Support vector machines applications

CERN Document Server

Guo, Guodong

2014-01-01

Support vector machines (SVM) have both a solid mathematical background and good performance in practical applications. This book focuses on the recent advances and applications of the SVM in different areas, such as image processing, medical practice, computer vision, pattern recognition, machine learning, applied statistics, business intelligence, and artificial intelligence. The aim of this book is to create a comprehensive source on support vector machine applications, especially some recent advances.

Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease Applications: Innovation towards Broad-Spectrum Treatment of Viral Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackman, Joshua A; Lee, Jaywon; Cho, Nam-Joon

2016-03-02

Nanomedicine enables unique diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities to tackle problems in clinical medicine. As multifunctional agents with programmable properties, nanomedicines are poised to revolutionize treatment strategies. This promise is especially evident for infectious disease applications, for which the continual emergence, re-emergence, and evolution of pathogens has proven difficult to counter by conventional approaches. Herein, a conceptual framework is presented that envisions possible routes for the development of nanomedicines as superior broad-spectrum antiviral agents against enveloped viruses. With lipid membranes playing a critical role in the life cycle of medically important enveloped viruses including HIV, influenza, and Ebola, cellular and viral membrane interfaces are ideal elements to incorporate into broad-spectrum antiviral strategies. Examples are presented that demonstrate how nanomedicine strategies inspired by lipid membranes enable a wide range of targeting opportunities to gain control of critical stages in the virus life cycle through either direct or indirect approaches involving membrane interfaces. The capabilities can be realized by enabling new inhibitory functions or improving the function of existing drugs through nanotechnology-enabled solutions. With these exciting opportunities, due attention is also given to the clinical translation of nanomedicines for infectious disease applications, especially as pharmaceutical drug-discovery pipelines demand new routes of innovation. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Safety requirements, facility user needs, and reactor concepts for a new Broad Application Test Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryskamp, J.M.; Liebenthal, J.L.; Denison, A.B.; Fletcher, C.D.

1992-07-01

This report describes the EG ampersand G Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD) Broad Application Test Reactor (BATR) Project that was conducted in fiscal year 1991. The scope of this project was divided into three phases: a project process definition phase, a requirements development phase, and a preconceptual reactor design and evaluation phase. Multidisciplinary teams of experts conducted each phase. This report presents the need for a new test reactor, the project process definition, a set of current and projected regulatory compliance and safety requirements, a set of facility user needs for a broad range of projected testing missions, and descriptions of reactor concepts capable of meeting these requirements. This information can be applied to strategic planning to provide the Department of Energy with management options

Broad-range PCR: past, present, or future of bacteriology?

Science.gov (United States)

Renvoisé, A; Brossier, F; Sougakoff, W; Jarlier, V; Aubry, A

2013-08-01

PCR targeting the gene encoding 16S ribosomal RNA (commonly named broad-range PCR or 16S PCR) has been used for 20 years as a polyvalent tool to study prokaryotes. Broad-range PCR was first used as a taxonomic tool, then in clinical microbiology. We will describe the use of broad-range PCR in clinical microbiology. The first application was identification of bacterial strains obtained by culture but whose phenotypic or proteomic identification remained difficult or impossible. This changed bacterial taxonomy and allowed discovering many new species. The second application of broad-range PCR in clinical microbiology is the detection of bacterial DNA from clinical samples; we will review the clinical settings in which the technique proved useful (such as endocarditis) and those in which it did not (such as characterization of bacteria in ascites, in cirrhotic patients). This technique allowed identifying the etiological agents for several diseases, such as Whipple disease. This review is a synthesis of data concerning the applications, assets, and drawbacks of broad-range PCR in clinical microbiology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Increased Productivity for Emerging Grid Applications the Application Support System

CERN Document Server

Maier, Andrew; Mendez Lorenzo, Patricia; Moscicki, Jakub; Lamanna, Massimo; Muraru, Adrian

2008-01-01

Recently a growing number of various applications have been quickly and successfully enabled on the Grid by the CERN Grid application support team. This allowed the applications to achieve and publish large-scale results in a short time which otherwise would not be possible. We present the general infrastructure, support procedures and tools that have been developed. We discuss the general patterns observed in supporting new applications and porting them to the EGEE environment. The CERN Grid application support team has been working with the following real-life applications: medical and particle physics simulation (Geant4, Garfield), satellite imaging and geographic information for humanitarian relief operations (UNOSAT), telecommunications (ITU), theoretical physics (Lattice QCD, Feynman-loop evaluation), Bio-informatics (Avian Flu Data Challenge), commercial imaging processing and classification (Imense Ltd.) and physics experiments (ATLAS, LHCb, HARP). Using the EGEE Grid we created a standard infrastruct...

Preliminary design studies on the Broad Application Test Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terry, W.J.; Terry, W.K.; Ryskamp, J.M.; Jahshan, S.N.; Fletcher, C.D.; Moore, R.L.; Leyse, C.F.; Ottewitte, E.H.; Motloch, C.G.; Lacy, J.M.

1992-08-01

This report describes progress made at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory during the first three quarters of Fiscal Year (FY) 1992 on the Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project to perform preliminary design studies on the Broad Application Test Reactor (BATR). This work builds on the FY-92 BATR studies, which identified anticipated mission and safety requirements for BATR and assessed a variety of reactor concepts for their potential capability to meet those requirements. The main accomplishment of the FY-92 BATR program is the development of baseline reactor configurations for the two conventional conceptual test reactors recommended in the FY-91 report. Much of the present report consists of descriptions and neutronics and thermohydraulics analyses of these baseline configurations. In addition, we considered reactor safety issues, compared the consequences of steam explosions for alternative conventional fuel types, explored a Molten Chloride Fast Reactor concept as an alternate BATR design, and examined strategies for the reduction of operating costs. Work planned for the last quarter of FY-92 is discussed, and recommendations for future work are also presented

Public support for neonatal screening for Pompe disease, a broad-phenotype condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weinreich Stephanie

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Neonatal screening for Pompe disease has been introduced in Taiwan and a few U.S. states, while other jurisdictions including some European countries are piloting or considering this screening. First-tier screening flags both classic infantile and late-onset Pompe disease, which challenges current screening criteria. Previously, advocacy groups have sometimes supported expanded neonatal screening more than professional experts, while neutral citizens' views were unknown. This study aimed to measure support for neonatal screening for Pompe disease in the general public and to compare it to support among (parents of patients with this condition. The study was done in the Netherlands, where newborns are not currently screened for Pompe disease. Newborn screening is not mandatory in the Netherlands but current uptake is almost universal. Methods A consumer panel (neutral group and (parents of patients with Pompe disease (Pompe group were sent information and a questionnaire. Responses were analyzed of 555 neutral and 58 Pompe-experienced informants who had demonstrated sufficient understanding. Results 87% of the neutral group and 88% of the Pompe group supported the introduction of screening (95% CI of difference -10 to 7%. The groups were similar in their moral reasoning about screening and acceptance of false positives, but the Pompe-experienced group expected greater benefit from neonatal detection of late-onset disease. Multivariate regression analysis controlling for demographics confirmed that approval of the introduction of screening was independent of having (a child with Pompe disease. Furthermore, respondents with university education, regardless of whether they have (a child with Pompe disease, were more likely to be reluctant about the introduction of screening than those with less education, OR for approval 0.29 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.49, p Conclusions This survey suggests a rather high level of support for newborn

Accelerating the introduction of HTS products for a broad range of electric power and industrial applications

Science.gov (United States)

Eaton, Russell

2002-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE), as part of its Superconductivity Program for Electric Systems, is successfully pursuing the development of electric power and industrial devices, incorporating significant high-temperature superconducting (HTS) components or subsystems, through its innovative Superconducting Partnership Initiative (SPI). The objective of the SPI is to accelerate the commercial introduction of the HTS products for a broad range of electric power and industrial applications. DOE's approach to accomplishing the SPI objective is to support cost shared projects carried out by industry led teams. DOE will fund projects to develop HTS devices that are either in (1) the research and development stage (Phase 1), (2) the pre-commercialization stage (Phase II), or (3) the commercial entry stage (Phase III). DOE's industry partners must contribute at least half a project's costs. These teams will include capabilities needed to develop the device as well as to develop the business plan for the commercial product introduction. DOE's partners consist of vertically integrated teams consisting of equipment manufacturers, HTS wire and coil suppliers, national laboratories, and end users, primarily utilities. These partners carry out the multi-year technology development efforts, consisting generally of design, construction, and testing of the HTS system. Finally, commercialization of HTS products will be discussed primarily in terms of benefits these products will have over competing products based upon conventional conductors and the critical need for affordable, practical HTS materials and conductors for these applications. .

Shareholder, stakeholder-owner or broad stakeholder maximization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mygind, Niels

2004-01-01

With reference to the discussion about shareholder versus stakeholder maximization it is argued that the normal type of maximization is in fact stakeholder-owner maxi-mization. This means maximization of the sum of the value of the shares and stake-holder benefits belonging to the dominating...... including the shareholders of a company. Although it may be the ultimate goal for Corporate Social Responsibility to achieve this kind of maximization, broad stakeholder maximization is quite difficult to give a precise definition. There is no one-dimensional measure to add different stakeholder benefits...... not traded on the mar-ket, and therefore there is no possibility for practical application. Broad stakeholder maximization instead in practical applications becomes satisfying certain stakeholder demands, so that the practical application will be stakeholder-owner maximization un-der constraints defined...

Twenty security considerations for cloud-supported Internet of Things

OpenAIRE

Singh, Jatinder; Pasquier, Thomas; Bacon, Jean Margaret; Ko, Hajoon; Eyers, David

2015-01-01

To realise the broad vision of pervasive computing, underpinned by the “Internet of Things” (IoT), it is essential to break down application and technology-based silos and support broad connectivity and data sharing; the cloud being a natural enabler. Work in IoT tends towards the subsystem, often focusing on particular technical concerns or application domains, before offloading data to the cloud. As such, there has been little regard given to the security, privacy and p...

Broad-band hard X-ray reflectors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Joensen, K.D.; Gorenstein, P.; Hoghoj, P.

1997-01-01

Interest in optics for hard X-ray broad-band application is growing. In this paper, we compare the hard X-ray (20-100 keV) reflectivity obtained with an energy-dispersive reflectometer, of a standard commercial gold thin-film with that of a 600 bilayer W/Si X-ray supermirror. The reflectivity...... of the multilayer is found to agree extraordinarily well with theory (assuming an interface roughness of 4.5 Angstrom), while the agreement for the gold film is less, The overall performance of the supermirror is superior to that of gold, extending the band of reflection at least a factor of 2.8 beyond...... that of the gold, Various other design options are discussed, and we conclude that continued interest in the X-ray supermirror for broad-band hard X-ray applications is warranted....

Flexible Near-Field Wireless Optoelectronics as Subdermal Implants for Broad Applications in Optogenetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Gunchul; Gomez, Adrian M; Al-Hasani, Ream; Jeong, Yu Ra; Kim, Jeonghyun; Xie, Zhaoqian; Banks, Anthony; Lee, Seung Min; Han, Sang Youn; Yoo, Chul Jong; Lee, Jong-Lam; Lee, Seung Hee; Kurniawan, Jonas; Tureb, Jacob; Guo, Zhongzhu; Yoon, Jangyeol; Park, Sung-Il; Bang, Sang Yun; Nam, Yoonho; Walicki, Marie C; Samineni, Vijay K; Mickle, Aaron D; Lee, Kunhyuk; Heo, Seung Yun; McCall, Jordan G; Pan, Taisong; Wang, Liang; Feng, Xue; Kim, Tae-Il; Kim, Jong Kyu; Li, Yuhang; Huang, Yonggang; Gereau, Robert W; Ha, Jeong Sook; Bruchas, Michael R; Rogers, John A

2017-02-08

In vivo optogenetics provides unique, powerful capabilities in the dissection of neural circuits implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Conventional hardware for such studies, however, physically tethers the experimental animal to an external light source, limiting the range of possible experiments. Emerging wireless options offer important capabilities that avoid some of these limitations, but the current size, bulk, weight, and wireless area of coverage is often disadvantageous. Here, we present a simple but powerful setup based on wireless, near-field power transfer and miniaturized, thin, flexible optoelectronic implants, for complete optical control in a variety of behavioral paradigms. The devices combine subdermal magnetic coil antennas connected to microscale, injectable light-emitting diodes (LEDs), with the ability to operate at wavelengths ranging from UV to blue, green-yellow, and red. An external loop antenna allows robust, straightforward application in a multitude of behavioral apparatuses. The result is a readily mass-producible, user-friendly technology with broad potential for optogenetics applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Watermark: An Application and Methodology and Application for Interactive and intelligent Decision Support for Groundwater Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, S. A.; Wagner, K.; Schwartz, S.; Gentle, J. N., Jr.

2016-12-01

Critical water resources face the effects of historic drought, increased demand, and potential contamination, the need has never been greater to develop resources to effectively communicate conservation and protection across a broad audience and geographical area. The Watermark application and macro-analysis methodology merges topical analysis of context rich corpus from policy texts with multi-attributed solution sets from integrated models of water resource and other subsystems, such as mineral, food, energy, or environmental systems to construct a scalable, robust, and reproducible approach for identifying links between policy and science knowledge bases. The Watermark application is an open-source, interactive workspace to support science-based visualization and decision making. Designed with generalization in mind, Watermark is a flexible platform that allows for data analysis and inclusion of large datasets with an interactive front-end capable of connecting with other applications as well as advanced computing resources. In addition, the Watermark analysis methodology offers functionality that streamlines communication with non-technical users for policy, education, or engagement with groups around scientific topics of societal relevance. The technology stack for Watermark was selected with the goal of creating a robust and dynamic modular codebase that can be adjusted to fit many use cases and scale to support usage loads that range between simple data display to complex scientific simulation-based modelling and analytics. The methodology uses to topical analysis and simulation-optimization to systematically analyze the policy and management realities of resource systems and explicitly connect the social and problem contexts with science-based and engineering knowledge from models. A case example demonstrates use in a complex groundwater resources management study highlighting multi-criteria spatial decision making and uncertainty comparisons.

11th International Conference On Broad-Band Wireless Computing, Communication and Applications

CERN Document Server

Xhafa, Fatos; Yim, Kangbin

2017-01-01

The success of all-IP networking and wireless technology has changed the ways of living the people around the world. The progress of electronic integration and wireless communications is going to pave the way to offer people the access to the wireless networks on the fly, based on which all electronic devices will be able to exchange the information with each other in ubiquitous way whenever necessary. The aim of the volume is to provide latest research findings, innovative research results, methods and development techniques from both theoretical and practical perspectives related to the emerging areas of broadband and wireless computing. This proceedings volume presents the results of the 11th International Conference on Broad-Band Wireless Computing, Communication And Applications (BWCCA-2016), held November 5-7, 2016, at Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Korea. .

Electrostatic force microscopy as a broadly applicable method for characterizing pyroelectric materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin-Olmos, Cristina; Gimzewski, James K; Stieg, Adam Z

2012-01-01

A general method based on the combination of electrostatic force microscopy with thermal cycling of the substrate holder is presented for direct, nanoscale characterization of the pyroelectric effect in a range of materials and sample configurations using commercial atomic force microscope systems. To provide an example of its broad applicability, the technique was applied to the examination of natural tourmaline gemstones. The method was validated using thermal cycles similar to those experienced in ambient conditions, where the induced pyroelectric response produced localized electrostatic surface charges whose magnitude demonstrated a correlation with the iron content and heat dissipation of each gemstone variety. In addition, the surface charge was shown to persist even at thermal equilibrium. This behavior is attributed to constant, stochastic cooling of the gemstone surface through turbulent contact with the surrounding air and indicates a potential utility for energy harvesting in applications including environmental sensors and personal electronics. In contrast to previously reported methods, ours has a capacity to carry out such precise nanoscale measurements with little or no restriction on the sample of interest, and represents a powerful new tool for the characterization of pyroelectric materials and devices. (paper)

Broad beam ion sources and some surface processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neumann, H.; Scholze, F.; Tarz, M.; Schindler, A.; Wiese, R.; Nestler, M.; Blum, T.

2005-01-01

Modern broad-beam multi-aperture ion sources are widely used in material and surface technology applications. Customizing the generated ion beam properties (i. e. the ion current density profile) for specific demands of the application is a main challenge in the improvement of the ion beam technologies. First we introduce ion sources based on different plasma excitation principles shortly. An overview of source plasma and ion beam measurement methods deliver input data for modelling methods. This beam profile modelling using numerical trajectory codes and the validation of the results by Faraday cup measurements as a basis for ion beam profile design are described. Furthermore possibilities for ex situ and in situ beam profile control are demonstrated, like a special method for in situ control of a linear ion source beam profile, a grid modification for circular beam profile design and a cluster principle for broad beam sources. By means of these methods, the beam shape may be adapted to specific technological demands. Examples of broad beam source application in ion beam figuring of optical surfaces, modification of stainless steel, photo voltaic processes and deposition of EUVL-multilayer stacks are finally presented. (Author)

Broad spectrum pesticide application alters natural enemy communities and may facilitate secondary pest outbreaks

Science.gov (United States)

Macfadyen, Sarina; Nash, Michael A.

2017-01-01

Background Pesticide application is the dominant control method for arthropod pests in broad-acre arable systems. In Australia, organophosphate pesticides are often applied either prophylactically, or reactively, including at higher concentrations, to control crop establishment pests such as false wireworms and earth mite species. Organophosphates are reported to be disruptive to beneficial species, such as natural enemies, but this has not been widely assessed in Australian systems. Neither has the risk that secondary outbreaks may occur if the natural enemy community composition or function is altered. Methods We examine the abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrate communities in an arable field over successive seasons under rotation; barley, two years of wheat, then canola. Two organophosphates (chlorpyrifos and methidathion) were initially applied at recommended rates. After no discernible impact on target pest species, the rate for chlorpyrifos was doubled to elicit a definitive response to a level used at establishment when seedling damage is observed. Invertebrates were sampled using pitfalls and refuge traps throughout the experiments. We applied measures of community diversity, principal response curves and multiple generalised linear modelling techniques to understand the changes in pest and natural enemy communities. Results There was large variability due to seasonality and crop type. Nevertheless, both pest (e.g., mites and aphids) and natural enemy (e.g., predatory beetles) invertebrate communities were significantly affected by application of organophosphates. When the rate of chlorpyrifos was increased there was a reduction in the number of beetles that predate on slug populations. Slugs displayed opposite trends to many of the other target pests, and actually increased in numbers under the higher rates of chlorpyrifos in comparison to the other treatments. Slug numbers in the final rotation of canola resulted in significant yield loss regardless

Broad spectrum pesticide application alters natural enemy communities and may facilitate secondary pest outbreaks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew P. Hill

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background Pesticide application is the dominant control method for arthropod pests in broad-acre arable systems. In Australia, organophosphate pesticides are often applied either prophylactically, or reactively, including at higher concentrations, to control crop establishment pests such as false wireworms and earth mite species. Organophosphates are reported to be disruptive to beneficial species, such as natural enemies, but this has not been widely assessed in Australian systems. Neither has the risk that secondary outbreaks may occur if the natural enemy community composition or function is altered. Methods We examine the abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrate communities in an arable field over successive seasons under rotation; barley, two years of wheat, then canola. Two organophosphates (chlorpyrifos and methidathion were initially applied at recommended rates. After no discernible impact on target pest species, the rate for chlorpyrifos was doubled to elicit a definitive response to a level used at establishment when seedling damage is observed. Invertebrates were sampled using pitfalls and refuge traps throughout the experiments. We applied measures of community diversity, principal response curves and multiple generalised linear modelling techniques to understand the changes in pest and natural enemy communities. Results There was large variability due to seasonality and crop type. Nevertheless, both pest (e.g., mites and aphids and natural enemy (e.g., predatory beetles invertebrate communities were significantly affected by application of organophosphates. When the rate of chlorpyrifos was increased there was a reduction in the number of beetles that predate on slug populations. Slugs displayed opposite trends to many of the other target pests, and actually increased in numbers under the higher rates of chlorpyrifos in comparison to the other treatments. Slug numbers in the final rotation of canola resulted in significant yield

Lutetium-177 - Broad Production Capabilities are Expected to Stimulate Clinical Applications of this Important Therapeutic Radioisotope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, F.F. Jr.

2009-01-01

Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) is of broad interest for therapeutic applications where the deposition of localized radiation can benefit from the limited soft tissue penetration of the 0.497 MeV beta particle (max. = 2.76 mm). Examples of Lu-177 therapeutic strategies include treatment of small SS2/SS5-expressing tumors with targeted peptides and radiosynovectomy. Emission of a 208 keV gamma photon (11 %) allows imaging for evaluation of localization and biokinetics, and for targeting applications, correlation of uptake with therapeutic response. A broad spectrum of research reactors with even modest thermal neutron flux (e.g. > 1 x 10 14 ) can produce carrier-added Lu-177 with sufficient specific activity (SA) > 10 Ci/mg Lu by the 'direct' approach by irradiation of Lu-176. For low SA applications, thermal flux of > 10 13 in low-medium flux reactors provides sufficient SA (> 0.5 mCi Lu-177/mg) for preparation of Lu-EDTMP for synovectomy. Although relative Lu-177m/Lu-177 activity levels from 'direct' production can be very low (> 10 -5 ), the Lu-177m impurity levels can present an issue with radioactive waste storage requirements at some institutions. The alternative 'indirect' approach using decay of reactor produced ytterbium-177 available from by neutron irradiation of enriched Yb-176 targets provides no-carrier-added (nca) Lu-177 (theoretical SA = 109 Ci/mg Lu). Purification of the microscopic levels of nca Lu-177 from macroscopic Yb levels at the high multi Curie production level is a more challenging approach, since production yields are relatively low even at high thermal flux (e.g. 2 x 10 15 neutrons/cm 2 /sec). In addition, high mass Lu/Yb separation is especially time consuming, can generate significant waste, and the relatively expensive Yb-176 target material (> 97%, ∼ $ 20/mg) must be recovered, re-purified and used for subsequent target preparation. However, a number of effective methods for the Lu/Yb separation and Yb recovery have been reported, and even

Broad-Scale Genetic Diversity of Cannabis for Forensic Applications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Dufresnes

Full Text Available Cannabis (hemp and marijuana is an iconic yet controversial crop. On the one hand, it represents a growing market for pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. On the other hand, plants synthesizing the psychoactive THC produce the most widespread illicit drug in the world. Yet, the difficulty to reliably distinguish between Cannabis varieties based on morphological or biochemical criteria impedes the development of promising industrial programs and hinders the fight against narcotrafficking. Genetics offers an appropriate alternative to characterize drug vs. non-drug Cannabis. However, forensic applications require rapid and affordable genotyping of informative and reliable molecular markers for which a broad-scale reference database, representing both intra- and inter-variety variation, is available. Here we provide such a resource for Cannabis, by genotyping 13 microsatellite loci (STRs in 1 324 samples selected specifically for fibre (24 hemp varieties and drug (15 marijuana varieties production. We showed that these loci are sufficient to capture most of the genome-wide diversity patterns recently revealed by NGS data. We recovered strong genetic structure between marijuana and hemp and demonstrated that anonymous samples can be confidently assigned to either plant types. Fibres appear genetically homogeneous whereas drugs show low (often clonal diversity within varieties, but very high genetic differentiation between them, likely resulting from breeding practices. Based on an additional test dataset including samples from 41 local police seizures, we showed that the genetic signature of marijuana cultivars could be used to trace crime scene evidence. To date, our study provides the most comprehensive genetic resource for Cannabis forensics worldwide.

Broad-Scale Genetic Diversity of Cannabis for Forensic Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Dufresnes, Christophe; Jan, Catherine; Bienert, Friederike; Goudet, Jérôme; Fumagalli, Luca

2017-01-01

Cannabis (hemp and marijuana) is an iconic yet controversial crop. On the one hand, it represents a growing market for pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. On the other hand, plants synthesizing the psychoactive THC produce the most widespread illicit drug in the world. Yet, the difficulty to reliably distinguish between Cannabis varieties based on morphological or biochemical criteria impedes the development of promising industrial programs and hinders the fight against narcotrafficking. Genetics offers an appropriate alternative to characterize drug vs. non-drug Cannabis. However, forensic applications require rapid and affordable genotyping of informative and reliable molecular markers for which a broad-scale reference database, representing both intra- and inter-variety variation, is available. Here we provide such a resource for Cannabis, by genotyping 13 microsatellite loci (STRs) in 1 324 samples selected specifically for fibre (24 hemp varieties) and drug (15 marijuana varieties) production. We showed that these loci are sufficient to capture most of the genome-wide diversity patterns recently revealed by NGS data. We recovered strong genetic structure between marijuana and hemp and demonstrated that anonymous samples can be confidently assigned to either plant types. Fibres appear genetically homogeneous whereas drugs show low (often clonal) diversity within varieties, but very high genetic differentiation between them, likely resulting from breeding practices. Based on an additional test dataset including samples from 41 local police seizures, we showed that the genetic signature of marijuana cultivars could be used to trace crime scene evidence. To date, our study provides the most comprehensive genetic resource for Cannabis forensics worldwide.

Weaknesses in Awarding Fees for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Contract

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-02

Table of Contents Introduction 1 Audit Objectives 1 Background on Broad Area Maritime Surveillance 1...24 Mangement Comments The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition 25... Introduction Audit Objectives This is the first in a series of reports on the contract supporting the Broad Area Maritime

Coordinating complex decision support activities across distributed applications

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Richard M.

1994-01-01

Knowledge-based technologies have been applied successfully to automate planning and scheduling in many problem domains. Automation of decision support can be increased further by integrating task-specific applications with supporting database systems, and by coordinating interactions between such tools to facilitate collaborative activities. Unfortunately, the technical obstacles that must be overcome to achieve this vision of transparent, cooperative problem-solving are daunting. Intelligent decision support tools are typically developed for standalone use, rely on incompatible, task-specific representational models and application programming interfaces (API's), and run on heterogeneous computing platforms. Getting such applications to interact freely calls for platform independent capabilities for distributed communication, as well as tools for mapping information across disparate representations. Symbiotics is developing a layered set of software tools (called NetWorks! for integrating and coordinating heterogeneous distributed applications. he top layer of tools consists of an extensible set of generic, programmable coordination services. Developers access these services via high-level API's to implement the desired interactions between distributed applications.

Supported ionic liquids fundamentals and applications

CERN Document Server

Fehrmann, Rasmus; Haumann, Marco

2013-01-01

This unique book gives a timely overview about the fundamentals and applications of supported ionic liquids in modern organic synthesis. It introduces the concept and synthesis of SILP materials and presents important applications in the field of catalysis (e.g. hydroformylation, hydrogenation, coupling reactions, fine chemical synthesis) as well as energy technology and gas separation. Written by pioneers in the field, this book is an invaluable reference book for organic chemists in academia or industry.

Applications of a broad-spectrum tool for conservation and fisheries analysis: aquatic gap analysis

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, James E.; Steen, Paul J.; Lyons, John; Stewart, Jana S.

2009-01-01

. Aquatic gap analysis naturally focuses on aquatic habitats. The analytical tools are largely based on specification of the species-habitat relations for the system and organism group of interest (Morrison et al. 2003; McKenna et al. 2006; Steen et al. 2006; Sowa et al. 2007). The Great Lakes Regional Aquatic Gap Analysis (GLGap) project focuses primarily on lotic habitat of the U.S. Great Lakes drainage basin and associated states and has been developed to address fish and fisheries issues. These tools are unique because they allow us to address problems at a range of scales from the region to the stream segment and include the ability to predict species specific occurrence or abundance for most of the fish species in the study area. The results and types of questions that can be addressed provide better global understanding of the ecological context within which specific natural resources fit (e.g., neighboring environments and resources, and large and small scale processes). The geographic analysis platform consists of broad and flexible geospatial tools (and associated data) with many potential applications. The objectives of this article are to provide a brief overview of GLGap methods and analysis tools, and demonstrate conservation and planning applications of those data and tools. Although there are many potential applications, we will highlight just three: (1) support for the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV), (2) Aquatic Life classification in Wisconsin, and (3) an educational tool that makes use of Google Earth (use of trade or product names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government) and Internet accessibility.

Pipe supports and anchors - LMFBR applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, M.J.

1983-06-01

Pipe design and support design can not be treated as separate disciplines. A coordinated design approach is required if LMFBR pipe system adequacy is to be achieved at a reasonable cost. It is particularly important that system designers understand and consider those factors which influence support train flexibility and thus the pipe system dynamic stress levels. The system approach must not stop with the design phase but should continue thru the erection and acceptance test procedures. The factors that should be considered in the design of LMFBR pipe supports and anchors are described. The various pipe support train elements are described together with guidance on analysis, design and application aspects. Post erection acceptance and verification test procedures are then discussed

Twin support vector machines models, extensions and applications

CERN Document Server

Jayadeva; Chandra, Suresh

2017-01-01

This book provides a systematic and focused study of the various aspects of twin support vector machines (TWSVM) and related developments for classification and regression. In addition to presenting most of the basic models of TWSVM and twin support vector regression (TWSVR) available in the literature, it also discusses the important and challenging applications of this new machine learning methodology. A chapter on “Additional Topics” has been included to discuss kernel optimization and support tensor machine topics, which are comparatively new but have great potential in applications. It is primarily written for graduate students and researchers in the area of machine learning and related topics in computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, management science and finance.

Impulse: Memory System Support for Scientific Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John B. Carter

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Impulse is a new memory system architecture that adds two important features to a traditional memory controller. First, Impulse supports application‐specific optimizations through configurable physical address remapping. By remapping physical addresses, applications control how their data is accessed and cached, improving their cache and bus utilization. Second, Impulse supports prefetching at the memory controller, which can hide much of the latency of DRAM accesses. Because it requires no modification to processor, cache, or bus designs, Impulse can be adopted in conventional systems. In this paper we describe the design of the Impulse architecture, and show how an Impulse memory system can improve the performance of memory‐bound scientific applications. For instance, Impulse decreases the running time of the NAS conjugate gradient benchmark by 67%. We expect that Impulse will also benefit regularly strided, memory‐bound applications of commercial importance, such as database and multimedia programs.

Four-train support always more reliable than a two-train support?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guey, C.N.; Arrieta, L.; Youngblood, R.

1986-01-01

Once the gross features of a frontline fluid system have been defined, one must consider what support system configuration will provide the best overall system performance. This paper considers different direct-current (dc) bus configurations for a given emergency feedwater system (EFWS). Results indicate that a four-train support system (i.e., 4 dc buses) gives a lower system unavailability for transients, but a higher system unavailability for anticipated transients without scram (ATWSs), than a two-train support system (i.e., two dc buses). This serves to illustrate that more trains do not necessarily provide higher reliability, and that a configuration choice which is better for one emission success criterion may be worse for another. Because of the small characteristic unreliability of dc buses, the numerical comparisons made here are not dramatic, but the underlying topological point is nevertheless broadly applicable

Designing Interactive Applications to Support Novel Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyowon Lee

2013-01-01

Full Text Available R&D in media-related technologies including multimedia, information retrieval, computer vision, and the semantic web is experimenting on a variety of computational tools that, if sufficiently matured, could support many novel activities that are not practiced today. Interactive technology demonstration systems produced typically at the end of their projects show great potential for taking advantage of technological possibilities. These demo systems or “demonstrators” are, even if crude or farfetched, a significant manifestation of the technologists’ visions in transforming emerging technologies into novel usage scenarios and applications. In this paper, we reflect on design processes and crucial design decisions made while designing some successful, web-based interactive demonstrators developed by the authors. We identify methodological issues in applying today’s requirement-driven usability engineering method to designing this type of novel applications and solicit a clearer distinction between designing mainstream applications and designing novel applications. More solution-oriented approaches leveraging design thinking are required, and more pragmatic evaluation criteria is needed that assess the role of the system in exploiting the technological possibilities to provoke further brainstorming and discussion. Such an approach will support a more efficient channelling of the technology-to-application transformation which are becoming increasingly crucial in today’s context of rich technological possibilities.

Use of reactive gases with broad-beam radio frequency ion sources for industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, St.; Jolly, T.W.; Kohlstedt, H.; Waser, R.

2004-01-01

Broad-beam ion sources are used for a number of important industrial etching and deposition applications, and the use of inductively coupled plasmas has greatly increased the feasibility of using beams of reactive gases, especially of chlorine and oxygen, but also of CO, CO 2 , CF 4 , CHF 3 , SF 6 , etc. In order to gain more understanding of the factors that affect the composition of beams of these gases, we have used a Hiden energy-dispersive quadrupole mass spectrometer to analyze the flux of ions and energetic particles produced by an Oxford Instruments 15 cm rf ion source. For all of the above gases, we have analyzed the effects of changing the operating conditions on the composition of the ion beam, and the fractional production of multiply charged ions; on the plasma potential (and the consequential divergence of the ion beam) and on the spread in energy of the ion beam. We discuss how these factors influence the correct use of the ion source in etching applications with these gases. It is important that the design of the ion source should be optimized for the process gases that are used. The source was originally optimized for use on argon. We discuss the effect of the design on the source's performance with the different gases, and we consider whether design changes would be appropriate for optimum performance on different gases

Risk-based analyses in support of California hazardous site remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ringland, J.T.

1995-08-01

The California Environmental Enterprise (CEE) is a joint program of the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. Its goal is to make DOE laboratory expertise accessible to hazardous site cleanups in the state This support might involve working directly with parties responsible for individual cleanups or it might involve working with the California Environmental Protection Agency to develop tools that would be applicable across a broad range of sites. As part of its initial year's activities, the CEE supported a review to examine where laboratory risk and risk-based systems analysis capabilities might be most effectively applied. To this end, this study draws the following observations. The labs have a clear role in analyses supporting the demonstration and transfer of laboratory characterization or remediation technologies. The labs may have opportunities in developing broadly applicable analysis tools and computer codes for problems such as site characterization or efficient management of resources. Analysis at individual sites, separate from supporting lab technologies or prototyping general tools, may be appropriate only in limited circumstances. In any of these roles, the labs' capabilities extend beyond health risk assessment to the broader areas of risk management and risk-based systems analysis

Polymer-supported metals and metal oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkar, Sudipta; Guibal, E.; Quignard, F.; SenGupta, A. K.

2012-01-01

Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles exhibit unique properties in regard to sorption behaviors, magnetic activity, chemical reduction, ligand sequestration among others. To this end, attempts are being continuously made to take advantage of them in multitude of applications including separation, catalysis, environmental remediation, sensing, biomedical applications and others. However, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles lack chemical stability and mechanical strength. They exhibit extremely high pressure drop or head loss in fixed-bed column operation and are not suitable for any flow-through systems. Also, nanoparticles tend to aggregate; this phenomenon reduces their high surface area to volume ratio and subsequently reduces effectiveness. By appropriately dispersing metal and metal oxide nanoparticles into synthetic and naturally occurring polymers, many of the shortcomings can be overcome without compromising the parent properties of the nanoparticles. Furthermore, the appropriate choice of the polymer host with specific functional groups may even lead to the enhancement of the properties of nanoparticles. The synthesis of hybrid materials involves two broad pathways: dispersing the nanoparticles (i) within pre-formed or commercially available polymers; and (ii) during the polymerization process. This review presents a broad coverage of nanoparticles and polymeric/biopolymeric host materials and the resulting properties of the hybrid composites. In addition, the review discusses the role of the Donnan membrane effect exerted by the host functionalized polymer in harnessing the desirable properties of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles for intended applications.

Electrically-pumped, broad-area, single-mode photonic crystal lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Lin; Chak, Philip; Poon, Joyce K S; DeRose, Guy A; Yariv, Amnon; Scherer, Axel

2007-05-14

Planar broad-area single-mode lasers, with modal widths of the order of tens of microns, are technologically important for high-power applications and improved coupling efficiency into optical fibers. They may also find new areas of applications in on-chip integration with devices that are of similar size scales, such as for spectroscopy in microfluidic chambers or optical signal processing with micro-electromechanical systems. An outstanding challenge is that broad-area lasers often require external means of control, such as injection-locking or a frequency/spatial filter to obtain single-mode operation. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate effective index-guided, large-area, edge-emitting photonic crystal lasers driven by pulsed electrical current injection at the optical telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. By suitable design of the photonic crystal lattice, our lasers operate in a single mode with a 1/e(2) modal width of 25 microm and a length of 600 microm.

The Cladistic Basis for the Phylogenetic Diversity (PD Measure Links Evolutionary Features to Environmental Gradients and Supports Broad Applications of Microbial Ecology’s “Phylogenetic Beta Diversity” Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rob Knight

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The PD measure of phylogenetic diversity interprets branch lengths cladistically to make inferences about feature diversity. PD calculations extend conventional specieslevel ecological indices to the features level. The “phylogenetic beta diversity” framework developed by microbial ecologists calculates PD-dissimilarities between community localities. Interpretation of these PD-dissimilarities at the feature level explains the framework’s success in producing ordinations revealing environmental gradients. An example gradients space using PD-dissimilarities illustrates how evolutionary features form unimodal response patterns to gradients. This features model supports new application of existing species-level methods that are robust to unimodal responses, plus novel applications relating to climate change, commercial products discovery, and community assembly.

Applications of Advanced Technology for Monitoring Forest Carbon to Support Climate Change Mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Birdsey, R.; Hurtt, G. C.; Dubayah, R.; Hagen, S. C.; Vargas, R.; Nehrkorn, T.; Domke, G. M.; Houghton, R. A.

2015-12-01

Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) is a broad concept guiding the application of monitoring technology to the needs of countries or entities for reporting and verifying reductions in greenhouse gas emissions or increases in greenhouse gas sinks. Credibility, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility are important features of global MRV efforts that can support implementation of climate change mitigation programs such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management (REDD+). Applications of MRV technology may be tailored to individual country circumstances following guidance provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; hence, there is no single approach that is uniquely viable but rather a range of ways to integrate new MRV methods. MRV technology is advancing rapidly with new remote sensing and advanced measurement of atmospheric CO2, and in situ terrestrial and ocean measurements, coupled with improvements in data analysis, modeling, and assessing uncertainty. Here we briefly summarize some of the most application-ready MRV technologies being developed under NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) program, and illustrate how these technologies may be applied for monitoring forests using several case studies that span a range of scales, country circumstances, and stakeholder reporting requirements. We also include remarks about the potential role of advanced monitoring technology in the context of the global climate accord that is expected to result from the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is expected to take place in December 2015, in Paris, France.

Software Application for Supporting the Education of Database Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Vágner, Anikó

2015-01-01

The article introduces an application which supports the education of database systems, particularly the teaching of SQL and PL/SQL in Oracle Database Management System environment. The application has two parts, one is the database schema and its content, and the other is a C# application. The schema is to administrate and store the tasks and the…

The investigation of copper-based impregnated activated carbons prepared from water-soluble materials for broad spectrum respirator applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J.W.H.; Westreich, P.; Abdellatif, H.; Filbee-Dexter, P.; Smith, A.J.; Wood, T.E.; Croll, L.M.; Reynolds, J.H.; Dahn, J.R.

2010-01-01

The preparation of impregnated activated carbons (IACs) from aqueous, copper-containing solutions for broad spectrum gas filtration applications is studied here. Several samples were studied to determine the effect that impregnant loading, impregnant distribution and impregnant recipe had on the overall performance. Dynamic flow testing was used to determine the gas filtration capacity of the IAC samples versus a variety of challenge gases. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were used to characterize the impregnant distribution on the carbon as a function of impregnant loading. Oven tests were performed to determine the thermal stability of the IAC samples exposed to elevated temperatures. The role impregnant distribution plays in gas filtration capacity and the overall performance of the IAC samples is discussed. The IAC samples prepared in this work were found to have gas filtration capacities as good as or better than broad spectrum respirator carbon samples prepared from the patent literature. IACs impregnated with an aqueous 2.4 M Cu(NO 3 ) 2 /0.04 M H 3 PO 4 .12MoO 3 /4 M HNO 3 solution that were heated to 200 deg. C under argon were found to have the best overall performance of the samples studied in this work.

Shape-Selection of Thermodynamically Stabilized Colloidal Pd and Pt Nanoparticles Controlled via Support Effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmadi, M.; Behafarid, F.; Holse, Christian

2015-01-01

Colloidal chemistry, in combination with nanoparticle (NP)/support epitaxial interactions is used here to synthesize shape-selected and thermodynamically stable metallic NPs over a broad range of NP sizes. The morphology of three-dimensional palladium and platinum NPs supported on TiO2(110) was i......Colloidal chemistry, in combination with nanoparticle (NP)/support epitaxial interactions is used here to synthesize shape-selected and thermodynamically stable metallic NPs over a broad range of NP sizes. The morphology of three-dimensional palladium and platinum NPs supported on TiO2...... rows and was found to be responsible for the shape control. The ability of synthesizing thermally stable shape-selected metal NPs demonstrated here is expected to be of relevance for applications in the field of catalysis, since the activity and selectivity of NP catalysts has been shown to strongly...

Supporting continuous media communications and applications by exploiting their special characteristics

OpenAIRE

Fan, C.

1998-01-01

Distributed multimedia applications need end-to-end support from both the networks and the endsystems. The operating systems are critical both for accessing networking services and for controlling the activities on the endsystems. It is therefore vital to enhance the functionality and performance of the operating system in order to provide feasible support for multimedia communications and applications. The work proposes to support multimedia, especially continuous media, communications and a...

Beam, multi-beam and broad beam production with COMIC devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sortais, P.; Lamy, T.; Medard, J.; Angot, J.; Peaucelle, C.

2012-01-01

The COMIC discharge cavity is a very versatile technology. We will present new results and devices that match new applications like: molecular beams, ultra compact beam line for detectors calibrations, quartz source for on-line application, high voltage platform source, sputtering /assistance broad beams and finally, a quite new use, high energy multi-beam production for surface material modifications. In more details, we will show that the tiny discharge of COMIC can mainly produce molecular ions (H 3+ ). We will present the preliminary operation of the fully quartz ISOLDE COMIC version, in collaboration with IPN Lyon, we will present a first approach for a slit extraction version of a three cavity device, and after discussing about various extraction systems on the multi discharge device (41 cavities) we will show the low energy broad beam (2 KV) and high energy multi-beams (10 beams up to 30 KV) productions. We will specially present the different extraction systems adapted to each application and the beams characteristics which are strongly dependent on the voltage distribution of an accel-accel two electrodes extraction system. The paper is followed by the slides of the presentation. (authors)

34 CFR 646.10 - How many applications for a Student Support Services award may an eligible applicant submit?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How many applications for a Student Support Services award may an eligible applicant submit? 646.10 Section 646.10 Education Regulations of the Offices of... STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM How Does One Apply for an Award? § 646.10 How many applications for a...

Digital terrain modelling development and applications in a policy support environment

CERN Document Server

Peckham, Robert Joseph

2007-01-01

This publication is the first book on the development and application of digital terrain modelling for regional planning and policy support. It is a compilation of research results by international research groups at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre providing scientific support to the development and implementation of EU environmental policy. Applications include the pan-European River and Catchment Database, European Flood Alert System, European Digital Soil Database and alternative solar energy resources, all discussed in a GIS framework in the context of the INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation in Europe (INSPIRE). This practice-oriented book is recommended to practicing environmental modellers and GIS experts working on regional planning and policy support applications.

Constructing and Using Broad-coverage Lexical Resource for Enhancing Morphological Analysis of Arabic

OpenAIRE

Sawalha, M.; Atwell, E.S.

2010-01-01

Broad-coverage language resources which provide prior linguistic knowledge must improve the accuracy and the performance of NLP applications. We are constructing a broad-coverage lexical resource to improve the accuracy of morphological analyzers and part-of-speech taggers of Arabic text. Over the past 1200 years, many different kinds of Arabic language lexicons were constructed; these lexicons are different in ordering, size and aim or goal of construction. We collected 23 machine-readable l...

The investigation of copper-based impregnated activated carbons prepared from water-soluble materials for broad spectrum respirator applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, J.W.H.; Westreich, P.; Abdellatif, H.; Filbee-Dexter, P.; Smith, A.J. [Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5 (Canada); Wood, T.E. [3M Company, St. Paul, MN, 55144 (United States); Croll, L.M.; Reynolds, J.H. [3M Canada Company, Brockville, Ontario, K6V 5V8 (Canada); Dahn, J.R., E-mail: jeff.dahn@dal.ca [Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5 (Canada); Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4J3 (Canada)

2010-08-15

The preparation of impregnated activated carbons (IACs) from aqueous, copper-containing solutions for broad spectrum gas filtration applications is studied here. Several samples were studied to determine the effect that impregnant loading, impregnant distribution and impregnant recipe had on the overall performance. Dynamic flow testing was used to determine the gas filtration capacity of the IAC samples versus a variety of challenge gases. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were used to characterize the impregnant distribution on the carbon as a function of impregnant loading. Oven tests were performed to determine the thermal stability of the IAC samples exposed to elevated temperatures. The role impregnant distribution plays in gas filtration capacity and the overall performance of the IAC samples is discussed. The IAC samples prepared in this work were found to have gas filtration capacities as good as or better than broad spectrum respirator carbon samples prepared from the patent literature. IACs impregnated with an aqueous 2.4 M Cu(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}/0.04 M H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}.12MoO{sub 3}/4 M HNO{sub 3} solution that were heated to 200 deg. C under argon were found to have the best overall performance of the samples studied in this work.

Quality of Service in Networks Supporting Cultural Multimedia Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kanellopoulos, Dimitris N.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to provide an overview of representative multimedia applications in the cultural heritage sector, as well as research results on quality of service (QoS) mechanisms in internet protocol (IP) networks that support such applications. Design/methodology/approach: The paper's approach is a literature review. Findings: Cultural…

Applications of system dynamics modelling to support health policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, Jo-An M; Wells, Robert; Page, Andrew; Dominello, Amanda; Haines, Mary; Wilson, Andrew

2015-07-09

The value of systems science modelling methods in the health sector is increasingly being recognised. Of particular promise is the potential of these methods to improve operational aspects of healthcare capacity and delivery, analyse policy options for health system reform and guide investments to address complex public health problems. Because it lends itself to a participatory approach, system dynamics modelling has been a particularly appealing method that aims to align stakeholder understanding of the underlying causes of a problem and achieve consensus for action. The aim of this review is to determine the effectiveness of system dynamics modelling for health policy, and explore the range and nature of its application. A systematic search was conducted to identify articles published up to April 2015 from the PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Embase, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases. The grey literature was also searched. Papers eligible for inclusion were those that described applications of system dynamics modelling to support health policy at any level of government. Six papers were identified, comprising eight case studies of the application of system dynamics modelling to support health policy. No analytic studies were found that examined the effectiveness of this type of modelling. Only three examples engaged multidisciplinary stakeholders in collective model building. Stakeholder participation in model building reportedly facilitated development of a common 'mental map' of the health problem, resulting in consensus about optimal policy strategy and garnering support for collaborative action. The paucity of relevant papers indicates that, although the volume of descriptive literature advocating the value of system dynamics modelling is considerable, its practical application to inform health policy making is yet to be routinely applied and rigorously evaluated. Advances in software are allowing the participatory model building approach to be extended to

MYPLAN - A Mobile Phone Application for Supporting People at Risk of Suicide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovgaard Larsen, Jette L; Frandsen, Hanne; Erlangsen, Annette

2016-01-01

describes MYPLAN, a mobile phone application designed to support people at risk of suicide by letting them create a safety plan. METHOD: MYPLAN was developed in collaboration with clinical psychiatric staff at Danish suicide preventive clinics. The mobile application lets the user create an individualized......BACKGROUND: Safety plans have been suggested as an intervention for people at risk of suicide. Given the impulsive character of suicidal ideation, a safety plan in the format of a mobile phone application is likely to be more available and useful than traditional paper versions. AIMS: The study......,000 times. Users at risk of suicide as well as clinical staff have provided positive feedback on the mobile application. CONCLUSION: Support via mobile phone applications might be particularly useful for younger age groups at risk of suicide as well as in areas or countries where support options are lacking...

Surface defect assisted broad spectra emission from CdSe quantum dots for white LED application

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel, Boni; Mathew, S.; Anand, V. R.; Correya, Adrine Antony; Nampoori, V. P. N.; Mujeeb, A.

2018-02-01

This paper reports, broadband photoluminescence from CdSe quantum dots (QDs) under the excitation of 403 nm using fluorimeter and 403 nm CW laser excitation. The broad spectrum obtained from the colloidal quantum dots was ranges from 450 nm to 800 nm. The broadness of the spectra was attributed to the merging of band edge and defect driven emissions from the QDs. Six different sizes of particles were prepared via kinetic growth method by using CdO and elemental Se as sources of Cd and Se respectively. The particle sizes were measured from TEM images. The size dependent effect on broad emission was also studied and the defect state emission was found to be predominant in very small QDs. The defect driven emission was also observed to be redshifted, similar to the band edge emission, due to quantum confinement effect. The emission corresponding to different laser power was also studied and a linear relation was obtained. In order to study the colour characteristics of the emission, CIE chromaticity coordinate, CRI and CCT of the prepared samples were measured. It is observed that, these values were tunable by the addition of suitable intensity of blue light from the excitation source to yield white light of various colour temperatures. The broad photoluminescence spectrum of the QDs, were compared with that of a commercially available white LED. It was found that the prepared QDs are good alternatives for the phosphor in phosphor converted white LEDs, to provide good spectral tunability.

77 FR 33097 - Application To Participate in an Auction for Mobility Fund Phase I Support and Application for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-05

... America Fund & Intercarrier Compensation Reform Order (Order), FCC 11-161 and a Bureau Order, DA 12-147...-147] Application To Participate in an Auction for Mobility Fund Phase I Support and Application for Mobility Fund Phase I Support AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Final rule; announcement...

The 2010 Broad Prize

Science.gov (United States)

Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 2011

2011-01-01

A new data analysis, based on data collected as part of The Broad Prize process, provides insights into which large urban school districts in the United States are doing the best job of educating traditionally disadvantaged groups: African-American, Hispanics, and low-income students. Since 2002, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has awarded The…

Information support systems for cultural heritage protection against flooding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Nedvedova

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The goal of this paper is to present use of different kind of software applications to create complex support system for protection of cultural heritage against flooding. The project is very complex and it tries to cover the whole area of the problem from prevention to liquidation of aftermath effects. We used GIS for mapping the risk areas, ontology systems for vulnerability assessment application and the BORM method (Business Object Relation Modelling for flood protection system planning guide. Those modern technologies helped us to gather a lot of information in one place and provide the knowledge to the broad audience.

Teleworks: a CSCW application for remote medical diagnosis support and teleconsultation.

Science.gov (United States)

Makris, L; Kamilatos, I; Kopsacheilis, E V; Strintzis, M G

1998-06-01

The present paper describes methods for the design of both synchronous and asynchronous computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) procedures suitable for the medical application area and specifically for the purpose of medical teleconsultation and remote diagnosis support. The experimental implementation of a CSCW system built upon a PC/Windows platform is detailed as an example of a low-cost system suitable for adoption in a wide range of medical teleconsultation applications.

Supporting mobile applications developer through Java IDE using contextual inquiry

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Samuel, OO

2009-03-01

Full Text Available (IDEs) for developing mobile applications. Described is the approach of this method to support mobile application developers, through the use of an IDE (NetBeans IDE in the context of this research). CI provides useful data on the typical problems found...

78 FR 20119 - Broad Stakeholder Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY [Docket No. DHS-2012-0042] Broad Stakeholder Survey AGENCY... concerning the Broad Stakeholder Survey. DHS previously published this ICR in the Federal Register on August... across the Nation. The Broad Stakeholder Survey is designed to gather stakeholder feedback on the...

Broad band exciplex dye lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dienes, A.; Shank, C.V.; Trozzolo, A.M.

1975-01-01

The disclosure is concerned with exciplex dye lasers, i.e., lasers in which the emitting species is a complex formed only from a constituent in an electronically excited state. Noting that an exciplex laser, favorable from the standpoint of broad tunability, results from a broad shift in the peak emission wavelength for the exciplex relative to the unreacted species, a desirable class resulting in such broad shift is described. Preferred classes of laser media utilizing specified resonant molecules are set forth. (auth)

Towards Process Support for Migrating Applications to Cloud Computing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chauhan, Muhammad Aufeef; Babar, Muhammad Ali

2012-01-01

Cloud computing is an active area of research for industry and academia. There are a large number of organizations providing cloud computing infrastructure and services. In order to utilize these infrastructure resources and services, existing applications need to be migrated to clouds. However...... for supporting migration to cloud computing based on our experiences from migrating an Open Source System (OSS), Hackystat, to two different cloud computing platforms. We explained the process by performing a comparative analysis of our efforts to migrate Hackystate to Amazon Web Services and Google App Engine....... We also report the potential challenges, suitable solutions, and lesson learned to support the presented process framework. We expect that the reported experiences can serve guidelines for those who intend to migrate software applications to cloud computing....

Nitrogen-rich functional groups carbon nanoparticles based fluorescent pH sensor with broad-range responding for environmental and live cells applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Bingfang; Su, Yubin; Zhang, Liangliang; Liu, Rongjun; Huang, Mengjiao; Zhao, Shulin

2016-08-15

A nitrogen-rich functional groups carbon nanoparticles (N-CNs) based fluorescent pH sensor with a broad-range responding was prepared by one-pot hydrothermal treatment of melamine and triethanolamine. The as-prepared N-CNs exhibited excellent photoluminesence properties with an absolute quantum yield (QY) of 11.0%. Furthermore, the N-CNs possessed a broad-range pH response. The linear pH response range was 3.0 to 12.0, which is much wider than that of previously reported fluorescent pH sensors. The possible mechanism for the pH-sensitive response of the N-CNs was ascribed to photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Cell toxicity experiment showed that the as-prepared N-CNs exhibited low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility with the cell viabilities of more than 87%. The proposed N-CNs-based pH sensor was used for pH monitoring of environmental water samples, and pH fluorescence imaging of live T24 cells. The N-CNs is promising as a convenient and general fluorescent pH sensor for environmental monitoring and bioimaging applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Generation of a Broad-Group HTGR Library for Use with SCALE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, Ronald James; Lee, Deokjung; Wiarda, Dorothea; Williams, Mark L.; Mertyurek, Ugur

2012-01-01

With current and ongoing interest in high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) anticipates the need for nuclear data libraries appropriate for use in applications for modeling, assessing, and analyzing HTGR reactor physics and operating behavior. The objective of this work was to develop a broad-group library suitable for production analyses with SCALE for HTGR applications. Several interim libraries were generated from SCALE fine-group 238- and 999-group libraries, and the final broad-group library was created from Evaluated Nuclear Data File/B Version ENDF/B-VII Release 0 cross-section evaluations using new ORNL methodologies with AMPX, SCALE, and other codes. Furthermore, intermediate resonance (IR) methods were applied to the HTGR broadgroup library, and lambda factors and f-factors were incorporated into the library s nuclear data files. A new version of the SCALE BONAMI module named BONAMI-IR was developed to process the IR data in the new library and, thus, eliminate the need for the CENTRM/PMC modules for resonance selfshielding. This report documents the development of the HTGR broad-group nuclear data library and the results of test and benchmark calculations using the new library with SCALE. The 81-group library is shown to model HTGR cases with similar accuracy to the SCALE 238-group library but with significantly faster computational times due to the reduced number of energy groups and the use of BONAMI-IR instead of BONAMI/CENTRM/PMC for resonance self-shielding calculations.

