and less conservatism of the proposed criteria

  19. Prediction and design of efficient exciplex emitters for high-efficiency, thermally activated delayed-fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao-Ke; Chen, Zhan; Zheng, Cai-Jun; Liu, Chuan-Lin; Lee, Chun-Sing; Li, Fan; Ou, Xue-Mei; Zhang, Xiao-Hong

    2015-04-08

    High-efficiency, thermally activated delayed-fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes based on exciplex emitters are demonstrated. The best device, based on a TAPC:DPTPCz emitter, shows a high external quantum efficiency of 15.4%. Strategies for predicting and designing efficient exciplex emitters are also provided. This approach allow prediction and design of efficient exciplex emitters for achieving high-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes, for future use in displays and lighting applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Delayed Puberty (For Teens)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Delayed Puberty KidsHealth / For Teens / Delayed Puberty What's in this ... wonder if there's anything wrong. What Is Delayed Puberty? Puberty is the time when your body grows ...

  1. Aging transition in systems of oscillators with global distributed-delay coupling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, B; Blyuss, K B; Kyrychko, Y N

    2017-09-01

    We consider a globally coupled network of active (oscillatory) and inactive (nonoscillatory) oscillators with distributed-delay coupling. Conditions for aging transition, associated with suppression of oscillations, are derived for uniform and gamma delay distributions in terms of coupling parameters and the proportion of inactive oscillators. The results suggest that for the uniform distribution increasing the width of distribution for the same mean delay allows aging transition to happen for a smaller coupling strength and a smaller proportion of inactive elements. For gamma distribution with sufficiently large mean time delay, it may be possible to achieve aging transition for an arbitrary proportion of inactive oscillators, as long as the coupling strength lies in a certain range.

  2. The Effects of Activating the Money Concept on Perseverance and the Preference for Delayed Gratification in Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trzcińska, Agata; Sekścińska, Katarzyna

    2016-01-01

    The psychological model of thinking about money assumes that implicit reminders of money lead to self-sufficient motivation. Previous research has demonstrated that children react to money in similar ways to adults. The priming of young children with money related concepts or images has negatively affected their social behavior and social preferences, leading them to make more individualist and less pro-social choices and be less willing to help others. The aim of this research was to investigate the positive influence of money activation on children's behavior. The participants were 6-8 year old children who do not yet fully understand the instrumental function of money due to their young age. Two experimental studies were performed, the first of which analyzed the effect of perseverance and performance on a challenging task and the second investigated preferences with respect to delaying gratification. Sixty-one children aged 6 took part in the first study and forty-six scout camp participants 6-8 years of age were involved in the second experiment. The results support the hypotheses concerning the effects of money activation stating that (1) money activation influences children's perseverance and effectiveness in difficult individual tasks, and that (2) it increases children's preferences for delayed gratification. These results suggest that money has a symbolic power which may exert both positive and negative effects on children's behavior. Since children between the ages of 6 and 8 do not understand the instrumental function of money fully, certain symbolic meanings of money may have been responsible for the money priming effects. The findings suggest that the symbolic function of money is more primal than its instrumental function and that it probably develops at an earlier stage in life.

  3. Purely Organic Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Michael Y; Zysman-Colman, Eli

    2017-06-01

    The design of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials both as emitters and as hosts is an exploding area of research. The replacement of phosphorescent metal complexes with inexpensive organic compounds in electroluminescent (EL) devices that demonstrate comparable performance metrics is paradigm shifting, as these new materials offer the possibility of developing low-cost lighting and displays. Here, a comprehensive review of TADF materials is presented, with a focus on linking their optoelectronic behavior with the performance of the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and related EL devices. TADF emitters are cross-compared within specific color ranges, with a focus on blue, green-yellow, orange-red, and white OLEDs. Organic small-molecule, dendrimer, polymer, and exciplex emitters are all discussed within this review, as is their use as host materials. Correlations are provided between the structure of the TADF materials and their optoelectronic properties. The success of TADF materials has ushered in the next generation of OLEDs. © 2017 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Comparison of dynamic compensation methods for delayed self-powered neutron detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    In, Wang Kee; Kim, Joon Sung; Auh, Geun Sun; Yoon, Tae Young

    1993-01-01

    Dynamic compensation methods for rhodium self-powered neutron detector have been developed by Banda and Hoppe to compensate for the time delay associated with detector signals. The time delay is due to the decay of the neutron-activated rhodium and results in delayed detector response. Two digital dynamic compensation methods, were compared for step change of neutron flux in this paper. The inverse kinetics method gave slightly better response time and noise gain. However, the inverse kinetics method also showed overshooting of neutron flux for the step change. (Author)

  5. Design of ortho-Substituted Donor-Acceptor Molecules as Highly Efficient Green Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Emitters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Jae-Ryung; Gong, Myoung-Seon; Lee, Tak Jae; Ha, Tae Hoon; Lee, Chil Won

    2018-04-01

    The ortho-substituted donor-acceptor molecules 2-(4,6-diphenyl-1, 3, 5-triazin-2-yl)- N,Ndiphenylaniline (DPA- o-Trz) and 2-(4,6-diphenyl-1, 3, 5-triazine-2-yl)- N,N-di- p-tolylaniline (MPA- o-Trz) were designed, synthesized, and found to exhibit green fluorescence characteristics. Notably, the singlet-triplet energy gap was less than 0.1 eV, indicating that reverse intersystem crossing gave rise to thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). The organic light-emitting device performance of MPA- o-Trz showed a high external quantum efficiency of 16.3% and good color stability from 0.1 cd/m2 to 5000 cd/m2.

  6. Slowly rotating general relativistic superfluid neutron stars with relativistic entrainment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Comer, G.L.

    2004-01-01

    Neutron stars that are cold enough should have two or more superfluids or supercondutors in their inner crusts and cores. The implication of superfluidity or superconductivity for equilibrium and dynamical neutron star states is that each individual particle species that forms a condensate must have its own, independent number density current and equation of motion that determines that current. An important consequence of the quasiparticle nature of each condensate is the so-called entrainment effect; i.e., the momentum of a condensate is a linear combination of its own current and those of the other condensates. We present here the first fully relativistic modeling of slowly rotating superfluid neutron stars with entrainment that is accurate to the second-order in the rotation rates. The stars consist of superfluid neutrons, superconducting protons, and a highly degenerate, relativistic gas of electrons. We use a relativistic σ-ω mean field model for the equation of state of the matter and the entrainment. We determine the effect of a relative rotation between the neutrons and protons on a star's total mass, shape, and Kepler, mass-shedding limit

  7. Swing Damping for Helicopter Slung Load Systems using Delayed Feedback

    OpenAIRE

    Bisgaard, Morten; la Cour-Harbo, Anders; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the design and verification of a swing reducing controller for helicopter slung load systems usingintentional delayed feedback. It is intended for augmenting a trajectory tracking helicopter controller and thereby improving the slung load handing capabilities for autonomous helicopters. The delayed feedback controller is added to actively reduce oscillations of the slung load by improving the damping of the slung load pendulum modes. Furthermore, it is intended for integra...

  8. Role of Delays in Shaping Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Neuronal Activity in Large Networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roxin, Alex; Brunel, Nicolas; Hansel, David

    2005-01-01

    We study the effect of delays on the dynamics of large networks of neurons. We show that delays give rise to a wealth of bifurcations and to a rich phase diagram, which includes oscillatory bumps, traveling waves, lurching waves, standing waves arising via a period-doubling bifurcation, aperiodic regimes, and regimes of multistability. We study the existence and the stability of the various dynamical patterns analytically and numerically in a simplified rate model as a function of the interaction parameters. The results derived in that framework allow us to understand the origin of the diversity of dynamical states observed in large networks of spiking neurons

  9. Delay-dependent exponential stability of cellular neural networks with time-varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Qiang; Wei Xiaopeng; Xu Jin

    2005-01-01

    The global exponential stability of cellular neural networks (CNNs) with time-varying delays is analyzed. Two new sufficient conditions ensuring global exponential stability for delayed CNNs are obtained. The conditions presented here are related to the size of delay. The stability results improve the earlier publications. Two examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results

  10. Shuttle Rocket Motor Program: NASA should delay awarding some construction contracts. Report to the Chair, Subcommittee on Government Activities and Transportation, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    1992-01-01

    Even though the executive branch has proposed terminating the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) program, NASA is proceeding with all construction activity planned for FY 1992 to avoid schedule slippage if the program is reinstated by Congress. However, NASA could delay some construction activities for at least a few months without affecting the current launch data schedule. For example, NASA could delay Yellow Creek's motor storage and dock projects, Stennis' dock project, and Kennedy's rotation processing and surge facility and dock projects. Starting all construction activities as originally planned could result in unnecessarily incurring additional costs and termination liability if the funding for FY 1993 is not provided. If Congress decides to continue the program, construction could still be completed in time to avoid schedule slippage.

  11. Multistability of memristive Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with non-monotonic piecewise linear activation functions and time-varying delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Xiaobing; Zheng, Wei Xing; Cao, Jinde

    2015-11-01

    The problem of coexistence and dynamical behaviors of multiple equilibrium points is addressed for a class of memristive Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with non-monotonic piecewise linear activation functions and time-varying delays. By virtue of the fixed point theorem, nonsmooth analysis theory and other analytical tools, some sufficient conditions are established to guarantee that such n-dimensional memristive Cohen-Grossberg neural networks can have 5(n) equilibrium points, among which 3(n) equilibrium points are locally exponentially stable. It is shown that greater storage capacity can be achieved by neural networks with the non-monotonic activation functions introduced herein than the ones with Mexican-hat-type activation function. In addition, unlike most existing multistability results of neural networks with monotonic activation functions, those obtained 3(n) locally stable equilibrium points are located both in saturated regions and unsaturated regions. The theoretical findings are verified by an illustrative example with computer simulations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Mycobacterium talmoniae sp. nov., a slowly growing mycobacterium isolated from human respiratory samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Rebecca M; DeGroote, Mary Ann; Marola, Jamie L; Buss, Sarah; Jones, Victoria; McNeil, Michael R; Freifeld, Alison G; Elaine Epperson, L; Hasan, Nabeeh A; Jackson, Mary; Iwen, Peter C; Salfinger, Max; Strong, Michael

    2017-08-01

    A novel slowly growing, non-chromogenic species of the class Actinobacteria was isolated from a human respiratory sample in Nebraska, USA, in 2012. Analysis of the internal transcribed spacer sequence supported placement into the genus Mycobacterium with high sequence similarity to a previously undescribed strain isolated from a patient respiratory sample from Oregon, USA, held in a collection in Colorado, USA, in 2000. The two isolates were subjected to phenotypic testing and whole genome sequencing and found to be indistinguishable. The bacteria were acid-fast stain-positive, rod-shaped and exhibited growth after 7-10 days on solid media at temperatures ranging from 25 to 42°C. Colonies were non-pigmented, rough and slightly raised. Analyses of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight profiles showed no matches against a reference library of 130 mycobacterial species. Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences were identical for the two isolates, the average nucleotide identity (ANI) between their genomes was 99.7 % and phylogenetic comparisons classified the novel mycobacteria as the basal most species in the slowly growing Mycobacterium clade. Mycobacterium avium is the most closely related species based on rpoB gene sequence similarity (92 %), but the ANI between the genomes was 81.5 %, below the suggested cut-off for differentiating two species (95 %). Mycolic acid profiles were more similar to M. avium than to Mycobacterium simiae or Mycobacterium abscessus. The phenotypic and genomic data support the conclusion that the two related isolates represent a novel Mycobacterium species for which the name Mycobacterium talmoniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NE-TNMC-100812T (=ATCC BAA-2683T=DSM 46873T).

  13. Comparison of delayed versus immediate pushing during second stage of labor for nulliparous women with epidural anesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillesby, Erica; Burns, Suzan; Dempsey, Amy; Kirby, Shirley; Mogensen, Kami; Naylor, Kelly; Petrella, Joann; Vanicelli, Rebecca; Whelan, Breon

    2010-01-01

    To determine if the use of delayed pushing after the onset of the second stage of labor decreases the time of active pushing and decreases maternal fatigue. Randomized clinical trial. Labor and delivery unit of a not-for-profit community hospital. Convenience sample of nulliparous laboring women with epidural anesthesia. Immediate or delayed pushing (2 hours) during the second stage of labor at the time of complete cervical dilatation. The length of pushing, total length of the second stage, and maternal fatigue. A total of 77 women were studied (immediate pushing group=39; delayed pushing=38). The immediate pushing group averaged 94 (± 57) minutes in active pushing, while the delayed pushing group averaged 68 (± 46) minutes, a statistically significant difference (p=.04). No significant differences were found in fatigue scores between the immediate and delayed pushing groups (p>.05). We found that by delaying the onset of active pushing for 2 hours after the beginning of the second stage of labor, the time that nulliparous women with epidural anesthesia spent in active pushing was significantly decreased by 27%. Although the delayed pushing group rested for up to 2 hours, the total time in the second stage of labor averaged only 59 minutes longer than the immediate pushing group. © 2010 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

  14. Delayed sodium (18)F-fluoride PET/CT imaging does not improve quantification of vascular calcification metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blomberg, Björn Alexander; Thomassen, Anders; Takx, Richard A P

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to determine if delayed sodium (18)F-fluoride (Na(18)F) PET/CT imaging improves quantification of vascular calcification metabolism. Blood-pool activity can disturb the arterial Na(18)F signal. With time, blood-pool activity declines. Therefore, delayed imaging can potentially...

  15. Dynamical bifurcation in a system of coupled oscillators with slowly varying parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor Parasyuk

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with a fast-slow system representing n nonlinearly coupled oscillators with slowly varying parameters. We find conditions which guarantee that all omega-limit sets near the slow surface of the system are equilibria and invariant tori of all dimensions not exceeding n, the tori of dimensions less then n being hyperbolic. We show that a typical trajectory demonstrates the following transient process: while its slow component is far from the stationary points of the slow vector field, the fast component exhibits damping oscillations; afterwards, the former component enters and stays in a small neighborhood of some stationary point, and the oscillation amplitude of the latter begins to increase; eventually the trajectory is attracted by an n-dimesional invariant torus and a multi-frequency oscillatory regime is established.

  16. Slowly evolving connectivity in recurrent neural networks: I. The extreme dilution regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wemmenhove, B; Skantzos, N S; Coolen, A C C

    2004-01-01

    We study extremely diluted spin models of neural networks in which the connectivity evolves in time, although adiabatically slowly compared to the neurons, according to stochastic equations which on average aim to reduce frustration. The (fast) neurons and (slow) connectivity variables equilibrate separately, but at different temperatures. Our model is exactly solvable in equilibrium. We obtain phase diagrams upon making the condensed ansatz (i.e. recall of one pattern). These show that, as the connectivity temperature is lowered, the volume of the retrieval phase diverges and the fraction of mis-aligned spins is reduced. Still one always retains a region in the retrieval phase where recall states other than the one corresponding to the 'condensed' pattern are locally stable, so the associative memory character of our model is preserved

  17. Assessing delay discounting in mice

    OpenAIRE

    Mitchell, Suzanne H.

    2014-01-01

    Delay discounting (also intertemporal choice or impulsive choice) is the process by which delayed outcomes, such as delayed food delivery, are valued less than the same outcomes delivered immediately or with a shorter delay. This process is of interest because many psychopathologies, including substance dependence, pathological gambling, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder, are characterized by heightened levels of delay discounting. Some of these disorders are herit...

  18. Modelling delays in pharmacokinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farooqi, Z.H.; Lambrecht, R.M.

    1990-01-01

    Linear system analysis has come to form the backbone of pharmacokinetics. Natural systems usually involve time delays, thus models incorporating them would be an order closer approximation to the real world compared to those that do not. Delays may be modelled in several ways. The approach considered in this study is to have a discrete-time delay dependent rate with the delay respresenting the duration between the entry of a drug into a compartment and its release in some form (may be as a metabolite) from the compartment. Such a delay may be because of one or more of several physiological reasons, like, formation of a reservoir, slow metabolism, or receptor binding. The mathematical structure this gives rise to is a system of delay-differential equations. Examples are given of simple one and two compartment systems with drugs like bumetanide, carbamazepine, and quinolone-caffeine interaction. In these examples generally a good fit is obtained and the suggested models form a good approximation. 21 refs., 6 figs

  19. Evaluating the Solar Slowly Varying Component at C-Band Using Dual- and Single-Polarization Weather Radars in Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Gabella

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Six C-band weather radars located in Europe (Finland, Netherlands, and Switzerland have been used to monitor the slowly varying solar emission, which is an oscillation with an amplitude of several decibels and a period of approximately 27 days. It is caused by the fact that the number of active regions that enhance the solar radio emission with respect to the quiet component, as seen from Earth, varies because of the Sun’s rotation about its axis. The analysis is based on solar signals contained in the polar volume data produced during the operational weather scan strategy. This paper presents hundreds of daily comparisons between radar estimates and the Sun’s reference signal, during the current active Sun period (year 2014. The Sun’s reference values are accurately measured by the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO at S-band and converted to C-band using a standard DRAO formula. Vertical and horizontal polarization receivers are able to capture the monthly oscillation of the solar microwave signal: the standard deviation of the log-transformed ratio between radars and the DRAO reference ranges from 0.26 to 0.4 dB. A larger coefficient (and a different value for the quiet Sun component in the standard formula improves the agreement.

  20. Isolated, slowly evolving, and dynamical trapping horizons: Geometry and mechanics from surface deformations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booth, Ivan; Fairhurst, Stephen

    2007-01-01

    We study the geometry and dynamics of both isolated and dynamical trapping horizons by considering the allowed variations of their foliating two-surfaces. This provides a common framework that may be used to consider both their possible evolutions and their deformations as well as derive the well-known flux laws. Using this framework, we unify much of what is already known about these objects as well as derive some new results. In particular we characterize and study the ''almost isolated'' trapping horizons known as slowly evolving horizons. It is for these horizons that a dynamical first law holds and this is analogous and closely related to the Hawking-Hartle formula for event horizons

  1. Can exercise delay transition to active therapy in men with low-grade prostate cancer? A multicentre randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galvão, Daniel A; Hayne, Dickon; Frydenberg, Mark; Chambers, Suzanne K; Taaffe, Dennis R; Spry, Nigel; Scuffham, Paul A; Ware, Robert S; Hart, Nicolas H; Newton, Robert U

    2018-04-20

    Active surveillance is a strategy for managing low-risk, localised prostate cancer, where men are observed with serial prostate-specific antigen assessments to identify signs of disease progression. Currently, there are no strategies to support active surveillance compliance nor are there interventions that can prevent or slow disease progression, ultimately delaying transition to active treatment before it is clinically required. Recently, we proposed that exercise may have a therapeutic potential in delaying the need for active treatment in men on active surveillance. A single-blinded, two arm, multicentre randomised controlled trial will be undertaken with 168 patients randomly allocated in a ratio of 1:1 to exercise or usual care. Exercise will consist of supervised resistance and aerobic exercise performed three times per week for the first 6 months in an exercise clinical setting, and during months 7-12, a progressive stepped down approach will be used with men transitioning to once a week supervised training. Thereafter, for months 13 to 36, the men will self-manage their exercise programme. The primary endpoint will be the time until the patients begin active therapy. Secondary endpoints include disease progression (prostate specific antigen), body composition and muscle density, quality of life, distress and anxiety and an economic analysis will be performed. Measurements will be undertaken at 6 and 12 months (postintervention) and at 24 and 36 months follow-up. The primary outcome (time to initiation of curative therapy) will be analysed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Outcomes measured repeatedly will be analysed using mixed effects models to examine between-group differences. Data will be analysed using an intention-to-treat approach. Outcomes from the study will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented in scientific, consumer and clinical meetings. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the

  2. Pneumatic tool torque reaction: reaction forces, displacement, muscle activity and discomfort in the hand-arm system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kihlberg, S; Kjellberg, A; Lindbeck, L

    1993-06-01

    Reaction forces, hand-arm displacement, muscle activity and discomfort ratings were studied during the securing of threaded fasteners with three angle nutrunners with different shut-off mechanisms, but with the same spindle torque (72-74 Nm). The three tools were tested according to the method specified in ISO 6544. One of the tools had an almost instantaneous shut-off. Another had a more slowly declining torque curve. For the third tool the maximum torque was maintained for a while before shut-off. Twelve male subjects participated in the study. A force platform measured the reaction force between the subject and the floor. The option of the hand-arm system and the shoulder was measured with an optoelectronic measuring system. The muscle activity (EMG) in six muscles in the arm and shoulder was measured with surface electrodes. Significant differences in the arm movements and ground reaction forces were found between the three tools. The smallest values were found with the fast shut-off tool while the delayed shut-off tool caused the largest values. The EMG measures gave inconsistent response patterns. Discomfort ratings were highly correlated with the time for which the tool torque exceeded 90% of peak preset torque, but the time for which the tool torque exceeded 90% of peak calculated by the method specified in ISO 6544. Nutrunners with a shut-off mechanism that causes a slowly decreasing torque or a torque that is maintained for a while before shut-off should be avoided. If no substitutes are available, then a torque reaction bar should be mounted on the tool.

  3. REASONS FOR PATIENT DELAYS & HEALTH SYSTEM DELAYS FOR TUBERCULOSIS IN SOUTH INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kapil Goel

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Globally, the burden of Tuberculosis is escalating. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of tuberculosis treatment is essential for an effective tuberculosis control programme. Objectives: To study the self reported reasons for patient and health system (diagnosis & treatment delays in Tuberculosis patients. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 98 new sputum positive TB cases aged > 15 years registered under RNTCP from Oct 2006 to June 2007 & receiving treatment under DOTS in Udupi taluk by interviewing them. Results: Total 98 patients were recruited and 68% were males. Out of 17 patients with patient delays, 82% felt that their symptoms were not severe, 71% felt that patient delay was due to lack of awareness and 71% did not take it seriously. Out of 86 patients with health system delays, 82.6% of patients mentioned that doctor has not advised for sputum examination, 76.7% of patients told that they first consulted a private doctor, 21% of them mentioned that doctor was unaware to diagnose TB. Conclusion: Symptoms not severe is the main reason for the patient delay and doctor didn’t advise for sputum examination is the main reason for health system delays.

  4. Delayed orgasm and anorgasmia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Lawrence C; Mulhall, John P

    2015-11-01

    Delayed orgasm/anorgasmia defined as the persistent or recurrent difficulty, delay in, or absence of attaining orgasm after sufficient sexual stimulation, which causes personal distress. Delayed orgasm and anorgasmia are associated with significant sexual dissatisfaction. A focused medical history can shed light on the potential etiologies, which include medications, penile sensation loss, endocrinopathies, penile hyperstimulation, and psychological etiologies. Unfortunately, there are no excellent pharmacotherapies for delayed orgasm/anorgasmia, and treatment revolves largely around addressing potential causative factors and psychotherapy. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Curcumin Delays Retinal Degeneration by Regulating Microglia Activation in the Retina of rd1 Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanhe; Yin, Zhiyuan; Gao, Lixiong; Sun, Dayu; Hu, Xisu; Xue, Langyue; Dai, Jiaman; Zeng, YuXiao; Chen, Siyu; Pan, Boju; Chen, Min; Xie, Jing; Xu, Haiwei

    2017-01-01

    Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is characterized by degeneration of photoreceptors, and there are currently no effective treatments for this disease. However, curcumin has shown neuroprotectant efficacy in a RP rat and swine model, and thus, may have neuroprotective effects in this disease. Immunofluorescence staining, electroretinogram recordings, and behavioral tests were used to analyze the effects of curcumin and the underlying mechanism in retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) mice. The number of apoptotic cells in the retina of rd1 mice at postnatal day 14 significantly decreased with curcumin treatment and visual function was improved. The activation of microglia and secretion of chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases in the retina were inhibited by curcumin. These effects were also observed in a co-culture of BV2 microglial cells and retina-derived 661W cells. Curcumin delayed retinal degeneration by suppressing microglia activation in the retina of rd1 mice. Thus, it may be an effective treatment for neurodegenerative disorders such as RP. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  6. Reduction theories elucidate the origins of complex biological rhythms generated by interacting delay-induced oscillations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ikuhiro Yamaguchi

    Full Text Available Time delay is known to induce sustained oscillations in many biological systems such as electroencephalogram (EEG activities and gene regulations. Furthermore, interactions among delay-induced oscillations can generate complex collective rhythms, which play important functional roles. However, due to their intrinsic infinite dimensionality, theoretical analysis of interacting delay-induced oscillations has been limited. Here, we show that the two primary methods for finite-dimensional limit cycles, namely, the center manifold reduction in the vicinity of the Hopf bifurcation and the phase reduction for weak interactions, can successfully be applied to interacting infinite-dimensional delay-induced oscillations. We systematically derive the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation and the phase equation without delay for general interaction networks. Based on the reduced low-dimensional equations, we demonstrate that diffusive (linearly attractive coupling between a pair of delay-induced oscillations can exhibit nontrivial amplitude death and multimodal phase locking. Our analysis provides unique insights into experimentally observed EEG activities such as sudden transitions among different phase-locked states and occurrence of epileptic seizures.

  7. Firing patterns transition and desynchronization induced by time delay in neural networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shoufang; Zhang, Jiqian; Wang, Maosheng; Hu, Chin-Kun

    2018-06-01

    We used the Hindmarsh-Rose (HR) model (Hindmarsh and Rose, 1984) to study the effect of time delay on the transition of firing behaviors and desynchronization in neural networks. As time delay is increased, neural networks exhibit diversity of firing behaviors, including regular spiking or bursting and firing patterns transitions (FPTs). Meanwhile, the desynchronization of firing and unstable bursting with decreasing amplitude in neural system, are also increasingly enhanced with the increase of time delay. Furthermore, we also studied the effect of coupling strength and network randomness on these phenomena. Our results imply that time delays can induce transition and desynchronization of firing behaviors in neural networks. These findings provide new insight into the role of time delay in the firing activities of neural networks, and can help to better understand the firing phenomena in complex systems of neural networks. A possible mechanism in brain that can cause the increase of time delay is discussed.

  8. Delaying information search

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaniv Shani

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available In three studies, we examined factors that may temporarily attenuate information search. People are generally curious and dislike uncertainty, which typically encourages them to look for relevant information. Despite these strong forces that promote information search, people sometimes deliberately delay obtaining valuable information. We find they may do so when they are concerned that the information might interfere with future pleasurable activities. Interestingly, the decision to search or to postpone searching for information is influenced not only by the value and importance of the information itself but also by well-being maintenance goals related to possible detrimental effects that negative knowledge may have on unrelated future plans.

  9. Late post-irradiation phenomena in mammalian cell populations. Pt. 3. Characteristics of the slowly growing clones isolated from X-irradiated L5178Y-S cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beer, J.Z.; Szumiel, I.

    1975-01-01

    Populations of murine leukaemic lymphoblasts L5178Y-S irradiated with 300 rads of X-rays in vitro were analysed by serial clonings. It was found that the latent radiation-induced heritable lesions can be revealed by this technique. Approximately 100 slowly growing cell sublines with doubling times varying from 12 to 25 h, obtained by cloning, were assayed for: viability, cloning efficiency, mitotic index, labelling index (1 h and 24 h exposure to 3 H-thymidine), 3 H-thymidine incorporation rate, histone Fl phosphorous content, radiosensitivity, cell cycle disturbances, DNA per cell content, karyotype changes. The slowly-growing clones show normal or almost normal viability but have reduced cloning efficiencies. No correlations were found between the subline's doubling time or time interval between its isolation and determination, on one hand, and mitotic index or 1 h labelling index, on the other hand. 3 H-thymidine incorporation rate and histone Fl phosphorylation degree were inversely related to the subline's doubling time. Increased radiosensitivity of the slowly growing sublines, observed soon after their isolation, indicates that the heritable lesions in the cells studied are radiation-induced rather than selected. Autoradiographic analysis of the cell cycle indicates: heterogeneity of the slowly growing cell lines, occurence of cells with prolonged G2 phase and a possibility that in more severely damaged cells S phase is also affected. (author)

  10. Convergence analysis of stochastic hybrid bidirectional associative memory neural networks with delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Li; Zhou Qinghua

    2007-01-01

    The stability property of stochastic hybrid bidirectional associate memory (BAM) neural networks with discrete delays is considered. Without assuming the symmetry of synaptic connection weights and the monotonicity and differentiability of activation functions, the delay-independent sufficient conditions to guarantee the exponential stability of the equilibrium solution for such networks are given by using the nonnegative semimartingale convergence theorem

  11. Convergence analysis of stochastic hybrid bidirectional associative memory neural networks with delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Li; Zhou, Qinghua

    2007-10-01

    The stability property of stochastic hybrid bidirectional associate memory (BAM) neural networks with discrete delays is considered. Without assuming the symmetry of synaptic connection weights and the monotonicity and differentiability of activation functions, the delay-independent sufficient conditions to guarantee the exponential stability of the equilibrium solution for such networks are given by using the nonnegative semimartingale convergence theorem.

