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A Review of Story Mapping Instruction for Secondary Students with LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Boon, Richard T.; Paal, Michael; Hintz, Anna-Maria; Cornelius-Freyre, Melissa
The purpose of this article is to provide a review on the effectiveness of story mapping to improve the reading comprehension skills of middle and high school (Grades 6-12) students with learning disabilities (LD). An extensive review of the special education research-base revealed twelve (N = 12) story mapping intervention studies that met our…
Distinct Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) Runs of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Microsatellite Markers; Implications for Use of Mixed Marker Haplotypes in LD-based Mapping
Lee, Kyung-A; Sohn, Kwang-Min; Cho, Seung-Hee; Hwang, Hyokkee; Kim, Sun Woo; Won, Hong-Hee; Kim, Hee-Jin; Kim, Min Ji; Cho, Sang Sun; Park, Jun Hee
It has been suggested that the haplotypic relationship between microsatellite markers and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is of considerable importance, as microsatellite markers can potentially be incorporated into haplotypes containing SNPs to increase marker density across a region of interest. However, SNPs and microsatellite markers have different mutation rates and durations, and it is conceivable that the linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns between the genetic markers may considerably differ. We assessed the LD patterns using 1,661 SNPs and 65 microsatellite markers along chromosome 22 and investigated whether common patterns of LD between the two genetic markers are deduced from the results. The results demonstrated that the patterns of LD among microsatellite markers varied considerably and the LD runs of SNPs and microsatellite markers showed distinct patterns. Microsatellite markers have a much higher mutation rate and the evolution of microsatellite markers is a more complex process which has distinct mutation properties from those of SNPs. We consider that these might contribute to the different LD patterns between the two genetic markers. Therefore, it would seem inadvisable to make assumptions about persistence of LD across even a relatively small genetic distance among microsatellite markers and to construct mixed marker haplotypes/LD maps employing microsatellite markers. PMID:17596648
Constructing a Genome-Wide LD Map of Wild A. gambiae Using Next-Generation Sequencing
Wang, Xiaohong; Afrane, Yaw A.; Yan, Guiyun; Li, Jun
Anopheles gambiae is the major malaria vector in Africa. Examining the molecular basis of A. gambiae traits requires knowledge of both genetic variation and genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) map of wild A. gambiae populations from malaria-endemic areas. We sequenced the genomes of nine wild A. gambiae mosquitoes individually using next-generation sequencing technologies and detected 2,219,815 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 88% of which are novel. SNPs are not evenly distributed across A. gambiae chromosomes. The low SNP-frequency regions overlay heterochromatin and chromosome inversion domains, consistent with the lower recombinant rates at these regions. Nearly one million SNPs that were genotyped correctly in all individual mosquitoes with 99.6% confidence were extracted from these high-throughput sequencing data. Based on these SNP genotypes, we constructed a genome-wide LD map for wild A. gambiae from malaria-endemic areas in Kenya and made it available through a public Website. The average size of LD blocks is less than 40 bp, and several large LD blocks were also discovered clustered around the para gene, which is consistent with the effect of insecticide selective sweeps. The SNPs and the LD map will be valuable resources for scientific communities to dissect the A. gambiae genome. PMID:26421280
Comparison study on effectiveness of pentoxifyllin with LD to prevent recurrent endometriosis
Ghahiri, Ataollah; Najafian, Aida; Ghasemi, Mojdeh; Najafian, Alireza
Background: About 75% of the symptomatic patients who involved with endometriosis have pelvic pain and dysmenorrhea. Pentoxifyllin is one of the drugs that according to its mechanism could be effective for pain relief of endometriosis which has been used for endometriosis treatment recently. Objective: We conducted a comparative study for detecting the effect of pentoxifylin (as an immonomodelator) in preventing recurrence endometriotic pain with pentoxifylin plus a combined contraceptive pill with low dose estrogen (LD) and also the LD pill alone. Materials and Methods: This was a comparative clinical trial on 83 patients with the chief complaint (CC) of pain (dysmenorrheal /or pelvic pain) and with the end diagnosis of endometriosis, in an operative laparoscopy. Patients, dividing to 3 groups, were treated with pentoxifylin, pentoxifylin+LD and LD alone for 10 months. The severity of pain (dismenorhea and/or pelvic pain) was detected by visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after the treatment. The severity of endometriosis in the patients was: I in class I and II in class II and III in class III. The groups were matched for the pain. The number of the patients in group 1, 2 and 3 were 28, 28 and 27 respectively. Results: The pain was reduced in the groups of pentoxifylin+LD (p<0.001) and LD alone (p=0.00). The pain relief was not significant in the group of pentoxifylin alone (p=0.136). After treatment, the severity of pain was not significantly different between the LD group and the LD+penthoxyfillin group, but there was difference between these two groups and the group of penthoxyfillin alone. Conclusion: This study showed that penthoxyfillin actually could not have any effect on the pain relief of endometriosis. It also made it clear that penthoxyfillin could not increase the efficacy of LD when used with this medication. PMID:25242996
Metrics for comparison of crystallographic maps
Urzhumtsev, Alexandre; Afonine, Pavel V.; Lunin, Vladimir Y.; Terwilliger, Thomas C.; Adams, Paul D.
Numerical comparison of crystallographic contour maps is used extensively in structure solution and model refinement, analysis and validation. However, traditional metrics such as the map correlation coefficient (map CC, real-space CC or RSCC) sometimes contradict the results of visual assessment of the corresponding maps. This article explains such apparent contradictions and suggests new metrics and tools to compare crystallographic contour maps. The key to the new methods is rank scaling of the Fourier syntheses. The new metrics are complementary to the usual map CC and can be more helpful in map comparison, in particular when only some of their aspects, such as regions of high density, are of interest.
Comparison of ASAT, CK, CK-MB, and LD for the estimation of acute myocardial infarct size in man.
Grande, P; Christiansen, C; Alstrup, K
The purpose of this study was to set up a simple and reliable procedure for estimating acute myocardial infarct (AMI) size by measuring serum enzymes in a few daily blood samples. Peak enzyme values and estimated infarct size from one, two, or three daily samples of aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) were compared with the extent of myocardial necrosis measured at autopsy in 22 patients who died from AMI. The correlation between the extent of the necrosis measured and peak serum enzymes from one daily blood sample was highest for CK-MB (r = 0.78) and LD (r = 0.73) compared to CK (r = 0.68) and ASAT (r = 0.67). To obtain a significant correlation, however, two patients had to be excluded from the ASAT and LD analyses. No significant improvement was obtained by more frequent blood sampling. Estimation of infarct size did not improve the correlation significantly for any enzyme, although the coefficient of correlation for CK-MB increased slightly (r = 0.83). Serum CK-MB determination provides a semiquantitative estimate of infarct size, but the other enzymes may give erroneous estimates owing to lesser cardiospecificity. PMID:6851141
Identification of putative candidate genes for red rot resistance in sugarcane (Saccharum species hybrid) using LD-based association mapping.
Singh, Ram K; Banerjee, Nandita; Khan, M S; Yadav, Sonia; Kumar, Sanjeev; Duttamajumder, S K; Lal, Ram Ji; Patel, Jinesh D; Guo, H; Zhang, Dong; Paterson, Andrew H
Red rot is a serious disease of sugarcane caused by the fungus Colletotrichum falcatum that has a colossal damage potential. The fungus, prevalent mainly in the Indian sub-continent, keeps on producing new pathogenic strains leading to breakdown of resistance in newly released varieties and hence the deployment of linked markers for marker-assisted selection for resistance to this disease can fine tune the breeding programme. This study based on a panel of 119 sugarcane genotypes fingerprinted for 944 SSR alleles was undertaken with an aim to identify marker-trait associations (MTAs) for resistance to red rot. Mixed linear model containing population structure and kinship as co-factor detected four MTAs that were able to explain 10-16 % of the trait variation, individually. Among the four MTAs, EST sequences diagnostic of three could be BLAST searched to the sorghum genome with significant sequence homology. Several genes encoding important plant defence related proteins, viz., cytochrome P450, Glycerol-3-phosphate transporter-1, MAP Kinase-4, Serine/threonine-protein kinase, Ring finger domain protein and others were localized to the vicinity of these MTAs. These positional candidate genes are worth of further investigation and possibly these could contribute directly to red rot resistance, and may find a potential application in marker-assisted sugarcane breeding. PMID:26961118
Metrics for comparison of crystallographic maps
Urzhumtsev, Alexandre; Afonine, Pavel V.; Lunin, Vladimir Y.; Terwilliger, Thomas C.; Adams, Paul D.
Numerical comparison of crystallographic contour maps is used extensively in structure solution and model refinement, analysis and validation. However, traditional metrics such as the map correlation coefficient (map CC, real-space CC or RSCC) sometimes contradict the results of visual assessment of the corresponding maps. This article explains such apparent contradictions and suggests new metrics and tools to compare crystallographic contour maps. The key to the new methods is rank scaling of the Fourier syntheses. The new metrics are complementary to the usual map CC and can be more helpful in map comparison, in particular when only some of their aspects,more » such as regions of high density, are of interest.« less
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bullock, Lyndal; And Others
The booklet, designed to accompany a videotape, explains the similarities and differences among students with learning problems, specific learning disabilities (LD), mild mental retardation, or behavioral disorders. Specific implications for special education in Illinois are outlined. The underlying problem of over-identification of LD students is…
Large-scale East-Asian eQTL mapping reveals novel candidate genes for LD mapping and the genomic landscape of transcriptional effects of sequence variants.
Narahara, Maiko; Higasa, Koichiro; Nakamura, Seiji; Tabara, Yasuharu; Kawaguchi, Takahisa; Ishii, Miho; Matsubara, Kenichi; Matsuda, Fumihiko; Yamada, Ryo
Profiles of sequence variants that influence gene transcription are very important for understanding mechanisms that affect phenotypic variation and disease susceptibility. Using genotypes at 1.4 million SNPs and a comprehensive transcriptional profile of 15,454 coding genes and 6,113 lincRNA genes obtained from peripheral blood cells of 298 Japanese individuals, we mapped expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). We identified 3,804 cis-eQTLs (within 500 kb from target genes) and 165 trans-eQTLs (>500 kb away or on different chromosomes). Cis-eQTLs were often located in transcribed or adjacent regions of genes; among these regions, 5' untranslated regions and 5' flanking regions had the largest effects. Epigenetic evidence for regulatory potential accumulated in public databases explained the magnitude of the effects of our eQTLs. Cis-eQTLs were often located near the respective target genes, if not within genes. Large effect sizes were observed with eQTLs near target genes, and effect sizes were obviously attenuated as the eQTL distance from the gene increased. Using a very stringent significance threshold, we identified 165 large-effect trans-eQTLs. We used our eQTL map to assess 8,069 disease-associated SNPs identified in 1,436 genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We identified genes that might be truly causative, but GWAS might have failed to identify for 148 out of the GWAS-identified SNPs; for example, TUFM (P = 3.3E-48) was identified for inflammatory bowel disease (early onset); ZFP90 (P = 4.4E-34) for ulcerative colitis; and IDUA (P = 2.2E-11) for Parkinson's disease. We identified four genes (P<2.0E-14) that might be related to three diseases and two hematological traits; each expression is regulated by trans-eQTLs on a different chromosome than the gene. PMID:24956270
Large-Scale East-Asian eQTL Mapping Reveals Novel Candidate Genes for LD Mapping and the Genomic Landscape of Transcriptional Effects of Sequence Variants
Narahara, Maiko; Higasa, Koichiro; Nakamura, Seiji; Tabara, Yasuharu; Kawaguchi, Takahisa; Ishii, Miho; Matsubara, Kenichi; Matsuda, Fumihiko; Yamada, Ryo
Profiles of sequence variants that influence gene transcription are very important for understanding mechanisms that affect phenotypic variation and disease susceptibility. Using genotypes at 1.4 million SNPs and a comprehensive transcriptional profile of 15,454 coding genes and 6,113 lincRNA genes obtained from peripheral blood cells of 298 Japanese individuals, we mapped expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). We identified 3,804 cis-eQTLs (within 500 kb from target genes) and 165 trans-eQTLs (>500 kb away or on different chromosomes). Cis-eQTLs were often located in transcribed or adjacent regions of genes; among these regions, 5′ untranslated regions and 5′ flanking regions had the largest effects. Epigenetic evidence for regulatory potential accumulated in public databases explained the magnitude of the effects of our eQTLs. Cis-eQTLs were often located near the respective target genes, if not within genes. Large effect sizes were observed with eQTLs near target genes, and effect sizes were obviously attenuated as the eQTL distance from the gene increased. Using a very stringent significance threshold, we identified 165 large-effect trans-eQTLs. We used our eQTL map to assess 8,069 disease-associated SNPs identified in 1,436 genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We identified genes that might be truly causative, but GWAS might have failed to identify for 148 out of the GWAS-identified SNPs; for example, TUFM (P = 3.3E-48) was identified for inflammatory bowel disease (early onset); ZFP90 (P = 4.4E-34) for ulcerative colitis; and IDUA (P = 2.2E-11) for Parkinson's disease. We identified four genes (P<2.0E-14) that might be related to three diseases and two hematological traits; each expression is regulated by trans-eQTLs on a different chromosome than the gene. PMID:24956270
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smith, Bert Kruger
The author discusses potential problems and benefits for learning disabled (LD) students in the year 2000. Considered are developments in three areas: human engineering (such as the role of amniocentesis in prevention of disabilities), education (including new audiovisual technology and a restructuring of secondary education), and human…
Wage Differentials between College Graduates with and without LD.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dickinson, David L.; Verbeek, Roelant L.