Supporting Knowledge Mobilization and Research Impact Strategies in Grant Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Phipps, David; Jensen, Krista E.; Johnny, Michael; Poetz, Anneliese

2016-01-01

Each application to the National Science Foundation (NSF) must contain a Broader Impact (BI) strategy. Similarly, grant applications for most research funders in Canada and the UK require strategies to support the translation of research into impacts on society; however, the guidance provided to researchers is too general to inform the specific…

IAEA activities supporting the applications of research reactors in 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peld, N.D.; Ridikas, D.

2014-01-01

As the underutilization of research reactors around the world persists as a primary topic of concern among facility owners and operators, the IAEA responded in 2013 with a broad range of activities to address the planning, execution and improvement of many experimental techniques. The revision of two critical documents for planning and diversifying a facility's portfolio of applications, TECDOC 1234 'The Applications of Research Reactors' and TECDOC 1212 'Strategic Planning for Research Reactors', is in progress in order to keep this information relevant, corresponding to the dynamism of experimental techniques and research capabilities. Related to the latter TECDOC, the IAEA convened a meeting in 2013 for the expert review of a number of strategic plans submitted by research reactor operators in developing countries. A number of activities focusing on specific applications are either continuing or beginning as well. In neutron activation analysis, a joint round of inter-comparison proficiency testing sponsored by the IAEA Technical Cooperation Department will be completed, and facility progress in measurement accuracy is described. Also, a training workshop in neutron imaging and Coordinated Research Projects in reactor benchmarks, automation of neutron activation analysis and neutron beam techniques for material testing intend to advance these activities as more beneficial services to researchers and other users. (author)

Evolving the Design of a Mobile Application to Support Transition to Tertiary Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Zhao

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Students’ transition to tertiary education plays a critical role in their overall post-secondary experience. Even though educational institutions have designed and implemented various transition support programs, most of them still struggle to collect detailed information and provide tailored and timely support to students. With the high adoption rate of smart phones among university students, mobile applications can be used as a platform to provide personalized support throughout the transition, which has the potential to address the shortcomings of existing programs. Moreover, the use of mobile applications to support the transition to tertiary education can benefit from emerging techniques to design applications to support individuals through transition processes. In this paper, we present the design and development process of myUniMate, a mobile application that allows students to track and reflect on information from multiple aspects of their university lives. The paper describes the user-centered design approach used in the design, the implementation process, and how the initial version evolved based on our previous study. We conducted a 4-week field trial with first year university students to validate our design.

MICROLENSING OF QUASAR BROAD EMISSION LINES: CONSTRAINTS ON BROAD LINE REGION SIZE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerras, E.; Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Via Lactea S/N, La Laguna E-38200, Tenerife (Spain); Jimenez-Vicente, J. [Departamento de Fisica Teorica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, E-18071 Granada (Spain); Kochanek, C. S. [Department of Astronomy and the Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, The Ohio State University, 4055 McPherson Lab, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43221 (United States); Munoz, J. A. [Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Falco, E. [Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Motta, V. [Departamento de Fisica y Astronomia, Universidad de Valparaiso, Avda. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso (Chile)

2013-02-20

We measure the differential microlensing of the broad emission lines between 18 quasar image pairs in 16 gravitational lenses. We find that the broad emission lines are in general weakly microlensed. The results show, at a modest level of confidence (1.8{sigma}), that high ionization lines such as C IV are more strongly microlensed than low ionization lines such as H{beta}, indicating that the high ionization line emission regions are more compact. If we statistically model the distribution of microlensing magnifications, we obtain estimates for the broad line region size of r{sub s} = 24{sup +22} {sub -15} and r{sub s} = 55{sup +150} {sub -35} lt-day (90% confidence) for the high and low ionization lines, respectively. When the samples are divided into higher and lower luminosity quasars, we find that the line emission regions of more luminous quasars are larger, with a slope consistent with the expected scaling from photoionization models. Our estimates also agree well with the results from local reveberation mapping studies.

MYPLAN - A Mobile Phone Application for Supporting People at Risk of Suicide.

Science.gov (United States)

Skovgaard Larsen, Jette L; Frandsen, Hanne; Erlangsen, Annette

2016-05-01

Safety plans have been suggested as an intervention for people at risk of suicide. Given the impulsive character of suicidal ideation, a safety plan in the format of a mobile phone application is likely to be more available and useful than traditional paper versions. The study describes MYPLAN, a mobile phone application designed to support people at risk of suicide by letting them create a safety plan. MYPLAN was developed in collaboration with clinical psychiatric staff at Danish suicide preventive clinics. The mobile application lets the user create an individualized safety plan by filling in templates with strategies, actions, and direct links to contact persons. MYPLAN was developed in 2013 and is freely available in Denmark and Norway. It is designed for iPhone and android platforms. As of December 2015, the application has been downloaded almost 8,000 times. Users at risk of suicide as well as clinical staff have provided positive feedback on the mobile application. Support via mobile phone applications might be particularly useful for younger age groups at risk of suicide as well as in areas or countries where support options are lacking. Yet, it is important to examine the effectiveness of this type of intervention.

A network architecture supporting consistent rich behavior in collaborative interactive applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, James; Glencross, Mashhuda; Pettifer, Steve; Hubbold, Roger

2006-01-01

Network architectures for collaborative virtual reality have traditionally been dominated by client-server and peer-to-peer approaches, with peer-to-peer strategies typically being favored where minimizing latency is a priority, and client-server where consistency is key. With increasingly sophisticated behavior models and the demand for better support for haptics, we argue that neither approach provides sufficient support for these scenarios and, thus, a hybrid architecture is required. We discuss the relative performance of different distribution strategies in the face of real network conditions and illustrate the problems they face. Finally, we present an architecture that successfully meets many of these challenges and demonstrate its use in a distributed virtual prototyping application which supports simultaneous collaboration for assembly, maintenance, and training applications utilizing haptics.

Broad neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus from vaccinated healthy donors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubota-Koketsu, Ritsuko; Mizuta, Hiroyuki [Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Oshita, Masatoshi; Ideno, Shoji [Osaka Research Laboratory, Benesis Corporation, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532-6505 (Japan); Yunoki, Mikihiro [Osaka Research Laboratory, Benesis Corporation, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532-6505 (Japan); Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Kuhara, Motoki [Ina Laboratory, Medical and Biological Laboratories Corporation, Ltd., Ina, Nagano 396-0002 (Japan); Yamamoto, Naomasa [Department of Biochemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ohu University, Koriyama, Fukushima 963-8611 (Japan); Okuno, Yoshinobu [Kanonji Institute, The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University, Kanonji, Kagawa 768-0061 (Japan); Ikuta, Kazuyoshi, E-mail: ikuta@biken.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

2009-09-11

Human monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs) prepared from patients with viral infections could provide information on human epitopes important for the development of vaccines as well as potential therapeutic applications. Through the fusion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a total of five influenza-vaccinated volunteers, with newly developed murine-human chimera fusion partner cells, named SPYMEG, we obtained 10 hybridoma clones stably producing anti-influenza virus antibodies: one for influenza A H1N1, four for influenza A H3N2 and five for influenza B. Surprisingly, most of the HuMAbs showed broad reactivity within subtype and four (two for H3N2 and two for B) showed broad neutralizing ability. Importantly, epitope mapping revealed that the two broad neutralizing antibodies to H3N2 derived from different donors recognized the same epitope located underneath the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin globular region that is highly conserved among H3N2 strains.

Broad neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus from vaccinated healthy donors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubota-Koketsu, Ritsuko; Mizuta, Hiroyuki; Oshita, Masatoshi; Ideno, Shoji; Yunoki, Mikihiro; Kuhara, Motoki; Yamamoto, Naomasa; Okuno, Yoshinobu; Ikuta, Kazuyoshi

2009-01-01

Human monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs) prepared from patients with viral infections could provide information on human epitopes important for the development of vaccines as well as potential therapeutic applications. Through the fusion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a total of five influenza-vaccinated volunteers, with newly developed murine-human chimera fusion partner cells, named SPYMEG, we obtained 10 hybridoma clones stably producing anti-influenza virus antibodies: one for influenza A H1N1, four for influenza A H3N2 and five for influenza B. Surprisingly, most of the HuMAbs showed broad reactivity within subtype and four (two for H3N2 and two for B) showed broad neutralizing ability. Importantly, epitope mapping revealed that the two broad neutralizing antibodies to H3N2 derived from different donors recognized the same epitope located underneath the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin globular region that is highly conserved among H3N2 strains.

Usability Evaluation for Business Intelligence Applications: A User Support Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chrisna Jooste

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Business Intelligence (BI applications provide business information to drive decision support. Usability is one of the factors determining the optimal use and eventual benefit derived from BI applications. The documented need for more BI usability research together with the practical necessity for BI evaluation guidelines in the mining industry provides the rationale for this study. The purpose of the study was to investigate the usability evaluation of BI applications in the context of a coal mining organization. The research is guided by the question: How can existing usability criteria be customized to evaluate the usability of BI applications. The research design included user observation, heuristic evaluation and a survey. Based on observations made during user support on a BI application used at a coal mining organization a log of usability issues was compiled. The usability issues extracted from this log was compared and contrasted with general usability criteria from literature to synthesize an initial set of BI usability evaluation criteria. These criteria were used as the basis for a heuristic evaluation of the BI application used at the coal mining organization. The same BI application was also evaluated using the Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI standardized questionnaire. The results from the two evaluations were triangulated and then compared with the BI user issues again to contextualize the findings and synthesize a validated and refined set of criteria. The main contribution of the study is the usability evaluation criteria for BI applications presented as guidelines. These guidelines deviate from existing evaluation guidelines in the emphasis on information architecture, learnability and operability.

An architecture to support design of context-aware mobile applications

OpenAIRE

Stoica, George Adrian

2010-01-01

This thesis deals with the problem of interaction with context-aware mobile applications in digitally augmented physical spaces. The term "mobile application" is used as an umbrella term for any piece of software that can run on a mobile device in order to support a human task. “Context-aware” refers to the ability of such applications to use information about the environment or the user to adapt their behaviour accordingly. A "physical hyperlink" is a mechanism that associates a physical obj...

Recent Applications of Polymer Supported Organometallic Catalysts in Organic Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina Kann

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Recent developments concerning the application of polymer supported organometallic reagents in solid phase synthesis are reviewed, with a special focus on methodology for carbon-carbon formation. Examples of reactions that are covered include the classical Suzuki, Sonogashira and Heck coupings, but also aryl amination, epoxide opening, rearrangements, metathesis and cyclopropanation. Applications in the field of asymmetric synthesis are also discussed.

Cloud Computing Application on Transport Dispatching Informational Support Systems

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Dmitry Olegovich Gusenitsa

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Transport dispatching informational support systems has received widespread attention due to high quality information density, strong coherence and applicable visualization features. Nevertheless, because of large volume of data, complex integration requirements and the need for information exchange between different users, time costs of the development and implementation of the informational support systems, problems associated with various data formats compatibility, security protocols and high maintenance cost, the opportunities for the application of such systems are significantly reduced. This article reviews the possibility of creating a cloud storage data system for transport dispatching informational support system (TDIS using modern computer technology to meet the challenges of mass data processing, information security and reduce operational costs. The system is expected to make full use of the advantages offered by the technology of cloud storage. Integrated cloud will increase the amount of data available to the system, reduce the speed processing requirements and reduce the overall cost of system implementation. Creation and integration of cloud storage is one of the most important areas of TDIS development, which is stimulating and promoting the further development of TDIS to ensure the requirements of its users.

DETERMINING QUASAR BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTIONS FROM THEIR BROAD EMISSION LINES: APPLICATION TO THE BRIGHT QUASAR SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Brandon C.; Fan Xiaohui; Vestergaard, Marianne

2009-01-01

We describe a Bayesian approach to estimating quasar black hole mass functions (BHMF) using the broad emission lines to estimate black hole mass. We show how using the broad-line mass estimates in combination with statistical techniques developed for luminosity function estimation (e.g., the 1/V a correction) leads to statistically biased results. We derive the likelihood function for the BHMF based on the broad-line mass estimates, and derive the posterior distribution for the BHMF, given the observed data. We develop our statistical approach for a flexible model where the BHMF is modeled as a mixture of Gaussian functions. Statistical inference is performed using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, and we describe a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to perform the MCMC. The MCMC simulates random draws from the probability distribution of the BHMF parameters, given the data, and we use a simulated data set to show how these random draws may be used to estimate the probability distribution for the BHMF. In addition, we show how the MCMC output may be used to estimate the probability distribution of any quantities derived from the BHMF, such as the peak in the space density of quasars. Our method has the advantage that it is able to constrain the BHMF even beyond the survey detection limits at the adopted confidence level, accounts for measurement errors and the intrinsic uncertainty in broad-line mass estimates, and provides a natural way of estimating the probability distribution of any quantities derived from the BHMF. We conclude by using our method to estimate the local active BHMF using the z BH ∼> 10 8 M sun . Our analysis implies that at a given M BH , z < 0.5 broad-line quasars have a typical Eddington ratio of ∼0.4 and a dispersion in Eddington ratio of ∼<0.5 dex.

Observations and Simulations of Formation of Broad Plasma Depletions Through Merging Process

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chao-Song; Retterer, J. M.; Beaujardiere, O. De La; Roddy, P. A.; Hunton, D.E.; Ballenthin, J. O.; Pfaff, Robert F.

2012-01-01

Broad plasma depletions in the equatorial ionosphere near dawn are region in which the plasma density is reduced by 1-3 orders of magnitude over thousands of kilometers in longitude. This phenomenon is observed repeatedly by the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite during deep solar minimum. The plasma flow inside the depletion region can be strongly upward. The possible causal mechanism for the formation of broad plasma depletions is that the broad depletions result from merging of multiple equatorial plasma bubbles. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the merging mechanism with new observations and simulations. We present C/NOFS observations for two cases. A series of plasma bubbles is first detected by C/NOFS over a longitudinal range of 3300-3800 km around midnight. Each of the individual bubbles has a typical width of approx 100 km in longitude, and the upward ion drift velocity inside the bubbles is 200-400 m/s. The plasma bubbles rotate with the Earth to the dawn sector and become broad plasma depletions. The observations clearly show the evolution from multiple plasma bubbles to broad depletions. Large upward plasma flow occurs inside the depletion region over 3800 km in longitude and exists for approx 5 h. We also present the numerical simulations of bubble merging with the physics-based low-latitude ionospheric model. It is found that two separate plasma bubbles join together and form a single, wider bubble. The simulations show that the merging process of plasma bubbles can indeed occur in incompressible ionospheric plasma. The simulation results support the merging mechanism for the formation of broad plasma depletions.

Evolved Cas9 variants with broad PAM compatibility and high DNA specificity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Johnny H; Miller, Shannon M; Geurts, Maarten H; Tang, Weixin; Chen, Liwei; Sun, Ning; Zeina, Christina M; Gao, Xue; Rees, Holly A; Lin, Zhi; Liu, David R

2018-04-05

A key limitation of the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system for genome editing and other applications is the requirement that a protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) be present at the target site. For the most commonly used Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9), the required PAM sequence is NGG. No natural or engineered Cas9 variants that have been shown to function efficiently in mammalian cells offer a PAM less restrictive than NGG. Here we use phage-assisted continuous evolution to evolve an expanded PAM SpCas9 variant (xCas9) that can recognize a broad range of PAM sequences including NG, GAA and GAT. The PAM compatibility of xCas9 is the broadest reported, to our knowledge, among Cas9 proteins that are active in mammalian cells, and supports applications in human cells including targeted transcriptional activation, nuclease-mediated gene disruption, and cytidine and adenine base editing. Notably, despite its broadened PAM compatibility, xCas9 has much greater DNA specificity than SpCas9, with substantially lower genome-wide off-target activity at all NGG target sites tested, as well as minimal off-target activity when targeting genomic sites with non-NGG PAMs. These findings expand the DNA targeting scope of CRISPR systems and establish that there is no necessary trade-off between Cas9 editing efficiency, PAM compatibility and DNA specificity.

Broadly Applicable Strategy for the Fluorescence Based Detection and Differentiation of Glutathione and Cysteine/Homocysteine: Demonstration in Vitro and in Vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wenqiang; Luo, Hongchen; Liu, Xingjiang; Foley, James W; Song, Xiangzhi

2016-04-05

Glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys), and homocysteine (Hcy) are small biomolecular thiols that are present in all cells and extracellular fluids of healthy mammals. It is well-known that each plays a separate, critically important role in human physiology and that abnormal levels of each are predictive of a variety of different disease states. Although a number of fluorescence-based methods have been developed that can detect biomolecules that contain sulfhydryl moieties, few are able to differentiate between GSH and Cys/Hcy. In this report, we demonstrate a broadly applicable approach for the design of fluorescent probes that can achieve this goal. The strategy we employ is to conjugate a fluorescence-quenching 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD) moiety to a selected fluorophore (Dye) through a sulfhydryl-labile ether linkage to afford nonfluorescent NBD-O-Dye. In the presence of GSH or Cys/Hcy, the ether bond is cleaved with the concomitant generation of both a nonfluorescent NBD-S-R derivative and a fluorescent dye having a characteristic intense emission band (B1). In the special case of Cys/Hcy, the NBD-S-Cys/Hcy cleavage product can undergo a further, rapid, intramolecular Smiles rearrangement to form a new, highly fluorescent NBD-N-Cys/Hcy compound (band B2); because of geometrical constraints, the GSH derived NBD-S-GSH derivative cannot undergo a Smiles rearrangement. Thus, the presence of a single B1 or double B1 + B2 signature can be used to detect and differentiate GSH from Cys/Hcy, respectively. We demonstrate the broad applicability of our approach by including in our studies members of the Flavone, Bodipy, and Coumarin dye families. Particularly, single excitation wavelength could be applied for the probe NBD-OF in the detection of GSH over Cys/Hcy in both aqueous solution and living cells.

Broad spectrum antiangiogenic treatment for ocular neovascular diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ofra Benny

2010-09-01

use. Our results support the concept that broad spectrum antiangiogenic drugs are promising agents for AMD treatment and prevention.

Mobile clinical decision support systems and applications: a literature and commercial review.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Pérez, Borja; de la Torre-Díez, Isabel; López-Coronado, Miguel; Sainz-de-Abajo, Beatriz; Robles, Montserrat; García-Gómez, Juan Miguel

2014-01-01

The latest advances in eHealth and mHealth have propitiated the rapidly creation and expansion of mobile applications for health care. One of these types of applications are the clinical decision support systems, which nowadays are being implemented in mobile apps to facilitate the access to health care professionals in their daily clinical decisions. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to make a review of the current systems available in the literature and in commercial stores. Secondly, to analyze a sample of applications in order to obtain some conclusions and recommendations. Two reviews have been done: a literature review on Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Web of Knowledge and PubMed and a commercial review on Google play and the App Store. Five applications from each review have been selected to develop an in-depth analysis and to obtain more information about the mobile clinical decision support systems. Ninety-two relevant papers and 192 commercial apps were found. Forty-four papers were focused only on mobile clinical decision support systems. One hundred seventy-one apps were available on Google play and 21 on the App Store. The apps are designed for general medicine and 37 different specialties, with some features common in all of them despite of the different medical fields objective. The number of mobile clinical decision support applications and their inclusion in clinical practices has risen in the last years. However, developers must be careful with their interface or the easiness of use, which can impoverish the experience of the users.

BEACON: An application of nodal methods for operational support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, W.A.; Nguyen, T.Q.

1992-01-01

A practical application of nodal methods is on-line plant operational support. However, to enable plant personnel to take full advantage of a nodal model to support plant operations, (a) a core nodal model must always be up to date with the current core history and conditions, (b) the nodal methods must be fast enough to allow numerous core calculations to be performed in minutes to support engineering decisions, and (c) the system must be easily accessible to engineering personnel at the reactor, their offices, or any other location considered appropriate. A core operational support package developed by Westinghouse called BEACON (best estimate analysis of core operations - nuclear) has been installed at several plants. Results from these plants and numerous in-core flux maps analyzed have demonstrated the accuracy of the model and the effectiveness of the methodology

Applications of Oregon State University's TRIGA reactor in health physics education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higginbotham, J.F.

1990-01-01

The Oregon State University TRIGA reactor (OSTR) is used to support a broad range of traditional academic disciplines, including anthropology, oceanography, geology, physics, nuclear chemistry, and nuclear engineering. However, it also finds extensive application in the somewhat more unique area of health physics education and research. This paper summarizes these health physics applications and briefly describes how the OSTR makes important educational contributions to the field of health physics

Applications of Adaptive Quantum Control to Research Questions in Solar Energy Conversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Damrauer, Niels [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-02-07

This award supported a broad research effort at the University of Colorado at Boulder comprising synthesis, applications of computational chemistry, development of theory, exploration of material properties, and advancement of spectroscopic tools including femtosecond pulse shaping techniques. It funded six graduate students and two postdoctoral researchers.

) Band with on Demand Technology Platform to Support Broadband Data Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, J.

2003-01-01

Oil and Gas Companies and their service providers are demanding significantly more bandwidth between their offshore rig locations and their project offices to support real time data applications and video conferencing. SLB Data Marine Systems developed proprietry satellite technology in the North Sea, to allow satellite bandwidth to be 'shared' amongst a population of offshore platforms or vessels and for individual sites to 'pull down' this bandwidth on a demand basis.As well as meeting the new demands of the oil industry with regard to cost effectively transporting these new 'rig to office' applications, this same bandwidth can be used to support telemedicine or distant learning

Application of broad-spectrum resequencing microarray for genotyping rhabdoviruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Dacheux, Laurent; Berthet, Nicolas; Dissard, Gabriel; Holmes, Edward C; Delmas, Olivier; Larrous, Florence; Guigon, Ghislaine; Dickinson, Philip; Faye, Ousmane; Sall, Amadou A; Old, Iain G; Kong, Katherine; Kennedy, Giulia C; Manuguerra, Jean-Claude; Cole, Stewart T; Caro, Valérie; Gessain, Antoine; Bourhy, Hervé

2010-09-01

The rapid and accurate identification of pathogens is critical in the control of infectious disease. To this end, we analyzed the capacity for viral detection and identification of a newly described high-density resequencing microarray (RMA), termed PathogenID, which was designed for multiple pathogen detection using database similarity searching. We focused on one of the largest and most diverse viral families described to date, the family Rhabdoviridae. We demonstrate that this approach has the potential to identify both known and related viruses for which precise sequence information is unavailable. In particular, we demonstrate that a strategy based on consensus sequence determination for analysis of RMA output data enabled successful detection of viruses exhibiting up to 26% nucleotide divergence with the closest sequence tiled on the array. Using clinical specimens obtained from rabid patients and animals, this method also shows a high species level concordance with standard reference assays, indicating that it is amenable for the development of diagnostic assays. Finally, 12 animal rhabdoviruses which were currently unclassified, unassigned, or assigned as tentative species within the family Rhabdoviridae were successfully detected. These new data allowed an unprecedented phylogenetic analysis of 106 rhabdoviruses and further suggest that the principles and methodology developed here may be used for the broad-spectrum surveillance and the broader-scale investigation of biodiversity in the viral world.

Application of Broad-Spectrum Resequencing Microarray for Genotyping Rhabdoviruses▿

Science.gov (United States)

Dacheux, Laurent; Berthet, Nicolas; Dissard, Gabriel; Holmes, Edward C.; Delmas, Olivier; Larrous, Florence; Guigon, Ghislaine; Dickinson, Philip; Faye, Ousmane; Sall, Amadou A.; Old, Iain G.; Kong, Katherine; Kennedy, Giulia C.; Manuguerra, Jean-Claude; Cole, Stewart T.; Caro, Valérie; Gessain, Antoine; Bourhy, Hervé

2010-01-01

The rapid and accurate identification of pathogens is critical in the control of infectious disease. To this end, we analyzed the capacity for viral detection and identification of a newly described high-density resequencing microarray (RMA), termed PathogenID, which was designed for multiple pathogen detection using database similarity searching. We focused on one of the largest and most diverse viral families described to date, the family Rhabdoviridae. We demonstrate that this approach has the potential to identify both known and related viruses for which precise sequence information is unavailable. In particular, we demonstrate that a strategy based on consensus sequence determination for analysis of RMA output data enabled successful detection of viruses exhibiting up to 26% nucleotide divergence with the closest sequence tiled on the array. Using clinical specimens obtained from rabid patients and animals, this method also shows a high species level concordance with standard reference assays, indicating that it is amenable for the development of diagnostic assays. Finally, 12 animal rhabdoviruses which were currently unclassified, unassigned, or assigned as tentative species within the family Rhabdoviridae were successfully detected. These new data allowed an unprecedented phylogenetic analysis of 106 rhabdoviruses and further suggest that the principles and methodology developed here may be used for the broad-spectrum surveillance and the broader-scale investigation of biodiversity in the viral world. PMID:20610710

15 CFR 748.9 - Support documents for license applications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... licensing action, since end-uses and other considerations are important factors in the decision making... promptly notifying BIS of any change in the facts contained in the support document that comes to your attention. (h) Effect on license application review. BIS reserves the right in all respects to determine to...

A Preliminary Investigation on the Application of Robotics to Missile Fire Control.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-11-01

application. Even this is a broad area, but it is one in which Okhe general theories and concepts of robo - tics and/or artificial intelligence can be...K::. 3. Expert Advisors .J1. %4. Data Assimilation and Access Aids 5. Handling Support Systems 6. Support Systems 7...appears, therefore, that a robo - tic forward observer can be manufactured in quantities for a reasonable cost when compared to the cost of training

77 FR 50144 - Broad Stakeholder Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-20

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY [Docket No. DHS-2012-0042] Broad Stakeholder Survey AGENCY... Information Collection Request: 1670-NEW. SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National... (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). NPPD is soliciting comments concerning the Broad Stakeholder...

76 FR 34087 - Broad Stakeholder Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY [Docket No. DHS-2011-0027] Broad Stakeholder Survey AGENCY... Information Collection Request: 1670-NEW. SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National... (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). NPPD is soliciting comments concerning the Broad Stakeholder...

Characterisation of the Broadly-Specific O-Methyl-transferase JerF from the Late Stages of Jerangolid Biosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steffen Friedrich

2016-10-01

Full Text Available We describe the characterisation of the O-methyltransferase JerF from the late stages of jerangolid biosynthesis. JerF is the first known example of an enzyme that catalyses the formation of a non-aromatic, cyclic methylenolether. The enzyme was overexpressed in E. coli and the cell-free extracts were used in bioconversion experiments. Chemical synthesis gave access to a series of substrate surrogates that covered a broad structural space. Enzymatic assays revealed a broad substrate tolerance and high regioselectivity of JerF, which makes it an attractive candidate for an application in chemoenzymatic synthesis with particular usefulness for late stage application on 4-methoxy-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one-containing natural products.

The Response Strategy of Maize, Pea and Broad Bean Plants to Different Osmotic Potential Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamdia M. Abd El-Samad

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This investigation was conducted to study the tolerance strategy of maize, broad bean and pea plants to salinity stress with exogenous applications of proline or phenylalanine on seed germination and seedlings growth. From the results obtained, it can be observed that osmotic stress affected adversely the rate of germination in maize, broad bean and pea plants. The excessive inhibition was more prominent at higher concentration of NaCl. The seeds and grains tested were exhibited some differential responses to salinity, in a manner that the inhibitory effect of salinity on seed germination ran in the order, maize higher than broad bean and the later was higher than pea plant. Treatment with proline or phenylalanine (100 ppm significantly increased these seed germination and seedlings growth characteristics even at lowest salinity level tested.

Medical Device Integrated Vital Signs Monitoring Application with Real-Time Clinical Decision Support.

Science.gov (United States)

Moqeem, Aasia; Baig, Mirza; Gholamhosseini, Hamid; Mirza, Farhaan; Lindén, Maria

2018-01-01

This research involves the design and development of a novel Android smartphone application for real-time vital signs monitoring and decision support. The proposed application integrates market available, wireless and Bluetooth connected medical devices for collecting vital signs. The medical device data collected by the app includes heart rate, oxygen saturation and electrocardiograph (ECG). The collated data is streamed/displayed on the smartphone in real-time. This application was designed by adopting six screens approach (6S) mobile development framework and focused on user-centered approach and considered clinicians-as-a-user. The clinical engagement, consultations, feedback and usability of the application in the everyday practices were considered critical from the initial phase of the design and development. Furthermore, the proposed application is capable to deliver rich clinical decision support in real-time using the integrated medical device data.

Multistage electrodeposition of supported platinum-based nanostructured systems for electrocatalytic applications

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mkwizu, TS

2011-05-01

Full Text Available .R. Modibedi and Mkhulu K. Mathe* *kmathe@csir.co.za 219th ECS Meeting, 1 ? 6 May, 2011, Montreal, Canada Multistage Electrodeposition of Supported Platinum-based Nanostructured Systems for Electrocatalytic Applications Overview ? Acknowledgements... of constituent elements of the given electrode surface. ? Applications areas: Fuel cells, electrochemical sensors, electrolyzers Introduction e- A B 5 Introduction Atomic-level processes during electrocatalysis www...

Broad Prize: Do the Successes Spread?

Science.gov (United States)

Samuels, Christina A.

2011-01-01

When the Broad Prize for Urban Education was created in 2002, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad said he hoped the awards, in addition to rewarding high-performing school districts, would foster healthy competition; boost the prestige of urban education, long viewed as dysfunctional; and showcase best practices. Over the 10 years the prize has…

Broad-Band Visually Evoked Potentials: Re(convolution in Brain-Computer Interfacing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordy Thielen

Full Text Available Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs allow users to control devices and communicate by using brain activity only. BCIs based on broad-band visual stimulation can outperform BCIs using other stimulation paradigms. Visual stimulation with pseudo-random bit-sequences evokes specific Broad-Band Visually Evoked Potentials (BBVEPs that can be reliably used in BCI for high-speed communication in speller applications. In this study, we report a novel paradigm for a BBVEP-based BCI that utilizes a generative framework to predict responses to broad-band stimulation sequences. In this study we designed a BBVEP-based BCI using modulated Gold codes to mark cells in a visual speller BCI. We defined a linear generative model that decomposes full responses into overlapping single-flash responses. These single-flash responses are used to predict responses to novel stimulation sequences, which in turn serve as templates for classification. The linear generative model explains on average 50% and up to 66% of the variance of responses to both seen and unseen sequences. In an online experiment, 12 participants tested a 6 × 6 matrix speller BCI. On average, an online accuracy of 86% was reached with trial lengths of 3.21 seconds. This corresponds to an Information Transfer Rate of 48 bits per minute (approximately 9 symbols per minute. This study indicates the potential to model and predict responses to broad-band stimulation. These predicted responses are proven to be well-suited as templates for a BBVEP-based BCI, thereby enabling communication and control by brain activity only.

Artificial intelligence program in a computer application supporting reactor operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stratton, R.C.; Town, G.G.

1985-01-01

Improving nuclear reactor power plant operability is an ever-present concern for the nuclear industry. The definition of plant operability involves a complex interaction of the ideas of reliability, safety, and efficiency. This paper presents observations concerning the issues involved and the benefits derived from the implementation of a computer application which combines traditional computer applications with artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies. A system, the Component Configuration Control System (CCCS), is being installed to support nuclear reactor operations at the Experimental Breeder Reactor II

Discharge coefficient of a rectangular sharp-edged broad-crested weir

OpenAIRE

Zachoval Zbyněk; Knéblová Michaela; Roušar Ladislav; Rumann Ján; Šulc Jan

2014-01-01

his paper is concerned with the determination of the relationship for the calculation of the discharge coefficient at free overflow over a rectangular sharp-edged broad-crested weir without lateral contraction. The determination was made on the basis of new measurement in a range of the relative thickness of the weir from 0.12 to 0.30 and newly in a large range of relative height of the weir extremely from 0.24 to 6.8 which greatly expands the application possibilities of low weirs. In additi...

Surface treatments of metal supports for photocatalysis applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montecchio, Francesco, E-mail: fmon@kth.se [KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Technology, 100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Chinungi, Don [KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Technology, 100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Lanza, Roberto [Verdant Chemical Technologies AB, 114 28 Stockholm (Sweden); Engvall, Klas [KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Technology, 100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

2017-04-15

Highlights: • Treated metals can be used as photocatalyst support in full-scale applications. • Various electrochemical treatments were performed, checking the surface corrugation. • Stainless steel etched in DC and aqua regia shows the highest surface modification. • P25 coated on the DC etched sample has a high stability, with constant activity. • The support modification increases the UV irradiated area and the activity of P25. - Abstract: One of the most important challenges, for scaling up a photocatalytic system for VOCs abatement to full-scale, is the design of a suitable photocatalyst support. The support has to firmly immobilize the photocatalyst, without using an organic adhesive, and should also withstand relatively high mechanical stresses. Metals may be effectively implemented as a support material, after a corrugation of the surface with electrochemical treatments. In the present work, we treated stainless steel and aluminum supports, evaluating the surface modifications due to the electrochemical treatments, with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy. Five samples showing the highest degree of restructuring were selected and spray coated with P25, a TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst, evaluating the mechanical stability of the coating with a standard tape test method. One particular stainless steel sample presented a superior surface restructuring and coating stability. The photocatalytic activity of this sample, evaluated measuring the complete oxidation of acetaldehyde, was tested for 15 h, and compared with sample of TiO{sub 2}-P25 on a ceramic support. The stainless steel exhibited a constant performance after an initial stabilization period. The stainless steel sample showed a slightly higher activity, due to the surface restructuring, increasing the irradiated area available for the coated photocatalyst.

Support for Resource Constrained Microcontroller Programming by a Broad Developer Community

Science.gov (United States)

Amar, Amichi

2010-01-01

Resource constrained microcontrollers with as little as several hundred bytes of RAM and a few dozen megahertz of processing power are the most prevalent computing devices on earth. Microcontrollers and the many application components that interface to them, such as sensors, actuators, transceivers and displays are now cheap and readily available.…

[NDVI difference rate recognition model of deciduous broad-leaved forest based on HJ-CCD remote sensing data].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Tian, Qing-Jiu; Huang, Yan; Wei, Hong-Wei

2013-04-01

The present paper takes Chuzhou in Anhui Province as the research area, and deciduous broad-leaved forest as the research object. Then it constructs the recognition model about deciduous broad-leaved forest was constructed using NDVI difference rate between leaf expansion and flowering and fruit-bearing, and the model was applied to HJ-CCD remote sensing image on April 1, 2012 and May 4, 2012. At last, the spatial distribution map of deciduous broad-leaved forest was extracted effectively, and the results of extraction were verified and evaluated. The result shows the validity of NDVI difference rate extraction method proposed in this paper and also verifies the applicability of using HJ-CCD data for vegetation classification and recognition.

Supporting Activity-Based Computingusing Dynamically (De)Composable Mobile Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Ulrik Pagh; Schougaard, Kari Rye

2004-01-01

the document-centered paradigm for pervasive computing: it crosscuts work with different kinds of entities and sets the focus on the user and the user's tasks. In domain such as healthcare, activities are fundamentally mobile: doctors and nurses move throughout the hospital as their work progresses. Hence......, the computer must support mobility of activities. For this reason, we consider it important to investigate whether a computing platform that embraces mobility at a fundamental level supports implementing software for this new paradigm. This paper describes our initial design ideas for supporting activity......-centered computing in the Pervasive Object Model Project (POMP), a project which concerns the development of a platform for pervasive computing applications. We first describe POMP, the present the notion of activity-based computing, and last investigate how activity-based computing can be implemented in POMP....

Single-photon Coulomb explosion of methanol using broad bandwidth ultrafast EUV pulses.

Science.gov (United States)

Luzon, Itamar; Jagtap, Krishna; Livshits, Ester; Lioubashevski, Oleg; Baer, Roi; Strasser, Daniel

2017-05-31

Single-photon Coulomb explosion of methanol is instigated using the broad bandwidth pulse achieved through high-order harmonics generation. Using 3D coincidence fragment imaging of one molecule at a time, the kinetic energy release (KER) and angular distributions of the products are measured in different Coulomb explosion (CE) channels. Two-body CE channels breaking either the C-O or the C-H bonds are described as well as a proton migration channel forming H 2 O + , which is shown to exhibit higher KER. The results are compared to intense-field Coulomb explosion measurements in the literature. The interpretation of broad bandwidth single-photon CE data is discussed and supported by ab initio calculations of the predominant C-O bond breaking CE channel. We discuss the importance of these findings for achieving time resolved imaging of ultrafast dynamics.

Involving people with dementia in the development of supportive IT applications: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Span, Marijke; Hettinga, Marike; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra; Eefsting, Jan; Smits, Carolien

2013-03-01

Involving people with dementia in research is not self-evident. Inclusion of people with dementia in the development process of user-friendly, supportive IT applications may be especially useful to improve the quality of these applications and may be beneficial to the person with dementia. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the involvement of people with dementia in developing supportive IT applications. The focus of involvement was on phase, methods, role and impact on the quality of the IT application and on the person with dementia. A systematic search was undertaken using Cochrane Library, PubMED, PsycInfo, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Publications were selected using the following inclusion criteria: publications had to address a development process of an IT application involving people with dementia. The BMJ checklist was used to assess the quality of the included publications. Twenty-six publications relating to 15 IT programs met the inclusion criteria. People with dementia were mainly involved in the exploratory and technical development phases. The methods most frequently used to involve the participants were interviews, observations and usability try-outs. In most studies, participants were objects of study and informants. People with dementia provided useful feedback and gave valuable recommendations for researchers and designers regarding the development of user-friendly, supportive, IT applications. Involvement in all phases may have empowering effects on people with dementia. To develop valuable, user-friendly, supportive IT applications that increase the quality of life of people with dementia involvement in all phases of the development process is of great importance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reviewing model application to support animal health decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Alexander; Salman, Mo; Thulke, Hans-Hermann

2011-04-01

Animal health is of societal importance as it affects human welfare, and anthropogenic interests shape decision making to assure animal health. Scientific advice to support decision making is manifold. Modelling, as one piece of the scientific toolbox, is appreciated for its ability to describe and structure data, to give insight in complex processes and to predict future outcome. In this paper we study the application of scientific modelling to support practical animal health decisions. We reviewed the 35 animal health related scientific opinions adopted by the Animal Health and Animal Welfare Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Thirteen of these documents were based on the application of models. The review took two viewpoints, the decision maker's need and the modeller's approach. In the reviewed material three types of modelling questions were addressed by four specific model types. The correspondence between tasks and models underpinned the importance of the modelling question in triggering the modelling approach. End point quantifications were the dominating request from decision makers, implying that prediction of risk is a major need. However, due to knowledge gaps corresponding modelling studies often shed away from providing exact numbers. Instead, comparative scenario analyses were performed, furthering the understanding of the decision problem and effects of alternative management options. In conclusion, the most adequate scientific support for decision making - including available modelling capacity - might be expected if the required advice is clearly stated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The credit counterparts of broad money : a structural base for macroeconomic policy

OpenAIRE

Steele, Gerald

2014-01-01

Tautological structures bring clarity to arguments in macroeconomics: familiar structures relate to the circulation of money, the circular flow of real income, and the balance of international payments. Less familiar is a structure incorporating all aspects of macroeconomic policy interventions. The origins and use of the credit counterparts of broad money are examined in the context of the application of UK monetary policy in the period since 1945.

Web-Based Group Decision Support System: an Economic Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion ISTUDOR

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Decision Support Systems (DSS form a specific class of computerized information systems that support business and managerial decision-making activities. Making the right decision in business primarily depends on the quality of data. It also depends on the ability to analyze the data with a view to identifying trends that can suggest solutions and strategies. A “cooperative” decision support system means the data are collected, analyzed and then provided to a human agent who can help the system to revise or refine the data. It means that both a human component and computer component work together to come up with the best solution. This paper describes the usage of a software product (Vanguard System to a specific economic application (evaluating the financial risk assuming that the rate of the economic profitability can be under the value of the interest rate.

Optimized packings with applications

CERN Document Server

Pintér, János

2015-01-01

This volume presents a selection of case studies that address a substantial range of optimized object packings (OOP) and their applications. The contributing authors are well-recognized researchers and practitioners. The mathematical modelling and numerical solution aspects of each application case study are presented in sufficient detail. A broad range of OOP problems are discussed: these include various specific and non-standard container loading and object packing problems, as well as the stowing of hazardous and other materials on container ships, data centre resource management, automotive engineering design, space station logistic support, cutting and packing problems with placement constraints, the optimal design of LED street lighting, robust sensor deployment strategies, spatial scheduling problems, and graph coloring models and metaheuristics for packing applications. Novel points of view related to model development and to computational nonlinear, global, mixed integer optimization and heuristic st...

Closed ecological life-support systems and their applications

Science.gov (United States)

Gitelson, Josef I.

The advent of man-made closed ecosystems (CES) is a solution of the fundamental problem-egress of humans beyond the Earth's biosphere, providing biological basis for exploitation of Space and celestial bodies. Yet, before proceeding to these ambitious project elements of closed life-support biotechnologies, there can be found diverse applications on Earth in human settlements providing for high quality of life under extreme environment conditions: high latitudes, deserts, mountains and industrially polluted areas. This presentation considers these variations of terrestrial applications of CELSS technologies. The version of CES under development is based on making direct use of the light energy in plant photosynthesis. In this case life support of one man on the Earth orbit requires solar light collected from 5-10m2. Among terrestrial applications of prime importance is the development of an ecohome designed to provide people with a high quality of life in Arctic and Antarctic territories. The developed technology of cascade employment of energy makes possible (expending 10-15 kw of installed power per a house-3-5 member family) to provide for: permanent supply of fresh vitamin-full vegetables, absorption and processing oaf excreta, purification of water and air in the living quarters, habitual colour and light conditions in the premises in winter making up to sensorial deprivation and, finally, psychological comfort of close contact with the plants during the long polar night. Ecohabitat based on the technology described in realistic today and depends only on the energy available and the resolution and readiness (sagacity) of the decision-makers to be committed with ecohome assigning. The ecological and economical significance of construction of ecohabitats for the northern territories of Canada, Alaska and Russia is apparent. This principle can be used (with considerable economy of energy and construction costs) to maintain normal partial pressure of oxygen inside

Municipal recycling support program. Guide to applicants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-01-01

The Municipal Recycling Support Program stems from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's policies and programs begun in 1980 aimed at encouraging the development of source separation projects in Ontario. To qualify for financial assistance, municipalities must play a central role in the implementation and ongoing development of recycling; applications will be supported only if there is adequate and reasonable commitment from markets for recovered materials; recycling systems must operate within the framework of a complete waste management system in which cost effectiveness is an important factor; multi-material projects are encouraged as much as possible; and the Ministry will share the costs of projects with the municipalities. The Ministry provides grants for up to 5 years per project to cover the net operating cost of a project up to a specified maximum percentage of eligible gross operating expenses. This manual provides guidelines for applying for such funding, including definitions of eligibility for operating and capital costs, the use of household bins, and guidelines for promotion and advertising, education, demonstration, and feasibility studies.

Bacterial biofilm supported on granular activated carbon and on natural zeolites- an application to wastewater treatment

OpenAIRE

Lameiras, Sandra Raquel de Vasconcelos; Quintelas, C.; Tavares, M. T.

2004-01-01

The removal of many heavy metals from industrial wastewater is one of the most important environmental problems to be solved today. The retention of this contaminants by a biofilm supported on granular activated carbon or on natural zeolites is one of the promising technologies for the reduction of this problem, because it is cheap and it removes a broad range of substances, heavy metals and organic compounds. This study aims the development of a system of two mini-columns in series ...

Twin Support Vector Machine: A review from 2007 to 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Divya Tomar

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Twin Support Vector Machine (TWSVM is an emerging machine learning method suitable for both classification and regression problems. It utilizes the concept of Generalized Eigen-values Proximal Support Vector Machine (GEPSVM and finds two non-parallel planes for each class by solving a pair of Quadratic Programming Problems. It enhances the computational speed as compared to the traditional Support Vector Machine (SVM. TWSVM was initially constructed to solve binary classification problems; later researchers successfully extended it for multi-class problem domain. TWSVM always gives promising empirical results, due to which it has many attractive features which enhance its applicability. This paper presents the research development of TWSVM in recent years. This study is divided into two main broad categories - variant based and multi-class based TWSVM methods. The paper primarily discusses the basic concept of TWSVM and highlights its applications in recent years. A comparative analysis of various research contributions based on TWSVM is also presented. This is helpful for researchers to effectively utilize the TWSVM as an emergent research methodology and encourage them to work further in the performance enhancement of TWSVM.

Development Support Environment of Business ApplicationsBased on a Multi-Grain-Size Repository

Science.gov (United States)

Terai, Koichi; Izumi, Noriaki; Yamaguchi, Takahira

In order to build the Web-based application as a shopping site on the Web, various ideas from the different viewpoints are required, such as enterprise modeling, workflow modeling, software development, and so on. From the above standpoint, this paper proposes an integrated environment to support the whole development process of analysis, design and implementation of business application. In order to reuse know-hows of various ideas in the business application development, we device a multi-grain-size repository, which consists of coarse-, middle-, and fine-grain-size repositories that correspond to the enterprise models, workflow models, and software models, respectively. We also provide a methodology that rebuilds heterogeneous information resources required for the business applications development into a multi-grain-size repository based on ontologies. The contents of the repositories are modeled by the is-a, has-a, and E-R relations, and described by the XML language. We have implemented Java-based prototype environment with the tools dealing with the multi-layered repository and confirmed that it supports us in various phases of business application development including business model manifestation, detailed business model definition and an implementation of business software applications.

Sustainable preparation of supported metal nanoparticles and their applications in catalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Campelo, Juan M; Luna, Diego; Luque, Rafael; Marinas, José M; Romero, Antonio A

2009-01-01

Metal nanoparticles have attracted much attention over the last decade owing to their unique properties as compared to their bulk metal equivalents, including a large surface-to-volume ratio and tunable shapes. To control the properties of nanoparticles with particular respect to shape, size and dispersity is imperative, as these will determine the activity in the desired application. Supported metal nanoparticles are widely employed in catalysis. Recent advances in controlling the shape and size of nanoparticles have opened the possibility to optimise the particle geometry for enhanced catalytic activity, providing the optimum size and surface properties for specific applications. This Review describes the state of the art with respect to the preparation and use of supported metal nanoparticles in catalysis. The main groups of such nanoparticles (noble and transition metal nanoparticles) are highlighted and future prospects are discussed.

OS and Runtime Support for Efficiently Managing Cores in Parallel Applications

OpenAIRE

Klues, Kevin Alan

2015-01-01

Parallel applications can benefit from the ability to explicitly control their thread scheduling policies in user-space. However, modern operating systems lack the interfaces necessary to make this type of “user-level” scheduling efficient. The key component missing is the ability for applications to gain direct access to cores and keep control of those cores even when making I/O operations that traditionally block in the kernel. A number of former systems provided limited support for these c...

Application of a qualified RETRAN model to plant transient evaluation support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedano, P.G.; Mata, P.; Alcantud, F.; Serra, J.; Castrillo, F.

1989-01-01

This paper presents the applicability and usefulness of a complete and well qualified plant transient code and model to support in depth evaluation of anomalous plant transients. Analyses of several operational and abnormal transients that ocurred during the first three cycles of Cofrentes (BWR-6) NPP are presented. This application demonstrated the need of a very detailed and adjusted simulation of the control systems as well as the convenience of having as complete as possible data adquisition system. (orig.)

Application of a qualified RETRAN model to plant transient evaluation support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedano, P.G.; Mata, P.; Alcantud, F.; Serra, J.

1989-01-01

This paper presents the applicability and usefulness of a complete and well qualified plant transient code and model to support in depth evaluation of anomalous plant transients. Analyses of several operational and abnormal transients occurred during the first three cycles of Cofrentes (BWR-6) NPP are presented. This application remarked the need of a very detailed and adjusted simulation of the control systems as well as the convenience of having an as complete as possible data acquisition system

Support for business layer application development using the CSLA.NET framework

OpenAIRE

Kralj, Luka

2010-01-01

The development of computer systems has caused the emergence of so called n-tier applications or systems which usually have a three-level structure consisting of a database, user interface and business logic. Since the first two levels can operate through established technologies, there are usually no difficulties in their process of development. On the business logic level, however, there are no technologies which would sufficiently support this part of the application. That is why we may s...

Heat pipe applications workshop report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranken, W.A.

1978-04-01

The proceedings of the Heat Pipe Applications Workshop, held at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory October 20-21, 1977, are reported. This workshop, which brought together representatives of the Department of Energy and of a dozen industrial organizations actively engaged in the development and marketing of heat pipe equipment, was convened for the purpose of defining ways of accelerating the development and application of heat pipe technology. Recommendations from the three study groups formed by the participants are presented. These deal with such subjects as: (1) the problem encountered in obtaining support for the development of broadly applicable technologies, (2) the need for applications studies, (3) the establishment of a heat pipe technology center of excellence, (4) the role the Department of Energy might take with regard to heat pipe development and application, and (5) coordination of heat pipe industry efforts to raise the general level of understanding and acceptance of heat pipe solutions to heat control and transfer problems

Characterization of ten microsatellite loci in the Broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

Science.gov (United States)

Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Talley-Farnham, Tiffany; Engelman, Tena; Engelman, Fred

2011-01-01

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selaphorus platycercus) breeds at higher elevations in the central and southern Rockies, eastern California, and Mexico and has been studied for 8 years in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Questions regarding the relatedness of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds banded together and then recaptured in close time proximity in later years led us to isolate and develop primers for 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci. In a screen of 25 individuals from a population in Rocky Mountain National Park, the 10 loci were found to have levels of variability ranging from two to 16 alleles. No loci were found to depart from linkage disequilibrium, although two loci revealed significant departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. These 10 microsatellite loci will be applicable for population genetic analyses, investigation of mating systems and relatedness, and may help gain insight into the migration timing and routes for this species.

Authoring support in concept-based web information systems for educational applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aroyo, L.M.; Dicheva, D.

2004-01-01

The increasing complexity of concept-based web information systems (WIS) and their educational applications requires more intelligent support for their authoring. We propose an ontological approach towards a common authoring framework for such systems to formally describe the overall authoring

Validation, automatic generation and use of broad phonetic transcriptions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bael, Cristophe Patrick Jan Van

2007-01-01

Broad phonetic transcriptions represent the pronunciation of words as strings of characters from specifically designed symbol sets. In everyday life, broad phonetic transcriptions are often used as aids to pronounce (foreign) words. In addition, broad phonetic transcriptions are often used for

Engineering Support for Handling Controller Conflicts in Energy Storage Systems Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Zanabria

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Energy storage systems will play a major role in the decarbonization of future sustainable electric power systems, allowing a high penetration of distributed renewable energy sources and contributing to the distribution network stability and reliability. To accomplish this, a storage system is required to provide multiple services such as self-consumption, grid support, peak-shaving, etc. The simultaneous activation of controllers operation may lead to conflicts, as a consequence the execution of committed services is not guaranteed. This paper presents and discusses a solution to the exposed issue by developing an engineering support approach to semi-automatically detect and handle conflicts for multi-usage storage systems applications. To accomplish that an ontology is developed and exploited by model-driven engineering mechanisms. The proposed approach is evaluated by implementing a use case example, where detection of conflicts is automatically done at an early design stage. Besides this, exploitable source code for conflicts resolution is generated and used during the design and prototype stages of controllers development. Thus, the proposed engineering support enhances the design and development of storage system controllers, especially for multi-usage applications.

Geriatric Helper: An mHealth Application to Support Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Silva

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA is a multidisciplinary diagnosis approach that considers several dimensions of fragility in older adults to develop an individualized plan to improve their overall health. Despite the evidence of its positive impact, CGA is still applied by a reduced number of professionals in geriatric care in many countries, mostly using a paper-based approach. In this context, we collaborate with clinicians to bring CGA to the attention of more healthcare professionals and to enable its easier application in clinical settings by proposing a mobile application, Geriatric Helper, to act as a pocket guide that is easy to update remotely with up-to-date information, and that acts as a tool for conducting CGA. This approach reduces the time spent on retrieving the scales documentation, the overhead of calculating the results, and works as a source of information for non-specialists. Geriatric Helper is a tool for the health professionals developed considering an iterative, User-Centred Design approach, with extensive contributions from a broad set of users including domain experts, resulting in a highly usable and accepted system. Geriatric Helper is currently being tested in Portuguese healthcare units allowing for any clinician to apply the otherwise experts-limited geriatric assessment.

Improving life cycle assessment methodology for the application of decision support

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herrmann, Ivan Tengbjerg

for the application of decision support and evaluation of uncertainty in LCA. From a decision maker’s (DM’s) point of view there are at least three main “illness” factors influencing the quality of the information that the DM uses for making decisions. The factors are not independent of each other, but it seems......) refrain from making a decision based on an LCA and thus support a decision on other parameters than the LCA environmental parameters. Conversely, it may in some decision support contexts be acceptable to base a decision on highly uncertain information. This all depends on the specific decision support...... the different steps. A deterioration of the quality in each step is likely to accumulate through the statistical value chain in terms of increased uncertainty and bias. Ultimately this can make final decision support problematic. The "Law of large numbers" (LLN) is the methodological tool/probability theory...