  12. Trading Later Rewards for Current Pleasure: Pornography Consumption and Delay Discounting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negash, Sesen; Sheppard, Nicole Van Ness; Lambert, Nathaniel M; Fincham, Frank D

    2016-01-01

    Internet pornography is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has grown increasingly accessible. Delay discounting involves devaluing larger, later rewards in favor of smaller, more immediate rewards. The constant novelty and primacy of sexual stimuli as particularly strong natural rewards make Internet pornography a unique activator of the brain's reward system, thereby having implications for decision-making processes. Based on theoretical studies of evolutionary psychology and neuroeconomics, two studies tested the hypothesis that consuming Internet pornography would relate to higher rates of delay discounting. Study 1 used a longitudinal design. Participants completed a pornography use questionnaire and a delay discounting task at Time 1 and then again four weeks later. Participants reporting higher initial pornography use demonstrated a higher delay discounting rate at Time 2, controlling for initial delay discounting. Study 2 tested for causality with an experimental design. Participants were randomly assigned to abstain from either their favorite food or pornography for three weeks. Participants who abstained from pornography use demonstrated lower delay discounting than participants who abstained from their favorite food. The finding suggests that Internet pornography is a sexual reward that contributes to delay discounting differently than other natural rewards. Theoretical and clinical implications of these studies are highlighted.

  13. American Dream Delayed

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khorunzhina, Natalia; Miller, Robert A.

    This paper investigates the delay in homeownership and a subsequent reduction in homeownership rate observed over the past decades. We focus on the delay in giving birth to children and increased labor market participation as contributing factors to homeownership dynamics for prime-age female hou...

  14. Delayed Orgasm and Anorgasmia

    OpenAIRE

    Jenkins, Lawrence C.; Mulhall, John P.

    2015-01-01

    Delayed orgasm/anorgasmia defined as the persistent or recurrent difficulty, delay in, or absence of attaining orgasm after sufficient sexual stimulation, which causes personal distress. Delayed orgasm and anorgasmia are associated with significant sexual dissatisfaction. A focused medical history can shed light on the potential etiologies; which include: medications, penile sensation loss, endocrinopathies, penile hyperstimulation and psychological etiologies, amongst others. Unfortunately, ...

  15. Delayed wound healing in aged skin rat models after thermal injury is associated with an increased MMP-9, K6 and CD44 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonetti, Oriana; Oriana, Simonetti; Lucarini, Guendalina; Guendalina, Lucarini; Cirioni, Oscar; Oscar, Cirioni; Zizzi, Antonio; Antonio, Zizzi; Orlando, Fiorenza; Fiorenza, Orlando; Provinciali, Mauro; Mauro, Provinciali; Di Primio, Roberto; Roberto, Di Primio; Giacometti, Andrea; Andrea, Giacometti; Offidani, Annamaria; Annamaria, Offidani

    2013-06-01

    Age-related differences in wound healing have been documented but little is known about the wound healing mechanism after burns. Our aim was to compare histological features and immunohistochemical expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), collagen IV, K6 and CD44 in the burn wound healing process in aged and young rats. Following burns the appearance of the wound bed in aged rats had progressed but slowly, resulting in a delayed healing process compared to the young rats. At 21 days after injury, epithelial K6, MMP-9 and CD44 expression was significantly increased in aged rats with respect to young rats; moreover, in the aged rat group we observed a not fully reconstituted basement membrane. K6, MMP-9 and CD44 expression was significantly increased in wounded skin compared to unwounded skin both in young and aged rats. We hypothesise that delayed burn skin wound healing process in the aged rats may represent an age dependent response to injury where K6, MMP-9 and CD44 play a key role. It is therefore possible to suggest that these factors contribute to the delayed wound healing in aged skin and that modulation could lead to a better and faster recovery of skin damage in elderly. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

  16. Involvement of cannabinoid system in the nucleus accumbens on delay-based decision making in the rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatahi, Zahra; Sadeghi, Bahman; Haghparast, Abbas

    2018-01-30

    The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a fundamental role in decision making and anticipation of reward. In addition, exogenous cannabinoids affect the behavior of humans and animals including disruption of short-term memory and cognitive impairments. Therefore, in this study, cannabinoid agonist and antagonist were administrated into the NAc to determine the effect of cannabinoid activation in the entire NAc on delay-based decision making. Rats were trained on a cost-benefit T-maze decision making task in which the animals were well-trained to choose between a small/immediate reward and a large/delay reward. After training, the animals were implanted with guide cannulae in the NAc. On test day, they received cannabinoid agonist (Win 55,212-2; 10, 50 and 100μM) and/or antagonist (AM251; 45μM) into the NAc. Percentage of high reward choice and latency of reward achievement were evaluated. Results showed that cannabinoid agonist administration caused a decrease in high reward choice such that rats selected small/immediate reward instead of large/delay reward. Moreover, in agonist-treated animals latency of reward achievement increased. Effects of cannabinoid activation on delay-based decision making with equivalent delays demonstrated that if the delay was equated on both arm goals, animals still had a preference for the high/delay reward, showing the results was not caused by an impairment of spatial preference or memory. These finding clarified that cannabinoid system activation in the entire NAc plays a critical role in the regulation of delay-based decision making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Delayed radical prostatectomy for intermediate-risk prostate cancer is associated with biochemical recurrence: possible implications for active surveillance from the SEARCH database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abern, Michael R; Aronson, William J; Terris, Martha K; Kane, Christopher J; Presti, Joseph C; Amling, Christopher L; Freedland, Stephen J

    2013-03-01

    Active surveillance (AS) is increasingly accepted as appropriate management for low-risk prostate cancer (PC) patients. It is unknown whether delaying radical prostatectomy (RP) is associated with increased risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) for men with intermediate-risk PC. We performed a retrospective analysis of 1,561 low and intermediate-risk men from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database treated with RP between 1988 and 2011. Patients were stratified by interval between diagnosis and RP (≤ 3, 3-6, 6-9, or >9 months) and by risk using the D'Amico classification. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze BCR. Logistic regression was used to analyze positive surgical margins (PSM), extracapsular extension (ECE), and pathologic upgrading. Overall, 813 (52%) men were low-risk, and 748 (48%) intermediate-risk. Median follow-up among men without recurrence was 52.9 months, during which 437 men (38.9%) recurred. For low-risk men, RP delays were unrelated to BCR, ECE, PSM, or upgrading (all P > 0.05). For intermediate-risk men, however, delays >9 months were significantly related to BCR (HR: 2.10, P = 0.01) and PSM (OR: 4.08, P 9 months were associated with BCR in subsets of intermediate-risk men with biopsy Gleason score ≤ 3 + 4 (HR: 2.51, P 9 months predicted greater BCR and PSM risk. If confirmed in future studies, this suggests delayed RP for intermediate-risk PC may compromise outcomes. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Delayed-Start Analyses in the Phase 3 Solanezumab EXPEDITION3 Study in Mild Alzheimer's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu-Seifert, H; Case, M G; Andersen, S W; Holdridge, K C; Aisen, P S; Kollack-Walker, S; Siemers, E

    2018-01-01

    A delayed-start design has been proposed to assess a potential disease-modifying effect in investigational drugs for Alzheimer's disease that target the underlying disease process. We extended this methodology to recently obtained data from the EXPEDITION3. EXPEDITION3 was a Phase 3, double-blind study with participants randomized to solanezumab (400 mg) or placebo every 4 weeks for 80 weeks, with an optional extension of active treatment. The delayed-start analysis was designed to determine if a statistically significant treatment difference established during the placebo-controlled period is maintained (at predefined level) during the delayed-start period, which would suggest the active drug has a disease-modifying effect. The delayed-start analysis was assessed across multiple efficacy measures, and includes data from baseline in the placebo-controlled period and up to 9 months in the delayed-start period. No significant difference was observed between the placebo and solanezumab treatment groups at the end of the placebo-controlled period for the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive 14-item subscale. A significant treatment difference was observed at the end of the placebo-controlled period for the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living instrumental items, an effect also seen at 6 months in the delayed-start period, and the noninferiority criterion was met. No other efficacy measures met these criteria. Delayed-start statistical methodology was used to understand the longitudinal outcomes in EXPEDITION3 and its extension. The small treatment differences observed at the end of the placebo-controlled phase prevented adequate assessment of any putative disease modifying effect.

  19. Derivation and computation of discrete-delay and continuous-delay SDEs in mathematical biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Edward J

    2014-06-01

    Stochastic versions of several discrete-delay and continuous-delay differential equations, useful in mathematical biology, are derived from basic principles carefully taking into account the demographic, environmental, or physiological randomness in the dynamic processes. In particular, stochastic delay differential equation (SDDE) models are derived and studied for Nicholson's blowflies equation, Hutchinson's equation, an SIS epidemic model with delay, bacteria/phage dynamics, and glucose/insulin levels. Computational methods for approximating the SDDE models are described. Comparisons between computational solutions of the SDDEs and independently formulated Monte Carlo calculations support the accuracy of the derivations and of the computational methods.

  20. Attosecond Delays in Molecular Photoionization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huppert, Martin; Jordan, Inga; Baykusheva, Denitsa; von Conta, Aaron; Wörner, Hans Jakob

    2016-08-26

    We report measurements of energy-dependent photoionization delays between the two outermost valence shells of N_{2}O and H_{2}O. The combination of single-shot signal referencing with the use of different metal foils to filter the attosecond pulse train enables us to extract delays from congested spectra. Remarkably large delays up to 160 as are observed in N_{2}O, whereas the delays in H_{2}O are all smaller than 50 as in the photon-energy range of 20-40 eV. These results are interpreted by developing a theory of molecular photoionization delays. The long delays measured in N_{2}O are shown to reflect the population of molecular shape resonances that trap the photoelectron for a duration of up to ∼110 as. The unstructured continua of H_{2}O result in much smaller delays at the same photon energies. Our experimental and theoretical methods make the study of molecular attosecond photoionization dynamics accessible.

  1. Delayed bleeding and hemorrhage of mucosal defects after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection on second-look endoscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ono, Shoko; Ono, Masayoshi; Nakagawa, Manabu; Shimizu, Yuichi; Kato, Mototsugu; Sakamoto, Naoya

    2016-04-01

    Although second-look endoscopy is performed within several days after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), there has been no evidence supporting the usefulness of the intervention. We investigated the relationship between delayed bleeding and hemorrhage of mucosal defects after ESD on second-look endoscopy and analyzed risk factors of active bleeding on second-look endoscopy. A total of 441 consecutive ESD cases with gastric cancer or adenoma were retrospectively analyzed. Second-look endoscopy was performed in the morning after the day of ESD. Bleeding of mucosal defects on second-look endoscopy was classified according to the Forrest classification, and active bleeding was defined as Forrest Ia or Ib. Delayed bleeding was defined as hematemesis or melena after second-look endoscopy. A total of 406 second-look endoscopies were performed, and delayed bleeding occurred in 11 patients. The incidence rate of delayed bleeding after second-look endoscopy in patients with Forrest Ia or Ib was significantly higher than that in patients with Forrest IIa, IIb or III (7.69 vs. 2.02 %, p 35 mm, the odds ratio of active bleeding on second-look endoscopy was 1.9. Active bleeding of mucosal defects on second-look endoscopy is a risk factor for delayed bleeding.

  2. Prompt and delay gamma ray measurements for 'in vivo' neutron activation analysis using a cyclic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matthews, I.P.

    1979-09-01

    Early attempts at determining the elemental composition of the body by radioactive isotope dilution techniques are reviewed. The development and current status of in-vivo neutron activation analysis and the ways in which it supersedes or supplements certain of the former techniques are outlined. An irradiation facility is described which employs a 5 Ci neutron source and is capable of performing prompt and delay γ-ray measurements as well as cyclic activation. The uniformity of thermal neutron flux in a phantom is demonstrated and the neutron spectrum at a depth in the phantom has been obtained by means of threshold detectors. An examination is made of the possible applications of the Monte Carlo method to the design of irradiation and detection facilities and in yielding information about inaccessible areas. Detection limits for the bulk body elements and trace elements are presented. It is shown that the depth of a region of the body can be determined from a prompt gamma ray spectrum. This technique can be used to correct measurements when it is known that activation and detection is non-uniform. The feasibility of using a C.T. whole body scanner to measure bone demineralisation is explored. (author)

  3. Virtual unit delay for digital frequency adaptive T/4 delay phase-locked loop system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yang, Yongheng; Zhou, Keliang; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2016-01-01

    /processor with a fixed sampling rate considering the cost and complexity, where the number of unit delays that have been adopted should be an integer. For instance, in conventional digital control systems, a single-phase T/4 Delay Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) system takes 50 unit delays (i.e., in a 50-Hz system...... Delay PLL system should be done in its implementation. This process will result in performance degradation in the digital control system, as the exactly required number of delays is not realized. Hence, in this paper, a Virtual Unit Delay (VUD) has been proposed to address such challenges to the digital......Digital micro-controllers/processors enable the cost-effective control of grid-connected power converter systems in terms of system monitoring, signal processing (e.g., grid synchronization), control (e.g., grid current and voltage control), etc. Normally, the control is implemented in a micro-controller...

  4. Singular Perturbation Analysis and Gene Regulatory Networks with Delay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shlykova, Irina; Ponosov, Arcady

    2009-09-01

    There are different ways of how to model gene regulatory networks. Differential equations allow for a detailed description of the network's dynamics and provide an explicit model of the gene concentration changes over time. Production and relative degradation rate functions used in such models depend on the vector of steeply sloped threshold functions which characterize the activity of genes. The most popular example of the threshold functions comes from the Boolean network approach, where the threshold functions are given by step functions. The system of differential equations becomes then piecewise linear. The dynamics of this system can be described very easily between the thresholds, but not in the switching domains. For instance this approach fails to analyze stationary points of the system and to define continuous solutions in the switching domains. These problems were studied in [2], [3], but the proposed model did not take into account a time delay in cellular systems. However, analysis of real gene expression data shows a considerable number of time-delayed interactions suggesting that time delay is essential in gene regulation. Therefore, delays may have a great effect on the dynamics of the system presenting one of the critical factors that should be considered in reconstruction of gene regulatory networks. The goal of this work is to apply the singular perturbation analysis to certain systems with delay and to obtain an analog of Tikhonov's theorem, which provides sufficient conditions for constracting the limit system in the delay case.

  5. Strength of figure-ground activity in monkey primary visual cortex predicts saccadic reaction time in a delayed detection task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supèr, Hans; Lamme, Victor A F

    2007-06-01

    When and where are decisions made? In the visual system a saccade, which is a fast shift of gaze toward a target in the visual scene, is the behavioral outcome of a decision. Current neurophysiological data and reaction time models show that saccadic reaction times are determined by a build-up of activity in motor-related structures, such as the frontal eye fields. These structures depend on the sensory evidence of the stimulus. Here we use a delayed figure-ground detection task to show that late modulated activity in the visual cortex (V1) predicts saccadic reaction time. This predictive activity is part of the process of figure-ground segregation and is specific for the saccade target location. These observations indicate that sensory signals are directly involved in the decision of when and where to look.

  6. Active high-power RF pulse compression using optically switched resonant delay lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tantawi, S.G.; Ruth, R.D.; Vlieks, A.E.

    1996-11-01

    The authors present the design and a proof of principle experimental results of an optically controlled high power rf pulse compression system. The design should, in principle, handle few hundreds of Megawatts of power at X-band. The system is based on the switched resonant delay line theory. It employs resonant delay lines as a means of storing rf energy. The coupling to the lines is optimized for maximum energy storage during the charging phase. To discharge the lines, a high power microwave switch increases the coupling to the lines just before the start of the output pulse. The high power microwave switch, required for this system, is realized using optical excitation of an electron-hole plasma layer on the surface of a pure silicon wafer. The switch is designed to operate in the TE 01 mode in a circular waveguide to avoid the edge effects present at the interface between the silicon wafer and the supporting waveguide; thus, enhancing its power handling capability

  7. Information transfer via implicit encoding with delay time modulation in a time-delay system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kye, Won-Ho, E-mail: whkye@kipo.go.kr [Korean Intellectual Property Office, Government Complex Daejeon Building 4, 189, Cheongsa-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon 302-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-08-20

    A new encoding scheme for information transfer with modulated delay time in a time-delay system is proposed. In the scheme, the message is implicitly encoded into the modulated delay time. The information transfer rate as a function of encoding redundancy in various noise scales is presented and it is analyzed that the implicit encoding scheme (IES) has stronger resistance against channel noise than the explicit encoding scheme (EES). In addition, its advantages in terms of secure communication and feasible applications are discussed. -- Highlights: ► We propose new encoding scheme with delay time modulation. ► The message is implicitly encoded with modulated delay time. ► The proposed scheme shows stronger resistance against channel noise.

  8. Extended I-Love relations for slowly rotating neutron stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon-Bischoff, Jérémie; Green, Stephen R.; Landry, Philippe; Ortiz, Néstor

    2018-03-01

    Observations of gravitational waves from inspiralling neutron star binaries—such as GW170817—can be used to constrain the nuclear equation of state by placing bounds on stellar tidal deformability. For slowly rotating neutron stars, the response to a weak quadrupolar tidal field is characterized by four internal-structure-dependent constants called "Love numbers." The tidal Love numbers k2el and k2mag measure the tides raised by the gravitoelectric and gravitomagnetic components of the applied field, and the rotational-tidal Love numbers fo and ko measure those raised by couplings between the applied field and the neutron star spin. In this work, we compute these four Love numbers for perfect fluid neutron stars with realistic equations of state. We discover (nearly) equation-of-state independent relations between the rotational-tidal Love numbers and the moment of inertia, thereby extending the scope of I-Love-Q universality. We find that similar relations hold among the tidal and rotational-tidal Love numbers. These relations extend the applications of I-Love universality in gravitational-wave astronomy. As our findings differ from those reported in the literature, we derive general formulas for the rotational-tidal Love numbers in post-Newtonian theory and confirm numerically that they agree with our general-relativistic computations in the weak-field limit.

  9. Regenerative memory in time-delayed neuromorphic photonic resonators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romeira, B.; Avó, R.; Figueiredo, José M. L.; Barland, S.; Javaloyes, J.

    2016-01-01

    We investigate a photonic regenerative memory based upon a neuromorphic oscillator with a delayed self-feedback (autaptic) connection. We disclose the existence of a unique temporal response characteristic of localized structures enabling an ideal support for bits in an optical buffer memory for storage and reshaping of data information. We link our experimental implementation, based upon a nanoscale nonlinear resonant tunneling diode driving a laser, to the paradigm of neuronal activity, the FitzHugh-Nagumo model with delayed feedback. This proof-of-concept photonic regenerative memory might constitute a building block for a new class of neuron-inspired photonic memories that can handle high bit-rate optical signals.

  10. Oxytocin versus no treatment or delayed treatment for slow progress in the first stage of spontaneous labour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bugg, George J; Siddiqui, Farah; Thornton, Jim G

    2013-06-23

    Slow progress in the first stage of spontaneous labour is associated with an increased caesarean section rate and fetal and maternal morbidity. Oxytocin has long been advocated as a treatment for slow progress in labour but it is unclear to what extent it improves the outcomes for that labour and whether it actually reduces the caesarean section rate or maternal and fetal morbidity. This review will address the use of oxytocin and whether it improves the outcomes for women who are progressing slowly in labour compared to situations where it is not used or where its administration is delayed. To determine if the use of oxytocin for the treatment of slow progress in the first stage of spontaneous labour is associated with a reduction in the incidence of caesarean sections, or maternal and fetal morbidity compared to situations where it is not used or where its administration is delayed. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (23 February 2013) and bibliographies of relevant papers. Randomised controlled trials which compared oxytocin with either placebo, no treatment or delayed oxytocin in the active stage of spontaneous labour in low-risk women at term. Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. We sought additional information from trial authors. We included eight studies in the review involving a total of 1338 low-risk women in the first stage of spontaneous labour at term. Two comparisons were made; 1) the use of oxytocin versus placebo or no treatment (three trials); 2) the early use of oxytocin versus its delayed use (five trials). There were no significant differences in the rates of caesarean section or instrumental vaginal delivery in either comparison. Early use of oxytocin resulted in an increase in uterine hyperstimulation associated with fetal heart changes. However, the early use of oxytocin versus its delayed use resulted in no significant differences in a range

  11. Impulsive control of time-delay systems using delayed impulse and its application to impulsive master-slave synchronization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Jitao; Han Qinglong; Jiang Xiefu

    2008-01-01

    This Letter is concerned with impulsive control of a class of nonlinear time-delay systems. Some uniform stability criteria for the closed-loop time-delay system under delayed impulsive control are derived by using piecewise Lyapunov functions. Then the criteria are applied to impulsive master-slave synchronization of some secure communication systems with transmission delays and sample delays under delayed impulsive control. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the derived results

  12. Prehospital delay in acute coronary syndrome--an analysis of the components of delay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ottesen, Michael Mundt; Dixen, Ulrik; Torp-Pedersen, Christian

    2004-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Prompt hospital admission is essential when treating acute coronary syndrome. Delay prior to admission is unnecessarily long. Therefore, a thorough scrutiny of the influence of characteristics, circumstantial and subjective variables on elements of prehospital delay among patients...... admitted with acute coronary syndrome is warranted. METHODS: A structured interview was conducted on 250 consecutive patients admitted alive with acute coronary syndrome. RESULTS: Median prehospital, decision, physician and transportation delays were 107, 74, 25 and 22 min, respectively. Women (n=77) had...... of acute coronary syndrome among women, and thereby contributes to unnecessary long delay to treatment. The patient's prior experience and interpretation has a significant influence on behaviour....

  13. Communication key using delay times in time-delayed chaos synchronization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chil-Min; Kye, Won-Ho; Rim, Sunghwan; Lee, Soo-Young

    2004-01-01

    We propose an efficient key scheme, which can generate a great number of communication keys, for communication using chaos synchronization. We have attained the keys from delay times of time-delay coupled chaotic systems. We explain the scheme and the efficiency by coupling Henon and logistic maps and illustrate them by coupling Navier-Stokes and Lorenz equations as a continuous system

  14. Delayed cerebral thrombosis complicating pneumococcal meningitis: an autopsy study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engelen-Lee, Joo-Yeon; Brouwer, Matthijs C.; Aronica, Eleonora; van de Beek, Diederik

    2018-01-01

    Background: Delayed cerebral thrombosis (DCT) is a devastating cerebrovascular complication in patients with excellent initial recovery of pneumococcal meningitis. The aetiology is unknown, but direct bacterial invasion, activation of coagulation or post-infectious immunoglobulin deposition has been

  15. Patient delay is the main cause of treatment delay in acute limb ischemia: an investigation of pre- and in-hospital time delay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Londero, Louise Skovgaard; Nørgaard, Birgitte; Houlind, Kim Christian

    2014-01-01

    Abstract BACKGROUND: The prognosis of acute limb ischemia is severe, with amputation rates of up to 25% and in-hospital mortality of 9-15%. Delay in treatment increases the risk of major amputation and may be present at different stages, including patient delay, doctors´ delay and waiting time...... in the emergency department. It is important to identify existing problems in order to reduce time delay. The aim of this study was to collect data for patients with acute limb ischemia and to evaluate the time delay between the different events from onset of symptoms to specialist evaluation and further treatment...... (median (range)) was identified. From onset of symptoms to first contact with a doctor the time for all patients were 24 (0-1200) hours. Thirty patients needed immediate intervention. In the group of fourteen patients who had immediate operation, the median time from vascular evaluation...

  16. The Effect of Delayed Auditory Feedback on Activity in the Temporal Lobe while Speaking: A Positron Emission Tomography Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takaso, Hideki; Eisner, Frank; Wise, Richard J. S.; Scott, Sophie K.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Delayed auditory feedback is a technique that can improve fluency in stutterers, while disrupting fluency in many nonstuttering individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the neural basis for the detection of and compensation for such a delay, and the effects of increases in the delay duration. Method: Positron emission…

  17. Vehicle barrier with access delay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swahlan, David J; Wilke, Jason

    2013-09-03

    An access delay vehicle barrier for stopping unauthorized entry into secure areas by a vehicle ramming attack includes access delay features for preventing and/or delaying an adversary from defeating or compromising the barrier. A horizontally deployed barrier member can include an exterior steel casing, an interior steel reinforcing member and access delay members disposed within the casing and between the casing and the interior reinforcing member. Access delay members can include wooden structural lumber, concrete and/or polymeric members that in combination with the exterior casing and interior reinforcing member act cooperatively to impair an adversarial attach by thermal, mechanical and/or explosive tools.

  18. Role of DNA repair in repair of cytogenetic damages. Slowly repaired DNA injuries involved in cytogenetic damages repair

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaichkina, S.I.; Rozanova, O.M.; Aptikaev, G.F.; Ganassi, E.Eh.

    1989-01-01

    Caffeine was used to study the kinetics of cytogenetic damages repair in Chinese hamster fibroblasts. Its half-time (90 min) was shown to correlate with that of repair of slowly repaired DNA damages. The caffeine-induced increase in the number of irreparable DNA damages, attributed to inhibition of double-strand break repair, is in a quantitative correlation with the effect of the cytogenetic damage modification

  19. Precise delay measurement through combinatorial logic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Gary R. (Inventor); Chen, Yuan (Inventor); Sheldon, Douglas J. (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    A high resolution circuit and method for facilitating precise measurement of on-chip delays for FPGAs for reliability studies. The circuit embeds a pulse generator on an FPGA chip having one or more groups of LUTS (the "LUT delay chain"), also on-chip. The circuit also embeds a pulse width measurement circuit on-chip, and measures the duration of the generated pulse through the delay chain. The pulse width of the output pulse represents the delay through the delay chain without any I/O delay. The pulse width measurement circuit uses an additional asynchronous clock autonomous from the main clock and the FPGA propagation delay can be displayed on a hex display continuously for testing purposes.