This study compared employment and wage figures for 97 college graduates previously diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) and 1,130 comparison adults. The observed lower wages for individuals with LD were found to be primarily due to differences in productivity, although the possibility that some of this differential is due to discrimination…
[Why should LD be discussed now?].
Futakami, S
The term learning disability was first used in 1962 by Kirk S A in his textbook. In Japan the term was adopted as a substitute term for MBD in the 1970s. At present many professionals, especially on education and psychology, are interested with LD. The role of child neurologist is discussed here from three viewpoint: the term and definition, LD as a brain dysfunction, and LD in the child neurology. For collaboration with education and psychology, child neurologist should know more about LD and make efforts to find the etiology and mechanism of LD. PMID:10355261
Complement binding to Leishmania donovani promastigotes (LD)
Puentes, S.M.; Bates, P.A.; Dwyer, D.M.; Joiner, K.A.
To study the binding and processing of C3 on LD, parasites in various phases of growth were incubated in human serum deficient in complement component 8 containing /sup 125/I-C3. Uptake of /sup 125/I-C3 is rapid, peaking at 1.7-2.1 x 10/sup 6/ C3 molecules bound per parasite at 15 minutes for all growth phases, and decreases thereafter with continued incubation. One half of total C3 bound is spontaneously released by 90 minutes of incubation with all LD phases and occurs at a similar rate for LD washed free of serum and incubated at 37/sup 0/ C in buffer. As assessed by SDS-PAGE autoradiography, C3 on the surface of LD is present as C3b (36 to 50%) and iC3b (50 to 65%), linked covalently via a bond resistant to hydroxylamine treatment, presumably an amide linkage. Immunoblot analysis of purified membranes from serum-incubated LD, using rabbit antibody to C3 and LD surface constituents, strongly suggests that a major C3 acceptor is the LD acid phosphatase (AP). These results, in conjunction with recent studies, suggest a previously unrecognized role of AP as a C3 acceptor and, thus, as a molecule potentially involved in parasite binding and uptake.
Comparison of genome-wide variation between Malawians and African ancestry HapMap populations.
Joubert, Bonnie R; North, Kari E; Wang, Yunfei; Mwapasa, Victor; Franceschini, Nora; Meshnick, Steven R; Lange, Ethan M
Understanding genetic variation between populations is important because it affects the portability of human genome-wide analytical methods. We compared genetic variation and substructure between Malawians and other African and non-African HapMap populations. Allele frequencies and adjacent linkage disequilibrium (LD) were measured for 617 715 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across subject genomes. Allele frequencies in the Malawian population (N=226) were highly correlated with allele frequencies in HapMap populations of African ancestry (AFA, N=376), namely Yoruban in Ibadan, Nigeria (Spearman's r(2)=0.97), Luhya in Webuye, Kenya (r(2)=0.97), African Americans in the southwest United States (r(2)=0.94) and Maasai in Kinyawa, Kenya (r(2)=0.91). This correlation was much lower between Malawians and other ancestry populations (r(2)<0.52). LD correlations between Malawians and HapMap populations were strongest for the populations of AFA (AFA r(2)>0.82, other ancestries r(2)<0.57). Principal components analyses revealed little population substructure within our Malawi sample but provided clear distinction between Malawians, AFA populations and two European populations. Five SNPs within the lactase gene (LCT) had substantially different allele frequencies between the Malawi population and Maasai in Kenyawa, Kenya (rs3769013, rs730005, rs3769012, rs2304370; P-values <1 x 10(-33)). PMID:20485449
Comparison of Mixed-Model Approaches for Association Mapping
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Association-mapping methods promise to overcome the limitations of linkage-mapping methods. The main objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate various methods for association mapping in the autogamous species wheat using an empirical data set, (ii) determine a marker-based kinship matrix using a...
Maize centromere mapping: A comparison of physical and genetic strategies
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The location of chromosome centromeres in various maize genetic maps relative to physical maps has not been consistently and clearly identified due to the paucity of markers and low recombination in the highly heterochromatic centromeric and flanking regions. Centromere positions on seven maize chro...
Accuracy, resolution, and cost comparisons between small format and mapping cameras for environmental mapping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Clegg, R. H.; Scherz, J. P.
Successful aerial photography depends on aerial cameras providing acceptable photographs within cost restrictions of the job. For topographic mapping where ultimate accuracy is required only large format mapping cameras will suffice. For mapping environmental patterns of vegetation, soils, or water pollution, 9-inch cameras often exceed accuracy and cost requirements, and small formats may be better. In choosing the best camera for environmental mapping, relative capabilities and costs must be understood. This study compares resolution, photo interpretation potential, metric accuracy, and cost of 9-inch, 70mm, and 35mm cameras for obtaining simultaneous color and color infrared photography for environmental mapping purposes.
Comparison and quantitative verification of mapping algorithms for whole genome bisulfite sequencing
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Coupling bisulfite conversion with next-generation sequencing (Bisulfite-seq) enables genome-wide measurement of DNA methylation, but poses unique challenges for mapping. However, despite a proliferation of Bisulfite-seq mapping tools, no systematic comparison of their genomic coverage and quantitat...
Mare Crisium area topography - A comparison of earth-based radar and Apollo mapping camera results
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Zisk, S.
An earth-based radar topography (ERT) map has been constructed of the Mare Crisium area. Systematic and random sources of error are discussed. A comparison between the ERT map and Lunar Topographic Orthophotomaps shows a random mean discrepancy of less than 100 m between the two maps, except for small-scale (20 km or less in diameter) features, where systematic smoothing reduces the ERT elevation contrast
DNA sequence of a gene encoding a BALB/c mouse Ld transplantation antigen.
Moore, K W; Sher, B T; Sun, Y H; Eakle, K A; Hood, L
The sequence of a gene, denoted 27.5, encoding a transplantation antigen for the BALB/c mouse has been determined. Gene transfer studies and comparison of the translated sequence with the partial amino acid sequence of the Ld transplantation antigen establish that gene 27.5 encodes an Ld polypeptide. A comparison of the gene 27.5 sequence with several complementary DNA sequences suggests that the BALB/c mouse may contain a number of closely related L-like genes. Gene 27.5 has eight exons that correlate with the structural domains of the transplantation antigen. PMID:7058332
Comparison IBEX Maps 1 and 2 - Duration: 62 seconds.
The IBEX science team compares the first and second maps to reveal whether there are time variations in the Ribbon or the more distributed emissions around the ribbon. This animation fades between ...
Uncertainties in ecosystem service maps: a comparison on the European scale.
Schulp, Catharina J E; Burkhard, Benjamin; Maes, Joachim; Van Vliet, Jasper; Verburg, Peter H
Safeguarding the benefits that ecosystems provide to society is increasingly included as a target in international policies. To support such policies, ecosystem service maps are made. However, there is little attention for the accuracy of these maps. We made a systematic review and quantitative comparison of ecosystem service maps on the European scale to generate insights in the uncertainty of ecosystem service maps and discuss the possibilities for quantitative validation. Maps of climate regulation and recreation were reasonably similar while large uncertainties among maps of erosion protection and flood regulation were observed. Pollination maps had a moderate similarity. Differences among the maps were caused by differences in indicator definition, level of process understanding, mapping aim, data sources and methodology. Absence of suitable observed data on ecosystem services provisioning hampers independent validation of the maps. Consequently, there are, so far, no accurate measures for ecosystem service map quality. Policy makers and other users need to be cautious when applying ecosystem service maps for decision-making. The results illustrate the need for better process understanding and data acquisition to advance ecosystem service mapping, modelling and validation. PMID:25337913
Uncertainties in Ecosystem Service Maps: A Comparison on the European Scale
Schulp, Catharina J. E.; Burkhard, Benjamin; Maes, Joachim; Van Vliet, Jasper; Verburg, Peter H.
Safeguarding the benefits that ecosystems provide to society is increasingly included as a target in international policies. To support such policies, ecosystem service maps are made. However, there is little attention for the accuracy of these maps. We made a systematic review and quantitative comparison of ecosystem service maps on the European scale to generate insights in the uncertainty of ecosystem service maps and discuss the possibilities for quantitative validation. Maps of climate regulation and recreation were reasonably similar while large uncertainties among maps of erosion protection and flood regulation were observed. Pollination maps had a moderate similarity. Differences among the maps were caused by differences in indicator definition, level of process understanding, mapping aim, data sources and methodology. Absence of suitable observed data on ecosystem services provisioning hampers independent validation of the maps. Consequently, there are, so far, no accurate measures for ecosystem service map quality. Policy makers and other users need to be cautious when applying ecosystem service maps for decision-making. The results illustrate the need for better process understanding and data acquisition to advance ecosystem service mapping, modelling and validation. PMID:25337913
Coronal Modeling with Flux-Evolved Maps: Comparison with Observations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Linker, J.; Downs, C.; Lionello, R.; Caplan, R. M.; Mikic, Z.; Riley, P.; Henney, C. J.; Arge, C. N.
MHD simulations of the solar corona rely on maps of the solar magnetic field for input as boundary conditions. These "synoptic" maps (available from a number of ground-based and space-based solar observatories) are built up over a solar rotation. A well-known problem with this approach is that the maps contain data that is as much as 27 days old. The Sun's magnetic flux is always evolving, and these changes in the flux affect coronal and heliospheric structure. Flux evolution models can in principle provide a more accurate specification, by estimating the likely state of the photospheric magnetic field on unobserved portions of the Sun. The Air Force Data Assimilative Photospheric flux Transport (ADAPT) model (Arge et al. 2010) is especially well suited for this purpose. ADAPT can also incorporate information from helioseismic acoustic images to estimate the emergence of new active regions on the Sun's far side. In this presentation we describe MHD models with boundary conditions derived from ADAPT maps. We investigate the June-August 2010 time period, when there was significant coronal hole evolution observed by the STEREO and SDO spacecraft. We compare model results using ADAPT maps, including those with far side data, as well as models using traditional synoptic maps, to STEREO EUVI and SDO AIA data. Research supported by AFOSR & NASA.
A comparison of contour maps derived from independent methods of measuring lunar magnetic fields
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lichtenstein, B. R.; Coleman, P. J., Jr.; Russell, C. T.
Computer-generated contour maps of strong lunar remanent magnetic fields are presented and discussed. The maps, obtained by previously described (Eliason and Soderblom, 1977) techniques, are derived from a variety of direct and indirect measurements from Apollo 15 and 16 and Explorer 35 magnetometer and electron reflection data. A common display format is used to facilitate comparison of the maps over regions of overlapping coverage. Most large scale features of either weak or strong magnetic field regions are found to correlate fairly well on all the maps considered.
Biochemical Properties and Mechanism of Action of Enterocin LD3 Purified from Enterococcus hirae LD3.