Application and research of recyclable cables in foundation pit support engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Suping

2018-05-01

Anchoring cables are widely used in the construction of foundation pit as a temporary support structure. After the construction is completed, the anchor cables left in the ground will not only cause environmental pollution but also cause a great waste of resources. The emergence of recyclable cable technology, to avoid such problems, to achieve the secondary use of the anchor cable, excavation in the excavation project is more and more widely used. Combined with the design and construction of recoverable anchor cable in engineering practice, the application effect of recoverable anchor cable in foundation pit support is analyzed, and the conclusion that the support effect of recoverable anchor cable is stable and safe can be obtained Recyclable anchor cable in the future support projects to provide a reference.

GPL Report: The Broad Federal Investment in Educational R&D.

Science.gov (United States)

Florio, David H.

1979-01-01

This article describes the breadth of federal support for educational knowledge production and application. Support from the Education Division of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is discussed in detail. (Author/MC)

The broad-band overlap problem in atmospheric trace gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subasilar, B.

1991-01-01

In relation to a better understanding of climate change and the related greenhouse problem, one way of projecting for the next decades is through general circulation models (GCMs). The only input as a driving force in the changing atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns is the amount of heat perturbation either due to natural or man-caused activities. Among these, CO 2 concentrations resulting from the latter has been observed to be accelerating at alarmingly high rates especially after the advent of the industrialization which just began in the last century. In addition to that, collective effects of other greenhouse gases (freons, SO 2 , H 2 O, CH 4 , etc.) are as important as CO 2 . Hence, it is evident from the above considerations that, in the predictions of climate models, the heat input which triggers changes in the atmospheric patterns, should be formulated accurately. In order to realize this objective, in this research, beginning with the available line parameter data, the problems of absorption have been investigated and attacked in the frame known as the broad band modeling since that is the only best and fastest manageable representation for GCMs. The first step was the construction of a full broad band (intra band overlap) model that was also flexible enough to accommodate the individual peculiarities of the bands. Before, the well known and very useful Ramanathan model had a limited applicability in the concentration scale, and it was also not systematically or successfully incorporated into an inter band overlap picture. Then, the established ideas that served as bases up to present, have been employed but found to have a limited practical applicability when it came to predict the inter band overlaps

Examining the premises supporting the empirically supported intervention approach to social work practice.

Science.gov (United States)

McBeath, Bowen; Briggs, Harold E; Aisenberg, Eugene

2010-10-01

Federal, state, and local policymakers and funders have increasingly organized human service delivery functions around the selection and implementation of empirically supported interventions (ESIs), under the expectation that service delivery through such intervention frameworks results in improvements in cost-effectiveness and system performance. This article examines the validity of four premises undergirding the ESI approach: ESIs are effective, relevant to common client problems and needs, culturally appropriate, and replicable and sustainable in community-based settings. In reviewing available literature, the authors found insufficient support for the uniform application of an ESI approach to social work practice in the human service sector, particularly as applied within agency contexts serving ethnic minority clients. The authors recommend that greater attention be devoted to the development and dissemination of social work interventions that respond to needs that are broadly understood and shared across diverse cultural groups, have proven clinical efficacy, and can be translated successfully for use across different agency and cultural environments. Such attention to the research and development function of the social work profession is increasingly necessary as policymakers and human service system architects require reduced costs and improved performance for programs serving historically oppressed client populations.

Vector optimization and needle-free intradermal application of a broadly protective polyvalent influenza A DNA vaccine for pigs and humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borggren, Marie; Nielsen, Jens; Bragstad, Karoline

2015-01-01

such as the induction of cellular and humoral immunity, inherent safety and rapid production time. We have previously developed a DNA vaccine encoding selected influenza proteins of pandemic origin and demonstrated broad protective immune responses in ferrets and pigs. In this study, we evaluated our DNA vaccine......The threat posed by the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus emphasized the need for new influenza A virus vaccines inducing a broad cross-protective immune response for use in both humans and pigs. An effective and broad influenza vaccine for pigs would greatly benefit the pork industry and contribute...... to public health by diminishing the risk of emerging highly pathogenic reassortants. Current inactivated protein vaccines against swine influenza produce only short-lived immunity and have no efficacy against heterologous strains. DNA vaccines are a potential alternative with advantages...

Towards High Power Density Metal Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Mobile Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jimmi; Persson, Åsa Helen; Muhl, Thuy

2017-01-01

For use of metal supported SOFC in mobile applications it is important to reduce the thermal mass to enable fast start up, increase stack power density in terms of weight and volume and reduce costs. In the present study, we report on the effect of reducing the support layer thickness of 313 μm...

Technical support document for land application of sewage sludge. Volume 1. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, A.; Beyer, L.; Rookwood, M.; Pacenka, J.; Bergin, J.

1992-11-01

The document provides the technical background and justification for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) final regulation (40 CFR Part 503) covering the land application of sewage sludge. The document summarizes current practices in land application and presents data supporting the risk assessment methodology used to derive human health and environmental risk-based limits for contaminants in land applied sewage sludge. The management practices associated with land application are outlined and the different pathways by which contaminants reach highly-exposed individuals (HEIs) through land application are discussed

Preparation and characterization of thin-film Pd–Ag supported membranes for high-temperature applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernandez Gesalaga, Ekain; Coenen, Kai; Helmi Siasi Farimani, Arash; Melendez, J.; Zuniga, Jon; Pacheco Tanaka, David Alfredo; van Sint Annaland, Martin; Gallucci, Fausto

2015-01-01

This paper reports the preparation, characterization and stability tests of thin-film Pd–Ag supported membranes for high-temperature fluidized bed membrane reactor applications. Various thin-film supported membranes have been prepared by simultaneous Pd–Ag electroless plating and have been initially

A Broad-Spectrum Inhibitor of CRISPR-Cas9.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, Lucas B; Doxzen, Kevin W; Ma, Enbo; Liu, Jun-Jie; Knott, Gavin J; Edraki, Alireza; Garcia, Bianca; Amrani, Nadia; Chen, Janice S; Cofsky, Joshua C; Kranzusch, Philip J; Sontheimer, Erik J; Davidson, Alan R; Maxwell, Karen L; Doudna, Jennifer A

2017-09-07

CRISPR-Cas9 proteins function within bacterial immune systems to target and destroy invasive DNA and have been harnessed as a robust technology for genome editing. Small bacteriophage-encoded anti-CRISPR proteins (Acrs) can inactivate Cas9, providing an efficient off switch for Cas9-based applications. Here, we show that two Acrs, AcrIIC1 and AcrIIC3, inhibit Cas9 by distinct strategies. AcrIIC1 is a broad-spectrum Cas9 inhibitor that prevents DNA cutting by multiple divergent Cas9 orthologs through direct binding to the conserved HNH catalytic domain of Cas9. A crystal structure of an AcrIIC1-Cas9 HNH domain complex shows how AcrIIC1 traps Cas9 in a DNA-bound but catalytically inactive state. By contrast, AcrIIC3 blocks activity of a single Cas9 ortholog and induces Cas9 dimerization while preventing binding to the target DNA. These two orthogonal mechanisms allow for separate control of Cas9 target binding and cleavage and suggest applications to allow DNA binding while preventing DNA cutting by Cas9. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular evolution of broadly neutralizing Llama antibodies to the CD4-binding site of HIV-1.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Laura E; Rutten, Lucy; Frampton, Dan; Anderson, Ian; Granger, Luke; Bashford-Rogers, Rachael; Dekkers, Gillian; Strokappe, Nika M; Seaman, Michael S; Koh, Willie; Grippo, Vanina; Kliche, Alexander; Verrips, Theo; Kellam, Paul; Fassati, Ariberto; Weiss, Robin A

2014-12-01

To date, no immunization of humans or animals has elicited broadly neutralizing sera able to prevent HIV-1 transmission; however, elicitation of broad and potent heavy chain only antibodies (HCAb) has previously been reported in llamas. In this study, the anti-HIV immune responses in immunized llamas were studied via deep sequencing analysis using broadly neutralizing monoclonal HCAbs as a guides. Distinct neutralizing antibody lineages were identified in each animal, including two defined by novel antibodies (as variable regions called VHH) identified by robotic screening of over 6000 clones. The combined application of five VHH against viruses from clades A, B, C and CRF_AG resulted in neutralization as potent as any of the VHH individually and a predicted 100% coverage with a median IC50 of 0.17 µg/ml for the panel of 60 viruses tested. Molecular analysis of the VHH repertoires of two sets of immunized animals showed that each neutralizing lineage was only observed following immunization, demonstrating that they were elicited de novo. Our results show that immunization can induce potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies in llamas with features similar to human antibodies and provide a framework to analyze the effectiveness of immunization protocols.

Randomized Trial of a Smartphone Mobile Application Compared to Text Messaging to Support Smoking Cessation

OpenAIRE

Buller, David B.; Borland, Ron; Bettinghaus, Erwin P.; Shane, James H.; Zimmerman, Donald E.

2014-01-01

Background: Text messaging has successfully supported smoking cessation. This study compares a mobile application with text messaging to support smoking cessation. Materials and Methods: Young adult smokers 18–30 years old (n=102) participated in a randomized pretest–posttest trial. Smokers received a smartphone application (REQ-Mobile) with short messages and interactive tools or a text messaging system (onQ), managed by an expert system. Self-reported usability of REQ-Mobile and qu...

Choline and Geranate Deep Eutectic Solvent as a Broad-Spectrum Antiseptic Agent for Preventive and Therapeutic Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakrewsky, Michael; Banerjee, Amrita; Apte, Sanjana; Kern, Theresa L; Jones, Mattie R; Sesto, Rico E Del; Koppisch, Andrew T; Fox, David T; Mitragotri, Samir

2016-06-01

Antiseptic agents are the primary arsenal to disinfect skin and prevent pathogens spreading within the host as well as into the surroundings; however the Food and Drug Administration published a report in 2015 requiring additional validation of nearly all current antiseptic agents before their continued use can be allowed. This vulnerable position calls for urgent identification of novel antiseptic agents. Recently, the ability of a deep eutectic, Choline And Geranate (CAGE), to treat biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica was demonstrated. Here it is reported that CAGE exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against a number of drug-resistant bacteria, fungi, and viruses including clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans as well as laboratory strains of Herpes Simplex Virus. Studies in human keratinocytes and mice show that CAGE affords negligible local or systemic toxicity, and an ≈180-14 000-fold improved efficacy/toxicity ratio over currently used antiseptic agents. Further, CAGE penetrates deep into the dermis and treats pathogens located in deep skin layers as confirmed by the ability of CAGE in vivo to treat Propionibacterium acnes infection. In combination, the results clearly demonstrate CAGE holds promise as a transformative platform antiseptic agent for preventive as well as therapeutic applications. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Middleware with Comprehensive Quality of Context Support for the Internet of Things Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Berto de Tácio Pereira; Muniz, Luiz Carlos Melo; da Silva E Silva, Francisco José; Dos Santos, Davi Viana; Lopes, Rafael Fernandes; Coutinho, Luciano Reis; Carvalho, Felipe Oliveira; Endler, Markus

2017-12-08

Context aware systems are able to adapt their behavior according to the environment in which the user is. They can be integrated into an Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, allowing a better perception of the user's physical environment by collecting context data from sensors embedded in devices known as smart objects. An IoT extension called the Internet of Mobile Things (IoMT) suggests new scenarios in which smart objects and IoT gateways can move autonomously or be moved easily. In a comprehensive view, Quality of Context (QoC) is a term that can express quality requirements of context aware applications. These requirements can be those related to the quality of information provided by the sensors (e.g., accuracy, resolution, age, validity time) or those referring to the quality of the data distribution service (e.g, reliability, delay, delivery time). Some functionalities of context aware applications and/or decision-making processes of these applications and their users depend on the level of quality of context available, which tend to vary over time for various reasons. Reviewing the literature, it is possible to verify that the quality of context support provided by IoT-oriented middleware systems still has limitations in relation to at least four relevant aspects: (i) quality of context provisioning; (ii) quality of context monitoring; (iii) support for heterogeneous device and technology management; (iv) support for reliable data delivery in mobility scenarios. This paper presents two main contributions: (i) a state-of-the-art survey specifically aimed at analyzing the middleware with quality of context support and; (ii) a new middleware with comprehensive quality of context support for Internet of Things Applications. The proposed middleware was evaluated and the results are presented and discussed in this article, which also shows a case study involving the development of a mobile remote patient monitoring application that was developed using the

Is a 4-train support ''always'' more reliable than a 2-train support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guey, C.N.; Arrieta, L.; Youngblood, R.

1986-06-01

Once the gross features of a frontline fluid system have been defined, one must consider what support system configuration will provide the best overall system performance. This paper considers different dc bus configurations for a given emergency feedwater system. Results indicate that a four-train support system (i.e., 4 dc buses) gives a lower system unavailability for transients, but a higher system unavailability for Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS), than a two-train support system (i.e., two dc buses). This serves to illustrate that more trains do not necessarily provide higher reliability, and that a configuration choice which is better for one mission success criterion may be worse for another. Because of the small characteristic unreliability of dc buses, the numerical comparisons made here are not dramatic, but the underlying topological point is nevertheless broadly applicable. The EFWS selected in this study consists of two turbine-driven pumps, and two motor-driven pumps, with associated piping, instruments, and valves. There are two divisions of EFWS, each division including one turbine-driven pump train, and one motor-driven pump train with a crosstie that can provide an alternate flow path in case one train is not available. Each of the motor-driven pumps has one ac power bus associated with it. No ac power is required for the turbine-driven trains

Stress analysis of piping systems and piping supports. Documentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rusitschka, Erwin

1999-01-01

The presentation is focused on the Computer Aided Tools and Methods used by Siemens/KWU in the engineering activities for Nuclear Power Plant Design and Service. In the multi-disciplinary environment, KWU has developed specific tools to support As-Built Documentation as well as Service Activities. A special application based on Close Range Photogrammetry (PHOCAS) has been developed to support revamp planning even in a high level radiation environment. It comprises three completely inter-compatible expansion modules - Photo Catalog, Photo Database and 3D-Model - to generate objects which offer progressively more utilization and analysis options. To support the outage planning of NPP/CAD-based tools have been developed. The presentation gives also an overview of the broad range of skills and references in: Plant Layout and Design using 3D-CAD-Tools; evaluation of Earthquake Safety (Seismic Screening); Revamps in Existing Plants; Inter-disciplinary coordination of project engineering and execution fields; Consulting and Assistance; Conceptual Studies; Stress Analysis of Piping Systems and Piping Supports; Documentation; Training and Supports in CAD-Design, etc. All activities are performed to the greatest extent possible using proven data-processing tools. (author)

Broad ion beam serial section tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winiarski, B., E-mail: b.winiarski@manchester.ac.uk [School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Materials Division, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0LW (United Kingdom); Gholinia, A. [School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Mingard, K.; Gee, M. [Materials Division, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0LW (United Kingdom); Thompson, G.E.; Withers, P.J. [School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

2017-01-15

and compare for the first time the application of Broad Ion Beams (BIBs) using the Gatan PECS and Ilion systems for large volume serial sectioning and 3D-EBSD data acquisition. • Volumetric data registration schemes usually assume that the data comprises a series of parallel, planar slices. We quantify the variations in slice thickness and parallelity which can arise when using BIB systems. • Raw 3D-EBSD data is affected by distortions and artefacts arising from serial sectioning such that quantitative analyses and visualisation can give misleading and erroneous results. Addressing and correcting these issues offer real benefits in understanding microstructures reconstructed by 3D-EBSD.

A Semantic Sensor Web for Environmental Decision Support Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Alasdair J. G.; Sadler, Jason; Kit, Oles; Kyzirakos, Kostis; Karpathiotakis, Manos; Calbimonte, Jean-Paul; Page, Kevin; García-Castro, Raúl; Frazer, Alex; Galpin, Ixent; Fernandes, Alvaro A. A.; Paton, Norman W.; Corcho, Oscar; Koubarakis, Manolis; De Roure, David; Martinez, Kirk; Gómez-Pérez, Asunción

2011-01-01

Sensing devices are increasingly being deployed to monitor the physical world around us. One class of application for which sensor data is pertinent is environmental decision support systems, e.g., flood emergency response. For these applications, the sensor readings need to be put in context by integrating them with other sources of data about the surrounding environment. Traditional systems for predicting and detecting floods rely on methods that need significant human resources. In this paper we describe a semantic sensor web architecture for integrating multiple heterogeneous datasets, including live and historic sensor data, databases, and map layers. The architecture provides mechanisms for discovering datasets, defining integrated views over them, continuously receiving data in real-time, and visualising on screen and interacting with the data. Our approach makes extensive use of web service standards for querying and accessing data, and semantic technologies to discover and integrate datasets. We demonstrate the use of our semantic sensor web architecture in the context of a flood response planning web application that uses data from sensor networks monitoring the sea-state around the coast of England. PMID:22164110

Ultrasonic fluid quantity measurement in dynamic vehicular applications a support vector machine approach

CERN Document Server

Terzic, Jenny; Nagarajah, Romesh; Alamgir, Muhammad

2013-01-01

Accurate fluid level measurement in dynamic environments can be assessed using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) approach. SVM is a supervised learning model that analyzes and recognizes patterns. It is a signal classification technique which has far greater accuracy than conventional signal averaging methods. Ultrasonic Fluid Quantity Measurement in Dynamic Vehicular Applications: A Support Vector Machine Approach describes the research and development of a fluid level measurement system for dynamic environments. The measurement system is based on a single ultrasonic sensor. A Support Vector Machines (SVM) based signal characterization and processing system has been developed to compensate for the effects of slosh and temperature variation in fluid level measurement systems used in dynamic environments including automotive applications. It has been demonstrated that a simple ν-SVM model with Radial Basis Function (RBF) Kernel with the inclusion of a Moving Median filter could be used to achieve the high levels...

Broad-spectrum enhanced absorption of graphene-molybdenum disulfide photovoltaic cells in metal-mirror microcavity

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang-Tao, Liu; Yun-Kai, Cao; Hong, Tong; Dai-Qiang, Wang; Zhen-Hua, Wu

2018-04-01

The optical absorption of graphene-molybdenum disulfide photovoltaic cells (GM-PVc) in wedge-shaped metal-mirror microcavities (w-MMCs) combined with a spectrum-splitting structure was studied. Results showed that the combination of spectrum-splitting structure and w-MMC can enable the light absorption of GM-PVcs to reach about 65% in the broad spectrum. The influence of processing errors on the absorption of GM-PVcs in w-MMCs was 3-14 times lower than that of GM-PVcs in wedge photonic crystal microcavities. The light absorption of GM-PVcs reached 60% in the broad spectrum, even with the processing errors. The proposed structure is easy to implement and may have potentially important applications in the development of ultra-thin and high-efficiency solar cells and optoelectronic devices.

Application of Quality Assurance Strategies in Diagnostics and Clinical Support Services in Iranian Hospitals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aghaei Hashjin, Asgar; Kringos, Dionne; Ravaghi, Hamid; Manoochehri, Jila; Gorji, Hassan Abolghasem; Klazinga, Niek S.

2015-01-01

Background: Iran has a widespread diagnostics and clinical support services (DCSS) network that plays a crucial role in providing diagnostic and clinical support services to both inpatient and outpatient care. However, very little is known on the application of quality assurance (QA) policies in

WEAK LINE QUASARS AT HIGH REDSHIFT: EXTREMELY HIGH ACCRETION RATES OR ANEMIC BROAD-LINE REGIONS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shemmer, Ohad; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Netzer, Hagai; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan Xiaohui; Lira, Paulina; Plotkin, Richard M.; Richards, Gordon T.; Strauss, Michael A.

2010-01-01

We present Gemini-North K-band spectra of two representative members of the class of high-redshift quasars with exceptionally weak rest-frame ultraviolet emission lines (WLQs), SDSS J114153.34+021924.3 at z = 3.55 and SDSS J123743.08+630144.9 at z = 3.49. In both sources, we detect an unusually weak broad Hβ line and place tight upper limits on the strengths of their [O III] lines. Virial, Hβ-based black hole mass determinations indicate normalized accretion rates of L/L Edd =0.4 for these sources, which is well within the range observed for typical quasars with similar luminosities and redshifts. We also present high-quality XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy of SDSS J114153.34+021924.3 and find a hard-X-ray photon index of Γ = 1.91 +0.24 -0.22 , which supports the virial L/L Edd determination in this source. Our results suggest that the weakness of the broad emission lines in WLQs is not a consequence of an extreme continuum-emission source but instead due to abnormal broad emission line region properties.

Broad Frequency LTCC Vertical Interconnect Transition for Multichip Modules and System on Package Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Decrossas, Emmanuel; Glover, Michael D.; Porter, Kaoru; Cannon, Tom; Mantooth, H. Alan; Hamilton, M. C.

2013-01-01

Various stripline structures and flip chip interconnect designs for high-speed digital communication systems implemented in low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrates are studied in this paper. Specifically, two different transition designs from edge launch 2.4 millimeter connectors to stripline transmission lines embedded in LTCC are discussed. After characterizing the DuPont (sup trademark) 9K7 green tape, different designs are proposed to improve signal integrity for high-speed digital data. The full-wave simulations and experimental data validate the presented designs over a broad frequency band from Direct Current to 50 gigahertz and beyond.

Technology Applications that Support Space Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Edward M.; Holderman, Mark L.

2011-01-01

Several enabling technologies have been identified that would provide significant benefits for future space exploration. In-Space demonstrations should be chosen so that these technologies will have a timely opportunity to improve efficiencies and reduce risks for future spaceflight. An early window exists to conduct ground and flight demonstrations that make use of existing assets that were developed for the Space Shuttle and the Constellation programs. The work could be mostly performed using residual program civil servants, existing facilities and current commercial launch capabilities. Partnering these abilities with the emerging commercial sector, along with other government agencies, academia and with international partners would provide an affordable and timely approach to get the launch costs down for these payloads, while increasing the derived benefits to a larger community. There is a wide scope of varied technologies that are being considered to help future space exploration. However, the cost and schedule would be prohibitive to demonstrate all these in the near term. Determining which technologies would yield the best return in meeting our future space needs is critical to building an achievable Space Architecture that allows exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit. The best mix of technologies is clearly to be based on our future needs, but also must take into account the availability of existing assets and supporting partners. Selecting those technologies that have complimentary applications will provide the most knowledge, with reasonable cost, for future use The plan is to develop those applications that not only mature the technology but actually perform a useful task or mission. These might include such functions as satellite servicing, a propulsion stage, processing lunar regolith, generating and transmitting solar power, cryogenic fluid transfer and storage and artificial gravity. Applications have been selected for assessment for future

Exploring Hardware Support For Scaling Irregular Applications on Multi-node Multi-core Architectures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Secchi, Simone; Ceriani, Marco; Tumeo, Antonino; Villa, Oreste; Palermo, Gianluca; Raffo, Luigi

2013-06-05

With the recent emergence of large-scale knowledge dis- covery, data mining and social network analysis, irregular applications have gained renewed interest. Classic cache-based high-performance architectures do not provide optimal performances with such kind of workloads, mainly due to the very low spatial and temporal locality of the irregular control and memory access patterns. In this paper, we present a multi-node, multi-core, fine-grained multi-threaded shared-memory system architecture specifically designed for the execution of large-scale irregular applications, and built on top of three pillars, that we believe are fundamental to support these workloads. First, we offer transparent hardware support for Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) to provide a large globally-shared address space with no software library overhead. Second, we employ multi-threaded multi-core processing nodes to achieve the necessary latency tolerance required by accessing global memory, which potentially resides in a remote node. Finally, we devise hardware support for inter-thread synchronization on the whole global address space. We first model the performances by using an analytical model that takes into account the main architecture and application characteristics. We describe the hardware design of the proposed cus- tom architectural building blocks that provide support for the above- mentioned three pillars. Finally, we present a limited-scale evaluation of the system on a multi-board FPGA prototype with typical irregular kernels and benchmarks. The experimental evaluation demonstrates the architecture performance scalability for different configurations of the whole system.

Involving people with dementia in the development of supportive IT applications: A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Span, M.; Hettinga, M.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.J.F.J.; Eefsting, J.; Smits, C.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Involving people with dementia in research is not self-evident. Inclusion of people with dementia in the development process of user-friendly, supportive IT applications may be especially useful to improve the quality of these applications and may be beneficial to the person with

Involving people with dementia in the development of supportive IT applications: A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Span, M.; Hettinga, M.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.; Eefsting, J.A.; Smits, C.

2013-01-01

Background: Involving people with dementia in research is not self-evident. Inclusion of people with dementia in the development process of user-friendly, supportive IT applications may be especially useful to improve the quality of these applications and may be beneficial to the person with

SiC nanocrystals as Pt catalyst supports for fuel cell applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dhiman, Rajnish; Morgen, Per; Skou, E.M.

2013-01-01

A robust catalyst support is pivotal to Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) to overcome challenges such as catalyst support corrosion, low catalyst utilization and overall capital cost. SiC is a promising candidate material which could be applied as a catalyst support in PEMFCs. Si...... on the nanocrystals of SiC-SPR and SiC-NS by the polyol method. The SiC substrates are subjected to an acid treatment to introduce the surface groups, which help to anchor the Pt nano-catalysts. These SiC based catalysts have been found to have a higher electrochemical activity than commercially available Vulcan...... based catalysts (BASF & HISPEC). These promising results signal a new era of SiC based catalysts for fuel cell applications....

A broad band X-ray imaging spectrophotometer for astrophysical studies

Science.gov (United States)

Lum, Kenneth S. K.; Lee, Dong Hwan; Ku, William H.-M.

1988-01-01

A broadband X-ray imaging spectrophotometer (BBXRIS) has been built for astrophysical studies. The BBXRIS is based on a large-imaging gas scintillation proportional counter (LIGSPC), a combination of a gas scintillation proportional counter and a multiwire proportional counter, which achieves 8 percent (FWHM) energy resolution and 1.5-mm (FWHM) spatial resolution at 5.9 keV. The LIGSPC can be integrated with a grazing incidence mirror and a coded aperture mask to provide imaging over a broad range of X-ray energies. The results of tests involving the LIGSPC and a coded aperture mask are presented, and possible applications of the BBXRIS are discussed.

Semantic-Based Concurrency Control for Object-Oriented Database Systems Supporting Real-Time Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lee, Juhnyoung; Son, Sang H

1994-01-01

.... This paper investigates major issues in designing semantic-based concurrency control for object-oriented database systems supporting real-time applications, and it describes approaches to solving...

Probing Gallic Acid for Its Broad Spectrum Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Choubey, Sneha; Goyal, Soniya; Varughese, Lesley Rachel; Kumar, Vinod

2018-03-29

Gallic acid and its derivatives not only exhibit excellent antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antimicrobial properties but also provide protection to the cells against oxidative stress. Gallic acid (3, 4, 5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), a low molecular triphenolic compound has arised as an efficient apoptosis inducing agent. The antimicrobial and other biological properties of gallic acid and its derivatives seemed to be linked with the hydrolysis of ester linkage between gallic acid and polyols like tannins hydrolyzed after ripening of many edible fruits. Gallic acid serves a natural defense mechanism against microbial infections and modulation of immune-responses. The current review updates us with the diverse roles played by gallic acid, its antioxidant potential, action mechanism and more importantly the diverse array of applications in therapeutic and pharmaceutical area. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Computer-based applications aimed at youth and adults with intellectual disability for the development of support areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Esther BAÑOS GARCÍA

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The use of Information and Communication Technologies is widely spread in all fields, including education. In the case of young people and adults with intellectual disabilities, it seems obvious that applications should serve to improve those supports to provide in the different functional areas. In this manuscript, 56 computer applications, in English and/or in Spanish, have been found by means of the search and study of reviews, scientific articles and web pages. Then, its connection with the support areas was evaluated by identifying the link for each computer application with each of the nine support areas. The findings confirm that the digital divide continues to increase and, in some cases, the treatment of the proposed activities promoting a childlike picture of this group is maintained. We found a low level of awareness of the support areas among developers and an imbalance in the applications, since some areas have great coverage while others have a residual presence. Promoting the consideration of the support areas among developers and further training for both educators and youth and adults with intellectual disabilities in order to reach a more productive use of ICT is recommended.

A broad-spectrum, efficient and nontransgenic approach to control plant viruses by application of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Jing; Xi, De-Hui; Xu, Fei; Wang, Shao-Dong; Cao, Sen; Xu, Mo-Yun; Zhao, Ping-Ping; Wang, Jian-Hui; Jia, Shu-Dan; Zhang, Zhong-Wei; Yuan, Shu; Lin, Hong-Hui

2011-02-01

Plant viruses cause many diseases that lead to significant economic losses. However, most of the approaches to control plant viruses, including transgenic processes or drugs are plant-species-limited or virus-species-limited, and not very effective. We introduce an application of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), a broad-spectrum, efficient and nontransgenic method, to improve plant resistance to RNA viruses. Applying 0.06 mM JA and then 0.1 mM SA 24 h later, enhanced resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) in Arabidopsis, tobacco, tomato and hot pepper. The inhibition efficiency to virus replication usually achieved up to 80-90%. The putative molecular mechanism was investigated. Some possible factors affecting the synergism of JA and SA have been defined, including WRKY53, WRKY70, PDF1.2, MPK4, MPK2, MPK3, MPK5, MPK12, MPK14, MKK1, MKK2, and MKK6. All genes involving in the synergism of JA and SA were investigated. This approach is safe to human beings and environmentally friendly and shows potential as a strong tool for crop protection against plant viruses.

Applications of QA to RandD support of HLW programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryder, D.E.

1988-05-01

The application of a formal QA program to any discipline or organization can be difficult to achieve and to do so with a research and development organization has special challenges that are somewhat unique. This paper describes how a QA program based upon a national consensus standard (developed for application to the design, construction and operation of nuclear facilities) has been successfully applied to some of the research and development activities in support of the High Level Waste Programs. This description includes a discussion on the importance of being creative when interpreting the QA standard, a brief overview of the QA program that was developed and the results achieved during implementation of the QA program. 4 refs., 4 figs

Small-satellite technology and applications; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 4, 5, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Horais, Brian J.

Remote sensing applications and systems, small satellites for sensing missions, and supporting technologies are the broad topics discussed. Particular papers are presented on small satellites for water cycle experiments, low-cost spacecraft buses for remote sensing applications, Webersat (a low-cost imaging satellite), DARPA initiatives in small-satellite technologies, a solid-state magnetic azimuth sensor for small satellites, and thermal analysis of a small expendable tether satellite package. (For individual items see A93-24152 to A93-24175)

Application of a process-based shallow landslide hazard model over a broad area in Central Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Gioia, Eleonora; Speranza, Gabriella; Ferretti, Maurizio; Godt, Jonathan W.; Baum, Rex L.; Marincioni, Fausto

2015-01-01

Process-based models are widely used for rainfall-induced shallow landslide forecasting. Previous studies have successfully applied the U.S. Geological Survey’s Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability (TRIGRS) model (Baum et al. 2002) to compute infiltration-driven changes in the hillslopes’ factor of safety on small scales (i.e., tens of square kilometers). Soil data input for such models are difficult to obtain across larger regions. This work describes a novel methodology for the application of TRIGRS over broad areas with relatively uniform hydrogeological properties. The study area is a 550-km2 region in Central Italy covered by post-orogenic Quaternary sediments. Due to the lack of field data, we assigned mechanical and hydrological property values through a statistical analysis based on literature review of soils matching the local lithologies. We calibrated the model using rainfall data from 25 historical rainfall events that triggered landslides. We compared the variation of pressure head and factor of safety with the landslide occurrence to identify the best fitting input conditions. Using calibrated inputs and a soil depth model, we ran TRIGRS for the study area. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, comparing the model’s output with a shallow landslide inventory, shows that TRIGRS effectively simulated the instability conditions in the post-orogenic complex during historical rainfall scenarios. The implication of this work is that rainfall-induced landslides over large regions may be predicted by a deterministic model, even where data on geotechnical and hydraulic properties as well as temporal changes in topography or subsurface conditions are not available.

Support Vector Machine and Application in Seizure Prediction

KAUST Repository

Qiu, Simeng

2018-04-01

Nowadays, Machine learning (ML) has been utilized in various kinds of area which across the range from engineering field to business area. In this paper, we first present several kernel machine learning methods of solving classification, regression and clustering problems. These have good performance but also have some limitations. We present examples to each method and analyze the advantages and disadvantages for solving different scenarios. Then we focus on one of the most popular classification methods, Support Vectors Machine (SVM). In addition, we introduce the basic theory, advantages and scenarios of using Support Vector Machine (SVM) deal with classification problems. We also explain a convenient approach of tacking SVM problems which are called Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO). Moreover, one class SVM can be understood in a different way which is called Support Vector Data Description (SVDD). This is a famous non-linear model problem compared with SVM problems, SVDD can be solved by utilizing Gaussian RBF kernel function combined with SMO. At last, we compared the difference and performance of SVM-SMO implementation and SVM-SVDD implementation. About the application part, we utilized SVM method to handle seizure forecasting in canine epilepsy, after comparing the results from different methods such as random forest, extremely randomized tree, and SVM to classify preictal (pre-seizure) and interictal (interval-seizure) binary data. We draw the conclusion that SVM has the best performance.

Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies—SummerStyles 2012 and 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Odom, Erika C.; Whittick, Corine; Tong, Xin; Cogswell, Mary E.

2017-01-01

We examined temporal changes in consumer attitudes toward broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, and school and workplace cafeterias from the 2012 and 2015 SummerStyle surveys. We used two online, national research panel surveys to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of 7845 U.S. adults. Measures included self-reported agreement with broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, school cafeterias, workplace cafeterias, and quick-serve restaurants. Wald Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two survey years and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios. Agreement with broad-based actions to limit sodium in restaurants (45.9% agreed in 2015) and manufactured foods (56.5% agreed in 2015) did not change between 2012 and 2015. From 2012 to 2015, there was a significant increase in respondents that supported environment-specific policies to lower sodium in school cafeterias (80.0% to 84.9%; p < 0.0001), workplace cafeterias (71.2% to 76.6%; p < 0.0001), and quick-serve restaurants (70.8% to 76.7%; p < 0.0001). Results suggest substantial agreement and support for actions to limit sodium in commercially-processed and prepared foods since 2012, with most consumers ready for actions to lower sodium in foods served in schools, workplaces, and quick-serve restaurants. PMID:28777339

The NASA Applied Science Program Disasters Area: Disaster Applications Research and Response

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, J. J.; Lindsay, F. E.; Stough, T.; Jones, C. E.

2014-12-01

The goal of the Natural Disaster Application Area is to use NASA's capabilities in spaceborne, airborne, surface observations, higher-level derived data products, and modeling and data analysis to improve natural disaster forecasting, mitigation, and response. The Natural Disaster Application Area applies its remote sensing observations, modeling and analysis capabilities to provide hazard and disaster information where and when it is needed. Our application research activities specifically contribute to 1) Understanding the natural processes that produce hazards, 2)Developing hazard mitigation technologies, and 3)Recognizing vulnerability of interdependent critical infrastructure. The Natural Disasters Application area selects research projects through a rigorous, impartial peer-review process that address a broad spectrum of disasters which afflict populations within the United States, regionally and globally. Currently there are 19 active projects in the research portfolio which address the detection, characterization, forecasting and response to a broad range of natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and ash dispersion, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, tornado damage assessment, oil spills and disaster data mining. The Disasters team works with federal agencies to aid the government in meeting the challenges associated with natural disaster response and to transfer technologies to agencies as they become operational. Internationally, the Disasters Area also supports the Committee on Earth Observations Working Group on Disasters, and the International Charter on Space and Disasters to increase, strengthen, and coordinate contributions of NASA Earth-observing satellites and applications products to disaster risk management. The CEOS group will lead pilot efforts focused on identifying key systems to support flooding, earthquake, and volcanic events.

Improving access to supportive cancer care through an eHealth application: a qualitative needs assessment among cancer survivors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubberding, Sanne; van Uden-Kraan, Cornelia F; Te Velde, Elisabeth A; Cuijpers, Pim; Leemans, C René; Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma M

2015-05-01

To gain insight into cancer survivors' needs towards an eHealth application monitoring quality of life and targeting personalised access to supportive care. Supportive care in cancer addresses survivors' concerns and needs. However, many survivors are not taking advantage of supportive care provided. To enable cancer survivors to benefit, survivors' needs must be identified timely and effectively. An eHealth application could be a solution to meet patients' individual supportive care needs. A qualitative approach. Thirty cancer survivors (15 head and neck and 15 breast cancer survivors) participated. The majority were female (n = 20·67%). The mean age was 60 (SD 8·8) years. Mean time interval since treatment was 13·5 months (SD 10·5). All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. During the interviews, participants were asked about their unmet needs during follow-up care and a potential eHealth application. Data were analyzed independently by two coders and coded into key issues and themes. Cancer survivors commented that they felt unprepared for the post-treatment period and that their symptoms often remained unknown to care providers. Survivors also mentioned a suboptimal referral pattern to supportive care services. Mentioned advantages of an eHealth application were as follows: insight into the course of symptoms by monitoring, availability of information among follow-up appointments, receiving personalised advice and tailored supportive care. Cancer survivors identified several unmet needs during follow-up care. Most survivors were positive towards the proposed eHealth application and expressed that it could be a valuable addition to follow-up cancer care. Study results provide care providers with insight into barriers that impede survivors from obtaining optimal supportive care. This study also provides insight into the characteristics needed to design, build and implement an eHealth application targeting personalised access to supportive

Initial Evaluation of a Mobile Scaffolding Application That Seeks to Support Novice Learners of Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Mbogo, Chao; Blake, Edwin; Suleman, Hussein

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to explore the use of an application that scaffolds the constructions of programs on a mobile device. The application was developed to support novice learners of programming outside the classroom. This paper reports on results of a first experiment conducted to evaluate the mobile application. The main research questions…

Polymer-supported reagents with enhanced metal ion recognition: Application to separations science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandratos, S.D.

1993-01-01

The design and development of polymer-supported reagents with ever-increasing specificities for targeted metal ions remains an important areas of research. The need for efficient separation schemes for both ions and molecules has been outlined in a report by the National Research Council (King) and will gain increased emphasis as environmental restoration is pursued. Polymer-supported reagents are unique in their ability to be applied in an environmentally benign manner to a host of challenges. Such reagents, in the form of beads, can be applied to continuous separation processes ranging from the removal of metal ions in water to the recovery of medicinal drugs produced through biotechnological means. The application of polymer-supported reagents to metal ion separations still requires developing a fundamental understanding of ligand-metal interactions, the role of the polymer in those interactions, and the methods of synthesizing such polymeric reagents in a readily applicable form. Ion exchange resins with sulfonic acid ligands are the prototypical polymer-supported reagents, and their properties have been exhaustively studied (Helfferich). The high acidity of the sulfonic acid group, however, precludes much selectivity, and it displays a very limited range of reaction free energy values with different metal ions (Boyd et al.). The carboxylic acid ligand, present in the acrylate resins, is more selective, though its weak acidity requires relatively high pH solutions for it to be effective. Research has thus been focused on the preparation of polymer-supported reagents with high levels of specificity for targeted metal ions

From explanation to application: introducing a practice-oriented ecosystem services evaluation (PRESET) model adapted to the context of landscape planning and management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haaren, von C.; Albert, C.; Barkmann, J.; Groot, de R.S.; Spangenberg, J.; Schroeter-Schlaack, C.; Hansjuergens, B.

2014-01-01

The development and use of the conceptual framework of ecosystem services (ES) has been very successful in supporting the broad diffusion and application of ES within science and policy communities. However, most of the currently proposed interpretations of the framework neither correlate to

Volume 2. Probabilistic analysis of HTGR application studies. Supporting data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-09-01

Volume II, Probabilistic Analysis of HTGR Application Studies - Supporting Data, gives the detail data, both deterministic and probabilistic, employed in the calculation presented in Volume I. The HTGR plants and the fossil plants considered in the study are listed. GCRA provided the technical experts from which the data were obtained by MAC personnel. The names of the technical experts (interviewee) and the analysts (interviewer) are given for the probabilistic data

Mobile application for guidance and provision of toddler's nutrition to support e-PKK

Science.gov (United States)

Rochimah, S.; Sianipar, F. Y.; Anggraini, R. N. E.

2016-01-01

Pembinaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga(PKK)is an Indonesian community with women as its member, especially housewife. It has many purposes, such ascollaborating the knowledges among members, monitoring children's health, supporting healthy life style in the family. This article is part of our research in building e-PKK, an integrated application to support many activities in PKK's business processes. In this paper we build a module to guide and provise toddler's nutrition to be used by mother. This application is very useful since baby's growth phase is an important phase to be noticed by mother.Using this application, mother can easily obtain baby's growth information whenever and wherever they are via their smartphone. This mobile device applications using backward chaining and forward chaining method. Backward chaining method is a method that uses a goal-based approach, while the forward chaining conducting a set of data for later inference process to find optimal conclusion. Moreover, this apllication provides recommendations of groceries, recipes, as well as the suitability of foodstuffs according to the age of early baby's growth and the type of baby's allergic. In addition, it also provide information about baby's nutrition, growth benchmarks, and first aid. Besides, the application can be used to monthly baby growth record like Kartu Menuju Sehat (KMS) or Growth Monitoring Card, storing toddlers weighing, immunization and provision of vitamin A. An additional feature of this application is the complaints system, where other can ask directly to health care center about toddlers’ growth.

Applications of Support Vector Machine (SVM) Learning in Cancer Genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shujun; Cai, Nianguang; Pacheco, Pedro Penzuti; Narrandes, Shavira; Wang, Yang; Xu, Wayne

2018-01-01

Machine learning with maximization (support) of separating margin (vector), called support vector machine (SVM) learning, is a powerful classification tool that has been used for cancer genomic classification or subtyping. Today, as advancements in high-throughput technologies lead to production of large amounts of genomic and epigenomic data, the classification feature of SVMs is expanding its use in cancer genomics, leading to the discovery of new biomarkers, new drug targets, and a better understanding of cancer driver genes. Herein we reviewed the recent progress of SVMs in cancer genomic studies. We intend to comprehend the strength of the SVM learning and its future perspective in cancer genomic applications. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Constructing Repairable Meta-Structures of Ultra-Broad-Band Electromagnetic Absorption from Three-Dimensional Printed Patterned Shells.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Wei-Li; Zhou, Zhili; Wang, Li-Chen; Cheng, Xiao-Dong; Chen, Mingji; He, Rujie; Chen, Haosen; Yang, Yazheng; Fang, Daining

2017-12-13

Ultra-broad-band electromagnetic absorption materials and structures are increasingly attractive for their critical role in competing with the advanced broad-band electromagnetic detection systems. Mechanically soft and weak wax-based materials composites are known to be insufficient to serve in practical electromagnetic absorption applications. To break through such barriers, here we developed an innovative strategy to enable the wax-based composites to be robust and repairable meta-structures by employing a three-dimensional (3D) printed polymeric patterned shell. Because of the integrated merits from both the dielectric loss wax-based composites and mechanically robust 3D printed shells, the as-fabricated meta-structures enable bear mechanical collision and compression, coupled with ultra-broad-band absorption (7-40 and 75-110 GHz, reflection loss  smaller than -10 dB) approaching state-of-the-art electromagnetic absorption materials. With the assistance of experiment and simulation methods, the design advantages and mechanism of employing such 3D printed shells for substantially promoting the electromagnetic absorption performance have been demonstrated. Therefore, such universal strategy that could be widely extended to other categories of wax-based composites highlights a smart stage on which high-performance practical multifunction meta-structures with ultra-broad-band electromagnetic absorption could be envisaged.

Towards HIV-1 remission: potential roles for broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Halper-Stromberg, Ariel; Nussenzweig, Michel C

2016-02-01

Current antiretroviral drug therapies do not cure HIV-1 because they do not eliminate a pool of long-lived cells harboring immunologically silent but replication-competent proviruses - termed the latent reservoir. Eliminating this reservoir and stimulating the immune response to control infection in the absence of therapy remain important but unsolved goals of HIV-1 cure research. Recently discovered broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) exhibit remarkable breadth and potency in their ability to neutralize HIV-1 in vitro, and recent studies have demonstrated new therapeutic applications for passively administered bNAbs in vivo. This Review discusses the roles bNAbs might play in HIV-1 treatment regimens, including prevention, therapy, and cure.

HANARO user support and training

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seong, Baek Seok; Lee, J. S.; Sim, C. M. [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2007-10-15

The purpose of this project is to support external users to promote shared-use of HANARO effectively. To this end, external manpower was recruited and trained. Also, in order to broaden HANARO user-base, practice-oriented training was given. The total number of projects selected as a part of this program was 20 this year. These composed of four broad fields: neutron beam utilization, materials and nuclear fuel irradiation test, neutron activation analysis and radioisotope production. In each field, the number of projects was 11, 1, 3 and 2 respectively. In addition, considering the time spent on support, total supporting ratio has reached to an average of 14% over three fields. It was 23% for neutron beam utilization, 11% for materials/nuclear materials irradiation test, and 8% for neutron activation analysis. In order to broaden HANARO's potential user-base and increase the utilization of the HANARO experimental facility, practice-oriented HANARO user training was given. All participants from industry, academia, and national labs trained on working instruments of various fields such as neutron beam applications, materials and nuclear fuel irradiation test, and neutron activation analysis. 'HANARO (utilization and research) information management system' has been developed in an effort to create a single database. By having it available on the net, it will serve as HANARO's important 'Information Platform' along with HANARO web site

Supporting Local Mobility in Healthcare by Application Roaming among Heterogeneous Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bardram, Jacob Eyvind; Kjær, Thomas A.K.; Nielsen, Christina

2003-01-01

This paper presents results from a research project aiming at developing an architecture supporting local mobility within hospitals. The architecture is based on fieldwork and design workshops within a large Danish hospital and it has been implemented and evaluated after a pilot phase. Our...... fieldwork has emphasised the differences between remote mobility, where users travel over long distances, and local mobility, where users walk around within a fixed set of buildings and/or places. Based on our field studies and our design work, we conclude that local mobility puts up three requirements...... for computer support; (i) it should integrate into the existing infrastructure, (ii) it should support the use of various heterogeneous devices, and (iii) it should enable seamless application roaming between these devices. The paper describes how these requirements were realized in an architecture for local...

Support technology of deep roadway under high stress and its application

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Cao Rihong; Cao Ping; Lin Hang

2016-01-01

Roadway instability has been a major concern in the fields of mining engineering. This paper aims to provide practical and efficient strategy to support the roadways under high in-situ stress. A case study on the stability of deep roadways was carried out in an underground mine in Gansu province, China. Currently,the surrounding rock strata is extremely fractured, which results in a series of engineering disasters, such as side wall collapse and severe floor heave in the past decades. Aiming to solve these problems, an improved support method was proposed, which includes optimal bolt parameters and arrangement, floor beam layout by grooving, and full length grouting. Based on the modeling results by FLAC3D, the new support method is much better than the current one in terms of preventing the large deformation of surrounding rock and restricting the development of plastic zones. For implementation and verification, field experiments, along with deformation monitoring, were conducted in the 958 level roadway of Mining II areas. The results show that the improved support can significantly reduce surrounding rock deformation, avoid frequent repair, and maintain the long-term stability of the roadway. Compared to the original support, the new support method can greatly save investment of mines, and has good application value and popularization value.

Advances in Organic and Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Polymeric Supports for Catalytic Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Maria Pia Salvo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this review, the most recent advances (2014–2016 on the synthesis of new polymer-supported catalysts are reported, focusing the attention on the synthetic strategies developed for their preparation. The polymer-supported catalysts examined will be organic-based polymers and organic-inorganic hybrids and will include, among others, polystyrenes, poly-ionic liquids, chiral ionic polymers, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, as well as silica and halloysite-based catalysts. Selected examples will show the synthesis and application in the field of organocatalysis and metal-based catalysis both for non-asymmetric and asymmetric transformations.

Pregnancy Exercise and Nutrition With Smartphone Application Support: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennelly, Maria A; Ainscough, Kate; Lindsay, Karen L; OʼSullivan, Elizabeth; Gibney, Eileen R; McCarthy, Mary; Segurado, Ricardo; DeVito, Giuseppe; Maguire, Orla; Smith, Thomas; Hatunic, Mensud; McAuliffe, Fionnuala M

2018-05-01

To evaluate the effect of a healthy lifestyle package (an antenatal behavior change intervention supported by smartphone application technology) on the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in overweight and obese women. Women with body mass indexes (BMIs) 25-39.9 were enrolled into this randomized controlled trial. The intervention consisted of specific dietary and exercise advice that addressed behavior change supported by a tailor-designed smartphone application. Women in the control group received usual care. The primary outcome was the incidence of GDM at 28-30 weeks of gestation. To reduce GDM from 15% to 7.2%, we estimated that 506 women would be required to have 80% power to detect this effect size at a significance of .05, that is, 253 in each group. Between March 2013 and February 2016, 565 women were recruited with a mean BMI of 29.3 and mean gestational age of 15.5 weeks. The incidence of GDM did not differ between the two groups, 37 of 241 (15.4%) in the intervention group compared with 36 of 257 (14.1%) in the control group (relative risk 1.1, 95% CI 0.71-1.66, P=.71). A mobile health-supported behavioral intervention did not decrease the incidence of GDM. ISRCTN registry, https://www.isrctn.com/, ISRCTN29316280.

Deep reduced PEDOT films support electrochemical applications: Biomimetic color front.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toribio Fernandez OTERO

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Most of the literature accepts, despite many controversial results, that during oxidation/reduction films of conducting polymers move from electronic conductors to insulators. Thus, engineers and device’s designers are forced to use metallic supports to reoxidize the material for reversible device work. Electrochromic front experiments appear as main visual support of the claimed insulating nature of reduced conducting polymers. Here we present a different design of the biomimetic electrochromic front that corroborates the electronic and ionic conducting nature of deep reduced films. The direct contact PEDOT metal/electrolyte and film/electrolyte was prevented from electrolyte contact until 1cm far from the metal contact with protecting Parafilm®. The deep reduced PEDOT film supports the flow of high currents promoting reaction induced electrochromic color changes beginning 1 cm far from the metal-polymer electrical contact and advancing, through the reduced film, towards the metal contact. Reverse color changes during oxidation/reduction always are initiated at the film/electrolyte contact advancing, under the protecting film, towards the film/metal contact. Both reduced and oxidized states of the film demonstrate electronic and ionic conductivities high enough to be used for electronic applications or, as self-supported electrodes, for electrochemical devices. The electrochemically stimulated conformational relaxation (ESCR model explains those results.

Broad scope educational role of a midsize university reactor NAA laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernetson, W.G.

2000-01-01

Broad scope educational activities at the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory (NAAL) associated with the 100 kW University of Florida Training Reactor (UFTR) have been implemented to serve a deserve and multidisciplinary academic clientele to meet a wide spectrum of educational needs for students at all academic levels. Educational usage of the complementary laboratory facilities is described and the importance of such academic experimental experience is emphasized for developing and maintaining a cadre of professionals in the analytical applications of nuclear energy. The synergistic operation of the NAAL and the reactor at the University of Florida to serve as a model worthy of emulation for other similar facilities is emphasized. (author)

Broad line NMR study of modified polypropylene fibres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olcak, D.; Sevcovic, L.; Mucha, L.

1999-01-01

Study of drawn fibres prepared from an isostatic polypropylene modified by an ethylene aminoalkylacrylate copolymer has been done using the broad line of 1 H NMR. NMR spectra were measured on the set of fibres prepared with a draw ratio λ from 1 to 5.5 at two temperatures, one of them corresponding to the onset of segmental motion and the other one is the minddle of the temperature interval as determined by decrease of the second moment M 2 . Decomposition of the spectra into elementary components related to the amorphous, intermediate and crystalline regions of partially crystalline polymers has been made. The drawing of the fibres was found to enhance the chain mobility in the amorphous region and to restrain the molecular motion in the intermediate region. Such behaviour well supports conclusions predicted in the earlier study based on the spin-lattice relaxation time T 1 and dynamic mechanical data treated using the WLF theory. (Authors)

Final report: A Broad Research Project in the Sciences of Complexity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2000-02-01

Previous DOE support for ''A Broad Research Program in the Sciences of Complexity'' permitted the Santa Fe Institute to initiate new collaborative research within its Integrative Core activities as well as to host visitors to participate in research on specific topics that serve as motivation and testing-ground for the study of general principles of complex systems. The critical aspect of this support is its effectiveness in seeding new areas of research. Indeed, this Integrative Core has been the birthplace of dozens of projects that later became more specifically focused and then won direct grant support independent of the core grants. But at early stages most of this multidisciplinary research was unable to win grant support as individual projects--both because it did not match well with existing grant program guidelines, and because the amount of handing needed was often too modest to justify a formal proposal to an agency. In fact, one of the attributes of core support has been that it permitted SFI to encourage high-risk activities because the cost was quite low. What is significant is how many of those initial efforts have been productive in the SFI environment. Many of SFI'S current research foci began with a short visit from a researcher new to the SFI community, or as small working groups that brought together carefully selected experts from a variety of fields. As mentioned above, many of the ensuing research projects are now being supported by other funding agencies or private foundations. Some of these successes are described.

On Using a Mobile Application to Support Teledermatology: A Case Study in an Underprivileged Area in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Pablo Sáenz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The use of mobile applications in dermatology to support remote diagnosis is gaining acceptance, particularly in rural areas, where dermatology services are commonly managed by healthcare personnel with no specialty training. Moreover, ontologies—sets of concepts that represent knowledge in a given domain—are increasingly being used to support medical diagnosis. A specific case is ONTODerm: an ontology to aid dermatological diagnosis. However, there is little information on the combined use of mobile applications and ontologies as support solutions in dermatology. Objective. Assessing the reliability of ONTODerm as a tool to support remote dermatological diagnosis when used together with a mobile dermatological application in underprivileged areas. Methods. A mobile application that allows characterization of skin lesions was developed, and the information about the lesions was sent to ONTODerm. An exploratory study was conducted in a remote area without access to a dermatologist. A total of 64 dermatological queries were recorded in the application and consulted with ONTODerm. Later, an experienced dermatologist evaluated the characterization and diagnosis of each query to determine the accuracy of the system. Results. The results showed that the probability of obtaining a correct diagnosis was between 64.4% and 85.6% with a confidence interval of 95%. A higher accuracy rate was obtained when the skin lesion occurred on the face or when its border was categorized as poorly demarcated. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the implementation of a teledermatology strategy based on mobile applications and domain ontology-driven knowledge base to provide timely assistance to healthcare professionals. This approach was found to be pertinent in the Colombian rural context, particularly in forest regions, where dermatology specialists are not available. The results of this article do not represent a final validation of the proposed

Synthesis and characterization of alumina application in support of zeolite membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa, A.S.; Rodrigues, M.G.F.