  20. Computational Stimulation of the Basal Ganglia Neurons with Cost Effective Delayed Gaussian Waveforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daneshzand, Mohammad; Faezipour, Miad; Barkana, Buket D

    2017-01-01

    Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has compelling results in the desynchronization of the basal ganglia neuronal activities and thus, is used in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Accurate definition of DBS waveform parameters could avert tissue or electrode damage, increase the neuronal activity and reduce energy cost which will prolong the battery life, hence avoiding device replacement surgeries. This study considers the use of a charge balanced Gaussian waveform pattern as a method to disrupt the firing patterns of neuronal cell activity. A computational model was created to simulate ganglia cells and their interactions with thalamic neurons. From the model, we investigated the effects of modified DBS pulse shapes and proposed a delay period between the cathodic and anodic parts of the charge balanced Gaussian waveform to desynchronize the firing patterns of the GPe and GPi cells. The results of the proposed Gaussian waveform with delay outperformed that of rectangular DBS waveforms used in in-vivo experiments. The Gaussian Delay Gaussian (GDG) waveforms achieved lower number of misses in eliciting action potential while having a lower amplitude and shorter length of delay compared to numerous different pulse shapes. The amount of energy consumed in the basal ganglia network due to GDG waveforms was dropped by 22% in comparison with charge balanced Gaussian waveforms without any delay between the cathodic and anodic parts and was also 60% lower than a rectangular charged balanced pulse with a delay between the cathodic and anodic parts of the waveform. Furthermore, by defining a Synchronization Level metric, we observed that the GDG waveform was able to reduce the synchronization of GPi neurons more effectively than any other waveform. The promising results of GDG waveforms in terms of eliciting action potential, desynchronization of the basal ganglia neurons and reduction of energy consumption can potentially enhance the performance of DBS

  1. Computational Stimulation of the Basal Ganglia Neurons with Cost Effective Delayed Gaussian Waveforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Daneshzand

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Deep brain stimulation (DBS has compelling results in the desynchronization of the basal ganglia neuronal activities and thus, is used in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD. Accurate definition of DBS waveform parameters could avert tissue or electrode damage, increase the neuronal activity and reduce energy cost which will prolong the battery life, hence avoiding device replacement surgeries. This study considers the use of a charge balanced Gaussian waveform pattern as a method to disrupt the firing patterns of neuronal cell activity. A computational model was created to simulate ganglia cells and their interactions with thalamic neurons. From the model, we investigated the effects of modified DBS pulse shapes and proposed a delay period between the cathodic and anodic parts of the charge balanced Gaussian waveform to desynchronize the firing patterns of the GPe and GPi cells. The results of the proposed Gaussian waveform with delay outperformed that of rectangular DBS waveforms used in in-vivo experiments. The Gaussian Delay Gaussian (GDG waveforms achieved lower number of misses in eliciting action potential while having a lower amplitude and shorter length of delay compared to numerous different pulse shapes. The amount of energy consumed in the basal ganglia network due to GDG waveforms was dropped by 22% in comparison with charge balanced Gaussian waveforms without any delay between the cathodic and anodic parts and was also 60% lower than a rectangular charged balanced pulse with a delay between the cathodic and anodic parts of the waveform. Furthermore, by defining a Synchronization Level metric, we observed that the GDG waveform was able to reduce the synchronization of GPi neurons more effectively than any other waveform. The promising results of GDG waveforms in terms of eliciting action potential, desynchronization of the basal ganglia neurons and reduction of energy consumption can potentially enhance the

  2. Improving Delay-Range-Dependent Stability Condition for Systems with Interval Time-Varying Delay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Qian

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the delay-range-dependent stability for systems with interval time-varying delay. Through defining the new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and estimating the derivative of the LKF by introducing new vectors, using free matrices and reciprocally convex approach, the new delay-range-dependent stability conditions are obtained. Two well-known examples are given to illustrate the less conservatism of the proposed theoretical results.

  3. The scid mutation does not affect slowly repairing potentially lethal damage that is sensitive to 0.23 M NaCl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Hiroshi; Ikebuchi, Makoto; Fushiki, Masato; Komatsu, Kenshi.

    1996-01-01

    The repair of slowly repairing potentially lethal damage (PLD) in radiosensitive cells from the severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mouse was compared with that in Balb/c 3T3 cells with ''wild-type'' radiosensitivity and that in RD13B2 cells derived from scid cells whose sensitivity is normal because of the presence of fragments of human chromosome 8. Treatment with 0.23 M NaCl was used for fixation of slowly repairing PLD. The scid cells repaired PLD sensitive to 0.23 M NaCl to a great extent whin 3-4 h, similarly to Balb/c 3T3 and RD13B2 cells. This indicates that the scid mutation hardly affects the repair of PLD sensitive to 0.23 M NaCl. On the other hand, as reported previously, the rapidly repairing PLD that is sensitive to 0.5 M NaCl was repaired only slowly (3-4 h) in scid cells, in contrast to the rapid repair (within 1 h) seen with Balb/c 3T3 and RD13B2. This suggests that scid mutation is responsible for this repair at reduced rate. To confirm the independence of repair of 0.23 M NaCl-sensitive PLD from that of 0.5 M NaCl-sensitive PLD, both treatments with 0.23 M NaCl and 0.5 M NaCl were combined in each line. It is found that the repair of either PLD was not affected by the other treatment. The scid mutation impaired only the repair of 0.5 M NaCl-sensitive PLD. (author)

  4. Modeling of delays in PKPD: classical approaches and a tutorial for delay differential equations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Gilbert; Krzyzanski, Wojciech; Pérez-Ruixo, Juan Jose; Schropp, Johannes

    2014-08-01

    In pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PKPD) the measured response is often delayed relative to drug administration, individuals in a population have a certain lifespan until they maturate or the change of biomarkers does not immediately affects the primary endpoint. The classical approach in PKPD is to apply transit compartment models (TCM) based on ordinary differential equations to handle such delays. However, an alternative approach to deal with delays are delay differential equations (DDE). DDEs feature additional flexibility and properties, realize more complex dynamics and can complementary be used together with TCMs. We introduce several delay based PKPD models and investigate mathematical properties of general DDE based models, which serve as subunits in order to build larger PKPD models. Finally, we review current PKPD software with respect to the implementation of DDEs for PKPD analysis.

  5. A delay fractioning approach to global synchronization of delayed complex networks with stochastic disturbances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yao; Wang Zidong; Liang Jinling

    2008-01-01

    In this Letter, the synchronization problem is investigated for a class of stochastic complex networks with time delays. By utilizing a new Lyapunov functional form based on the idea of 'delay fractioning', we employ the stochastic analysis techniques and the properties of Kronecker product to establish delay-dependent synchronization criteria that guarantee the globally asymptotically mean-square synchronization of the addressed delayed networks with stochastic disturbances. These sufficient conditions, which are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), can be solved efficiently by the LMI toolbox in Matlab. The main results are proved to be much less conservative and the conservatism could be reduced further as the number of delay fractioning gets bigger. A simulation example is exploited to demonstrate the advantage and applicability of the proposed result

  6. Coherence resonance in an excitable system with time delay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sethia, Gautam C.; Kurths, Juergen; Sen, Abhijit

    2007-01-01

    We study the noise activated dynamics of a model excitable system that consists of a subcritical Hopf oscillator with a time delayed nonlinear feedback. The coherence of the noise driven pulses of the system exhibits a novel double peaked structure as a function of the noise amplitude. The two peaks correspond to separate optimal noise levels for excitation of single spikes and multiple spikes (bursts) respectively. The relative magnitudes of these peaks are found to be a sensitive function of time delay. The physical significance of our results and its practical implications in various real life systems are discussed

  7. A distributed delay approach for modeling delayed outcomes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shuhua; Dunlavey, Michael; Guzy, Serge; Teuscher, Nathan

    2018-04-01

    A distributed delay approach was proposed in this paper to model delayed outcomes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies. This approach was shown to be general enough to incorporate a wide array of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models as special cases including transit compartment models, effect compartment models, typical absorption models (either zero-order or first-order absorption), and a number of atypical (or irregular) absorption models (e.g., parallel first-order, mixed first-order and zero-order, inverse Gaussian, and Weibull absorption models). Real-life examples were given to demonstrate how to implement distributed delays in Phoenix ® NLME™ 8.0, and to numerically show the advantages of the distributed delay approach over the traditional methods.

  8. Novel delay-distribution-dependent stability analysis for continuous-time recurrent neural networks with stochastic delay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Shen-Quan; Feng Jian; Zhao Qing

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, the problem of delay-distribution-dependent stability is investigated for continuous-time recurrent neural networks (CRNNs) with stochastic delay. Different from the common assumptions on time delays, it is assumed that the probability distribution of the delay taking values in some intervals is known a priori. By making full use of the information concerning the probability distribution of the delay and by using a tighter bounding technique (the reciprocally convex combination method), less conservative asymptotic mean-square stable sufficient conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Two numerical examples show that our results are better than the existing ones. (general)

  9. Time Delay of CGM Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmelzeisen-Redeker, Günther; Schoemaker, Michael; Kirchsteiger, Harald; Freckmann, Guido; Heinemann, Lutz; del Re, Luigi

    2015-01-01

    Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a powerful tool to support the optimization of glucose control of patients with diabetes. However, CGM systems measure glucose in interstitial fluid but not in blood. Rapid changes in one compartment are not accompanied by similar changes in the other, but follow with some delay. Such time delays hamper detection of, for example, hypoglycemic events. Our aim is to discuss the causes and extent of time delays and approaches to compensate for these. Methods: CGM data were obtained in a clinical study with 37 patients with a prototype glucose sensor. The study was divided into 5 phases over 2 years. In all, 8 patients participated in 2 phases separated by 8 months. A total number of 108 CGM data sets including raw signals were used for data analysis and were processed by statistical methods to obtain estimates of the time delay. Results: Overall mean (SD) time delay of the raw signals with respect to blood glucose was 9.5 (3.7) min, median was 9 min (interquartile range 4 min). Analysis of time delays observed in the same patients separated by 8 months suggests a patient dependent delay. No significant correlation was observed between delay and anamnestic or anthropometric data. The use of a prediction algorithm reduced the delay by 4 minutes on average. Conclusions: Prediction algorithms should be used to provide real-time CGM readings more consistent with simultaneous measurements by SMBG. Patient specificity may play an important role in improving prediction quality. PMID:26243773

  10. Delay-Dependent Guaranteed Cost Control of an Interval System with Interval Time-Varying Delay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Min

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper concerns the problem of the delay-dependent robust stability and guaranteed cost control for an interval system with time-varying delay. The interval system with matrix factorization is provided and leads to less conservative conclusions than solving a square root. The time-varying delay is assumed to belong to an interval and the derivative of the interval time-varying delay is not a restriction, which allows a fast time-varying delay; also its applicability is broad. Based on the Lyapunov-Ktasovskii approach, a delay-dependent criterion for the existence of a state feedback controller, which guarantees the closed-loop system stability, the upper bound of cost function, and disturbance attenuation lever for all admissible uncertainties as well as out perturbation, is proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. The criterion is derived by free weighting matrices that can reduce the conservatism. The effectiveness has been verified in a number example and the compute results are presented to validate the proposed design method.

  11. Quad nanosecond delay module

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, R.J.; Hunter, J.B.; Wozniak, G.J.

    1986-04-01

    Four nanosecond (ns) delay units have been designed to fit in a single-width NIM module. This module is particularly suited for use in conjunction with quad constant fraction timing discriminators (CFTDs) since it has four delay units that can be placed adjacent to the four units of the CFTD. A series of different length cables connected via DIP toggle switches provide delays of 0.60 ns in 4 ns increments. Thus, the CFTD delay can be optimized for pulses of different rise times from approx.10-100 ns. Design work for the PC board and silkscreening of the front panel were done with the MacDraw program on the Apple Mackintosh computer and printed with the Lasewriter printer. 6 refs

  12. CAN LARGE TIME DELAYS OBSERVED IN LIGHT CURVES OF CORONAL LOOPS BE EXPLAINED IN IMPULSIVE HEATING?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lionello, Roberto; Linker, Jon A.; Mikić, Zoran; Alexander, Caroline E.; Winebarger, Amy R.

    2016-01-01

    The light curves of solar coronal loops often peak first in channels associated with higher temperatures and then in those associated with lower temperatures. The delay times between the different narrowband EUV channels have been measured for many individual loops and recently for every pixel of an active region observation. The time delays between channels for an active region exhibit a wide range of values. The maximum time delay in each channel pair can be quite large, i.e., >5000 s. These large time delays make-up 3%–26% (depending on the channel pair) of the pixels where a trustworthy, positive time delay is measured. It has been suggested that these time delays can be explained by simple impulsive heating, i.e., a short burst of energy that heats the plasma to a high temperature, after which the plasma is allowed to cool through radiation and conduction back to its original state. In this paper, we investigate whether the largest observed time delays can be explained by this hypothesis by simulating a series of coronal loops with different heating rates, loop lengths, abundances, and geometries to determine the range of expected time delays between a set of four EUV channels. We find that impulsive heating cannot address the largest time delays observed in two of the channel pairs and that the majority of the large time delays can only be explained by long, expanding loops with photospheric abundances. Additional observations may rule out these simulations as an explanation for the long time delays. We suggest that either the time delays found in this manner may not be representative of real loop evolution, or that the impulsive heating and cooling scenario may be too simple to explain the observations, and other potential heating scenarios must be explored

  13. UAVs and Control Delays

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    de Vries, S. C

    2005-01-01

    .... Delays of about 250-300 ms often lead to unacceptable airplane handling qualities. Techniques such as filtering and predictive displays may extend the range of acceptable delays up to about 400 ms...

  14. Analytical applications for delayed neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eccleston, G.W.

    1983-01-01

    Analytical formulations that describe the time dependence of neutron populations in nuclear materials contain delayed-neutron dependent terms. These terms are important because the delayed neutrons, even though their yields in fission are small, permit control of the fission chain reaction process. Analytical applications that use delayed neutrons range from simple problems that can be solved with the point reactor kinetics equations to complex problems that can only be solved with large codes that couple fluid calculations with the neutron dynamics. Reactor safety codes, such as SIMMER, model transients of the entire reactor core using coupled space-time neutronics and comprehensive thermal-fluid dynamics. Nondestructive delayed-neutron assay instruments are designed and modeled using a three-dimensional continuous-energy Monte Carlo code. Calculations on high-burnup spent fuels and other materials that contain a mix of uranium and plutonium isotopes require accurate and complete information on the delayed-neutron periods, yields, and energy spectra. A continuing need exists for delayed-neutron parameters for all the fissioning isotopes

  15. Swing Damping for Helicopter Slung Load Systems using Delayed Feedback

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bisgaard, Morten; la Cour-Harbo, Anders; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon

    2009-01-01

    of swing. The design of the delayed feedback controller is presented as an optimization problem which gives the possibility of an automated design process. Simulations and flight test verifications of the control system on two different autonomous helicopters are presented and it is shown how a significant......This paper presents the design and verification of a swing reducing controller for helicopter slung load systems using intentional delayed feedback. It is intended for augmenting a trajectory tracking helicopter controller and thereby improving the slung load handing capabilities for autonomous...... helicopters. The delayed feedback controller is added to actively reduce oscillations of the slung load by improving the damping of the slung load pendulum modes. Furthermore, it is intended for integration with a feedforward control scheme based on input shaping for concurrent avoidance and dampening...

  16. 49 CFR 236.563 - Delay time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Delay time. 236.563 Section 236.563 Transportation... Cab Signal Systems Rules and Instructions; Locomotives § 236.563 Delay time. Delay time of automatic... requirements of § 236.24 shall take into consideration the delay time. ...

  17. Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters for Deep Blue Organic Light Emitting Diodes: A Review of Recent Advances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thanh-Tuân Bui

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Organic light-emitting diodes offer attractive perspectives for the next generation display and lighting technologies. The potential is huge and the list of potential applications is almost endless. So far, blue emitters still suffer from noticeably inferior electroluminescence performances in terms of efficiency, lifespan, color quality, and charge injection/transport when compared to that of the other colors. Emitting materials matching the NTSC standard blue of coordinates (0.14, 0.08 are extremely rare and still constitutes the focus of numerous academic and industrial researches. In this context, we review herein the recent developments on highly emissive deep-blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters that constitute the third-generation electroluminescent materials.

  18. Delayed puberty in boys

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007695.htm Delayed puberty in boys To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Delayed puberty in boys is when puberty does not begin ...

  19. Contralateral delay activity tracks object identity information in visual short term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zaifeng; Xu, Xiaotian; Chen, Zhibo; Yin, Jun; Shen, Mowei; Shui, Rende

    2011-08-11

    Previous studies suggested that ERP component contralateral delay activity (CDA) tracks the number of objects containing identity information stored in visual short term memory (VSTM). Later MEG and fMRI studies implied that its neural source lays in superior IPS. However, since the memorized stimuli in previous studies were displayed in distinct spatial locations, hence possibly CDA tracks the object-location information instead. Moreover, a recent study implied the activation in superior IPS reflected the location load. The current research thus explored whether CDA tracks the object-location load or the object-identity load, and its neural sources. Participants were asked to remember one color, four identical colors or four distinct colors. The four-identical-color condition was the critical one because it contains the same amount of identity information as that of one color while the same amount of location information as that of four distinct colors. To ensure the participants indeed selected four colors in the four-identical-color condition, we also split the participants into two groups (low- vs. high-capacity), analyzed late positive component (LPC) in the prefrontal area, and collected participant's subjective-report. Our results revealed that most of the participants selected four identical colors. Moreover, regardless of capacity-group, there was no difference on CDA between one color and four identical colors yet both were lower than 4 distinct colors. Besides, the source of CDA was located in the superior parietal lobule, which is very close to the superior IPS. These results support the statement that CDA tracks the object identity information in VSTM. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Delay-range-dependent exponential H∞ synchronization of a class of delayed neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karimi, Hamid Reza; Maass, Peter

    2009-01-01

    This article aims to present a multiple delayed state-feedback control design for exponential H ∞ synchronization problem of a class of delayed neural networks with multiple time-varying discrete delays. On the basis of the drive-response concept and by introducing a descriptor technique and using Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, new delay-range-dependent sufficient conditions for exponential H ∞ synchronization of the drive-response structure of neural networks are driven in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The explicit expression of the controller gain matrices are parameterized based on the solvability conditions such that the drive system and the response system can be exponentially synchronized. A numerical example is included to illustrate the applicability of the proposed design method.

  1. New Results on Passivity Analysis of Stochastic Neural Networks with Time-Varying Delay and Leakage Delay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YaJun Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The passivity problem for a class of stochastic neural networks systems (SNNs with varying delay and leakage delay has been further studied in this paper. By constructing a more effective Lyapunov functional, employing the free-weighting matrix approach, and combining with integral inequality technic and stochastic analysis theory, the delay-dependent conditions have been proposed such that SNNs are asymptotically stable with guaranteed performance. The time-varying delay is divided into several subintervals and two adjustable parameters are introduced; more information about time delay is utilised and less conservative results have been obtained. Examples are provided to illustrate the less conservatism of the proposed method and simulations are given to show the impact of leakage delay on stability of SNNs.

  2. Be Active Your Way: A Guide for Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... couple of months. You might want to add biking on the weekends for variety. 4 Be Active ... activities (check off the ones you will try): ❑ Biking slowly ❑ Canoeing ❑ Dancing ❑ General gardening (raking, trimming shrubs) ❑ ...

  3. Decoherence approach to energy transfer and work done by slowly driven systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wen-ge

    2018-01-01

    A main problem, which is met when computing the energy transfer of or work done by a quantum system, comes from the fact that the system may lie in states with coherence in its energy eigenstates. As is well known, when the so-called environment-induced decoherence has happened with respect to a preferred basis given by the energy basis, no coherence exists among the energy basis and the energy change of the system can be computed in a definite way. I argue that one may make use of this property, in the search for an appropriate definition of quantum work for a total system that does not include any measuring apparatus. To show how this idea may work, in this paper, I study decoherence properties of a generic slowly driven system, which is weakly coupled to a huge environment whose main body is a complex quantum system. It is shown that decoherence may generically happen for such a system.

  4. One-dimensional free-electron laser equations without the slowly varying envelope approximation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Maroli

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available A set of one-dimensional equations has been deduced in the time domain from the Maxwell-Lorentz system with the aim of describing the free-electron laser radiation without using the slowly varying envelope approximation (SVEA. These equations are valid even in the case of arbitrarily short electron bunches and of current distributions with ripples on the scale of or shorter than the wavelength. Numerical examples are presented, showing that for long homogeneous bunches the new set of equations gives results in agreement with the SVEA free-electron laser theory and that the use of short or prebunched electron beams leads to a decrease of the emission lethargy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in all cases in which the backward low frequency wave has negligible effects, these equations can be reduced to a form similar to the usual 1D SVEA equations but with a different definition of the bunching term.

  5. Peru action simmering despite privatization delays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-08-07

    After months of delays, the sale of Petroleos del Peru SA (Petroperu) was postponed earlier this year until after the elections, which saw Peru`s incumbent President Alberto Fujimori reelected. In June, Fujimori appointed Amado Yataco Minister of Energy and Mines. Yataco, also serving as president of the privatization commission Copri, said a decision on the sale of Petroperu would be made quickly, perhaps by July 28, ahead of this report`s presstime. The uncertain status of Petroperu has not, however, slowed activity in Peru`s petroleum sector. The paper first discusses privatization plans and Petroperu`s budget, then describes exploration and development activities in the supergiant Camisea gas/condensate fields in the central southern jungle. Activities in several smaller fields are briefly described.

  6. Peru action simmering despite privatization delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1995-01-01

    After months of delays, the sale of Petroleos del Peru SA (Petroperu) was postponed earlier this year until after the elections, which saw Peru's incumbent President Alberto Fujimori reelected. In June, Fujimori appointed Amado Yataco Minister of Energy and Mines. Yataco, also serving as president of the privatization commission Copri, said a decision on the sale of Petroperu would be made quickly, perhaps by July 28, ahead of this report's presstime. The uncertain status of Petroperu has not, however, slowed activity in Peru's petroleum sector. The paper first discusses privatization plans and Petroperu's budget, then describes exploration and development activities in the supergiant Camisea gas/condensate fields in the central southern jungle. Activities in several smaller fields are briefly described

  7. Discounting of Monetary Rewards that are Both Delayed and Probabilistic: Delay and Probability Combine Multiplicatively, not Additively

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderveldt, Ariana; Green, Leonard; Myerson, Joel

    2014-01-01

    The value of an outcome is affected both by the delay until its receipt (delay discounting) and by the likelihood of its receipt (probability discounting). Despite being well-described by the same hyperboloid function, delay and probability discounting involve fundamentally different processes, as revealed, for example, by the differential effects of reward amount. Previous research has focused on the discounting of delayed and probabilistic rewards separately, with little research examining more complex situations in which rewards are both delayed and probabilistic. In two experiments, participants made choices between smaller rewards that were both immediate and certain and larger rewards that were both delayed and probabilistic. Analyses revealed significant interactions between delay and probability factors inconsistent with an additive model. In contrast, a hyperboloid discounting model in which delay and probability were combined multiplicatively provided an excellent fit to the data. These results suggest that the hyperboloid is a good descriptor of decision making in complicated monetary choice situations like those people encounter in everyday life. PMID:24933696

  8. Efficacy of biodegradable curcumin nanoparticles in delaying cataract in diabetic rat model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grama, Charitra N; Suryanarayana, Palla; Patil, Madhoosudan A; Raghu, Ganugula; Balakrishna, Nagalla; Kumar, M N V Ravi; Reddy, Geereddy Bhanuprakash

    2013-01-01

    Curcumin, the active principle present in the yellow spice turmeric, has been shown to exhibit various pharmacological actions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-carcinogenic activities. Previously we have reported that dietary curcumin delays diabetes-induced cataract in rats. However, low peroral bioavailability is a major limiting factor for the success of clinical utilization of curcumin. In this study, we have administered curcumin encapsulated nanoparticles in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic cataract model. Oral administration of 2 mg/day nanocurcumin was significantly more effective than curcumin in delaying diabetic cataracts in rats. The significant delay in progression of diabetic cataract by nanocurcumin is attributed to its ability to intervene the biochemical pathways of disease progression such as protein insolubilization, polyol pathway, protein glycation, crystallin distribution and oxidative stress. The enhanced performance of nanocurcumin can be attributed probably to its improved oral bioavailability. Together, the results of the present study demonstrate the potential of nanocurcumin in managing diabetic cataract.

  9. Efficacy of biodegradable curcumin nanoparticles in delaying cataract in diabetic rat model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charitra N Grama

    Full Text Available Curcumin, the active principle present in the yellow spice turmeric, has been shown to exhibit various pharmacological actions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-carcinogenic activities. Previously we have reported that dietary curcumin delays diabetes-induced cataract in rats. However, low peroral bioavailability is a major limiting factor for the success of clinical utilization of curcumin. In this study, we have administered curcumin encapsulated nanoparticles in streptozotocin (STZ induced diabetic cataract model. Oral administration of 2 mg/day nanocurcumin was significantly more effective than curcumin in delaying diabetic cataracts in rats. The significant delay in progression of diabetic cataract by nanocurcumin is attributed to its ability to intervene the biochemical pathways of disease progression such as protein insolubilization, polyol pathway, protein glycation, crystallin distribution and oxidative stress. The enhanced performance of nanocurcumin can be attributed probably to its improved oral bioavailability. Together, the results of the present study demonstrate the potential of nanocurcumin in managing diabetic cataract.

  10. Robust stability of interval bidirectional associative memory neural network with time delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Xiaofeng; Wong, Kwok-wo

    2004-04-01

    In this paper, the conventional bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural network with signal transmission delay is intervalized in order to study the bounded effect of deviations in network parameters and external perturbations. The resultant model is referred to as a novel interval dynamic BAM (IDBAM) model. By combining a number of different Lyapunov functionals with the Razumikhin technique, some sufficient conditions for the existence of unique equilibrium and robust stability are derived. These results are fairly general and can be verified easily. To go further, we extend our investigation to the time-varying delay case. Some robust stability criteria for BAM with perturbations of time-varying delays are derived. Besides, our approach for the analysis allows us to consider several different types of activation functions, including piecewise linear sigmoids with bounded activations as well as the usual C1-smooth sigmoids. We believe that the results obtained have leading significance in the design and application of BAM neural networks.

  11. Discrete-time recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays: Exponential stability analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Yurong; Wang, Zidong; Serrano, Alan; Liu, Xiaohui

    2007-01-01

    This Letter is concerned with the analysis problem of exponential stability for a class of discrete-time recurrent neural networks (DRNNs) with time delays. The delay is of the time-varying nature, and the activation functions are assumed to be neither differentiable nor strict monotonic. Furthermore, the description of the activation functions is more general than the recently commonly used Lipschitz conditions. Under such mild conditions, we first prove the existence of the equilibrium point. Then, by employing a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, a unified linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach is developed to establish sufficient conditions for the DRNNs to be globally exponentially stable. It is shown that the delayed DRNNs are globally exponentially stable if a certain LMI is solvable, where the feasibility of such an LMI can be easily checked by using the numerically efficient Matlab LMI Toolbox. A simulation example is presented to show the usefulness of the derived LMI-based stability condition

  12. Representative Delay Measurements (RDM: Facing the Challenge of Modern Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joachim Fabini

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Network access technologies have evolved significantly in the last years. They deploy novel mechanisms like reactive capacity allocation and time-slotted operation to optimize overall network capacity. From a single node's perspective, such optimizations decrease network determinism and measurement repeatability. Evolving application fields like machine to machine (M2M communications or real-time gaming often have strict real-time requirements to operate correctly. Highly accurate delay measurements are necessary to monitor network compliance with application demands or to detect deviations of normal network behavior, which may be caused by network failures, misconfigurations or attacks. This paper analyzes factors that challenge active delay measurements in modern networks. It introduces the Representative Delay Measurement tool (RDM that addresses these factors and proposes solutions that conform to requirements of the recently published RFC7312. Delay measurement results acquired using RDM in live networks confirm that advanced measurement methods can significantly improve the quality of measurement samples by isolating systematic network behavior. The resulting high-quality samples are one prerequisite for accurate statistics that support proper operation of subsequent algorithms and applications.

  13. Is immediate adjunctive CBT more beneficial than delayed CBT in treating depression?: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizvi, Sakina J; Zaretsky, Ari; Schaffer, Ayal; Levitt, Anthony

    2015-03-01

    Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an efficacious first-line therapy for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Due to the limited accessibility of CBT, long wait lists result in delayed treatment, which may affect treatment outcomes. The goal of this pilot study was to obtain preliminary data from a randomized controlled trial to determine whether delayed CBT reduces the effectiveness of the therapy compared to immediate CBT in patients with MDD receiving pharmacotherapy. Patients were randomized to receive immediate CBT (n=18) or to begin CBT after 6 months (n=20) and received 14 weekly sessions, followed by two additional booster sessions. During the active treatment months, patients in the immediate group demonstrated reductions in scores on the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) that were similar to those in the delayed CBT group. However, when the analysis was performed using only data from patients in the delayed group who were still in a depressive episode, there was an overall greater decrease in BDI-II scores in the immediate group vs. the delayed group over the active treatment months, but not specifically at the 6-month endpoint. These findings suggest delays in depression treatment, similar to what occurs with real-world wait list times, may not have a significant impact on the effectiveness of CBT in patients who are already receiving treatment as usual. However, such delays may affect the effectiveness of CBT in those patients who remain depressed during the time delay. A larger trial is necessary to confirm these findings. (Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2015;21:107-113).