Gupta, Aabha; Tiwari, Santosh Kumar; Netrebov, Victoria; Chikindas, Michael L
Enterocin LD3 was purified using activity-guided multistep chromatography techniques such as cation-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The preparation's purity was tested using reverse-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography. The specific activity was tested to be 187.5 AU µg(-1) with 13-fold purification. Purified enterocin LD3 was heat stable up to 121 °C (at 15 psi pressure) and pH 2-6. The activity was lost in the presence of papain, reduced by proteinase K, pepsin and trypsin, but was unaffected by amylase and lipase, suggesting proteinaceous nature of the compound and no role of carbohydrate and lipid moieties in the activity. MALDI-TOF/MS analysis of purified enterocin LD3 resolved m/z 4114.6, and N-terminal amino acid sequence was found to be H2NQGGQANQ-COOH suggesting a new bacteriocin. Dissipation of membrane potential, loss of internal ATP and bactericidal effect were recorded when indicator strain Micrococcus luteus was treated with enterocin LD3. It inhibited Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including human pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, E. coli (urogenic, a clinical isolate) and Vibrio sp. These properties of purified enterocin LD3 suggest its applications as a food biopreservative and as an alternative to clinical antibiotics. PMID:27145777
The Leishmania donovani histidine acid ecto-phosphatase LdMAcP: insight into its structure and function
Papadaki, Amalia; Politou, Anastasia S.; Smirlis, Despina; Kotini, Maria P.; Kourou, Konstadina; Papamarcaki, Thomais; Boleti, Haralabia
Acid ecto-phosphatase activity has been implicated in Leishmania donovani promastigote virulence. In the present study, we report data contributing to the molecular/structural and functional characterization of the L. donovani LdMAcP (L. donovani membrane acid phosphatase), member of the histidine acid phosphatase (HAcP) family. LdMAcP is membrane-anchored and shares high sequence identity with the major secreted L. donovani acid phosphatases (LdSAcPs). Sequence comparison of the LdMAcP orthologues in Leishmania sp. revealed strain polymorphism and species specificity for the L. donovani complex, responsible for visceral leishmaniasis (Khala azar), proposing thus a potential value of LdMAcP as an epidemiological or diagnostic tool. The extracellular orientation of the LdMAcP catalytic domain was confirmed in L. donovani promastigotes, wild-type (wt) and transgenic overexpressing a recombinant LdMAcP–mRFP1 (monomeric RFP1) chimera, as well as in transiently transfected mammalian cells expressing rLdMAcP–His. For the first time it is demonstrated in the present study that LdMAcP confers tartrate resistant acid ecto-phosphatase activity in live L. donovani promastigotes. The latter confirmed the long sought molecular identity of at least one enzyme contributing to this activity. Interestingly, the L. donovani rLdMAcP–mRFP1 promastigotes generated in this study, showed significantly higher infectivity and virulence indexes than control parasites in the infection of J774 mouse macrophages highlighting thereby a role for LdMAcP in the parasite's virulence. PMID:25695743
The Leishmania donovani histidine acid ecto-phosphatase LdMAcP: insight into its structure and function.
Papadaki, Amalia; Politou, Anastasia S; Smirlis, Despina; Kotini, Maria P; Kourou, Konstadina; Papamarcaki, Thomais; Boleti, Haralabia
Acid ecto-phosphatase activity has been implicated in Leishmania donovani promastigote virulence. In the present study, we report data contributing to the molecular/structural and functional characterization of the L. donovani LdMAcP (L. donovani membrane acid phosphatase), member of the histidine acid phosphatase (HAcP) family. LdMAcP is membrane-anchored and shares high sequence identity with the major secreted L. donovani acid phosphatases (LdSAcPs). Sequence comparison of the LdMAcP orthologues in Leishmania sp. revealed strain polymorphism and species specificity for the L. donovani complex, responsible for visceral leishmaniasis (Khala azar), proposing thus a potential value of LdMAcP as an epidemiological or diagnostic tool. The extracellular orientation of the LdMAcP catalytic domain was confirmed in L. donovani promastigotes, wild-type (wt) and transgenic overexpressing a recombinant LdMAcP-mRFP1 (monomeric RFP1) chimera, as well as in transiently transfected mammalian cells expressing rLdMAcP-His. For the first time it is demonstrated in the present study that LdMAcP confers tartrate resistant acid ecto-phosphatase activity in live L. donovani promastigotes. The latter confirmed the long sought molecular identity of at least one enzyme contributing to this activity. Interestingly, the L. donovani rLdMAcP-mRFP1 promastigotes generated in this study, showed significantly higher infectivity and virulence indexes than control parasites in the infection of J774 mouse macrophages highlighting thereby a role for LdMAcP in the parasite's virulence. PMID:25695743
Maps as Representations: Expert Novice Comparison of Projection Understanding.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Anderson, Kathleen C.; Leinhardt, Gaea
Examined how varying levels of geographic expertise facilitated reasoning with maps as representations of the earth's surface. Found that geography experts performed significantly better than novices and preservice teachers, and experts' performance was differentiated by the reasoning in which they engaged. Explored implications for understanding…
Understanding Metaphorical Expressions: Conventionality, Mappings, and Comparison Processes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lai, Vicky Tzuyin
Metaphorical expressions appear once every twenty words in everyday language, and play a central role in communication. Some cognitive linguistic theories propose that understanding metaphorical expressions requires mappings from one conceptual domain to the other. My research uses Event-Related Potentials to examine the processing, the…
Comparison of mapping approaches of design annual maximum daily precipitation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Szolgay, J.; Parajka, J.; Kohnová, S.; Hlavčová, K.
In this study 2-year and 100-year annual maximum daily precipitation for rainfall-runoff studies and estimating flood hazard were mapped. The daily precipitation measurements at 23 climate stations from 1961-2000 were used in the upper Hron basin in central Slovakia. The choice of data preprocessing and interpolation methods was guided by their practical applicability and acceptance in the engineering hydrologic community. The main objective was to discuss the quality and properties of maps of design precipitation with a given return period with respect to the expectations of the end user. Four approaches to the preprocessing of annual maximum 24-hour precipitation data were used, and three interpolation methods employed. The first approach is the direct mapping of at-site estimates of distribution function quantiles; the second is the direct mapping of local estimates of the three parameters of the GEV distribution. In the third, the daily precipitation totals were interpolated into a regular grid network, and then the time series of the maximum daily precipitation totals in each grid point of the selected region were statistically analysed. In the fourth, the spatial distribution of the design precipitation was modeled by quantiles predicted by regional precipitation frequency analysis using the Hosking and Wallis procedure. The three interpolation methods used were the inverse distance weighting, nearest neighbor and the kriging method. Visual inspection and jackknife cross-validation were used to compare the combination of approaches.
Syntactic Complexity in Written Expression of LD College Writers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vogel, Susan A.
Thirty-three college students in a Learning Disabilities (LD) program were compared with thirty-three non-LD peers in syntactic complexity of their writing. LD Ss did not differ significantly on the Syntactic Density Scoring (SDS) procedure for the corrected SDS (CSDS) score, but they did differ on two variables thought to be more sensitive…
Morphological mapping of Martian outflow channels. [to facilitate terrestrial landform comparisons
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Baker, V. R.; Kochel, R. C.
Geomorphic mapping of selected portions of Martian outflow channels was performed in order to facilitate comparisons to terrestrial landforms. We interpret the maps to illustrate a correspondence between Martian channel features and terrestrial landforms developed by catastrophic flood erosion in the Channeled Scabland. The following features all occur in remarkably similar arrangements on the flood-channel floors of both planets: streamlined uplands, longitudinal grooves, scour marks, inner channel cataracts, etched zones, and possible pendant bars.
Comparison of biometrical models for joint linkage association mapping
Würschum, T; Liu, W; Gowda, M; Maurer, H P; Fischer, S; Schechert, A; Reif, J C
Joint linkage association mapping (JLAM) combines the advantages of linkage mapping and association mapping, and is a powerful tool to dissect the genetic architecture of complex traits. The main goal of this study was to use a cross-validation strategy, resample model averaging and empirical data analyses to compare seven different biometrical models for JLAM with regard to the correction for population structure and the quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection power. Three linear models and four linear mixed models with different approaches to control for population stratification were evaluated. Models A, B and C were linear models with either cofactors (Model-A), or cofactors and a population effect (Model-B), or a model in which the cofactors and the single-nucleotide polymorphism effect were modeled as nested within population (Model-C). The mixed models, D, E, F and G, included a random population effect (Model-D), or a random population effect with defined variance structure (Model-E), a kinship matrix defining the degree of relatedness among the genotypes (Model-F), or a kinship matrix and principal coordinates (Model-G). The tested models were conceptually different and were also found to differ in terms of power to detect QTL. Model-B with the cofactors and a population effect, effectively controlled population structure and possessed a high predictive power. The varying allele substitution effects in different populations suggest as a promising strategy for JLAM to use Model-B for the detection of QTL and then to estimate their effects by applying Model-C. PMID:21878984
Maps of averaged spectral deviations from soil lines and their comparison with traditional soil maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rukhovich, D. I.; Rukhovich, A. D.; Rukhovich, D. D.; Simakova, M. S.; Kulyanitsa, A. L.; Bryzzhev, A. V.; Koroleva, P. V.
The analysis of 34 cloudless fragments of Landsat 5, 7, and 8 images (1985-2014) on the territory of Plavsk, Arsen'evsk, and Chern districts of Tula oblast has been performed. It is shown that bare soil surface on the RED-NIR plots derived from the images cannot be described in the form of a sector of spectral plane as it can be done for the NDVI values. The notion of spectral neighborhood of soil line (SNSL) is suggested. It is defined as the sum of points of the RED-NIR spectral space, which are characterized by spectral characteristics of the bare soil applied for constructing soil lines. The way of the SNSL separation along the line of the lowest concentration density of points on the RED-NIR spectral space is suggested. This line separates bare soil surface from vegetating plants. The SNSL has been applied to construct soil line (SL) for each of the 34 images and to delineate bare soil surface on them. Distances from the points with averaged RED-NIR coordinates to the SL have been calculated using the method of moving window. These distances can be referred to as averaged spectral deviations (ASDs). The calculations have been performed strictly for the SNSL areas. As a result, 34 maps of ASDs have been created. These maps contain ASD values for 6036 points of a grid used in the study. Then, the integral map of normalized ASD values has been built with due account for the number of points participating in the calculation (i.e., lying in the SNSL) within the moving window. The integral map of ASD values has been compared with four traditional soil maps on the studied territory. It is shown that this integral map can be interpreted in terms of soil taxa: the areas of seven soil subtypes (soddy moderately podzolic, soddy slightly podzolic, light gray forest. gray forest, dark gray forest, podzolized chernozems, and leached chernozems) belonging to three soil types (soddy-podzolic, gray forest, and chernozemic soils) can be delineated on it.
A Comparison of Association Methods for Cytotoxicity Mapping in Pharmacogenomics
Brown, Chad; Havener, Tammy M.; Everitt, Lorraine; McLeod, Howard; Motsinger-Reif, Alison A.
Cytotoxicity assays of immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) represent a promising new in vitro approach in pharmacogenomics research. However, previous studies employing LCLs in gene mapping have used simple association methods, which may not adequately capture the true differences in non-linear response profiles between genotypes. Two common approaches summarize each dose-response curve with either the IC50 or the slope parameter estimates from a hill slope fit and treat these estimates as the response in a linear model. The current study investigates these two methods, as well as four novel methods, and compares their power to detect differences between the response profiles of genotypes under a variety of different alternatives. The four novel methods include two methods that summarize each dose-response by its area under the curve, one method based off of an analysis of variance (ANOVA) design, and one method that compares hill slope fits for all individuals of each genotype. The power of each method was found to depend not only on the choice of alternative, but also on the choice for the set of dosages used in cytotoxicity measurements. The ANOVA-based method was found to be the most robust across alternatives and dosage sets for power in detecting differences between genotypes. PMID:22303380
Quantitative comparison of genome-wide DNA methylation mapping technologies.
Bock, Christoph; Tomazou, Eleni M; Brinkman, Arie B; Müller, Fabian; Simmer, Femke; Gu, Hongcang; Jäger, Natalie; Gnirke, Andreas; Stunnenberg, Hendrik G; Meissner, Alexander
DNA methylation plays a key role in regulating eukaryotic gene expression. Although mitotically heritable and stable over time, patterns of DNA methylation frequently change in response to cell differentiation, disease and environmental influences. Several methods have been developed to map DNA methylation on a genomic scale. Here, we benchmark four of these approaches by analyzing two human embryonic stem cell lines derived from genetically unrelated embryos and a matched pair of colon tumor and adjacent normal colon tissue obtained from the same donor. Our analysis reveals that methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeDIP-seq), methylated DNA capture by affinity purification (MethylCap-seq), reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) and the Infinium HumanMethylation27 assay all produce accurate DNA methylation data. However, these methods differ in their ability to detect differentially methylated regions between pairs of samples. We highlight strengths and weaknesses of the four methods and give practical recommendations for the design of epigenomic case-control studies. PMID:20852634
Comparison of some isoparametric mappings for curved triangular spectral elements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pasquetti, Richard
Using the spectral element method (SEM), or more generally hp-finite elements (hp-FEM), it is possible to solve with high accuracy various kinds of problems governed by partial differential equations (PDEs), see e.g. [1,2]. However, as soon as the physical domain is not polygonal, the accuracy quickly deteriorates if curved elements are not implemented. This is the reason why various methods have been developed during the last decades, starting from the celebrated transfinite interpolation proposed for quadrangular elements in [3]. In this note we revisit this problem for triangular elements, based on the use of Fekete points for interpolations and of Gauss points for quadratures, i.e. when using the so-called Fekete-Gauss approximation. As detailed in [4], such an approach shows the so-called spectral accuracy. However, differently to the quadrangles based SEM, it does not involve diagonal mass matrices, see e.g. [5-7] and references herein for works trying to preserve this nice property that is especially useful when addressing evolution problems with an explicit time marching. In the frame of the Fekete-Gauss TSEM (T, for triangle), the present study clearly points out the importance of a good choice of the bending procedure by comparing different isoparametric mappings for the Poisson and Grad-Shafranov PDEs.