2012-01-01

Much interest has been aroused in process applications using zeolite membrane. The physicochemical properties of the support have a strong effect on the quality of zeolite membrane. This work is to synthesize and characterize alumina for use as a support for zeolite membrane. In this work was synthesized α-alumina: 40% alumina, 0.2% for PABA, 0.5% oleic acid and 59.3% ethyl alcohol. The mixture was ground in ball mill and placed in an oven for 24 hours at 60 °C, allowed to stand for 24h. The pressing was performed with 4 tons. The pressed material was subjected to sintering at 1400 °C/hour. The samples were characterized by EDX, XRD and SEM. The results for the media by XRD showed that they are crystalline and pure. By EDX was observed that the supports consist essentially of alumina. (author)

Applicability of Broad-Band Photometry for Determining the Properties of Stars and Interstellar Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Sichevskij, S. G.

2018-01-01

The feasibility of the determination of the physical conditions in star's atmosphere and the parameters of interstellar extinction from broad-band photometric observations in the 300-3000 nm wavelength interval is studied using SDSS and 2MASS data. The photometric accuracy of these surveys is shown to be insufficient for achieving in practice the theoretical possibility of estimating the atmospheric parameters of stars based on ugriz and JHK s photometry exclusively because such determinations result in correlations between the temperature and extinction estimates. The uncertainty of interstellar extinction estimates can be reduced if prior data about the temperature are available. The surveys considered can nevertheless be potentially valuable sources of information about both stellar atmospheric parameters and the interstellar medium.

A new metal electrocatalysts supported matrix: Palladium nanoparticles supported silicon carbide nanoparticles and its application for alcohol electrooxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Hong; Chen Yanling; Lin Yanyu; Xu Guifang; Yang Caiping; Tong Yuejin; Guo Longhua; Chen Guonan

2012-01-01

In this paper, we propose a facile approach for palladium nanoparticles load using silicon carbide nanoparticles as the new supported matrix and a familiar NaBH 4 as reducer. Detailed X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the resultant products indicated that palladium nanoparticles are successfully immobilized onto the surface of the silicon carbide nanoparticles with uniform size distribution between 5 and 7 nm. The relative electrochemical characterization clearly demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic activity of this material toward alcohol in alkaline electrolytes. Investigation on the characteristics of the electrocatalytic activity of this material further indicated that the palladium nanoparticles supporting on SiC are very promising for direct alcohol fuel cells (DMFCs), biosensor and electronic devices. Moreover, it was proved that silicon carbide nanoparticles with outstanding properties as support for catalysis are of strong practical interest. And the silicon carbide could perform attractive role in adsorbents, electrodes, biomedical applications, etc.

Planar, Polysilazane-Derived Porous Ceramic Supports for Membrane and Catalysis Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Konegger, Thomas; Williams, Lee F; Bordia, Rajendra K

2015-10-01

Porous, silicon carbonitride-based ceramic support structures for potential membrane and catalysis applications were generated from a preceramic polysilazane precursor in combination with spherical, ultrahigh-molecular weight polyethylene microparticles through a sacrificial filler approach. A screening evaluation was used for the determination of the impact of both porogen content and porogen size on pore structure, strength, and permeability characteristics of planar specimens. By optimizing both the composition as well as cross-linking parameters, maximum characteristic biaxial flexural strengths of 65 MPa and porosities of 42% were achieved. The evolution of an interconnected, open-pore network during thermal porogen removal and conversion of the preceramic polymer led to air permeabilities in the order of 10 -14 m 2 . The materials were further exposed to long-term heat treatments to demonstrate the stability of properties after 100 h at 800°C in oxidizing, inert, and reducing environments. The determined performance, in combination with the versatile preparation method, illustrates the feasibility of this processing approach for the generation of porous ceramic support structures for applications at elevated temperatures in a variety of fields, including membrane and catalysis science.

Support technology of deep roadway under high stress and its application

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Cao Rihong; Cao Ping; Lin Hang

2016-01-01

Roadway instability has been a major concern in the fields of mining engineering. This paper aims to pro-vide practical and efficient strategy to support the roadways under high in-situ stress. A case study on the stability of deep roadways was carried out in an underground mine in Gansu province, China. Currently, the surrounding rock strata is extremely fractured, which results in a series of engineering disasters, such as side wall collapse and severe floor heave in the past decades. Aiming to solve these problems, an improved support method was proposed, which includes optimal bolt parameters and arrangement, floor beam layout by grooving, and full length grouting. Based on the modeling results by FLAC3D, the new support method is much better than the current one in terms of preventing the large deformation of sur-rounding rock and restricting the development of plastic zones. For implementation and verification, field experiments, along with deformation monitoring, were conducted in the 958 level roadway of Mining II areas. The results show that the improved support can significantly reduce surrounding rock deforma-tion, avoid frequent repair, and maintain the long-term stability of the roadway. Compared to the original support, the new support method can greatly save investment of mines, and has good application value and popularization value.

Planar, Polysilazane?Derived Porous Ceramic Supports for Membrane and Catalysis Applications

OpenAIRE

Konegger, Thomas; Williams, Lee F.; Bordia, Rajendra K.

2015-01-01

Porous, silicon carbonitride?based ceramic support structures for potential membrane and catalysis applications were generated from a preceramic polysilazane precursor in combination with spherical, ultrahigh?molecular weight polyethylene microparticles through a sacrificial filler approach. A screening evaluation was used for the determination of the impact of both porogen content and porogen size on pore structure, strength, and permeability characteristics of planar specimens. By optimizin...

Reproducing the hierarchy of disorder for Morpho-inspired, broad-angle color reflection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Song, Bokwang; Johansen, Villads Egede; Sigmund, Ole

2017-01-01

on the positional disorder among the identical, multilayered ridges as the critical factor for producing angular independent color. Realizing such positional disorder of identical nanostructures is difficult, which in turn has limited experimental verification of different physical mechanisms that have been...... proposed. In this paper, we suggest an alternative model of inter-structural disorder that can achieve the same broad-angle color reflection, and is applicable to wafer-scale fabrication using conventional thin film technologies. Fabrication of a thin film that produces pure, stable blue across a viewing...... angle of more than 120 ° is demonstrated, together with a robust, conformal color coating....

Broad temperature adaptability of vanadium redox flow battery—Part 2: Cell research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xi, Jingyu; Xiao, Shuibo; Yu, Lihong; Wu, Lantao; Liu, Le; Qiu, Xinping

2016-01-01

Highlights: • VRFB can operate in a broad temperature range from −20 °C to 50 °C with high efficiency. • High temperatures reduce the ohmic and polarization resistances of VRFB. • The CE and capacity retention drop with temperature rising. • Operating at alternate temperatures gives extra damage to the VRFB. - Abstract: The operating temperature of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) will change with seasons and places. Hence, the broad temperature adaptability of VRFB is one of the key issues which affect its large-scale practical application. In our previous work, we have reported the impact of temperature (−35 °C–50 °C) on the static stability, physicochemical and electrochemical properties of five typical vanadium electrolytes (Electrochim. Acta, 2016, 187, 525). As a follow-up study, VRFB single cells are evaluated in this paper at a broad temperature range under current density of 40–200 mA cm −2 . The results show that VRFB can operate from −20 °C to 50 °C with acceptable energy efficiency under appropriate current densities (e.g. 65%–78% at 100 mA cm −2 ). Ohmic and polarization resistances of VRFB decrease with temperature while the voltage efficiency and electrolyte utilization present the opposite tendency. The fast crossover of the vanadium ions at high temperatures aggravates the capacity fading of the cell. Notably, VRFB suffers much more damage during alternate temperatures operation between moderate temperature and high temperature, which should be given special attention.

Hidden Broad-line Regions in Seyfert 2 Galaxies: From the Spectropolarimetric Perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Pu; Wang, Jian-Min; Zhang, Zhi-Xiang

2017-01-01

The hidden broad-line regions (BLRs) in Seyfert 2 galaxies, which display broad emission lines (BELs) in their polarized spectra, are a key piece of evidence in support of the unified model for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). However, the detailed kinematics and geometry of hidden BLRs are still not fully understood. The virial factor obtained from reverberation mapping of type 1 AGNs may be a useful diagnostic of the nature of hidden BLRs in type 2 objects. In order to understand the hidden BLRs, we compile six type 2 objects from the literature with polarized BELs and dynamical measurements of black hole masses. All of them contain pseudobulges. We estimate their virial factors, and find the average value is 0.60 and the standard deviation is 0.69, which agree well with the value of type 1 AGNs with pseudobulges. This study demonstrates that (1) the geometry and kinematics of BLR are similar in type 1 and type 2 AGNs of the same bulge type (pseudobulges), and (2) the small values of virial factors in Seyfert 2 galaxies suggest that, similar to type 1 AGNs, BLRs tend to be very thick disks in type 2 objects.

FDA's Activities Supporting Regulatory Application of "Next Gen" Sequencing Technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Carolyn A; Simonyan, Vahan

2014-01-01

Applications of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies require availability and access to an information technology (IT) infrastructure and bioinformatics tools for large amounts of data storage and analyses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) anticipates that the use of NGS data to support regulatory submissions will continue to increase as the scientific and clinical communities become more familiar with the technologies and identify more ways to apply these advanced methods to support development and evaluation of new biomedical products. FDA laboratories are conducting research on different NGS platforms and developing the IT infrastructure and bioinformatics tools needed to enable regulatory evaluation of the technologies and the data sponsors will submit. A High-performance Integrated Virtual Environment, or HIVE, has been launched, and development and refinement continues as a collaborative effort between the FDA and George Washington University to provide the tools to support these needs. The use of a highly parallelized environment facilitated by use of distributed cloud storage and computation has resulted in a platform that is both rapid and responsive to changing scientific needs. The FDA plans to further develop in-house capacity in this area, while also supporting engagement by the external community, by sponsoring an open, public workshop to discuss NGS technologies and data formats standardization, and to promote the adoption of interoperability protocols in September 2014. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are enabling breakthroughs in how the biomedical community is developing and evaluating medical products. One example is the potential application of this method to the detection and identification of microbial contaminants in biologic products. In order for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be able to evaluate the utility of this technology, we need to have the information technology infrastructure and

Endophytic Paraconiothyrium sp. from Zingiber officinale Rosc. Displays Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity by Production of Danthron.

Science.gov (United States)

Anisha, C; Sachidanandan, P; Radhakrishnan, E K

2018-03-01

The bioactivity spectrum of fungal endophytes isolated from Zingiber officinale was analyzed against clinical pathogens and against the phytopathogen Pythium myriotylum, which causes Pythium rot in ginger. One of the isolates GFM13 showed broad bioactivity against various pathogens tested including P. myriotylum. The spore suspension as well as the culture filtrate of the endophytic fungal isolate was found to effectively protect ginger rhizomes from Pythium rot. By molecular identification, the fungal endophyte was identified as Paraconiothyrium sp. The bioactive compound produced by the isolate was separated by bioactivity-guided fractionation and was identified by GC-MS as danthron, an anthraquinone derivative. PCR amplification showed the presence of non-reducing polyketide synthase gene (NR-PKS) in the endophyte GFM13, which is reported to be responsible for the synthesis of anthraquinones in fungi. This is the first report of danthron being produced as the biologically active component of Paraconiothyrium sp. Danthron is reported to have wide pharmaceutical and agronomic applications which include its use as a fungicide in agriculture. The broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of danthron and the endophytic origin of Paraconiothyrium sp. offer immense applications of the study.

Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies-SummerStyles 2012 and 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Odom, Erika C; Whittick, Corine; Tong, Xin; John, Katherine A; Cogswell, Mary E

2017-08-04

We examined temporal changes in consumer attitudes toward broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, and school and workplace cafeterias from the 2012 and 2015 SummerStyle surveys. We used two online, national research panel surveys to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of 7845 U.S. adults. Measures included self-reported agreement with broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, school cafeterias, workplace cafeterias, and quick-serve restaurants. Wald Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two survey years and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios. Agreement with broad-based actions to limit sodium in restaurants (45.9% agreed in 2015) and manufactured foods (56.5% agreed in 2015) did not change between 2012 and 2015. From 2012 to 2015, there was a significant increase in respondents that supported environment-specific policies to lower sodium in school cafeterias (80.0% to 84.9%; p consumers ready for actions to lower sodium in foods served in schools, workplaces, and quick-serve restaurants.

MobiNET: A framework for supporting Java mobile application developers through contextual inquiry

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Ogunleye, S

2009-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the authors develop a concept for mobile programming. Mobile tools for Hetbeans (MobiNET) design would support the development of mobile applications for various mobile phones. The authors evaluate Netbeans as a development tool...

DEVELOPING AN IMAGE PROCESSING APPLICATION THAT SUPPORTS NEW FEATURES OF JPEG2000 STANDARD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evgin GÖÇERİ

2007-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, developing technologies in multimedia brought the importance of image processing and compression. Images that are reduced in size using lossless and lossy compression techniques without degrading the quality of the image to an unacceptable level take up much less space in memory. This enables them to be sent and received over the Internet or mobile devices in much shorter time. The wavelet-based image compression standard JPEG2000 has been created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG committee to superseding the former JPEG standard. Works on various additions to this standard are still under development. In this study, an Application has been developed in Visual C# 2005 which implies important image processing techniques such as edge detection and noise reduction. The important feature of this Application is to support JPEG2000 standard as well as supporting other image types, and the implementation does not only apply to two-dimensional images, but also to multi-dimensional images. Modern software development platforms that support image processing have also been compared and several features of the developed software have been identified.

An intellectual property sharing initiative in agricultural biotechnology: development of broadly accessible technologies for plant transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chi-Ham, Cecilia L; Boettiger, Sara; Figueroa-Balderas, Rosa; Bird, Sara; Geoola, Josef N; Zamora, Pablo; Alandete-Saez, Monica; Bennett, Alan B

2012-06-01

The Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA) was founded in 2004 by the Rockefeller Foundation in response to concerns that public investments in agricultural biotechnology benefiting developing countries were facing delays, high transaction costs and lack of access to important technologies due to intellectual property right (IPR) issues. From its inception, PIPRA has worked broadly to support a wide range of research in the public sector, in specialty and minor acreage crops as well as crops important to food security in developing countries. In this paper, we review PIPRA's work, discussing the failures, successes, and lessons learned during its years of operation. To address public sector's limited freedom-to-operate, or legal access to third-party rights, in the area of plant transformation, we describe PIPRA's patent 'pool' approach to develop open-access technologies for plant transformation which consolidate patent and tangible property rights in marker-free vector systems. The plant transformation system has been licensed and deployed for both commercial and humanitarian applications in the United States (US) and Africa, respectively. © 2012 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal © 2012 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A tunable, linac based, intense, broad-band THz source forpump-probe experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmerge, J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Adolphsen, C. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Corbett, J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Dolgashev, V. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Durr, H. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Fazio, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Fisher, A. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Frisch, J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Gaffney, K. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Guehr, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Hastings, J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Hettel, B. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Hoffmann, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Hogan, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Holtkamp, N. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Huang, X. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Huang, Z. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Kirchmann, P. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); LaRue, J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Limborg, C. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lindenberg, A. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Loos, H. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Maxwell, T. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Nilsson, A. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Raubenheimer, T. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Reis, D. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Ross, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Shen, Z. -X. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stupakov, G. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Tantawi, S. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Tian, K. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Wu, Z. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Xiang, D. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Yakimenko, V. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

2015-02-02

We propose an intense THz source with tunable frequency and bandwidth that can directly interact with the degrees of freedom that determine the properties of materials and thus provides a new tool for controlling and directing these ultrafast processes as well as aiding synthesis of new materials with new functional properties. This THz source will broadly impact our understanding of dynamical processes in matter at the atomic-scale and in real time. Established optical pumping schemes using femtosecond visible frequency laser pulses for excitation are extended into the THz frequency regime thereby enabling resonant excitation of bonds in correlated solid state materials (phonon pumping), to drive low energy electronic excitations, to trigger surface chemistry reactions, and to all-optically bias a material with ultrashort electric fields or magnetic fields. A linac-based THz source can supply stand-alone experiments with peak intensities two orders of magnitude stronger than existing laser-based sources, but when coupled with atomic-scale sensitive femtosecond x-ray probes it opens a new frontier in ultrafast science with broad applications to correlated materials, interfacial and liquid phase chemistry, and materials in extreme conditions.

A mathematical model for interpretable clinical decision support with applications in gynecology.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanya M C A Van Belle

Full Text Available Over time, methods for the development of clinical decision support (CDS systems have evolved from interpretable and easy-to-use scoring systems to very complex and non-interpretable mathematical models. In order to accomplish effective decision support, CDS systems should provide information on how the model arrives at a certain decision. To address the issue of incompatibility between performance, interpretability and applicability of CDS systems, this paper proposes an innovative model structure, automatically leading to interpretable and easily applicable models. The resulting models can be used to guide clinicians when deciding upon the appropriate treatment, estimating patient-specific risks and to improve communication with patients.We propose the interval coded scoring (ICS system, which imposes that the effect of each variable on the estimated risk is constant within consecutive intervals. The number and position of the intervals are automatically obtained by solving an optimization problem, which additionally performs variable selection. The resulting model can be visualised by means of appealing scoring tables and color bars. ICS models can be used within software packages, in smartphone applications, or on paper, which is particularly useful for bedside medicine and home-monitoring. The ICS approach is illustrated on two gynecological problems: diagnosis of malignancy of ovarian tumors using a dataset containing 3,511 patients, and prediction of first trimester viability of pregnancies using a dataset of 1,435 women. Comparison of the performance of the ICS approach with a range of prediction models proposed in the literature illustrates the ability of ICS to combine optimal performance with the interpretability of simple scoring systems.The ICS approach can improve patient-clinician communication and will provide additional insights in the importance and influence of available variables. Future challenges include extensions of the

Development of a broad toxicological screening technique for urine using ultra-performance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Hon Kit; Ho, Chung Shun; Iu, Yan Ping Heidi

2009-01-01

Withdrawal of the support for the REMEDi HS drug profiling system has necessitated its replacement within our laboratories with an alternative broad toxicological screening technique. To this end, a novel method, based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and time-of-flight (TOF) mass...

Development of potent in vivo mutagenesis plasmids with broad mutational spectra.

Science.gov (United States)

Badran, Ahmed H; Liu, David R

2015-10-07

Methods to enhance random mutagenesis in cells offer advantages over in vitro mutagenesis, but current in vivo methods suffer from a lack of control, genomic instability, low efficiency and narrow mutational spectra. Using a mechanism-driven approach, we created a potent, inducible, broad-spectrum and vector-based mutagenesis system in E. coli that enhances mutation 322,000-fold over basal levels, surpassing the mutational efficiency and spectra of widely used in vivo and in vitro methods. We demonstrate that this system can be used to evolve antibiotic resistance in wild-type E. coli in mutagenesis of chromosomes, episomes and viruses in vivo, and are applicable to both bacterial and bacteriophage-mediated laboratory evolution platforms.

Broadly tunable metal halide perovskites for solid-state light-emission applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adjokatse, Sampson; Fang, Hong-Hua; Loi, Maria Antonietta

2017-01-01

The past two years have witnessed heightened interest in metal-halide perovskites as promising optoelectronic materials for solid-state light emitting applications beyond photovoltaics. Metal-halide perovskites are low-cost solution-processable materials with excellent intrinsic properties such as

A Semantic Sensor Web for Environmental Decision Support Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl García-Castro

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Sensing devices are increasingly being deployed to monitor the physical world around us. One class of application for which sensor data is pertinent is environmental decision support systems, e.g., flood emergency response. For these applications, the sensor readings need to be put in context by integrating them with other sources of data about the surrounding environment. Traditional systems for predicting and detecting floods rely on methods that need significant human resources. In this paper we describe a semantic sensor web architecture for integrating multiple heterogeneous datasets, including live and historic sensor data, databases, and map layers. The architecture provides mechanisms for discovering datasets, defining integrated views over them, continuously receiving data in real-time, and visualising on screen and interacting with the data. Our approach makes extensive use of web service standards for querying and accessing data, and semantic technologies to discover and integrate datasets. We demonstrate the use of our semantic sensor web architecture in the context of a flood response planning web application that uses data from sensor networks monitoring the sea-state around the coast of England.

Broad substrate tolerance of tubulin tyrosine ligase enables one-step site-specific enzymatic protein labeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumacher, Dominik; Lemke, Oliver; Helma, Jonas; Gerszonowicz, Lena; Waller, Verena; Stoschek, Tina; Durkin, Patrick M; Budisa, Nediljko; Leonhardt, Heinrich; Keller, Bettina G; Hackenberger, Christian P R

2017-05-01

The broad substrate tolerance of tubulin tyrosine ligase is the basic rationale behind its wide applicability for chemoenzymatic protein functionalization. In this context, we report that the wild-type enzyme enables ligation of various unnatural amino acids that are substantially bigger than and structurally unrelated to the natural substrate, tyrosine, without the need for extensive protein engineering. This unusual substrate flexibility is due to the fact that the enzyme's catalytic pocket forms an extended cavity during ligation, as confirmed by docking experiments and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. This feature enabled one-step C-terminal biotinylation and fluorescent coumarin labeling of various functional proteins as demonstrated with ubiquitin, an antigen binding nanobody, and the apoptosis marker Annexin V. Its broad substrate tolerance establishes tubulin tyrosine ligase as a powerful tool for in vitro enzyme-mediated protein modification with single functional amino acids in a specific structural context.

Broad frequency band full field measurements for advanced applications: Point-wise comparisons between optical technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Zanarini, Alessandro

2018-01-01

The progress of optical systems gives nowadays at disposal on lightweight structures complex dynamic measurements and modal tests, each with its own advantages, drawbacks and preferred usage domains. It is thus more easy than before to obtain highly spatially defined vibration patterns for many applications in vibration engineering, testing and general product development. The potential of three completely different technologies is here benchmarked on a common test rig and advanced applications. SLDV, dynamic ESPI and hi-speed DIC are here first deployed in a complex and unique test on the estimation of FRFs with high spatial accuracy from a thin vibrating plate. The latter exhibits a broad band dynamics and high modal density in the common frequency domain where the techniques can find an operative intersection. A peculiar point-wise comparison is here addressed by means of discrete geometry transforms to put all the three technologies on trial at each physical point of the surface. Full field measurement technologies cannot estimate only displacement fields on a refined grid, but can exploit the spatial consistency of the results through neighbouring locations by means of numerical differentiation operators in the spatial domain to obtain rotational degrees of freedom and superficial dynamic strain distributions, with enhanced quality, compared to other technologies in literature. Approaching the task with the aid of superior quality receptance maps from the three different full field gears, this work calculates and compares rotational and dynamic strain FRFs. Dynamic stress FRFs can be modelled directly from the latter, by means of a constitutive model, avoiding the costly and time-consuming steps of building and tuning a numerical dynamic model of a flexible component or a structure in real life conditions. Once dynamic stress FRFs are obtained, spectral fatigue approaches can try to predict the life of a component in many excitation conditions. Different

Application of ICT supported learning in fluid mechanics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brohus, Henrik; Svidt, Kjeld

2004-01-01

of tools for knowledge transfer facilitates deep understanding and increases learning efficiency. Air flow is by nature invisible and represents a further challenge in the effort of providing sufficient understanding of typical flow patterns and behaviour of room air flow. An example of visualisation......This paper focuses on the application of ICT, Information & Communication Technology, supported learning in the area of fluid mechanics education. Taking a starting point in a course in Ventilation Technology, including room air flow and contaminant distribution, it explains how ICT may be used...... actively in the learning environment to increase efficiency in the learning process. The paper comprises past experiences and lessons learnt as well as prospect for future development in the area. A model is presented that describes a high efficiency learning environment where ICT plays an important role...

Application of Quality Assurance Strategies in Diagnostics and Clinical Support Services in Iranian Hospitals

Science.gov (United States)

Aghaei Hashjin, Asgar; Kringos, Dionne; Ravaghi, Hamid; Manoochehri, Jila; Gorji, Hassan Abolghasem; Klazinga, Niek S.

2015-01-01

Background: Iran has a widespread diagnostics and clinical support services (DCSS) network that plays a crucial role in providing diagnostic and clinical support services to both inpatient and outpatient care. However, very little is known on the application of quality assurance (QA) policies in DCSS units. This study explores the extent of application of eleven QA strategies in DCSS units within Iranian hospitals and its association with hospital characteristics. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009/2010. Data were collected from 554 DCSS units among 84 hospitals. Results: The average reported application rate for the QA strategies ranged from 57%-94% in the DCSS units. Most frequently reported were checking drugs expiration dates (94%), pharmacopoeia availability (92%), equipment calibration (87%) and identifying responsibilities (86%). Least reported was external auditing of the DCSS (57%). The clinical chemistry and microbiology laboratories (84%), pharmacies, blood bank services (83%) reported highest average application rates across all questioned QA strategies. Lowest application rates were reported in human tissue banks (50%). There was no significant difference between the reported application rates in DCSS in the general/specialized, teaching/research, nonteaching/research hospitals with the exception of pharmacies and radiology departments. They reported availability of a written QA plan significantly more often in research hospitals. Nearly all QA strategies were reported to be applied significantly more often in the DCSS of Social Security Organization (SSO) and private-for-profit hospitals than in governmental hospitals. Conclusion: There is still room for strengthening the managerial cycle of QA systems and accountability in the DCSS in Iranian hospitals. Getting feedback, change and learning through application of specific QA strategies (eg, external/internal audits) can be improved. Both the effectiveness of QA

Application of Quality Assurance Strategies in Diagnostics and Clinical Support Services in Iranian Hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Aghaei Hashjin, Asgar; Kringos, Dionne; Ravaghi, Hamid; Manoochehri, Jila; Gorji, Hassan Abolghasem; Klazinga, Niek S

2015-05-20

Iran has a widespread diagnostics and clinical support services (DCSS) network that plays a crucial role in providing diagnostic and clinical support services to both inpatient and outpatient care. However, very little is known on the application of quality assurance (QA) policies in DCSS units. This study explores the extent of application of eleven QA strategies in DCSS units within Iranian hospitals and its association with hospital characteristics. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009/2010. Data were collected from 554 DCSS units among 84 hospitals. The average reported application rate for the QA strategies ranged from 57%-94% in the DCSS units. Most frequently reported were checking drugs expiration dates (94%), pharmacopoeia availability (92%), equipment calibration (87%) and identifying responsibilities (86%). Least reported was external auditing of the DCSS (57%). The clinical chemistry and microbiology laboratories (84%), pharmacies, blood bank services (83%) reported highest average application rates across all questioned QA strategies. Lowest application rates were reported in human tissue banks (50%). There was no significant difference between the reported application rates in DCSS in the general/specialized, teaching/research, nonteaching/research hospitals with the exception of pharmacies and radiology departments. They reported availability of a written QA plan significantly more often in research hospitals. Nearly all QA strategies were reported to be applied significantly more often in the DCSS of Social Security Organization (SSO) and private-for-profit hospitals than in governmental hospitals. There is still room for strengthening the managerial cycle of QA systems and accountability in the DCSS in Iranian hospitals. Getting feedback, change and learning through application of specific QA strategies (eg, external/internal audits) can be improved. Both the effectiveness of QA strategies in practice, and the application of

Application of Quality Assurance Strategies in Diagnostics and Clinical Support Services in Iranian Hospitals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asgar Aghaei Hashjin

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background Iran has a widespread diagnostics and clinical support services (DCSS network that plays a crucial role in providing diagnostic and clinical support services to both inpatient and outpatient care. However, very little is known on the application of quality assurance (QA policies in DCSS units. This study explores the extent of application of eleven QA strategies in DCSS units within Iranian hospitals and its association with hospital characteristics. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009/2010. Data were collected from 554 DCSS units among 84 hospitals. Results The average reported application rate for the QA strategies ranged from 57%-94% in the DCSS units. Most frequently reported were checking drugs expiration dates (94%, pharmacopoeia availability (92%, equipment calibration (87% and identifying responsibilities (86%. Least reported was external auditing of the DCSS (57%. The clinical chemistry and microbiology laboratories (84%, pharmacies, blood bank services (83% reported highest average application rates across all questioned QA strategies. Lowest application rates were reported in human tissue banks (50%. There was no significant difference between the reported application rates in DCSS in the general/specialized, teaching/research, nonteaching/research hospitals with the exception of pharmacies and radiology departments. They reported availability of a written QA plan significantly more often in research hospitals. Nearly all QA strategies were reported to be applied significantly more often in the DCSS of Social Security Organization (SSO and private-for-profit hospitals than in governmental hospitals. Conclusion There is still room for strengthening the managerial cycle of QA systems and accountability in the DCSS in Iranian hospitals. Getting feedback, change and learning through application of specific QA strategies (eg, external/internal audits can be improved. Both the effectiveness of QA

Survey of potential applications of superconducting suspensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, D.K.; Bupara, S.S.

1993-01-01

The purpose of this report is to survey the recent developments in applying the bulk superconductors to mechanical applications. These applications, called superconducting suspensions, can be broadly divided into three groups - Passive Magnetic Bearings, Passive Superconducting Dampers and Active Superconducting Bearings. Basically, passive magnetic bearings utilize bulk superconductors to support a rotating shaft without contact while active superconducting bearings employ superconducting wires. Passive superconducting dampers, on the other hand, dissipate energy from a vibrating component. Over the past one year, dramatic improvements have been made in processing large-size specimens made of high grade bulk superconductors. As a result, they can meet the size requirements and load capacity requirements of many applications. With this size-scale up, one can utilize them in a wider number of applications than what was possible a few years back. At present several organizations have demonstrated the capability of passive magnetic bearings. The targeted applications include miniature cryoturboexpanders, cryoturbopumps, energy storage wheels and turbomolecular pumps. These demonstrations indicate that the passive magnetic bearings are closer to technology maturity. (orig.)

Test Automation Process Improvement A case study of BroadSoft

OpenAIRE

Gummadi, Jalendar

2016-01-01

This master thesis research is about improvement of test automation process at BroadSoft Finland as a case study. Test automation project recently started at BroadSoft but the project is not properly integrated in to existing process. Project is about converting manual test cases to automation test cases. The aim of this thesis is about studying existing BroadSoft test process and studying different test automation frameworks. In this thesis different test automation process are studied ...

Antiviral Therapy by HIV-1 Broadly Neutralizing and Inhibitory Antibodies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiqing Zhang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1 infection causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS, a global epidemic for more than three decades. HIV-1 replication is primarily controlled through antiretroviral therapy (ART but this treatment does not cure HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, there is increasing viral resistance to ART, and side effects associated with long-term therapy. Consequently, there is a need of alternative candidates for HIV-1 prevention and therapy. Recent advances have discovered multiple broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1. In this review, we describe the key epitopes on the HIV-1 Env protein and the reciprocal broadly neutralizing antibodies, and discuss the ongoing clinical trials of broadly neutralizing and inhibitory antibody therapy as well as antibody combinations, bispecific antibodies, and methods that improve therapeutic efficacy by combining broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs with latency reversing agents. Compared with ART, HIV-1 therapeutics that incorporate these broadly neutralizing and inhibitory antibodies offer the advantage of decreasing virus load and clearing infected cells, which is a promising prospect in HIV-1 prevention and treatment.

Pulsed-power-supply development for fusion applications: special research support agreement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

This is a final summary describing research and development work carried out by the Center for Electromechanics at The University of Texas at Austin (CEM-UT) for the Department of Energy during calendar years 1978, 1979, and 1980. The general purpose of this special research support program was to conduct research on pulsed power supply development for fusion applications in the areas of homopolar generators (HPGs), tokamak ohmic heating stuides, switching, and pulse compression technology

User profiles of a smartphone application to support drug adherence--experiences from the iNephro project.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Becker

Full Text Available PURPOSE: One of the key problems in the drug therapy of patients with chronic conditions is drug adherence. In 2010 the initiative iNephro was launched (www.inephro.de. A software to support regular and correct drug intake was developed for a smartphone platform (iOS. The study investigated whether and how smartphone users deployed such an application. METHODS: Together with cooperating partners the mobile application "Medikamentenplan" ("Medication Plan" was developed. Users are able to keep and alter a list of their regular medication. A memory function supports regular intake. The application can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store™ by Apple™. After individual consent of users from December 2010 to April 2012 2042338 actions were recorded and analysed from the downloaded applications. Demographic data were collected from 2279 users with a questionnaire. RESULTS: Overall the application was used by 11688 smartphone users. 29% (3406/11688 used it at least once a week for at least four weeks. 27% (3209/11688 used the application for at least 84 days. 68% (1554/2279 of users surveyed were male, the stated age of all users was between 6-87 years (mean 44. 74% of individuals (1697 declared to be suffering from cardiovascular disease, 13% (292 had a previous history of transplantation, 9% (205 were suffering from cancer, 7% (168 reported an impaired renal function and 7% (161 suffered from diabetes mellitus. 69% (1568 of users were on <6 different medications, 9% (201 on 6 - 10 and 1% (26 on more than 10. CONCLUSION: A new smartphone application, which supports drug adherence, was used regularly by chronically ill users with a wide range of diseases over a longer period of time. The majority of users so far were middle-aged and male.

Broad Categories for the Diagnosis of Eating Disorders (BCD-ED): An Alternative System for Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, B. Timothy; Sysko, Robyn

2009-01-01

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS), a residual category in DSM-IV, is the most commonly used eating disorder diagnosis in clinical settings. However, the features of individuals with EDNOS are heterogeneous and difficult to characterize. A diagnostic scheme, termed Broad Categories for the Diagnosis of Eating Disorders (BCD-ED), is proposed to diminish use of the EDNOS category markedly while preserving the existing eating disorder categories. The BCD-ED scheme consists of three broad categories, in a hierarchical relationship, consisting of: Anorexia Nervosa and Behaviorally Similar disorders, Bulimia Nervosa and Behaviorally Similar Disorders, Binge Eating Disorder and Behaviorally Similar Disorders, and a residual category of EDNOS. The advantages and disadvantages of adopting this scheme for DSM-V are considered, and issues relevant to BCD-ED are discussed. Specifically, we review the proportion of individuals with DSM-IV EDNOS that would be re-classified under the BCD-ED system, support for the hierarchy of the three categories, and the potential risk of “overdiagnosis.” PMID:19650083

Broad-scale Population Genetics of the Host Sea Anemone, Heteractis magnifica

KAUST Repository

Emms, Madeleine

2015-12-01

Broad-scale population genetics can reveal population structure across an organism’s entire range, which can enable us to determine the most efficient population-wide management strategy depending on levels of connectivity. Genetic variation and differences in genetic diversity on small-scales have been reported in anemones, but nothing is known about their broad-scale population structure, including that of “host” anemone species, which are increasingly being targeted in the aquarium trade. In this study, microsatellite markers were used as a tool to determine the population structure of a sessile, host anemone species, Heteractis magnifica, across the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, two rDNA markers were used to identify Symbiodinium from the samples, and phylogenetic analyses were used to measure diversity and geographic distribution of Symbiodinium across the region. Significant population structure was identified in H. magnifica across the Indo-Pacific, with at least three genetic breaks, possibly the result of factors such as geographic distance, geographic isolation and environmental variation. Symbiodinium associations were also affected by environmental variation and supported the geographic isolation of some regions. These results suggests that management of H. magnifica must be implemented on a local scale, due to the lack of connectivity between clusters. This study also provides further evidence for the combined effects of geographic distance and environmental distance in explaining genetic variance.

Final report: A Broad Research Project in the Sciences of Complexity; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

None

2000-01-01

Previous DOE support for ''A Broad Research Program in the Sciences of Complexity'' permitted the Santa Fe Institute to initiate new collaborative research within its Integrative Core activities as well as to host visitors to participate in research on specific topics that serve as motivation and testing-ground for the study of general principles of complex systems. The critical aspect of this support is its effectiveness in seeding new areas of research. Indeed, this Integrative Core has been the birthplace of dozens of projects that later became more specifically focused and then won direct grant support independent of the core grants. But at early stages most of this multidisciplinary research was unable to win grant support as individual projects-both because it did not match well with existing grant program guidelines, and because the amount of handing needed was often too modest to justify a formal proposal to an agency. In fact, one of the attributes of core support has been that it permitted SFI to encourage high-risk activities because the cost was quite low. What is significant is how many of those initial efforts have been productive in the SFI environment. Many of SFI'S current research foci began with a short visit from a researcher new to the SFI community, or as small working groups that brought together carefully selected experts from a variety of fields. As mentioned above, many of the ensuing research projects are now being supported by other funding agencies or private foundations. Some of these successes are described

Formation of broad Balmer wings in symbiotic stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Seok-Jun; Heo, Jeong-Eun; Hong, Chae-Lin; Lee, Hee-Won

2016-01-01

Symbiotic stars are binary systems composed of a hot white dwarf and a mass losing giant. In addition to many prominent emission lines symbiotic stars exhibit Raman scattered O VI features at 6825 and 7088 Å. Another notable feature present in the spectra of many symbiotics is the broad wings around Balmer lines. Astrophysical mechanisms that can produce broad wings include Thomson scattering by free electrons and Raman scattering of Ly,β and higher series by neutral hydrogen. In this poster presentation we produce broad wings around Hα and H,β adopting a Monte Carlo techinique in order to make a quantitative comparison of these two mechanisms. Thomson wings are characterized by the exponential cutoff given by the termal width whereas the Raman wings are dependent on the column density and continuum shape in the far UV region. A brief discussion is provided. (paper)

Development of a broad-spectrum antiviral with activity against Ebola virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Aman, M Javad; Kinch, Michael S; Warfield, Kelly; Warren, Travis; Yunus, Abdul; Enterlein, Sven; Stavale, Eric; Wang, Peifang; Chang, Shaojing; Tang, Qingsong; Porter, Kevin; Goldblatt, Michael; Bavari, Sina

2009-09-01

We report herein the identification of a small molecule therapeutic, FGI-106, which displays potent and broad-spectrum inhibition of lethal viral hemorrhagic fevers pathogens, including Ebola, Rift Valley and Dengue Fever viruses, in cell-based assays. Using mouse models of Ebola virus, we further demonstrate that FGI-106 can protect animals from an otherwise lethal infection when used either in a prophylactic or therapeutic setting. A single treatment, administered 1 day after infection, is sufficient to protect animals from lethal Ebola virus challenge. Cell-based assays also identified inhibitory activity against divergent virus families, which supports a hypothesis that FGI-106 interferes with a common pathway utilized by different viruses. These findings suggest FGI-106 may provide an opportunity for targeting viral diseases.

FileNet's BPM life-cycle support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Netjes, M.; Reijers, H.A.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.

2006-01-01

Business Process Management (BPM) systems provide a broad range of facilities to enact and manage operational business processes. Ideally, these systems should provide support for the complete BPM life-cycle: (re)design, configuration, execution, control, and diagnosis of processes. In the research

33 CFR 117.921 - Broad River.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements South Carolina § 117.921 Broad River. (a) The draw of the S170 bridge, mile 14.0 near Beaufort, shall open on signal if at least 24 hours notice is given. (b) The draw...

Evidence for a Broad Autism Phenotype

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K. de Groot (Kristel); J.W. van Strien (Jan)

2017-01-01

textabstractThe broad autism phenotype implies the existence of a continuum ranging from individuals displaying almost no autistic traits to severely impaired diagnosed individuals. Recent studies have linked this variation in autistic traits to several domains of functioning. However, studies

Development of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument : Measuring a Broad Spectrum of Health 1.0 and Health 2.0 Skills

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Vaart, Rosalie; Drossaert, Constance

2017-01-01

Background: With the digitization of health care and the wide availability of Web-based applications, a broad set of skills is essential to properly use such facilities; these skills are called digital health literacy or eHealth literacy. Current instruments to measure digital health literacy focus

An aggregated perylene-based broad-spectrum, efficient and label-free quencher for multiplexed fluorescent bioassays.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tao; Hu, Rong; Lv, Yi-Fan; Wu, Yuan; Liang, Hao; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Tan, Weihong; Yu, Ru-Qin

2014-08-15

Fluorescent sensing systems based on the quenching of fluorophores have found wide applications in bioassays. An efficient quencher will endow the sensing system a high sensitivity. The frequently used quenchers are based on organic molecules or nanomaterials, which usually need tedious synthesizing and modifying steps, and exhibit different quenching efficiencies to different fluorophores. In this work, we for the first time report that aggregated perylene derivative can serve as a broad-spectrum and label-free quencher that is able to efficiently quench a variety of fluorophores, such as green, red and far red dyes labeled on DNA. By choosing nucleases as model biomolecules, such a broad-spectrum quencher was then employed to construct a multiplexed bioassay platform through a label-free manner. Due to the high quenching efficiency of the aggregated perylene, the proposed platform could detect nuclease with high sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.03U/mL for EcoRV, and 0.05U/mL for EcoRI. The perylene quencher does not affect the activity of nuclease, which makes it possible to design post-addition type bioassay platform. Moreover, the proposed platform allows simultaneous and multicolor analysis of nucleases in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its value of potential application in rapid screening of multiple bio-targets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design and architecture of retailapp: an application to support conventional retailers

Science.gov (United States)

Jaya, I.; Tarigan, J. T.; Hardi, S. M.; Nasution, M. K. M.

2018-03-01

Over the last few years, the preference on shopping over internet application, usually called online shopping or e-shopping, has increased significantly. One of the major advantage of online shopping is the capability to use digital content to support the marketing process. Prospective buyers can conveniently browse and look to a certain object and find the information needed with a few clicks. Moreover, the use of multimedia (such as images, sound, and movies) may help prospective buyers to make a decision faster than conventional shopping at retailers. However, shoppers still consider that conventional shopping is the best way to perform shopping due to the ability to make a physical contact to the object. Our objective is to merge these experiences by enabling user to find digital content that relate to nearby retailers. In this research, we built a mobile application that collects data from nearby retailers and shows it to its user. By using this application, it will be easier to users to find the location of the object and to find nearby promotion.

Quantum lattice model solver package HΦ. Applications to thermal and spin excitations in proximity of spin liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaji, Youhei; Misawa, Takahiro; Yoshimi, Kazuyoshi; Kawamura, Mitsuaki; Kawashima, Naoki; Todo, Synge

2017-01-01

HΦ is a program package based on the Lanczos-type method applicable to a broad range of quantum lattice models. HΦ has a flexible and simple-to-use interface, and runs efficiently on massively parallel computers. Unlike most existing packages, HΦ supports finite-temperature calculations. In this article, we apply HΦ to typical strongly correlated electron systems in proximity to quantum spin liquids. (author)

How to Support Forest Management in a World of Change: Results of Some Regional Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Fürst, C.; Lorz, C.; Vacik, H.; Potocic, N.; Makeschin, F.

2010-12-01

This article presents results of several studies in Middle, Eastern and Southeastern Europe on needs and application areas, desirable attributes and marketing potentials of forest management support tools. By comparing present and future application areas, a trend from sectoral planning towards landscape planning and integration of multiple stakeholder needs is emerging. In terms of conflicts, where management support tools might provide benefit, no clear tendencies were found, neither on local nor on regional level. In contrast, on national and European levels, support of the implementation of laws, directives, and regulations was found to be of highest importance. Following the user-requirements analysis, electronic tools supporting communication are preferred against paper-based instruments. The users identified most important attributes of optimized management support tools: (i) a broad accessibility for all users at any time should be guaranteed, (ii) the possibility to integrate iteratively experiences from case studies and from regional experts into the knowledge base (learning system) should be given, and (iii) a self-explanatory user interface is demanded, which is also suitable for users rather inexperienced with electronic tools. However, a market potential analysis revealed that the willingness to pay for management tools is very limited, although the participants specified realistic ranges of maximal amounts of money, which would be invested if the products were suitable and payment inevitable. To bridge the discrepancy between unwillingness to pay and the need to use management support tools, optimized financing or cooperation models between practice and science must be found.

Advanced applications of natural language processing for performing information extraction

CERN Document Server

Rodrigues, Mário

2015-01-01

This book explains how can be created information extraction (IE) applications that are able to tap the vast amount of relevant information available in natural language sources: Internet pages, official documents such as laws and regulations, books and newspapers, and social web. Readers are introduced to the problem of IE and its current challenges and limitations, supported with examples. The book discusses the need to fill the gap between documents, data, and people, and provides a broad overview of the technology supporting IE. The authors present a generic architecture for developing systems that are able to learn how to extract relevant information from natural language documents, and illustrate how to implement working systems using state-of-the-art and freely available software tools. The book also discusses concrete applications illustrating IE uses.   ·         Provides an overview of state-of-the-art technology in information extraction (IE), discussing achievements and limitations for t...

Testing Event Discrimination over Broad Regions using the Historical Borovoye Observatory Explosion Dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Pasyanos, Michael E.; Ford, Sean R.; Walter, William R.

2014-03-01

We test the performance of high-frequency regional P/S discriminants to differentiate between earthquakes and explosions at test sites and over broad regions using a historical dataset of explosions recorded at the Borovoye Observatory in Kazakhstan. We compare these explosions to modern recordings of earthquakes at the same location. We then evaluate the separation of the two types of events using the raw measurements and those where the amplitudes are corrected for 1-D and 2-D attenuation structure. We find that high-frequency P/S amplitudes can reliably identify earthquakes and explosions, and that the discriminant is applicable over broad regions as long as propagation effects are properly accounted for. Lateral attenuation corrections provide the largest improvement in the 2-4 Hz band, the use of which may successfully enable the identification of smaller, distant events that have lower signal-to-noise at higher frequencies. We also find variations in P/S ratios among the three main nuclear testing locations within the Semipalatinsk Test Site which, due to their nearly identical paths to BRVK, must be a function of differing geology and emplacement conditions.

Spraying Brassinolide improves Sigma Broad tolerance in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) through modulation of antioxidant activity and photosynthetic capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Xiang-Yang; Zhang, Li-Guang; Huang, Lei; Yang, Hui-Jie; Zhong, Yan-Ting; Ning, Na; Wen, Yin-Yuan; Dong, Shu-Qi; Song, Xi-E; Wang, Hong-Fu; Guo, Ping-Yi

2017-09-11

To explore the role of Brassinolide (BR) in improving the tolerance of Sigma Broad in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), effects of 0.1 mg/L of BR foliar application 24 h before 3.37 g/ha of Sigma Broad treatment at five-leaf stage of foxtail millet on growth parameters, antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA), chlorophyll, net photosynthetic rate (P N ), chlorophyll fluorescence and P 700 parameters were studied 7 and 15 d after herbicide treatment, respectively. Results showed that Sigma Broad significantly decreased plant height, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), chlorophyll content, P N , PS II effective quantum yield (Y (II)), PS II electron transport rate (ETR (II)), photochemical quantum yield of PSI(Y (I)) and PS I electron transport rate ETR (I), but significantly increased MDA. Compared to herbicide treatment, BR dramatically increased plant height, activities of SOD, Y (II), ETR (II), Y (I) and ETR (I). This study showed BR pretreatment could improve the tolerance of Sigma Broad in foxtail millet through improving the activity of antioxidant enzymes, keeping electron transport smooth, and enhancing actual photochemical efficiency of PS II and PSI.

Towards High Power Density Metal Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Mobile Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jimmi; Persson, Åsa H.; Muhl, Thuy Thanh

2018-01-01

For use of metal supported solid oxide fuel cell (MS-SOFC) in mobile applications it is important to reduce the thermal mass to enable fast startup, increase stack power density in terms of weight and volume and reduce costs. In the present study, we report on the effect of reducing the Technical...

High-performance broad-band spectroscopy for breast cancer risk assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Pawluczyk, Olga; Blackmore, Kristina; Dick, Samantha; Lilge, Lothar

2005-09-01

Medical diagnostics and screening are becoming increasingly demanding applications for spectroscopy. Although for many years the demand was satisfied with traditional spectrometers, analysis of complex biological samples has created a need for instruments capable of detecting small differences between samples. One such application is the measurement of absorbance of broad spectrum illumination by breast tissue, in order to quantify the breast tissue density. Studies have shown that breast cancer risk is closely associated with the measurement of radiographic breast density measurement. Using signal attenuation in transillumination spectroscopy in the 550-1100nm spectral range to measure breast density, has the potential to reduce the frequency of ionizing radiation, or making the test accessible to younger women; lower the cost and make the procedure more comfortable for the patient. In order to determine breast density, small spectral variances over a total attenuation of up to 8 OD have to be detected with the spectrophotometer. For this, a high performance system has been developed. The system uses Volume Phase Holographic (VPH) transmission grating, a 2D detector array for simultaneous registration of the whole spectrum with high signal to noise ratio, dedicated optical system specifically optimized for spectroscopic applications and many other improvements. The signal to noise ratio exceeding 50,000 for a single data acquisition eliminates the need for nitrogen cooled detectors and provides sufficient information to predict breast tissue density. Current studies employing transillumination breast spectroscopy (TIBS) relating to breast cancer risk assessment and monitoring are described.

Optimization Of Methodological Support Of Application Tax Benefits In Regions: Practice Of Perm Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandr Ivanovich Tatarkin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the article, the problem of the methodological process support of regional tax benefits is reviewed. The method of tax benefits assessment, accepted in Perm Region, was chosen as an analysis object because the relatively long period of application of benefits has allowed to build enough statistics base. In the article, the reliability of budget, economic, investment, and social effectiveness assessments of application benefits, based on the Method, is investigated. The suggestions of its perfection are formulated

[Proposal of a conceptual method of supportive care for co-active patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Abidli, Yamine; Piette, Danielle; Casini, Annalisa

2015-01-01

There is a broad consensus on the importance for health professionals to support co-active patients. However, in practice, very few "patient care partnership" approaches have been developed. We hypothesized that the lack of investment in supporting patient care partnerships is due to the lack of interest in the skills needed by caregivers to provide such support. This paper intends to address thisgap. The patient care partnership method is studied, adapted and developed from existing models. It complements, harmonizes and integrates various schools of thought arising from the need to place the patient at the center of care and life in general. The patient care partnership method includes 7 stages during which the professional accompanies the patient through the process of care. The methodological approach for training professionals is designed to ensure that professionals experience the change as well as its difficulties of the change they expect from the patient in the care relationship. This method now needs to be validated by the experience of other professionals in order define the limits of application and to allow further development.

Northwest Region Clean Energy Application Center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sjoding, David [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)

2013-09-30

The main objective of the Northwest Clean Energy Application Center (NW CEAC) is to promote and support implementation of clean energy technologies. These technologies include combined heat and power (CHP), district energy, waste heat recovery with a primary focus on waste heat to power, and other related clean energy systems such as stationary fuel cell CHP systems. The northwest states include AK, ID, MT, OR, and WA. The key aim/outcome of the Center is to promote and support implementation of clean energy projects. Implemented projects result in a number of benefits including increased energy efficiency, renewable energy development (when using opportunity fuels), reduced carbon emissions, improved facility economics helping to preserve jobs, and reduced criteria pollutants calculated on an output-based emissions basis. Specific objectives performed by the NW CEAC fall within the following five broad promotion and support categories: 1) Center management and planning including database support; 2) Education and Outreach including plan development, website, target market workshops, and education/outreach materials development 3) Identification and provision of screening assessments & feasibility studies as funded by the facility or occasionally further support of Potential High Impact Projects; 4) Project implementation assistance/trouble shooting; and 5) Development of a supportive clean energy policy and initiative/financing framework.

Handbook Timing Belts Principles, Calculations, Applications

CERN Document Server

Perneder, Raimund

2012-01-01

Timing belts offer a broad range of innovative drivetrain solutions; they allow low-backlash operation in robot systems, they are widely used in automated processes and industrial handling involving highly dynamic start-up loads, they are low-maintenance solutions for continuous operation applications, and they can guarantee exact positioning at high operating speeds. Based on his years of professional experience, the author has developed concise guidelines for the dimensioning of timing belt drives and presents proven examples from the fields of power transmission, transport and linear transfer technology. He offers definitive support for dealing with and compensating for adverse operating conditions and belt damage, as well as advice on drive optimization and guidelines for the design of drivetrain details and supporting systems. All market-standard timing belts are listed as brand neutral. Readers will discover an extensive bibliography with information on the various manufacturers and their websites. This...

The case for inflow of the broad-line region of active galactic nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Gaskell, C. Martin; Goosmann, René W.

2016-02-01

The high-ionization lines of the broad-line region (BLR) of thermal active galactic nuclei (AGNs) show blueshifts of a few hundred km/s to several thousand km/sec with respect to the low-ionization lines. This has long been thought to be due to the high-ionization lines of the BLR arising in a wind of which the far side of the outflow is blocked from our view by the accretion disc. Evidence for and against the disc-wind model is discussed. The biggest problem for the model is that velocity-resolved reverberation mapping repeatedly fails to show the expected kinematic signature of outflow of the BLR. The disc-wind model also cannot readily reproduce the red side of the line profiles of high-ionization lines. The rapidly falling density in an outflow makes it difficult to obtain high equivalent widths. We point out a number of major problems with associating the BLR with the outflows producing broad absorption lines. An explanation which avoids all these problems and satisfies the constraints of both the line profiles and velocity-resolved reverberation-mapping is a model in which the blueshifting is due to scattering off material spiraling inwards with an inflow velocity of half the velocity of the blueshifting. We discuss how recent reverberation mapping results are consistent with the scattering-plus-inflow model but do not support a disc-wind model. We propose that the anti-correlation of the apparent redshifting of Hβ with the blueshifting of C iv is a consequence of contamination of the red wings of Hβ by the broad wings of [O iii].