  14. Delayed enhanced MRI in intraparenchymal tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eguchi, Takahiko; Morimoto, Tetsuya; Takeshima, Toshikazu

    1991-01-01

    Delayed enhanced MRI was performed on 20 intraparenchymal tumors, and these findings were compared with those of early enhanced MRI. Using the spin-echo technique (SE: 400-500/20 msec), early scans were obtained 5 minutes, and delayed scans were obtained 60 minutes, after the intravenous injection of 0.1 nmol of gadolinium-DTPA/Kg. We discussed the changes in the delayed scan with regard to the change in the pattern of enhancement and the boundary of enhancement. In these twenty intraparenchymal tumors, there were three low-grade astrocytomas, two anaplastic astrocytomas, seven glioblastomas, and eight metastatic tumors. The changes in the enhanced pattern showed three types as follows: Type I: heterogeneous enhancement in both early and delayed scans; Type II: heterogeneous enhancement in early scan and homogeneous enhancement in delayed scan; Type III: homogeneous enhancement in both early and delayed scans. Most malignant tumors, such as glioblastomas (6/8), anaplastic astrocytomas (2/2), and metastatic tumors (7/8), revealed Type I, although low-grade astrocytomas showed Type II (3/2) and Type III (1/3). The heterogeneous enhancement in delayed scan was found in malignant tumors and in low-grade astrocytoma; even if the early scan revealed heterogeneous enhancement, the delayed scan showed homogeneous enhancement. In the delayed scan, most enhanced boundaries spread out of the boundaries in the early scan. Glioblastomas spread markedly in the delayed scan, although none of the low-grade astrocytomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, or metastases revealed marked spreading. We called these marked increases in the delayed scan a 'spreading sign' and thought that this sign was specific to glioblastomas. Recently some authors have emphasized the usefulness of serial scans. Delayed enhanced MRI 60 minutes after the administration of a contrast medium was here found also to be useful for the accurate diagnosis for brain tumors. (author)

  15. Project delay analysis of HRSG

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvianita; Novega, A. S.; Rosyid, D. M.; Suntoyo

    2017-08-01

    Completion of HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generator) fabrication project sometimes is not sufficient with the targeted time written on the contract. The delay on fabrication process can cause some disadvantages for fabricator, including forfeit payment, delay on HRSG construction process up until HRSG trials delay. In this paper, the author is using semi quantitative on HRSG pressure part fabrication delay with configuration plant 1 GT (Gas Turbine) + 1 HRSG + 1 STG (Steam Turbine Generator) using bow-tie analysis method. Bow-tie analysis method is a combination from FTA (Fault tree analysis) and ETA (Event tree analysis) to develop the risk matrix of HRSG. The result from FTA analysis is use as a threat for preventive measure. The result from ETA analysis is use as impact from fabrication delay.

  16. Nonlinear delay monopoly with bounded rationality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumoto, Akio; Szidarovszky, Ferenc

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamics of a monopolistic firm in a continuous-time framework. The firm is assumed to be boundedly rational and to experience time delays in obtaining and implementing information on output. The dynamic adjustment process is based on the gradient of the expected profit. The paper is divided into three parts: we examine delay effects on dynamics caused by one-time delay and two-time delays in the first two parts. Global dynamics and analytical results on local dynamics are numerically confirmed in the third part. Four main results are demonstrated. First, the stability switch from stability to instability occurs only once in the case of a single delay. Second, the alternation of stability and instability can continue if two time delays are involved. Third, the occurence of Hopf bifurcation is analytically shown if stability is lost. Finally, in a bifurcation process, there are a period-doubling cascade to chaos and a period-halving cascade to the equilibrium point in the case of two time delays if the difference between the two delays is large.

  17. Evidences of the ultrarapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKur on pacemaker activity in sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes of Rat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad reza Nikmaram

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Sinoatrial node (SAN is the primary pacemaker of the heart. If the SAN activity fails in any way, then the atrioventricular node (AVN immediately starts to regulate the activities of the heart. The aim of this study was to assess the existence or non existence of ultrarapid delayed rectifier potassium current (Ikur and its role on pacemaker activity of two intact SAN and AVN of rat. Methods: The pacemaker activities of distinct intact SAN and AVN by two separate metal microelectrodes that contact the endothelial surface of nodes were recorded and cycle length (CL of action potential was measured. The recording was done before and during 50µM 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP as an Ikur blocker. Results: Compared to control condition, CL of action potentials of SAN and VAN preparations had increased by 17.60 +/-2.9% and 35.90 +/-2.9%, respectively (P<0.05. Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that the Ikur was present in AVN and SAN and the effect of 4-AP on CL of action potential nodes was significantly different.

  18. Memorized discrete systems and time-delay

    CERN Document Server

    Luo, Albert C J

    2017-01-01

    This book examines discrete dynamical systems with memory—nonlinear systems that exist extensively in biological organisms and financial and economic organizations, and time-delay systems that can be discretized into the memorized, discrete dynamical systems. It book further discusses stability and bifurcations of time-delay dynamical systems that can be investigated through memorized dynamical systems as well as bifurcations of memorized nonlinear dynamical systems, discretization methods of time-delay systems, and periodic motions to chaos in nonlinear time-delay systems. The book helps readers find analytical solutions of MDS, change traditional perturbation analysis in time-delay systems, detect motion complexity and singularity in MDS; and determine stability, bifurcation, and chaos in any time-delay system.

  19. Vernier Delay Unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pierce, W.B.

    1984-10-01

    This module will accept differential ECL pulses from the auxiliary rear panel or NIM level pulses from the front panel. The pulses are produced at the output with a fixed delay that is software programmable in steps of 0.1 ns over the range of 0.1 to 10.5 ns. Multiple outputs are available at the front panel. Minimum delay through the module is 9 ns

  20. A model for integrating elementary neural functions into delayed-response behavior.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Gisiger

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available It is well established that various cortical regions can implement a wide array of neural processes, yet the mechanisms which integrate these processes into behavior-producing, brain-scale activity remain elusive. We propose that an important role in this respect might be played by executive structures controlling the traffic of information between the cortical regions involved. To illustrate this hypothesis, we present a neural network model comprising a set of interconnected structures harboring stimulus-related activity (visual representation, working memory, and planning, and a group of executive units with task-related activity patterns that manage the information flowing between them. The resulting dynamics allows the network to perform the dual task of either retaining an image during a delay (delayed-matching to sample task, or recalling from this image another one that has been associated with it during training (delayed-pair association task. The model reproduces behavioral and electrophysiological data gathered on the inferior temporal and prefrontal cortices of primates performing these same tasks. It also makes predictions on how neural activity coding for the recall of the image associated with the sample emerges and becomes prospective during the training phase. The network dynamics proves to be very stable against perturbations, and it exhibits signs of scale-invariant organization and cooperativity. The present network represents a possible neural implementation for active, top-down, prospective memory retrieval in primates. The model suggests that brain activity leading to performance of cognitive tasks might be organized in modular fashion, simple neural functions becoming integrated into more complex behavior by executive structures harbored in prefrontal cortex and/or basal ganglia.

  1. A model for integrating elementary neural functions into delayed-response behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisiger, Thomas; Kerszberg, Michel

    2006-04-01

    It is well established that various cortical regions can implement a wide array of neural processes, yet the mechanisms which integrate these processes into behavior-producing, brain-scale activity remain elusive. We propose that an important role in this respect might be played by executive structures controlling the traffic of information between the cortical regions involved. To illustrate this hypothesis, we present a neural network model comprising a set of interconnected structures harboring stimulus-related activity (visual representation, working memory, and planning), and a group of executive units with task-related activity patterns that manage the information flowing between them. The resulting dynamics allows the network to perform the dual task of either retaining an image during a delay (delayed-matching to sample task), or recalling from this image another one that has been associated with it during training (delayed-pair association task). The model reproduces behavioral and electrophysiological data gathered on the inferior temporal and prefrontal cortices of primates performing these same tasks. It also makes predictions on how neural activity coding for the recall of the image associated with the sample emerges and becomes prospective during the training phase. The network dynamics proves to be very stable against perturbations, and it exhibits signs of scale-invariant organization and cooperativity. The present network represents a possible neural implementation for active, top-down, prospective memory retrieval in primates. The model suggests that brain activity leading to performance of cognitive tasks might be organized in modular fashion, simple neural functions becoming integrated into more complex behavior by executive structures harbored in prefrontal cortex and/or basal ganglia.

  2. Exponential synchronization of two nonlinearly non-delayed and delayed coupled complex dynamical networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Song

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, the exponential synchronization between two nonlinearly coupled complex networks with non-delayed and delayed coupling is investigated with Lyapunov-Krasovskii-type functionals. Based on the stability analysis of the impulsive differential equation and the linear matrix inequality, sufficient delay-dependent conditions for exponential synchronization are derived, and a linear impulsive controller and simple updated laws are also designed. Furthermore, the coupling matrices need not be symmetric or irreducible. Numerical examples are presented to verify the effectiveness and correctness of the synchronization criteria obtained.

  3. Delay Estimation in Long-Code Asynchronous DS/CDMA Systems Using Multiple Antennas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sirbu Marius

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The problem of propagation delay estimation in asynchronous long-code DS-CDMA multiuser systems is addressed. Almost all the methods proposed so far in the literature for propagation delay estimation are derived for short codes and the knowledge of the codes is exploited by the estimators. In long-code CDMA, the spreading code is aperiodic and the methods developed for short codes may not be used or may increase the complexity significantly. For example, in the subspace-based estimators, the aperiodic nature of the code may require subspace tracking. In this paper we propose a novel method for simultaneous estimation of the propagation delays of several active users. A specific multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO system model is constructed in a multiuser scenario. In such model the channel matrix contains information about both the users propagation delays and channel impulse responses. Consequently, estimates of the delays are obtained as a by-product of the channel estimation task. The channel matrix has a special structure that is exploited in estimating the delays. The proposed delay estimation method lends itself to an adaptive implementation. Thus, it may be applied to joint channel and delay estimation in uplink DS-CDMA analogously to the method presented by the authors in 2003. The performance of the proposed method is studied in simulation using realistic time-varying channel model and different SNR levels in the face of near-far effects, and using low spreading factor (high data rates.

  4. Delay-Range-Dependent H∞ Control for Automatic Mooring Positioning System with Time-Varying Input Delay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyu Su

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aiming at the economy and security of the positioning system in semi-submersible platform, the paper presents a new scheme based on the mooring line switching strategy. Considering the input delay in switching process, H∞ control with time-varying input delay is designed to calculate the control forces to resist disturbing forces. In order to reduce the conservativeness, the information of the lower bound of delay is taken into account, and a Lyapunov function which contains the range of delay is constructed. Besides, the input constraint is considered to avoid breakage of mooring lines. The sufficient conditions for delay-range-dependent stabilization are derived in terms of LMI, and the controller is also obtained. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated by a realistic design example.

  5. Systematic of delayed neutron parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isaev, S.G.; Piksaikin, V.M.

    2000-01-01

    The experimental studies of the energy dependence of the delayed neutron (DN) parameters for various fission systems has shown that the behaviour of a some combination of delayed neutron parameters has a similar features. On the basis of this findings the systematics of delayed neutron experimental data for thorium, uranium, plutonium and americium isotopes have been investigated with the purpose to find a correlation of DN parameters with characteristics of fissioning system as well as a correlation between the delayed neutron parameters themselves. It was presented the preliminary results which were obtained during study the physics interpretation of the results [ru

  6. Complex systems fractionality, time-delay and synchronization

    CERN Document Server

    Sun, Jian-Qiao

    2012-01-01

    "Complex Systems: Fractionality, Time-delay and Synchronization" covers the most recent developments and advances in the theory and application of complex systems in these areas. Each chapter was written by scientists highly active in the field of complex systems. The book discusses a new treatise on fractional dynamics and control, as well as the new methods for differential delay systems and control. Lastly, a theoretical framework for the complexity and synchronization of complex system is presented. The book is intended for researchers in the field of nonlinear dynamics in mathematics, physics and engineering. It can also serve as a reference book for graduate students in physics, applied mathematics and engineering. Dr. Albert C.J. Luo is a Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, USA. Dr. Jian-Qiao Sun is a Professor at the University of California, Merced, USA.

  7. Delay-Dependent Guaranteed Cost H∞ Control of an Interval System with Interval Time-Varying Delay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongke Shi

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper concerns the problem of the delay-dependent robust stability and guaranteed cost H∞ control for an interval system with time-varying delay. The interval system with matrix factorization is provided and leads to less conservative conclusions than solving a square root. The time-varying delay is assumed to belong to an interval and the derivative of the interval time-varying delay is not a restriction, which allows a fast time-varying delay; also its applicability is broad. Based on the Lyapunov-Ktasovskii approach, a delay-dependent criterion for the existence of a state feedback controller, which guarantees the closed-loop system stability, the upper bound of cost function, and disturbance attenuation lever for all admissible uncertainties as well as out perturbation, is proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. The criterion is derived by free weighting matrices that can reduce the conservatism. The effectiveness has been verified in a number example and the compute results are presented to validate the proposed design method.

  8. Delayed Antiwindup Control Using a Decoupling Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huawei Zhu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the antiwindup (AW control problem for plants with input saturation. The AW compensator is not activated as soon as input saturation occurs as usual. A delayed decoupling structure is first proposed. Then, appropriate linear matrix inequalities (LMIs are developed to determine a plant-order AW compensator. Effectiveness of the presented AW technique is illustrated by a fighter aircraft model.

  9. Stochastic two-delay differential model of delayed visual feedback effects on postural dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulet, Jason; Balasubramaniam, Ramesh; Daffertshofer, Andreas; Longtin, André

    2010-01-28

    We report on experiments and modelling involving the 'visuo-postural control loop' in the upright stance. We experimentally manipulated an artificial delay to the visual feedback during standing, presented at delays ranging from 0 to 1 s in increments of 250 ms. Using stochastic delay differential equations, we explicitly modelled the centre-of-pressure (COP) and centre-of-mass (COM) dynamics with two independent delay terms for vision and proprioception. A novel 'drifting fixed point' hypothesis was used to describe the fluctuations of the COM with the COP being modelled as a faster, corrective process of the COM. The model was in good agreement with the data in terms of probability density functions, power spectral densities, short- and long-term correlations (Hurst exponents) as well the critical time between the two ranges. This journal is © 2010 The Royal Society

  10. Analysis of a first-order delay differential-delay equation containing two delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marriott, C.; Vallée, R.; Delisle, C.

    1989-09-01

    An experimental and numerical analysis of the behavior of a two-delay differential equation is presented. It is shown that much of the system's behavior can be related to the stability behavior of the underlying linearized modes. A new phenomenon, mode crossing, is explored.

  11. Delaying gratification depends on social trust

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaelson, Laura; de la Vega, Alejandro; Chatham, Christopher H.; Munakata, Yuko

    2013-01-01

    Delaying gratification is hard, yet predictive of important life outcomes, such as academic achievement and physical health. Prominent theories focus on the role of self-control, hypersensitivity to immediate rewards, and the cost of time spent waiting. However, delaying gratification may also require trust in people delivering future rewards as promised. To test the role of social trust, participants were presented with character vignettes and faces that varied in trustworthiness, and then choose between hypothetical smaller immediate or larger delayed rewards from those characters. Across two experiments, participants were less willing to wait for delayed rewards from less trustworthy characters, and perceived trustworthiness predicted willingness to delay gratification. These findings provide the first demonstration of a causal role for social trust in willingness to delay gratification, independent of other relevant factors, such as self-control or reward history. Thus, delaying gratification requires choosing not only a later reward, but a reward that is potentially less likely to be delivered, when there is doubt about the person promising it. Implications of this work include the need to revise prominent theories of delay of gratification, and new directions for interventions with populations characterized by impulsivity. PMID:23801977

  12. Delaying gratification depends on social trust

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura eMichaelson

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Delaying gratification is hard, yet predictive of important life outcomes, such as academic achievement and physical health. Prominent theories focus on the role of self-control, hypersensitivity to immediate rewards, and the cost of time spent waiting. However, delaying gratification may also require trust in people delivering future rewards as promised. To test the role of social trust, participants were presented with character vignettes and faces that varied in trustworthiness, and then chose between hypothetical smaller immediate or larger delayed rewards from those characters. Across two experiments, participants were less willing to wait for delayed rewards from less trustworthy characters, and perceived trustworthiness predicted willingness to delay gratification. These findings provide the first demonstration of a causal role for social trust in willingness to delay gratification, independent of other relevant factors, such as self-control or reward history. Thus, delaying gratification requires choosing not only a later reward, but a reward that is potentially less likely to be delivered, when there is doubt about the person promising it. Implications of this work include the need to revise prominent theories of delay of gratification, and new directions for interventions with populations characterized by impulsivity.

  13. Baicalein Rescues Delayed Cooling via Preservation of Akt Activation and Akt-Mediated Phospholamban Phosphorylation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuohui Shao

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Cooling reduces the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R injury seen in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA by decreasing the burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS. Its cardioprotection is diminished when delay in reaching the target temperature occurs. Baicalein, a flavonoid derived from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, possesses antioxidant properties. Therefore, we hypothesized that baicalein can rescue cooling cardioprotection when cooling is delayed. Two murine cardiomyocyte models, an I/R model (90 min ischemia/3 h reperfusion and stunning model (30 min ischemia/90 min reperfusion, were used to assess cell survival and contractility, respectively. Cooling (32 °C was initiated either during ischemia or during reperfusion. Cell viability and ROS generation were measured. Cell contractility was evaluated by real-time phase-contrast imaging. Our results showed that cooling reduced cell death and ROS generation, and this effect was diminished when cooling was delayed. Baicalein (25 µM, given either at the start of reperfusion or start of cooling, resulted in a comparable reduction of cell death and ROS production. Baicalein improved phospholamban phosphorylation, contractility recovery, and cell survival. These effects were Akt-dependent. In addition, no synergistic effect was observed with the combined treatments of cooling and baicalein. Our data suggest that baicalein may serve as a novel adjunct therapeutic strategy for SCA resuscitation.

  14. Boarding is associated with higher rates of medication delays and adverse events but fewer laboratory-related delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sri-On, Jiraporn; Chang, Yuchiao; Curley, David P; Camargo, Carlos A; Weissman, Joel S; Singer, Sara J; Liu, Shan W

    2014-09-01

    Hospital crowding and emergency department (ED) boarding are large and growing problems. To date, there has been a paucity of information regarding the quality of care received by patients boarding in the ED compared with the care received by patients on an inpatient unit. We compared the rate of delays and adverse events at the event level that occur while boarding in the ED vs while on an inpatient unit. This study was a secondary analysis of data from medical record review and administrative databases at 2 urban academic teaching hospitals from August 1, 2004, through January 31, 2005. We measured delayed repeat cardiac enzymes, delayed partial thromboplastin time level checks, delayed antibiotic administration, delayed administration of home medications, and adverse events. We compared the incidence of events during ED boarding vs while on an inpatient unit. Among 1431 patient medical records, we identified 1016 events. Emergency department boarding was associated with an increased risk of home medication delays (risk ratio [RR], 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-1.88), delayed antibiotic administration (RR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.72-3.52), and adverse events (RR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.15-4.72). On the contrary, ED boarding was associated with fewer delays in repeat cardiac enzymes (RR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.09-0.27) and delayed partial thromboplastin time checks (RR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.27-0.96). Compared with inpatient units, ED boarding was associated with more medication-related delays and adverse events but fewer laboratory-related delays. Until we can eliminate ED boarding, it is critical to identify areas for improvement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Global exponential convergence of neutral-type Hopfield neural networks with multi-proportional delays and leakage delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Changjin; Li, Peiluan

    2017-01-01

    This paper is concerned with a class of neutral-type Hopfield neural networks with multi-proportional delays and leakage delays. Using the differential inequality theory, a set of sufficient conditions which guarantee that all solutions of neutral-type Hopfield neural networks with multi-proportional delays and leakage delays converge exponentially to zero vector are derived. Computer simulations are carried out to verify our theoretical findings. The obtained results of this paper are new and complement some previous studies.

  16. Delay-Dependent Exponential Stability for Discrete-Time BAM Neural Networks with Time-Varying Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yonggang Chen

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper considers the delay-dependent exponential stability for discrete-time BAM neural networks with time-varying delays. By constructing the new Lyapunov functional, the improved delay-dependent exponential stability criterion is derived in terms of linear matrix inequality (LMI. Moreover, in order to reduce the conservativeness, some slack matrices are introduced in this paper. Two numerical examples are presented to show the effectiveness and less conservativeness of the proposed method.

  17. Neutrino Astrophysics in Slowly Rotating Spacetimes Permeated by Nonlinear Electrodynamics Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosquera Cuesta, Herman J.

    2017-02-01

    Many theoretical and astrophysical arguments involve consideration of the effects of super strong electromagnetic fields and the rotation during the late stages of core-collapse supernovae. In what follows, we solve Einstein field equations that are minimally coupled to an arbitrary (current-free) Born-Infeld nonlinear Lagrangian L(F,G) of electrodynamics (NLED) in the slow rotation regime a ≪ r+ (outer horizon size), up to first order in a/r. We cross-check the physical properties of such NLED spacetime w.r.t. against the Maxwell one. A study case on both neutrino flavor ({ν }e\\to {ν }μ ,{ν }τ ) oscillations and flavor+helicity (spin) flip ({ν }e\\to {\\overline{ν }}μ ,τ ) gyroscopic precession proves that in the spacetime of a slowly rotating nonlinear charged black hole (RNCBH), the neutrino dynamics translates into a positive enhancement of the r-process (reduction of the electron fraction Ye < 0.5). Consequently, it guarantees successful hyperluminous core-collapse supernova explosions due to the enlargement of the number and amount of decaying nuclide species. This posits that, as far as the whole luminosity is concerned, hypernovae will be a proof of the formation of astrophysical RNCBH.

  18. Phase-coherence transitions and communication in the gamma range between delay-coupled neuronal populations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandro Barardi

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Synchronization between neuronal populations plays an important role in information transmission between brain areas. In particular, collective oscillations emerging from the synchronized activity of thousands of neurons can increase the functional connectivity between neural assemblies by coherently coordinating their phases. This synchrony of neuronal activity can take place within a cortical patch or between different cortical regions. While short-range interactions between neurons involve just a few milliseconds, communication through long-range projections between different regions could take up to tens of milliseconds. How these heterogeneous transmission delays affect communication between neuronal populations is not well known. To address this question, we have studied the dynamics of two bidirectionally delayed-coupled neuronal populations using conductance-based spiking models, examining how different synaptic delays give rise to in-phase/anti-phase transitions at particular frequencies within the gamma range, and how this behavior is related to the phase coherence between the two populations at different frequencies. We have used spectral analysis and information theory to quantify the information exchanged between the two networks. For different transmission delays between the two coupled populations, we analyze how the local field potential and multi-unit activity calculated from one population convey information in response to a set of external inputs applied to the other population. The results confirm that zero-lag synchronization maximizes information transmission, although out-of-phase synchronization allows for efficient communication provided the coupling delay, the phase lag between the populations, and the frequency of the oscillations are properly matched.

  19. The delay effect on outcome evaluation: results from an Event-related Potential study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen eQu

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Behavioral studies demonstrate that the timing of receiving gains or losses affects decision-making, a phenomenon known as temporal discounting, as participants are inclined to prefer immediate rewards over delayed ones and vice versa for losses. The present study used the event-related potential (ERP technique with a simple gambling task to investigate how delayed rewards and losses affected the brain activity in outcome evaluations made by 20 young adults. Statistical analysis revealed a larger feedback related negativity (FRN effect between loss and gain following immediate outcomes than following future outcomes. In addition, delay impacted FRN only in gain conditions, with delayed winning eliciting a more negative FRN than immediatewinning. These results suggest that temporal discounting and sign effect could be encoded in the FRN in the early stage of outcome evaluation.

  20. Failure of delayed feedback deep brain stimulation for intermittent pathological synchronization in Parkinson's disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrey Dovzhenok

    Full Text Available Suppression of excessively synchronous beta-band oscillatory activity in the brain is believed to suppress hypokinetic motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Recently, a lot of interest has been devoted to desynchronizing delayed feedback deep brain stimulation (DBS. This type of synchrony control was shown to destabilize the synchronized state in networks of simple model oscillators as well as in networks of coupled model neurons. However, the dynamics of the neural activity in Parkinson's disease exhibits complex intermittent synchronous patterns, far from the idealized synchronous dynamics used to study the delayed feedback stimulation. This study explores the action of delayed feedback stimulation on partially synchronized oscillatory dynamics, similar to what one observes experimentally in parkinsonian patients. We employ a computational model of the basal ganglia networks which reproduces experimentally observed fine temporal structure of the synchronous dynamics. When the parameters of our model are such that the synchrony is unphysiologically strong, the feedback exerts a desynchronizing action. However, when the network is tuned to reproduce the highly variable temporal patterns observed experimentally, the same kind of delayed feedback may actually increase the synchrony. As network parameters are changed from the range which produces complete synchrony to those favoring less synchronous dynamics, desynchronizing delayed feedback may gradually turn into synchronizing stimulation. This suggests that delayed feedback DBS in Parkinson's disease may boost rather than suppress synchronization and is unlikely to be clinically successful. The study also indicates that delayed feedback stimulation may not necessarily exhibit a desynchronization effect when acting on a physiologically realistic partially synchronous dynamics, and provides an example of how to estimate the stimulation effect.

  1. Synchronization in networks with heterogeneous coupling delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otto, Andreas; Radons, Günter; Bachrathy, Dániel; Orosz, Gábor

    2018-01-01

    Synchronization in networks of identical oscillators with heterogeneous coupling delays is studied. A decomposition of the network dynamics is obtained by block diagonalizing a newly introduced adjacency lag operator which contains the topology of the network as well as the corresponding coupling delays. This generalizes the master stability function approach, which was developed for homogenous delays. As a result the network dynamics can be analyzed by delay differential equations with distributed delay, where different delay distributions emerge for different network modes. Frequency domain methods are used for the stability analysis of synchronized equilibria and synchronized periodic orbits. As an example, the synchronization behavior in a system of delay-coupled Hodgkin-Huxley neurons is investigated. It is shown that the parameter regions where synchronized periodic spiking is unstable expand when increasing the delay heterogeneity.

  2. Recent activities for β-decay half-lives and β-delayed neutron emission of very neutron-rich isotopes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dillmann, Iris [TRIUMF, Vancouver BC, V6T 2A3, Canada and GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Abriola, Daniel [Laboratorio Tandar, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, B1650KINA, San Martín, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Singh, Balraj [Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton ON, L8S 4M1 (Canada)

    2014-05-02

    Beta-delayed neutron (βn) emitters play an important, two-fold role in the stellar nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in the 'rapid neutron-capture process' (r process). On one hand they lead to a detour of the material β-decaying back to stability. On the other hand, the released neutrons increase the neutron-to-seed ratio, and are re-captured during the freeze-out phase and thus influence the final solar r-abundance curve. A large fraction of the isotopes inside the r-process reaction path are not yet experimentally accessible and are located in the (experimental) 'Terra Incognita'. With the next generation of fragmentation and ISOL facilities presently being built or already in operation, one of the main motivation of all projects is the investigation of these very neutron-rich isotopes. A short overview of one of the planned programs to measure βn-emitters at the limits of the presently know isotopes, the BRIKEN campaign (Beta delayed neutron emission measurements at RIKEN) will be given. Presently, about 600 β-delayed one-neutron emitters are accessible, but only for a third of them experimental data are available. Reaching more neutron-rich isotopes means also that multiple neutron-emission becomes the dominant decay mechanism. About 460 β-delayed two-, three-or four-neutron emitters are identified up to now but for only 30 of them experimental data about the neutron branching ratios are available, most of them in the light mass region below A=30. The International Atomic and Energy Agency (IAEA) has identified the urgency and picked up this topic recently in a 'Coordinated Research Project' on a 'Reference Database for Beta-Delayed Neutron Emission Data'. This project will review, compile, and evaluate the existing data for neutron-branching ratios and half-lives of β-delayed neutron emitters and help to ensure a reliable database for the future discoveries of new isotopes and help to constrain astrophysical and

  3. Acquiring additional delayed PET images improves sensitivity and specificity in oncology cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamki, L.M.; Barron, B.J.; Mullani, N.; Joseph, U.; Ehert, E.