Generative Topographic Mapping (GTM): Universal Tool for Data Visualization, Structure-Activity Modeling and Dataset Comparison.
Kireeva, N; Baskin, I I; Gaspar, H A; Horvath, D; Marcou, G; Varnek, A
Here, the utility of Generative Topographic Maps (GTM) for data visualization, structure-activity modeling and database comparison is evaluated, on hand of subsets of the Database of Useful Decoys (DUD). Unlike other popular dimensionality reduction approaches like Principal Component Analysis, Sammon Mapping or Self-Organizing Maps, the great advantage of GTMs is providing data probability distribution functions (PDF), both in the high-dimensional space defined by molecular descriptors and in 2D latent space. PDFs for the molecules of different activity classes were successfully used to build classification models in the framework of the Bayesian approach. Because PDFs are represented by a mixture of Gaussian functions, the Bhattacharyya kernel has been proposed as a measure of the overlap of datasets, which leads to an elegant method of global comparison of chemical libraries. PMID:27477099
ERP evidence for conceptual mappings and comparison processes during the comprehension of conventional and novel metaphors.
Lai, Vicky Tzuyin; Curran, Tim
Cognitive linguists suggest that understanding metaphors requires activation of conceptual mappings between the involved concepts. We tested whether mappings are indeed in use during metaphor comprehension, and what mapping means as a cognitive process with Event-Related Potentials. Participants read literal, conventional metaphorical, novel metaphorical, and anomalous target sentences preceded by primes with related or unrelated mappings. Experiment 1 used sentence-primes to activate related mappings, and Experiment 2 used simile-primes to induce comparison thinking. In the unprimed conditions of both experiments, metaphors elicited N400s more negative than the literals. In Experiment 1, related sentence-primes reduced the metaphor-literal N400 difference in conventional, but not in novel metaphors. In Experiment 2, related simile-primes reduced the metaphor-literal N400 difference in novel, but not clearly in conventional metaphors. We suggest that mapping as a process occurs in metaphors, and the ways in which it can be facilitated by comparison differ between conventional and novel metaphors. PMID:24182839
Plantaricin LD1: a bacteriocin produced by food isolate of Lactobacillus plantarum LD1.
Gupta, Aabha; Tiwari, Santosh Kumar
Plantaricin LD1, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum LD1, was characterized for biochemical and antimicrobial properties. Bacteriocin showed stability at high temperatures (100 °C for 20 min and 121 °C for 15 min under 15 psi pressure), in a pH range of 2.0-8.0 and also in the presence of organic solvents, surfactants and detergents. The crude preparation was not affected by catalase, amylase and lipase but activity was reduced in the presence of pepsin, trypsin and proteinase K showing proteinaceous nature of the compound. The molecular weight of bacteriocin was found to be ∼6.5 kDa, and antimicrobial activity was confirmed by bioassay. It inhibited not only related strains but also other Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as Lactobacillus curvatus NRRL B-4562, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis NRRL B-1821, Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354, Enterobacter cloacae NRRL B-14298, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, urogenic Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri and Vibrio sp. These properties of plantaricin LD1 suggest its applications not only in food safety but in therapeutics as well. PMID:24522411
Space Borne Swath Mapping Laser Altimeters - Comparison of Measurement Approaches
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sun, X.; Abshire, J. B.; Harding, D. J.
Laser altimetry is an important technique for studying the surface topography of the planets and the Earth from orbit. Presently orbital laser altimeters profile surface height along a single ground track, such as the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) on Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). NASA is developing new technologies for an orbiting swath mapping laser altimeter with faster pulse rate and smaller footprint size to provide an instantaneous 3-dimentional measurement of the of icesheets, land topography and vegetation structure. The goal is to provide a greater than 200 m wide swath with 5 to 10 m diameter laser footprint from a 400 km altitude orbit. To achieve these goals, we have to use more efficient laser transmitters and more sensitive detectors to allow simultaneous multi-channel measurement with a reasonable instrument size and electrical power requirement. The measurement efficiency in terms of electrical energy needed per laser ranging measurement needs to be improved by more than an order of magnitude. Several different approaches were considered, including the use of fiber lasers, shorter laser pulse widths, lower noise analog detectors and photon counting detectors. The receiver sensitivity was further improved by averaging the results from a number of laser pulse measurements. Different laser pulse modulation formats, such as the pseudo random noise code modulation used in the Global Position System (GPS), were investigated to give more flexibility in laser selection and to further improve the ranging performance. We have analyzed and compared measurement performance for several different approaches using the receiver models that was validated with GLAS in orbit measurement data. We compared measurement performance with the traditional high-power low-pulse-rate laser transmitters to those with low-energy high-pulse-rate laser transmitters. For this work we considered laser characteristics representative of Microchip lasers
Coastal and submarine features on MSS imagery of Southeastern Massachusetts: Comparison with conventional maps
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Williams, R. S., Jr.
Three ERTS-1, MSS images of southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod Bay, Cape Cod, and Nantucket Sound, show a variety of dynamic geologic and hydrologic phenomena. Coastal features imaged include the coastline at different time in the tidal cycle, harbors, lakes and ponds, marshes (wetlands), and beach and dune areas; submarine features include tidal flats, shoals, dredged and natural channels, and bars. Comparison with conventional maps at 1:1,000,000 and 1:250,000 scales show many inaccuracies between the ERTS imagery and the two map scales. The ERTS-1 imagery can be used to increase the accuracy of these maps, portray additional environmental information, and provide the capability for frequent updating of maps at such scales. ERTS-1 imagery provides a very cost effective method for provision of certain types of environmental data for Cape Cod and environs.
Integration Options For The OSI LD1200
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Edwards, Louis G.
Optical drives have unique characteristics that lend themselves to applications that previously were difficult or impossible to satisfy. Obvious examples are: a. Removable storage of huge volumes of data - Transportability - Jukebox use - Security b. Write once - Audit trails that cannot be erased c. Long lasting archives - Do not need to be rewritten every few years - Not vulnerable to magnetic fields - Randomly accessible This paper identifies some features and algorithms that provide high efficiency in achieving the benefits listed above. These features are used in some of the subsystems in which the OSI LD1200 is integrated. Gaining the benefits of optical disks by integrating them into an existing computer system was hampered because existing software drivers were designed for magnetic disk drives. Existing drivers assume the ability to update a file--including the directory--by rewriting in the same sector. The requirement for new and/or modified host adapters and software drivers has provided opportunities for existing adapter houses as well as for new entrepreneurs. This has led to subsystems in which different characteristics of optical drives are emphasized and has resulted in a wide variety of capabilities available for use in applications.
Comparison of universal kriging and regression tree modelling for soil property mapping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kempen, Bas
Geostatistical modelling approaches have been dominating the field of digital soil mapping (DSM) since its inception in the early 1980s. In recent years, however, machine learning methods such as classification and regression trees, random forests, and neural networks have quickly gained popularity among researchers in the DSM community. The increased use of these methods has largely gone at the cost of geostatistical approaches. Despite the apparent shift in the application of DSM methods from geostatistics to machine learning, quantitative comparisons of the prediction performance of these methods are largely lacking. The aims of this research, therefore, are: i) to map two soil properties (topsoil organic matter content and thickness of the peat layer in the soil profile) using regression tree (RT) modelling and universal kriging (UK), and ii) to compare the prediction performance of these methods with independent data obtained by probability sampling. Using such data for validation does not only yield a statistically valid and unbiased estimates of the map accuracy, but it also allows a statistical comparison of the accuracies of the maps generated by the two methods. The topsoil organic matter content and the thickness of the peat layer were mapped for a 14,000 ha area in the province of Drenthe, The Netherlands. The calibration dataset contained soil property observations at 1,715 sites. The covariates used include layers derived from soil and paleogeography maps, land cover, relative elevation, drainage class, land reclamation period, elevation change, and historic land use. The validation dataset contained 125 observations selected by stratified simple random sampling of the study area. The root mean squared error (RMSE) of the soil organic matter map obtained by RT modelling was 0.603 log(%), that of the map obtained by UK 0.595 log(%). The difference in map accuracy was not significant (p = 0.377). The RMSE of the peat thickness map obtained by RT
Mapping biomass with remote sensing: a comparison of methods for the case study of Uganda
Background Assessing biomass is gaining increasing interest mainly for bioenergy, climate change research and mitigation activities, such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). In response to these needs, a number of biomass/carbon maps have been recently produced using different approaches but the lack of comparable reference data limits their proper validation. The objectives of this study are to compare the available maps for Uganda and to understand the sources of variability in the estimation. Uganda was chosen as a case-study because it presents a reliable national biomass reference dataset. Results The comparison of the biomass/carbon maps show strong disagreement between the products, with estimates of total aboveground biomass of Uganda ranging from 343 to 2201 Tg and different spatial distribution patterns. Compared to the reference map based on country-specific field data and a national Land Cover (LC) dataset (estimating 468 Tg), maps based on biome-average biomass values, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) default values, and global LC datasets tend to strongly overestimate biomass availability of Uganda (ranging from 578 to 2201 Tg), while maps based on satellite data and regression models provide conservative estimates (ranging from 343 to 443 Tg). The comparison of the maps predictions with field data, upscaled to map resolution using LC data, is in accordance with the above findings. This study also demonstrates that the biomass estimates are primarily driven by the biomass reference data while the type of spatial maps used for their stratification has a smaller, but not negligible, impact. The differences in format, resolution and biomass definition used by the maps, as well as the fact that some datasets are not independent from the reference data to which they
Explanatory Style and College Students with ADHD and LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shmulsky, Solvegi; Gobbo, Ken
Objective: This study uses the Attribution Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to measure the causal thinking of 42 college students with diagnosed language-based learning disabilities (LD), ADHD, or co-occurring ADHD and LD. Attribution style, or explanatory style, is a term used to describe the tendencies of individuals to think that the causes of…
7 CFR 1737.32 - Loan Design (LD).
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.32 Loan Design (LD). (a) A loan application requires... plan, see 7 CFR part 1751, subpart B). (b) Because of the importance and complexity of the engineering... to perform both services. See 7 CFR 1753.17. (c) An LD for initial loans or for any exchange...
[Acute toxicity testing (LD50) of Chinese mineral drugs].
Yue, W; Liu, W H; Wang, L F; Fu, S X; Li, Y S; Kong, Z K; Tang, Z X; Chen, Z L
Acute toxicity and LD50 of 62 mineral drugs were determined by ig, ip or iv in mice, in order to provide some guidelines for safety in clinical use, as well as for pharmacological and toxicological studies. In the present investigation, the difference in the acute toxicity and LD50 between raw drugs and medicines prepared by roasting is explained. PMID:2506896
Social Information Processing and Emotional Understanding in Children with LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bauminger, Nirit; Edelsztein, Hany Schorr; Morash, Janice
The present study aimed to comprehensively examine social cognition processes in children with and without learning disabilities (LD), focusing on social information processing (SIP) and complex emotional understanding capabilities such as understanding complex, mixed, and hidden emotions. Participants were 50 children with LD (age range 9.4-12.7;…
Common Core State Standards, Writing, and Students with LD: Recommendations
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Graham, Steve; Harris, Karen R.
This article examines the Common Core State Standards as they apply to writing and students with learning disabilities (LD). We first consider why the implementation of these standards is advantageous to writing instruction for students with LD as well as the challenges in implementing them. Next, we make the following four recommendations in…
One method to uniformize LD Gaussian beam
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Xu
The uniformization of Gaussian beam intensity is necessary in many applications. In active night-vision, monitoring targets especially requires this. IR semiconductor laser is widely used in the area because of its low power-consumption and small size. But the effects of the product are restrained due to system output Gaussian beam of ununiform intensity. The essay discusses a former system design and then gives an improved experimental scheme with some exciting results. The previous structure was as follows. High power SQW-LD beam was coupled to a plastic optical fiber (POF) directly, and then output through a lens. With its angle varied, targets ranged from 60 to 100 meters can be monitored. But unfortunately there were interference speckles folded on the target. An experimental system based on the thoughts of fiber transmission and complex filter was designed to improve the distribution of Gaussian beam intensity, with the result that the relatively well-distributed beam was got. Laser wavefront propagated through a very small pinhole whose diameter was 20 micrometers or so. The pinhole acted as an amplitude filter. Then the beam was coupled directly into a multi-mode quartz fiber whose core/cladding layer diameter parameter was 50/125micrometers . It conveyed laser beam about 200 mm. At the end of the fiber, several phase plates stood. Laser beam transmitted through the fiber was then phase-filtered and at last beam-expanded by a lens to illuminate the target. The more plates you used, the more uniform the illuminated picture was on condition the beam intensity was so strong that the CCD device could respond to.