Freeze-casting: Fabrication of highly porous and hierarchical ceramic supports for energy applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cyril Gaudillere

2016-03-01

The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the freeze-casting ceramic shaping method and to show how its implementation could be useful for several energy applications where key components comprise a porous scaffold. A detailed presentation of the freeze-casting process and of the characteristics of the resulting porous parts is firstly given. The characteristic of freeze-cast parts and the drawbacks of conventional porous scaffolds existing in energy applications are drawn in order to highlight the expected beneficial effect of this new shaping technique as possible substitute to the conventional ones. Finally, a review of the state of the art freeze-cast based energy applications developed up to now and expected to be promising is given to illustrate the large perspectives opened by the implementation of the freeze-casting of ceramics for energy fields. Here we suggest discussing about the feasibility of incorporate freeze-cast porous support in high temperature ceramic-based energy applications.

Combination of artificial intelligence and procedural language programs in a computer application system supporting nuclear reactor operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Town, G.G.; Stratton, R.C.

1985-01-01

A computer application system is described which provides nuclear reactor power plant operators with an improved decision support system. This system combines traditional computer applications such as graphics display with artificial intelligence methodologies such as reasoning and diagnosis so as to improve plant operability. This paper discusses the issues, and a solution, involved with the system integration of applications developed using traditional and artificial intelligence languages

Combination of artificial intelligence and procedural language programs in a computer application system supporting nuclear reactor operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stratton, R.C.; Town, G.G.

1985-01-01

A computer application system is described which provides nuclear reactor power plant operators with an improved decision support system. This system combines traditional computer applications such as graphics display with artifical intelligence methodologies such as reasoning and diagnosis so as to improve plant operability. This paper discusses the issues, and a solution, involved with the system integration of applications developed using traditional and artificial intelligence languages

Supply Chain Engineering and the Use of a Supporting Knowledge Management Application

Science.gov (United States)

Laakmann, Frank

The future competition in markets will happen between logistics networks and no longer between enterprises. A new approach for supporting the engineering of logistics networks is developed by this research as a part of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 559: "Modeling of Large Networks in Logistics" at the University of Dortmund together with the Fraunhofer-Institute of Material Flow and Logistics founded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Based on a reference model for logistics processes, the process chain model, a guideline for logistics engineers is developed to manage the different types of design tasks of logistics networks. The technical background of this solution is a collaborative knowledge management application. This paper will introduce how new Internet-based technologies support supply chain design projects.

Risk reduction using DDP (Defect Detection and Prevention): Software support and software applications

Science.gov (United States)

Feather, M. S.

2001-01-01

Risk assessment and mitigation is the focus of the Defect Detection and Prevention (DDP) process, which has been applied to spacecraft technology assessments and planning, both hardware and software. DDP's major elements and their relevance to core requirement engineering concerns are summarized. The accompanying research demonstration illustrates DDP's tool support, and further customizations for application to software.

Final Report: A Broad Research Project on the Sciences of Complexity, September 15, 1994 - November 15, 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2000-02-01

DOE support for a broad research program in the sciences of complexity permitted the Santa Fe Institute to initiate new collaborative research within its integrative core activities as well as to host visitors to participate in research on specific topics that serve as motivation and testing ground for the study of the general principles of complex systems. Results are presented on computational biology, biodiversity and ecosystem research, and advanced computing and simulation.

Supporting Stroke Motor Recovery Through a Mobile Application: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Sonia; Tang, Ziying; Feng, Jinjuan

Neuroplasticity and motor learning are promoted with repetitive movement, appropriate challenge, and performance feedback. ARMStrokes, a smartphone application, incorporates these qualities to support motor recovery. Engaging exercises are easily accessible for improved compliance. In a multiple-case, mixed-methods pilot study, the potential of this technology for stroke motor recovery was examined. Exercises calibrated to the participant's skill level targeted forearm, elbow, and shoulder motions for a 6-wk protocol. Visual, auditory, and vibration feedback promoted self-assessment. Pre- and posttest data from 6 chronic stroke survivors who used the app in different ways (i.e., to measure active or passive motion, to track endurance) demonstrated improvements in accuracy of movements, fatigue, range of motion, and performance of daily activities. Statistically significant changes were not obtained with this pilot study. Further study on the efficacy of this technology is supported. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Broad-Band Spectroscopy of Hercules X-1 with Suzaku

Science.gov (United States)

Asami, Fumi; Enoto, Teruaki; Iwakiri, Wataru; Yamada, Shin'ya; Tamagawa, Toru; Mihara, Tatehiro; Nagase, Fumiaki

2014-01-01

Hercules X-1 was observed with Suzaku in the main-on state from 2005 to 2010. The 0.4- 100 keV wide-band spectra obtained in four observations showed a broad hump around 4-9 keV in addition to narrow Fe lines at 6.4 and 6.7 keV. The hump was seen in all the four observations regardless of the selection of the continuum models. Thus it is considered a stable and intrinsic spectral feature in Her X-1. The broad hump lacked a sharp structure like an absorption edge. Thus it was represented by two different spectral models: an ionized partial covering or an additional broad line at 6.5 keV. The former required a persistently existing ionized absorber, whose origin was unclear. In the latter case, the Gaussian fitting of the 6.5-keV line needs a large width of sigma = 1.0-1.5 keV and a large equivalent width of 400-900 eV. If the broad line originates from Fe fluorescence of accreting matter, its large width may be explained by the Doppler broadening in the accretion flow. However, the large equivalent width may be inconsistent with a simple accretion geometry.

Acceptance of a Mobile Application Supporting Nurses Workflow at Patient Bedside: Results from a Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrler, Frederic; Ducloux, Pascal; Wu, Danny T Y; Lovis, Christian; Blondon, Katherine

2018-01-01

Supporting caregivers' workflow with mobile applications (apps) is a growing trend. At the bedside, apps can provide new ways to support the documentation process rather than using a desktop computer in a nursing office. Although these applications show potential, few existing reports have studied the real impact of such solutions. At the University Hospitals of Geneva, we developed BEDside Mobility, a mobile application supporting nurses' daily workflow. In a pilot study, the app was trialed in two wards for a period of one month. We collected data of the actual usage of the app and asked the users to complete a tailored technology acceptance model questionnaire at the end of the study period. Results show that participation remain stable with time with participants using in average the tool for almost 29 minutes per day. The technology acceptance questionnaires revealed a high usability of the app and good promotion from the institution although users did not perceive any increase in productivity. Overall, intent of use was divergent between promoters and antagonist. Furthermore, some participants considered the tool as an addition to their workload. This evaluation underlines the importance of helping all end users perceive the benefits of a new intervention since coworkers strong influence each other.

Broad-Band Analysis of Polar Motion Excitations

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, J.

2016-12-01

Earth rotational changes, i.e. polar motion and length-of-day (LOD), are driven by two types of geophysical excitations: 1) mass redistribution within the Earth system, and 2) angular momentum exchange between the solid Earth (more precisely the crust) and other components of the Earth system. Accurate quantification of Earth rotational excitations has been difficult, due to the lack of global-scale observations of mass redistribution and angular momentum exchange. The over 14-years time-variable gravity measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have provided a unique means for quantifying Earth rotational excitations from mass redistribution in different components of the climate system. Comparisons between observed Earth rotational changes and geophysical excitations estimated from GRACE, satellite laser ranging (SLR) and climate models show that GRACE-derived excitations agree remarkably well with polar motion observations over a broad-band of frequencies. GRACE estimates also suggest that accelerated polar region ice melting in recent years and corresponding sea level rise have played an important role in driving long-term polar motion as well. With several estimates of polar motion excitations, it is possible to estimate broad-band noise variance and noise power spectra in each, given reasonable assumptions about noise independence. Results based on GRACE CSR RL05 solutions clearly outperform other estimates with the lowest noise levels over a broad band of frequencies.

Education and Broad Concepts of Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Winch, Christopher

2014-01-01

Drawing on recent debates about the relationship between propositional and practical knowledge, this article is concerned with broad concepts of agency. Specifically, it is concerned with agency that involves the forming and putting into effect of intentions over relatively extended periods, particularly in work contexts (called, for want of a…

Broad-scale patterns of late jurassic dinosaur paleoecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Noto, Christopher R; Grossman, Ari

2010-09-03

reflects the prevailing climatic and environmental conditions present during fossil deposition, may therefore be used to differentiate Late Jurassic dinosaur fossil assemblages. This method is broadly applicable to different taxa and times, allowing one to address questions of evolutionary, biogeographic, and climatic importance.

33 CFR 110.27 - Lynn Harbor in Broad Sound, Mass.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lynn Harbor in Broad Sound, Mass. 110.27 Section 110.27 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANCHORAGES ANCHORAGE REGULATIONS Special Anchorage Areas § 110.27 Lynn Harbor in Broad Sound, Mass. North of...

Supported porous carbon and carbon-CNT nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications

Science.gov (United States)

Schopf, Dimitri; Es-Souni, Mohammed

2016-03-01

Supported porous carbon and porous carbon-MWCNT-nanocomposite films are produced by pyrolysis of porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or porous PVDF-MWCNT-nanocomposite films on thermally resistant substrates. All films are characterized by SEM, RAMAN and XRD. The application of these films as supercapacitors is explored with outstanding supercapacitance values ranging from 80 to 120 F g-1 (up to 70 mF cm-2) in a three-electrode set-up in 1 M KOH, depending on microstructure. Additionally, the implementation of porous nanocarbon-MWCNT-nanocomposite films as electrodes in a symmetrical supercapacitor device is investigated. In all cases, long-term charge-discharge stability is demonstrated.

Iterative Development of an Application to Support Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Data Analysis of Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Heidi J C; Nowling, Ronald J; Vyas, Jay; Martyn, Timothy O; Gryk, Michael R

2011-04-11

The CONNecticut Joint University Research (CONNJUR) team is a group of biochemical and software engineering researchers at multiple institutions. The vision of the team is to develop a comprehensive application that integrates a variety of existing analysis tools with workflow and data management to support the process of protein structure determination using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The use of multiple disparate tools and lack of data management, currently the norm in NMR data processing, provides strong motivation for such an integrated environment. This manuscript briefly describes the domain of NMR as used for protein structure determination and explains the formation of the CONNJUR team and its operation in developing the CONNJUR application. The manuscript also describes the evolution of the CONNJUR application through four prototypes and describes the challenges faced while developing the CONNJUR application and how those challenges were met.

The broad line region of AGN: Kinematics and physics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović L.Č.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper a discussion of kinematics and physics of the Broad Line Region (BLR is given. The possible physical conditions in the BLR and problems in determination of the physical parameters (electron temperature and density are considered. Moreover, one analyses the geometry of the BLR and the probability that (at least a fraction of the radiation in the Broad Emission Lines (BELs originates from a relativistic accretion disk.

Information to be submitted in support of licensing applications for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared as part of the Agency's programme, referred to as the NUSS programme, for establishing Codes of Practice and Safety Guides relating to nuclear power plants. It supplements the Agency's Safety Series No.50-C-G, entitled ''Governmental Organization for the Regulation of Nuclear Power Plants: A Code of Practice''. It is concerned with the content of documents which should be submitted to the regulatory body by the applicant/licensee in support of licensing applications, with a possible method of classifying these documents and with the scheduling of their submission to the regulatory body at each major stage of the licensing process

Does supportive parenting mitigate the longitudinal effects of peer victimization on depressive thoughts and symptoms in children?

Science.gov (United States)

Bilsky, Sarah A; Cole, David A; Dukewich, Tammy L; Martin, Nina C; Sinclair, Keneisha R; Tran, Cong V; Roeder, Kathryn M; Felton, Julia W; Tilghman-Osborne, Carlos; Weitlauf, Amy S; Maxwell, Melissa A

2013-05-01

Cohen and Wills (Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A., 1985, Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357) described two broad models whereby social support could mitigate the deleterious effects of stress on health: a main effect model and stress-buffering model. A specific application of these models was tested in a three-wave, multimethod study of 1888 children to assess ways parental support (social support) mitigates the effects of peer victimization (stress) on children's depressive symptoms and depression-related cognitions (health-related outcomes). Results revealed that (a) both supportive parenting and peer victimization had main effects on depressive symptoms and cognitions; (b) supportive parenting and peer victimization did not interact in the prediction of depressive thoughts and symptoms; (c) these results generalized across age and gender; and (d) increases in depressive symptoms were related to later reduction of supportive parenting and later increase in peer victimization. Although supportive parenting did not moderate the adverse outcomes associated with peer victimization, results show that its main effect can counterbalance or offset these effects to some degree. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. © 2013 American Psychological Association

Discharge coefficient of a rectangular sharp-edged broad-crested weir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zachoval Zbyněk

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the determination of the relationship for the calculation of the discharge coefficient at free overflow over a rectangular sharp-edged broad-crested weir without lateral contraction. The determination was made on the basis of new measurement in a range of the relative thickness of the weir from 0.12 to 0.30 and newly in a large range of relative height of the weir extremely from 0.24 to 6.8 which greatly expands the application possibilities of low weirs. In addition, the effects of friction and surface tension on the value of the discharge coefficient were evaluated as well as the effect of the relative thickness of the weir. The new equation for discharge coefficient, expressed using the relative height of the weir, was subjected to verification made by an independent laboratory which confirmed its accuracy.

The StratusLab cloud distribution: Use-cases and support for scientific applications

Science.gov (United States)

Floros, E.

2012-04-01

The StratusLab project is integrating an open cloud software distribution that enables organizations to setup and provide their own private or public IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) computing clouds. StratusLab distribution capitalizes on popular infrastructure virtualization solutions like KVM, the OpenNebula virtual machine manager, Claudia service manager and SlipStream deployment platform, which are further enhanced and expanded with additional components developed within the project. The StratusLab distribution covers the core aspects of a cloud IaaS architecture, namely Computing (life-cycle management of virtual machines), Storage, Appliance management and Networking. The resulting software stack provides a packaged turn-key solution for deploying cloud computing services. The cloud computing infrastructures deployed using StratusLab can support a wide range of scientific and business use cases. Grid computing has been the primary use case pursued by the project and for this reason the initial priority has been the support for the deployment and operation of fully virtualized production-level grid sites; a goal that has already been achieved by operating such a site as part of EGI's (European Grid Initiative) pan-european grid infrastructure. In this area the project is currently working to provide non-trivial capabilities like elastic and autonomic management of grid site resources. Although grid computing has been the motivating paradigm, StratusLab's cloud distribution can support a wider range of use cases. Towards this direction, we have developed and currently provide support for setting up general purpose computing solutions like Hadoop, MPI and Torque clusters. For what concerns scientific applications the project is collaborating closely with the Bioinformatics community in order to prepare VM appliances and deploy optimized services for bioinformatics applications. In a similar manner additional scientific disciplines like Earth Science can take

Application of the Aquifer Impact Model to support decisions at a CO ₂ sequestration site: Modeling and Analysis: Application of the Aquifer Impact Model to support decisions at a CO ₂

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bacon, Diana Holford [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Locke II, Randall A. [University of Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign IL USA; Keating, Elizabeth [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos NM USA; Carroll, Susan [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA USA; Iranmanesh, Abbas [University of Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign IL USA; Mansoor, Kayyum [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA USA; Wimmer, Bracken [University of Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign IL USA; Zheng, Liange [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Shao, Hongbo [University of Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign IL USA; Greenberg, Sallie E. [University of Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey Champaign IL USA

2017-10-04

The National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) has developed a suite of tools to assess and manage risk at CO2 sequestration sites (1). The NRAP tool suite includes the Aquifer Impact Model (AIM), based on reduced order models developed using site-specific data from two aquifers (alluvium and carbonate). The models accept aquifer parameters as a range of variable inputs so they may have more broad applicability. Guidelines have been developed for determining the aquifer types for which the ROMs should be applicable. This paper considers the applicability of the aquifer models in AIM to predicting the impact of CO2 or Brine leakage were it to occur at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP). Based on the results of the sensitivity analysis, the hydraulic parameters and leakage source term magnitude are more sensitive than clay fraction or cation exchange capacity. Sand permeability was the only hydraulic parameter measured at the IBDP site. More information on the other hydraulic parameters, such as sand fraction and sand/clay correlation lengths, could reduce uncertainty in risk estimates. Some non-adjustable parameters, such as the initial pH and TDS and the pH no-impact threshold, are significantly different for the ROM than for the observations at the IBDP site. The reduced order model could be made more useful to a wider range of sites if the initial conditions and no-impact threshold values were adjustable parameters.

Improving access to supportive cancer care through an eHealth application: a qualitative needs assessment among cancer survivors.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lubberding, S.; van Uden-Kraan, C.F.; te Velde, E.A.; Cuijpers, P.; Leemans, C.R.; Verdonck-de Leeuw, I.M.

2015-01-01

Aims and objectives: To gain insight into cancer survivors' needs towards an eHealth application monitoring quality of life and targeting personalised access to supportive care. Background: Supportive care in cancer addresses survivors' concerns and needs. However, many survivors are not taking

Energy determines broad pattern of plant distribution in Western Himalaya.

Science.gov (United States)

Panda, Rajendra M; Behera, Mukunda Dev; Roy, Partha S; Biradar, Chandrashekhar

2017-12-01

Several factors describe the broad pattern of diversity in plant species distribution. We explore these determinants of species richness in Western Himalayas using high-resolution species data available for the area to energy, water, physiography and anthropogenic disturbance. The floral data involves 1279 species from 1178 spatial locations and 738 sample plots of a national database. We evaluated their correlation with 8-environmental variables, selected on the basis of correlation coefficients and principal component loadings, using both linear (structural equation model) and nonlinear (generalised additive model) techniques. There were 645 genera and 176 families including 815 herbs, 213 shrubs, 190 trees, and 61 lianas. The nonlinear model explained the maximum deviance of 67.4% and showed the dominant contribution of climate on species richness with a 59% share. Energy variables (potential evapotranspiration and temperature seasonality) explained the deviance better than did water variables (aridity index and precipitation of the driest quarter). Temperature seasonality had the maximum impact on the species richness. The structural equation model confirmed the results of the nonlinear model but less efficiently. The mutual influences of the climatic variables were found to affect the predictions of the model significantly. To our knowledge, the 67.4% deviance found in the species richness pattern is one of the highest values reported in mountain studies. Broadly, climate described by water-energy dynamics provides the best explanation for the species richness pattern. Both modeling approaches supported the same conclusion that energy is the best predictor of species richness. The dry and cold conditions of the region account for the dominant contribution of energy on species richness.

An organic dye with very large Stokes-shift and broad tunability of fluorescence: Potential two-photon probe for bioimaging and ultra-sensitive solid-state gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Tingchao; Tian, Xiaoqing; Lin, Xiaodong, E-mail: linxd@szu.edu.cn, E-mail: hdsun@ntu.edu.sg [College of Physics Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Wang, Yue; Zhao, Xin; Sun, Handong, E-mail: linxd@szu.edu.cn, E-mail: hdsun@ntu.edu.sg [Division of Physics and Applied Physics, and Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies (CDPT), School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore); Gao, Yang; Grimsdale, Andrew C. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2016-01-04

Light-emitting nonlinear optical molecules, especially those with large Stokes shifts and broad tunability of their emission wavelength, have attracted considerable attention for various applications including biomedical imaging and fluorescent sensors. However, most fluorescent chromophores have only limited potential for such applications due to small Stokes shifts, narrow tunability of fluorescence emissions, and small optical nonlinearity in highly polar solvents. In this work, we demonstrate that a two-photon absorbing stilbene chromophore exhibits a large two-photon absorption action cross-section (ηδ = 320 GM) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and shows broad fluorescence tunability (125 nm) by manipulating the polarity of the surrounding medium. Importantly, a very large Stokes shift of up to 227 nm is achieved in DMSO. Thanks to these features, this chromophore can be utilized as a two-photon probe for bioimaging applications and in an ultrasensitive solid-state gas detector.

The open-quotes leak-before-breakclose quotes applicability in decision support system open-quotes strengthclose quotes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torop, V.M.; Orynyak, I.V.; Kutovoy, O.L.

1997-01-01

A software decision support system, STRENGTH, for application of leak before break analysis, is described. The background methodology and sample application are outlined. The program allows multioptional computation of loading parameters for different types of defects, and variable properties for metals and welded joints. Structural strength is assessed, and service life predictions are made. The program is used to analyze specific defects identified by nondestructive testing

Gauging citizen support for a low carbon fuel standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, Ekaterina; Axsen, Jonn; Jaccard, Mark

2015-01-01

Since 2007, several variations of a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) have been implemented around the world. While emerging research tends to focus on greenhouse gas emission reductions from an LCFS, no studies have assessed the policy's political acceptability—a critical component of implementation. We elicit public support for an existing LCFS in British Columbia and a hypothetical (proposed) LCFS for the rest of Canada using survey data collected from a representative sample of Canadian citizens (n=1306). Specifically, we assess: (1) citizen awareness of British Columbia's LCFS, (2) stated citizen support for the LCFS, and (3) how individual characteristics relate to levels of citizen support. We find that British Columbia's LCFS is almost unknown among British Columbia respondents, but once explained, 90% of respondents support it. We refer to this combination of low knowledge and high support as “passive support.” We find similarly broad support in all other Canadian provinces, implying that citizen opposition is unlikely in jurisdictions considering an LCFS. Statistical analysis identifies some individual characteristics associated with LCFS support, including attitudes, demographics, and contextual factors. Results indicate where policymakers might anticipate opposition if it arises due to increased policy stringency or media coverage. - Highlights: • Most citizens are unaware of British Columbia's low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). • We observe passive support: low awareness and high support of the policy. • An LCFS achieves broad support among British Columbia's and Canadian citizens. • Households relying on single occupancy vehicles are less likely to support an LCFS

The development of an enhanced strain measurement device to support testing of radioactive material packages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uncapkher, W.L.; Arviso, M.

1995-01-01

Radioactive material package designers use structural testing to verify and demonstrate package performance. A major part of evaluating structural response is the collection of reliable instrumentation measurement data. Over the last four decades, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has been actively involved in the development, testing, and evaluation of measurement devices for a broad range of applications, resulting in the commercialization of several measurement devices commonly used today. SNL maintains an ongoing program sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and evaluate measurement devices to support testing of packages used to transport radioactive or hazardous materials. The development of the enhanced strain measurement device is part of this program

Comparison of saproxylic beetle assemblages on four different broad-leaved tree species in south-eastern Sweden

OpenAIRE

Johansson, Helena

2011-01-01

Old hollow trees have declined in Europe and many saproxylic (wood-dwelling) beetles dependent on them are threatened. Several studies have been done on old hollow oaks and they have been shown to harbour a species-rich saproxylic beetle fauna. However, other broad-leaved trees might also be important to consider as supporting habitats. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent saproxylic beetles are tree genus specialists. Pitfall traps and window traps were used to compare the...

Application of the broad-spectrum bacteriocin enterocin AS-48 to inhibit Bacillus coagulans in canned fruit and vegetable foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, R; Grande, M A J; Abriouel, H; Maqueda, M; Ben Omar, N; Valdivia, E; Martínez-Cañamero, M; Gálvez, A

2006-10-01

The enterococcal bacteriocin (enterocin) AS-48 is a broad-spectrum cyclic peptide. Enterocin AS-48 was tested against Bacillus coagulans in three vegetable canned foods: tomato paste (pH 4.64), syrup from canned peaches (pH 3.97), and juice from canned pineapple (pH 3.65). When vegetative cells of B. coagulans CECT (Spanish Type Culture Collection) 12 were inoculated in tomato paste supplemented with 6 microg/ml AS-48 and stored at different temperatures, viable cell counts were reduced by approximately 2.37 (4 degrees C), 4.3 (22 degrees C) and 3.0 (37 degrees C) log units within 24 h storage. After 15-days storage, no viable cells were detected in any sample. Strain B. coagulans CECT 561 showed a poor survival in tomato paste, but surviving cells were also killed by AS-48. The bacteriocin was also very active against B. coagulans CECT 12 vegetative cells in juice from canned pineapple stored at 22 degrees C, and slightly less active in syrup from canned peaches. In food samples supplemented with 1.5% lactic acid, enterocin AS-48 (6 microg/ml) rapidly reduced viable counts of vegetative cells below detection limits within 24 h storage. Addition of glucose and sucrose (10% and 20%) significantly increased bacteriocin activity against vegetative cells of B. coagulans CECT 12. Enterocin AS-48 had no significant effect on B. coagulans CECT 12 spores. However, the combined application of AS-48 and heat (80-95 degrees C for 5 min) significantly increased the effect of thermal treatments on spores.

The regulatory review of construction license application and the supporting safety case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinonen, Jussi

2014-01-01

at the end of 1999 when Posiva Ltd, the current implementer of the disposal programme, submitted the application for a decision-in-principle (DiP, 2000) for a spent fuel disposal facility in the Olkiluoto. The DiP was given by the government in late 2000, approved by the host municipality and ratified by the parliament in early 2001. It gave Posiva the authorisation to start to construct an underground rock characterisation facility, to the depth of the actual planned disposal, as required by regulation. The safety case to support the decision-in-principle application was compiled for 1999. The safety case included a concept description, proposed site characteristics, general facility layout and a safety assessment. The application was further supported by an environmental impact assessment report. Posiva has submitted a construction license application for a spent fuel encapsulation and disposal facility at the end of 2012. STUK is currently finalising the decisions related to the initial review phase and starting the detailed review. The preparatory phase has included among other things a systematic requirement and education programme, negotiation of framework agreements with external support experts and stepwise review of Posiva's developing safety case documents which included the draft construction license application documents. (authors)

The effects of video-game training on broad cognitive transfer in multiple sclerosis: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Alisha; Boster, Aaron; Lee, HyunKyu; Patterson, Beth; Prakash, Ruchika Shaurya

2015-01-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that results in diffuse nerve damage and associated physical and cognitive impairments. Of the few comprehensive rehabilitation options that exist for populations with lower baseline cognitive functioning, those that have been successful at eliciting broad cognitive improvements have focused on a multimodal training approach, emphasizing complex cognitive processing that utilizes multiple domains simultaneously. The current study sought to determine the feasibility of an 8-week, hybrid-variable priority training (HVT) program, with a secondary aim to assess the success of this training paradigm at eliciting broad cognitive transfer effects. Capitalizing on the multimodal training modalities offered by the Space Fortress platform, we compared the HVT strategy-based intervention with a waitlist control group, to primarily assess skill acquisition and secondarily determine presence of cognitive transfer. Twenty-eight participants met inclusionary criteria for the study and were randomized to either training or waitlist control groups. To assess broad transfer effects, a battery of neuropsychological tests was administered pre- and post-intervention. The results indicated an overall improvement in skill acquisition and evidence for the feasibility of the intervention, but a lack of broad transfer to tasks of cognitive functioning. Participants in the training group, however, did show improvements on a measure of spatial short-term memory. The current investigation provided support for the feasibility of a multimodal training approach, using the HVT strategy, within the MS population, but lacked broad transfer to multiple domains of cognitive functioning. Future improvements to obtain greater cognitive transfer efficacy would include a larger sample size, a longer course of training to evoke greater game score improvement, the inclusion of only cognitively impaired individuals, and

Industrial applications of sol-gel technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuloch, S.M.; Tulloch, G.E.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this paper has been to provide a broad, rather than comprehensive view. We have presented a range of applications and only a selection of involved companies and researchers and have relied to a large extent on published information. Nevertheless, we are sure that our view of the importance of Sol-gel technology as an emerging technology, with enormous impact across a wide range of manufacturing, is demonstrated. Applications which are either in production or have been foreshadowed include four broad categories: coatings, fibres, powders and monoliths

Potential Adverse Effects of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Exposure in the Intensive Care Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiens, Jenna; Snyder, Graham M; Finlayson, Samuel; Mahoney, Monica V; Celi, Leo Anthony

2018-02-01

The potential adverse effects of empiric broad-spectrum antimicrobial use among patients with suspected but subsequently excluded infection have not been fully characterized. We sought novel methods to quantify the risk of adverse effects of broad-spectrum antimicrobial exposure among patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Among all adult patients admitted to ICUs at a single institution, we selected patients with negative blood cultures who also received ≥1 broad-spectrum antimicrobials. Broad-spectrum antimicrobials were categorized in ≥1 of 5 categories based on their spectrum of activity against potential pathogens. We performed, in serial, 5 cohort studies to measure the effect of each broad-spectrum category on patient outcomes. Exposed patients were defined as those receiving a specific category of broad-spectrum antimicrobial; nonexposed were all other patients in the cohort. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital and ICU stay and nosocomial acquisition of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) or Clostridium difficile within 30 days of admission. Among the study cohort of 1918 patients, 316 (16.5%) died within 30 days, 821 (42.8%) had either a length of hospital stay >7 days or an ICU length of stay >3 days, and 106 (5.5%) acquired either a nosocomial ARB or C. difficile . The short-term use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials in any of the defined broad-spectrum categories was not significantly associated with either primary or secondary outcomes. The prompt and brief empiric use of defined categories of broad-spectrum antimicrobials could not be associated with additional patient harm.

EPICS V4 expands support to physics application, data acquisition, and data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalesio, L.; Carcassi, G.; Kraimer, M.R.; Malitsky, N.; Shen, G.; Davidsaver, M.; Lange, R.; Sekoranja, M.; Rowland, J.; White, G.; Korhonen, T.

2012-01-01

EPICS version 4 extends the functionality of version 3 by providing the ability to define, transport, and introspect composite data types. Version 3 provided a set of process variables and a data protocol that adequately defined scalar data along with an atomic set of attributes. While remaining backward compatible, Version 4 is able to easily expand this set with a data protocol capable of exchanging complex data types and parameterized data requests. Additionally, a group of engineers defined reference types for some applications in this environment. The goal of this work is to define a narrow interface with the minimal set of data types needed to support a distributed architecture for physics applications, data acquisition, and data analysis. (authors)

Decision support system development at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Timothy J.; Nelson, J. C.; Rohweder, Jason J.

2014-01-01

A Decision Support System (DSS) can be defined in many ways. The working definition used by the U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) is, “A spatially based computer application or data that assists a researcher or manager in making decisions.” This is quite a broad definition—and it needs to be, because the possibilities for types of DSSs are limited only by the user group and the developer’s imagination. There is no one DSS; the types of DSSs are as diverse as the problems they help solve. This diversity requires that DSSs be built in a variety of ways, using the most appropriate methods and tools for the individual application. The skills of potential DSS users vary widely as well, further necessitating multiple approaches to DSS development. Some small, highly trained user groups may want a powerful modeling tool with extensive functionality at the expense of ease of use. Other user groups less familiar with geographic information system (GIS) and spatial data may want an easy-to-use application for a nontechnical audience. UMESC has been developing DSSs for almost 20 years. Our DSS developers offer our partners a wide variety of technical skills and development options, ranging from the most simple Web page or small application to complex modeling application development.

IAEA support of international research and development of materials for sustainable energy applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeman, Andrej; Kaiser, Ralf; Simon, Aliz

2013-01-01

Full-text:The key mandate of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to promote the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, verification as well as nuclear safety in the world. This includes a number of activities which aim to support the Member States and stimulate international cooperation in order for sustainable development. During the last 35 years, a well-established mechanism called the Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) has been effectively used to stimulate international research and scientific interaction among the Member States, covering various topics in the nuclear science and technology. Besides direct support of, so called coordinated research, the IAEA is also involved in organizing a number of highly specific international conferences and technical meetings which help to provide a broader platform for the specialist and experts in dedicated areas of nuclear science and technology. In view of support for renewable energy and its application, the IAEA organized series of meetings in 2009 (IEA France), 2010 (UQTR Canada) and 2011 (ANL USA) in order to discuss the scientific and technical issues of particular of national research initiatives related to the hydrogen storage and conversion technologies. All selected outputs of the meetings were published in a technical document publication series which are available to all member states. More recent initiatives are focus on the key nuclear techniques which are extremely valuable in research and development of new innovative materials, methods and technologies, characterization and performance testing of functional materials for innovative energy technologies and their application in sustainable energy sources (nuclear and non-nuclear). It is also important to underline that these programmatic activities are an integral part of the IAEA program on the Road to Rio+20: Applying Nuclear Technology for Sustainable Development. The paper summarizes the IAEA actions relevant to the

Application of a Systems Engineering Approach to Support Space Reactor Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wold, Scott

2005-01-01

In 1992, approximately 25 Russian and 12 U.S. engineers and technicians were involved in the transport, assembly, inspection, and testing of over 90 tons of Russian equipment associated with the Thermionic System Evaluation Test (TSET) Facility. The entire Russian Baikal Test Stand, consisting of a 5.79 m tall vacuum chamber and related support equipment, was reassembled and tested at the TSET facility in less than four months. In November 1992, the first non-nuclear operational test of a complete thermionic power reactor system in the U.S. was accomplished three months ahead of schedule and under budget. A major factor in this accomplishment was the application of a disciplined top-down systems engineering approach and application of a spiral development model to achieve the desired objectives of the TOPAZ International Program (TIP). Systems Engineering is a structured discipline that helps programs and projects conceive, develop, integrate, test and deliver products and services that meet customer requirements within cost and schedule. This paper discusses the impact of Systems Engineering and a spiral development model on the success of the TOPAZ International Program and how the application of a similar approach could help ensure the success of future space reactor development projects

Broad band seismology in the Scotia region. The base Esperanza seismological observatory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russi, M.; Costa, G.; Febrer, J.

1995-08-01

The lithospheric study and the identification of relevant lateral heterogeneities in the Antarctic continent and borderlands, is essential to understand the geodynamic evolution both of the continental and oceanic bordering regions. The complexity of the geological evolution and the structural properties of the lithosphere in the Scotia area have been stressed by many authors. The present setting of the area is the result of the mutual interaction among the Antarctic, South American and several minor plants whose geodynamic history and actual boundaries are still partially unknown. The intense seismic activity that characterizes the region encourages the use of the seismological approach to investigate the lithospheric structure of the area. Since January 1992 a broad band three components station is operating at the Antarctic base Esperanza in the NE area of Antarctic Peninsula. The station has been installed with financial support of the Italian Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA) by Osservatorio Geofisico Sperimentale (OGS) and Instituto Antartico Argentino (IAA). Russi et al. (1994) have analyzed selected recordings using the frequency-time analysis (FTAN) method obtaining some relevant information on the large scale structure of the lithosphere in the Scotia region even if data recorded by a single station were available. The extension of our analysis to further events and to horizontal component records is here presented. Within the framework of the international co-operation to the Antarctic Seismographic Network, the OGS and the IAA are upgrading the Esperanza station and installing an additional broad band station near the town of Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) with the financial support of PNRA. The inversion of the dispersion curves through the FTAN of the signals recorded by an increased number of stations and generated by events with source-station paths spanning the region will allow us to extract the elastic and anelastic

Graphitized Carbon: A Promising Stable Cathode Catalyst Support Material for Long Term PEMFC Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohanta, Paritosh Kumar; Regnet, Fabian; Jörissen, Ludwig

2018-05-28

Stability of cathode catalyst support material is one of the big challenges of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) for long term applications. Traditional carbon black (CB) supports are not stable enough to prevent oxidation to CO₂ under fuel cell operating conditions. The feasibility of a graphitized carbon (GC) as a cathode catalyst support for low temperature PEMFC is investigated herein. GC and CB supported Pt electrocatalysts were prepared via an already developed polyol process. The physical characterization of the prepared catalysts was performed using transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) analysis, and their electrochemical characterizations were conducted via cyclic voltammetry(CV), rotating disk electrode (RDE) and potential cycling, and eventually, the catalysts were processed using membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for single cell performance tests. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SEM) have been used as MEA diagonostic tools. GC showed superior stability over CB in acid electrolyte under potential conditions. Single cell MEA performance of the GC-supported catalyst is comparable with the CB-supported catalyst. A correlation of MEA performance of the supported catalysts of different Brunauer⁻Emmett⁻Teller (BET) surface areas with the ionomer content was also established. GC was identified as a promising candidate for catalyst support in terms of both of the stability and the performance of fuel cell.

Applicability of HRA to support advanced MMI design review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Inn Seock

2000-01-01

More than half of all incidents in large complex technological systems, particularly in nuclear power or aviation industries, were attributable in some way to human erroneous actions. These incidents were largely due to the human engineering deficiencies of man-machine interface (MMI). In nuclear industry, advanced computer-based MMI designs are emerging as part of new reactor designs. The impact of advanced MMI technology on the operator performance, and as a result, on plant safety should be thoroughly evaluated before such technology is actually adopted in nuclear power plants. This paper discusses the applicability of human reliability analysis (HRA) to support the design review process. Both the first-generation and the second-generation HRA methods are considered focusing on a couple of promising HRA methods, i.e., ATHEANA and CREAM, with the potential to assist the design review process. (author)

Towards a Scalable and Adaptive Application Support Platform for Large-Scale Distributed E-Sciences in High-Performance Network Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Chase Qishi [New Jersey Inst. of Technology, Newark, NJ (United States); Univ. of Memphis, TN (United States); Zhu, Michelle Mengxia [Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL (United States)

2016-06-06

The advent of large-scale collaborative scientific applications has demonstrated the potential for broad scientific communities to pool globally distributed resources to produce unprecedented data acquisition, movement, and analysis. System resources including supercomputers, data repositories, computing facilities, network infrastructures, storage systems, and display devices have been increasingly deployed at national laboratories and academic institutes. These resources are typically shared by large communities of users over Internet or dedicated networks and hence exhibit an inherent dynamic nature in their availability, accessibility, capacity, and stability. Scientific applications using either experimental facilities or computation-based simulations with various physical, chemical, climatic, and biological models feature diverse scientific workflows as simple as linear pipelines or as complex as a directed acyclic graphs, which must be executed and supported over wide-area networks with massively distributed resources. Application users oftentimes need to manually configure their computing tasks over networks in an ad hoc manner, hence significantly limiting the productivity of scientists and constraining the utilization of resources. The success of these large-scale distributed applications requires a highly adaptive and massively scalable workflow platform that provides automated and optimized computing and networking services. This project is to design and develop a generic Scientific Workflow Automation and Management Platform (SWAMP), which contains a web-based user interface specially tailored for a target application, a set of user libraries, and several easy-to-use computing and networking toolkits for application scientists to conveniently assemble, execute, monitor, and control complex computing workflows in heterogeneous high-performance network environments. SWAMP will enable the automation and management of the entire process of scientific

Revisioning Theoretical Framework of Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS within the Software Application Examples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Servet BAYRAM,

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Revisioning Theoretical Framework of Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS within the Software Application Examples Assoc. Prof. Dr. Servet BAYRAM Computer Education & Instructional Technologies Marmara University , TURKEY ABSTRACT EPSS provides electronic support to learners in achieving a performance objective; a feature which makes it universally and consistently available on demand any time, any place, regardless of situation, without unnecessary intermediaries involved in the process. The aim of this review is to develop a set of theoretical construct that provide descriptive power for explanation of EPSS and its roots and features within the software application examples (i.e., Microsoft SharePoint Server”v2.0” Beta 2, IBM Lotus Notes 6 & Domino 6, Oracle 9i Collaboration Suite, and Mac OS X v10.2. From the educational and training point of view, the paper visualizes a pentagon model for the interrelated domains of the theoretical framework of EPSS. These domains are: learning theories, information processing theories, developmental theories, instructional theories, and acceptance theories. This descriptive framework explains a set of descriptions as to which outcomes occur under given theoretical conditions for a given EPSS model within software examples. It summarizes some of the theoretical concepts supporting to the EPSS’ related features and explains how such concepts sharing same features with the example software programs in education and job training.

Broad spectrum bioactive sunscreens.

Science.gov (United States)

Velasco, Maria Valéria Robles; Sarruf, Fernanda Daud; Salgado-Santos, Idalina Maria Nunes; Haroutiounian-Filho, Carlos Alberto; Kaneko, Telma Mary; Baby, André Rolim

2008-11-03

The development of sunscreens containing reduced concentration of chemical UV filters, even though, possessing broad spectrum effectiveness with the use of natural raw materials that improve and infer UV absorption is of great interest. Due to the structural similarities between polyphenolic compounds and organic UV filters, they might exert photoprotection activity. The objective of the present research work was to develop bioactive sunscreen delivery systems containing rutin, Passiflora incarnata L. and Plantago lanceolata extracts associated or not with organic and inorganic UV filters. UV transmission of the sunscreen delivery system films was performed by using diffuse transmittance measurements coupling to an integrating sphere. In vitro photoprotection efficacy was evaluated according to the following parameters: estimated sun protection factor (SPF); Boot's Star Rating category; UVA/UVB ratio; and critical wavelength (lambda(c)). Sunscreen delivery systems obtained SPF values ranging from 0.972+/-0.004 to 28.064+/-2.429 and bioactive compounds interacted with the UV filters positive and negatively. This behavior may be attributed to: the composition of the delivery system; the presence of inorganic UV filter and quantitative composition of the organic UV filters; and the phytochemical composition of the P. incarnata L. and P. lanceolata extracts. Among all associations of bioactive compounds and UV filters, we found that the broad spectrum sunscreen was accomplished when 1.68% (w/w) P. incarnata L. dry extract was in the presence of 7.0% (w/w) ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, 2.0% (w/w) benzophenone-3 and 2.0% (w/w) TiO(2). It was demonstrated that this association generated estimated SPF of 20.072+/-0.906 and it has improved the protective defense against UVA radiation accompanying augmentation of the UVA/UVB ratio from 0.49 to 0.52 and lambda(c) from 364 to 368.6nm.

Broad-band beam buncher

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, D.A.; Flood, W.S.; Arthur, A.A.; Voelker, F.

1986-01-01

This patent describes a broad-band beam buncher. This beam buncher consists of: a housing adapted to be eacuated, an electron gun in the housing for producing a beam of electrons, buncher means in the housing forming a buncher cavity which has an entrance opening for receiving the electron beam and an exit opening through which the electron beam passes out of the buncher cavity, a drift tube electrode in the buncher cavity and disposed between the entrance opening and the exit opening with first and second gaps between the drift tube electrode and the entrance and exit openings, the drift tube electrode which has a first drift space through which the electron beam passes in traveling between the entrance and exit openings, modulating means for supplying an ultrahigh frequeny modulating signal to the drift tube electrode for producing velocity modulation of the electrons in the electron beam as the electrons pass through the buncher cavity and the drift tube electrode between the entrance opening and the exit opening, drift space means in the housing forming a second drift space for receiving the velocity modulated electron beam from the exit opening, the velocity modulated electron beam being bunched as it passes along the second drift space, the drift space means has a discharge opening through which the electron beam is discharged from the second drift space after being bunched therein, the modulating means containing a signal source for producing an ultrahigh frequency signal, a transmission line connected between the signal source and the drift tube electrode, and terminating means connected to the drift tube electrode for terminating the transmission line in approximately its characteristic impedance to afford a broad response band with minimum 6 variations therein

Phenology Data Products to Support Assessment and Forecasting of Phenology on Multiple Spatiotemporal Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Gerst, K.; Enquist, C.; Rosemartin, A.; Denny, E. G.; Marsh, L.; Moore, D. J.; Weltzin, J. F.

2014-12-01

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN; www.usanpn.org) serves science and society by promoting a broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and the relationships among phenological patterns and environmental change. The National Phenology Database maintained by USA-NPN now has over 3.7 million records for plants and animals for the period 1954-2014, with the majority of these observations collected since 2008 as part of a broad, national contributory science strategy. These data have been used in a number of science, conservation and resource management applications, including national assessments of historical and potential future trends in phenology, regional assessments of spatio-temporal variation in organismal activity, and local monitoring for invasive species detection. Customizable data downloads are freely available, and data are accompanied by FGDC-compliant metadata, data-use and data-attribution policies, vetted and documented methodologies and protocols, and version control. While users are free to develop custom algorithms for data cleaning, winnowing and summarization prior to analysis, the National Coordinating Office of USA-NPN is developing a suite of standard data products to facilitate use and application by a diverse set of data users. This presentation provides a progress report on data product development, including: (1) Quality controlled raw phenophase status data; (2) Derived phenometrics (e.g. onset, duration) at multiple scales; (3) Data visualization tools; (4) Tools to support assessment of species interactions and overlap; (5) Species responsiveness to environmental drivers; (6) Spatially gridded phenoclimatological products; and (7) Algorithms for modeling and forecasting future phenological responses. The prioritization of these data products is a direct response to stakeholder needs related to informing management and policy decisions. We anticipate that these products will contribute to broad understanding of plant

A xylanase with broad pH and temperature adaptability from Streptomyces megasporus DSM 41476, and its potential application in brewing industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Zhenhua; Shi, Pengjun; Luo, Huiying; Bai, Yingguo; Yuan, Tiezheng; Yang, Peilong; Liu, Suchun; Yao, Bin

2010-05-05

A xylanase gene, xynAM6, was isolated from the genomic DNA library of Streptomyces megasporus DSM 41476 using colony PCR screening method. The 1440-bp full-length gene encodes a 479-amino acid peptide consisting of a putative signal peptide of 36 residues, a family 10 glycoside hydrolase domain and a family 2 carbohydrate-binding module. The mature peptide of xynAM6 was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. The optimal pH and temperature were pH 5.5 and 70°C, respectively. The enzyme showed broad temperature adaptability (>60% of the maximum activity at 50-80°C), had good thermostability at 60°C and 70°C, remained stable at pH 4.0-11.0, and was resistant to most proteases. The Km and Vmax values for oat spelt xylan were 1.68mgml(-1) and 436.76μmolmin(-1)mg(-1), respectively, and 2.33mgml(-1) and 406.93μmolmin(-1)mg(-1) for birchwood xylan, respectively. The hydrolysis products of XYNAM6 were mainly xylose and xylobiose. Addition of XYNAM6 (80U) to the brewery mash significantly reduced the filtration rate and viscosity by 36.33% and 35.51%, respectively. These favorable properties probably make XYNAM6 a good candidate for application in brewing industry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HANARO user support and training

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seong, Baek Seok; Lee, J. S.; Sim, C. M. [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2006-10-15

The purpose of this project is to support external users to promote shared-use of HANARO effectively. To this end, external manpower was recruited and trained. Also, in order to broaden HANARO user-base, practice-oriented training was given. The total number of projects selected as a part of this program was 36 this year. These composed of four broad fields: neutron beam utilization, materials and nuclear fuel irradiation test, neutron activation analysis and radioisotope production. In each field, the number of projects was 22, 4, 6 and 4 respectively. The HANARO user supports used for these projects were carried out 40 events with 355 samples for neutron beam utilization, 16 events with 1,404 hr for materials and nuclear fuel irradiation test, 8 events with 369 samples and 4 events for radioisotope production. In order to broaden HANARO's potential user-base and increase the utilization of the HANARO experimental facility, practice-oriented HANARO user training was given. All participants from industry, academia, and national labs trained on working instruments of various fields such as neutron beam applications, materials and nuclear fuel irradiation test, and neutron activation analysis. 'HANARO (utilization and research) information management system' has been developed in an effort to create a single database. By having it available on the net, it will serve as HANARO's important 'Information Platform' along with HANARO web site

Can integrating the Memory Support Intervention into cognitive therapy improve depression outcome? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Allison G; Dong, Lu; Lee, Jason Y; Gumport, Nicole B; Hollon, Steven D; Rabe-Hesketh, Sophia; Hein, Kerrie; Haman, Kirsten; McNamara, Mary E; Weaver, Claire; Martinez, Armando; Notsu, Haruka; Zieve, Garret; Armstrong, Courtney C

2017-11-14

The Memory Support Intervention was developed in response to evidence showing that: (1) patient memory for treatment is poor, (2) poor memory for treatment is associated with poorer adherence and poorer outcome, (3) the impact of memory impairment can be minimized by the use of memory support strategies and (4) improved memory for treatment improves outcome. The aim of this study protocol is to conduct a confirmatory efficacy trial to test whether the Memory Support Intervention improves illness course and functional outcomes. As a "platform" for the next step in investigating this approach, we focus on major depressive disorder (MDD) and cognitive therapy (CT). Adults with MDD (n = 178, including 20% for potential attrition) will be randomly allocated to CT + Memory Support or CT-as-usual and will be assessed at baseline, post treatment and at 6 and 12 months' follow-up (6FU and 12FU). We will compare the effects of CT + Memory Support vs. CT-as-usual to determine if the new intervention improves the course of illness and reduces functional impairment (aim 1). We will determine if patient memory for treatment mediates the relationship between treatment condition and outcome (aim 2). We will evaluate if previously reported poor treatment response subgroups moderate target engagement (aim 3). The Memory Support Intervention has been developed to be "transdiagnostic" (relevant to a broad range of mental disorders) and "pantreatment" (relevant to a broad range of types of treatment). This study protocol describes a "next step" in the treatment development process by testing the Memory Support Intervention for major depressive disorder (MDD) and cognitive therapy (CT). If the results are promising, future directions will test the applicability to other kinds of interventions and disorders and in other settings. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT01790919 . Registered on 6 October 2016.

Potential Applications of Carbohydrases Immobilization in the Food Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Contesini, Fabiano Jares; de Alencar Figueira, Joelise; Kawaguti, Haroldo Yukio; de Barros Fernandes, Pedro Carlos; de Oliveira Carvalho, Patrícia; Nascimento, Maria da Graça; Sato, Hélia Harumi

2013-01-01

Carbohydrases find a wide application in industrial processes and products, mainly in the food industry. With these enzymes, it is possible to obtain different types of sugar syrups (viz. glucose, fructose and inverted sugar syrups), prebiotics (viz. galactooligossacharides and fructooligossacharides) and isomaltulose, which is an interesting sweetener substitute for sucrose to improve the sensory properties of juices and wines and to reduce lactose in milk. The most important carbohydrases to accomplish these goals are of microbial origin and include amylases (α-amylases and glucoamylases), invertases, inulinases, galactosidases, glucosidases, fructosyltransferases, pectinases and glucosyltransferases. Yet, for all these processes to be cost-effective for industrial application, a very efficient, simple and cheap immobilization technique is required. Immobilization techniques can involve adsorption, entrapment or covalent bonding of the enzyme into an insoluble support, or carrier-free methods, usually based on the formation of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs). They include a broad variety of supports, such as magnetic materials, gums, gels, synthetic polymers and ionic resins. All these techniques present advantages and disadvantages and several parameters must be considered. In this work, the most recent and important studies on the immobilization of carbohydrases with potential application in the food industry are reviewed. PMID:23344046

Broad line regions in Seyfert-1 galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groningen, E. van.

1984-01-01

To reproduce observed emission profiles of Seyfert galaxies, rotation in an accretion disk has been proposed. In this thesis, the profiles emitted by such an accretion disk are investigated. Detailed comparison with the observed profiles yields that a considerable fraction can be fitted with a power-law function, as predicted by the model. The author analyzes a series of high quality spectra of Seyfert galaxies, obtained with the 2.5m telescope at Las Campanas. He presents detailed analyses of two objects: Mkn335 and Akn120. In both cases, strong evidence is presented for the presence of two separate broad line zones. These zones are identified with an accretion disk and an outflowing wind. The disk contains gas with very high densities and emits predominantly the lower ionization lines. He reports on the discovery of very broad wings beneath the strong forbidden line 5007. (Auth.)

Extrusion-cooking to improve the animal feed quality of broad beans

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moscicki, L.; Wojcik, S.; Plaur, K.; Zuilichem, van D.J.

1984-01-01

Extrusion-cooking of broad beans with a single-screw extruder has been investigated. Attention was focused on process requirements as well as on the nutritional effects of extrusion-cooked broad beans in a chicken feed formulation. The optimal thermal process conditions required for a product of

Understanding Application Behaviours for Android Security: A Systematic Characterization

OpenAIRE

Cai, Haipeng; Ryder, Barbara

2016-01-01

In contrast to most existing research on Android focusing on specific security issues, there is little broad understanding of Android application run-time characteristics and their security implications. To mitigate this gap, we present the first dynamic characterization study of Android applications that targets such a broad understanding for Android security. Through lightweight method-level profiling, we have collected 33GB traces of method calls and inter-component communication (ICC) fro...

Assessing Confidence in Performance Assessments Using an Evidence Support Logic Methodology: An Application of Tesla

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egan, M.; Paulley, A.; Lehman, L.; Lowe, J.; Rochette, E.; Baker, St.

2009-01-01

The assessment of uncertainties and their implications is a key requirement when undertaking performance assessment (PA) of radioactive waste facilities. Decisions based on the outcome of such assessments become translated into judgments about confidence in the information they provide. This confidence, in turn, depends on uncertainties in the underlying evidence. Even if there is a large amount of information supporting an assessment, it may be only partially relevant, incomplete or less than completely reliable. In order to develop a measure of confidence in the outcome, sources of uncertainty need to be identified and adequately addressed in the development of the PA, or in any overarching strategic decision-making processes. This paper describes a trial application of the technique of Evidence Support Logic (ESL), which has been designed for application in support of 'high stakes' decisions, where important aspects of system performance are subject to uncertainty. The aims of ESL are to identify the amount of uncertainty or conflict associated with evidence relating to a particular decision, and to guide understanding of how evidence combines to support confidence in judgments. Elicitation techniques are used to enable participants in the process to develop a logical hypothesis model that best represents the relationships between different sources of evidence to the proposition under examination. The aim is to identify key areas of subjectivity and other sources of potential bias in the use of evidence (whether for or against the proposition) to support judgments of confidence. Propagation algorithms are used to investigate the overall implications of the logic according to the strength of the underlying evidence and associated uncertainties. (authors)

Correlation between degradation and broadness of the transition in CICC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martovetsky, Nicolai

2013-01-01

Cable in conduit conductor (CICC) performance is characterized in terms of relationships involving the electric field (E), voltage (V), temperature (T), current (I), magnetic field (B) and strain. Development of the electrical field in the V–T or V–I transitions in CICCs is exponential. These transitions plotted in the coordinates log E versus T or log E versus I look like straight lines. ITER Nb 3 Sn CICCs show degradation of properties versus load cycles that could be attributed to plastic deformation of the Nb 3 Sn strands or fracture of the superconducting filaments. The degradation is expressed in terms of the reduction of the current sharing temperature T cs or critical current I c , respectively. It was noticed long ago that degradation is accompanied by a significant broadening of the V–T or V–I transition, that looks like a change in the slope in the semi-log coordinate plot. This paper presents some systematic observations of correlations between the critical parameters and broadness of the transition in many CICCs. In most cases, the broadness of the transition seems to be a more sensitive indicator of the conductor damage even in cases where T cs degradation is not clearly seen. T cs degradation typically becomes obvious later in the cycling, especially after warm-up and following cool-down and more cycling. In some cases, a CICC manifests temporary or even a permanent growth of T cs with load cycles, especially in the latest measurements of the CS conductors with short twist pitches. A possible mechanism of degradation that allows qualitative explanation of this phenomenon is discussed and is supported by the voltage measurements on the cable in the TFUS1 sample with the voltage taps penetrating the jacket to the cable. (paper)

Ecological restoration of southwestern ponderosa pine ecosystems: A broad perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Craig D.; Savage, Melissa; Falk, Donald A.; Suckling, Kieran F.; Swetnam, Thomas W.; Schulke, Todd; Stacey, Peter B.; Morgan, Penelope; Hoffman, Martos; Klingel, Jon T.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to promote a broad and flexible perspective on ecological restoration of Southwestern (U.S.) ponderosa pine forests. Ponderosa pine forests in the region have been radically altered by Euro-American land uses, including livestock grazing, fire suppression, and logging. Dense thickets of young trees now abound, old-growth and biodiversity have declined, and human and ecological communities are increasingly vulnerable to destructive crown fires. A consensus has emerged that it is urgent to restore more natural conditions to these forests. Efforts to restore Southwestern forests will require extensive projects employing varying combinations of young-tree thinning and reintroduction of low-intensity fires. Treatments must be flexible enough to recognize and accommodate: high levels of natural heterogeneity; dynamic ecosystems; wildlife and other biodiversity considerations; scientific uncertainty; and the challenges of on-the-ground implementation. Ecological restoration should reset ecosystem trends toward an envelope of “natural variability,” including the reestablishment of natural processes. Reconstructed historic reference conditions are best used as general guides rather than rigid restoration prescriptions. In the long term, the best way to align forest conditions to track ongoing climate changes is to restore fire, which naturally correlates with current climate. Some stands need substantial structural manipulation (thinning) before fire can safely be reintroduced. In other areas, such as large wilderness and roadless areas, fire alone may suffice as the main tool of ecological restoration, recreating the natural interaction of structure and process. Impatience, overreaction to crown fire risks, extractive economics, or hubris could lead to widespread application of highly intrusive treatments that may further damage forest ecosystems. Investments in research and monitoring of restoration treatments are essential to refine

Apps4CPR: A review study of mobile applications for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kalz, Marco

2013-01-01

Kalz, M. (2013, 23 September). Apps4CPR: A review study of mobile applications for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and support. Presentation given during the 6th World Congress on Social Media, Mobile Apps and Internet/Web 2.0 in Medicine, Health, and Biomedical Research, London, UK.