    2002-01-01

    Aim: This study looked into utility of acquiring PET images at 2-3 hours in addition to the standard whole body PET done at 1-hour after FDG injection in certain oncology cases. The objective is to evaluate whether the delayed additional images can decipher equivocal foci of FDG accumulation commonly seen in oncology patients. Typical example is the bowel activity that moves with time. Materials and Methods: PET protocol at our Institution in patients with colon Cancer, Pancreas Ca, Ovarian Ca and Breast Ca include a whole body PET (6-7 bed positions) done at 1-hour after 15 mCi F-18-FDG followed by select limited area PET scan (typically 2 bed stops over the area of interest) at 2-3 hours. Acquisition was undertaken on Siemens ECAT-EXACT Camera - 2-D acquisition and 8 mins. per bed position (5 mins. Emission and 3 mins. Transmission), 16.3 cm FOV and then Iterative Reconstruction. Results: Analysis of the first 115 patients who had additional delayed images resulted in 80% of patients where delayed images helped in interpretation. In 70% of these, delayed images helped in identifying physiological structures, e.g., ureters, bowel, blood vessels and muscles versus pathology. In 25%, they actually helped in identifying malignancy, e.g. more definite FDG accumulation. Almost all helped to boost the confidence of the reader. The contribution was mainly in differentiating bowel and ureter activity from cancer in the abdomen, as these change position with time. In case of pancreas and breast cancer, delayed images contributed in clarifying tumor metabolic activity as well. Inflammation and motion artifacts could also be better defined and so was muscle uptake. Conclusion: (1) Additional delayed PET imaging is very helpful in certain cancers in identifying more lesions and avoiding pitfalls. (2) They can yield higher sensitivity and specificity for colon, ovarian, breast and pancreas cancers. (3) Identification of physiologic structures and differentiation of these from

  4. Delay selection by spike-timing-dependent plasticity in recurrent networks of spiking neurons receiving oscillatory inputs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert R Kerr

    Full Text Available Learning rules, such as spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP, change the structure of networks of neurons based on the firing activity. A network level understanding of these mechanisms can help infer how the brain learns patterns and processes information. Previous studies have shown that STDP selectively potentiates feed-forward connections that have specific axonal delays, and that this underlies behavioral functions such as sound localization in the auditory brainstem of the barn owl. In this study, we investigate how STDP leads to the selective potentiation of recurrent connections with different axonal and dendritic delays during oscillatory activity. We develop analytical models of learning with additive STDP in recurrent networks driven by oscillatory inputs, and support the results using simulations with leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. Our results show selective potentiation of connections with specific axonal delays, which depended on the input frequency. In addition, we demonstrate how this can lead to a network becoming selective in the amplitude of its oscillatory response to this frequency. We extend this model of axonal delay selection within a single recurrent network in two ways. First, we show the selective potentiation of connections with a range of both axonal and dendritic delays. Second, we show axonal delay selection between multiple groups receiving out-of-phase, oscillatory inputs. We discuss the application of these models to the formation and activation of neuronal ensembles or cell assemblies in the cortex, and also to missing fundamental pitch perception in the auditory brainstem.

  5. Consequences of age on ischemic wound healing in rats: altered antioxidant activity and delayed wound closure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moor, Andrea N; Tummel, Evan; Prather, Jamie L; Jung, Michelle; Lopez, Jonathan J; Connors, Sarah; Gould, Lisa J

    2014-04-01

    Advertisements targeted at the elderly population suggest that antioxidant therapy will reduce free radicals and promote wound healing, yet few scientific studies substantiate these claims. To better understand the potential utility of supplemental antioxidant therapy for wound healing, we tested the hypothesis that age and tissue ischemia alter the balance of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. Using a bipedicled skin flap model, ischemic and non-ischemic wounds were created on young and aged rats. Wound closure and the balance of the critical antioxidants superoxide dismutase and glutathione in the wound bed were determined. Ischemia delayed wound closure significantly more in aged rats. Lower superoxide dismutase 2 and glutathione in non-ischemic wounds of aged rats indicate a basal deficit due to age alone. Ischemic wounds from aged rats had lower superoxide dismutase 2 protein and activity initially, coupled with decreased ratios of reduced/oxidized glutathione and lower glutathione peroxidase activity. De novo glutathione synthesis, to restore redox balance in aged ischemic wounds, was initiated as evidenced by increased glutamate cysteine ligase. Results demonstrate deficiencies in two antioxidant pathways in aged rats that become exaggerated in ischemic tissue, culminating in profoundly impaired wound healing and prolonged inflammation.

  6. Lactic acid delays the inflammatory response of human monocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peter, Katrin, E-mail: katrin.peter@ukr.de [Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany); Rehli, Michael, E-mail: michael.rehli@ukr.de [Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany); RCI Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany); Singer, Katrin, E-mail: katrin.singer@ukr.de [Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany); Renner-Sattler, Kathrin, E-mail: kathrin.renner-sattler@ukr.de [Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany); Kreutz, Marina, E-mail: marina.kreutz@ukr.de [Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany); RCI Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg (Germany)

    2015-02-13

    Lactic acid (LA) accumulates under inflammatory conditions, e.g. in wounds or tumors, and influences local immune cell functions. We previously noted inhibitory effects of LA on glycolysis and TNF secretion of human LPS-stimulated monocytes. Here, we globally analyze the influence of LA on gene expression during monocyte activation. To separate LA-specific from lactate- or pH-effects, monocytes were treated for one or four hours with LPS in the presence of physiological concentrations of LA, sodium lactate (NaL) or acidic pH. Analyses of global gene expression profiles revealed striking effects of LA during the early stimulation phase. Up-regulation of most LPS-induced genes was significantly delayed in the presence of LA, while this inhibitory effect was attenuated in acidified samples and not detected after incubation with NaL. LA targets included genes encoding for important monocyte effector proteins like cytokines (e.g. TNF and IL-23) or chemokines (e.g. CCL2 and CCL7). LA effects were validated for several targets by quantitative RT-PCR and/or ELISA. Further analysis of LPS-signaling pathways revealed that LA delayed the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) as well as the degradation of IκBα. Consistently, the LPS-induced nuclear accumulation of NFκB was also diminished in response to LA. These results indicate that the broad effect of LA on gene expression and function of human monocytes is at least partially caused by its interference with immediate signal transduction events after activation. This mechanism might contribute to monocyte suppression in the tumor environment. - Highlights: • Lactic acid broadly delays LPS-induced gene expression in human monocytes. • Expression of important monocyte effector molecules is affected by lactic acid. • Interference of lactic acid with TLR signaling causes the delayed gene expression. • The profound effect of lactic acid might contribute to immune suppression in tumors.

  7. Lactic acid delays the inflammatory response of human monocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peter, Katrin; Rehli, Michael; Singer, Katrin; Renner-Sattler, Kathrin; Kreutz, Marina

    2015-01-01

    Lactic acid (LA) accumulates under inflammatory conditions, e.g. in wounds or tumors, and influences local immune cell functions. We previously noted inhibitory effects of LA on glycolysis and TNF secretion of human LPS-stimulated monocytes. Here, we globally analyze the influence of LA on gene expression during monocyte activation. To separate LA-specific from lactate- or pH-effects, monocytes were treated for one or four hours with LPS in the presence of physiological concentrations of LA, sodium lactate (NaL) or acidic pH. Analyses of global gene expression profiles revealed striking effects of LA during the early stimulation phase. Up-regulation of most LPS-induced genes was significantly delayed in the presence of LA, while this inhibitory effect was attenuated in acidified samples and not detected after incubation with NaL. LA targets included genes encoding for important monocyte effector proteins like cytokines (e.g. TNF and IL-23) or chemokines (e.g. CCL2 and CCL7). LA effects were validated for several targets by quantitative RT-PCR and/or ELISA. Further analysis of LPS-signaling pathways revealed that LA delayed the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) as well as the degradation of IκBα. Consistently, the LPS-induced nuclear accumulation of NFκB was also diminished in response to LA. These results indicate that the broad effect of LA on gene expression and function of human monocytes is at least partially caused by its interference with immediate signal transduction events after activation. This mechanism might contribute to monocyte suppression in the tumor environment. - Highlights: • Lactic acid broadly delays LPS-induced gene expression in human monocytes. • Expression of important monocyte effector molecules is affected by lactic acid. • Interference of lactic acid with TLR signaling causes the delayed gene expression. • The profound effect of lactic acid might contribute to immune suppression in tumors

  8. Group Delay of High Q Antennas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bahramzy, Pevand; Pedersen, Gert Frølund

    2013-01-01

    Group Delay variations versus frequency is an essential factor which can cause distortion and degradation in the signals. Usually this is an issue in wideband communication systems, such as satellite communication systems, which are used for transmitting wideband data. However, group delay can also...... become an issue, when working with high Q antennas, because of the steep phase shift over the frequency. In this paper, it is measured how large group delay variations can become, when going from a low Q antenna to a high Q antenna. The group delay of a low Q antenna is shown to be around 1.3 ns, whereas...... a high Q antenna has group delay of around 22 ns. It is due to this huge group delay variation characteristics of high Q antennas, that signal distortion might occur in the radio system with high Q antennas....

  9. Long QT 1 mutation KCNQ1A344V increases local anesthetic sensitivity of the slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Siebrands, Cornelia C; Binder, Stephan; Eckhoff, Ulrike

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Anesthesia in patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a matter of concern. Congenital LQTS is most frequently caused by mutations in KCNQ1 (Kv7.1), whereas drug-induced LQTS is a consequence of HERG (human ether-a-go-go-related gene) channel inhibition. The aim of this study was to i...

  10. Delay-induced diversity of firing behavior and ordered chaotic firing in adaptive neuronal networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong Yubing; Wang Li; Xu Bo

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we study the effect of time delay on the firing behavior and temporal coherence and synchronization in Newman–Watts thermosensitive neuron networks with adaptive coupling. At beginning, the firing exhibit disordered spiking in absence of time delay. As time delay is increased, the neurons exhibit diversity of firing behaviors including bursting with multiple spikes in a burst, spiking, bursting with four, three and two spikes, firing death, and bursting with increasing amplitude. The spiking is the most ordered, exhibiting coherence resonance (CR)-like behavior, and the firing synchronization becomes enhanced with the increase of time delay. As growth rate of coupling strength or network randomness increases, CR-like behavior shifts to smaller time delay and the synchronization of firing increases. These results show that time delay can induce diversity of firing behaviors in adaptive neuronal networks, and can order the chaotic firing by enhancing and optimizing the temporal coherence and enhancing the synchronization of firing. However, the phenomenon of firing death shows that time delay may inhibit the firing of adaptive neuronal networks. These findings provide new insight into the role of time delay in the firing activity of adaptive neuronal networks, and can help to better understand the complex firing phenomena in neural networks.

  11. Diet, physical activity or both for prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its associated complications in people at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemmingsen, Bianca; Gimenez-Perez, Gabriel; Mauricio, Didac

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The projected rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could develop into a substantial health problem worldwide. Whether diet, physical activity or both can prevent or delay T2DM and its associated complications in at-risk people is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To assess...... the effects of diet, physical activity or both on the prevention or delay of T2DM and its associated complications in people at increased risk of developing T2DM. SEARCH METHODS: This is an update of the Cochrane Review published in 2008. We searched the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, ICTRP...... RESULTS: We included 12 RCTs randomising 5238 people. One trial contributed 41% of all participants. The duration of the interventions varied from two to six years. We judged none of the included trials at low risk of bias for all 'Risk of bias' domains.Eleven trials compared diet plus physical activity...

  12. Linear rotary optical delay lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerboukha, Hichem; Qu, Hang; Skorobogatiy, Maksim

    2016-03-01

    We present a semi-analytical solution for the design of a high-speed rotary optical delay line that use a combination of two rotating curvilinear reflectors. We demonstrate that it is possible to design an infinite variety of the optical delay lines featuring linear dependence of the optical delay on the rotation angle. This is achieved via shape optimization of the rotating reflector surfaces. Moreover, a convenient spatial separation of the incoming and outgoing beams is possible. For the sake of example, we present blades that fit into a circle of 10cm diameter. Finally, a prototype of a rotary delay line is fabricated using CNC machining, and its optical properties are characterized.

  13. Synchronization of nonidentical chaotic neural networks with leakage delay and mixed time-varying delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cao Jinde

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In this paper, an integral sliding mode control approach is presented to investigate synchronization of nonidentical chaotic neural networks with discrete and distributed time-varying delays as well as leakage delay. By considering a proper sliding surface and constructing Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, as well as employing a combination of the free-weighting matrix method, Newton-Leibniz formulation and inequality technique, a sliding mode controller is designed to achieve the asymptotical synchronization of the addressed nonidentical neural networks. Moreover, a sliding mode control law is also synthesized to guarantee the reachability of the specified sliding surface. The provided conditions are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities, and are dependent on the discrete and distributed time delays as well as leakage delay. A simulation example is given to verify the theoretical results.

  14. Labeling and effectiveness testing; sunscreen drug products for over-the-counter human use; delay of compliance dates. Final rule; delay of compliance dates; request for comments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-11

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is delaying the compliance dates for the final rule for over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug products that published in the Federal Register of June 17, 2011 (76 FR 35620). The final rule establishes labeling and effectiveness testing for certain OTC sunscreen products containing specified active ingredients and marketed without approved applications. It also amends labeling claims that are not currently supported by data and lifts the previously-published delay of implementation of the Drug Facts labeling requirements for OTC sunscreens. The 2011 final rule's compliance dates are being delayed because information received after publication of the 2011 final rule indicates that full implementation of the 2011 final rule's requirements for all affected products will require an additional 6 months. This final rule is part of FDA's ongoing review of OTC drug products.

  15. Synchronization of Markovian jumping stochastic complex networks with distributed time delays and probabilistic interval discrete time-varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Hongjie; Yue Dong

    2010-01-01

    The paper investigates the synchronization stability problem for a class of complex dynamical networks with Markovian jumping parameters and mixed time delays. The complex networks consist of m modes and the networks switch from one mode to another according to a Markovian chain with known transition probability. The mixed time delays are composed of discrete and distributed delays, the discrete time delay is assumed to be random and its probability distribution is known a priori. In terms of the probability distribution of the delays, the new type of system model with probability-distribution-dependent parameter matrices is proposed. Based on the stochastic analysis techniques and the properties of the Kronecker product, delay-dependent synchronization stability criteria in the mean square are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities which can be readily solved by using the LMI toolbox in MATLAB, the solvability of derived conditions depends on not only the size of the delay, but also the probability of the delay-taking values in some intervals. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

  16. Controllability of nonlinear delay oscillating systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chengbin Liang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we study the controllability of a system governed by second order delay differential equations. We introduce a delay Gramian matrix involving the delayed matrix sine, which is used to establish sufficient and necessary conditions of controllability for the linear problem. In addition, we also construct a specific control function for controllability. For the nonlinear problem, we construct a control function and transfer the controllability problem to a fixed point problem for a suitable operator. We give a sufficient condition to guarantee the nonlinear delay system is controllable. Two examples are given to illustrate our theoretical results by calculating a specific control function and inverse of a delay Gramian matrix.

  17. Effects of 9-hour time zone changes on fatigue and circadian rhythms of sleep/wake and core temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gander, P. H.; Myhre, G.; Graeber, R. C.; Andersen, H. T.; Lauber, J. K.

    1985-01-01

    Physiological and psychological disruptions caused by transmeridian flights may affect the ability of flight crews to meet operational demands. To study these effects, 9 Royal Norwegian Airforces P3-Orion crewmembers flew from Norway to California (-9 hr), and back (+9 hr). Rectal temperature, heart rate and wrist activity were recorded every 2 min, fatigue and mood were rated every 2 hr during the waking day, and logs were kept of sleep times and ratings. Subjects also completed 4 personality inventories. The time-zone shifts produced negative changes in mood which persisted longer after westward flights. Sleep quality (subjective and objective) and duration were slightly disrupted (more after eastward flights). The circadian rhythms of sleep/wake and temperature both completed the 9-hr delay by day 5 in California, although temperature adjusted more slowly. The size of the delay shift was significantly correlated with scores on extraversion and achievement need personality scales. Response to the 9-hr advance were more variable. One subject exhibited a 15-hr delay in his temperature rhythm, and an atypical sleep/nap pattern. On average, the sleep/wake cycle (but not the temperature rhythm), completed the 9-hr advance by the end of the study. Both rhythms adapted more slowly after the eastward flight.

  18. Stability analysis for discrete-time stochastic memristive neural networks with both leakage and probabilistic delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hongjian; Wang, Zidong; Shen, Bo; Huang, Tingwen; Alsaadi, Fuad E

    2018-06-01

    This paper is concerned with the globally exponential stability problem for a class of discrete-time stochastic memristive neural networks (DSMNNs) with both leakage delays as well as probabilistic time-varying delays. For the probabilistic delays, a sequence of Bernoulli distributed random variables is utilized to determine within which intervals the time-varying delays fall at certain time instant. The sector-bounded activation function is considered in the addressed DSMNN. By taking into account the state-dependent characteristics of the network parameters and choosing an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, some sufficient conditions are established under which the underlying DSMNN is globally exponentially stable in the mean square. The derived conditions are made dependent on both the leakage and the probabilistic delays, and are therefore less conservative than the traditional delay-independent criteria. A simulation example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed stability criterion. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Delayed rule following

    OpenAIRE

    Schmitt, David R.

    2001-01-01

    Although the elements of a fully stated rule (discriminative stimulus [SD], some behavior, and a consequence) can occur nearly contemporaneously with the statement of the rule, there is often a delay between the rule statement and the SD. The effects of this delay on rule following have not been studied in behavior analysis, but they have been investigated in rule-like settings in the areas of prospective memory (remembering to do something in the future) and goal pursuit. Discriminative even...

  20. Enhancement of delayed-rectifier potassium conductance by low concentrations of local anaesthetics in spinal sensory neurones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olschewski, Andrea; Wolff, Matthias; Bräu, Michael E; Hempelmann, Gunter; Vogel, Werner; Safronov, Boris V

    2002-01-01

    Combining the patch-clamp recordings in slice preparation with the ‘entire soma isolation' method we studied action of several local anaesthetics on delayed-rectifier K+ currents in spinal dorsal horn neurones.Bupivacaine, lidocaine and mepivacaine at low concentrations (1–100 μM) enhanced delayed-rectifier K+ current in intact neurones within the spinal cord slice, while exhibiting a partial blocking effect at higher concentrations (>100 μM). In isolated somata 0.1–10 μM bupivacaine enhanced delayed-rectifier K+ current by shifting its steady-state activation characteristic and the voltage-dependence of the activation time constant to more negative potentials by 10–20 mV.Detailed analysis has revealed that bupivacaine also increased the maximum delayed-rectifier K+ conductance by changing the open probability, rather than the unitary conductance, of the channel.It is concluded that local anaesthetics show a dual effect on delayed-rectifier K+ currents by potentiating them at low concentrations and partially suppressing at high concentrations. The phenomenon observed demonstrated the complex action of local anaesthetics during spinal and epidural anaesthesia, which is not restricted to a suppression of Na+ conductance only. PMID:12055132

  1. Probing the limits of delay intolerance: preliminary young adult data from the Delay Frustration Task (DeFT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitsakou, Paraskevi; Antrop, Inge; Wiersema, Jan Roelf; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S

    2006-02-15

    Delay intolerance/aversion is one amongst a number of candidate neuropsychological endophenotypes for ADHD. Pilot data suggest that, because of potential ceiling effects, simple choice measures of delay tolerance used for children are probably not appropriate for adolescents and adults. The Delay Frustration Task (DeFT) is a new measure of delay intolerance, designed to be used in a similar form with adolescents and adults as well as children. In it delay frustration is indexed as the number and duration of responses made on a response key during a series of unpredictable and unsignalled delay periods, which interrupt the completion of a simple computer-based tests. The aim of this study was to provide preliminary data on the applicability of the task in a sample of young adults. The DeFT was administered to 49 male and female undergraduate students selected from a normal population-base. Their mean age was 23.14 (S.D.=1.54). Three measures of delay frustration were recorded across time intervals during the response window; the number of responses, their duration and their combined product (total time button was pressed) was calculated for each second interval bin during the post-response delay period. The AARS and HADS were used as screening questionnaires for ADHD and anxiety behaviour, respectively. The results indicated that young adults with high-ADHD symptoms scores pressed the button more than those with low ADHD scores during the post-response delay condition. While both groups increased responding across time within intervals this was significantly more marked in the high-ADHD symptom group. These effects became more pronounced when anxiety was controlled. Young adults with high-ADHD symptoms appear to be more sensitive to the imposition of unscheduled and unsignalled delay during a simple maths test. DeFT may provide a useful index of delay tolerance in young adults with ADHD. Future research needs to examine DeFT performance in different age groups and

  2. Adaptive modification of the delayed feedback control algorithm with a continuously varying time delay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pyragas, V.; Pyragas, K.

    2011-01-01

    We propose a simple adaptive delayed feedback control algorithm for stabilization of unstable periodic orbits with unknown periods. The state dependent time delay is varied continuously towards the period of controlled orbit according to a gradient-descent method realized through three simple ordinary differential equations. We demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm with the Roessler and Mackey-Glass chaotic systems. The stability of the controlled orbits is proven by computation of the Lyapunov exponents of linearized equations. -- Highlights: → A simple adaptive modification of the delayed feedback control algorithm is proposed. → It enables the control of unstable periodic orbits with unknown periods. → The delay time is varied continuously according to a gradient descend method. → The algorithm is embodied by three simple ordinary differential equations. → The validity of the algorithm is proven by computation of the Lyapunov exponents.

  3. Temperature Dependent Wire Delay Estimation in Floorplanning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, Andreas Thor; Liu, Wei; Nannarelli, Alberto

    2011-01-01

    Due to large variations in temperature in VLSI circuits and the linear relationship between metal resistance and temperature, the delay through wires of the same length can be different. Traditional thermal aware floorplanning algorithms use wirelength to estimate delay and routability. In this w......Due to large variations in temperature in VLSI circuits and the linear relationship between metal resistance and temperature, the delay through wires of the same length can be different. Traditional thermal aware floorplanning algorithms use wirelength to estimate delay and routability....... In this work, we show that using wirelength as the evaluation metric does not always produce a floorplan with the shortest delay. We propose a temperature dependent wire delay estimation method for thermal aware floorplanning algorithms, which takes into account the thermal effect on wire delay. The experiment...

  4. Permutation entropy with vector embedding delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Little, Douglas J.; Kane, Deb M.

    2017-12-01

    Permutation entropy (PE) is a statistic used widely for the detection of structure within a time series. Embedding delay times at which the PE is reduced are characteristic timescales for which such structure exists. Here, a generalized scheme is investigated where embedding delays are represented by vectors rather than scalars, permitting PE to be calculated over a (D -1 ) -dimensional space, where D is the embedding dimension. This scheme is applied to numerically generated noise, sine wave and logistic map series, and experimental data sets taken from a vertical-cavity surface emitting laser exhibiting temporally localized pulse structures within the round-trip time of the laser cavity. Results are visualized as PE maps as a function of embedding delay, with low PE values indicating combinations of embedding delays where correlation structure is present. It is demonstrated that vector embedding delays enable identification of structure that is ambiguous or masked, when the embedding delay is constrained to scalar form.

  5. CGI delay compensation. [Computer Generated Image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mcfarland, R. E.

    1986-01-01

    Computer-generated graphics in real-time helicopter simulation produces objectionable scene-presentation time delays. In the flight simulation laboratory at Ames Research Center, it has been determined that these delays have an adverse influence on pilot performance during agressive tasks such as nap of the earth (NOE) maneuvers. Using contemporary equipment, computer generated image (CGI) time delays are an unavoidable consequence of the operations required for scene generation. However, providing that magnitude distortions at higher frequencies are tolerable, delay compensation is possible over a restricted frequency range. This range, assumed to have an upper limit of perhaps 10 or 15 rad/sec, conforms approximately to the bandwidth associated with helicopter handling qualities research. A compensation algorithm is introduced here and evaluated in terms of tradeoffs in frequency responses. The algorithm has a discrete basis and accommodates both a large, constant transport delay interval and a periodic delay interval, as associated with asynchronous operations.

  6. New delay-dependent absolute stability criteria for Lur'e systems with time-varying delay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yonggang; Bi, Weiping; Li, Wenlin

    2011-07-01

    In this article, the absolute stability problem is investigated for Lur'e systems with time-varying delay and sector-bounded nonlinearity. By employing the delay fractioning idea, the new augmented Lyapunov functional is first constructed. Then, by introducing some slack matrices and by reserving the useful term when estimating the upper bound of the derivative of Lyapunov functional, the new delay-dependent absolute stability criteria are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Several numerical examples are presented to show the effectiveness and the less conservativeness of the proposed method.

  7. Electron Acceleration in the Field-reversed Configuration (FRC) by Slowly Rotation Odd-parity Magnetic Fields (RMFo)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glasser, A.H.; Cohen, S.A.

    2001-01-01

    The trajectories of individual electrons are studied numerically in a 3D, prolate, FRC [field-reversed configuration] equilibrium magnetic geometry with added small-amplitude, slowly rotating, odd-parity magnetic fields (RMFos). RMFos cause electron heating by toroidal acceleration near the O-point line and by field-parallel acceleration away from it, both followed by scattering from magnetic-field inhomogeneities. Electrons accelerated along the O-point line move antiparallel to the FRC's current and attain average toroidal angular speeds near that of the RMFo, independent of the sense of RMFo rotation. A conserved transformed Hamiltonian, dependent on electron energy and RMFo sense, controls electron flux-surface coordinate

  8. Carbon monoxide-induced delayed amnesia, delayed neuronal death and change in acetylcholine concentration in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nabeshima, T.; Katoh, A.; Ishimaru, H.; Yoneda, Y.; Ogita, K.; Murase, K.; Ohtsuka, H.; Inari, K.; Fukuta, T.; Kameyama, T.

    1991-01-01

    We investigated the interrelationship of delayed amnesia, delayed neuronal death and changes in acetylcholine concentration induced by carbon monoxide (CO)-exposure in mice. In the test for retention of the passive avoidance task, amnesia was observed 5 and 7 days after CO-exposure when the mice were exposed to CO 1 day after training; in the case when the mice were exposed to CO 5 and 7 days before training, amnesia was also observed in a retention test given 1 day after training. The number of pyramidal cells in the hippocampal CA1 subfield was lower than that of the control 3, 5 and 7 days after CO-exposure. But the neurodegeneration in the parietal cortex, area 1, was not observed until 7 days after CO-exposure. The findings indicated that the amnesia and the neuronal death were produced after a delay when the mice were exposed to CO. In addition, the delayed amnesia was closely related to the delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 subfield. Moreover, [3H]glutamate and [3H]glycine binding sites did not change after CO-exposure but, 7 days after CO-exposure, the concentration of acetylcholine and the binding of [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate in the frontal cortex and the striatum were found to have significantly changed, but those in the hippocampus did not show significant change. Therefore, we suggest that delayed amnesia induced by CO-exposure may result from delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 subfield and dysfunction in the acetylcholinergic neurons, in the frontal cortex, the striatum and/or the hippocampus

  9. Carbon monoxide-induced delayed amnesia, delayed neuronal death and change in acetylcholine concentration in mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nabeshima, T.; Katoh, A.; Ishimaru, H.; Yoneda, Y.; Ogita, K.; Murase, K.; Ohtsuka, H.; Inari, K.; Fukuta, T.; Kameyama, T. (Meijo Univ., Nagoya (Japan))

    1991-01-01

    We investigated the interrelationship of delayed amnesia, delayed neuronal death and changes in acetylcholine concentration induced by carbon monoxide (CO)-exposure in mice. In the test for retention of the passive avoidance task, amnesia was observed 5 and 7 days after CO-exposure when the mice were exposed to CO 1 day after training; in the case when the mice were exposed to CO 5 and 7 days before training, amnesia was also observed in a retention test given 1 day after training. The number of pyramidal cells in the hippocampal CA1 subfield was lower than that of the control 3, 5 and 7 days after CO-exposure. But the neurodegeneration in the parietal cortex, area 1, was not observed until 7 days after CO-exposure. The findings indicated that the amnesia and the neuronal death were produced after a delay when the mice were exposed to CO. In addition, the delayed amnesia was closely related to the delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 subfield. Moreover, (3H)glutamate and (3H)glycine binding sites did not change after CO-exposure but, 7 days after CO-exposure, the concentration of acetylcholine and the binding of (3H)quinuclidinyl benzilate in the frontal cortex and the striatum were found to have significantly changed, but those in the hippocampus did not show significant change. Therefore, we suggest that delayed amnesia induced by CO-exposure may result from delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 subfield and dysfunction in the acetylcholinergic neurons, in the frontal cortex, the striatum and/or the hippocampus.