Comparison of three methods for materials identification and mapping with imaging spectroscopy
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Clark, Roger N.; Swayze, Gregg; Boardman, Joe; Kruse, Fred
We are comparing three methods of mapping analysis tools for imaging spectroscopy data. The purpose of this comparison is to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each algorithm so others would be better able to choose the best algorithm or combinations of algorithms for a particular problem. The three algorithms are: (1) the spectralfeature modified least squares mapping algorithm of Clark et al (1990, 1991): programs mbandmap and tricorder; (2) the Spectral Angle Mapper Algorithm(Boardman, 1993) found in the CU CSES SIPS package; and (3) the Expert System of Kruse et al. (1993). The comparison uses a ground-calibrated 1990 AVIRIS scene of 400 by 410 pixels over Cuprite, Nevada. Along with the test data set is a spectral library of 38 minerals. Each algorithm is tested with the same AVIRIS data set and spectral library. Field work has confirmed the presence of many of these minerals in the AVIRIS scene (Swayze et al. 1992).
Comparison of event-based landslide inventory maps obtained interpreting satellite images and aerial photographs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fiorucci, Federica; Cardinali, Mauro; Carlà Roberto; Mondini, Alessandro; Santurri, Leonardo; Guzzetti, Fausto
high-resolution satellite. The comparison was executed considering: (i) descriptive landslide statistics, (ii) cartographic matching or mismatching, to quantify positional and dimensional errors (over-estimated or under-estimated landslide size), and (iii) differences in the frequency-area statistics, that quantify the number of landslides in different size classes. We discuss the results obtained in view of their importance for the production of landslide inventory maps. We emphasize advantages and limitations of the different information used, and of the adopted approaches and techniques.
Comparison between the recent U.S. composite magnetic anomaly map and Magsat anomaly data
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schnetzler, C. C.; Taylor, P. T.; Langel, R. A.; Hinze, W. J.; Phillips, J. D.
The present investigation is concerned with a comparison of Magsat data with a Composite Magnetic Anomaly Map (CMAM) of the conterminous U.S. reported by Zietz (1982). The investigation was initiated to test the validity of the satellite measurements, and to provide insights into error or problems in either data set. It is found that upward continuation of the digital CMAM data is not in qualitative agreement with the Magsat map. However, if a least squares fit polynomial surface is taken out prior to upward continuation, there is improved quantitative agreement between a residual CMAM and Magsat. Causes for the remaining differences between the residual, upward continued CMAM and the Magsat map are also considered.
Comparison and quantitative verification of mapping algorithms for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing.
Kunde-Ramamoorthy, Govindarajan; Coarfa, Cristian; Laritsky, Eleonora; Kessler, Noah J; Harris, R Alan; Xu, Mingchu; Chen, Rui; Shen, Lanlan; Milosavljevic, Aleksandar; Waterland, Robert A
Coupling bisulfite conversion with next-generation sequencing (Bisulfite-seq) enables genome-wide measurement of DNA methylation, but poses unique challenges for mapping. However, despite a proliferation of Bisulfite-seq mapping tools, no systematic comparison of their genomic coverage and quantitative accuracy has been reported. We sequenced bisulfite-converted DNA from two tissues from each of two healthy human adults and systematically compared five widely used Bisulfite-seq mapping algorithms: Bismark, BSMAP, Pash, BatMeth and BS Seeker. We evaluated their computational speed and genomic coverage and verified their percentage methylation estimates. With the exception of BatMeth, all mappers covered >70% of CpG sites genome-wide and yielded highly concordant estimates of percentage methylation (r(2) ≥ 0.95). Fourfold variation in mapping time was found between BSMAP (fastest) and Pash (slowest). In each library, 8-12% of genomic regions covered by Bismark and Pash were not covered by BSMAP. An experiment using simulated reads confirmed that Pash has an exceptional ability to uniquely map reads in genomic regions of structural variation. Independent verification by bisulfite pyrosequencing generally confirmed the percentage methylation estimates by the mappers. Of these algorithms, Bismark provides an attractive combination of processing speed, genomic coverage and quantitative accuracy, whereas Pash offers considerably higher genomic coverage. PMID:24391148
Comparison and quantitative verification of mapping algorithms for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing
Kunde-Ramamoorthy, Govindarajan; Coarfa, Cristian; Laritsky, Eleonora; Kessler, Noah J.; Harris, R. Alan; Xu, Mingchu; Chen, Rui; Shen, Lanlan; Milosavljevic, Aleksandar; Waterland, Robert A.
Coupling bisulfite conversion with next-generation sequencing (Bisulfite-seq) enables genome-wide measurement of DNA methylation, but poses unique challenges for mapping. However, despite a proliferation of Bisulfite-seq mapping tools, no systematic comparison of their genomic coverage and quantitative accuracy has been reported. We sequenced bisulfite-converted DNA from two tissues from each of two healthy human adults and systematically compared five widely used Bisulfite-seq mapping algorithms: Bismark, BSMAP, Pash, BatMeth and BS Seeker. We evaluated their computational speed and genomic coverage and verified their percentage methylation estimates. With the exception of BatMeth, all mappers covered >70% of CpG sites genome-wide and yielded highly concordant estimates of percentage methylation (r2 ≥ 0.95). Fourfold variation in mapping time was found between BSMAP (fastest) and Pash (slowest). In each library, 8–12% of genomic regions covered by Bismark and Pash were not covered by BSMAP. An experiment using simulated reads confirmed that Pash has an exceptional ability to uniquely map reads in genomic regions of structural variation. Independent verification by bisulfite pyrosequencing generally confirmed the percentage methylation estimates by the mappers. Of these algorithms, Bismark provides an attractive combination of processing speed, genomic coverage and quantitative accuracy, whereas Pash offers considerably higher genomic coverage. PMID:24391148
A Comparison of Spatial Analysis Methods for the Construction of Topographic Maps of Retinal Cell Density
Garza-Gisholt, Eduardo; Hemmi, Jan M.; Hart, Nathan S.; Collin, Shaun P.
Topographic maps that illustrate variations in the density of different neuronal sub-types across the retina are valuable tools for understanding the adaptive significance of retinal specialisations in different species of vertebrates. To date, such maps have been created from raw count data that have been subjected to only limited analysis (linear interpolation) and, in many cases, have been presented as iso-density contour maps with contour lines that have been smoothed 'by eye'. With the use of stereological approach to count neuronal distribution, a more rigorous approach to analysing the count data is warranted and potentially provides a more accurate representation of the neuron distribution pattern. Moreover, a formal spatial analysis of retinal topography permits a more robust comparison of topographic maps within and between species. In this paper, we present a new R-script for analysing the topography of retinal neurons and compare methods of interpolating and smoothing count data for the construction of topographic maps. We compare four methods for spatial analysis of cell count data: Akima interpolation, thin plate spline interpolation, thin plate spline smoothing and Gaussian kernel smoothing. The use of interpolation 'respects' the observed data and simply calculates the intermediate values required to create iso-density contour maps. Interpolation preserves more of the data but, consequently includes outliers, sampling errors and/or other experimental artefacts. In contrast, smoothing the data reduces the 'noise' caused by artefacts and permits a clearer representation of the dominant, 'real' distribution. This is particularly useful where cell density gradients are shallow and small variations in local density may dramatically influence the perceived spatial pattern of neuronal topography. The thin plate spline and the Gaussian kernel methods both produce similar retinal topography maps but the smoothing parameters used may affect
Description and comparison of geologic maps with FRAGSTATS - A spatial statistics program
Raines, G.L.
FRAGSTATS is a public-domain GIS implementation of a set of spatial statistics that address a fundamental problem in GIS applications, description and comparison of maps. The spatial statistics from the 1:2,500,000-scale United States geologic map of Nevada, the central United States, and the northeastern United States quantify the differences in complexity and variability between these three geologic terranes. Nevada is defined by a large number of patches of small size and low size variability, whereas the Central area has a small number of patches with smaller relative size variability. All three areas have similar map-unit shape complexity with Nevada having the lowest. Based on the density of edges, the areas can be ranked from highest to lowest, as Nevada, Central, and Northeast. The Shannon diversity index ranks the areas from highest to lowest, as Northeast, Nevada, and Central, but the Shannon evenness index ranks them from highest to lowest, as Northeast, Central, and Nevada. These rankings may reflect the influence of folding in the Northeast and Central areas as opposed to basin and range extension in Nevada. The core areas statistic ranks the areas for spatial accuracy from highest to lowest, as Central, Northeast, and Nevada, with Northeast and Nevada being similar. For a scale comparison, the FRAGSTATS statistics quantify the increased complexity and spatial accuracy that is inherent in going from small- to larger-scale maps. For example for 1:2,500,000-1:500,000-scale maps of Nevada, respectively, the area weighted fractal dimension increase from 1.1 to 1.18, and the total core areas index almost doubles from 39.09 to 63.38. In addition, the fractal dimensions discriminate gross lithology and tectonic terranes. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kinney, Douglas M.; McIntosh, Willard L.
The area of geological mapping in the United States in 1978 increased greatly over that reported in 1977; state geological maps were added for California, Idaho, Nevada, and Alaska last year. (Author/BB)
Validating Flood Mapping Products Using a Digital Elevation Model Comparison Technique
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fayne, J.
This preliminary study assessed the validity of a pixel analysis elevation comparison technique and determined necessary steps for improvement. The pixel analysis sought to assess the probability of a flood occurring in a particular area by comparing the spatial extent of flood mapping products to the local elevation. The method was developed to determine if the physical relationship between elevation and floods as shown in satellite images is accurately represented in a flood mapping product. The data incorporated in this study are raster digital elevation model (DEM) tiles, a scene from Landsat 5 during a flood period, and a scene from the NASA DEVELOP Flood Disasters Team Flood Product. Pixels representing flooded areas were compared to the elevation height pixels using horizontal transect lines to create pixel value profiles across a 727 km transect of Vietnam and Cambodia. The elevation model comparison validates the Flood Product by depicting water presence in alignment with areas of low elevation. Initial findings indicate that the technique can be used to improve the assessment of flood mapping products in transects less than 10 km. Future research will focus on streamlining the pixel analysis process to yield comprehensive results for larger areas.
a Comparison of Sub-Pixel Mapping Methods for Coastal Areas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Qingxiang; Trinder, John; Turner, Ian
This paper presents the comparisons of three soft classification methods and three sub-pixel mapping methods for the classification of coastal areas at sub-pixel level. Specifically, SPOT-7 multispectral images covering the coastal area of Perth are selected as the experiment dataset. For the soft classification, linear spectral unmixing model, supervised fully-fuzzy classification method and the support vector machine are applied to generate the fraction map. Then for the sub-pixel mapping, the sub-pixel/pixel attraction model, pixel swapping and wavelets method are compared. Besides, the influence of the correct fraction constraint is explored. Moreover, a post-processing step is implemented according to the known spatial knowledge of coastal areas. The accuracy assessment of the fraction values indicates that support vector machine generates the most accurate fraction result. For sub-pixel mapping, wavelets method outperforms the other two methods with overall classification accuracy of 91.79% and Kappa coefficient of 0.875 after the post-processing step and it also performs best for waterline extraction with mean distance of 0.71m to the reference waterline. In this experiment, the use of correct fraction constraint decreases the classification accuracy of sub-pixel mapping methods and waterline extraction. Finally, the post-processing step improves the accuracy of sub-pixel mapping methods, especially for those with correct coefficient constraint. The most significant improvement of overall accuracy is as much as 4% for the sub-pixel/pixel attraction model with correct coefficient constraint.
High resolution sub-millimetre mapping of starburst galaxies: Comparison with CO emission
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Smith, P. A.; Brand, P. W. J. L.; Puxley, Phil J.; Mountain, C. M.; Nakai, Naomasa
Researchers present first results from a program of submillimeter continuum mapping of starburst galaxies, and comparison of their dust and CO emission. This project was prompted by surprising results from the first target, the nearby starburst M82, which shows in the dust continuum a morphology quite unlike that of its CO emission, in contrast to what might be expected if both CO and dust are accurately tracing the molecular hydrogen. Possible explanations for this striking difference are discussed. In the light of these results, the program has been extended to include sub-mm mapping of the nearby, vigorously star forming spirals, M83 and Maffei 2. The latter were also observed extensively in CO, in order to study excitation conditions in its central regions. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope was used in these studies.
Comparison of CT-derived Ventilation Maps with Deposition Patterns of Inhaled Microspheres in Rats
Jacob, Rick E.; Lamm, W. J.; Einstein, Daniel R.; Krueger, Melissa; Glenny, Robb W.; Corley, Richard A.