Application of the spine-layer jet radiation model to outbursts in the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120

Science.gov (United States)

Janiak, M.; Sikora, M.; Moderski, R.

2016-05-01

We present a detailed Fermi/LAT data analysis for the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120. This source has recently entered into a state of increased γ-ray activity which manifested itself in two major flares detected by Fermi/LAT in 2014 September and 2015 April with no significant flux changes reported in other wavelengths. We analyse available data focusing our attention on aforementioned outbursts. We find very fast variability time-scale during flares (of the order of hours) together with a significant γ-ray flux increase. We show that the ˜6.8 yr averaged γ-ray emission of 3C 120 is likely a sum of the external radiation Compton and the synchrotron self-Compton radiative components. To address the problem of violent γ-ray flares and fast variability we model the jet radiation dividing the jet structure into two components: the wide and relatively slow outer layer and the fast, narrow spine. We show that with the addition of the fast spine occasionally bent towards the observer we are able to explain observed spectral energy distribution of 3C 120 during flares with the Compton upscattered broad-line region and dusty torus photons as main γ-rays emission mechanism.

The Broad Challenge to Democratic Leadership: The Other Crisis in Education

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Vachel W.

2012-01-01

This article interrogates the workings of the Broad Superintendents Academy, as a specific illustration of the influence of venture philanthropy in American public education. It introduces the Broad Foundation's agenda for educational leadership training, foregrounding how it frames the problem of leadership and the implications of such training…

Bright solitons in coupled defocusing NLS equation supported by coupling: Application to Bose-Einstein condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adhikari, Sadhan K.

2005-01-01

We demonstrate the formation of bright solitons in coupled self-defocusing nonlinear Schroedinger (NLS) equation supported by attractive coupling. As an application we use a time-dependent dynamical mean-field model to study the formation of stable bright solitons in two-component repulsive Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) supported by interspecies attraction in a quasi one-dimensional geometry. When all interactions are repulsive, there cannot be bright solitons. However, bright solitons can be formed in two-component repulsive BECs for a sufficiently attractive interspecies interaction, which induces an attractive effective interaction among bosons of same type

Using the written description requirement to limit broad patent scope, allow competition, and encourage innovation in biotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mull, William C

2004-01-01

The biotechnology research and development process is extremely expensive and companies must attract investors to this high-risk industry to pay for these costs. Biotechnology companies rely on their ability to exclude others from exploiting the benefits of their research through patent protection to attract these investors. Consequently, they seek strong patent protection for their inventions by claiming a broad scope of patent protection for their inventions. Biotechnology is an industry where the scope of protection should be limited. Science-based technologies exploit the perceived technological opportunities from recent scientific developments, concentrating the attention of many inventors on the same areas. This poses several unique problems. First, only the first of several inventors will receive a patent to the invention. Second, due to publicly available, basic techniques, the actual contribution made by the inventor may be relatively small. Finally, there is a significant risk that permitting an overbroad patent scope may permit original patentees to control a variety of improvements and a number of applications. Additionally, a broad scope of protection for an invention tends to cause underutilization of many potential inventions or improvements. By limiting the scope of protection, one allows competitors to utilize these potential inventions or improvements and encourages the advancement of the technology. Traditionally, courts have used the scope of the disclosure to limit a patent with an overly broad scope of protection. The Federal Circuit is correctly applying the written description requirement as part of the disclosure to limit broad claim scope in biotechnology patents. The written description requirement is separate from the enablement requirement and applies to all claims. By requiring a written description to allow a PHOSITA to determine the structural characteristics of the claimed invention, the Federal Circuit is able limit biotechnology

Disclosure, apology, and offer programs: stakeholders' views of barriers to and strategies for broad implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Sigall K; Smulowitz, Peter B; Woodward, Alan C; Mello, Michelle M; Duva, Anjali Mitter; Boothman, Richard C; Sands, Kenneth

2012-12-01

The Disclosure, Apology, and Offer (DA&O) model, a response to patient injuries caused by medical care, is an innovative approach receiving national attention for its early success as an alternative to the existing inherently adversarial, inefficient, and inequitable medical liability system. Examples of DA&O programs, however, are few. Through key informant interviews, we investigated the potential for more widespread implementation of this model by provider organizations and liability insurers, defining barriers to implementation and strategies for overcoming them. Our study focused on Massachusetts, but we also explored themes that are broadly generalizable to other states. We found strong support for the DA&O model among key stakeholders, who cited its benefits for both the liability system and patient safety. The respondents did not perceive any insurmountable barriers to broad implementation, and they identified strategies that could be pursued relatively quickly. Such solutions would permit a range of organizations to implement the model without legislative hurdles. Although more data are needed about the outcomes of DA&O programs, the model holds considerable promise for transforming the current approach to medical liability and patient safety. © 2012 Milbank Memorial Fund.

Application of semi-automated ultrasonography on nutritional support for severe acute pancreatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ying; Ye, Yu; Yang, Mei; Ruan, Haiying; Yu, Yuan

2018-04-25

To evaluate the application value of semi-automated ultrasound on the guidance of nasogastrojejunal tube replacement for patients with acute severe pancreatitis (ASP), as well as the value of the nutritional support for standardized treatment in clinical practice. The retrospective research was performed in our hospital, and 34 patients suffering from ASP were enrolled into this study. All these identified participants ever received CT scans in order to make definitive diagnoses. Following, these patients received semi-automated ultrasound examinations within 1 days after their onset, in order to provide enteral nutrititon treatment via nasogastrojejunal tube, or freehand nasogastrojejunal tube replacement. In terms of statistical analysis, the application value of semi-automated ultrasound guidance on nasogastrojejunal tube replacement was evaluated, and was compared with tube replacement of no guidance. After cathetering, the additional enteral nutrition was provided, and its therapeutic effect on SAP was analyzed in further. A total of 34 patients with pancreatitis were identified in this research, 29 cases with necrosis of pancreas parenchyma. After further examinations, 32 cases were SAP, 2 cases were mild acute pancreatitis. When the firm diagnosis was made, additional enteral nutrition (EN) was given, all the patient conditions appeared good, and they all were satisfied with this kind of nutritional support. According to our clinical experience, when there was 200-250 ml liquid in the stomach, the successful rate of intubation appeared higher. Additionally, the comparison between ultrasound-guided and freehand nasogastrojejunal tube replacement was made. According to the statistical results, in terms of the utilization ratio of nutritional support, it was better in ultrasound-guided group, when compared with it in freehand group, within 1 day, after 3 days and after 7 days (7/20 versus 2/14; P groups was not statistically different (P > 0.05). It can

Very broad beam metal ion source for large area ion implantation application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, I.; Anders, S.; Dickinson, M.R.; MacGill, R.A.; Yao, X.

1993-01-01

The authors have made and operated a very broad beam version of vacuum arc ion source and used it to carry out high energy metal ion implantation of a particularly large substrate. A multiple-cathode vacuum arc plasma source was coupled to a 50 cm diameter beam extractor (multiple aperture, accel-decel configuration) operated at a net extraction voltage of up to 50 kV. The metal ion species chosen were Ni and Ta. The mean ion charge state for Ni and Ta vacuum arc plasmas is 1.8 and 2.9, respectively, and so the mean ion energies were up to about 90 and 145 keV, respectively. The ion source was operated in a repetitively pulsed mode with pulse length 250 μs and repetition rate several pulses per second. The extracted beam had a gaussian profile with FWHM about 35 cm, giving a nominal beam area of about 1,000 cm 2 . The current of Ni or Ta metal ions in the beam was up to several amperes. The targets for the ion implantation were a number of 24-inch long, highly polished Cu rails from an electromagnetic rail gun. The rails were located about 80 cm away from the ion source extractor grids, and were moved across a diameter of the vessel in such a way as to maximize the uniformity of the implant along the rail. The saturation retained dose for Ta was limited to about 4 x 10 16 cm -2 because of the rather severe sputtering, in accordance with the theoretical expectations for these implantation conditions. Here they describe the ion source, the implantation procedure, and the kinds of implants that can be produced in this way

Long-throated flumes and broad-crested weirs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, M.G.

1985-01-01

Vital for water management are structures that can measure the flow in a wide variety of channels. Chapter 1 introduces the long-throated flume and the broad-crested weir; it explains why this family of structures can meet the boundary conditions and hydraulic demands of most measuring

Social Pharmacy Research in Copenhagen—Maintaining a Broad Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Social Pharmacy (SP is a multidisciplinary field to promote the adequate use of medicine. The field of SP is increasingly important due to a numbers of new trends all posing challenges to society. The SP group at the University of Copenhagen has for several years used a broad approach to SP teaching and research, often illustrated by the four levels: individual, group, organizational, and societal. In this paper the relevance of maintaining a broad approach to SP research is argued for and examples of the importance of such type of research is presented.

QLIKVIEW APPLICATION - SUPPORT IN DECISION MAKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luminita SERBANESCU

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Control over the company, an objective that any manager wants, can only be exercised on the basis of real and complex business data. For this, a higher level of application is required, with Business Intelligence applications that provide information that no one else can offer faster. Winning time can be used to identify other issues related to available information or activities that add value to the company. After all, management time is a decision, and the decision is valuable only if it occurs at the right time. In this article I presented the benefits of implementing a business intelligence solution in a company, as well as how to design analytical reports using the QlikView application.

Engineering of gadofluoroprobes: Broad-spectrum applications from cancer diagnosis to therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dutta, Ranu A., E-mail: ranu.dutta16@gmail.com [Nanotechnology Application Centre, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211002 (India); NanoeRA medicare Private Limited, Uttar Pradesh (India); Sharma, Prashant K. [Nanotechnology Application Centre, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211002 (India); Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (India); Tiwari, Vandana [Department of Pathology, KGMU, Lucknow (India); Tiwari, Vivek; Patel, Anant B. [Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad (India); Pandey, Ravindra [Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University, Michigan 49931-1295 (United States); Pandey, Avinash C. [Nanotechnology Application Centre, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211002 (India); NanoeRA medicare Private Limited, Uttar Pradesh (India); Bundelkhand University, Jhansi (India)

2014-01-13

The engineering of the Gadolinium based nanostructures have been demonstrated in this paper. Nanostructures of α-Gd{sub 2}S{sub 3} exhibit a unique transition between ferromagnetic state and paramagnetic state of the system. It was demonstrated that their properties could be tuned for a wide range of applications ranging from hyperthermia to Magnetic Resonance Imaging, owing to their magnetic moments and large relaxivities. Metallic Gd nanoparticles obtained by reduction method were employed for cancer imaging in mice. The Gd nanoparticles were coated with Curcumin and their biomedical implications in the field of simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of cancer and related diseases has been discussed.

Engineering of gadofluoroprobes: Broad-spectrum applications from cancer diagnosis to therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutta, Ranu A.; Sharma, Prashant K.; Tiwari, Vandana; Tiwari, Vivek; Patel, Anant B.; Pandey, Ravindra; Pandey, Avinash C.

2014-01-01

The engineering of the Gadolinium based nanostructures have been demonstrated in this paper. Nanostructures of α-Gd 2 S 3 exhibit a unique transition between ferromagnetic state and paramagnetic state of the system. It was demonstrated that their properties could be tuned for a wide range of applications ranging from hyperthermia to Magnetic Resonance Imaging, owing to their magnetic moments and large relaxivities. Metallic Gd nanoparticles obtained by reduction method were employed for cancer imaging in mice. The Gd nanoparticles were coated with Curcumin and their biomedical implications in the field of simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of cancer and related diseases has been discussed

"Homeland Defense: At Risk as a Result of Civil Support?"

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Brickhouse, Tonja

2003-01-01

This research effort is an attempt by the author to examine the broad area of military support to civil authorities and the potential for a significant demand on Department of Defense (DoD) resources...

Fourier evaluation of broad Moessbauer spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincze, I.

1981-01-01

It is shown by the Fourier analysis of broad Moessbauer spectra that the even part of the distribution of the dominant hyperfine interaction (hyperfine field or quadrupole splitting) can be obtained directly without using least-square fitting procedures. Also the odd part of this distribution correlated with other hyperfine parameters (e.g. isomer shift) can be directly determined. Examples for amorphous magnetic and paramagnetic iron-based alloys are presented. (author)

Prevention of bolting degradation or failure in pressure boundary and support applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merrick, E.A.; Rivers, A.; Bickford, J.; Marston, T.U.

1986-01-01

A discussion is presented of bolting degradation or failure experience in pressure boundary and component support applications in US commercial nuclear plants and the industry program to prevent failures in the future. The focus turns to steps which plant owners can take today to guard against pressure boundary bolt failure or degradation for existing plants or units being constructed. 'Tools' or products which the plant owner can expect from current industry programs which will be available in the near future to aid in understanding and improving bolting practices are described. (author)

Sex Differences and Within-Family Associations in the Broad Autism Phenotype

Science.gov (United States)

Klusek, Jessica; Losh, Molly; Martin, Gary E.

2014-01-01

While there is a strong sex bias in the presentation of autism, it is unknown whether this bias is also present in subclinical manifestations of autism among relatives, or the broad autism phenotype. This study examined this question and investigated patterns of co-occurrence of broad autism phenotype traits within families of individuals with…

Extreme Variability in a Broad Absorption Line Quasar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stern, Daniel; Jun, Hyunsung D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-221, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Graham, Matthew J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Donalek, Ciro; Drake, Andrew J.; Mahabal, Ashish A.; Steidel, Charles C. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Arav, Nahum; Chamberlain, Carter [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Barth, Aaron J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4129 Frederick Reines Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Glikman, Eilat, E-mail: daniel.k.stern@jpl.nasa.gov [Department of Physics, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753 (United States)

2017-04-20

CRTS J084133.15+200525.8 is an optically bright quasar at z = 2.345 that has shown extreme spectral variability over the past decade. Photometrically, the source had a visual magnitude of V ∼ 17.3 between 2002 and 2008. Then, over the following five years, the source slowly brightened by approximately one magnitude, to V ∼ 16.2. Only ∼1 in 10,000 quasars show such extreme variability, as quantified by the extreme parameters derived for this quasar assuming a damped random walk model. A combination of archival and newly acquired spectra reveal the source to be an iron low-ionization broad absorption line quasar with extreme changes in its absorption spectrum. Some absorption features completely disappear over the 9 years of optical spectra, while other features remain essentially unchanged. We report the first definitive redshift for this source, based on the detection of broad H α in a Keck/MOSFIRE spectrum. Absorption systems separated by several 1000 km s{sup −1} in velocity show coordinated weakening in the depths of their troughs as the continuum flux increases. We interpret the broad absorption line variability to be due to changes in photoionization, rather than due to motion of material along our line of sight. This source highlights one sort of rare transition object that astronomy will now be finding through dedicated time-domain surveys.

Telemedicine and rural health care applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Smith Anthony

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Telemedicine has the potential to help facilitate the delivery of health services to rural areas. In the right circumstances, telemedicine may also be useful for the delivery of education and teaching programmes and the facilitation of administrative meetings. In this paper reference is made to a variety of telemedicine applications in Australia and other countries including telepaediatrics, home telehealth, critical care telemedicine for new born babies, telemedicine in developing countries, health screening via e-mail, and teleradiology. These applications represent some of the broad range of telemedicine applications possible. An overriding imperative is to focus on the clinical problem first with careful consideration given to the significant organisational changes which are associated with the introduction of a new service or alternative method of service delivery. For telemedicine to be effective it is also important that all sites involved are adequately resourced in terms of staff, equipment, telecommunications, technical support and training. In addition, there are a number of logistical factors which are important when considering the development of a telemedicine service including site selection, clinician empowerment, telemedicine management, technological requirements, user training, telemedicine evaluation, and information sharing through publication.

Second Workshop on Supporting Complex Search Tasks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belkin, Nicholas J.; Bogers, Toine; Kamps, Jaap; Kelly, Diane; Koolen, Marijn; Yilmaz, Emine

2017-01-01

There is broad consensus in the field of IR that search is complex in many use cases and applications, both on the Web and in domain specific collections, and both professionally and in our daily life. Yet our understanding of complex search tasks, in comparison to simple look up tasks, is

Development of a gene silencing DNA vector derived from a broad host range geminivirus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hancock Leandria C

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gene silencing is proving to be a powerful tool for genetic, developmental, and physiological analyses. The use of viral induced gene silencing (VIGS offers advantages to transgenic approaches as it can be potentially applied to non-model systems for which transgenic techniques are not readily available. However, many VIGS vectors are derived from Gemini viruses that have limited host ranges. We present a new, unipartite vector that is derived from a curtovirus that has a broad host range and will be amenable to use in many non-model systems. Results The construction of a gene silencing vector derived from the geminivirus Beet curly top virus (BCTV, named pWSRi, is reported. Two versions of the vector have been developed to allow application by biolistic techniques or by agro-infiltration. We demonstrate its ability to silence nuclear genes including ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit (rbcS, transketolase, the sulfur allele of magnesium chelatase (ChlI, and two homeotic transcription factors in spinach or tomato by generating gene-specific knock-down phenotypes. Onset of phenotypes occurred 3 to 12 weeks post-inoculation, depending on the target gene, in organs that developed after the application. The vector lacks movement genes and we found no evidence for significant spread from the site of inoculation. However, viral amplification in inoculated tissue was detected and is necessary for systemic silencing, suggesting that signals generated from active viral replicons are efficiently transported within the plant. Conclusion The unique properties of the pWSRi vector, the ability to silence genes in meristem tissue, the separation of virus and silencing phenotypes, and the broad natural host range of BCTV, suggest that it will have wide utility.

Development of RODOS (Real-Time, On-Line Decision Support System), a comprehensive decision support system for nuclear emergencies in Europe - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrhardt, J.; Paesler-Sauer, J.; Schuele, O.

1993-01-01

Within its Radiation Protection Research Programme, the Commission of the European Communities has embarked on a major project aiming at the development of an integrated and comprehensive real-time on-line decision support system (RODOS) for nuclear emergencies in Europe, applicable for the vicinity of the release and the early phase up to far distant areas and the later stages of an accident. At present, the project is organised as a joint venture of some 18 European institutes closely cooperating with several Russian and Ukrainian laboratories. The main purpose of the project is to provide the methodological basis, develop models and data and install the hardware and software framework of RODOS. The paper describes the key features, the overall design and the software structure broadly accepted by the contractors. The paper sketches the present status of RODOS and gives an overview of the important tasks of R and D work for the next project phases. (author)

DETECTION OF EXTREMELY BROAD WATER EMISSION FROM THE MOLECULAR CLOUD INTERACTING SUPERNOVA REMNANT G349.7+0.2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rho, J. [SETI Institute, 189 N. Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043 (United States); Hewitt, J. W. [CRESST/University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Boogert, A. [SOFIA Science Center, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 232-11, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Kaufman, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192-0106 (United States); Gusdorf, A., E-mail: jrho@seti.org, E-mail: john.w.hewitt@nasa.gov, E-mail: aboogert@sofia.usra.edu, E-mail: michael.kaufman@sjsu.edu, E-mail: antoine.gusdorf@lra.ens.fr [LERMA, UMR 8112 du CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, École Normale Suprieure, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05 (France)

2015-10-10

We performed Herschel HIFI, PACS, and SPIRE observations toward the molecular cloud interacting supernova remnant G349.7+0.2. An extremely broad emission line was detected at 557 GHz from the ground state transition 1{sub 10}-1{sub 01} of ortho-water. This water line can be separated into three velocity components with widths of 144, 27, and 4 km s{sup −1}. The 144 km s{sup −1} component is the broadest water line detected to date in the literature. This extremely broad line width shows the importance of probing shock dynamics. PACS observations revealed three additional ortho-water lines, as well as numerous high-J carbon monoxide (CO) lines. No para-water lines were detected. The extremely broad water line is indicative of a high velocity shock, which is supported by the observed CO rotational diagram that was reproduced with a J-shock model with a density of 10{sup 4} cm{sup −3} and a shock velocity of 80 km s{sup −1}. Two far-infrared fine-structure lines, [O i] at 145 μm and [C ii] line at 157 μm, are also consistent with the high velocity J-shock model. The extremely broad water line could be simply from short-lived molecules that have not been destroyed in high velocity J-shocks; however, it may be from more complicated geometry such as high-velocity water bullets or a shell expanding in high velocity. We estimate the CO and H{sub 2}O densities, column densities, and temperatures by comparison with RADEX and detailed shock models.

Understanding Soccer Team Supporters' Behavior and Culture in a Globalized Society from Social Learning Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seungbum; Han, Keunsu

2012-01-01

Whereas there have been many academic studies on European soccer team supporters, relatively few studies have looked at supporters in Asia, especially regarding their supporting behavior and culture. Broadly, the purpose of this paper is to describe the behavior and culture of supporters of the Korean professional soccer league (K-League).…

The "new normal": Adapting doctoral trainee career preparation for broad career paths in science.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebekah St Clair

Full Text Available Doctoral recipients in the biomedical sciences and STEM fields are showing increased interest in career opportunities beyond academic positions. While recent research has addressed the interests and preferences of doctoral trainees for non-academic careers, the strategies and resources that trainees use to prepare for a broad job market (non-academic are poorly understood. The recent adaptation of the Social Cognitive Career Theory to explicitly highlight the interplay of contextual support mechanisms, individual career search efficacy, and self-adaptation of job search processes underscores the value of attention to this explicit career phase. Our research addresses the factors that affect the career search confidence and job search strategies of doctoral trainees with non-academic career interests and is based on nearly 900 respondents from an NIH-funded survey of doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical sciences at two U.S. universities. Using structural equation modeling, we find that trainees pursuing non-academic careers, and/or with low perceived program support for career goals, have lower career development and search process efficacy (CDSE, and receive different levels of support from their advisors/supervisors. We also find evidence of trainee adaptation driven by their career search efficacy, and not by career interests.

A support structure for biomimetic applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Jörg; Perry, Mark; Hansen, Jesper Søndergaard

2009-01-01

Water filtration on the basis of aquaporin molecules incorporated in an artificial lipid bilayer requires a microporous support membrane. We describe a new microfabrication method based on CO2-laser ablation to generate support membranes with homogeneous apertures ranging from 300 mu m down to 84...... to visualize and analyse these bulges. The overall area covered so far has been 4 cm(2) but upscaling to larger footprints, e. g. square metres, is currently being investigated....

Enzyme Immobilization: An Overview on Methods, Support Material, and Applications of Immobilized Enzymes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sirisha, V L; Jain, Ankita; Jain, Amita

Immobilized enzymes can be used in a wide range of processes. In recent years, a variety of new approaches have emerged for the immobilization of enzymes that have greater efficiency and wider usage. During the course of the last two decades, this area has rapidly expanded into a multidisciplinary field. This current study is a comprehensive review of a variety of literature produced on the different enzymes that have been immobilized on various supporting materials. These immobilized enzymes have a wide range of applications. These include applications in the sugar, fish, and wine industries, where they are used for removing organic compounds from waste water. This study also reviews their use in sophisticated biosensors for metabolite control and in situ measurements of environmental pollutants. Immobilized enzymes also find significant application in drug metabolism, biodiesel and antibiotic production, bioremediation, and the food industry. The widespread usage of immobilized enzymes is largely due to the fact that they are cheaper, environment friendly, and much easier to use when compared to equivalent technologies. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New Constraints on Quasar Broad Absorption and Emission Line Regions from Gravitational Microlensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutsemékers, Damien; Braibant, Lorraine; Sluse, Dominique [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Liège (Belgium); Anguita, Timo [Departamento de Ciencias Fisicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago (Chile); Goosmann, René, E-mail: hutsemekers@astro.ulg.ac.be [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France)

2017-09-29

Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool allowing one to probe the structure of quasars on sub-parsec scale. We report recent results, focusing on the broad absorption and emission line regions. In particular microlensing reveals the intrinsic absorption hidden in the P Cygni-type line profiles observed in the broad absorption line quasar H1413+117, as well as the existence of an extended continuum source. In addition, polarization microlensing provides constraints on the scattering region. In the quasar Q2237+030, microlensing differently distorts the Hα and CIV broad emission line profiles, indicating that the low- and high-ionization broad emission lines must originate from regions with distinct kinematical properties. We also present simulations of the effect of microlensing on line profiles considering simple but representative models of the broad emission line region. Comparison of observations to simulations allows us to conclude that the Hα emitting region in Q2237+030 is best represented by a Keplerian disk.

New Constraints on Quasar Broad Absorption and Emission Line Regions from Gravitational Microlensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien Hutsemékers

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool allowing one to probe the structure of quasars on sub-parsec scale. We report recent results, focusing on the broad absorption and emission line regions. In particular microlensing reveals the intrinsic absorption hidden in the P Cygni-type line profiles observed in the broad absorption line quasar H1413+117, as well as the existence of an extended continuum source. In addition, polarization microlensing provides constraints on the scattering region. In the quasar Q2237+030, microlensing differently distorts the Hα and CIV broad emission line profiles, indicating that the low- and high-ionization broad emission lines must originate from regions with distinct kinematical properties. We also present simulations of the effect of microlensing on line profiles considering simple but representative models of the broad emission line region. Comparison of observations to simulations allows us to conclude that the Hα emitting region in Q2237+030 is best represented by a Keplerian disk.

Supporting Family Carers Through Telephone-Mediated Group Programs: Opportunities For Gerontological Social Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanley, Chris

2008-01-01

Telephone-mediated group programs are an important but under-utilized medium for reaching frail or disabled older persons' family carers who are in need of support. The primary purpose and style of group programs can range across a broad spectrum–encompassing educational, supportive and therapeutic types. Gerontological social workers are the members of the multidisciplinary care team whose training, experience and supervision makes them most suitable for facilitating this broad range of group types. Drawing on the experience of training a number of group facilitators, this article provides suggestions for social workers contemplating the use of telephone-mediated groups and highlights groupwork skills peculiar to conducting group programs via the telephone.

Fourier evaluation of broad Moessbauer spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincze, I.

1981-09-01

It is shown by the Fourier analysis of broad Moessbauer spectra that the even part of the distribution of the dominant hyperfine interaction (hyperfine field or quadrupole splitting) can be obtained directly without using least-square fitting procedures. Also the odd part of this distribution correlated with other hyperfine parameters (e.g. isomer shift) can be directly determined. Examples covering the case of amorphous magnetic and paramagnetic iron-based alloys are presented. (author)

Application of modern technology for fieldwork support in network operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eggen, Arnt Ove; Langdal, Bjoern Inge

2006-04-01

Demands for rational and efficient operation and management in several business sectors such as power-, oil- and gas industry, telecommunication, water and multi-utility has lead to big changes for personnel in charge of managing the infrastructure and for the field-workers. Contractors providing services for the large power network companies do not have the local knowledge about construction projects, and there are increased demands on efficiency related to completion, documentation and reporting. This implies a need for transmission of knowledge and experiences between office and the field, and support for fieldwork in the form of applications using various technological possibilities. Field solutions that have well-developed technical and organisational properties will make administration of the infrastructure more efficient, and raise the quality of the work. The choice of mobile service will always be a compromise between several different wishes and needs. The properties of hardware, software and communication options will often influence possible choices in the respective fields. As an important step in testing of hardware, software and communication, some prototypes have been developed for Pocket Pc. The prototypes 'Befaring' and 'HelikopterBefaring' have been chosen because they contain many of the elements that are important in a mobile solution. In addition a prototype for internet applications has been developed ('HelikopterBefaringMottak') and a Windows application ('HelikopterBefaringPresentasjon') in order to visualise the received and managed information sent from the mobile units. The technological development both in software, hardware, GPS and mobile telephones is extremely rapid, and the first mobile solutions with Pocket Pc, mobile telephone and GPS in one integrated unit is already on the market (ml)

Concept-Development of a Structure Supported Membrane for Deployable Space Applications - From Nature to Manufacture and Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Zander, Martin; Belvin, W. K.

2012-01-01

Current space applications of membrane structures include large area solar power arrays, solar sails, antennas, and numerous other large aperture devices like the solar shades of the new James Webb Space Telescope. These expandable structural systems, deployed in-orbit to achieve the desired geometry, are used to collect, reflect and/or transmit electromagnetic radiation. This work, a feasibility study supporting a diploma thesis, describes the systematic process for developing a biologically inspired concept for a structure supported (integrated) membrane, that features a rip stop principle, makes self-deployment possible and is part of an ultra-light weight space application. Novel manufacturing of membrane prototypes and test results are presented for the rip-stop concepts. Test data showed that the new membrane concept has a higher tear resistance than neat film of equivalent mass.

Establishing Normative Reference Values for Standing Broad Jump among Hungarian Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Saint-Maurice, Pedro F.; Laurson, Kelly R.; Kaj, Mónika; Csányi, Tamás

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine age and sex trends in anaerobic power assessed by a standing broad jump and to determine norm-referenced values for youth in Hungary. Method: A sample of 2,427 Hungarian youth (1,360 boys and 1,067 girls) completed the standing broad jump twice, and the highest distance score was recorded. Quantile…

Randomized trial of a smartphone mobile application compared to text messaging to support smoking cessation.

Science.gov (United States)

Buller, David B; Borland, Ron; Bettinghaus, Erwin P; Shane, James H; Zimmerman, Donald E

2014-03-01

Text messaging has successfully supported smoking cessation. This study compares a mobile application with text messaging to support smoking cessation. Young adult smokers 18-30 years old (n = 102) participated in a randomized pretest-posttest trial. Smokers received a smartphone application (REQ-Mobile) with short messages and interactive tools or a text messaging system (onQ), managed by an expert system. Self-reported usability of REQ-Mobile and quitting behavior (quit attempts, point-prevalence, 30-day point-prevalence, and continued abstinence) were assessed in posttests. Overall, 60% of smokers used mobile services (REQ-Mobile, 61%, mean of 128.5 messages received; onQ, 59%, mean of 107.8 messages), and 75% evaluated REQ-Mobile as user-friendly. A majority of smokers reported being abstinent at posttest (6 weeks, 53% of completers; 12 weeks, 66% of completers [44% of all cases]). Also, 37% (25%of all cases) reported 30-day point-prevalence abstinence, and 32% (22% of all cases) reported continuous abstinence at 12 weeks. OnQ produced more abstinence (ptext messaging. Text messaging may work better because it is simple, well known, and delivered to a primary inbox. These advantages may disappear as smokers become more experienced with new handsets. Mobile phones may be promising delivery platforms for cessation services using either smartphone applications or text messaging.

Modeling vegetation heights from high resolution stereo aerial photography: an application for broad-scale rangeland monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillan, Jeffrey K; Karl, Jason W; Duniway, Michael; Elaksher, Ahmed

2014-11-01

Vertical vegetation structure in rangeland ecosystems can be a valuable indicator for assessing rangeland health and monitoring riparian areas, post-fire recovery, available forage for livestock, and wildlife habitat. Federal land management agencies are directed to monitor and manage rangelands at landscapes scales, but traditional field methods for measuring vegetation heights are often too costly and time consuming to apply at these broad scales. Most emerging remote sensing techniques capable of measuring surface and vegetation height (e.g., LiDAR or synthetic aperture radar) are often too expensive, and require specialized sensors. An alternative remote sensing approach that is potentially more practical for managers is to measure vegetation heights from digital stereo aerial photographs. As aerial photography is already commonly used for rangeland monitoring, acquiring it in stereo enables three-dimensional modeling and estimation of vegetation height. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and accuracy of estimating shrub heights from high-resolution (HR, 3-cm ground sampling distance) digital stereo-pair aerial images. Overlapping HR imagery was taken in March 2009 near Lake Mead, Nevada and 5-cm resolution digital surface models (DSMs) were created by photogrammetric methods (aerial triangulation, digital image matching) for twenty-six test plots. We compared the heights of individual shrubs and plot averages derived from the DSMs to field measurements. We found strong positive correlations between field and image measurements for several metrics. Individual shrub heights tended to be underestimated in the imagery, however, accuracy was higher for dense, compact shrubs compared with shrubs with thin branches. Plot averages of shrub height from DSMs were also strongly correlated to field measurements but consistently underestimated. Grasses and forbs were generally too small to be detected with the resolution of the DSMs. Estimates of

PG 1700 + 518 - a low-redshift, broad absorption line QSO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pettini, M.; Boksenberg, A.

1985-01-01

The first high-resolution optical spectra and lower resolution UV spectra of PG 1700 + 518, the only known broad-absorption-line (BAL) QSO at low emission redshift (0.288) are presented. The optical data were obtained with the Isaac Newton Telescope on the island of La Palma and the UV data with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. The outstanding feature of the optical spectrum is a strong, broad Mg II absorption trough, detached from the Mg II emission line and indicative of ejection velocities of between 7000 and 18,000 km/s. Also detected were narrow (FWHM = 350 km/s) Mg II absorption lines at absolute z = 0.2698, which are probably related to the mass ejection phenomenon. It is concluded that the emission-line spectrum is similar to that of other low-redshift QSOs although there are some obvious differences from typical BAL QSOs, most notably in the unusually low level of ionization of both emission-line and broad absorption line gas. 21 references

Highly Oriented Growth of Catalytically Active Zeolite ZSM‐5 Films with a Broad Range of Si/Al Ratios

OpenAIRE

Fu, Donglong; Schmidt, Joel E.; Ristanović, Zoran; Chowdhury, Abhishek Dutta; Meirer, Florian; Weckhuysen, Bert M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Highly b‐oriented zeolite ZSM‐5 films are critical for applications in catalysis and separations and may serve as models to study diffusion and catalytic properties in single zeolite channels. However, the introduction of catalytically active Al3+ usually disrupts the orientation of zeolite films. Herein, using structure‐directing agents with hydroxy groups, we demonstrate a new method to prepare highly b‐oriented zeolite ZSM‐5 films with a broad range of Si/Al ratios (Si/Al=45 to ∞)...

Risk Factors for Emergence of Resistance to Broad-Spectrum Cephalosporins among Enterobacter spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaye, Keith S.; Cosgrove, Sara; Harris, Anthony; Eliopoulos, George M.; Carmeli, Yehuda

2001-01-01

Among 477 patients with susceptible Enterobacter spp., 49 subsequently harbored third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacter spp. Broad-spectrum cephalosporins were independent risk factors for resistance (relative risk [OR] = 2.3, P = 0.01); quinolone therapy was protective (OR = 0.4, P = 0.03). There were trends toward decreased risk for resistance among patients receiving broad-spectrum cephalosporins and either aminoglycosides or imipenem. Of the patients receiving broad-spectrum cephalosporins, 19% developed resistance. PMID:11502540

Implementation of a Mobile Clinical Decision Support Application to Augment Local Antimicrobial Stewardship.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoff, Brian M; Ford, Diana C; Ince, Dilek; Ernst, Erika J; Livorsi, Daniel J; Heintz, Brett H; Masse, Vincent; Brownlee, Michael J; Ford, Bradley A

2018-01-01

Medical applications for mobile devices allow clinicians to leverage microbiological data and standardized guidelines to treat patients with infectious diseases. We report the implementation of a mobile clinical decision support (CDS) application to augment local antimicrobial stewardship. We detail the implementation of our mobile CDS application over 20 months. Application utilization data were collected and evaluated using descriptive statistics to quantify the impact of our implementation. Project initiation focused on engaging key stakeholders, developing a business case, and selecting a mobile platform. The preimplementation phase included content development, creation of a pathway for content approval within the hospital committee structure, engaging clinical leaders, and formatting the first version of the guide. Implementation involved a media campaign, staff education, and integration within the electronic medical record and hospital mobile devices. The postimplementation phase required ongoing quality improvement, revision of outdated content, and repeated staff education. The evaluation phase included a guide utilization analysis, reporting to hospital leadership, and sustainability and innovation planning. The mobile application was downloaded 3056 times and accessed 9259 times during the study period. The companion web viewer was accessed 8214 times. Successful implementation of a customizable mobile CDS tool enabled our team to expand beyond microbiological data to clinical diagnosis, treatment, and antimicrobial stewardship, broadening our influence on antimicrobial prescribing and incorporating utilization data to inspire new quality and safety initiatives. Further studies are needed to assess the impact on antimicrobial utilization, infection control measures, and patient care outcomes.

African Journals Online: General Science (broad subject range)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 51 - 86 of 86 ... The Journal of Science and Technology (JUST) aims principally at publishing articles ... basic sciences, public health, social medicine and medical politics. .... The SWJ is a peer review on-line international journal of broad ...

A postmenopausal woman with sciatica from broad ligament leiomyoma: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Ya-Chu May

2016-10-31

Unilateral lower abdominal pain and/or sciatic nerve pain is a common presentation in the elderly population. The prevalence of broad ligament leiomyoma is leiomyomas to be clinically significant. Thus, we highlight a case of symptomatic broad ligament leiomyoma in a postmenopausal woman whose symptoms improved after definitive treatment. A 62-year-old postmenopausal Macedonian woman was referred to our gynecological department with unexplained pain in her left leg and left iliac fossa region on walking. There was minimal relief with increasing analgesia use prescribed by the family physician. Investigations revealed an ipsilateral adnexal mass and subsequent treatment with laparoscopic broad ligament myomectomy helped to alleviate her symptoms. Our case highlights the importance of staying mindful of alternate diagnoses when presented with a common presentation of iliac fossa pain and pain in the leg. Although broad ligament leiomyomas are benign tumors, the uncommon symptomatic presentation led us to report and focus some attention on this type of tumor.

Methods to synthesize NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles by a reversed-phase microemulsion, deposition of NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles on a support, and application of the supported catalyst for CO.sub.2 reforming of methane

KAUST Repository

Biausque, Gregory; Laveille, Paco; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Caps, Valerie; Basset, Jean-Marie

2015-01-01

Methods to synthesize NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles by a reversed-phase microemulsion, deposition of NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles on a support, and application of the supported catalyst for CO.sub.2 reforming of methane

Methods to synthesize NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles by a reversed-phase microemulsion, deposition of NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles on a support, and application of the supported catalyst for CO.sub.2 reforming of methane

KAUST Repository

Biausque, Gregory

2015-04-28

Methods to synthesize NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles by a reversed-phase microemulsion, deposition of NiPt bimetallic nanoparticles on a support, and application of the supported catalyst for CO.sub.2 reforming of methane

New insights into broad spectrum communities of the Early Holocene Near East: The birds of Hallan Çemi

Science.gov (United States)

Zeder, Melinda A.; Spitzer, Megan D.

2016-11-01

The Early Holocene in Near East was a pivotal transitional period that witnessed dramatic changes in climate and environment, human settlement, major changes in subsistence strategies focusing on a broad range of different plant and animal resources, and a radical restructuring of social relations. The remarkable corpus of avifauna from the Early Holocene site of Hallan Çemi in southeastern Turkey sheds new light on key issues about this dynamic period that has been termed the ;Broad Spectrum Revolution;. The avifauna from this important site demonstrate how Hallan Çemi occupants took advantage of the site's strategic location at the junction of multiple environmental zones by extracting a diverse range of seasonally available resources from both near-by and more distant eco-zones to cobble together a stable subsistence economy capable of supporting this small community throughout the year. They give testimony to the impacts of resource utilization over time, especially on species unable to rebound from sustained human hunting. At the same time, they show how Hallan Çemi residents mitigated these impacts by replacing depleted resources with alternative, more resilient ones that could be more sustainably harvested. They open a window onto the growing investment in feasting and ritual activity that helped bind this community together. In so doing they provide a means of empirically evaluating the efficacy of contrasting explanatory frameworks for the Broad Spectrum Revolution that gave rise to the subsequent domestication of plant and animals in the Near East. Contrary to frameworks that cast these developments as responses to resource depression, lessons learned from the Hallan Çemi avifauna lend support to frameworks that emphasize the human capacity to strategically target, capitalize, and improve upon circumscribed resource rich environments in a way that permits more permanent occupation of these niches. And they underscore the degree to which social and

Broad economic benefits of freight transportation infrastructure improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

This project strives to introduce a novel way to quantify the broad re-organization benefits associated with an : improvement in the freight infrastructure. Using the approach based on 1) the technique known as Field of Influence, and : 2) RAS adjust...

Argument for a non-standard broad-line region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collin, S.

1987-01-01

The region emitting the broad lines (BLR) in quasars and AGN has a ''Standard Status''. It is shown that this status raises strong problems concerning the energetic budget and the thermal state of the BLR. A possible solution is proposed [fr

Intelligent decision support systems for sustainable computing paradigms and applications

CERN Document Server

Abraham, Ajith; Siarry, Patrick; Sheng, Michael

2017-01-01

This unique book dicusses the latest research, innovative ideas, challenges and computational intelligence (CI) solutions in sustainable computing. It presents novel, in-depth fundamental research on achieving a sustainable lifestyle for society, either from a methodological or from an application perspective. Sustainable computing has expanded to become a significant research area covering the fields of computer science and engineering, electrical engineering and other engineering disciplines, and there has been an increase in the amount of literature on aspects sustainable computing such as energy efficiency and natural resources conservation that emphasizes the role of ICT (information and communications technology) in achieving system design and operation objectives. The energy impact/design of more efficient IT infrastructures is a key challenge in realizing new computing paradigms. The book explores the uses of computational intelligence (CI) techniques for intelligent decision support that can be explo...

Cloud Computing in Support of Synchronized Disaster Response Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

scalable, Web application based on cloud computing technologies to facilitate communication between a broad range of public and private entities without...requiring them to compromise security or competitive advantage. The proposed design applies the unique benefits of cloud computing architectures such as

Engineering stategies and implications of using higher plants for throttling gas and water exchange in a controlled ecological life support system

Science.gov (United States)

Chamberland, Dennis; Wheeler, Raymond M.; Corey, Kenneth A.

1993-01-01

Engineering stategies for advanced life support systems to be used on Lunar and Mars bases involve a wide spectrum of approaches. These range from purely physical-chemical life support strategies to purely biological approaches. Within the context of biological based systems, a bioengineered system can be devised that would utilize the metabolic mechanisms of plants to control the rates of CO2 uptake and O2 evolution (photosynthesis) and water production (transpiration). Such a mechanism of external engineering control has become known as throttling. Research conducted at the John F. Kennedy Space Center's Controlled Ecological Life Support System Breadboard Project has demonstrated the potential of throttling these fluxes by changing environmental parameters affecting the plant processes. Among the more effective environmental throttles are: light and CO2 concentration for controllingthe rate of photsynthesis and humidity and CO2 concentration for controlling transpiration. Such a bioengineered strategy implies control mechanisms that in the past have not been widely attributed to life support systems involving biological components and suggests a broad range of applications in advanced life support system design.

Advanced codes and methods supporting improved fuel cycle economics - 5493

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curca-Tivig, F.; Maupin, K.; Thareau, S.

2015-01-01

AREVA's code development program was practically completed in 2014. The basic codes supporting a new generation of advanced methods are the followings. GALILEO is a state-of-the-art fuel rod performance code for PWR and BWR applications. Development is completed, implementation started in France and the U.S.A. ARCADIA-1 is a state-of-the-art neutronics/ thermal-hydraulics/ thermal-mechanics code system for PWR applications. Development is completed, implementation started in Europe and in the U.S.A. The system thermal-hydraulic codes S-RELAP5 and CATHARE-2 are not really new but still state-of-the-art in the domain. S-RELAP5 was completely restructured and re-coded such that its life cycle increases by further decades. CATHARE-2 will be replaced in the future by the new CATHARE-3. The new AREVA codes and methods are largely based on first principles modeling with an extremely broad international verification and validation data base. This enables AREVA and its customers to access more predictable licensing processes in a fast evolving regulatory environment (new safety criteria, requests for enlarged qualification databases, statistical applications, uncertainty propagation...). In this context, the advanced codes and methods and the associated verification and validation represent the key to avoiding penalties on products, on operational limits, or on methodologies themselves

The {open_quotes}leak-before-break{close_quotes} applicability in decision support system {open_quotes}strength{close_quotes}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torop, V.M.; Orynyak, I.V. [Institute for Problems of Strength, Kiev (Ukraine); Kutovoy, O.L. [Institute of Structure Integrity, Kiev (Ukraine)

1997-04-01

A software decision support system, STRENGTH, for application of leak before break analysis, is described. The background methodology and sample application are outlined. The program allows multioptional computation of loading parameters for different types of defects, and variable properties for metals and welded joints. Structural strength is assessed, and service life predictions are made. The program is used to analyze specific defects identified by nondestructive testing.

Review of data mining applications for quality assessment in manufacturing industry: support vector machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rostami Hamidey

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In many modern manufacturing industries, data that characterize the manufacturing process are electronically collected and stored in databases. Due to advances in data collection systems and analysis tools, data mining (DM has widely been applied for quality assessment (QA in manufacturing industries. In DM, the choice of technique to be used in analyzing a dataset and assessing the quality depend on the understanding of the analyst. On the other hand, with the advent of improved and efficient prediction techniques, there is a need for an analyst to know which tool performs better for a particular type of dataset. Although a few review papers have recently been published to discuss DM applications in manufacturing for QA, this paper provides an extensive review to investigate the application of a special DM technique, namely support vector machine (SVM to deal with QA problems. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the literature from various points of view as DM concepts, data preprocessing, DM applications for each quality task, SVM preliminaries, and application results. Summary tables and figures are also provided besides to the analyses. Finally, conclusions and future research directions are provided.

A low cost support post for SSC quadrupole magnets and other cryogenic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiller, M.W.; Kunz, R.J.; Lehmann, G.A.; Nilles, M.J.

1994-01-01

An injection molded support post has been designed and tested for use in the cryostat of the 5.4 meter long SSC Collider Quadrupole Magnet (CQM). This glass reinforced thermoplastic support is less costly than the complex alternative post designs that consist of filament wound tubes with thermal shrink fit metallic end pieces. The near net shape injection molding process delivers customized components at production rates suitable for present and proposed large scale cryogenic projects such as large accelerators, SMES, and Maglev. In addition, standard shapes (plates, tubes, threaded rods, and fasteners) comprised of this composite are available as catalog items. This paper presents the design considerations, material testing, and validation of predicted structural performance through component testing. Test results reported herein include compressive strength validations as well as previously unreported creep, thermal conductivity, and thermal contraction data. A delineated reliability method is discussed for verifying compliance with apportioned reliability targets using a synthesis of the FEA and test data. Also the design approach and data presented here can be extended toward the design of low cost mass produced supports for other cryogenic applications

Introducing StatHand: A Cross-Platform Mobile Application to Support Students' Statistical Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Peter J; Roberts, Lynne D; Baughman, Frank D; Loxton, Natalie J; Van Rooy, Dirk; Rock, Adam J; Finlay, James

2016-01-01

Although essential to professional competence in psychology, quantitative research methods are a known area of weakness for many undergraduate psychology students. Students find selecting appropriate statistical tests and procedures for different types of research questions, hypotheses and data types particularly challenging, and these skills are not often practiced in class. Decision trees (a type of graphic organizer) are known to facilitate this decision making process, but extant trees have a number of limitations. Furthermore, emerging research suggests that mobile technologies offer many possibilities for facilitating learning. It is within this context that we have developed StatHand, a free cross-platform application designed to support students' statistical decision making. Developed with the support of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching, StatHand guides users through a series of simple, annotated questions to help them identify a statistical test or procedure appropriate to their circumstances. It further offers the guidance necessary to run these tests and procedures, then interpret and report their results. In this Technology Report we will overview the rationale behind StatHand, before describing the feature set of the application. We will then provide guidelines for integrating StatHand into the research methods curriculum, before concluding by outlining our road map for the ongoing development and evaluation of StatHand.

Petri nets - part 1: concepts and application areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivertsen, Terje

2004-03-01

There exist a number of models, languages, methods, and tools that support the specification and analysis of system requirements. One important class comprises graphical methods based on the concept of Petri nets. Due to the wide variety of applications, these methods are relevant also in research and applications outside the digital systems safety domain. The present report constitutes the first of three parts of a unified exposition of graphical methods based on the concept of Petri nets. The report provides an introduction to basic concepts of Petri nets and an overview of a wide variety of application areas. The second part of the trilogy will present a number of techniques and tools. The third part will focus on analysis. Petri nets have been proposed for a wide variety of applications, and new areas are considered as new challenges emerge from scientific, technological, and social developments. The wide variety of application areas reflects a broad interest in Petri nets, coming from diverse directions. Empirically, as well as theoretically, there are good reasons to claim that Petri nets are applicable for many different kinds of problems. What is common to the different applications and problems addressed is the need for a formalism that allows adequate representation of important system characteristics like concurrency, asyncronicity, distribution, parallelism, and non-determinism. Several of the references in the report discuss NPP-related applications, or applications with great potentials for technology transfer from other areas to the nuclear domain. (Author)

Flow characteristics at trapezoidal broad-crested side weir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Říha Jaromír

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Broad-crested side weirs have been the subject of numerous hydraulic studies; however, the flow field at the weir crest and in front of the weir in the approach channel still has not been fully described. Also, the discharge coefficient of broad-crested side weirs, whether slightly inclined towards the stream or lateral, still has yet to be clearly determined. Experimental research was carried out to describe the flow characteristics at low Froude numbers in the approach flow channel for various combinations of in- and overflow discharges. Three side weir types with different oblique angles were studied. Their flow characteristics and discharge coefficients were analyzed and assessed based on the results obtained from extensive measurements performed on a hydraulic model. The empirical relation between the angle of side weir obliqueness, Froude numbers in the up- and downstream channels, and the coefficient of obliqueness was derived.

Visual attention spreads broadly but selects information locally.

Science.gov (United States)

Shioiri, Satoshi; Honjyo, Hajime; Kashiwase, Yoshiyuki; Matsumiya, Kazumichi; Kuriki, Ichiro

2016-10-19

Visual attention spreads over a range around the focus as the spotlight metaphor describes. Spatial spread of attentional enhancement and local selection/inhibition are crucial factors determining the profile of the spatial attention. Enhancement and ignorance/suppression are opposite effects of attention, and appeared to be mutually exclusive. Yet, no unified view of the factors has been provided despite their necessity for understanding the functions of spatial attention. This report provides electroencephalographic and behavioral evidence for the attentional spread at an early stage and selection/inhibition at a later stage of visual processing. Steady state visual evoked potential showed broad spatial tuning whereas the P3 component of the event related potential showed local selection or inhibition of the adjacent areas. Based on these results, we propose a two-stage model of spatial attention with broad spread at an early stage and local selection at a later stage.

Application of smart phone and supporting set for fundus imaging in primary hospital of rural area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong-Feng Jing

2018-01-01

Full Text Available AIM: To describe the application of smart phone and supporting set for acquiring fundus images with slitlamp examination and non-contact lens in primary hospital of the rural area. METHODS: The supporting set for smart phone was purchased from taobao and securely connected to the ocular lens of slitlamp microscopy. The fundus photos were imaged with assistance of non-contact slitlamp lens from Volk. RESULTS: High quality images of various retinal diseases could be successfully taken with smart phone and supporting set by slitlamp examination. The fundus images were send to patients with Wechat as medical records or used for telconsultant. CONCLUSION: High resolution smart phones are wildly used nowadays and supporting sets are very accessible; thus high quality of images could be obtained with minimal cost in rural hospitals. The digital fundus images will be beneficial for medical record and rapid diagnosis with telconsultant.

Mobile Applications for Knowledge Workers and Field Workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Stieglitz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the diffusion of mobile applications (mobile apps has risen significantly. Nowadays, mobile business apps are strongly emerging in business, enhancing productivity and employees’ satisfaction, whilst the usage of customized individual enterprise apps is still an exception. Standardized business apps enable basic functionalities, for example, mobile data storage and exchange (e.g., Dropbox, communication (e.g., Skype, and other routine processes, which support mobile workers. In addition, mobile apps can, for example, increase the flexibility of mobile workers by easing the access to firm’s information from outside the enterprise and by enabling ubiquitous collaboration. Hence, mobile apps can generate competitive advantages and can increase work efficiency on a broad scale. But mobile workers form no coherent group. Our research reveals, based on two case studies, that they can be clustered into two groups: knowledge workers and field workers. Knowledge workers and field workers fulfill different tasks and work in different environments. Hence, they have different requirements for mobile support. In this paper we conclude that standardized mobile business apps cannot meet the different requirements of various groups of mobile workers. Task- and firm-specific (individualized requirements determine the specification, implementation, and application of mobile apps.