  10. New results on global exponential stability of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Shengyuan; Chu Yuming; Lu Junwei

    2006-01-01

    This Letter provides new sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness and global exponential stability of the equilibrium point of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays by employing Lyapunov functions and using the Halanay inequality. The time-varying delays are not necessarily differentiable. Both Lipschitz continuous activation functions and monotone nondecreasing activation functions are considered. The derived stability criteria are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be checked easily by resorting to recently developed algorithms solving LMIs. Furthermore, the proposed stability results are less conservative than some previous ones in the literature, which is demonstrated via some numerical examples

  11. New results on global exponential stability of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu Shengyuan [Department of Automation, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094 (China)]. E-mail: syxu02@yahoo.com.cn; Chu Yuming [Department of Mathematics, Huzhou Teacher' s College, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000 (China); Lu Junwei [School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, 78 Bancang Street, Nanjing, 210042 (China)

    2006-04-03

    This Letter provides new sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness and global exponential stability of the equilibrium point of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays by employing Lyapunov functions and using the Halanay inequality. The time-varying delays are not necessarily differentiable. Both Lipschitz continuous activation functions and monotone nondecreasing activation functions are considered. The derived stability criteria are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be checked easily by resorting to recently developed algorithms solving LMIs. Furthermore, the proposed stability results are less conservative than some previous ones in the literature, which is demonstrated via some numerical examples.

  12. Pinning synchronization of the complex networks with non-delayed and delayed coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Wanli; Austin, Francis; Chen Shihua; Sun Wen

    2009-01-01

    In this Letter, without assuming the symmetry of the coupling matrix, we investigate the global synchronization of the complex networks with non-delayed and delayed coupling based on the pinning controllers. Some sufficient conditions for the global synchronization by adding linear and adaptive feedback controllers to a part of nodes are obtained. Numerical examples are also provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theory.

  13. Is delayed surgery related to worse outcomes in native left-sided endocarditis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tepsuwan, Thitipong; Rimsukcharoenchai, Chartaroon; Tantraworasin, Apichat; Woragidpoonpol, Surin; Schuarattanapong, Suphachai; Nawarawong, Weerachai

    2016-05-01

    Timing of surgery in the management of infective endocarditis is controversial, and there is still no definite conclusion on how early the surgery should be performed. This study focuses on the outcomes of surgery during the active period of infective endocarditis in consideration of the duration after diagnosis. One hundred and thirty-four patients with active native valve infective endocarditis who underwent surgery from January 2006 to December 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. They were divided in 2 groups based on timing of surgery: early group (first week after diagnosis, n = 37) and delayed group (2 to 6 weeks after diagnosis, n = 97). Compared to the delayed group, the early group had significantly more patients in New York Heart Association class IV (81% vs. 43.3%), more mechanically ventilated (54.1% vs. 18.6%), more on inotropic support (62.2% vs. 38.1%), and hence a worse EuroSCORE II (14.8% vs. 8.8%). Operative mortality was comparable (5.4% vs. 10.3%) and 7-year survival was similar (77.4% vs. 74.6%). On multivariable regression analysis, delayed surgery did not impact on short- and long-term outcomes. Preoperative cardiac arrest and infection with Haemophilus, Actinobacillus, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, or Kingella were risk factors for higher operative mortality. Predictors of poor 7-year survival were diabetes mellitus and acute renal failure. Delayed surgery is not associated with worse outcomes. Both early and delayed approaches are safe and provide acceptable results. Timing of surgery should be tailored to each patient's clinical status, not based on duration of endocarditis alone. © The Author(s) 2016.

  14. Global asymptotic stability of hybrid bidirectional associative memory neural networks with time delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arik, Sabri

    2006-01-01

    This Letter presents a sufficient condition for the existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point for bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with distributed time delays. The results impose constraint conditions on the network parameters of neural system independently of the delay parameter, and they are applicable to all bounded continuous non-monotonic neuron activation functions. The results are also compared with the previous results derived in the literature

  15. Global asymptotic stability of hybrid bidirectional associative memory neural networks with time delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arik, Sabri

    2006-02-01

    This Letter presents a sufficient condition for the existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point for bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with distributed time delays. The results impose constraint conditions on the network parameters of neural system independently of the delay parameter, and they are applicable to all bounded continuous non-monotonic neuron activation functions. The results are also compared with the previous results derived in the literature.

  16. Dissociation of neural correlates of verbal and non-verbal visual working memory with different delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Endestad Tor

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, posterior parietal cortex, and regions in the occipital cortex have been identified as neural sites for visual working memory (WM. The exact involvement of the DLPFC in verbal and non-verbal working memory processes, and how these processes depend on the time-span for retention, remains disputed. Methods We used functional MRI to explore the neural correlates of the delayed discrimination of Gabor stimuli differing in orientation. Twelve subjects were instructed to code the relative orientation either verbally or non-verbally with memory delays of short (2 s or long (8 s duration. Results Blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD 3-Tesla fMRI revealed significantly more activity for the short verbal condition compared to the short non-verbal condition in bilateral superior temporal gyrus, insula and supramarginal gyrus. Activity in the long verbal condition was greater than in the long non-verbal condition in left language-associated areas (STG and bilateral posterior parietal areas, including precuneus. Interestingly, right DLPFC and bilateral superior frontal gyrus was more active in the non-verbal long delay condition than in the long verbal condition. Conclusion The results point to a dissociation between the cortical sites involved in verbal and non-verbal WM for long and short delays. Right DLPFC seems to be engaged in non-verbal WM tasks especially for long delays. Furthermore, the results indicate that even slightly different memory maintenance intervals engage largely differing networks and that this novel finding may explain differing results in previous verbal/non-verbal WM studies.

  17. Transcatheter Embolization for Delayed Hemorrhage Caused by Blunt Splenic Trauma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krohmer, Steven J.; Hoffer, Eric K.; Burchard, Kenneth W.

    2010-01-01

    Although the exact benefit of adjunctive splenic artery embolization (SAE) in the nonoperative management (NOM) of patients with blunt splenic trauma has been debated, the role of transcatheter embolization in delayed splenic hemorrhage is rarely addressed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of SAE in the management of patients who presented at least 3 days after initial splenic trauma with delayed hemorrhage. During a 24-month period 4 patients (all male; ages 19-49 years) presented with acute onset of pain 5-70 days after blunt trauma to the left upper quadrant. Two had known splenic injuries that had been managed nonoperatively. All had computed axial tomography evidence of active splenic hemorrhage or false aneurysm on representation. All underwent successful SAE. Follow-up ranged from 28 to 370 days. These cases and a review of the literature indicate that SAE is safe and effective for NOM failure caused by delayed manifestations of splenic arterial injury.

  18. #FakeNobelDelayReasons

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    Tuesday’s hour-long delay of the Nobel Prize in Physics announcement was (and still is) quite the cause for speculation. But on the Twittersphere, it was simply the catalyst for some fantastic puns, so-bad-they're-good physics jokes and other shenanigans. Here are some of our favourite #FakeNobelDelayReasons.    

  19. Delay, doubt, and decision: how delaying a choice reduces the appeal of (descriptively) normative options.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Ven, Niels; Gilovich, Thomas; Zeelenberg, Marcel

    2010-04-01

    To help explain a regularity in democratic elections, we examined whether choosing to delay making a choice between a focal option and an alternative tends to make people subsequently less likely to choose what they would otherwise have chosen. The results of two experiments demonstrated that participants who were induced to delay making a decision were indeed less likely to choose the descriptively normative option. An additional experiment that primed a sense of doubt in participants provided support for a self-perception account of this result. Electing to delay making a choice is interpreted as an indication of doubt--doubt that tends to be attributed to the most prominent option. Delay-induced doubt about the normative option makes it less likely to be selected.

  20. Remanagement of Singlet and Triplet Excitons in Single-Emissive-Layer Hybrid White Organic Light-Emitting Devices Using Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Blue Exciplex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao-Ke; Chen, Zhan; Qing, Jian; Zhang, Wen-Jun; Wu, Bo; Tam, Hoi Lam; Zhu, Furong; Zhang, Xiao-Hong; Lee, Chun-Sing

    2015-11-25

    A high-performance hybrid white organic light-emitting device (WOLED) is demonstrated based on an efficient novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) blue exciplex system. This device shows a low turn-on voltage of 2.5 V and maximum forward-viewing external quantum efficiency of 25.5%, which opens a new avenue for achieving high-performance hybrid WOLEDs with simple structures. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Location Estimation using Delayed Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bak, Martin; Larsen, Thomas Dall; Nørgård, Peter Magnus

    1998-01-01

    When combining data from various sensors it is vital to acknowledge possible measurement delays. Furthermore, the sensor fusion algorithm, often a Kalman filter, should be modified in order to handle the delay. The paper examines different possibilities for handling delays and applies a new techn...... technique to a sensor fusion system for estimating the location of an autonomous guided vehicle. The system fuses encoder and vision measurements in an extended Kalman filter. Results from experiments in a real environment are reported...

  2. Augmented brain function by coordinated reset stimulation with slowly varying sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magteld eZeitler

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Several brain disorders are characterized by abnormally strong neuronal synchrony. Coordinated Reset (CR stimulation was developed to selectively counteract abnormal neuronal synchrony by desynchronization. For this, phase resetting stimuli are delivered to different subpopulations in a timely coordinated way. In neural networks with spike timing-dependent plasticity CR stimulation may eventually lead to an anti-kindling, i.e. an unlearning of abnormal synaptic connectivity and abnormal synchrony. The spatiotemporal sequence by which all stimulation sites are stimulated exactly once is called the stimulation site sequence, or briefly sequence. So far, in simulations, pre-clinical and clinical applications CR was applied either with fixed sequences or rapidly varying sequences (RVS. In this computational study we show that appropriate repetition of the sequence with occasional random switching to the next sequence may significantly improve the anti-kindling effect of CR. To this end, a sequence is applied many times before randomly switching to the next sequence. This new method is called SVS CR stimulation, i.e. CR with slowly varying sequences. In a neuronal network with strong short-range excitatory and weak long-range inhibitory dynamic couplings SVS CR stimulation turns out to be superior to CR stimulation with fixed sequences or RVS.

  3. Augmented brain function by coordinated reset stimulation with slowly varying sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeitler, Magteld; Tass, Peter A

    2015-01-01

    Several brain disorders are characterized by abnormally strong neuronal synchrony. Coordinated Reset (CR) stimulation was developed to selectively counteract abnormal neuronal synchrony by desynchronization. For this, phase resetting stimuli are delivered to different subpopulations in a timely coordinated way. In neural networks with spike timing-dependent plasticity CR stimulation may eventually lead to an anti-kindling, i.e., an unlearning of abnormal synaptic connectivity and abnormal synchrony. The spatiotemporal sequence by which all stimulation sites are stimulated exactly once is called the stimulation site sequence, or briefly sequence. So far, in simulations, pre-clinical and clinical applications CR was applied either with fixed sequences or rapidly varying sequences (RVS). In this computational study we show that appropriate repetition of the sequence with occasional random switching to the next sequence may significantly improve the anti-kindling effect of CR. To this end, a sequence is applied many times before randomly switching to the next sequence. This new method is called SVS CR stimulation, i.e., CR with slowly varying sequences. In a neuronal network with strong short-range excitatory and weak long-range inhibitory dynamic couplings SVS CR stimulation turns out to be superior to CR stimulation with fixed sequences or RVS.

  4. {sup 68}Ga-PSMA I and T PET/CT for assessment of prostate cancer: evaluation of image quality after forced diuresis and delayed imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Derlin, Thorsten; Weiberg, Desiree; Ross, Tobias L.; Bengel, Frank M. [Hannover Medical School, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover (Germany); Klot, Christoph von [Hannover Medical School, Department of Urology and Urologic Oncology, Hannover (Germany); Wester, Hans-Juergen [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Pharmaceutical Radiochemistry, Garching (Germany); Henkenberens, Christoph; Christiansen, Hans [Hannover Medical School, Department of Radiation Oncology, Hannover (Germany); Merseburger, Axel S. [University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Department of Urology, Campus Luebeck, Luebeck (Germany)

    2016-12-15

    Urinary radiotracer excretion of {sup 68}Ga-Labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands may complicate the assessment of the prostate region and differentiation of lymph nodes from ureteral activity. The aim of this study was to assess the value of delayed imaging after forced diuresis. Sixty-six patients underwent {sup 68}Ga-PSMA I and T PET/CT for evaluation of prostate cancer at 60 min post-injection. In subgroups of patients, this was amended by delayed imaging after 180 min post-injection, preceded by furosemide and oral hydration early, at the time of tracer injection, or delayed, at 100 min post-injection. Urinary tracer activity within the bladder and focal ureteral activity was analyzed. After forced diuresis, linear and focal visualization of ureters was significantly reduced. After delayed furosemide, mean and peak bladder activity decreased (p < 0.001), and image quality of the prostate region improved on delayed images (p < 0.001). Early furosemide co-injection with tracer resulted in increased mean and peak bladder activity (p < 0.001) and in deteriorated image quality of the prostate region on delayed images (p = 0.008). Ga-PSMA I and T PET/CT delayed imaging after forced diuresis can improve the assessment of prostate region and pelvic lymph nodes by removing excreted tracer from the lower urinary tract. (orig.)

  5. Analyzing delay causes in Egyptian construction projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed M. Marzouk

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Construction delays are common problems in civil engineering projects in Egypt. These problems occur frequently during project life-time leading to disputes and litigation. Therefore, it is essential to study and analyze causes of construction delays. This research presents a list of construction delay causes retrieved from literature. The feedback of construction experts was obtained through interviews. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was prepared. The questionnaire survey was distributed to thirty-three construction experts who represent owners, consultants, and contractor’s organizations. Frequency Index, Severity Index, and Importance Index are calculated and according to the highest values of them the top ten delay causes of construction projects in Egypt are determined. A case study is analyzed and compared to the most important delay causes in the research. Statistical analysis is carried out using analysis of variance ANOVA method to test delay causes, obtained from the survey. The test results reveal good correlation between groups while there is significant difference between them for some delay causes and finally roadmap for prioritizing delay causes groups is presented.

  6. Mechanisms Underlying the Delayed Activation of the Cap1 Transcription Factor in Candida albicans following Combinatorial Oxidative and Cationic Stress Important for Phagocytic Potency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kos, Iaroslava; Patterson, Miranda J; Znaidi, Sadri; Kaloriti, Despoina; da Silva Dantas, Alessandra; Herrero-de-Dios, Carmen M; d'Enfert, Christophe; Brown, Alistair J P; Quinn, Janet

    2016-03-29

    Following phagocytosis, microbes are exposed to an array of antimicrobial weapons that include reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cationic fluxes. This is significant as combinations of oxidative and cationic stresses are much more potent than the corresponding single stresses, triggering the synergistic killing of the fungal pathogenCandida albicansby "stress pathway interference." Previously we demonstrated that combinatorial oxidative plus cationic stress triggers a dramatic increase in intracellular ROS levels compared to oxidative stress alone. Here we show that activation of Cap1, the major regulator of antioxidant gene expression inC. albicans, is significantly delayed in response to combinatorial stress treatments and to high levels of H2O2 Cap1 is normally oxidized in response to H2O2; this masks the nuclear export sequence, resulting in the rapid nuclear accumulation of Cap1 and the induction of Cap1-dependent genes. Here we demonstrate that following exposure of cells to combinatorial stress or to high levels of H2O2, Cap1 becomes trapped in a partially oxidized form, Cap1(OX-1) Notably, Cap1-dependent gene expression is not induced when Cap1 is in this partially oxidized form. However, while Cap1(OX-1)readily accumulates in the nucleus and binds to target genes following high-H2O2stress, the nuclear accumulation of Cap1(OX-1)following combinatorial H2O2and NaCl stress is delayed due to a cationic stress-enhanced interaction with the Crm1 nuclear export factor. These findings define novel mechanisms that delay activation of the Cap1 transcription factor, thus preventing the rapid activation of the stress responses vital for the survival ofC. albicanswithin the host. Combinatorial stress-mediated synergistic killing represents a new unchartered area in the field of stress signaling. This phenomenon contrasts starkly with "stress cross-protection," where exposure to one stress protects against subsequent exposure to a different stress. Previously we

  7. Robust Moving Horizon H∞ Control of Discrete Time-Delayed Systems with Interval Time-Varying Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Yıldız Tascikaraoglu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, design of a delay-dependent type moving horizon state-feedback control (MHHC is considered for a class of linear discrete-time system subject to time-varying state delays, norm-bounded uncertainties, and disturbances with bounded energies. The closed-loop robust stability and robust performance problems are considered to overcome the instability and poor disturbance rejection performance due to the existence of parametric uncertainties and time-delay appeared in the system dynamics. Utilizing a discrete-time Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, some delay-dependent linear matrix inequality (LMI based conditions are provided. It is shown that if one can find a feasible solution set for these LMI conditions iteratively at each step of run-time, then we can construct a control law which guarantees the closed-loop asymptotic stability, maximum disturbance rejection performance, and closed-loop dissipativity in view of the actuator limitations. Two numerical examples with simulations on a nominal and uncertain discrete-time, time-delayed systems, are presented at the end, in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

  8. Contralateral delay activity tracks the influence of Gestalt grouping principles on active visual working memory representations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Dwight J; Gözenman, Filiz; Arciniega, Hector; Berryhill, Marian E

    2015-10-01

    Recent studies have demonstrated that factors influencing perception, such as Gestalt grouping cues, can influence the storage of information in visual working memory (VWM). In some cases, stationary cues, such as stimulus similarity, lead to superior VWM performance. However, the neural correlates underlying these benefits to VWM performance remain unclear. One neural index, the contralateral delay activity (CDA), is an event-related potential that shows increased amplitude according to the number of items held in VWM and asymptotes at an individual's VWM capacity limit. Here, we applied the CDA to determine whether previously reported behavioral benefits supplied by similarity, proximity, and uniform connectedness were reflected as a neural savings such that the CDA amplitude was reduced when these cues were present. We implemented VWM change-detection tasks with arrays including similarity and proximity (Experiment 1); uniform connectedness (Experiments 2a and 2b); and similarity/proximity and uniform connectedness (Experiment 3). The results indicated that when there was a behavioral benefit to VWM, this was echoed by a reduction in CDA amplitude, which suggests more efficient processing. However, not all perceptual grouping cues provided a VWM benefit in the same measure (e.g., accuracy) or of the same magnitude. We also found unexpected interactions between cues. We observed a mixed bag of effects, suggesting that these powerful perceptual grouping benefits are not as predictable in VWM. The current findings indicate that when grouping cues produce behavioral benefits, there is a parallel reduction in the neural resources required to maintain grouped items within VWM.

  9. A frequency-domain method for solving linear time delay systems with constant coefficients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Mengshi; Chen, Wei; Song, Hanwen; Xu, Jian

    2018-03-01

    In an active control system, time delay will occur due to processes such as signal acquisition and transmission, calculation, and actuation. Time delay systems are usually described by delay differential equations (DDEs). Since it is hard to obtain an analytical solution to a DDE, numerical solution is of necessity. This paper presents a frequency-domain method that uses a truncated transfer function to solve a class of DDEs. The theoretical transfer function is the sum of infinite items expressed in terms of poles and residues. The basic idea is to select the dominant poles and residues to truncate the transfer function, thus ensuring the validity of the solution while improving the efficiency of calculation. Meanwhile, the guideline of selecting these poles and residues is provided. Numerical simulations of both stable and unstable delayed systems are given to verify the proposed method, and the results are presented and analysed in detail.

  10. Convergence dynamics of hybrid bidirectional associative memory neural networks with distributed delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liao Xiaofeng; Wong, K.-W.; Yang Shizhong

    2003-01-01

    In this Letter, the characteristics of the convergence dynamics of hybrid bidirectional associative memory neural networks with distributed transmission delays are studied. Without assuming the symmetry of synaptic connection weights and the monotonicity and differentiability of activation functions, the Lyapunov functionals are constructed and the generalized Halanay-type inequalities are employed to derive the delay-independent sufficient conditions under which the networks converge exponentially to the equilibria associated with temporally uniform external inputs. Some examples are given to illustrate the correctness of our results

  11. Decommissioning alternatives, process and work activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1986-01-01

    The following outlines the topics discussed under Decommissioning Alternatives, Process and Work Activities: (1) decommissioning alternatives, (2) work activities for prompt removal/dismantling, (3) work activities for entombment with delayed dismantling, and (4) work activities for mothballing with delayed dismantling

  12. Reasons for diagnostic delay in gynecological malignancies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vandborg, Mai Partridge; Christensen, René dePont Christensen; Kragstrup, Jakob

    2011-01-01

    (≤ or > 60 years), performance of gynecological examination by the GP and notification of cancer suspicion on first referral from GP’s on the diagnostic delay (short delay ≤90 days and long delay >90 days). Results Across cancer type a median total delay of 101 days was observed. The 10% of women......Aim The primary aim of this study was to identify and describe different delay types in women with gynecologic cancer, and to analyze the relationship between diagnostic delay and a number of characteristics for patients, cancers and the health care system. Setting A cohort study of women newly......) and The Danish Gynecological Cancer Database (DGCD). 161 women were included; ovarian cancer: 63, endometrial cancer: 50, cervical cancer: 34 and vulvar cancer: 14. Outcome measures were different delay types counted in days and the influence of four clinical important variables: Presence of alarm symptoms, age...

  13. Discounting of Monetary Rewards That Are Both Delayed and Probabilistic: Delay and Probability Combine Multiplicatively, Not Additively

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderveldt, Ariana; Green, Leonard; Myerson, Joel

    2015-01-01

    The value of an outcome is affected both by the delay until its receipt (delay discounting) and by the likelihood of its receipt (probability discounting). Despite being well-described by the same hyperboloid function, delay and probability discounting involve fundamentally different processes, as revealed, for example, by the differential effects…

  14. Nuclear size and cell division delay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bird, R.P.

    1986-01-01

    Radiation-induced division delay has been linked to damage at the nuclear envelope. Further, cells in G 2 phase are drastically arrested by high LET radiation such that single particles traversing cell nuclei may produce measurable division delay. A modest effort was initiated using two related cell lines of different size, near-diploid cells and near-tetraploid cells of Chinese hamster origin, to compare their sensitivity for radiation-induced division delay. If the nuclear surface is the critical target, then a larger nuclear cross-section presented to an alpha-particle beam should exhibit delay induced by a lesser particle fluence. Preliminary estimates of the extent of delay in asynchronous cultures following low doses of gamma-irradiation or of alpha-irradiation were made by in-situ observation of the time of onset of mitosis and by fixation and staining of cultures to determine the mitotic index as a function of time after irradiation. The basic approach to evaluating division delay will be to use Colecemid to accumulate mitotic cells over a period of time

  15. A Polynomial Estimate of Railway Line Delay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cerreto, Fabrizio; Harrod, Steven; Nielsen, Otto Anker

    2017-01-01

    Railway service may be measured by the aggregate delay over a time horizon or due to an event. Timetables for railway service may dampen aggregate delay by addition of additional process time, either supplement time or buffer time. The evaluation of these variables has previously been performed...... by numerical analysis with simulation. This paper proposes an analytical estimate of aggregate delay with a polynomial form. The function returns the aggregate delay of a railway line resulting from an initial, primary, delay. Analysis of the function demonstrates that there should be a balance between the two...

  16. Impact of Partial Time Delay on Temporal Dynamics of Watts-Strogatz Small-World Neuronal Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Hao; Sun, Xiaojuan

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, we mainly discuss effects of partial time delay on temporal dynamics of Watts-Strogatz (WS) small-world neuronal networks by controlling two parameters. One is the time delay τ and the other is the probability of partial time delay pdelay. Temporal dynamics of WS small-world neuronal networks are discussed with the aid of temporal coherence and mean firing rate. With the obtained simulation results, it is revealed that for small time delay τ, the probability pdelay could weaken temporal coherence and increase mean firing rate of neuronal networks, which indicates that it could improve neuronal firings of the neuronal networks while destroying firing regularity. For large time delay τ, temporal coherence and mean firing rate do not have great changes with respect to pdelay. Time delay τ always has great influence on both temporal coherence and mean firing rate no matter what is the value of pdelay. Moreover, with the analysis of spike trains and histograms of interspike intervals of neurons inside neuronal networks, it is found that the effects of partial time delays on temporal coherence and mean firing rate could be the result of locking between the period of neuronal firing activities and the value of time delay τ. In brief, partial time delay could have great influence on temporal dynamics of the neuronal networks.

  17. Delayed Ejaculation

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cases, it is due to a combination of physical and psychological concerns. Psychological causes of delayed ejaculation include: Depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions Relationship problems due to stress, poor communication ...

  18. An investigation into factors causing delays in highway construction projects in iraq

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al Hadithi Bevian I.

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The highways sector is a prominent sector in any country’s economy because of its impact on the well-being and safety of its citizens. The transport sector has an impact on social improvement and investment in the nation on the illustration that allows access to markets, production, jobs, health and other social services.This study investigates the causes of delay of highway construction projects in Iraq, which is frequent occurrence. Data was collected using questionnaires which were distributed to the key project participants; contractors, owners and consultants. The data were analyzed using the Frequency index and Spearman‟s rank correlation. The top seven causes of project delays were observed to be political decisions and political realities, the economic crisis of the country, delays in materials test of and obtaining the results, delay in monthly payments of contractor, failure treatment of the delays when implementing the project, the effects of weather, rain and high temperatures, delay in activities during implementation. It is recommended to establish an appropriate number of laboratories and adopt the field laboratory mechanism for the external and remote screens. Owners should give special attention to pay progress payment to contractors on time. The competent contractor who has prior experience in implementing the high projects should be selected. The contractor must take into consideration the weather conditions when preparing the time plan necessary to implement the project. The project management should identify these reasons and deal with them quickly in order to reduce the total delay of the project.