Purpose: Computer models for inhalation toxicology and drug-aerosol delivery studies rely on ventilation pattern inputs for predictions of particle deposition and vapor uptake. However, changes in lung mechanics due to disease can impact airflow dynamics and model results. It has been demonstrated that non-invasive, in vivo, 4DCT imaging (3D imaging at multiple time points in the breathing cycle) can be used to map heterogeneities in ventilation patterns under healthy and disease conditions. The purpose of this study was to validate ventilation patterns measured from CT imaging by exposing the same rats to an aerosol of fluorescent microspheres (FMS) and examining particle deposition patterns using cryomicrotome imaging. Materials and Methods: Six male Sprague-Dawley rats were intratracheally instilled with elastase to a single lobe to induce a heterogeneous disease. After four weeks, rats were imaged over the breathing cycle by CT then immediately exposed to an aerosol of ~1µm FMS for ~5 minutes. After the exposure, the lungs were excised and prepared for cryomicrotome imaging, where a 3D image of FMS deposition was acquired using serial sectioning. Cryomicrotome images were spatially registered to match the live CT images to facilitate direct quantitative comparisons of FMS signal intensity with the CT-based ventilation maps. Results: Comparisons of fractional ventilation in contiguous, non-overlapping, 3D regions between CT-based ventilation maps and FMS images showed strong correlations in fractional ventilation (r=0.888, p<0.0001). Conclusion: We conclude that ventilation maps derived from CT imaging are predictive of the 1µm aerosol deposition used in ventilation-perfusion heterogeneity inhalation studies.
Comparison of brass alloys composition by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and self-organizing maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pagnotta, Stefano; Grifoni, Emanuela; Legnaioli, Stefano; Lezzerini, Marco; Lorenzetti, Giulia; Palleschi, Vincenzo
In this paper we face the problem of assessing similarities in the composition of different metallic alloys, using the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. The possibility of determining the degree of similarity through the use of artificial neural networks and self-organizing maps is discussed. As an example, we present a case study involving the comparison of two historical brass samples, very similar in their composition. The results of the paper can be extended to many other situations, not necessarily associated with cultural heritage and archeological studies, where objects with similar composition have to be compared.
Comparison of Signals from Gravitational Wave Detectors with Instantaneous Time-Frequency Maps
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stroeer, A.; Blackburn, L.; Camp, J.
Gravitational wave astronomy relies on the use of multiple detectors, so that coincident detections may distinguish real signals from instrumental artifacts, and also so that relative timing of signals can provide the sky position of sources. We show that the comparison of instantaneous time-frequency and time-amplitude maps provided by the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) can be used effectively for relative signal timing of common signals, to discriminate between the case of identical coincident signals and random noise coincidences and to provide a classification of signals based on their time-frequency trajectories. The comparison is done with a X(sup 2) goodness-offit method which includes contributions from both the instantaneous amplitude and frequency components of the HHT to match two signals in the time domain. This approach naturally allows the analysis of waveforms with strong frequency modulation.
Geological Mapping of Fortuna Tessera (V-2): Venus and Earth's Archean Process Comparisons
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Head, James W.; Hurwitz,D. M.; Ivanov, M. A.; Basilevsky, A. T.; Kumar, P. Senthil
The geological features, structures, thermal conditions, interpreted processes, and outstanding questions related to both the Earth's Archean and Venus share many similarities and we are using a problem-oriented approach to Venus mapping, guided by insight from the Archean record of the Earth, to gain new insight into the evolution of Venus and Earth's Archean. The Earth's preserved and well-documented Archean record provides important insight into high heat-flux tectonic and magmatic environments and structures and the surface of Venus reveals the current configuration and recent geological record of analogous high-temperature environments unmodified by subsequent several billion years of segmentation and overprinting, as on Earth. Elsewhere we have addressed the nature of the Earth's Archean, the similarities to and differences from Venus, and the specific Venus and Earth-Archean problems on which progress might be made through comparison. Here we present the major goals of the Venus-Archean comparison and show how preliminary mapping of the geology of the V-2 Fortuna Tessera quadrangle is providing insight on these problems. We have identified five key themes and questions common to both the Archean and Venus, the assessment of which could provide important new insights into the history and processes of both planets.
Lo/Ld phase coexistence modulation induced by GM1.
Puff, Nicolas; Watanabe, Chiho; Seigneuret, Michel; Angelova, Miglena I; Staneva, Galya
Lipid rafts are assumed to undergo biologically important size-modulations from nanorafts to microrafts. Due to the complexity of cellular membranes, model systems become important tools, especially for the investigation of the factors affecting "raft-like" Lo domain size and the search for Lo nanodomains as precursors in Lo microdomain formation. Because lipid compositional change is the primary mechanism by which a cell can alter membrane phase behavior, we studied the effect of the ganglioside GM1 concentration on the Lo/Ld lateral phase separation in PC/SM/Chol/GM1 bilayers. GM1 above 1mol % abolishes the formation of the micrometer-scale Lo domains observed in GUVs. However, the apparently homogeneous phase observed in optical microscopy corresponds in fact, within a certain temperature range, to a Lo/Ld lateral phase separation taking place below the optical resolution. This nanoscale phase separation is revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy, including C12NBD-PC self-quenching and Laurdan GP measurements, and is supported by Gaussian spectral decomposition analysis. The temperature of formation of nanoscale Lo phase domains over an Ld phase is determined, and is shifted to higher values when the GM1 content increases. A "morphological" phase diagram could be made, and it displays three regions corresponding respectively to Lo/Ld micrometric phase separation, Lo/Ld nanometric phase separation, and a homogeneous Ld phase. We therefore show that a lipid only-based mechanism is able to control the existence and the sizes of phase-separated membrane domains. GM1 could act on the line tension, "arresting" domain growth and thereby stabilizing Lo nanodomains. PMID:24835016
Comparison of the Reliability and Validity of Scores from Two Concept-Mapping Techniques.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ruiz-Primo, Maria Araceli; Schultz, Susan E.; Li, Min; Shavelson, Richard J.
Reports the results of a study that compared two concept-mapping techniques, one high-directed, "fill-in-the-map" and one low-directed, "construct-a-map-from-scratch". Examines whether: (1) skeleton map scores were sensitive to the sample; (2) the two types of skeleton maps were equivalent; and (3) the two mapping techniques provided similar…
Accuracy of Class.LD2: An Expert System for Classifying Learning Disabled Students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martindale, Elizabeth S.; And Others
The study evaluated the accuracy of Class.LD2, a computerized expert system for classifying learning disabled (LD) students. Of 264 student files, 78 files were chosen based on disagreement between multidisciplinary team and Class.LD2 decisions regarding eligibility for LD placement. These 78 cases were evaluated by three individuals expert in LD…
A study of an orbital radar mapping mission to Venus. Volume 2: Configuration comparisons and systems evaluation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Configuration comparisons and systems evaluation for the orbital radar mapping mission of the planet Venus are discussed. Designs are recommended which best satisfy the science objectives of the Venus radar mapping concept. Attention is given to the interaction and integration of those specific mission-systems recommendations with one another, and the final proposed designs are presented. The feasibility, cost, and scheduling of these configurations are evaluated against assumptions of reasonable state-of-the-art growth and space funding expectations.
A study of an orbital radar mapping mission to Venus. Volume 3: Parametric studies and subsystem comparisons
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Parametric studies and subsystem comparisons for the orbital radar mapping mission to planet Venus are presented. Launch vehicle requirements and primary orbiter propulsion system requirements are evaluated. The systems parametric analysis indicated that orbit size and orientation interrelated with almost all of the principal spacecraft systems and influenced significantly the definition of orbit insertion propulsion requirements, weight in orbit capability, radar system design, and mapping strategy.
A third-generation microsatellite-based linkage map of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, and its comparison with the sequence-based physical map
Solignac, Michel; Mougel, Florence; Vautrin, Dominique; Monnerot, Monique; Cornuet, Jean-Marie
Background: The honey bee is a key model for social behavior and this feature led to the selection of the species for genome sequencing. A genetic map is a necessary companion to the sequence. In addition, because there was originally no physical map for the honey bee genome project, a meiotic map was the only resource for organizing the sequence assembly on the chromosomes. Results: We present the genetic (meiotic) map here and describe the main features that emerged from comparison with the sequence-based physical map. The genetic map of the honey bee is saturated and the chromosomes are oriented from the centromeric to the telomeric regions. The map is based on 2,008 markers and is about 40 Morgans (M) long, resulting in a marker density of one every 2.05 centiMorgans (cM). For the 186 megabases (Mb) of the genome mapped and assembled, this corresponds to a very high average recombination rate of 22.04 cM/Mb. Honey bee meiosis shows a relatively homogeneous recombination rate along and across chromosomes, as well as within and between individuals. Interference is higher than inferred from the Kosambi function of distance. In addition, numerous recombination hotspots are dispersed over the genome. Conclusion: The very large genetic length of the honey bee genome, its small physical size and an almost complete genome sequence with a relatively low number of genes suggest a very promising future for association mapping in the honey bee, particularly as the existence of haploid males allows easy bulk segregant analysis. PMID:17459148
Comparison of synoptic and climatologically mapped sections in the south Pacific ocean
Bindoff, N.L.; Wunsch, C. )
To understand the extent to which oceanic climate shifts could be detected, a South Pacific climatology has been used to create pseudosections of temperature, salinity, and other tracers along a zonal and meridional lines at 15[degrees]S and 90[degrees]W, respectively. Interpolations from the climatology were made using combined empirical orthogonal functions and objective mapping. Comparisons are made with independent measurements, taken in 1987, of temperature and salinity at 15[degrees]S. Temperature and salinity fields between the surface and 300 db along the 15[degrees]S section are predicted with an uncertainty sufficiently small to display significant differences in temperature and salinity related to El Nino of 1987. The 90[degrees]W pseudosection is a forecast of a synoptic section to be obtained as part of WOCE in 1992. Explicit values for the smallest temperature shift with depth that could be detected are produced. 17 refs., 10 figs.
Comparison of in situ stratospheric ozone measurements obtained during the MAP/GLOBUS 1983 campaign
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Aimedieu, P.; Matthews, W. A.; Attmannspacher, W.; Hartmannsgruber, R.; Cisneros, J.; Komhyr, W.; Robbins, D. E.
Data from five types of in situ ozone sensors flown aboard ballons during the MAP/GLOBUS 1983 campaign were found to agree to within 5 percent uncertainty throughout the middle atmosphere. A description of the individual techniques and the error budget is given in addition to explanations for the discrepancies found at higher and lower altitudes. In comparison to UV photometry values, results from two electrochemical techniques were found to be greater in the lower atmosphere and to be lower in the upper atmosphere. In general, olefin chemiluminescence results were within 8 percent of the UV photometry results. Ozone column contents measured by the indigo colorization technique for two altitude regions of about 6 km height were greater than measurements from other techniques by 52 and 17 percent, respectively.
Optimization with artificial neural network systems - A mapping principle and a comparison to gradient based methods
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Leong, Harrison Monfook
General formulae for mapping optimization problems into systems of ordinary differential equations associated with artificial neural networks are presented. A comparison is made to optimization using gradient-search methods. The performance measure is the settling time from an initial state to a target state. A simple analytical example illustrates a situation where dynamical systems representing artificial neural network methods would settle faster than those representing gradient-search. Settling time was investigated for a more complicated optimization problem using computer simulations. The problem was a simplified version of a problem in medical imaging: determining loci of cerebral activity from electromagnetic measurements at the scalp. The simulations showed that gradient based systems typically settled 50 to 100 times faster than systems based on current neural network optimization methods.
New vegetation type map of India prepared using satellite remote sensing: Comparison with global vegetation maps and utilities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Roy, P. S.; Behera, M. D.; Murthy, M. S. R.; Roy, Arijit; Singh, Sarnam; Kushwaha, S. P. S.; Jha, C. S.; Sudhakar, S.; Joshi, P. K.; Reddy, Ch. Sudhakar; Gupta, Stutee; Pujar, Girish; Dutt, C. B. S.; Srivastava, V. K.; Porwal, M. C.; Tripathi, Poonam; Singh, J. S.; Chitale, Vishwas; Skidmore, A. K.; Rajshekhar, G.; Kushwaha, Deepak; Karnatak, Harish; Saran, Sameer; Giriraj, A.; Padalia, Hitendra; Kale, Manish; Nandy, Subrato; Jeganathan, C.; Singh, C. P.; Biradar, C. M.; Pattanaik, Chiranjibi; Singh, D. K.; Devagiri, G. M.; Talukdar, Gautam; Panigrahy, Rabindra K.; Singh, Harnam; Sharma, J. R.; Haridasan, K.; Trivedi, Shivam; Singh, K. P.; Kannan, L.; Daniel, M.; Misra, M. K.; Niphadkar, Madhura; Nagabhatla, Nidhi; Prasad, Nupoor; Tripathi, O. P.; Prasad, P. Rama Chandra; Dash, Pushpa; Qureshi, Qamer; Tripathi, S. K.; Ramesh, B. R.; Gowda, Balakrishnan; Tomar, Sanjay; Romshoo, Shakil; Giriraj, Shilpa; Ravan, Shirish A.; Behera, Soumit Kumar; Paul, Subrato; Das, Ashesh Kumar; Ranganath, B. K.; Singh, T. P.; Sahu, T. R.; Shankar, Uma; Menon, A. R. R.; Srivastava, Gaurav; Neeti; Sharma, Subrat; Mohapatra, U. B.; Peddi, Ashok; Rashid, Humayun; Salroo, Irfan; Krishna, P. Hari; Hajra, P. K.; Vergheese, A. O.; Matin, Shafique; Chaudhary, Swapnil A.; Ghosh, Sonali; Lakshmi, Udaya; Rawat, Deepshikha; Ambastha, Kalpana; Malik, Akhtar H.; Devi, B. S. S.; Gowda, Balakrishna; Sharma, K. C.; Mukharjee, Prashant; Sharma, Ajay; Davidar, Priya; Raju, R. R. Venkata; Katewa, S. S.; Kant, Shashi; Raju, Vatsavaya S.; Uniyal, B. P.; Debnath, Bijan; Rout, D. K.; Thapa, Rajesh; Joseph, Shijo; Chhetri, Pradeep; Ramachandran, Reshma M.