Generic requirements specification for qualifying a commercially available PLC for safety-related applications in nuclear power plants. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostenso, A.; May, R.

1996-12-01

This is a specification for qualifying a commercially available PLC for application to safety systems in nuclear power plants. The specifications are suitable for evaluating a particular PLC product line as a platform for safety-related applications, establishing a suitable qualification test program, and confirming that the manufacturer has a quality assurance program that is adequate for safety-related applications or is sufficiently complete that, with a reasonable set of compensatory actions, it can be brought into conformance. The specification includes requirements for: (1) quality assurance measures applied to the qualification activities, (2) documentation to support the qualification, and (3) documentation to provide the information needed for applying the qualified PLC platform to a specific application. The specifications are designed to encompass a broad range of safety applications; however, qualifying a particular platform for a different range of applications can be accomplished by appropriate adjustments to the requirements

Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) Testbed Development and Evaluation to Support Dynamic Mobility Applications (DMA) and Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) Programs - calibration Report for Phoenix Testbed : Final Report. [supporting datasets - Phoenix Testbed

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-26

The datasets in this zip file are in support of FHWA-JPO-16-379, Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) Testbed Development and Evaluation to Support Dynamic Mobility Applications (DMA) and Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) Program...

Association of Broad- vs Narrow-Spectrum Antibiotics With Treatment Failure, Adverse Events, and Quality of Life in Children With Acute Respiratory Tract Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Jeffrey S; Ross, Rachael K; Bryan, Matthew; Localio, A Russell; Szymczak, Julia E; Wasserman, Richard; Barkman, Darlene; Odeniyi, Folasade; Conaboy, Kathryn; Bell, Louis; Zaoutis, Theoklis E; Fiks, Alexander G

2017-12-19

(35%) were prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were associated with a slightly worse child quality of life (score of 90.2 for broad-spectrum antibiotics vs 91.5 for narrow-spectrum antibiotics; score difference for full matched analysis, -1.4% [95% CI, -2.4% to -0.4%]) but not with other patient-centered outcomes. Broad-spectrum treatment was associated with a higher risk of adverse events documented by the clinician (3.7% for broad-spectrum antibiotics vs 2.7% for narrow-spectrum antibiotics; risk difference for full matched analysis, 1.1% [95% CI, 0.4% to 1.8%]) and reported by the patient (35.6% for broad-spectrum antibiotics vs 25.1% for narrow-spectrum antibiotics; risk difference for full matched analysis, 12.2% [95% CI, 7.3% to 17.2%]). Among children with acute respiratory tract infections, broad-spectrum antibiotics were not associated with better clinical or patient-centered outcomes compared with narrow-spectrum antibiotics, and were associated with higher rates of adverse events. These data support the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics for most children with acute respiratory tract infections.

Advances in broad bandwidth light sources for ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unterhuber, A; Povazay, B; Bizheva, K; Hermann, B; Sattmann, H; Stingl, A; Le, T; Seefeld, M; Menzel, R; Preusser, M; Budka, H; Schubert, Ch; Reitsamer, H; Ahnelt, P K; Morgan, J E; Cowey, A; Drexler, W

2004-01-01

Novel ultra-broad bandwidth light sources enabling unprecedented sub-2 μm axial resolution over the 400 nm-1700 nm wavelength range have been developed and evaluated with respect to their feasibility for clinical ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR OCT) applications. The state-of-the-art light sources described here include a compact Kerr lens mode locked Ti:sapphire laser (λ c = 785 nm, Δλ = 260 nm, P out = 50 mW) and different nonlinear fibre-based light sources with spectral bandwidths (at full width at half maximum) up to 350 nm at λ c = 1130 nm and 470 nm at λ c = 1375 nm. In vitro UHR OCT imaging is demonstrated at multiple wavelengths in human cancer cells, animal ganglion cells as well as in neuropathologic and ophthalmic biopsies in order to compare and optimize UHR OCT image contrast, resolution and penetration depth

Detector applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pehl, R.H.

1977-10-01

Semiconductor detectors are now applied to a very wide range of problems. The combination of relatively low cost, excellent energy resolution, and simultaneous broad energy-spectrum analysis is uniquely suited to many applications in both basic and applied physics. Alternative techniques, such as magnetic spectrometers for charged-particle spectroscopy, while offering better energy resolution, are bulky, expensive, and usually far more difficult to use. Furthermore, they do not directly provide the broad energy-spectrum measurements easily accomplished using semiconductor detectors. Scintillation detectors, which are approximately equivalent to semiconductor detectors in convenience and cost, exhibit 10 to 100 times worse energy resolution. However, their high efficiency and large potential size recommend their use in some measurements

Broad-line high-excitation gas in the elliptical galaxy NGC5128

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, M.M.; Taylor, K.; Axon, D.J.; Atherton, P.D.; Hook, R.N.

1984-01-01

A faint, but extensive component of broad-line ionized gas has been discovered in the peculiar giant elliptical galaxy NGC5128. This component has a radically different spatial distribution from the well-studied rotating photoionized gas associated with the dust lane although the velocity fields of the two components are similar. The origin of the broad-line gas is considered as its possible relation to the active nucleus and the X-ray jet discussed. (author)

Estimating carbon dioxide fluxes from temperate mountain grasslands using broad-band vegetation indices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Wohlfahrt

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The broad-band normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI and the simple ratio (SR were calculated from measurements of reflectance of photosynthetically active and short-wave radiation at two temperate mountain grasslands in Austria and related to the net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE measured concurrently by means of the eddy covariance method. There was no significant statistical difference between the relationships of midday mean NEE with narrow- and broad-band NDVI and SR, measured during and calculated for that same time window, respectively. The skill of broad-band NDVI and SR in predicting CO₂ fluxes was higher for metrics dominated by gross photosynthesis and lowest for ecosystem respiration, with NEE in between. A method based on a simple light response model whose parameters were parameterised based on broad-band NDVI allowed to improve predictions of daily NEE and is suggested to hold promise for filling gaps in the NEE time series. Relationships of CO₂ flux metrics with broad-band NDVI and SR however generally differed between the two studied grassland sites indicting an influence of additional factors not yet accounted for.

Clues to Quasar Broad Line Region Geometry and Kinematics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne; Wilkes, B. J.; Barthel, P. D.

2000-01-01

width to show significant inverse correlations with the fractional radio core-flux density, R, the radio axis inclination indicator. Highly inclined systems have broader line wings, consistent with a high-velocity field perpendicular to the radio axis. By contrast, the narrow line-core shows...... no such relation with R, so the lowest velocity CIV-emitting gas has an inclination independent velocity field. We propose that this low-velocity gas is located at higher disk-altitudes than the high-velocity gas. A planar origin of the high-velocity CIV-emission is consistent with the current results...... and with an accretion disk-wind emitting the broad lines. A spherical distribution of randomly orbiting broad-line clouds and a polar high-ionization outflow are ruled out....

Potential Applications for Radioisotope Power Systems in Support of Human Exploration Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Cataldo, Robert L.; Colozza, Anthony J.; Schmitz, Paul C.

2013-01-01

Radioisotope power systems (RPS) for space applications have powered over 27 U.S. space systems, starting with Transit 4A and 4B in 1961, and more recently with the successful landing of the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity in August 2012. RPS enable missions with destinations far from the Sun with faint solar flux, on planetary surfaces with dense or dusty atmospheres, and at places with long eclipse periods where solar array sizes and energy storage mass become impractical. RPS could also provide an enabling capability in support of human exploration activities. It is envisioned that with the higher power needs of most human mission concepts, a high efficiency thermal-to-electric technology would be required such as the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope generator (ASRG). The ASRG should be capable of a four-fold improvement in efficiency over traditional thermoelectric RPS. While it may be impractical to use RPS as a main power source, many other applications could be considered, such as crewed pressurized rovers, in-situ resource production of propellants, back-up habitat power, drilling, any mobile or remote activity from the main base habitat, etc. This paper will identify potential applications and provide concepts that could be a practical extension of the current ASRG design in providing for robust and flexible use of RPS on human exploration missions.

Broad Spectrum Sanitizing Wipes with Food Additives, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Microcide proposes to develop novel multipurpose non-toxic sanitizing wipes that are aqueous based, have shelf life of 3-5 years, have broad spectrum microbicidal...

Document understanding for a broad class of documents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aiello, Marco; Monz, Christof; Todoran, Leon; Worring, Marcel

2002-01-01

We present a document analysis system able to assign logical labels and extract the reading order in a broad set of documents. All information sources, from geometric features and spatial relations to the textual features and content are employed in the analysis. To deal effectively with these

Development of a freshwater lens in the inverted Broad Fourteens Basin, Netherlands offshore

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouw, Laurien; Oude Essink, Gualbert

2003-01-01

The Mesozoic Broad Fourteens Basin is a northwest-southeast trending structural element, situated in the southern North-Sea,Netherlands offshore. Biodegraded and water-washed oils in the southern Broad Fourteens Basin indicate topography-driven meteoric water flow during Late Cretaceous inversion.

Achieving Population-Level Change Through a System-Contextual Approach to Supporting Competent Parenting.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Matthew R; Burke, Kylie; Prinz, Ronald J; Morawska, Alina

2017-03-01

The quality of parenting children receive affects a diverse range of child and youth outcomes. Addressing the quality of parenting on a broad scale is a critical part of producing a more nurturing society. To achieve a meaningful population-level reduction in the prevalence rates of child maltreatment and social and emotional problems that are directly or indirectly influenced by parenting practices requires the adoption of a broad ecological perspective in supporting families to raise children. We make the case for adopting a multilevel, whole of population approach to enhance competent parenting and describe the essential tasks that must be accomplished for the approach to be successful and its effects measurable. We describe how a theoretically integrated system of parenting support based on social learning and cognitive behavioral principles can be further strengthened when the broader community supports parental participation. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Broad temperature adaptability of vanadium redox flow battery—Part 1: Electrolyte research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Shuibo; Yu, Lihong; Wu, Lantao; Liu, Le; Qiu, Xinping; Xi, Jingyu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Impact of temperature (-35 °C-50 °C) on properties of VRFB electrolyte is studied. • V 2+ , V 3+ , V 3.5+ , V 4+ (VO 2+ ) and V 5+ (VO 2 + ) electrolytes are tested respectively. • V 2+ , V 3+ and V 3.5+ precipitates at low temperature can redissolve when temperature increases. • V 5+ precipitates at high temperature cannot redissolve when temperature decreases. • Conductivity and viscosity of the electrolytes are greatly affected by temperature. - Abstract: The broad temperature adaptability of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is one of the key issues which affects the large-scale and safety application of VRFB. Typically, five types of vanadium electrolytes, namely V 2+ , V 3+ , V 3.5+ (V 3+ :VO 2+ = 1:1), V 4+ (VO 2+ ) and V 5+ (VO 2 + ), are the most common electrolytes' status existing in VRFB system. In this work, the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of these vanadium electrolytes are studied in detail at a broad temperature range (-35 °C–50 °C). The results show that all types of vanadium electrolytes are stable between -25 °C–30 °C. The temperature fluctuation will largely influence the conductivity and viscosity of the electrolytes. Besides, the electrochemical properties of the positive (VO 2+ ) and negative (V 3+ ) electrolytes are greatly affected by the temperature; and the charge transfer process fluctuates more greatly with the temperature variation than the charge diffusion process does. These results enable us to better and more comprehensively evaluate the performance of the electrolyte changing with the temperature, which will be beneficial for the rational choice of electrolyte for VRFB operation under various conditions.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Research for Energy Management. Part 1; Overview of Energy Issues and an Assessment of the Potential for Application of NASA Earth Science Research

Science.gov (United States)

Zell, E.; Engel-Cox, J.

2005-01-01

Effective management of energy resources is critical for the U.S. economy, the environment, and, more broadly, for sustainable development and alleviating poverty worldwide. The scope of energy management is broad, ranging from energy production and end use to emissions monitoring and mitigation and long-term planning. Given the extensive NASA Earth science research on energy and related weather and climate-related parameters, and rapidly advancing energy technologies and applications, there is great potential for increased application of NASA Earth science research to selected energy management issues and decision support tools. The NASA Energy Management Program Element is already involved in a number of projects applying NASA Earth science research to energy management issues, with a focus on solar and wind renewable energy and developing interests in energy modeling, short-term load forecasting, energy efficient building design, and biomass production.

Performance Evaluation of CRW Reef-Scale and Broad-Scale SST-Based Coral Monitoring Products in Fringing Reef Systems of Tobago

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaazia S. Mohammed

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST is used to monitor coral bleaching through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch (CRW Decision Support System (DSS. Since 2000, a broad-scale 50 km SST was used to monitor thermal stress for coral reefs globally. However, some discrepancies were noted when applied to small-scale fringing coral reefs. To address this, CRW created a new DSS, specifically targeted at or near reef scales. Here, we evaluated the new reef-scale (5 km resolution products using in situ temperature data and coral bleaching surveys which were also compared with the heritage broad-scale (50 km for three reefs (Buccoo Reef, Culloden and Speyside of the southern Caribbean island of Tobago. Seasonal and annual biases indicated the new 5 km SST generally represents the conditions at these reefs more accurately and more consistently than the 50 km SST. Consistency between satellite and in situ temperature data influences the performance of anomaly-based predictions of bleaching: the 5 km DHW product showed better consistency with bleaching observations than the 50 km product. These results are the first to demonstrate the improvement of the 5 km products over the 50 km predecessors and support their use in monitoring thermal stress of reefs in the southern Caribbean.

Extra Ovarian Serous Cystadenocarcinoma in the Broad Ligament ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The embryonic remnants of the gonadal ridge and the genital duct apparatus, the Mullerian apparatus, remain atretic throughout the life of a woman. The definitive organs arising from these, the Ovary, Fallopian tubes, Uterus, Cervix and the Broad ligaments share common coelomic origin. Epithelial metaplasia in any of ...

A light-weight compact proton gantry design with a novel dose delivery system for broad-energetic laser-accelerated beams.

Science.gov (United States)

Masood, U; Cowan, T E; Enghardt, W; Hofmann, K M; Karsch, L; Kroll, F; Schramm, U; Wilkens, J J; Pawelke, J

2017-07-07

Proton beams may provide superior dose-conformity in radiation therapy. However, the large sizes and costs limit the widespread use of proton therapy (PT). The recent progress in proton acceleration via high-power laser systems has made it a compelling alternative to conventional accelerators, as it could potentially reduce the overall size and cost of the PT facilities. However, the laser-accelerated beams exhibit different characteristics than conventionally accelerated beams, i.e. very intense proton bunches with large divergences and broad-energy spectra. For the application of laser-driven beams in PT, new solutions for beam transport, such as beam capture, integrated energy selection, beam shaping and delivery systems are required due to the specific beam parameters. The generation of these beams are limited by the low repetition rate of high-power lasers and this limitation would require alternative solutions for tumour irradiation which can efficiently utilize the available high proton fluence and broad-energy spectra per proton bunch to keep treatment times short. This demands new dose delivery system and irradiation field formation schemes. In this paper, we present a multi-functional light-weight and compact proton gantry design for laser-driven sources based on iron-less pulsed high-field magnets. This achromatic design includes improved beam capturing and energy selection systems, with a novel beam shaping and dose delivery system, so-called ELPIS. ELPIS system utilizes magnetic fields, instead of physical scatterers, for broadening the spot-size of broad-energetic beams while capable of simultaneously scanning them in lateral directions. To investigate the clinical feasibility of this gantry design, we conducted a treatment planning study with a 3D treatment planning system augmented for the pulsed beams with optimizable broad-energetic widths and selectable beam spot sizes. High quality treatment plans could be achieved with such unconventional beam

A light-weight compact proton gantry design with a novel dose delivery system for broad-energetic laser-accelerated beams

Science.gov (United States)

Masood, U.; Cowan, T. E.; Enghardt, W.; Hofmann, K. M.; Karsch, L.; Kroll, F.; Schramm, U.; Wilkens, J. J.; Pawelke, J.

2017-07-01

Proton beams may provide superior dose-conformity in radiation therapy. However, the large sizes and costs limit the widespread use of proton therapy (PT). The recent progress in proton acceleration via high-power laser systems has made it a compelling alternative to conventional accelerators, as it could potentially reduce the overall size and cost of the PT facilities. However, the laser-accelerated beams exhibit different characteristics than conventionally accelerated beams, i.e. very intense proton bunches with large divergences and broad-energy spectra. For the application of laser-driven beams in PT, new solutions for beam transport, such as beam capture, integrated energy selection, beam shaping and delivery systems are required due to the specific beam parameters. The generation of these beams are limited by the low repetition rate of high-power lasers and this limitation would require alternative solutions for tumour irradiation which can efficiently utilize the available high proton fluence and broad-energy spectra per proton bunch to keep treatment times short. This demands new dose delivery system and irradiation field formation schemes. In this paper, we present a multi-functional light-weight and compact proton gantry design for laser-driven sources based on iron-less pulsed high-field magnets. This achromatic design includes improved beam capturing and energy selection systems, with a novel beam shaping and dose delivery system, so-called ELPIS. ELPIS system utilizes magnetic fields, instead of physical scatterers, for broadening the spot-size of broad-energetic beams while capable of simultaneously scanning them in lateral directions. To investigate the clinical feasibility of this gantry design, we conducted a treatment planning study with a 3D treatment planning system augmented for the pulsed beams with optimizable broad-energetic widths and selectable beam spot sizes. High quality treatment plans could be achieved with such unconventional beam

Sustainable Use of Pesticide Applications in Citrus: A Support Tool for Volume Rate Adjustment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cruz Garcerá

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Rational application of pesticides by properly adjusting the amount of product to the actual needs and specific conditions for application is a key factor for sustainable plant protection. However, current plant protection product (PPP labels registered for citrus in EU are usually expressed as concentration (%; rate/hl and/or as the maximum dose of product per unit of ground surface, without taking into account those conditions. In this work, the fundamentals of a support tool, called CitrusVol, developed to recommend mix volume rates in PPP applications in citrus orchards using airblast sprayers, are presented. This tool takes into consideration crop characteristics (geometry, leaf area density, pests, and product and application efficiency, and it is based on scientific data obtained previously regarding the minimum deposit required to achieve maximum efficacy, efficiency of airblast sprayers in citrus orchards, and characterization of the crop. The use of this tool in several commercial orchards allowed a reduction of the volume rate and the PPPs used in comparison with the commonly used by farmers of between 11% and 74%, with an average of 31%, without affecting the efficacy. CitrusVol is freely available on a website and in an app for smartphones.

Requirements for the transfer of lead-free piezoceramics into application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jurij Koruza

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The recent review for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS by the expert committee, appointed by the European Union, stated that the replacement of PZT “… may be scientifically and technologically practical to a certain degree …”, although replacement “… is scientifically and technically still impractical in the majority of applications.” Thus, two decades of sustained research and development may be approaching fruition, at first limited to a minority of applications. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to assess the viability of lead-free piezoceramics over a broad range of application-relevant properties. These are identified and discussed in turn: 1. Cost, 2. Reproducibility, 3. Mechanical and Thermal Properties, 4. Electrical Conductivity, and 5. Lifetime. It is suggested that the worldwide efforts into the development of lead-free piezoceramics now require a broader perspective to bring the work to the next stage of development by supporting implementation into real devices. Guidelines about pertinent research requirements into a wide range of secondary properties, measurement techniques, and salient literature are provided.

Industrial application of radiation curing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sasaki, Takashi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

1994-12-31

The contents are advantages of radiation processes - a solvent-free system, less energy consumative, higher production rate, processability at ambient temperature; electron beams vs. ultraviolet curing; applications -broad spectrum of markets use radiation curable materials.

Industrial application of radiation curing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takashi Sasaki

1993-01-01

The contents are advantages of radiation processes - a solvent-free system, less energy consumative, higher production rate, processability at ambient temperature; electron beams vs. ultraviolet curing; applications -broad spectrum of markets use radiation curable materials

Modified lysozymes as novel broad spectrum natural antimicrobial agents in foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Aminlari, Ladan; Hashemi, Marjan Mohammadi; Aminlari, Mahmoud

2014-06-01

In recent years much attention and interest have been directed toward application of natural antimicrobial agents in foods. Some naturally occurring proteins such as lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, and lysozyme have received considerable attention and are being considered as potential antimicrobial agents in foods. Lysozyme kills bacteria by hydrolyzing the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall of certain bacterial species, hence its application as a natural antimicrobial agent has been suggested. However, limitations in the action of lysozyme against only Gram-positive bacteria have prompted scientists to extend the antimicrobial effects of lysozyme by several types of chemical modifications. During the last 2 decades extensive research has been directed toward modification of lysozyme in order to improve its antimicrobial properties. This review will report on the latest information available on lysozyme modifications and examine the applicability of the modified lysozymes in controlling growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in foods. The results of modifications of lysozyme using its conjugation with different small molecule, polysaccharides, as well as modifications using proteolytic enzymes will be reviewed. These types of modifications have not only increased the functional properties of lysozyme (such as solubility and heat stability) but also extended the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme. Many examples will be given to show that modification can decrease the count of Gram-negative bacteria in bacterial culture and in foods by as much as 5 log CFU/mL and in some cases essentially eliminated Escherichia coli. In conclusion this review demonstrates that modified lysozymes are excellent natural food preservatives, which can be used in food industry. The subject described in this review article can lead to the development of methods to produce new broad-spectrum natural antimicrobial agents, based on modification of chicken egg white lysozyme, which

Broad supernatural punishment but not moralizing high gods precede the evolution of political complexity in Austronesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Watts, Joseph; Greenhill, Simon J; Atkinson, Quentin D; Currie, Thomas E; Bulbulia, Joseph; Gray, Russell D

2015-04-07

Supernatural belief presents an explanatory challenge to evolutionary theorists-it is both costly and prevalent. One influential functional explanation claims that the imagined threat of supernatural punishment can suppress selfishness and enhance cooperation. Specifically, morally concerned supreme deities or 'moralizing high gods' have been argued to reduce free-riding in large social groups, enabling believers to build the kind of complex societies that define modern humanity. Previous cross-cultural studies claiming to support the MHG hypothesis rely on correlational analyses only and do not correct for the statistical non-independence of sampled cultures. Here we use a Bayesian phylogenetic approach with a sample of 96 Austronesian cultures to test the MHG hypothesis as well as an alternative supernatural punishment hypothesis that allows punishment by a broad range of moralizing agents. We find evidence that broad supernatural punishment drives political complexity, whereas MHGs follow political complexity. We suggest that the concept of MHGs diffused as part of a suite of traits arising from cultural exchange between complex societies. Our results show the power of phylogenetic methods to address long-standing debates about the origins and functions of religion in human society. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Introducing StatHand: A cross-platform mobile application to support students’ statistical decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter James Allen

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Although essential to professional competence in psychology, quantitative research methods are a known area of weakness for many undergraduate psychology students. Students find selecting appropriate statistical tests and procedures for different types of research questions, hypotheses and data types particularly challenging, and these skills are not often practiced in class. Decision trees (a type of graphic organizer are known to facilitate this decision making process, but extant trees have a number of limitations. Furthermore, emerging research suggests that mobile technologies offer many possibilities for facilitating learning. It is within this context that we have developed StatHand, a free cross-platform application designed to support students’ statistical decision making. Developed with the support of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching, StatHand guides users through a series of simple, annotated questions to help them identify a statistical test or procedure appropriate to their circumstances. It further offers the guidance necessary to run these tests and procedures, then interpret and report their results. In this Technology Report we will overview the rationale behind StatHand, before describing the feature set of the application. We will then provide guidelines for integrating StatHand into the research methods curriculum, before concluding by outlining our road map for the ongoing development and evaluation of StatHand.

Detection of broad ultraviolet Fe II lines in the spectrum of NGC 1068

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snijders, M.A.J.; Netzer, Hagai; Boksenberg, A.

1986-01-01

Ultraviolet observations of the nucleus of NGC 1068, obtained by the IUE over a period of 5 yr, are combined to give a high signal-to-noise spectrum of this source. The ultraviolet stellar continuum, obtained by comparison with ground-based data, is subtracted to show the nuclear non-stellar component. The resulting spectrum shows clearly the presence of strong broad FeII emission bands similar to those observed in many broad-line objects. Broad profiles are also seen in other strong emission lines. These observations confirm the recent discovery of an optical Seyfert type 1 spectrum in NGC 1068. (author)

Dissemination and support of ARGUS for accelerator applications. Final report, April 24, 1991--April 14, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostas, C.; Krueger, W.A.; Mankofsky, A.; Mondelli, A.A.; Petillo, J.J.

1995-01-01

The effort has two broad goals, which have been prioritized by DOE, as follows: to enhance the ARGUS code for use in practical accelerator design simulations; to release ARGUS to the accelerator community through the Los Alamos Accelerator Code Group (LAACG). During the contract period, ARGUS versions 24 and 25 have been released. An upgraded version 25 (ARGUS v.25c) will be released in July, 1995, and will include all of the features that are tested and working at the conclusion of the DOE-funded effort. The effort that consolidated version 24 established a set of core capabilities that all ARGUS modules could access. Version 25 incorporated several major improvements: (1) a new frequency-domain module was incorporated into ARGUS that can handle degenerate modes, lossy materials, and periodic boundary conditions with sub-phase specification, and that can utilize the ARGUS data handling machinery for multiblock operation; (2) HDF output was implemented to allow ARGUS to send data to visualization tools; (3) a plasma chemistry capability was included in the steady-state PIC module to allow ionization, stripping, electron attachment, charge exchange, and other ion rate processes to occur within the PIC calculation; (4) new structure input options for figures of translation (extrusion) and figures of revolution were implemented. This ARGUS release is supported on all Cray platforms and on the IBM RS6000 Unix workstation platform. Version 25 was released in February 1994. The ARGUS dissemination and support activities have proceeded in parallel with code enhancement. On-line ARGUS support is available at NERSC through ARGUS man pages, and at the SAIC ftp node at mclapo.saic.com, through the SAIC MOSAIC home page, and through ARGUS bulletin boards maintained at SAIC and at NERSC

Computer technology applications in industrial and organizational psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Crespin, Timothy R; Austin, James T

2002-08-01

This article reviews computer applications developed and utilized by industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists, both in practice and in research. A primary emphasis is on applications developed for Internet usage, because this "network of networks" changes the way I-O psychologists work. The review focuses on traditional and emerging topics in I-O psychology. The first topic involves information technology applications in measurement, defined broadly across levels of analysis (persons, groups, organizations) and domains (abilities, personality, attitudes). Discussion then focuses on individual learning at work, both in formal training and in coping with continual automation of work. A section on job analysis follows, illustrating the role of computers and the Internet in studying jobs. Shifting focus to the group level of analysis, we briefly review how information technology is being used to understand and support cooperative work. Finally, special emphasis is given to the emerging "third discipline" in I-O psychology research-computational modeling of behavioral events in organizations. Throughout this review, themes of innovation and dissemination underlie a continuum between research and practice. The review concludes by setting a framework for I-O psychology in a computerized and networked world.

The results of the investigations of Russian Research Center-'Kurchatov Institute' on molten salt applications to problems of nuclear energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novikov, Vladimir M.

1995-01-01

The results of investigations on molten salt (MS) applications to problems of nuclear energy systems that have been conducted in Russian Research 'Kurchatov Institute' are presented and discussed. The spectrum of these investigations is rather broad and covers the following items: physical characteristics of molten salt nuclear energy systems (MSNES); nuclear and radiation safety of MSNES; construction materials compatible with MS of different compositions; technological aspects of MS loops; in-reactor loop testing. It is shown that main findings of completed program support the conclusion that there are no physical nor technological obstacles on a way of MS application to different nuclear energy systems

Design and Implementation of IoT Cloud Moveable SCADA Supported by GSM for Industrial Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmoud Shaker Nasr

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The world at the beginning of a new era of innovation and development with the rise of the industrial Internet or Internet of Things, IoT. It takes the space through the convergence of the global industrial system with the power of advanced computing, analytics, and low cost sensor devices and innovation of communication allowed by the Internet. One of the most important developments is IoT SCADA systems, which are considered as infrastructure of society because of their potential enormous in several industrial applications. This paper presents the design of a new generation of SCADA, named moveable SCADA , based on IoT cloud, and supported by GSM for more flexibility and reliability. The system is applied to industrial application that consists of three-control processes which are temperature, liquid level and motor processes. The three control processes data acquisition and controllers are implemented using embedded microcontroller system while a gateway is used to transfer the data proceed in field supervisor at first as well as main supervisor and monitoring engineer through IoT cloud. The system supported by GSM unit to support the system in case of internet failure. Also a camera is added to the system in order to monitor any location, any location (determined by any of the authorities in the field where the camera is mounted. The proposed SCADA is implemented practically and tested for many cases; the presented obtained results demonstrate that the system operation is very fair and meet the required targets.

A support structure for biomimetic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vogel, J; Perry, M; Hansen, J S; Bolinger, P-Y; Nielsen, C H; Geschke, O

2009-01-01

Water filtration on the basis of aquaporin molecules incorporated in an artificial lipid bilayer requires a microporous support membrane. We describe a new microfabrication method based on CO 2 -laser ablation to generate support membranes with homogeneous apertures ranging from 300 µm down to 84 µm in diameter. They are arranged in arrays with the densest packaging having a perforation level of up to 60%. The apertures are surrounded by a smooth bulge that is formed by melted material ejected from the aperture during laser ablation. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) replicas were used to visualize and analyse these bulges. The overall area covered so far has been 4 cm 2 but upscaling to larger footprints, e.g. square metres, is currently being investigated

Supporting secure programming in web applications through interactive static analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jun; Xie, Jing; Lipford, Heather Richter; Chu, Bill

2014-07-01

Many security incidents are caused by software developers' failure to adhere to secure programming practices. Static analysis tools have been used to detect software vulnerabilities. However, their wide usage by developers is limited by the special training required to write rules customized to application-specific logic. Our approach is interactive static analysis, to integrate static analysis into Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and provide in-situ secure programming support to help developers prevent vulnerabilities during code construction. No additional training is required nor are there any assumptions on ways programs are built. Our work is motivated in part by the observation that many vulnerabilities are introduced due to failure to practice secure programming by knowledgeable developers. We implemented a prototype interactive static analysis tool as a plug-in for Java in Eclipse. Our technical evaluation of our prototype detected multiple zero-day vulnerabilities in a large open source project. Our evaluations also suggest that false positives may be limited to a very small class of use cases.

Random sized plasmonic nanoantennas on Silicon for low-cost broad-band near-infrared photodetection

Science.gov (United States)

Nazirzadeh, Mohammad Amin; Atar, Fatih Bilge; Turgut, Berk Berkan; Okyay, Ali Kemal

2014-01-01

In this work, we propose Silicon based broad-band near infrared Schottky barrier photodetectors. The devices operate beyond 1200 nm wavelength and exhibit photoresponsivity values as high as 3.5 mA/W with a low dark current density of about 50 pA/µm2. We make use of Au nanoislands on Silicon surface formed by rapid thermal annealing of a thin Au layer. Surface plasmons are excited on Au nanoislands and this field localization results in efficient absorption of sub-bandgap photons. Absorbed photons excite the electrons of the metal to higher energy levels (hot electron generation) and the collection of these hot electrons to the semiconductor results in photocurrent (internal photoemission). Simple and scalable fabrication makes these devices suitable for ultra-low-cost NIR detection applications. PMID:25407509

M3MS-16OR0401086 – Report on NEAMS Workbench Support for MOOSE Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lefebvre, Robert A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division; Langley, Brandon R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division; Thompson, Adam B. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division

2016-09-23

This report summarizes the status of the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Workbench from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the integration of the MOOSE framework. This report marks the completion of NEAMS milestone M3MS-16OR0401086. This report documents the developed infrastructure to support the MOOSE framework applications, the applications’ results, visualization status, the collaboration that facilitated this progress, and future considerations.

Broad Autism Phenotypic Traits and the Relationship to Sexual Orientation and Sexual Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Qualls, Lydia R; Hartmann, Kathrin; Paulson, James F

2018-04-03

Individuals with higher levels of the broad autism phenotype (BAP) have some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like individuals with ASD, people with higher-BAP may have fewer sexual experiences and may experience more same-sex attraction. This study measured BAP traits, sexual experiences, and sexual orientation in typically developing (TD) individuals to see if patterns of sexual behavior and sexual orientation in higher-BAP resemble those in ASD. Although BAP characteristics did not predict sexual experiences, one BAP measure significantly predicted sexual orientation, β = 0.22, t = 2.72, p = .007, controlling for demographic variables (R 2 change = .04, F = 7.41, p = .007), showing individuals with higher-BAP also reported increased same-sex attraction. This finding supports the hypothesis that individuals with higher-BAP resemble ASD individuals in being more likely than TD individuals to experience same-sex attraction.

Tunable laser applications

CERN Document Server

Duarte, FJ

2008-01-01

Introduction F. J. Duarte Spectroscopic Applications of Tunable Optical Parametric Oscillators B. J. Orr, R. T. White, and Y. He Solid-State Dye Lasers Costela, I. García-Moreno, and R. Sastre Tunable Lasers Based on Dye-Doped Polymer Gain Media Incorporating Homogeneous Distributions of Functional Nanoparticles F. J. Duarte and R. O. James Broadly Tunable External-Cavity Semiconductor Lasers F. J. Duarte Tunable Fiber Lasers T. M. Shay and F. J. Duarte Fiber Laser Overview and Medical Applications

Narrow and broad solitons in the antiferromagnetic chains of CsCoCl3 and TMMC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boucher, J.P.; Regnault, L.P.; Pires, A.; Rossat-Mignod, J.; Henry, Y.; Bouillot, J.; Stirling, W.G.; Renard, J.P.

1984-06-01

The two quasi one-dimensional (1D) compounds CsCoCl 3 and (CH 3 ) 4 NMnCl 3 (TMMC) are almost ideal systems in which to study soliton excitations. Both they have antiferromagnetic (AF) couplings in the chains and at low temperature they exhibit an Ising symmetry favourable for the occurence of solitons. This symmetry is an intrinsic property of CsCoCl 3 while in TMMC it is only achieved by the application of an external magnetic field H perpendicular to the chains. In the lD short range order regime two energetically equivalent configurations are expected for the spins. Solitons can be seen as Bloch walls separating ordered domains and allowing the spins to pass from one configuration to the other. In the case of a ''strong'' Ising symmetry (CsCoCl 3 ) the walls are reduced to one lattice unit (''narrow'' solitons) while in the case of a ''weak'' Ising symmetry (TMMC) the walls extend over several lattice units (10 to 30) (''broad'' solitons). To maintain a paramagnetic state, these walls move rapidly along the chains inducing characteristic fluctuations. The investigation of these two compounds, CsCoCl 3 and TMMC illustrates the advantage of antiferromagnets as the AF mode yields an accurate determination of the soliton regime. Narrow and broad solitons are observed to behave very similarly

PROMO: a computerized tool to support process monitoring activities -application in CANDU simulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, D T [York Univ., Toronto, ON (Canada); Singh, P P [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States)

1996-12-31

PROMO, a prototype computerized PROcess MOnitoring tool, has been designed for the resolution of perceived complexity under conditions of time constraints and criticality. It is suggested that this makes it uniquely suitable for applications such as nuclear power plant operator training and support. This paper describes the tool, the theory underlying its design, and results from preliminary laboratory experiments. While field tests are necessary prior to the drawing of conclusions, the results from the laboratory trials are promising. Efforts are currently underway to extend the research setting to power plant operator training centers. (author). 57 refs., 1 fig.

PROMO: a computerized tool to support process monitoring activities -application in CANDU simulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, D.T.; Singh, P.P.

1995-01-01

PROMO, a prototype computerized PROcess MOnitoring tool, has been designed for the resolution of perceived complexity under conditions of time constraints and criticality. It is suggested that this makes it uniquely suitable for applications such as nuclear power plant operator training and support. This paper describes the tool, the theory underlying its design, and results from preliminary laboratory experiments. While field tests are necessary prior to the drawing of conclusions, the results from the laboratory trials are promising. Efforts are currently underway to extend the research setting to power plant operator training centers. (author). 57 refs., 1 fig

Forensic Applications of LIBS

Science.gov (United States)

Hark, Richard R.; East, Lucille J.

Forensic science is broadly defined as the application of science to matters of the law. Practitioners typically use multidisciplinary scientific techniques for the analysis of physical evidence in an attempt to establish or exclude an association between a suspect and the scene of a crime.

The precipitation synthesis of broad-spectrum UV absorber nanoceria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurhasanah, Iis; Sutanto, Heri; Puspaningrum, Nurul Wahyu

2013-01-01

In this paper the possibility of nanoceria as broad-spectrum UV absorber was evaluated. Nanoceria were synthesized by precipitation process from cerium nitrate solution and ammonium hydroxide as precipitant agent. Isopropanol was mixed with water as solvent to prevent hard agglomeration. The structure of resulting nanoceria was characterized by x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The transparency in the visible light and efficiency of protection in UV A region were studied using ultraviolet-visible (UV - Vis) spectrophotometer. The results show that nanoceria possess good tranparency in visible light and high UV light absorption. The critical absorption wavelenght of 368 nm was obtained which is desirable for excellent broad-spectrum protection absorbers. Moreover, analysis of photodegradation nanoceria to methylene blue solution shows poor photocatalytic activity. It indicates that nanoceria suitable for used as UV absorber in personal care products

Silver Nanoparticles with Broad Multiband Linear Optical Absorption

KAUST Repository

Bakr, Osman M.

2009-07-06

A simple one-pot method produces silver nanoparticles coated with aryl thiols that show intense, broad nonplasmonic optical properties. The synthesis works with many aryl-thiol capping ligands, including water-soluble 4-mercaptobenzoic acid. The nanoparticles produced show linear absorption that is broader, stronger, and more structured than most conventional organic and inorganic dyes.

Socioeconomic evaluation of broad-scale land management strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lisa K. Crone; Richard W. Haynes

2001-01-01

This paper examines the socioeconomic effects of alternative management strategies for Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in the interior Columbia basin. From a broad-scale perspective, there is little impact or variation between alternatives in terms of changes in total economic activity or social conditions in the region. However, adopting a finer...

Silver Nanoparticles with Broad Multiband Linear Optical Absorption

KAUST Repository

Bakr, Osman M.; Amendola, Vincenzo; Aikens, Christine M.; Wenseleers, Wim; Li, Rui; Dal Negro, Luca; Schatz, George C.; Stellacci, Francesco

2009-01-01

A simple one-pot method produces silver nanoparticles coated with aryl thiols that show intense, broad nonplasmonic optical properties. The synthesis works with many aryl-thiol capping ligands, including water-soluble 4-mercaptobenzoic acid. The nanoparticles produced show linear absorption that is broader, stronger, and more structured than most conventional organic and inorganic dyes.

Methods and tools to support real time risk-based flood forecasting - a UK pilot application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brown Emma

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Flood managers have traditionally used probabilistic models to assess potential flood risk for strategic planning and non-operational applications. Computational restrictions on data volumes and simulation times have meant that information on the risk of flooding has not been available for operational flood forecasting purposes. In practice, however, the operational flood manager has probabilistic questions to answer, which are not completely supported by the outputs of traditional, deterministic flood forecasting systems. In a collaborative approach, HR Wallingford and Deltares have developed methods, tools and techniques to extend existing flood forecasting systems with elements of strategic flood risk analysis, including probabilistic failure analysis, two dimensional flood spreading simulation and the analysis of flood impacts and consequences. This paper presents the results of the application of these new operational flood risk management tools to a pilot catchment in the UK. It discusses the problems of performing probabilistic flood risk assessment in real time and how these have been addressed in this study. It also describes the challenges of the communication of risk to operational flood managers and to the general public, and how these new methods and tools can provide risk-based supporting evidence to assist with this process.

Insight into the Broad Field of Polymer Nanocomposites: From Carbon Nanotubes to Clay Nanoplatelets, via Metal Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Stefanescu

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Highly ordered polymer nanocomposites are complex materials that display a rich morphological behavior owing to variations in composition, structure, and properties on a nanometer length scale. Metal-polymer nanocomposite materials are becoming more popular for applications requiring low cost, high metal surface areas. Catalytic systems seem to be the most prevalent application for a wide range of metals used in polymer nanocomposites, particularly for metals like Pt, Ni, Co, and Au, with known catalytic activities. On the other hand, among the most frequently utilized techniques to prepare polymer/CNT and/or polymer/clay nanocomposites are approaches like melt mixing, solution casting, electrospinning and solid-state shear pulverization. Additionally, some of the current and potential applications of polymer/CNT and/or polymer/clay nanocomposites include photovoltaic devices, optical switches, electromagnetic interference (EMI shielding, aerospace and automotive materials, packaging, adhesives and coatings. This extensive review covers a broad range of articles, typically from high impact-factor journals, on most of the polymer-nanocomposites known to date: polymer/carbon nanotubes, polymer/metal nanospheres, and polymer/clay nanoplatelets composites. The various types of nanocomposites are described form the preparation stages to performance and applications. Comparisons of the various types of nanocomposites are conducted and conclusions are formulated.

Using Cloud-Computing Applications to Support Collaborative Scientific Inquiry: Examining Pre-Service Teachers' Perceived Barriers to Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Donna, Joel D.; Miller, Brant G.

2013-01-01

Technology plays a crucial role in facilitating collaboration within the scientific community. Cloud-computing applications, such as Google Drive, can be used to model such collaboration and support inquiry within the secondary science classroom. Little is known about pre-service teachers' beliefs related to the envisioned use of collaborative,…

Roadway supports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stassen, P

1980-01-01

Support systems in stone drifts and tunnels are discussed. Timber supports, steel arches, cold-bent sheet-metal arches, shotcrete and combined support arrangements are described. Brickwork and reinforced concrete are also covered. Supports in roadways leading to the face and in-seam roads are discussed including timber supports, steel arches, articulated arches on timber chocks, support accessories and the withdrawal and reshaping of arches. The subject of strata bolting, the aims of strata bolting, methods of strata bolting, systems of rock-bolting, end plates and wire mesh, and bolt and anchorage monitoring are also discussed. Injection techniques, injection parameters, injection methods, grouts, includes an example of the application of injection techniques are covered and combined injection/dowelling arrangements are examined. (55 refs.) (In French)

Cloud Computing Applications in Support of Earth Science Activities at Marshall Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Molthan, A.; Limaye, A. S.

2011-12-01

Currently, the NASA Nebula Cloud Computing Platform is available to Agency personnel in a pre-release status as the system undergoes a formal operational readiness review. Over the past year, two projects within the Earth Science Office at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center have been investigating the performance and value of Nebula's "Infrastructure as a Service", or "IaaS" concept and applying cloud computing concepts to advance their respective mission goals. The Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center focuses on the transition of unique NASA satellite observations and weather forecasting capabilities for use within the operational forecasting community through partnerships with NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS). SPoRT has evaluated the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model on virtual machines deployed within Nebula and used Nebula instances to simulate local forecasts in support of regional forecast studies of interest to select NWS forecast offices. In addition to weather forecasting applications, rapidly deployable Nebula virtual machines have supported the processing of high resolution NASA satellite imagery to support disaster assessment following the historic severe weather and tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011. Other modeling and satellite analysis activities are underway in support of NASA's SERVIR program, which integrates satellite observations, ground-based data and forecast models to monitor environmental change and improve disaster response in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Himalayas. Leveraging SPoRT's experience, SERVIR is working to establish a real-time weather forecasting model for Central America. Other modeling efforts include hydrologic forecasts for Kenya, driven by NASA satellite observations and reanalysis data sets provided by the broader meteorological community. Forecast modeling efforts are supplemented by short-term forecasts of convective initiation, determined by

The LBB methodology application results performed on the safety related piping of NPP V-1 in Jaslovske Bohunice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kupca, L.; Beno, P. [Nuclear Power Plants Research Institute, Trnava (Slovakia)

1997-04-01

A broad overview of the leak before break (LBB) application to the Slovakian V-1 nuclear power plant is presented in the paper. LBB was applied to the primary cooling circuit and surge lines of both WWER 440 type units, and also used to assess the integrity of safety related piping in the feed water and main steam systems. Experiments and calculations performed included analyses of stresses, material mechanical properties, corrosion, fatigue damage, stability of heavy component supports, water hammer, and leak rates. A list of analysis results and recommendations are included in the paper.

Application of Telemedicine Technologies to Long Term Spaceflight Support

Science.gov (United States)

Orlov, O. I.; Grigoriev, A. I.

projects on space biology and medicine at the modern high level. In spite of the ISS international cooperation transparency space research programs require to follow the biomedicine ethics and provide confidentiality of the special medical information exchange. That can be achieved in the telemedicine support system built on the network principle. Presently we have all technical facilities needed to create such a system. In Russia activities on space telemedicicine support improvement are carried out by the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - Institute for Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Mission Control Center of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, Space Biomedical Center for Training and Research and Yu. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Communications development and next generation Internet systems creation almost eliminate differences in the types of information technologies implementation both in the earth-based and near-earth space conditions. In prospect of the information community creation the telecommunication system of the near-earth space objects and its telemedicine element will become a natural part of the Earth unified information field that will open unlimited perspectives for flight support system improvement and space biomedical research conducting. Russia has unique data of numerous investigations on simulation of long, up to a year, effects of space flight factors on the human body. The sphere of situations studied by space medicine specialists embraced orbit manned space flights of the escalating duration (438 days in 1995). However a number of biomedical problems related to space flights didn't face optimal solutions. It's evident that during a space flight to Mars biomedical problems will be much more difficult in comparison with those of the orbit flights of the same duration. The summed up factors of such flights specify a level of the total medical risk that require assessment and application of

Challenges and solutions of implementing and supporting wind diesel applications in remote (AK) locations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingree, B. [Northern Power Systems, Barre, VT (United States)

2010-07-01

This PowerPoint presentation discussed the methods used by Northern Power Systems to install and support wind-diesel applications in remote locations in Alaska. Over 90 wind turbines have been installed in the state over the last 5 years. Drivers behind the increase in wind turbine installations include the recent energy crisis as well as the introduction of several financial incentives for renewable energy. The correct equipment is needed to overcome the technical challenges associated with wind-diesel systems in remote cold temperature areas. Multiple projects are synchronized within regions, and remote energy management software is used. Centralized power production is promoted where possible, and technicians are trained locally. The wind-diesel market has become successful in Alaska as a result of leadership, a streamline grant and permitting process, and a program that supports First Nations empowerment. Photographs of various Northern Power Systems projects in Alaska were included. tabs., figs.

Broad Halpha Wing Formation in the Planetary Nebula IC 4997.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee; Hyung

2000-02-10

The young and compact planetary nebula IC 4997 is known to exhibit very broad wings with a width exceeding 5000 km s-1 around Halpha. We propose that the broad wings are formed through Rayleigh-Raman scattering that involves atomic hydrogen, by which Lybeta photons with a velocity width of a few 102 km s-1 are converted to optical photons and fill the Halpha broad wing region. The conversion efficiency reaches 0.6 near the line center, where the scattering optical depth is much larger than 1, and rapidly decreases in the far wings. Assuming that close to the central star there exists an unresolved inner compact core of high density, nH approximately 109-1010 cm-3, we use the photoionization code "CLOUDY" to show that sufficient Lybeta photons for scattering are produced. Using a top-hat-incident profile for the Lybeta flux and a scattering region with a H i column density NHi=2x1020 cm-2 and a substantial covering factor, we perform a profile-fitting analysis in order to obtain a satisfactory fit to the observed flux. We briefly discuss the astrophysical implications of the Rayleigh-Raman processes in planetary nebulae and other emission objects.

Characterization of non-host resistance in broad bean to the wheat stripe rust pathogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Yulin

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Non-host resistance (NHR confers plant species immunity against the majority of microbial pathogens and represents the most robust and durable form of plant resistance in nature. As one of the main genera of rust fungi with economic and biological importance, Puccinia infects almost all cereals but is unable to cause diseases on legumes. Little is known about the mechanism of this kind of effective defense in legumes to these non-host pathogens. Results In this study, the basis of NHR in broad bean (Vicia faba L. against the wheat stripe rust pathogen, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst, was characterized. No visible symptoms were observed on broad bean leaves inoculated with Pst. Microscopic observations showed that successful location of stomata and haustoria formation were significantly reduced in Pst infection of broad bean. Attempted infection induced the formation of papillae, cell wall thickening, production of reactive oxygen species, callose deposition and accumulation of phenolic compounds in plant cell walls. The few Pst haustoria that did form in broad bean cells were encased in reactive oxygen and callose materials and those cells elicited cell death. Furthermore, a total of seven defense-related genes were identified and found to be up-regulated during the Pst infection. Conclusions The results indicate that NHR in broad bean against Pst results from a continuum of layered defenses, including basic incompatibility, structural and chemical strengthening of cell wall, posthaustorial hypersensitive response and induction of several defense-related genes, demonstrating the multi-layered feature of NHR. This work also provides useful information for further determination of resistance mechanisms in broad bean to rust fungi, especially the adapted important broad bean rust pathogen, Uromyces viciae-fabae, because of strong similarity and association between NHR of plants to unadapted pathogens and basal

Study of the hydration of globular proteins by broad NMR lines method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blicharska, B [Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Krakow (Poland). Instytut Fizyki

1973-01-01

Spectra of proteins and polypeptides obtained by means of a NMR broad line spectrometer consist of broad and thin lines. These broad and thin lines are attributed to proteins and to water absorbed on the surfaces of proteins respectively. The behaviour of the thin line in the spectra of lyophilizated albumin of the egg white has been studied in the temperature range from -42 to 20/sup 0/C. The amount of water has been found by the simple method of weighing and has been equal about 7% of the total weight. It has been found that the water absorbed on the surface of the lyophilizated proteins gives a thinner line in comparison to the water absorbed on molecules of proteins in water solutions and that the correlation time is about 10/sup 3/ times greater.

Design Thinking for mHealth Application Co-Design to Support Heart Failure Self-Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, Leanna; Cummings, Elizabeth; Duff, Jed; Walker, Kim

2017-01-01

Heart failure is a prevalent, progressive chronic disease costing in excess of $1billion per year in Australia alone. Disease self-management has positive implications for the patient and decreases healthcare usage. However, adherence to recommended guidelines is challenging and existing literature reports sub-optimal adherence. mHealth applications in chronic disease education have the potential to facilitate patient enablement for disease self-management. To the best of our knowledge no heart failure self-management application is available for safe use by our patients. In this paper, we present the process established to co-design a mHealth application in support of heart-failure self-management. For this development, an interdisciplinary team systematically proceeds through the phases of Stanford University's Design Thinking process; empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test with a user-centred philosophy. Using this clinician-led heart failure app research as a case study, we describe a sequence of procedures to engage with local patients, carers, software developers, eHealth experts and clinical colleagues to foster rigorously developed and locally relevant patient-facing mHealth solutions. Importantly, patients are engaged in each stage with ethnographic interviews, a series of workshops and multiple re-design iterations.

Overview of Actuated Arm Support Systems and Their Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.A. Lomonova

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Arm support systems provide support throughout daily tasks, training or in an industrial environment. During the last decades a large diversity of actuated arm support systems have been developed. To analyze the actuation principles in these systems, an overview of actuated arm support systems is provided. This overview visualizes the current trends on research and development of these support systems and distinguishes three categories. These categories depend mainly on the functional status of the user environment, which defines the specifications. Therefore, the actuated arm support systems are classified according to their user environment, namely: ambulatory, rehabilitation and industrial. Furthermore, three main actuation principles and three mechanical construction principles have been identified.

Sensor proxy mobile IPv6 (SPMIPv6)--a novel scheme for mobility supported IP-WSNs.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Motaharul; Huh, Eui-Nam

2011-01-01

IP based Wireless Sensor Networks (IP-WSNs) are gaining importance for their broad range of applications in health-care, home automation, environmental monitoring, industrial control, vehicle telematics and agricultural monitoring. In all these applications, mobility in the sensor network with special attention to energy efficiency is a major issue to be addressed. Host-based mobility management protocols are not suitable for IP-WSNs because of their energy inefficiency, so network based mobility management protocols can be an alternative for the mobility supported IP-WSNs. In this paper we propose a network based mobility supported IP-WSN protocol called Sensor Proxy Mobile IPv6 (SPMIPv6). We present its architecture, message formats and also evaluate its performance considering signaling cost, mobility cost and energy consumption. Our analysis shows that with respect to the number of IP-WSN nodes, the proposed scheme reduces the signaling cost by 60% and 56%, as well as the mobility cost by 62% and 57%, compared to MIPv6 and PMIPv6, respectively. The simulation results also show that in terms of the number of hops, SPMIPv6 decreases the signaling cost by 56% and 53% as well as mobility cost by 60% and 67% as compared to MIPv6 and PMIPv6 respectively. It also indicates that proposed scheme reduces the level of energy consumption significantly.

Association of Alpha Tocopherol and Ag Sulfadiazine Chitosan Oleate Nanocarriers in Bioactive Dressings Supporting Platelet Lysate Application to Skin Wounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonferoni, Maria Cristina; Sandri, Giuseppina; Rossi, Silvia; Dellera, Eleonora; Invernizzi, Alessandro; Boselli, Cinzia; Cornaglia, Antonia Icaro; Del Fante, Claudia; Perotti, Cesare; Vigani, Barbara; Riva, Federica; Caramella, Carla; Ferrari, Franca

2018-02-09

Chitosan oleate was previously proposed to encapsulate in nanocarriers some poorly soluble molecules aimed to wound therapy, such as the anti-infective silver sulfadiazine, and the antioxidant α tocopherol. Because nanocarriers need a suitable formulation to be administered to wounds, in the present paper, these previously developed nanocarriers were loaded into freeze dried dressings based on chitosan glutamate. These were proposed as bioactive dressings aimed to support the application to wounds of platelet lysate, a hemoderivative rich in growth factors. The dressings were characterized for hydration capacity, morphological aspect, and rheological and mechanical behavior. Although chitosan oleate nanocarriers clearly decreased the mechanical properties of dressings, these remained compatible with handling and application to wounds. Preliminary studies in vitro on fibroblast cell cultures demonstrated good compatibility of platelet lysate with nanocarriers and bioactive dressings. An in vivo study on a murine wound model showed an accelerating wound healing effect for the bioactive dressing and its suitability as support of the platelet lysate application to wounds.