  19. Delayed hepatobiliary imaging in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, S.; Ma, Z.; Tang, Z.

    2000-01-01

    In recent years, the use of ultrasonography (US), X-CT and MRI has reduced the employment of isotopic explorations in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). But sometime the results of US, X-CT or MRI were different and diagnosis was very difficult. This present investigation was aimed to assess the usefulness of delayed hepatobiliary imaging in the diagnosis of HCC in these patients. Forty-eight patients consisting of 33 males and 15 females were entered into the research protocol. The mean age was 46 yr old (range 12-71 yr old). All of the patients were performed by surgery and verified histologically after nuclear examination. The subject was in a supine position under a gamma camera (Elscint, Apex Ap-6) and 555 MBq of Tc-99m-PMT were injected intravenously. The initial scinphotos obtained within 1 min after injection were used to image the blood pool phase. Subsequently, hepatic scans were obtained at 5 min, 1,2 and 5 hr. Anterior, right lateral and posterior hepatic images were recorded. According to the radioactive uptake by the lesion in delayed phase, the negative (no or minor uptake), positive (equal or greater uptake) or very strong positive (almost equal to the activity, of gallbladder) were judged. The positive were considered as diagnostic of HCC. And the very strong positive, were considered as diagnostic of benign hepatoma, such as adenoma or FNH. Thirty-seven of the forty-eight patients were HCC based on histology. Delayed imaging revealed increased or equilibrated uptake of radioactivity by the tumors in 22 of 37 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The sensitivity was 59.5%. One patient final diagnosis based on histology was focal nodular regenerative hyperplasia, and only the diagnosis with delayed hepatobiliary imaging before surgery was correct. Compared with US, X-CT and MRI, delayed hepatobiliary imaging had the highest specificity for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. In recent group, the specificity of Tc-99m-PMT delayed

  20. Global robust stability of bidirectional associative memory neural networks with multiple time delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senan, Sibel; Arik, Sabri

    2007-10-01

    This correspondence presents a sufficient condition for the existence, uniqueness, and global robust asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point for bidirectional associative memory neural networks with discrete time delays. The results impose constraint conditions on the network parameters of the neural system independently of the delay parameter, and they are applicable to all bounded continuous nonmonotonic neuron activation functions. Some numerical examples are given to compare our results with the previous robust stability results derived in the literature.

  1. Time Delay Estimation Algoritms for Echo Cancellation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirill Sakhnov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The following case study describes how to eliminate echo in a VoIP network using delay estimation algorithms. It is known that echo with long transmission delays becomes more noticeable to users. Thus, time delay estimation, as a part of echo cancellation, is an important topic during transmission of voice signals over packetswitching telecommunication systems. An echo delay problem associated with IP-based transport networks is discussed in the following text. The paper introduces the comparative study of time delay estimation algorithm, used for estimation of the true time delay between two speech signals. Experimental results of MATLab simulations that describe the performance of several methods based on cross-correlation, normalized crosscorrelation and generalized cross-correlation are also presented in the paper.

  2. Defining Tolerance: Impacts of Delay and Disruption when Managing Challenged Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birrane, Edward J. III; Burleigh, Scott C.; Cerf, Vint

    2011-01-01

    Challenged networks exhibit irregularities in their communication performance stemming from node mobility, power constraints, and impacts from the operating environment. These irregularities manifest as high signal propagation delay and frequent link disruption. Understanding those limits of link disruption and propagation delay beyond which core networking features fail is an ongoing area of research. Various wireless networking communities propose tools and techniques that address these phenomena. Emerging standardization activities within the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) and the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) look to build upon both this experience and scalability analysis. Successful research in this area is predicated upon identifying enablers for common communication functions (notably node discovery, duplex communication, state caching, and link negotiation) and how increased disruptions and delays affect their feasibility within the network. Networks that make fewer assumptions relating to these enablers provide more universal service. Specifically, reliance on node discovery and link negotiation results in network-specific operational concepts rather than scalable technical solutions. Fundamental to this debate are the definitions, assumptions, operational concepts, and anticipated scaling of these networks. This paper presents the commonalities and differences between delay and disruption tolerance, including support protocols and critical enablers. We present where and how these tolerances differ. We propose a set of use cases that must be accommodated by any standardized delay-tolerant network and discuss the implication of these on existing tool development.

  3. Epileptiform abnormalities predict delayed cerebral ischemia in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, J A; Rosenthal, E S; Biswal, S; Zafar, S; Shenoy, A V; O'Connor, K L; Bechek, S C; Valdery Moura, J; Shafi, M M; Patel, A B; Cash, S S; Westover, M B

    2017-06-01

    To identify whether abnormal neural activity, in the form of epileptiform discharges and rhythmic or periodic activity, which we term here ictal-interictal continuum abnormalities (IICAs), are associated with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Retrospective analysis of continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) reports and medical records from 124 patients with moderate to severe grade subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We identified daily occurrence of seizures and IICAs. Using survival analysis methods, we estimated the cumulative probability of IICA onset time for patients with and without delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Our data suggest the presence of IICAs indeed increases the risk of developing DCI, especially when they begin several days after the onset of SAH. We found that all IICA types except generalized rhythmic delta activity occur more commonly in patients who develop DCI. In particular, IICAs that begin later in hospitalization correlate with increased risk of DCI. IICAs represent a new marker for identifying early patients at increased risk for DCI. Moreover, IICAs might contribute mechanistically to DCI and therefore represent a new potential target for intervention to prevent secondary cerebral injury following SAH. These findings imply that IICAs may be a novel marker for predicting those at higher risk for DCI development. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Time delay control of power converters: Mixed frame and stationary-frame variants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blaabjerg, Frede; Loh, P.C.; Tang, Y.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, a mixed-frame and a stationary-frame time delay current controller are proposed for high precision reference tracking and disturbance rejection of power converters. In particular, the controllers use a proportional-resonant regulator in the stationary frame for regulating...... the positive and negative-sequence fundamental currents, which are known to directly influence the flow of active and reactive power in most energy conversion systems. Moreover, for the tracking or compensation of harmonics, the controllers include a time delay control path in either the synchronous...... or stationary frame, whose inherent feedback and feedforward structure can be proven to resemble a bank of resonant filters in either reference frames. Unlike other existing controllers, the proposed time delay controllers function by introducing multiple resonant peaks at only those harmonic frequencies...

  5. Delayed growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Slow rate of growth; Retarded growth and development; Growth delay Images Toddler development References Cooke DW, Divall SA, Radovick S. Normal and aberrant growth in children. In: Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, ...

  6. Topology identification of the complex networks with non-delayed and delayed coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Wanli; Chen Shihua; Sun Wen

    2009-01-01

    In practical situation, there exists many uncertain information in complex networks, such as the topological structures. So the topology identification is an important issue in the research of the complex networks. Based on LaSalle's invariance principle, in this Letter, an adaptive controlling method is proposed to identify the topology of a weighted general complex network model with non-delayed and delayed coupling. Finally, simulation results show that the method is effective.

  7. Delay-independent stability of genetic regulatory networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Fang-Xiang

    2011-11-01

    Genetic regulatory networks can be described by nonlinear differential equations with time delays. In this paper, we study both locally and globally delay-independent stability of genetic regulatory networks, taking messenger ribonucleic acid alternative splicing into consideration. Based on nonnegative matrix theory, we first develop necessary and sufficient conditions for locally delay-independent stability of genetic regulatory networks with multiple time delays. Compared to the previous results, these conditions are easy to verify. Then we develop sufficient conditions for global delay-independent stability for genetic regulatory networks. Compared to the previous results, this sufficient condition is less conservative. To illustrate theorems developed in this paper, we analyze delay-independent stability of two genetic regulatory networks: a real-life repressilatory network with three genes and three proteins, and a synthetic gene regulatory network with five genes and seven proteins. The simulation results show that the theorems developed in this paper can effectively determine the delay-independent stability of genetic regulatory networks.

  8. Behavioral effects of delayed timeouts from reinforcement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, Tom; Poling, Alan

    2017-03-01

    Timeouts are sometimes used in applied settings to reduce target responses, and in some circumstances delays are unavoidably imposed between the onset of a timeout and the offset of the response that produces it. The present study examined the effects of signaled and unsignaled timeouts in rats exposed to concurrent fixed-ratio 1 fixed-ratio 1 schedules of food delivery, where each response on one lever, the location of which changed across conditions, produced both food and a delayed 10-s timeout. Delays of 0 to 38 s were examined. Delayed timeouts often, but not always, substantially reduced the number of responses emitted on the lever that produced timeouts relative to the number emitted on the lever that did not produce timeouts. In general, greater sensitivity was observed to delayed timeouts when they were signaled. These results demonstrate that delayed timeouts, like other delayed consequences, can affect behavior, albeit less strongly than immediate consequences. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  9. Exponential Antisynchronization Control of Stochastic Memristive Neural Networks with Mixed Time-Varying Delays Based on Novel Delay-Dependent or Delay-Independent Adaptive Controller

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minghui Yu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The global exponential antisynchronization in mean square of memristive neural networks with stochastic perturbation and mixed time-varying delays is studied in this paper. Then, two kinds of novel delay-dependent and delay-independent adaptive controllers are designed. With the ability of adapting to environment changes, the proposed controllers can modify their behaviors to achieve the best performance. In particular, on the basis of the differential inclusions theory, inequality theory, and stochastic analysis techniques, several sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the exponential antisynchronization between the drive system and response system. Furthermore, two numerical simulation examples are provided to the validity of the derived criteria.

  10. Global exponential stability for reaction-diffusion recurrent neural networks with multiple time varying delays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lou, X.; Cui, B.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper we consider the problem of exponential stability for recurrent neural networks with multiple time varying delays and reaction-diffusion terms. The activation functions are supposed to be bounded and globally Lipschitz continuous. By means of Lyapunov functional, sufficient conditions are derived, which guarantee global exponential stability of the delayed neural network. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the correctness of our analysis. (author)

  11. Permissible Delay in Payments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yung-Fu Huang

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper wants to investigate the optimal retailer's lot-sizing policy with two warehouses under partially permissible delay in payments within the economic order quantity (EOQ framework. In this paper, we want to extend that fully permissible delay in payments to the supplier would offer the retailer partially permissible delay in payments. That is, the retailer must make a partial payment to the supplier when the order is received. Then the retailer must pay off the remaining balance at the end of the permissible delay period. In addition, we want to add the assumption that the retailer's storage space is limited. That is, the retailer will rent the warehouse to store these exceeding items when the order quantity is larger than retailer's storage space. Under these conditions, we model the retailer's inventory system as a cost minimization problem to determine the retailer's optimal cycle time and optimal order quantity. Three theorems are developed to efficiently determine the optimal replenishment policy for the retailer. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate these theorems and obtained a lot of managerial insights.

  12. Stability Switches, Hopf Bifurcations, and Spatio-temporal Patterns in a Delayed Neural Model with Bidirectional Coupling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yongli; Zhang, Tonghua; Tadé, Moses O.

    2009-12-01

    The dynamical behavior of a delayed neural network with bi-directional coupling is investigated by taking the delay as the bifurcating parameter. Some parameter regions are given for conditional/absolute stability and Hopf bifurcations by using the theory of functional differential equations. As the propagation time delay in the coupling varies, stability switches for the trivial solution are found. Conditions ensuring the stability and direction of the Hopf bifurcation are determined by applying the normal form theory and the center manifold theorem. We also discuss the spatio-temporal patterns of bifurcating periodic oscillations by using the symmetric bifurcation theory of delay differential equations combined with representation theory of Lie groups. In particular, we obtain that the spatio-temporal patterns of bifurcating periodic oscillations will alternate according to the change of the propagation time delay in the coupling, i.e., different ranges of delays correspond to different patterns of neural activities. Numerical simulations are given to illustrate the obtained results and show the existence of bursts in some interval of the time for large enough delay.

  13. Distributed Consensus of Stochastic Delayed Multi-agent Systems Under Asynchronous Switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiaotai; Tang, Yang; Cao, Jinde; Zhang, Wenbing

    2016-08-01

    In this paper, the distributed exponential consensus of stochastic delayed multi-agent systems with nonlinear dynamics is investigated under asynchronous switching. The asynchronous switching considered here is to account for the time of identifying the active modes of multi-agent systems. After receipt of confirmation of mode's switching, the matched controller can be applied, which means that the switching time of the matched controller in each node usually lags behind that of system switching. In order to handle the coexistence of switched signals and stochastic disturbances, a comparison principle of stochastic switched delayed systems is first proved. By means of this extended comparison principle, several easy to verified conditions for the existence of an asynchronously switched distributed controller are derived such that stochastic delayed multi-agent systems with asynchronous switching and nonlinear dynamics can achieve global exponential consensus. Two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  14. Is "Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping" Beneficial for Premature Newborns?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir-Mohammad Armanian

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: The appropriate moment for clamping the umbilical cord is controversial. Immediate cord clamping (ICC is an item of active management of the third stage of labor (AMTSL. Unclamped umbilical cord may cause inconvenience in preterm neonates because they commonly need some levels of emergent services. Some studies revealed delayed cord clamping (DCC of preterm neonates results in better health conditions like lower rates of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, less morbidities in labor room and lower risk of postpartum hemorrhage. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of delayed umbilical cord clamping on premature neonatal outcomes. Materials and Methods: In this single‑center randomized control trial study, sixty premature neonates (gestational age ≤ 34 weeks were randomly assigned to ICC (cord clamped at 5–10 seconds or DCC (30–45 seconds groups and followed up in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. Primary outcomes were 1st and 5th minute Apgar score, average of level of hematocrit after birth, intra ventricle hemorrhage and need some levels of resuscitation. Results: Differences in demographic characteristics were not statistically significant. After birth, neonates who had delayed clamping had significantly higher mean hematocrit after at 4-hour of birth (49.58+5.15gr/dl vs. 46.58+5.40gr/dlin DCC vs. ICC groups, respectively (P=0.031. Delayed cord clamping reduced the duration of need to nasal continues positive airway pressure (NCPAP (86.7% and 60.0% in ICC and DCC groups, respectively, P= 0.039. Attractively, the results showed lower incidence of clinical sepsis in delayed cord clamping neonates (53.3% vs. 23.3% in ICC and DCC groups, respectively, P=0.033. Conclusion: Prematurity complications might decrease by delay umbilical cord clamping which improve the hematocrit, duration of need to NCPAP and incidence of clinical sepsis. Furthermore, DCC may have no negative impact on neonatal resuscitation.

  15. Periodic flows to chaos in time-delay systems

    CERN Document Server

    Luo, Albert C J

    2017-01-01

    This book for the first time examines periodic motions to chaos in time-delay systems, which exist extensively in engineering. For a long time, the stability of time-delay systems at equilibrium has been of great interest from the Lyapunov theory-based methods, where one cannot achieve the ideal results. Thus, time-delay discretization in time-delay systems was used for the stability of these systems. In this volume, Dr. Luo presents an accurate method based on the finite Fourier series to determine periodic motions in nonlinear time-delay systems. The stability and bifurcation of periodic motions are determined by the time-delayed system of coefficients in the Fourier series and the method for nonlinear time-delay systems is equivalent to the Laplace transformation method for linear time-delay systems. Facilitates discovery of analytical solutions of nonlinear time-delay systems; Illustrates bifurcation trees of periodic motions to chaos; Helps readers identify motion complexity and singularity; Explains pro...

  16. Delay Variation Model with Two Service Queues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filip Rezac

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Delay in VoIP technology is very unpleasant issue and therefore a voice packets prioritization must be ensured. To maintain the high call quality a maximum information delivery time from the sender to the recipient is set to 150 ms. This paper focuses on the design of a mathematical model of end-to-end delay of a VoIP connection, in particular on a delay variation. It describes all partial delay components and mechanisms, their generation, facilities and mathematical formulations. A new approach to the delay variation model is presented and its validation has been done by experimention.

  17. Goodwin accelerator model revisited with fixed time delays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Akio; Merlone, Ugo; Szidarovszky, Ferenc

    2018-05-01

    Dynamics of Goodwin's accelerator business cycle model is reconsidered. The model is characterized by a nonlinear accelerator and an investment time delay. The role of the nonlinearity for the birth of persistent oscillations is fully discussed in the existing literature. On the other hand, not much of the role of the delay has yet been revealed. The purpose of this paper is to show that the delay really matters. In the original framework of Goodwin [6], it is first demonstrated that there is a threshold value of the delay: limit cycles arise for smaller values than the threshold and so do sawtooth oscillations for larger values. In the extended framework in which a consumption or saving delay, in addition to the investment delay, is introduced, three main results are demonstrated under assumption of the identical length of investment and consumption delays. The dynamics with consumption delay is basically the same as that of the single delay model. Second, in the case of saving delay, the steady state can coexist with the stable and unstable limit cycles in the stable case. Third, in the unstable case, there is an interval of delay in which the limit cycle or the sawtooth oscillation emerges depending on the choice of the constant initial function.

  18. Rapid uranium analysis by delayed neutron counting of neutron activated samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papadopoulos, N.N.

    1985-01-01

    The uranium analyzer at the Nuclear Research Center ''Demokritos'' and the delayed neutron method have been used to determine the uranium content in lignite, in chemically enriched samples and in solutions of extractable uranium. The results are compared with data obtained by other methods. In the case of dissolved extractable uranium. The results are in good agreement with X-ray fluorescence data in the range 100 ppm to 2000 ppm while beyond these limits the discrepancies between neutron and spectrophotometric data are observed. The results for lignite samples are in good agreement with gamma spectrometric data. Discrepancies indicate that more extensive intercomparisons are needed to check the reliability of various methods

  19. The transition between monostable and bistable states induced by time delay in intracellular calcium oscillation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duan, Wei-Long

    2013-01-01

    The revised role of the time delay of active processes with colored noises of transmission of intracellular Ca 2+ in intracellular calcium oscillation (ICO) is investigated by means of a first-order algorithm based on stochastic simulation. The simulation results indicate that time delay induces a double critical phenomenon and a transition between the monostable and bistable states of the ICO system. In addition, as the time delay increases, for a cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration with weak colored noises there appears a calcium burst, and the Ca 2+ concentration of the calcium store shows nonmonotonic variation. (paper)

  20. Charged particle induced delayed X-rays (DEX) for the analysis of intermediate and heavy elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pillay, A. E.; Erasmus, C. S.; Andeweg, A. H.; Sellschop, J. P. F.; Annegarn, H. J.; Dunn, J.

    1988-12-01

    The emission of K X-rays from proton-rich and metastable radionuclides, following proton activation of the stable isotopes of the elements of interest, has not been widely used as a means of analysis. The thrust of this paper proposes a nuclear technique using delayed X-rays for the analysis of low concentrations of intermediate and heavy elements. The method is similar to the delayed gamma-ray technique. Proton bombardment induces mainly (p, n) reactions whereas the delayed X-rays originate largely from e --capture and isomeric transition. Samples of rare earth and platinum group elements (PGE), in the form of compacted powders, were irradiated with an 11 MeV proton beam and delayed X-rays detected with a 100 mm 2 Ge detector. Single element spectra for a range of rare earths and PGEs are presented. Analytical conditions are demonstrated for Pd in the range 0.1-5%. Spectra from actual geological samples of a PGE ore, preconcentrated by fire-assay, and monazite are presented. All six platinum group elements are visible and interference-free in a single spectrum, a marked advance on other nuclear techniques for these elements, including PIXE and neutron activation analysis (NAA).

  1. The reasons for delay lumbar puncture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MH. Lotfi

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Early diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis and prompt initiation of appropriate therapy is vital and any delay will lead to high mortality and serious and permanent morbidity. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the management of 220 patients with suspected central nervous system (CNS infections (meningitis and encephalitis to determine the percentage of patients’ suspected CNS infection undergo lumbar puncture in acceptable time (in accordance with conventional algorithms. In this descriptive study, patients with suspected CNS infections admitted to Bu-Ali and Qods hospitals, in the period July 2013 to December 2015 were studied. Information of 220 patients was collected. Continuous variables were summarized as means ± standard deviation and categorical variables as frequencies and percentages. Lumbar puncture (LP in patients was delayed in 200 cases (91%. Most common causes of delay in performing LP were prolongation of the process of determining patient needs to puncture, satisfying patients, CT scan delay and the delay in allowing LP by neurologist. In this study, delaying LP rate was higher than other studies. It seems certain pattern in assistants’ visits for counseling. CT requests and neurologic consultation before LP performed for all adult patients.

  2. Delays and networked control systems

    CERN Document Server

    Hetel, Laurentiu; Daafouz, Jamal; Johansson, Karl

    2016-01-01

    This edited monograph includes state-of-the-art contributions on continuous time dynamical networks with delays. The book is divided into four parts. The first part presents tools and methods for the analysis of time-delay systems with a particular attention on control problems of large scale or infinite-dimensional systems with delays. The second part of the book is dedicated to the use of time-delay models for the analysis and design of Networked Control Systems. The third part of the book focuses on the analysis and design of systems with asynchronous sampling intervals which occur in Networked Control Systems. The last part of the book exposes several contributions dealing with the design of cooperative control and observation laws for networked control systems. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and experts in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students. .

  3. A scheme to expand the delay-bandwidth product in the resonator-based delay lines by optical OFDM technique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhu, Jiangbo; Tao, Li; Zhang, Ziran

    2013-01-01

    We propose a novel scheme to expand the inherent limit in the product of the optical delay and the transmission bandwidth in resonator-based delay lines, with the optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OOFDM) technique. The optical group delay properties of a single ring resonator we...

  4. Relationship between delayed embryonic development and metabolic factors and fat deposition in fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banerjee, Arnab; Meenakumari, K J; Krishna, Amitabh

    2007-01-01

    The present study was undertaken in the fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx, which breeds twice in quick succession at Varanasi, India. Its gestation period varies significantly in the two successive pregnancies of the year owing to delayed embryonic development during the first (winter) pregnancy. The primary aim of the present study was to determine the role of metabolic factors in delayed embryonic development in the fruit bat C. sphinx. Variation in bodyweight, fat deposition, oxygen (O(2)) consumption rate, basal metabolic rate (BMR), body temperature (Tb) and hepatic succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, along with circulating levels of thyroid hormones (tri-iodothyronine and thyroxine), were examined as metabolic factors during the two successive pregnancies in C. sphinx. The increase in bodyweight observed in November was due to accumulation of white adipose tissue in the posterior abdominal region. A significant decline in O(2) consumption rate, BMR, Tb and SDH activity was found in early winter in November-December, which coincides closely with the period of fat accumulation and with the period of delayed embryonic development in C. sphinx. A significantly higher O(2) consumption rate, BMR, Tb and SDH activity was noted during the second pregnancy in, when embryonic development was relatively faster. Thyroid hormone levels were high during the period of embryonic delay compared with levels during the remaining months. The results of the present study suggest that the delayed embryonic development in C. sphinx during early winter may be due to a low O(2) consumption rate, BMR, Tb and SDH activity in November-December. The energy saved by suppressing embryonic development in this species may be advantageous for fat accumulation. Increased thyroid hormone levels during the early winter period might facilitate fat accumulation in C. sphinx.

  5. Maternal Obesity: Risks for Developmental Delays in Early Childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffany, Kathleen O'Connor; McVeigh, Katharine H; Kershaw, Trace S; Lipkind, Heather S; Ickovics, Jeannette R

    2016-02-01

    To assess the risk for neurodevelopmental delays for children of mothers who were obese (≥200 pounds) prior to pregnancy, and to characterize delays associated with maternal obesity among children referred to and found eligible to receive Early Intervention Program services. We conducted a retrospective cohort study (N = 541,816) using a population-based New York City data warehouse with linked birth and Early Intervention data. Risks for children suspected of a delay and 'significantly delayed', with two moderate or one severe delay, were calculated. Among the group of children eligible by delay for Early Intervention, analyses assessed risk for being identified with a moderate-to-severe delay across each of five functional domains as well as risks for multiple delays. Children of mothers who were obese were more likely to be suspected of a delay (adjusted RR 1.19 [CI 1.15-1.22]) and borderline association for 'significantly delayed' (adjusted RR 1.01 [CI 1.00-1.02). Among children eligible by delay, children of mothers who were obese evidenced an increased risk for moderate-to-severe cognitive (adjusted RR 1.04 [CI 1.02-1.07]) and physical (adjusted RR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.08]) delays and for global developmental delay (adjusted RR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.08]). Maternal obesity is associated with increased risk of developmental delay in offspring. Among children with moderate or severe delays, maternal obesity is associated with increased risk of cognitive and physical delays as well as with increased risk for global developmental delay. While causation remains uncertain, this adds to the growing body of research reporting an association between maternal obesity and neurodevelopmental delays in offspring.

  6. Delays in Building Construction Projects in Ghana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adwoa B Agyakwah-Baah

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the causes of delay of building construction projects in Ghana to determine the most important according to the key project participants; clients, consultants, and contractors. Thirty-two possible causes of delay were identified from the literature and semi-structured interviews of 15 key players in the implementation process. These delay factors were further categorised into nine major groups. The list of delay causes was subjected to a questionnaire survey for the identification of the most important causes of delay. The field survey included 130 respondents made up of 39 contractors, 37 clients and 54 consultants. The relative importance of the individual causes and the groups were calculated and ranked by their relative importance index. The overall results of the study indicate that the respondents generally agree that financial group factors ranked highest among the major factors causing delay in construction projects in Ghana. The financial group factors were delay in honouring payment certificates, difficulty in accessing credit and fluctuation in prices. Materials group factors are second followed by scheduling and controlling factors.

  7. Picosecond resolution programmable delay line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suchenek, Mariusz

    2009-01-01

    The note presents implementation of a programmable delay line for digital signals. The tested circuit has a subnanosecond delay range programmable with a resolution of picoseconds. Implementation of the circuit was based on low-cost components, easily available on the market. (technical design note)

  8. Time Delay Systems Methods, Applications and New Trends

    CERN Document Server

    Vyhlídal, Tomáš; Niculescu, Silviu-Iulian; Pepe, Pierdomenico

    2012-01-01

    This volume is concerned with the control and dynamics of time delay systems; a research field with at least six-decade long history that has been very active especially in the past two decades. In parallel to the new challenges emerging from engineering, physics, mathematics, and economics, the volume covers several new directions including topology induced stability, large-scale interconnected systems, roles of networks in stability, and new trends in predictor-based control and consensus dynamics. The associated applications/problems are described by highly complex models, and require solving inverse problems as well as the development of new theories, mathematical tools, numerically-tractable algorithms for real-time control. The volume, which is targeted to present these developments in this rapidly evolving field, captures a careful selection of the most recent papers contributed by experts and collected under five parts: (i) Methodology: From Retarded to Neutral Continuous Delay Models, (ii) Systems, S...

  9. Electrically tunable photonic true-time-delay line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barmenkov, Yuri O; Cruz, José Luis; Díez, Antonio; Andrés, Miguel V

    2010-08-16

    We present a new application of the acousto-optic superlattice modulation of a fiber Bragg grating based on the dynamic phase and group delay properties of this fiber-optic component. We demonstrate a tunable photonic true-time-delay line based on the group delay change of the light reflected from the grating sidebands. The delay is electrically tuned by adjusting the voltage applied to a piezoelectric transducer that generates the acoustic wave propagating along the grating. In our experiments, a true-time delay of 400 ps is continuously adjusted (300 ps within the 3 dB amplitude range of the first sideband), using a 12 cm long uniform grating.

  10. Delay oil oxidation during frying process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atta, N.M.M.; Shams Eldin, N.M.M.

    2010-01-01

    Blend oil (mixed of refined sunflower and soy beans oils 1:1 w/w) containing add 200 ppm of rosemary leaves methanolic extract (rosemary extract) (RE) and 3% refined rice bran oil (RRBO), were used in frying process at 1800 degree c for 5 hrs/ day, four consecutive days to delay oil oxidation during frying. Therefore, rosemary extract (methanolic extract) was analyzed by HPLC technique for identification of flavonoids compounds (as a specific active compounds; gives high protection to frying oil). Physical and chemical properties, including refractive index(RI). Red color unit (R), viscosity, acidity (FFA), peroxide value (PV), iodine value (IV) oxidized fatty acid (OFA), polymer content (PC), total polar components (TPC) and trans fatty acid (TFA) as eliadic acid were determined. The results indicated that; rosemary extract contained about eight flavonoids compounds (hypersoid, rutin, 3-OH flavon, luleotin, kempferol, sakarutin, querectrin and apeginin). Addition of RE or RRBO to frying oil caused delay oil oxidation during frying process compared with frying oil without any addition. Also, the results indicated that rosemary extract was more effective in reducing formation of PV, FFA, OFA, PC, TPC and TFA in frying oil than refined rice bran oil

  11. Chaos control in delayed chaotic systems via sliding mode based delayed feedback

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vasegh, Nastaran [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Seyed Khandan Bridge, Shariati St. 16314, P.O. Box 16315-1355, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], E-mail: vasegh@eetd.kntu.ac.ir; Sedigh, Ali Khaki [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Seyed Khandan Bridge, Shariati St. 16314, P.O. Box 16315-1355, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2009-04-15

    This paper investigates chaos control for scalar delayed chaotic systems using sliding mode control strategy. Sliding surface design is based on delayed feedback controller. It is shown that the proposed controller can achieve stability for an arbitrary unstable fixed point (UPF) or unstable periodic orbit (UPO) with arbitrary period. The chaotic system used in this study to illustrate the theoretical concepts is the well known Mackey-Glass model. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the designed nonlinear sliding mode controller.