A seamless vegetation type map of India (scale 1: 50,000) prepared using medium-resolution IRS LISS-III images is presented. The map was created using an on-screen visual interpretation technique and has an accuracy of 90%, as assessed using 15,565 ground control points. India has hitherto been using potential vegetation/forest type map prepared by Champion and Seth in 1968. We characterized and mapped further the vegetation type distribution in the country in terms of occurrence and distribution, area occupancy, percentage of protected area (PA) covered by each vegetation type, range of elevation, mean annual temperature and precipitation over the past 100 years. A remote sensing-amenable hierarchical classification scheme that accommodates natural and semi-natural systems was conceptualized, and the natural vegetation was classified into forests, scrub/shrub lands and grasslands on the basis of extent of vegetation cover. We discuss the distribution and potential utility of the vegetation type map in a broad range of ecological, climatic and conservation applications from global, national and local perspectives. We used 15,565 ground control points to assess the accuracy of products available globally (i.e., GlobCover, Holdridge's life zone map and potential natural vegetation (PNV) maps). Hence we recommend that the map prepared herein be used widely. This vegetation type map is the most comprehensive one developed for India so far. It was prepared using 23.5 m seasonal satellite remote sensing data, field samples and information relating to the biogeography, climate and soil. The digital map is now available through a web portal (http://bis.iirs.gov.in).
7 CFR 1737.32 - Loan Design (LD).
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
... plan, see 7 CFR part 1751, subpart B). (b) Because of the importance and complexity of the engineering... to perform both services. See 7 CFR 1753.17. (c) An LD for initial loans or for any exchange areas... first financed facilities to serve the community, see 7 CFR 1735.13(d). (ix) Prior loan project....
7 CFR 1737.32 - Loan Design (LD).
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Loan Design (LD). 1737.32 Section 1737.32 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRE-LOAN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMON TO INSURED AND GUARANTEED TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOANS Preloan Studies-Area Coverage Survey and...
7 CFR 1737.32 - Loan Design (LD).
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
... plan, see 7 CFR part 1751, subpart B). (b) Because of the importance and complexity of the engineering... to perform both services. See 7 CFR 1753.17. (c) An LD for initial loans or for any exchange areas... first financed facilities to serve the community, see 7 CFR 1735.13(d). (ix) Prior loan project....
7 CFR 1737.32 - Loan Design (LD).
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
... plan, see 7 CFR part 1751, subpart B). (b) Because of the importance and complexity of the engineering... to perform both services. See 7 CFR 1753.17. (c) An LD for initial loans or for any exchange areas... first financed facilities to serve the community, see 7 CFR 1735.13(d). (ix) Prior loan project....
Visualization of Learning Scenarios with UML4LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Laforcade, Pierre
Present Educational Modelling Languages are used to formally specify abstract learning scenarios in a machine-interpretable format. Current tooling does not provide teachers/designers with some graphical facilities to help them in reusing existent scenarios. They need human-readable representations. This paper discusses the UML4LD experimental…
Classroom Behavior Patterns of EMH, LD, and EH Students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKinney, James D.; Forman, Susan G.
Investigated whether classroom teachers could differentiate among educable mentally handicapped (EMH), learning disabled (LD), and emotionally handicapped (EH) students based on perceptions of classroom behavior patterns. Ratings from classroom behavior inventory scales revealed that EMH students were distinguished by low intelligence, creativity,…
Oxygen extraction fraction measurement using quantitative susceptibility mapping: Comparison with positron emission tomography.
Kudo, Kohsuke; Liu, Tian; Murakami, Toshiyuki; Goodwin, Jonathan; Uwano, Ikuko; Yamashita, Fumio; Higuchi, Satomi; Wang, Yi; Ogasawara, Kuniaki; Ogawa, Akira; Sasaki, Makoto
The purposes of this study are to establish oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) measurements using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to compare QSM-OEF data with the gold standard (15)O positron emission tomography (PET). Twenty-six patients with chronic unilateral internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery stenosis or occlusion, and 15 normal subjects were included. MRI scans were conducted using a 3.0 Tesla scanner with a three-dimensional spoiled gradient recalled sequence. QSM images were created using the morphology-enabled dipole inversion method, and OEF maps were generated from QSM images using extraction of venous susceptibility induced by deoxygenated hemoglobin. Significant correlation of relative OEF ratio to contra-lateral hemisphere between QSM-OEF and PET-OEF was observed (r = 0.62, p < 0.001). The local (intra-section) correlation was also significant (r = 0.52, p < 0.001) in patients with increased PET-OEF. The sensitivity and specificity of OEF increase in QSM was 0.63 (5/8) and 0.89 (16/18), respectively, in comparison with PET. In conclusion, good correlation was achieved between QSM-OEF and PET-OEF in the identification of elevated OEF in affected hemispheres of patients with unilateral chronic steno-occlusive disease. PMID:26661168
Comparison of peptide mass mapping and electron capture dissociation as assays for histone posttranslational modifications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Liwen; Freitas, Michael A.
Posttranslational modifications of core histones play a critical role in the structure of chromatin and the regulation of gene activities. Improved techniques for determining these modification sites may lead to a better understanding of histone regulation at the molecular level. LC-MS peptide mass mapping was performed on pepsin, trypsin and Glu-C digests of bovine thymus H4 using a QqTOF instrument. The well established modification sites of H4 (acetylation of K8, 12, 16 and methylation of K20) were observed in addition to several recently discovered modifications including: methylation of K31, 44, 59 and acetylation of K20, 77, 79. For comparison, electron capture dissociation (ECD) was performed on intact H4 along with several peptides from enzymatic digestion. The results from the ECD experiments of histone H4 indicated the acetylation of K5, 12, 16, 31, 91 and the methylation of K20 and 59 in good agreement with the result from peptide mapping. The work is dedicated to Alan G. Marshall on his 60th birthday. His endeavors in the advancement of FT-ICR facilitated experiments reported herein.
SPIRAL field mapping on NSTX for comparison to divertor RF heat deposition
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hosea, J. C.; Perkins, R.; Jaworski, M. A.; Kramer, G. J.; Ahn, J.-W.; Bertelli, N.; Gerhardt, S.; Gray, T. K.; LeBlanc, B. P.; Maingi, R.; Phillips, C. K.; Roquemore, L.; Ryan, P. M.; Sabbagh, S.; Taylor, G.; Tritz, K.; Wilson, J. R.; NSTX Team
Field-aligned losses of HHFW power in the SOL of NSTX have been studied with IR cameras and probes, but the interpretation of the data depends somewhat on the magnetic equilibrium reconstruction. Both EFIT02 and LRDFIT04 magnetic equilibria have been used with the SPIRAL code to provide field mappings in the scrape off layer (SOL) on NSTX from the midplane SOL in front of the HHFW antenna to the divertor regions, where the heat deposition spirals are measured. The field-line mapping spiral produced at the divertor plate with LRDFIT04 matches the HHFW-produced heat deposition best, in general. An independent method for comparing the field-line strike patterns on the outer divertor for the two equilibria is provided by measuring Langmuir probe characteristics in the vicinity of the outer vessel strike radius (OVSR) and observing the effect on floating potential, saturation current, and zero-probe-voltage current (IV=0) with the crossing of the OVSR over the probe. Interestingly, these comparisons also reveal that LRDFIT04 gives the more accurate location of the predicted OVSR, and confirm that the RF power flow in the SOL is essentially along the magnetic field lines. Also, the probe characteristics and IV=0 data indicate that current flows under the OVSR in the divertor tiles in most cases studied.
Comparison of Different EO Sensors for Mapping Tree Species- A Case Study in Southwest Germany
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Enβle, Fabian; Kattenborn, Teja; Koch, Barbara
The variety of different remote sensing sensors and thus the types of data specifications which are available is increasing continuously. Especially the differences in geometric, radiometric and temporal resolutions of different platforms affect their ability for the mapping of forests. These differences hinder the comparability and application of uniform methods of different remotely sensed data across the same region of interest. The quality and quantity of retrieved forest parameters is directly dependent on the data source, and therefore the objective of this project is to analyse the relationship between the data source and its derived parameters. A comparison of different optical EO-data (e.g. spatial resolution and spectral resolution of specific bands) will help to define the optimum data sets to produce a reproducible method to provide additional inputs to the Dragon cooperative project, specifically to method development for woody biomass estimation and biodiversity assessment services. This poster presents the first results on tree species mapping in a mixed temperate forest by satellite imagery taken from four different sensors. Tree species addressed in this pilot study are: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and red oak (Quercus rubra). The spatial resolution varies from 2m to 30m and the spectral resolutions range from 8bands up to 155bands.
Comparison of ArcToolbox and Terrain Tiles processing procedures for inundation mapping in mountainous terrain.
Darnell, Andrew; Wise, Richard; Quaranta, John
Floodplain management consists of efforts to reduce flood damage to critical infrastructure and to protect the life and health of individuals from flooding. A major component of this effort is the monitoring of flood control structures such as dams because the potential failure of these structures may have catastrophic consequences. To prepare for these threats, engineers use inundation maps that illustrate the flood resulting from high river stages. To create the maps, the structure and river systems are modeled using engineering software programs, and hydrologic events are used to simulate the conditions leading to the failure of the structure. The output data are then exported to other software programs for the creation of inundation maps. Although the computer programs for this process have been established, the processing procedures vary and yield inconsistent results. Thus, these processing methods need to be examined to determine the functionality of each in floodplain management practices. The main goal of this article is to present the development of a more integrated, accurate, and precise graphical interface tool for interpretation by emergency managers and floodplain engineers. To accomplish this purpose, a potential dam failure was simulated and analyzed for a candidate river system using two processing methods: ArcToolbox and Terrain Tiles. The research involved performing a comparison of the outputs, which revealed that both procedures yielded similar inundations for single river reaches. However, the results indicated key differences when examining outputs for large river systems. On the basis of criteria involving the hydrologic accuracy and effects on infrastructure, the Terrain Tiles inundation surpassed the ArcToolbox inundation in terms of following topography and depicting flow rates and flood extents at confluences, bends, and tributary streams. Thus, the Terrain Tiles procedure is a more accurate representation of flood extents for use by
An integrated map of the genome of the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, and comparison with Mycobacterium leprae.
Philipp, W J; Poulet, S; Eiglmeier, K; Pascopella, L; Balasubramanian, V; Heym, B; Bergh, S; Bloom, B R; Jacobs, W R; Cole, S T
An integrated map of the genome of the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was constructed by using a twin-pronged approach. Pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis enabled cleavage sites for Asn I and Dra I to be positioned on the 4.4-Mb circular chromosome, while, in parallel, clones from two cosmid libraries were ordered into contigs by means of fingerprinting and hybridization mapping. The resultant contig map was readily correlated with the physical map of the genome via the landmarked restriction sites. Over 165 genes and markers were localized on the integrated map, thus enabling comparisons with the leprosy bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, to be undertaken. Mycobacterial genomes appear to have evolved as mosaic structures since extended segments with conserved gene order and organization are interspersed with different flanking regions. Repetitive sequences and insertion elements are highly abundant in M. tuberculosis, but the distribution of IS6110 is apparently nonrandom. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 PMID:8610181
The Reliability, Sensitivity and Criterion-Related Validity of Concept Comparisons and Concept Maps for Assessing Reading Comprehension.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Parker, Richard; Tindal, Gerald
The reliability, sensitivity, and criterion-related validity of concept comparison (CC) ratings and computer-derived multidimensional scaling (MDS) maps were studied as ways of assessing reading comprehension. Fifteen experts (2 district coordinators and 13 reading specialists/special education teachers) were included in this study. Reliability…
A Comparison of Web-Based Concept Mapping Tasks for Alternative Assessment in Distance Teacher Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oliver, Kevin
Three sections of the same distance education class completed a series of Web-based concept map assessments using one of two methods. Open-ended maps applied in section 1 led students to conduct more relational thinking overall, but variance in map items was very high introducing more subjectivity in scoring. Pre-selected term mapping applied in…
AOTV Low L/D Preliminary Aeroheating Design Environment
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Engel, C. D.