Association of Alpha Tocopherol and Ag Sulfadiazine Chitosan Oleate Nanocarriers in Bioactive Dressings Supporting Platelet Lysate Application to Skin Wounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cristina Bonferoni

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Chitosan oleate was previously proposed to encapsulate in nanocarriers some poorly soluble molecules aimed to wound therapy, such as the anti-infective silver sulfadiazine, and the antioxidant α tocopherol. Because nanocarriers need a suitable formulation to be administered to wounds, in the present paper, these previously developed nanocarriers were loaded into freeze dried dressings based on chitosan glutamate. These were proposed as bioactive dressings aimed to support the application to wounds of platelet lysate, a hemoderivative rich in growth factors. The dressings were characterized for hydration capacity, morphological aspect, and rheological and mechanical behavior. Although chitosan oleate nanocarriers clearly decreased the mechanical properties of dressings, these remained compatible with handling and application to wounds. Preliminary studies in vitro on fibroblast cell cultures demonstrated good compatibility of platelet lysate with nanocarriers and bioactive dressings. An in vivo study on a murine wound model showed an accelerating wound healing effect for the bioactive dressing and its suitability as support of the platelet lysate application to wounds.

The Online Social Support Scale: Measure development and validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nick, Elizabeth A; Cole, David A; Cho, Sun-Joo; Smith, Darcy K; Carter, T Grace; Zelkowitz, Rachel L

2018-05-21

A new measure, the Online Social Support Scale, was developed based on previous theory, research, and measurement of in-person social support. It includes four subscales: Esteem/Emotional Support, Social Companionship, Informational Support, and Instrumental Support. In college and community samples, factor analytic and item response theory results suggest that subtypes of in-person social support also pertain in the online world. Evidence of reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity provide excellent psychometric support for the measure. Construct validity accrues to the measure vis-à-vis support for three hypotheses: (a) Various broad types of Internet platforms for social interactions are differentially associated with online social support and online victimization; (b) similar to in-person social support, online social support offsets the adverse effect of negative life events on self-esteem and depression-related outcome; and (c) online social support counteracts the effects of online victimization in much the same way that in-person friends in one social niche counterbalance rejection in other social niches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of Monoenergetic Photon Sources on Nonproliferation Applications Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geddes, Cameron [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Ludewigt, Bernhard [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Valentine, John [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Quiter, Brian [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Descalle, Marie-Anne [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Warren, Glen [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kinlaw, Matt [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Thompson, Scott [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Chichester, David [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Miller, Cameron [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Pozzi, Sara [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2017-03-01

Near-monoenergetic photon sources (MPSs) have the potential to improve sensitivity at greatly reduced dose in existing applications and enable new capabilities in other applications, particularly where passive signatures do not penetrate or are insufficiently accurate. MPS advantages include the ability to select energy, energy spread, flux, and pulse structures to deliver only the photons needed for the application, while suppressing extraneous dose and background. Some MPSs also offer narrow angular divergence photon beams which can target dose and/or mitigate scattering contributions to image contrast degradation. Current bremsstrahlung photon sources (e.g., linacs and betatrons) produce photons over a broad range of energies, thus delivering unnecessary dose that in some cases also interferes with the signature to be detected and/or restricts operations. Current sources must be collimated (reducing flux) to generate narrow divergence beams. While MPSs can in principle resolve these issues, they remain at relatively low TRL status. Candidate MPS technologies for nonproliferation applications are now being developed, each of which has different properties (e.g. broad vs. narrow angular divergence). Within each technology, source parameters trade off against one another (e.g. flux vs. energy spread), representing a large operation space. This report describes a broad survey of potential applications, identification of high priority applications, and detailed simulations addressing those priority applications. Requirements were derived for each application, and analysis and simulations were conducted to define MPS parameters that deliver benefit. The results can inform targeting of MPS development to deliver strong impact relative to current systems.

Implementation of a scalable, web-based, automated clinical decision support risk-prediction tool for chronic kidney disease using C-CDA and application programming interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Samal, Lipika; D'Amore, John D; Bates, David W; Wright, Adam

2017-11-01

Clinical decision support tools for risk prediction are readily available, but typically require workflow interruptions and manual data entry so are rarely used. Due to new data interoperability standards for electronic health records (EHRs), other options are available. As a clinical case study, we sought to build a scalable, web-based system that would automate calculation of kidney failure risk and display clinical decision support to users in primary care practices. We developed a single-page application, web server, database, and application programming interface to calculate and display kidney failure risk. Data were extracted from the EHR using the Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture interoperability standard for Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs). EHR users were presented with a noninterruptive alert on the patient's summary screen and a hyperlink to details and recommendations provided through a web application. Clinic schedules and CCDs were retrieved using existing application programming interfaces to the EHR, and we provided a clinical decision support hyperlink to the EHR as a service. We debugged a series of terminology and technical issues. The application was validated with data from 255 patients and subsequently deployed to 10 primary care clinics where, over the course of 1 year, 569 533 CCD documents were processed. We validated the use of interoperable documents and open-source components to develop a low-cost tool for automated clinical decision support. Since Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture-based data extraction extends to any certified EHR, this demonstrates a successful modular approach to clinical decision support. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Development and testing of a mobile application to support diabetes self-management for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Mira; Hempler, Nana F

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Numerous mobile applications have been developed to support diabetes-self-management. However, the majority of these applications lack a theoretical foundation and the involvement of people with diabetes during development. The aim of this study was to develop and test a mobile applic...... and implementation of the mobile health app were crucial to creating value for users. More attention should be paid to the training of professionals who introduce health apps. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Danish Data Protection Agency: 2012-58-0004. Registered 6 February 2016....

Genetically engineered Pseudomonas: a factory of new bioplastics with broad applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Olivera, E R; Carnicero, D; Jodra, R; Miñambres, B; García, B; Abraham, G A; Gallardo, A; Román, J S; García, J L; Naharro, G; Luengo, J M

2001-10-01

New bioplastics containing aromatic or mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic monomers have been obtained using genetically engineered strains of Pseudomonas putida. The mutation (-) or deletion (Delta) of some of the genes involved in the beta-oxidation pathway (fadA(-), fadB(-) Delta fadA or Delta fad BA mutants) elicits a strong intracellular accumulation of unusual homo- or co-polymers that dramatically alter the morphology of these bacteria, as more than 90% of the cytoplasm is occupied by these macromolecules. The introduction of a blockade in the beta-oxidation pathway, or in other related catabolic routes, has allowed the synthesis of polymers other than those accumulated in the wild type (with regard to both monomer size and relative percentage), the accumulation of certain intermediates that are rapidly catabolized in the wild type and the accumulation in the culture broths of end catabolites that, as in the case of phenylacetic acid, phenylbutyric acid, trans-cinnamic acid or their derivatives, have important medical or pharmaceutical applications (antitumoral, analgesic, radiopotentiators, chemopreventive or antihelmintic). Furthermore, using one of these polyesters (poly 3-hydroxy-6-phenylhexanoate), we obtained polymeric microspheres that could be used as drug vehicles.

A Framework to Support the Sharing and Reuse of Computable Phenotype Definitions Across Health Care Delivery and Clinical Research Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Richesson, Rachel L; Smerek, Michelle M; Blake Cameron, C

2016-01-01

The ability to reproducibly identify clinically equivalent patient populations is critical to the vision of learning health care systems that implement and evaluate evidence-based treatments. The use of common or semantically equivalent phenotype definitions across research and health care use cases will support this aim. Currently, there is no single consolidated repository for computable phenotype definitions, making it difficult to find all definitions that already exist, and also hindering the sharing of definitions between user groups. Drawing from our experience in an academic medical center that supports a number of multisite research projects and quality improvement studies, we articulate a framework that will support the sharing of phenotype definitions across research and health care use cases, and highlight gaps and areas that need attention and collaborative solutions. An infrastructure for re-using computable phenotype definitions and sharing experience across health care delivery and clinical research applications includes: access to a collection of existing phenotype definitions, information to evaluate their appropriateness for particular applications, a knowledge base of implementation guidance, supporting tools that are user-friendly and intuitive, and a willingness to use them. We encourage prospective researchers and health administrators to re-use existing EHR-based condition definitions where appropriate and share their results with others to support a national culture of learning health care. There are a number of federally funded resources to support these activities, and research sponsors should encourage their use.

Applications of Nuclear Physics

OpenAIRE

Hayes, Anna C.

2017-01-01

Today the applications of nuclear physics span a very broad range of topics and fields. This review discusses a number of aspects of these applications, including selected topics and concepts in nuclear reactor physics, nuclear fusion, nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear-geophysics, and nuclear medicine. The review begins with a historic summary of the early years in applied nuclear physics, with an emphasis on the huge developments that took place around the time of World War II, and that und...

Computing with Words in Decision support Systems: An overview on Models and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Martinez

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Decision making is inherent to mankind, as human beings daily face situations in which they should choose among different alternatives by means of reasoning and mental processes. Many of these decision problems are under uncertain environments with vague and imprecise information. This type of information is usually modelled by linguistic information because of the common use of language by the experts involved in the given decision situations, originating linguistic decision making. The use of linguistic information in decision making demands processes of Computing with Words to solve the related decision problems. Different methodologies and approaches have been proposed to accomplish such processes in an accurate and interpretable way. The good performance of linguistic computing dealing with uncertainty has caused a spread use of it in different types of decision based applications. This paper overviews the more significant and extended linguistic computing models due to its key role in linguistic decision making and a wide range of the most recent applications of linguistic decision support models.

Effects of a Technology Supported Project Based Learning (TS-PBL Approach on the Success of a Mobile Application Development Course and the Students’ Opinions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fezile Ozdamli

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Similar to traditional desktop software development processes, teamwork is a necessity in the mobile application development process. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine the effects of the technology supported project-based learning approach in mobile application development courses on the academic achievement of students and to clarify the engineering students’ opinions. A total of 130 engineering students from the Department taking mobile application development courses were the participants of this study. The lessons progressed in one group in the form of technology supported project-based learning steps, while in the other group, they were conducted using traditional methods. Based on the results, the practical implementation of a mobile application with a TS-PBL approach in engineering students’ education will be discussed.

Multilevel models applications using SAS

CERN Document Server

Wang, Jichuan; Fisher, James F

2011-01-01

This book covers a broad range of topics about multilevel modeling. The goal is to help readers to understand the basic concepts, theoretical frameworks, and application methods of multilevel modeling. It is at a level also accessible to non-mathematicians, focusing on the methods and applications of various multilevel models and using the widely used statistical software SAS®. Examples are drawn from analysis of real-world research data.

Development of an anti-HIV vaccine eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Yousuf; Tian, Meijuan; Gao, Yong

2017-09-12

The extreme HIV diversity posts a great challenge on development of an effective anti-HIV vaccine. To solve this problem, it is crucial to discover an appropriate immunogens and strategies that are able to prevent the transmission of the diverse viruses that are circulating in the world. Even though there have been a number of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies (bNAbs) been discovered in recent years, induction of such antibodies to date has only been observed in HIV-1 infection. Here, in this mini review, we review the progress in development of HIV vaccine in eliciting broad immune response, especially production of bNAbs, discuss possible strategies, such as polyvalent sequential vaccination, that facilitates B cell maturation leading to bNAb response.

Preliminary results of a broad beam RF ion source with electron plasma interaction. Vol. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdelaziz, M E; Zakhary, S G; Ghanem, A A; Abdel-Ghaffar, A M [Ion Sources and Accelerators Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, (Egypt)

1996-03-01

A new design of a broad beam RF ion source is made to be capable to deliver wide and uniform beam with currents reaching (100 {mu} A up to 30 mA) at extraction voltages (200 V up to 2 kV). Its plasma intensifying system is made with the addition of electrons from an immersed filament in the discharge and axial magnetic field (70 up to 300 G). A uniform beam distribution is made with a planner graphite cathode which has a number of holes arranged to produce perveance matching with the normal Gaussian distribution of the beam density. These holes are arranged in a consequent orbits with equal distance between the adjacent holes in each orbit. These holes increase in diameter with increasing the orbit radius. This allows increasing the extracted ion currents at the source outer edges and decreases its value at the source inner region; producing wide and uniform beam which is suitable for material modifications. The beam profiles are traced with electromechanical scanner and X-Y recorder. The perveance matching is found to produce a beam uniformity of =66% of its width which reaches =6 cm. The variation of the output currents are with the variation of extraction voltages, magnetic field, discharge pressure and electron injection into the plasma. The extracted current increases with the increase of the discharge pressure, RF power and magnetic field intensity. The influence of electron plasma interaction is found to have a great effect on increasing the ion currents to about four times its value without electron interaction, however, this increase is limited due to presence of breakdown at V{sub ex} > 2 kV. The simple design of this source, its cleanness due to the use of pyrex discharge bottle, easy operation and maintenance adds other features to this broad beam type ion source which makes it suitable for metallurgical applications in broad beam accelerators. 6 figs.

Broad shifts in the resource use of a commercially harvested fish following the invasion of dreissenid mussels.

Science.gov (United States)

Fera, Shannon A; Rennie, Michael D; Dunlop, Erin S

2017-06-01

Dreissenid mussels, including the zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (Dreissena rostiformus bugensis) mussel, are invasive species known for their capacity to act as ecosystem engineers. They have caused significant changes in the many freshwater systems they have invaded by increasing water clarity, reducing primary productivity, and altering zooplankton and benthic invertebrate assemblages. What is less clear is how their ecosystem engineering effects manifest up the food web to impact higher trophic levels, including fish. Here, we use a biological tracer (stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen) to analyze long-term and broad-scale trends in the resource use of benthivorous lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, where dreissenid mussels have become established in each lake except Lake Superior. We measured stable isotope ratios from archived material (fish scale samples) collected over several decades by multiple agencies and from 14 locations around the Great Lakes. In the majority of locations, the δ 13 C of lake whitefish increased following the establishment of dreissenid mussels. Trends in δ 15 N were less clear, but significant breakpoints in the time series occurred within 5 yr of dreissenid establishment in several locations, followed by declines in δ 15 N. In contrast, isotopic signatures in Lake Superior locations did not show these trends. Our results provide evidence that lake whitefish shifted toward greater reliance on nearshore benthic production, supporting the theory that fundamental energy pathways are changed when dreissenid mussels become established. Importantly, these effects were noted across multiple, large, and complex ecosystems spanning a broad geographic area. Our study underscores the potential for aquatic invasive species to alter key ecosystem services as demonstrated here through their impacts on energy pathways supporting a commercially harvested fish species. © 2017 by the Ecological

Broad-spectrum non-toxic antiviral nanoparticles with a virucidal inhibition mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Cagno, Valeria; Andreozzi, Patrizia; D'Alicarnasso, Marco; Jacob Silva, Paulo; Mueller, Marie; Galloux, Marie; Le Goffic, Ronan; Jones, Samuel T.; Vallino, Marta; Hodek, Jan; Weber, Jan; Sen, Soumyo; Janeček, Emma-Rose; Bekdemir, Ahmet; Sanavio, Barbara; Martinelli, Chiara; Donalisio, Manuela; Rameix Welti, Marie-Anne; Eleouet, Jean-Francois; Han, Yanxiao; Kaiser, Laurent; Vukovic, Lela; Tapparel, Caroline; Král, Petr; Krol, Silke; Lembo, David; Stellacci, Francesco

2018-02-01

Viral infections kill millions yearly. Available antiviral drugs are virus-specific and active against a limited panel of human pathogens. There are broad-spectrum substances that prevent the first step of virus-cell interaction by mimicking heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), the highly conserved target of viral attachment ligands (VALs). The reversible binding mechanism prevents their use as a drug, because, upon dilution, the inhibition is lost. Known VALs are made of closely packed repeating units, but the aforementioned substances are able to bind only a few of them. We designed antiviral nanoparticles with long and flexible linkers mimicking HSPG, allowing for effective viral association with a binding that we simulate to be strong and multivalent to the VAL repeating units, generating forces (~190 pN) that eventually lead to irreversible viral deformation. Virucidal assays, electron microscopy images, and molecular dynamics simulations support the proposed mechanism. These particles show no cytotoxicity, and in vitro nanomolar irreversible activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV), human papilloma virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), dengue and lenti virus. They are active ex vivo in human cervicovaginal histocultures infected by HSV-2 and in vivo in mice infected with RSV.

Microwave RF antennas and circuits nonlinearity applications in engineering

CERN Document Server

Aluf, Ofer

2017-01-01

This book describes a new concept for analyzing RF/microwave circuits, which includes RF/microwave antennas. The book is unique in its emphasis on practical and innovative microwave RF engineering applications. The analysis is based on nonlinear dynamics and chaos models and shows comprehensive benefits and results. All conceptual RF microwave circuits and antennas are innovative and can be broadly implemented in engineering applications. Given the dynamics of RF microwave circuits and antennas, they are suitable for use in a broad range of applications. The book presents analytical methods for microwave RF antennas and circuit analysis, concrete examples, and geometric examples. The analysis is developed systematically, starting with basic differential equations and their bifurcations, and subsequently moving on to fixed point analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations. Engineering applications include microwave RF circuits and antennas in a variety of topological structures, RFID ICs and antennas, micros...

Distributed Global Transaction Support for Workflow Management Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vonk, J.; Grefen, P.W.P.J.; Boertjes, E.M.; Apers, Peter M.G.

Workflow management systems require advanced transaction support to cope with their inherently long-running processes. The recent trend to distribute workflow executions requires an even more advanced transaction support system that is able to handle distribution. This paper presents a model as well

An ecosystem service approach to support integrated pond management: A case study using Bayesian belief networks – Highlighting opportunities and risks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Landuyt, D.; Lemmens, P.; D'Hondt, R.; Broekx, S.; Liekens, I.; De Bie, T.; Declerck, S.A.J.; De Meester, L.; Goethals, P.

2014-01-01

Freshwater ponds deliver a broad range of ecosystem services (ESS). Taking into account this broad range of services to attain cost-effective ESS delivery is an important challenge facing integrated pond management. To assess the strengths and weaknesses of an ESS approach to support decisions in

High-Performance 1.55-µm Superluminescent Diode Based on Broad Gain InAs/InGaAlAs/InP Quantum Dash Active Region

KAUST Repository

Khan, Mohammed Zahed Mustafa

2014-08-01

We report on the high-performance characteristics from superluminescent diodes (SLDs) based on four-stack InAs/InGaAlAs chirped-barrier thickness quantum dash (Qdash) in a well structure. The active region exhibits a measured broad gain spectrum of 140 nm, with a peak modal gain of ~41 cm-1. The noncoated two-section gainabsorber broad-area and ridge-waveguide device configuration exhibits an output power of > 20 mW and > 12 mW, respectively. The corresponding -3-dB bandwidths span ~82 nm and ~72 nm, with a small spectral ripple of <; 0.2 dB, related largely to the contribution from dispersive height dash ensembles of the highly inhomogeneous active region. These C-L communication band devices will find applications in various cross-disciplinary fields of optical metrology, optical coherent tomography, etc.

Supporting secure programming in web applications through interactive static analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jun; Xie, Jing; Lipford, Heather Richter; Chu, Bill

2013-01-01

Many security incidents are caused by software developers’ failure to adhere to secure programming practices. Static analysis tools have been used to detect software vulnerabilities. However, their wide usage by developers is limited by the special training required to write rules customized to application-specific logic. Our approach is interactive static analysis, to integrate static analysis into Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and provide in-situ secure programming support to help developers prevent vulnerabilities during code construction. No additional training is required nor are there any assumptions on ways programs are built. Our work is motivated in part by the observation that many vulnerabilities are introduced due to failure to practice secure programming by knowledgeable developers. We implemented a prototype interactive static analysis tool as a plug-in for Java in Eclipse. Our technical evaluation of our prototype detected multiple zero-day vulnerabilities in a large open source project. Our evaluations also suggest that false positives may be limited to a very small class of use cases. PMID:25685513

Supporting secure programming in web applications through interactive static analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Zhu

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Many security incidents are caused by software developers’ failure to adhere to secure programming practices. Static analysis tools have been used to detect software vulnerabilities. However, their wide usage by developers is limited by the special training required to write rules customized to application-specific logic. Our approach is interactive static analysis, to integrate static analysis into Integrated Development Environment (IDE and provide in-situ secure programming support to help developers prevent vulnerabilities during code construction. No additional training is required nor are there any assumptions on ways programs are built. Our work is motivated in part by the observation that many vulnerabilities are introduced due to failure to practice secure programming by knowledgeable developers. We implemented a prototype interactive static analysis tool as a plug-in for Java in Eclipse. Our technical evaluation of our prototype detected multiple zero-day vulnerabilities in a large open source project. Our evaluations also suggest that false positives may be limited to a very small class of use cases.

Support Vector Machines for decision support in electricity markets׳ strategic bidding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinto, Tiago; Sousa, Tiago M.; Praça, Isabel

2015-01-01

. The ALBidS system allows MASCEM market negotiating players to take the best possible advantages from the market context. This paper presents the application of a Support Vector Machines (SVM) based approach to provide decision support to electricity market players. This strategy is tested and validated...... by being included in ALBidS and then compared with the application of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN), originating promising results: an effective electricity market price forecast in a fast execution time. The proposed approach is tested and validated using real electricity markets data from MIBEL......׳ research group has developed a multi-agent system: Multi-Agent System for Competitive Electricity Markets (MASCEM), which simulates the electricity markets environment. MASCEM is integrated with Adaptive Learning Strategic Bidding System (ALBidS) that works as a decision support system for market players...

Development of the electrochemically regenerable carbon dioxide absorber for portable life support system application

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, R. R.; Heppner, D. B.; Marshall, R. D.; Quattrone, P. D.

1979-01-01

As the length of manned space missions increase, more ambitious extravehicular activities (EVAs) are required. For the projected longer mission the use of expendables in the portable life support system (PLSS) will become prohibited due to high launch weight and volume requirements. Therefore, the development of a regenerable CO2 absorber for the PLSS application is highly desirable. The paper discusses the concept, regeneration mechanism, performance, system design, and absorption/regeneration cycle testing of a most promising concept known as ERCA (Electrochemically Regenerable CO2 Absorber). This concept is based on absorbing CO2 into an alkaline absorbent similar to LiOH. The absorbent is an aqueous solution supported in a porous matrix which can be electrochemically regenerated on board the primary space vehicle. With the metabolic CO2 recovery the ERCA concept results in a totally regenerable CO2 scrubber. The ERCA test hardware has passed 200 absorption/regeneration cycles without performance degradation.

Production and testing of the VITAMIN-B6 fine-group and the BUGLE-93 broad-group neutron/photon cross-section libraries derived from ENDF/B-VI nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ingersoll, D.T.; White, J.E.; Wright, R.Q.; Hunter, H.T.; Slater, C.O.; Greene, N.M.; MacFarlane, R.E.

1993-01-01

A new multigroup cross-section library based on ENDF/B-VI data has been produced and tested for light water reactor shielding and reactor pressure vessel dosimetry applications. The broad-group library is designated BUGLE-93. The processing methodology is consistent with ANSI/ANS 6.1.2, since the ENDF data were first processed into a fine-group, ''pseudo problem-independent'' format and then collapsed into the final broad-group format. The fine-group library is designated VITAMIN-B6. An extensive integral data testing effort was also performed. In general, results using the new data show significant improvements relative to earlier ENDF data

System Realization of Broad Band Digital Beam Forming for Digital Array Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Feng

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Broad band Digital Beam Forming (DBF is the key technique for the realization of Digital Array Radar (DAR. We propose the method of combination realization of the channel equalization and DBF time delay filter function by using adaptive Sample Matrix Inversion algorithm. The broad band DBF function is realized on a new DBF module based on parallel fiber optic engines and Field Program Gate Array (FPGA. Good performance is achieved when it is used to some radar products.

Application of sensitivity analysis for optimized piping support design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tai, K.; Nakatogawa, T.; Hisada, T.; Noguchi, H.; Ichihashi, I.; Ogo, H.

1993-01-01

The objective of this study was to see if recent developments in non-linear sensitivity analysis could be applied to the design of nuclear piping systems which use non-linear supports and to develop a practical method of designing such piping systems. In the study presented in this paper, the seismic response of a typical piping system was analyzed using a dynamic non-linear FEM and a sensitivity analysis was carried out. Then optimization for the design of the piping system supports was investigated, selecting the support location and yield load of the non-linear supports (bi-linear model) as main design parameters. It was concluded that the optimized design was a matter of combining overall system reliability with the achievement of an efficient damping effect from the non-linear supports. The analysis also demonstrated sensitivity factors are useful in the planning stage of support design. (author)

Computer games supporting cognitive behaviour therapy in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Brezinka, Veronika

2014-01-01

Therapeutic computer games might enhance children's motivation for psychotherapy, facilitate their understanding of important therapeutic concepts, structure therapy sessions, enhance treatment of migrant children and disseminate evidence-based treatment approaches. The game Treasure Hunt was developed to support cognitive behaviour therapy with children who come into treatment for various mental health problems. To evaluate the applicability and appropriateness of the game, 124 therapists answered a questionnaire on their impression of Treasure Hunt three months after download. Of these, 42 consented to participate in the further evaluation and sent questionnaires of 218 children in whose therapy Treasure Hunt had been used. A limitation of these data is an eventual positive bias, as therapists with a positive attitude towards therapeutic computer games may have been more likely to participate. Data show that the vast majority of children were satisfied their therapist had used the game during treatment. Therapists used Treasure Hunt for a broad range of diagnoses. They judged the game as helpful in the explanation of cognitive-behavioural concepts, used it as reinforcement and reported it enhanced child motivation for psychotherapy and strengthened the therapeutic relationship with the child.

Gas Separation Properties of Polyimide Thin Films on Ceramic Supports for High Temperature Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Escorihuela

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Novel selective ceramic-supported thin polyimide films produced in a single dip coating step are proposed for membrane applications at elevated temperatures. Layers of the polyimides P84®, Matrimid 5218®, and 6FDA-6FpDA were successfully deposited onto porous alumina supports. In order to tackle the poor compatibility between ceramic support and polymer, and to get defect-free thin films, the effect of the viscosity of the polymer solution was studied, giving the entanglement concentration (C* for each polymer. The C* values were 3.09 wt. % for the 6FDA-6FpDA, 3.52 wt. % for Matrimid®, and 4.30 wt. % for P84®. A minimum polymer solution concentration necessary for defect-free film formation was found for each polymer, with the inverse order to the intrinsic viscosities (P84® ≥ Matrimid® >> 6FDA-6FpDA. The effect of the temperature on the permeance of prepared membranes was studied for H2, CH4, N2, O2, and CO2. As expected, activation energy of permeance for hydrogen was higher than for CO2, resulting in H2/CO2 selectivity increase with temperature. More densely packed polymers lead to materials that are more selective at elevated temperatures.

Gas Separation Properties of Polyimide Thin Films on Ceramic Supports for High Temperature Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Escorihuela, Sara; Tena, Alberto; Shishatskiy, Sergey; Escolástico, Sonia; Brinkmann, Torsten; Serra, Jose Manuel; Abetz, Volker

2018-03-07

Novel selective ceramic-supported thin polyimide films produced in a single dip coating step are proposed for membrane applications at elevated temperatures. Layers of the polyimides P84 ® , Matrimid 5218 ® , and 6FDA-6FpDA were successfully deposited onto porous alumina supports. In order to tackle the poor compatibility between ceramic support and polymer, and to get defect-free thin films, the effect of the viscosity of the polymer solution was studied, giving the entanglement concentration (C*) for each polymer. The C* values were 3.09 wt. % for the 6FDA-6FpDA, 3.52 wt. % for Matrimid ® , and 4.30 wt. % for P84 ® . A minimum polymer solution concentration necessary for defect-free film formation was found for each polymer, with the inverse order to the intrinsic viscosities (P84 ® ≥ Matrimid ® > 6FDA-6FpDA). The effect of the temperature on the permeance of prepared membranes was studied for H₂, CH₄, N₂, O₂, and CO₂. As expected, activation energy of permeance for hydrogen was higher than for CO₂, resulting in H₂/CO₂ selectivity increase with temperature. More densely packed polymers lead to materials that are more selective at elevated temperatures.

Turning the Page: Advancing Paper-Based Microfluidics for Broad Diagnostic Application.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Max M; Sinton, David

2017-06-28

Infectious diseases are a major global health issue. Diagnosis is a critical first step in effectively managing their spread. Paper-based microfluidic diagnostics first emerged in 2007 as a low-cost alternative to conventional laboratory testing, with the goal of improving accessibility to medical diagnostics in developing countries. In this review, we examine the advances in paper-based microfluidic diagnostics for medical diagnosis in the context of global health from 2007 to 2016. The theory of fluid transport in paper is first presented. The next section examines the strategies that have been employed to control fluid and analyte transport in paper-based assays. Tasks such as mixing, timing, and sequential fluid delivery have been achieved in paper and have enabled analytical capabilities comparable to those of conventional laboratory methods. The following section examines paper-based sample processing and analysis. The most impactful advancement here has been the translation of nucleic acid analysis to a paper-based format. Smartphone-based analysis is another exciting development with potential for wide dissemination. The last core section of the review highlights emerging health applications, such as male fertility testing and wearable diagnostics. We conclude the review with the future outlook, remaining challenges, and emerging opportunities.

Inverse load calculation procedure for offshore wind turbines and application to a 5-MW wind turbine support structure: Inverse load calculation procedure for offshore wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pahn, T. [Pahn Ingenieure, Am Seegraben 17b 03051 Cottbus Germany; Rolfes, R. [Institut f?r Statik und Dynamik, Leibniz Universit?t Hannover, Appelstra?e 9A 30167 Hannover Germany; Jonkman, J. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway Golden Colorado 80401 USA

2017-02-20

A significant number of wind turbines installed today have reached their designed service life of 20 years, and the number will rise continuously. Most of these turbines promise a more economical performance if they operate for more than 20 years. To assess a continued operation, we have to analyze the load-bearing capacity of the support structure with respect to site-specific conditions. Such an analysis requires the comparison of the loads used for the design of the support structure with the actual loads experienced. This publication presents the application of a so-called inverse load calculation to a 5-MW wind turbine support structure. The inverse load calculation determines external loads derived from a mechanical description of the support structure and from measured structural responses. Using numerical simulations with the software fast, we investigated the influence of wind-turbine-specific effects such as the wind turbine control or the dynamic interaction between the loads and the support structure to the presented inverse load calculation procedure. fast is used to study the inverse calculation of simultaneously acting wind and wave loads, which has not been carried out until now. Furthermore, the application of the inverse load calculation procedure to a real 5-MW wind turbine support structure is demonstrated. In terms of this practical application, setting up the mechanical system for the support structure using measurement data is discussed. The paper presents results for defined load cases and assesses the accuracy of the inversely derived dynamic loads for both the simulations and the practical application.

Sensor Proxy Mobile IPv6 (SPMIPv6)—A Novel Scheme for Mobility Supported IP-WSNs

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md. Motaharul; Huh, Eui-Nam

2011-01-01

IP based Wireless Sensor Networks (IP-WSNs) are gaining importance for their broad range of applications in health-care, home automation, environmental monitoring, industrial control, vehicle telematics and agricultural monitoring. In all these applications, mobility in the sensor network with special attention to energy efficiency is a major issue to be addressed. Host-based mobility management protocols are not suitable for IP-WSNs because of their energy inefficiency, so network based mobility management protocols can be an alternative for the mobility supported IP-WSNs. In this paper we propose a network based mobility supported IP-WSN protocol called Sensor Proxy Mobile IPv6 (SPMIPv6). We present its architecture, message formats and also evaluate its performance considering signaling cost, mobility cost and energy consumption. Our analysis shows that with respect to the number of IP-WSN nodes, the proposed scheme reduces the signaling cost by 60% and 56%, as well as the mobility cost by 62% and 57%, compared to MIPv6 and PMIPv6, respectively. The simulation results also show that in terms of the number of hops, SPMIPv6 decreases the signaling cost by 56% and 53% as well as mobility cost by 60% and 67% as compared to MIPv6 and PMIPv6 respectively. It also indicates that proposed scheme reduces the level of energy consumption significantly. PMID:22319386

Sensor Proxy Mobile IPv6 (SPMIPv6—A Novel Scheme for Mobility Supported IP-WSNs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Motaharul Islam

2011-02-01

Full Text Available IP based Wireless Sensor Networks (IP-WSNs are gaining importance for their broad range of applications in health-care, home automation, environmental monitoring, industrial control, vehicle telematics and agricultural monitoring. In all these applications, mobility in the sensor network with special attention to energy efficiency is a major issue to be addressed. Host-based mobility management protocols are not suitable for IP-WSNs because of their energy inefficiency, so network based mobility management protocols can be an alternative for the mobility supported IP-WSNs. In this paper we propose a network based mobility supported IP-WSN protocol called Sensor Proxy Mobile IPv6 (SPMIPv6. We present its architecture, message formats and also evaluate its performance considering signaling cost, mobility cost and energy consumption. Our analysis shows that with respect to the number of IP-WSN nodes, the proposed scheme reduces the signaling cost by 60% and 56%, as well as the mobility cost by 62% and 57%, compared to MIPv6 and PMIPv6, respectively. The simulation results also show that in terms of the number of hops, SPMIPv6 decreases the signaling cost by 56% and 53% as well as mobility cost by 60% and 67% as compared to MIPv6 and PMIPv6 respectively. It also indicates that proposed scheme reduces the level of energy consumption significantly.

Development and Application of a Planning Support System for Regional Spatial Functional Zoning Based on GIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaorui Zhang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Regional spatial functional zoning in China is a large-scale strategic planning and requires very advanced planning decision support technology. With respect to spatial functional zoning, the planning support system (PSS is introduced as one of the most popular computer aided planning systems at the present time in this paper, and is further explained with the example of the latest regional main functional area (RMFA planning in China. On the Visual Studio.NET visualization development platform, the planning decision model, planning decision method, and GIS are organically integrated and customized by using the component-type secondary development technology of the ArcGIS Engine with the development language VB.NET. Hence, a highly efficient and flexible planning support system of regional main functional areas (RMFA-PSS is established. It was adopted in the research of the Beijing–Tianjin area in China and accordingly two types of main functional area planning are acquired. The RMFA-PSS offers an efficient and flexible decision support with regard to RMFA planning. The research can provide a reference for further PSS development and applications related to other types of spatial functional zoning.

Successes and challenges from formation to implementation of eleven broad-extent conservation programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Beever, Erik A; Mattsson, Brady J; Germino, Matthew J; Burg, Max Post Van Der; Bradford, John B; Brunson, Mark W

2014-04-01

Integration of conservation partnerships across geographic, biological, and administrative boundaries is increasingly relevant because drivers of change, such as climate shifts, transcend these boundaries. We explored successes and challenges of established conservation programs that span multiple watersheds and consider both social and ecological concerns. We asked representatives from a diverse set of 11 broad-extent conservation partnerships in 29 countries 17 questions that pertained to launching and maintaining partnerships for broad-extent conservation, specifying ultimate management objectives, and implementation and learning. Partnerships invested more funds in implementing conservation actions than any other aspect of conservation, and a program's context (geographic extent, United States vs. other countries, developed vs. developing nation) appeared to substantially affect program approach. Despite early successes of these organizations and benefits of broad-extent conservation, specific challenges related to uncertainties in scaling up information and to coordination in the face of diverse partner governance structures, conflicting objectives, and vast uncertainties regarding future system dynamics hindered long-term success, as demonstrated by the focal organizations. Engaging stakeholders, developing conservation measures, and implementing adaptive management were dominant challenges. To inform future research on broad-extent conservation, we considered several challenges when we developed detailed questions, such as what qualities of broad-extent partnerships ensure they complement, integrate, and strengthen, rather than replace, local conservation efforts and which adaptive management processes yield actionable conservation strategies that account explicitly for dynamics and uncertainties regarding multiscale governance, environmental conditions, and knowledge of the system? © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

A novel approach for characterizing broad-band radio spectral energy distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, V. M.; Franzen, T.; Morgan, J.; Seymour, N.

2018-05-01

We present a new broad-band radio frequency catalogue across 0.12 GHz ≤ ν ≤ 20 GHz created by combining data from the Murchison Widefield Array Commissioning Survey, the Australia Telescope 20 GHz survey, and the literature. Our catalogue consists of 1285 sources limited by S20 GHz > 40 mJy at 5σ, and contains flux density measurements (or estimates) and uncertainties at 0.074, 0.080, 0.119, 0.150, 0.180, 0.408, 0.843, 1.4, 4.8, 8.6, and 20 GHz. We fit a second-order polynomial in log-log space to the spectral energy distributions of all these sources in order to characterize their broad-band emission. For the 994 sources that are well described by a linear or quadratic model we present a new diagnostic plot arranging sources by the linear and curvature terms. We demonstrate the advantages of such a plot over the traditional radio colour-colour diagram. We also present astrophysical descriptions of the sources found in each segment of this new parameter space and discuss the utility of these plots in the upcoming era of large area, deep, broad-band radio surveys.

Observing broad-absorption line quasars with Spectrum-Rontgen-Gamma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, K.P.; Schnopper, H.W.; Westergaard, Niels Jørgen Stenfeldt

1998-01-01

Broad-absorption line quasars are found to have extremely weak soft X-ray emission when compared with other optically selected quasars. In the only example of PHL 5200 for which a detailed X-ray spectrum has been obtained with ASCA, strong absorption in the source appears to be responsible...

Stochastic Analysis with Financial Applications

CERN Document Server

Kohatsu-Higa, Arturo; Sheu, Shuenn-Jyi

2011-01-01

Stochastic analysis has a variety of applications to biological systems as well as physical and engineering problems, and its applications to finance and insurance have bloomed exponentially in recent times. The goal of this book is to present a broad overview of the range of applications of stochastic analysis and some of its recent theoretical developments. This includes numerical simulation, error analysis, parameter estimation, as well as control and robustness properties for stochastic equations. This book also covers the areas of backward stochastic differential equations via the (non-li

Broadly tunable, beta-barium-borate-based, pulsed optical parametric oscillators and their potential applications in medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Sobey, Mark S.; Clark, Jim; Johnson, Bertram C.

1995-05-01

With the recent availability of Beta Barium Borate (BBO) crystals in useful sizes at acceptable market prices, the promise of Optical Parametric Oscillators (OPOs) becoming practical tunable systems is finally being realized. Wavelength coverage from such systems extends from 420 nm to over 2400 nm when pumped in the UV. For medical applications their usage will be limited in the near term to low repetition rates (suitable for selective absorption applications in medicine such as colored tattoo removal or treating vascular lesions. For such high energy devices peak powers necessitate the use of articulating arms for beam delivery. For high repetition rate systems, energy outputs will be in the range of 100 to 500 (mu) J at kHz frequencies (up to 1 W average power). Peak powers are low enough that fiber optic delivery is possible. These systems may find selective absorption applications in ophthalmology.

The results of the investigations of Russian Research Center - {open_quotes}Kurchatov Institute{close_quotes} on molten salt applications to problems of nuclear energy systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novikov, V.M. [Russian Research Center, Moscow (Russian Federation)

1995-10-01

The results of investigations on molten salt (MS) applications to problems of nuclear energy systems that have been conducted in Russian Research {open_quotes}Kurchatov Institute{close_quotes} are presented and discussed. The spectrum of these investigations is rather broad and covers the following items: physical characteristics of molten salt nuclear energy systems (MSNES); nuclear and radiation safety of MSNES; construction materials compatible with MS of different compositions; technological aspects of MS loops; in-reactor loop testing. It is shown that main findings of completed program support the conclusion that there are no physical nor technological obstacles on way of MS application to different nuclear energy systems.

Flavor Compounds in Pixian Broad-Bean Paste: Non-Volatile Organic Acids and Amino Acids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongbin Lin

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Non-volatile organic acids and amino acids are important flavor compounds in Pixian broad-bean paste, which is a traditional Chinese seasoning product. In this study, non-volatile organic acids, formed in the broad-bean paste due to the metabolism of large molecular compounds, are qualitatively and quantitatively determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC. Amino acids, mainly produced by hydrolysis of soybean proteins, were determined by the amino acid automatic analyzer. Results indicated that seven common organic acids and eighteen common amino acids were found in six Pixian broad-bean paste samples. The content of citric acid was found to be the highest in each sample, between 4.1 mg/g to 6.3 mg/g, and malic acid were between 2.1 mg/g to 3.6 mg/g ranked as the second. Moreover, fumaric acid was first detected in fermented bean pastes albeit with a low content. For amino acids, savory with lower sour taste including glutamine (Gln, glutamic acid (Glu, aspartic acid (Asp and asparagines (Asn were the most abundant, noted to be 6.5 mg/g, 4.0 mg/g, 6.4 mg/g, 4.9 mg/g, 6.2 mg/g and 10.2 mg/g, and bitter taste amino acids followed. More importantly, as important flavor materials in Pixian broad-bean paste, these two groups of substances are expected to be used to evaluate and represent the flavor quality of Pixian broad-bean paste. Moreover, the results revealed that citric acid, glutamic acid, methionine and proline were the most important flavor compounds. These findings are agreat contribution for evaluating the quality and further assessment of Pixian broad-bean paste.

Flavor Compounds in Pixian Broad-Bean Paste: Non-Volatile Organic Acids and Amino Acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hongbin; Yu, Xiaoyu; Fang, Jiaxing; Lu, Yunhao; Liu, Ping; Xing, Yage; Wang, Qin; Che, Zhenming; He, Qiang

2018-05-29

Non-volatile organic acids and amino acids are important flavor compounds in Pixian broad-bean paste, which is a traditional Chinese seasoning product. In this study, non-volatile organic acids, formed in the broad-bean paste due to the metabolism of large molecular compounds, are qualitatively and quantitatively determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Amino acids, mainly produced by hydrolysis of soybean proteins, were determined by the amino acid automatic analyzer. Results indicated that seven common organic acids and eighteen common amino acids were found in six Pixian broad-bean paste samples. The content of citric acid was found to be the highest in each sample, between 4.1 mg/g to 6.3 mg/g, and malic acid were between 2.1 mg/g to 3.6 mg/g ranked as the second. Moreover, fumaric acid was first detected in fermented bean pastes albeit with a low content. For amino acids, savory with lower sour taste including glutamine (Gln), glutamic acid (Glu), aspartic acid (Asp) and asparagines (Asn) were the most abundant, noted to be 6.5 mg/g, 4.0 mg/g, 6.4 mg/g, 4.9 mg/g, 6.2 mg/g and 10.2 mg/g, and bitter taste amino acids followed. More importantly, as important flavor materials in Pixian broad-bean paste, these two groups of substances are expected to be used to evaluate and represent the flavor quality of Pixian broad-bean paste. Moreover, the results revealed that citric acid, glutamic acid, methionine and proline were the most important flavor compounds. These findings are agreat contribution for evaluating the quality and further assessment of Pixian broad-bean paste.

PROMETHEE Method and Sensitivity Analysis in the Software Application for the Support of Decision-Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Moldrik

2008-01-01

Full Text Available PROMETHEE is one of methods, which fall into multi-criteria analysis (MCA. The MCA, as the name itself indicates, deals with the evaluation of particular variants according to several criteria. Developed software application (MCA8 for the support of multi-criteria decision-making was upgraded about PROMETHEE method and a graphic tool, which enables the execution of the sensitivity analysis. This analysis is used to ascertain how a given model output depends upon the input parameters. The MCA8 software application with mentioned graphic upgrade was developed for purposes of solving multi-criteria decision tasks. In the MCA8 is possible to perform sensitivity analysis by a simple form – through column graphs. We can change criteria significances (weights in these column graphs directly and watch the changes of the order of variants immediately.

Report on the Second Workshop on Supporting Complex Search Tasks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koolen, Marijn; Kamps, Jaap; Bogers, Toine

2017-01-01

There is broad consensus in the field of IR that search is complex in many use cases and applications, both on the Web and in domain-specific collections, and both in our professional and in our daily life. Yet our understanding of complex search tasks, in comparison to simple look up tasks...

Supporting the full BPM life-cycle using process mining and intelligent redesign

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Netjes, M.; Reijers, H.A.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.; Siau, K.

2007-01-01

Abstract. Business Process Management (BPM) systems provide a broad range of facilities to enact and manage operational business processes. Ideally, these systems should provide support for the complete BPM life-cycle: (re)design, configuration, execution, control, and diagnosis by the FileNet P8

Resource management for sustainable development : The application of a methodology to support resource management for the adequate application of Construction Systems to enhance sustainability in the lower income dwelling construction industry in Costa Rica

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Egmond - de Wilde De Ligny, van E.L.C.; Erkelens, P.A.; Jonge, de S.; Vliet, van A.A.M.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the results of the application of a methodology to support resource management for the enhancement of sustainability in the construction industry. Particular emphasis is given to the sustainability of manufacturing and application of construction systems for low income housing

Broad beam X-rays attenuation in silicum glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Risticj, Dj.; Vukovicj, S.; Markovicj, P.

1987-01-01

Using broad beam geometry the attenuation for domestic silicum glass have been studied for constant X-ray potentials from 50 to 150 kV. The density of the silicium glass was 2,5x10 3 kg/m 3 . From the attenuation curves the half value layers were obtained. The use of this glass as the biological shield is pointed out. (author). 2 refs.; 2 tabs.; 2 figs

RIO EPICS device support application case study on an ion source control system (ISHP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanz, Diego [UPM – Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Ruiz, Mariano, E-mail: mariano.ruiz@upm.es [UPM – Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Eguiraun, Mikel [Department of Electricity and Electronic, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Basque Country, Bilbao (Spain); Arredondo, Iñigo [ESS Bilbao Consortium, Zamudio (Spain); Badillo, Inari; Jugo, Josu [Department of Electricity and Electronic, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Basque Country, Bilbao (Spain); Vega, Jesús; Castro, Rodrigo [Asociación EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A use case example of RIO/FlexRIO design methodology is described. • Ion source device is controlled and monitored by means EPICS IOCs. • NIRIO EPICS device support demonstrates that is able to manage RIO devices. • Easy and fast deployment is possible using RIO/FlexRIO design methodology using NIRIO-EDS. • RIO/FlexRIO technology and EPICS are a good combination for support large scale experiments in fusion environments. - Abstract: Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is a software tool that during last years has become relevant as a main framework to deploy distributed control systems in large scientific environments. At the moment, ESS Bilbao uses this middleware to perform the control of their Ion Source Hydrogen Positive (ISHP) project. The implementation of the control system was based on: PXI Real Time controllers using the LabVIEW-RT and LabVIEW-EPICS tools; and RIO devices based on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. Intended to provide a full compliant EPICS IOCs for RIO devices and to avoid additional efforts on the system maintainability, a migration of the current system to a derivative Red Hat Linux (CentOS) environment has been conducted. This paper presents a real application case study for using the NIRIO EPICS device support (NIRIO-EDS) to give support to the ISHP. Although RIO FPGA configurations are particular solutions for ISHP performance, the NIRIO-EDS has permitted the control and monitoring of devices by applying a well-defined design methodology into the previous FPGA configuration for RIO/FlexRIO devices. This methodology has permitted a fast and easy deployment for the new robust, scalable and maintainable software to support RIO devices into the ISHP control architecture.

Effect of Sintering Temperature and Applied Load on Anode-Supported Electrodes for SOFC Application

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Xuan-Vien Nguyen

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Anode-supported cells are prepared by a sequence of hot pressing and co-sintering processes for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC applications. Commercially available porous anode tape (NiO/YSZ = 50 wt %/50 wt %, anode tape (NiO/YSZ = 30 wt %/70 wt %, and YSZ are used as the anode substrate, anode functional layer, and electrolyte layer, respectively. After hot pressing, the stacked layers are then sintered at different temperatures (1250 °C, 1350 °C, 1400 °C and 1450 °C for 5 h in air. Different compressive loads are applied during the sintering process. An (La,SrMnO3 (LSM paste is coated on the post-sintered anode-supported electrolyte surface as the cathode, and sintered at different temperatures (1100 °C, 1150 °C, 1200 °C and 1250 °C for 2 h in air to generate anode-supported cells with dimensions of 60 × 60 mm2 (active reaction area of 50 × 50 mm2. SEM is used to investigate the anode structure of the anode-supported cells. In addition, confocal laser scanning microscopy is used to investigate the roughness of the cathode surfaces. At sintering temperatures of 1400 °C and 1450 °C, there is significant grain growth in the anode. Furthermore, the surface of the cathode is smoother at a firing temperature of 1200 °C. It is also found that the optimal compressive load of 1742 Pa led to a flatness of 168 µm/6 cm and a deformation of 0.72%. The open circuit voltage and power density of the anode-supported cell at 750 °C were 1.0 V and 178 mW·cm−2, respectively.

Photothermal ablation cancer therapy using homogeneous CsxWO3 nanorods with broad near-infra-red absorption

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Chongshen; Yin, Shu; Yu, Haijun; Liu, Shaoqin; Dong, Qiang; Goto, Takehiro; Zhang, Zhiwen; Li, Yaping; Sato, Tsugio

2013-06-01

Recently, photothermal ablation therapy (PTA) employing near-infrared radiation (NIR) has been extensively investigated as an emerging modality for cancer management. However, the clinical translation of this promising approach is limited by the lack of PTA agents with broad NIR absorption, low cost and high photothermal conversion efficiency. Herein, we have developed PEGylated homogeneous CsxWO3 nanorods (a mean size ~69.3 nm × 12.8 nm) with broad photo-absorption (780-2500 nm) as a novel NIR absorbent for PTA treatment of human cancer. The prepared CsxWO3 nanocrystals displayed strong near-infrared optical absorption with a high molar extinction coefficient (e.g. 4.8 × 1010 M-1 cm-1 at 980 nm), thus generated significant amounts of heat upon excitation with near-infrared light. The PTA study in two human carcinoma cell lines (i.e. A549 lung cancer cells and HeLa ovarian cancer cells) demonstrated that CsxWO3 nanorods can efficiently cause cell death via hyperthermia induced lysosome destruction, cytoskeleton protein degradation, DNA damage and thereafter cellular necrosis or apoptosis. Our study also confirmed the migration of healthy cells migrated from unirradiated areas to dead cell cycle, which is essential for tissue reconstruction and wound healing after photodestruction of tumor tissue. The prompted results reported in the current study imply the promising potential of CsxWO3 nanorods for application in PTA cancer therapy.Recently, photothermal ablation therapy (PTA) employing near-infrared radiation (NIR) has been extensively investigated as an emerging modality for cancer management. However, the clinical translation of this promising approach is limited by the lack of PTA agents with broad NIR absorption, low cost and high photothermal conversion efficiency. Herein, we have developed PEGylated homogeneous CsxWO3 nanorods (a mean size ~69.3 nm × 12.8 nm) with broad photo-absorption (780-2500 nm) as a novel NIR absorbent for PTA treatment of human

Smartphone Medical Applications for Women’s Health: What Is the Evidence-Base and Feedback?

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Emma Derbyshire

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Smartphone medical applications have a major role to play in women’s health with their roles being very broad, ranging from improving health behaviours to undertaking personalised tests. Objective(s. Using Medline, Web of Knowledge, and the PRISMA guidelines 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs were identified, with mobile interventions being tested on 1603 females, in relation to key aspects of health. Using a similar systematic approach an iPhone database search identified 47 applications (apps developed to improve women’s health. Findings. Ten RCTs used text messaging or app interventions to support weight loss, with significant improvements being observed in eight studies. For other aspects of women’s health RCTs are needed to determine possible health benefits. iPhone store data analysis identified that a substantial number of women’s health apps did not have star ratings or feedback comments (68 and 49 per cent, resp., raising concerns about their validity. Conclusion. Peer-review systems, supporting statements of evidence, or certification standards would be beneficial in maintaining the quality and credibility of future health-focused apps. Patient groups should also ideally be involved in the development and testing of mobile medical apps.

Broad-Host-Range IncP-1 plasmids and their resistance potential

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Magdalena ePopowska

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The plasmids of the incompatibility group IncP-1, also called IncP, as extrachromosomal genetic elements can transfer and replicate virtually in all Gram-negative bacteria. They are composed of backbone genes that encode a variety of essential functions and accessory genes that have implications for human health and environmental bioremediation. Broad-host-range IncP plasmids are known to spread genes between distinct phylogenetic groups of bacteria. These genes often code for resistances to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, heavy metals and quaternary ammonium compounds used as disinfectants. The backbone of these plasmids carries modules that enable them to effectively replicate, move to a new host via conjugative transfer and to be stably maintained in bacterial cells. The adaptive, resistance and virulence genes are mainly located on mobile genetic elements integrated between the functional plasmid backbone modules. Environmental studies have demonstrated the wide distribution of IncP-like replicons in manure, soils and wastewater treatment plants. They also are present in strains of pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria, which can be a cause for concern, because they may encode multiresistance. Their broad distribution suggests that IncP plasmids play a crucial role in bacterial adaptation by utilizing horizontal gene transfer. This review summarizes the variety of genetic information and physiological functions carried by IncP plasmids, which can contribute to the spread of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance while also mediating the process of bioremediation of pollutants. Due to the location of the resistance genes on plasmids with a broad host range and the presence of transposons carrying these genes it seems that the spread of these genes would be possible and quite hazardous in infection control. Future studies are required to determine the level of risk of the spread of resistance genes located on these plasmids.

Evaluating Ethical Responsibility in Inverse Decision Support

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Ahmad M. Kabil

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Decision makers have considerable autonomy on how they make decisions and what type of support they receive. This situation places the DSS analyst in a different relationship with the client than his colleagues who support regular MIS applications. This paper addresses an ethical dilemma in “Inverse Decision Support,” when the analyst supports a decision maker who requires justification for a preconceived selection that does not correspond to the best option that resulted from the professional resolution of the problem. An extended application of the AHP model is proposed for evaluating the ethical responsibility in selecting a suboptimal alternative. The extended application is consistent with the Inverse Decision Theory that is used extensively in medical decision making. A survey of decision analysts is used to assess their perspective of using the proposed extended application. The results show that 80% of the respondents felt that the proposed extended application is useful in business practices. 14% of them expanded the usability of the extended application to academic teaching of the ethics theory. The extended application is considered more usable in a country with a higher Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (TICPI than in a country with a lower one.

Supporting context-aware mobile applications : an infrastructure approach