  12. Chaos control in delayed chaotic systems via sliding mode based delayed feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasegh, Nastaran; Sedigh, Ali Khaki

    2009-01-01

    This paper investigates chaos control for scalar delayed chaotic systems using sliding mode control strategy. Sliding surface design is based on delayed feedback controller. It is shown that the proposed controller can achieve stability for an arbitrary unstable fixed point (UPF) or unstable periodic orbit (UPO) with arbitrary period. The chaotic system used in this study to illustrate the theoretical concepts is the well known Mackey-Glass model. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the designed nonlinear sliding mode controller.

  13. Lxr-driven enterocyte lipid droplet formation delays transport of ingested lipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz-Garcia, Lourdes; Schlegel, Amnon

    2014-09-01

    Liver X receptors (Lxrs) are master regulators of cholesterol catabolism, driving the elimination of cholesterol from the periphery to the lumen of the intestine. Development of pharmacological agents to activate Lxrs has been hindered by synthetic Lxr agonists' induction of hepatic lipogenesis and hypertriglyceridemia. Elucidating the function of Lxrs in regulating enterocyte lipid handling might identify novel aspects of lipid metabolism that are pharmacologically amenable. We took a genetic approach centered on the single Lxr gene nr1h3 in zebrafish to study the role of Lxr in enterocyte lipid metabolism. Loss of nr1h3 function causes anticipated gene regulatory changes and cholesterol intolerance, collectively reflecting high evolutionary conservation of zebrafish Lxra function. Intestinal nr1h3 activation delays transport of absorbed neutral lipids, with accumulation of neutral lipids in enterocyte cytoplasmic droplets. This delay in transport of ingested neutral lipids protects animals from hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis induced by a high-fat diet. On a gene regulatory level, Lxra induces expression of acsl3a, which encodes acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 3a, a lipid droplet-anchored protein that directs fatty acyl chains into lipids. Forced overexpression of acls3a in enterocytes delays, in part, the appearance of neutral lipids in the vasculature of zebrafish larvae. Activation of Lxr in the intestine cell-autonomously regulates the rate of delivery of absorbed lipids by inducting a temporary lipid intestinal droplet storage depot. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  14. Data Assimilation by delay-coordinate nudging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pazo, Diego; Lopez, Juan Manuel; Carrassi, Alberto

    2016-04-01

    A new nudging method for data assimilation, delay-coordinate nudging, is presented. Delay-coordinate nudging makes explicit use of present and past observations in the formulation of the forcing driving the model evolution at each time-step. Numerical experiments with a low order chaotic system show that the new method systematically outperforms standard nudging in different model and observational scenarios, also when using an un-optimized formulation of the delay-nudging coefficients. A connection between the optimal delay and the dominant Lyapunov exponent of the dynamics is found based on heuristic arguments and is confirmed by the numerical results, providing a guideline for the practical implementation of the algorithm. Delay-coordinate nudging preserves the easiness of implementation, the intuitive functioning and the reduced computational cost of the standard nudging, making it a potential alternative especially in the field of seasonal-to-decadal predictions with large Earth system models that limit the use of more sophisticated data assimilation procedures.

  15. Effect of caffeine on radiation-induced mitotic delay: delayed expression of G2 arrest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rowley, R.; Zorch, M.; Leeper, D.B.

    1984-01-01

    In the presence of 5 mM caffeine, irradiated (1.5 Gy) S and G 2 cells progressed to mitosis in register and without arrest in G 2 . Caffeine (5 mM) markedly reduced mitotic delay even after radiation doses up to 20 Gy. When caffeine was removed from irradiated (1.5 Gy) and caffeine-treated cells, a period of G 2 arrest followed, similar in length to that produced by radiation alone. The arrest expressed was independent of the duration of the caffeine treatment for exposures up to 3 hr. The similarity of the response to the cited effects of caffeine on S-phase delay suggests a common basis for delay induction in S and G 2 phases

  16. Timing matters: The impact of immediate and delayed feedback on artificial language learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertram Opitz

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In the present experiment, we used event-related potentials (ERP to investigate the role of immediate and delayed feedback in an artificial grammar learning task. Two groups of participants were engaged in classifying non-word strings according to an underlying rule system, not known to the participants. Visual feedback was provided after each classification either immediately or with a short delay of one second. Both groups were able to learn the artificial grammar system as indicated by an increase in classification performance. However, the gain in performance was significantly larger for the group receiving immediate feedback as compared to the group receiving delayed feedback. Learning was accompanied by an increase in P300 activity in the ERP for delayed as compared to immediate feedback. Irrespective of feedback delay, both groups exhibited learning related decreases in the feedback-related positivity (FRP elicited by positive feedback only. The feedback-related negativity (FRN, however, remained constant over the course of learning. These results suggest, first, that delayed feedback is less effective for artificial grammar learning as task requirements are very demanding, and second, that the FRP elicited by positive prediction errors decreases with learning while the FRN to negative prediction errors is elicited in an all-or-none fashion by negative feedback throughout the entire experiment.

  17. Mathematical Representation of VoIP Connection Delay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Halas

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available The main topic of this article is to define mathematical formulation of VoIP connection delay model. It handles about all partial delay components, the mechanism of their generation, facilities and their mathematical formulation. Thereafter based on mathematical formulation of all partial delay components, the final mathematical model of whole VoIP call delay is created. In conclusion of this article the results of the designed mathematical model are compared with the experimentally gained results.

  18. Independence of echo-threshold and echo-delay in the barn owl.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian S Nelson

    Full Text Available Despite their prevalence in nature, echoes are not perceived as events separate from the sounds arriving directly from an active source, until the echo's delay is long. We measured the head-saccades of barn owls and the responses of neurons in their auditory space-maps while presenting a long duration noise-burst and a simulated echo. Under this paradigm, there were two possible stimulus segments that could potentially signal the location of the echo. One was at the onset of the echo; the other, after the offset of the direct (leading sound, when only the echo was present. By lengthening the echo's duration, independently of its delay, spikes and saccades were evoked by the source of the echo even at delays that normally evoked saccades to only the direct source. An echo's location thus appears to be signaled by the neural response evoked after the offset of the direct sound.

  19. Delays in the management of retroperitoneal sarcomas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Seinen, Jojanneke; Almquist, Martin; Styring, Emelie

    2010-01-01

    Retroperitoneal sarcomas are rare and treatment should optimally be centralized. Despite successful centralization with 90% of the patients referred prior to surgery, delays occur, which led us to assess lead times in a population-based series. Method. Patients diagnosed with retroperitoneal...... sarcoma in the southern Sweden health care region 2003-2009 were eligible for the study. Data on referrals and diagnostic investigations were collected from clinical files from primary health care, local hospitals, and from the sarcoma centre. Lead times were divided into patient delays and health care...... delays caused by primary health care, local hospitals, or procedures at the sarcoma centre. Results. Complete data were available from 33 patients and demonstrated a median patient delay of 23¿days (0-17¿months) and median health care delay of 94¿days (1-40¿months) with delays of median 15¿days...

  20. Delay Tolerance: A Therapeutic Possibility for AD/HD?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edmund J. S. Sonuga-Barke

    2004-01-01

    on these two insights to explore the possibility that the motivational alterations underpinning delay aversion can be modified through specific training regimes in a way equivalent to that found with executive and attentional training. The requirements for such an approach are set out. Delay fading is proposed as a possible basis for reorganizing delay experience, altering the incentive value of delay (e.g., increasing tolerance for delay, thereby reducing AD/HD symptoms.

  1. Ordering chaos and synchronization transitions by chemical delay and coupling on scale-free neuronal networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong Yubing; Xie Yanhang; Lin Xiu; Hao Yinghang; Ma Xiaoguang

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Chemical delay and chemical coupling can tame chaotic bursting. → Chemical delay-induced transitions from bursting synchronization to intermittent multiple spiking synchronizations. → Chemical coupling-induced different types of delay-dependent firing transitions. - Abstract: Chemical synaptic connections are more common than electric ones in neurons, and information transmission delay is especially significant for the synapses of chemical type. In this paper, we report a phenomenon of ordering spatiotemporal chaos and synchronization transitions by the delays and coupling through chemical synapses of modified Hodgkin-Huxley (MHH) neurons on scale-free networks. As the delay τ is increased, the neurons exhibit transitions from bursting synchronization (BS) to intermittent multiple spiking synchronizations (SS). As the coupling g syn is increased, the neurons exhibit different types of firing transitions, depending on the values of τ. For a smaller τ, there are transitions from spatiotemporal chaotic bursting (SCB) to BS or SS; while for a larger τ, there are transitions from SCB to intermittent multiple SS. These findings show that the delays and coupling through chemical synapses can tame the chaotic firings and repeatedly enhance the firing synchronization of neurons, and hence could play important roles in the firing activity of the neurons on scale-free networks.

  2. Peat classified as slowly renewable biomass fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    thousands of years. The report states also that peat should be classified as biomass fuel instead of biofuels, such as wood, or fossil fuels such as coal. According to the report peat is a renewable biomass fuel like biofuels, but due to slow accumulation it should be considered as slowly renewable fuel. The report estimates that bonding of carbon in both virgin and forest drained peatlands are so high that it can compensate the emissions formed in combustion of energy peat

  3. A Delay Line for Compression of Electromagnetic Pulses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pchelnikov, Yuriy N.; Nyce, David S.

    2003-01-01

    A novel method to obtain an electromagnetic signal delay is described. It is shown that the positive magnetic and electric coupling between impedance conductors produces an increase in the time delay. It is also shown that the increase in delay time is obtained without additional attenuation. This allows a reduction in electromagnetic losses, by a factor of several times, for a delay time. An approximate analysis of electromagnetic delay lines based on coupled impedance conductors with 'spiral' and 'meander' patterns allowed obtaining very simple expressions for the wave deceleration factor, wave impedance, and attenuation factor. The results of the analysis are confirmed by the results of measurements. It is shown that a delay line based on counter-wound radial spirals can be successfully used for compression of electromagnetic pulses. Although the offered delay line was designed to operate with a relatively small signal, the analysis of the 'coupling effect', taking place in this delay line, might be useful in devices for compression of high-power microwave pulses

  4. Stochastic Mesocortical Dynamics and Robustness of Working Memory during Delay-Period.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Reneaux

    Full Text Available The role of prefronto-mesoprefrontal system in the dopaminergic modulation of working memory during delayed response tasks is well-known. Recently, a dynamical model of the closed-loop mesocortical circuit has been proposed which employs a deterministic framework to elucidate the system's behavior in a qualitative manner. Under natural conditions, noise emanating from various sources affects the circuit's functioning to a great extent. Accordingly in the present study, we reformulate the model into a stochastic framework and investigate its steady state properties in the presence of constant background noise during delay-period. From the steady state distribution, global potential landscape and signal-to-noise ratio are obtained which help in defining robustness of the circuit dynamics. This provides insight into the robustness of working memory during delay-period against its disruption due to background noise. The findings reveal that the global profile of circuit's robustness is predominantly governed by the level of D1 receptor activity and high D1 receptor stimulation favors the working memory-associated sustained-firing state over the spontaneous-activity state of the system. Moreover, the circuit's robustness is further fine-tuned by the levels of excitatory and inhibitory activities in a way such that the robustness of sustained-firing state exhibits an inverted-U shaped profile with respect to D1 receptor stimulation. It is predicted that the most robust working memory is formed possibly at a subtle ratio of the excitatory and inhibitory activities achieved at a critical level of D1 receptor stimulation. The study also paves a way to understand various cognitive deficits observed in old-age, acute stress and schizophrenia and suggests possible mechanistic routes to the working memory impairments based on the circuit's robustness profile.

  5. Stochastic Mesocortical Dynamics and Robustness of Working Memory during Delay-Period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reneaux, Melissa; Gupta, Rahul; Karmeshu

    2015-01-01

    The role of prefronto-mesoprefrontal system in the dopaminergic modulation of working memory during delayed response tasks is well-known. Recently, a dynamical model of the closed-loop mesocortical circuit has been proposed which employs a deterministic framework to elucidate the system's behavior in a qualitative manner. Under natural conditions, noise emanating from various sources affects the circuit's functioning to a great extent. Accordingly in the present study, we reformulate the model into a stochastic framework and investigate its steady state properties in the presence of constant background noise during delay-period. From the steady state distribution, global potential landscape and signal-to-noise ratio are obtained which help in defining robustness of the circuit dynamics. This provides insight into the robustness of working memory during delay-period against its disruption due to background noise. The findings reveal that the global profile of circuit's robustness is predominantly governed by the level of D1 receptor activity and high D1 receptor stimulation favors the working memory-associated sustained-firing state over the spontaneous-activity state of the system. Moreover, the circuit's robustness is further fine-tuned by the levels of excitatory and inhibitory activities in a way such that the robustness of sustained-firing state exhibits an inverted-U shaped profile with respect to D1 receptor stimulation. It is predicted that the most robust working memory is formed possibly at a subtle ratio of the excitatory and inhibitory activities achieved at a critical level of D1 receptor stimulation. The study also paves a way to understand various cognitive deficits observed in old-age, acute stress and schizophrenia and suggests possible mechanistic routes to the working memory impairments based on the circuit's robustness profile.

  6. Kisspeptin regulates ovarian steroidogenesis during delayed embryonic development in the fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anuradha; Krishna, Amitabh

    2017-11-01

    Cynopterus sphinx, a fruit bat, undergoes delayed embryonic development during the winter months, a period that corresponds to low levels of progesterone and estradiol synthesis by the ovary. Kisspeptins (KPs) are a group of neuropeptide hormones that act via G-protein coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) to stimulate hypothalamic secretion of Gonadotropin-releasing hormone, thereby regulating ovarian steroidogenesis, folliculogenesis, and ovulation. GPR54 is also expressed in the ovary, suggesting a direct role for KPs in ovarian steroidogenesis. The aim of present study was to determine if a low serum level of KP is responsible for reduced progesterone and estradiol levels during the period of delayed embryonic development in C. sphinx. Indeed, low serum KP abundance corresponded to reduced expression of GPR54 in ovarian luteal cells during the period of delayed development compared to normal development. In vitro and in vivo treatment with KP increased GPR54 abundance, via Extracellular signal regulated kinase and its downstream mediators, leading to increased progesterone synthesis in the ovary during delayed embryonic development. KP treatment also increased cholesterol uptake and elevated expression of Luteinizing hormone receptor and Steroid acute regulatory protein in the ovary, suggesting that elevation in circulating KP during delayed embryonic development may reactivate luteal activity. KPs may also enhance cell survival (BCL-2, reduced Caspase 3 activity) and angiogenesis (Vascular endothelium growth factor) during this period. The findings of this study thus demonstrate a regulatory role for KPs in the maintenance of luteal steroidogenesis during pregnancy in C. sphinx. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. An approach to normal forms of Kuramoto model with distributed delays and the effect of minimal delay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Niu, Ben, E-mail: niubenhit@163.com [Department of Mathematics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai 264209 (China); Guo, Yuxiao [Department of Mathematics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai 264209 (China); Jiang, Weihua [Department of Mathematics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China)

    2015-09-25

    Heterogeneous delays with positive lower bound (gap) are taken into consideration in Kuramoto model. On the Ott–Antonsen's manifold, the dynamical transitional behavior from incoherence to coherence is mediated by Hopf bifurcation. We establish a perturbation technique on complex domain, by which universal normal forms, stability and criticality of the Hopf bifurcation are obtained. Theoretically, a hysteresis loop is found near the subcritically bifurcated coherent state. With respect to Gamma distributed delay with fixed mean and variance, we find that the large gap decreases Hopf bifurcation value, induces supercritical bifurcations, avoids the hysteresis loop and significantly increases in the number of coexisting coherent states. The effect of gap is finally interpreted from the viewpoint of excess kurtosis of Gamma distribution. - Highlights: • Heterogeneously delay-coupled Kuramoto model with minimal delay is considered. • Perturbation technique on complex domain is established for bifurcation analysis. • Hysteresis phenomenon is investigated in a theoretical way. • The effect of excess kurtosis of distributed delays is discussed.

  8. Delayed expression of SAGs correlates with longevity in CMS wheat plants compared to its fertile plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semwal, Vimal Kumar; Singh, Bhupinder; Khanna-Chopra, Renu

    2014-04-01

    Reproductive sinks regulate monocarpic senescence in crop plants. Monocarpic senescence was studied in wheat fertile (cv. HW 2041) and its isonuclear cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line. CMS plants exhibited slower rate of senescence accompanied by longer green leaf area duration and slower deceleration in chlorophyll, protein content, PN and rubisco content coupled with lower protease activities than fertile (F) plants. CMS plants also exhibited lower ROS levels and less membrane damage than F plants. CMS plants maintained better antioxidant defense, less oxidative damage in chloroplast and higher transcript levels of both rbcL and rbcS genes during senescence than F plants. F plants exhibited early induction and higher expression of SAGs like serine and cysteine proteases, glutamine synthetases GS1 and GS2, WRKY53 transcription factor and decline in transcript levels of CAT1 and CAT2 genes than CMS plants. Hence, using genetically fertile and its CMS line of wheat it is confirmed that delayed senescence in the absence of reproductive sinks is linked with slower protein oxidation, rubisco degradation and delayed activation of SAGs. Better antioxidant defense in chloroplasts at later stages of senescence was able to mitigate the deleterious effects of ROS in CMS plants. We propose that delayed increase in ROS in cytoplasmic male sterile wheat plants resulted in delayed activation of WRKY53, SAGs and the associated biochemical changes than fertile plants.

  9. New Delay-Dependent Stability Criteria for Uncertain Neutral Systems with Mixed Time-Varying Delays and Nonlinear Perturbations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Reza Karimi

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The problem of stability analysis for a class of neutral systems with mixed time-varying neutral, discrete and distributed delays and nonlinear parameter perturbations is addressed. By introducing a novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and combining the descriptor model transformation, the Leibniz-Newton formula, some free-weighting matrices, and a suitable change of variables, new sufficient conditions are established for the stability of the considered system, which are neutral-delay-dependent, discrete-delay-range-dependent, and distributed-delay-dependent. The conditions are presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs and can be efficiently solved using convex programming techniques. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

  10. Delay Management with Re-Routing of Passengers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    T.A.B. Dollevoet (Twan); D. Huisman (Dennis); M.E. Schmidt (Marie); A. Schöbel (Anita)

    2010-01-01

    textabstractThe question of delay management is whether trains should wait for a delayed feeder train or should depart on time. In classical delay management models passengers always take their originally planned route. In this paper, we propose a model where re-routing of passengers is

  11. Synchronization analysis of coloured delayed networks under ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    This paper investigates synchronization of coloured delayed networks under decentralized pinning intermittent control. To begin with, the time delays are taken into account in the coloured networks. In addition, we propose a decentralized pinning intermittent control for coloured delayed networks, which is different from that ...

  12. Time-Delay Effects on Constitutive Gene Expression*

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Yan-Ling; Wang Dan; Tang Xu-Lei; Dong Jian-Min

    2017-01-01

    The dynamics of constitutive gene expression with delayed mRNA degradation is investigated, where the intrinsic noise caused by the small number of reactant molecules is introduced. It is found that the oscillatory behavior claimed in previous investigations does not appear in the approximation of small time delay, and the steady state distribution still follows the Poisson law. Furthermore, we introduce the extrinsic noise induced by surrounding environment to explore the effects of this noise and time delay on the Fano factor. Based on a delay Langevin equation and the corresponding Fokker–Planck equation, the distribution of mRNA copy-number is achieved analytically. The time delay and extrinsic noise play similar roles in the gene expression system, that is, they are able to result in the deviation of the Fano factor from 1 evidently. The measured Fano factor for constitutive gene expression is slightly larger than 1, which is perhaps attributed to the time-delay effect. (paper)

  13. Regenerative memory in time-delayed neuromorphic photonic resonators

    OpenAIRE

    Romeira, B.; Avó, R.; Figueiredo, José M. L.; Barland, S.; Javaloyes, J.

    2016-01-01

    We investigate a photonic regenerative memory based upon a neuromorphic oscillator with a delayed self-feedback (autaptic) connection. We disclose the existence of a unique temporal response characteristic of localized structures enabling an ideal support for bits in an optical buffer memory for storage and reshaping of data information. We link our experimental implementation, based upon a nanoscale nonlinear resonant tunneling diode driving a laser, to the paradigm of neuronal activity, the...

  14. Delay-Dependent Asymptotic Stability of Cohen-Grossberg Models with Multiple Time-Varying Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaofeng Liao

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Dynamical behavior of a class of Cohen-Grossberg models with multiple time-varying delays is studied in detail. Sufficient delay-dependent criteria to ensure local and global asymptotic stabilities of the equilibrium of this network are derived by constructing suitable Lyapunov functionals. The obtained conditions are shown to be less conservative and restrictive than those reported in the known literature. Some numerical examples are included to demonstrate our results.

  15. Elite athletes and pubertal delay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapczuk, Karina

    2017-10-01

    Intensive physical training and participation in competitive sports during childhood and early adolescence may affect athletes' pubertal development. On the other hand, pubertal timing, early or late, may impact on an athlete selection for a particular sport. Genetic predisposition, training load, nutritional status and psychological stress determine athletes' pubertal timing. Athletes that practice esthetic sports, especially gymnasts, are predisposed to a delay in pubertal development. The growing evidence indicates that energy deficiency, not a systemic training per se, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of functional hypothalamic hypogonadism in female athletes. Metabolic and psychologic stress activate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and suppress hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Female athletes who do not begin secondary sexual development by the age of 14 or menstruation by the age of 16 warrant a comprehensive evaluation and a targeted treatment. Somatic growth and sexual maturation of elite female athletes are largely sport-specific since each sport favors a particular somatotype and requires a specific training. Chronic negative energy balance resulting from a systemic physical training and inadequate energy intake may delay pubertal development in elite athletes. Youth athletes, especially those engaged in competitive sports that emphasize prepubertal or lean appearance, are at risk of developing relative energy deficiency in sport associated with disordered eating or eating disorders. Management strategies should address the complex conditions underlying functional hypothalamic hypogonadism.

  16. Involvement of Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP in the Mechanism That Delays Stem Bending of Different Gerbera Cultivars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aung H. Naing

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Longevity of cut flowers of many gerbera cultivars (Gerbera jamesonii is typically short because of stem bending; hence, stem bending that occurs during the early vase life period is a major problem in gerbera. Here, we investigated the effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP on the delay of stem bending in the gerbera cultivars, Alliance, Rosalin, and Bintang, by examining relative fresh weight, bacterial density in the vase solution, transcriptional analysis of a lignin biosynthesis gene, antioxidant activity, and xylem blockage. All three gerbera cultivars responded to SNP by delaying stem bending, compared to the controls; however, the responses were dose- and cultivar-dependent. Among the treatments, SNP at 20 mg L-1 was the best to delay stem bending in Alliance, while dosages of 10 and 5 mg L-1 were the best for Rosalin and Bintang, respectively. However, stem bending in Alliance and Rosalin was faster than in Bintang, indicating a discrepancy influenced by genotype. According to our analysis of the role of SNP in the delay of stem bending, the results revealed that SNP treatment inhibited bacterial growth and xylem blockage, enhanced expression levels of a lignin biosynthesis gene, and maintained antioxidant activities. Therefore, it is suggested that the cause of stem bending is associated with the above-mentioned parameters and SNP is involved in the mechanism that delays stem bending in the different gerbera cultivars.

  17. Quad precision delay generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnan, Shanti; Gopalakrishnan, K.R.; Marballi, K.R.

    1997-01-01

    A Quad Precision Delay Generator delays a digital edge by a programmed amount of time, varying from nanoseconds to microseconds. The output of this generator has an amplitude of the order of tens of volts and rise time of the order of nanoseconds. This was specifically designed and developed to meet the stringent requirements of the plasma focus experiments. Plasma focus is a laboratory device for producing and studying nuclear fusion reactions in hot deuterium plasma. 3 figs

  18. Stability and attractive basins of multiple equilibria in delayed two-neuron networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Yu-Jiao; Zhang Hua-Guang; Wang Zhan-Shan

    2012-01-01

    Multiple stability for two-dimensional delayed recurrent neural networks with piecewise linear activation functions of 2r (r ≥ 1) corner points is studied. Sufficient conditions are established for checking the existence of (2r + 1) 2 equilibria in delayed recurrent neural networks. Under these conditions, (r + 1) 2 equilibria are locally exponentially stable, and (2r + 1) 2 — (r + 1) 2 — r 2 equilibria are unstable. Attractive basins of stable equilibria are estimated, which are larger than invariant sets derived by decomposing state space. One example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our results. (general)

  19. AKT delays the early-activated apoptotic pathway in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes via BAD translocation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claerhout, Sofie; Decraene, David; Van Laethem, An; Van Kelst, Sofie; Agostinis, Patrizia; Garmyn, Marjan

    2007-02-01

    Upon irradiation with a high dose of UVB, keratinocytes undergo apoptosis as a protective mechanism. In previous work, we demonstrated the existence of an early-activated UVB-induced apoptotic pathway in growth factor-depleted human keratinocytes, which can be substantially delayed by the exclusive supplementation of IGF-1. We now show that in human keratinocytes, IGF-1 inhibits the onset of UVB-triggered apoptosis through a transcriptional independent, AKT-mediated mechanism, involving BAD serine 136 phosphorylation. Our results show that the early UVB-induced apoptosis in growth factor-depleted human keratinocytes is exclusively triggered through the mitochondrial pathway. It is accompanied by BAX translocation, cytochrome c release, and procaspase-9 cleavage, but not by procaspase-8 or BID cleavage. In human keratinocytes, IGF-1 supplementation inhibits these events in a transcription-independent manner. Both IGF-1 supplementation and the transduction of a membrane-targeted form of AKT result in a shift of the BH3-only protein BAD from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm, paralleled by an increase of AKT-specific Ser136 phospho-BAD bound to 14-3-3zeta protein. These data indicate that AKT-induced BAD phosphorylation and its subsequent cytoplasmic sequestration by 14-3-3zeta is a major mechanism responsible for the postponement of UVB-induced apoptosis in human keratinocytes.

  20. Thermally activated delayed fluorescence of fluorescein derivative for time-resolved and confocal fluorescence imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Xiaoqing; Song, Fengling; Wang, Jingyun; Zhang, Yukang; Xue, Yingying; Sun, Liangliang; Jiang, Na; Gao, Pan; Tian, Lu; Peng, Xiaojun

    2014-07-09

    Compared with fluorescence imaging utilizing fluorophores whose lifetimes are in the order of nanoseconds, time-resolved fluorescence microscopy has more advantages in monitoring target fluorescence. In this work, compound DCF-MPYM, which is based on a fluorescein derivative, showed long-lived luminescence (22.11 μs in deaerated ethanol) and was used in time-resolved fluorescence imaging in living cells. Both nanosecond time-resolved transient difference absorption spectra and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) were employed to explain the long lifetime of the compound, which is rare in pure organic fluorophores without rare earth metals and heavy atoms. A mechanism of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) that considers the long wavelength fluorescence, large Stokes shift, and long-lived triplet state of DCF-MPYM was proposed. The energy gap (ΔEST) of DCF-MPYM between the singlet and triplet state was determined to be 28.36 meV by the decay rate of DF as a function of temperature. The ΔE(ST) was small enough to allow efficient intersystem crossing (ISC) and reverse ISC, leading to efficient TADF at room temperature. The straightforward synthesis of DCF-MPYM and wide availability of its starting materials contribute to the excellent potential of the compound to replace luminescent lanthanide complexes in future time-resolved imaging technologies.