The aerothermal environment to a configuration with a brake face which exhibits a low lift to drag ratio (L/D) of below 0.75 is emphasized. The five times geosynchronous (5 x Geo) orbit entry was selected as the design trajectory. The available data base and math model is discussed. The resulting preliminary design environment is documented. Recommendations as to how the design environment may be improved through technological advances are given.
Substrate-Driven Mapping of the Degradome by Comparison of Sequence Logos
Fuchs, Julian E.; von Grafenstein, Susanne; Huber, Roland G.; Kramer, Christian; Liedl, Klaus R.
Sequence logos are frequently used to illustrate substrate preferences and specificity of proteases. Here, we employed the compiled substrates of the MEROPS database to introduce a novel metric for comparison of protease substrate preferences. The constructed similarity matrix of 62 proteases can be used to intuitively visualize similarities in protease substrate readout via principal component analysis and construction of protease specificity trees. Since our new metric is solely based on substrate data, we can engraft the protease tree including proteolytic enzymes of different evolutionary origin. Thereby, our analyses confirm pronounced overlaps in substrate recognition not only between proteases closely related on sequence basis but also between proteolytic enzymes of different evolutionary origin and catalytic type. To illustrate the applicability of our approach we analyze the distribution of targets of small molecules from the ChEMBL database in our substrate-based protease specificity trees. We observe a striking clustering of annotated targets in tree branches even though these grouped targets do not necessarily share similarity on protein sequence level. This highlights the value and applicability of knowledge acquired from peptide substrates in drug design of small molecules, e.g., for the prediction of off-target effects or drug repurposing. Consequently, our similarity metric allows to map the degradome and its associated drug target network via comparison of known substrate peptides. The substrate-driven view of protein-protein interfaces is not limited to the field of proteases but can be applied to any target class where a sufficient amount of known substrate data is available. PMID:24244149
The construction of a tetraploid cotton genome-wide comprehensive reference map and the comparison with cotton physical mapping information
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The integration of multiple genomic maps provides a higher density of markers and greater genome coverage, which not only facilitates the identification and positioning of QTLs and candidate genes, but also provides a basic structure for the genome sequence assembly. However, the diversity in marke...
ReVeaLD: a user-driven domain-specific interactive search platform for biomedical research.
Kamdar, Maulik R; Zeginis, Dimitris; Hasnain, Ali; Decker, Stefan; Deus, Helena F
Bioinformatics research relies heavily on the ability to discover and correlate data from various sources. The specialization of life sciences over the past decade, coupled with an increasing number of biomedical datasets available through standardized interfaces, has created opportunities towards new methods in biomedical discovery. Despite the popularity of semantic web technologies in tackling the integrative bioinformatics challenge, there are many obstacles towards its usage by non-technical research audiences. In particular, the ability to fully exploit integrated information needs using improved interactive methods intuitive to the biomedical experts. In this report we present ReVeaLD (a Real-time Visual Explorer and Aggregator of Linked Data), a user-centered visual analytics platform devised to increase intuitive interaction with data from distributed sources. ReVeaLD facilitates query formulation using a domain-specific language (DSL) identified by biomedical experts and mapped to a self-updated catalogue of elements from external sources. ReVeaLD was implemented in a cancer research setting; queries included retrieving data from in silico experiments, protein modeling and gene expression. ReVeaLD was developed using Scalable Vector Graphics and JavaScript and a demo with explanatory video is available at http://www.srvgal78.deri.ie:8080/explorer. A set of user-defined graphic rules controls the display of information through media-rich user interfaces. Evaluation of ReVeaLD was carried out as a game: biomedical researchers were asked to assemble a set of 5 challenge questions and time and interactions with the platform were recorded. Preliminary results indicate that complex queries could be formulated under less than two minutes by unskilled researchers. The results also indicate that supporting the identification of the elements of a DSL significantly increased intuitiveness of the platform and usability of semantic web technologies by domain users
Evaluation of multiple comparison correction procedures in drug assessment studies using LORETA maps.
Alonso, Joan Francesc; Romero, Sergio; Mañanas, Miguel Ángel; Rojas, Mónica; Riba, Jordi; Barbanoj, Manel José
The identification of the brain regions involved in the neuropharmacological action is a potential procedure for drug development. These regions are commonly determined by the voxels showing significant statistical differences after comparing placebo-induced effects with drug-elicited effects. LORETA is an electroencephalography (EEG) source imaging technique frequently used to identify brain structures affected by the drug. The aim of the present study was to evaluate different methods for the correction of multiple comparisons in the LORETA maps. These methods which have been commonly used in neuroimaging and also simulated studies have been applied on a real case of pharmaco-EEG study where the effects of increasing benzodiazepine doses on the central nervous system measured by LORETA were investigated. Data consisted of EEG recordings obtained from nine volunteers who received single oral doses of alprazolam 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg, and placebo in a randomized crossover double-blind design. The identification of active regions was highly dependent on the selected multiple test correction procedure. The combined criteria approach known as cluster mass was useful to reveal that increasing drug doses led to higher intensity and spread of the pharmacologically induced changes in intracerebral current density. PMID:26040586
Cerebral glucose metabolism in corticobasal degeneration comparison with progressive supranuclear palsy using statistical mapping analysis.
Juh, Rahyeong; Pae, Chi-Un; Kim, Tae-Suk; Lee, Chang-Uk; Choe, Boyoung; Suh, Taesuk
This study measured the cerebral glucose metabolism in patients suffering from corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The aim was to determine if there is a different metabolic pattern using (18)F-labeled 2-deoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). The regional cerebral glucose metabolism was examined in 8 patients diagnosed clinically with CBD (mean age 69.6 +/- 7.8 years; male/female: 5/3), 8 patients with probable PSP (mean age 67.8 +/- 4.5 years; male/female: 4/4) and 22 healthy controls. The regional cerebral glucose metabolism between the three groups was compared using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) with a voxel-by-voxel approach (p < 0.001, 200-voxel level). Compared with the normal controls, asymmetry in the regional glucose metabolism was observed in the parietal, frontal and cingulate in the CBD patients. In the PSP patients, the glucose metabolism was lower in the orbitofrontal, middle frontal, cingulate, thalamus and mid-brain than their age matched normal controls. A comparison of the two patient groups demonstrated relative hypometabolism in the thalamus, the mid-brain in the PSP patients and the parietal lobe in CBD patients. These results suggest that when making a differential diagnosis of CBD and PSP, voxel-based analysis of the (18)F-FDG PET images using a SPM might be a useful tool in clinical examinations. PMID:15936506
Comparison of stochastic and deterministic methods for mapping groundwater level spatial variability in sparsely monitored basins.
Varouchakis, Epsilon A; Hristopulos, D T
In sparsely monitored basins, accurate mapping of the spatial variability of groundwater level requires the interpolation of scattered data. This paper presents a comparison of deterministic interpolation methods, i.e. inverse distance weight (IDW) and minimum curvature (MC), with stochastic methods, i.e. ordinary kriging (OK), universal kriging (UK) and kriging with Delaunay triangulation (DK). The study area is the Mires Basin of Mesara Valley in Crete (Greece). This sparsely sampled basin has limited groundwater resources which are vital for the island's economy; spatial variations of the groundwater level are important for developing management and monitoring strategies. We evaluate the performance of the interpolation methods with respect to different statistical measures. The Spartan variogram family is applied for the first time to hydrological data and is shown to be optimal with respect to stochastic interpolation of this dataset. The three stochastic methods (OK, DK and UK) perform overall better than the deterministic counterparts (IDW and MC). DK, which is herein for the first time applied to hydrological data, yields the most accurate cross-validation estimate for the lowest value in the dataset. OK and UK lead to smooth isolevel contours, whilst DK and IDW generate more edges. The stochastic methods deliver estimates of prediction uncertainty which becomes highest near the southeastern border of the basin. PMID:22311559
Improving Protocols for Protein Mapping through Proper Comparison to Crystallography Data
Lexa, Katrina W.; Carlson, Heather A.
Computational approaches to fragment-based drug design (FBDD) can complement experiments and facilitate the identification of potential hot spots along the protein surface. However, the evaluation of computational methods for mapping binding sites frequently focuses upon the ability to reproduce crystallographic coordinates to within a low RMSD threshold. This dependency on the deposited coordinate data overlooks the original electron density from the experiment, thus techniques may be developed based upon subjective - or even erroneous - atomic coordinates. This can become a significant drawback in applications to systems where the location of hot spots is unknown. Based on comparison to crystallographic density, we previously showed that mixed-solvent molecular dynamics (MixMD) accurately identifies the active site for HEWL, with acetonitrile as an organic solvent. Here, we concentrated on the influence of protic solvent on simulation and refined the optimal MixMD approach for extrapolation of the method to systems without established sites. Our results establish an accurate approach for comparing simulations to experiment. We have outlined the most efficient strategy for MixMD, based on simulation length and number of runs. The development outlined here makes MixMD a robust method which should prove useful across a broad range of target structures. Lastly, our results with MixMD match experimental data so well that consistency between simulations and density may be a useful way to aid the identification of probes vs waters during the refinement of future MSCS crystallographic structures. PMID:23327200
Improving protocols for protein mapping through proper comparison to crystallography data.
Lexa, Katrina W; Carlson, Heather A
Computational approaches to fragment-based drug design (FBDD) can complement experiments and facilitate the identification of potential hot spots along the protein surface. However, the evaluation of computational methods for mapping binding sites frequently focuses upon the ability to reproduce crystallographic coordinates to within a low RMSD threshold. This dependency on the deposited coordinate data overlooks the original electron density from the experiment, thus techniques may be developed based upon subjective-or even erroneous-atomic coordinates. This can become a significant drawback in applications to systems where the location of hot spots is unknown. On the basis of comparison to crystallographic density, we previously showed that mixed-solvent molecular dynamics (MixMD) accurately identifies the active site for HEWL, with acetonitrile as an organic solvent. Here, we concentrated on the influence of protic solvent on simulation and refined the optimal MixMD approach for extrapolation of the method to systems without established sites. Our results establish an accurate approach for comparing simulations to experiment. We have outlined the most efficient strategy for MixMD, based on simulation length and number of runs. The development outlined here makes MixMD a robust method which should prove useful across a broad range of target structures. Lastly, our results with MixMD match experimental data so well that consistency between simulations and density may be a useful way to aid the identification of probes vs waters during the refinement of future multiple solvent crystallographic structures. PMID:23327200
Construction of the physical map for three loci in chromosome band 13q14: comparison to the genetic map.
Higgins, M J; Turmel, C; Noolandi, J; Neumann, P E; Lalande, M
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and deletion mapping are being used to construct a physical map of the long arm of human chromosome 13. The present study reports a 2700-kilobase (kb) Not I long-range restriction map encompassing the 13q14-specific loci D13S10, D13S21, and D13S22, which are detected by the cloned DNA markers p7D2, pG24E2.4, and pG14E1.9, respectively. Analysis of a panel of seven cell lines that showed differential methylation at a Not I site between D13S10 and D13S21 proved physical linkage of the two loci to the same 875-kb Not I fragment. D13S22 mapped to a different Not I fragment, precluding the possibility that D13S22 is located between D13S10 and D13S21. PFGE analysis of Not I partial digests placed the 1850-kb Not I fragment containing D13S22 immediately adjacent to the 875-kb fragment containing the other two loci. The proximal rearrangement breakpoint in a cell line carrying a del13(q14.1q21.2) was detected by D13S21 but not by D13S10, demonstrating that D13S21 lies proximal to D13S10. Quantitative analysis of hybridization signals of the three DNA probes to DNA from the same cell line indicated that only D13S10 was deleted, establishing the order of these loci to be cen-D13S22-D13S21-D13S10-tel. Surprisingly, this order was estimated to be 35,000 times less likely than that favored by genetic linkage analysis. Images PMID:1970636
Marine habitat mapping of the Milford Haven Waterway, Wales, UK: Comparison of facies mapping and EUNIS classification for monitoring sediment habitats in an industrialized estuary
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Carey, Drew A.; Hayn, Melanie; Germano, Joseph D.; Little, David I.; Bullimore, Blaise
A detailed map and dataset of sedimentary habitats of the Milford Haven Waterway (MHW) was compiled for the Milford Haven Waterway Environmental Surveillance Group (MHWESG) from seafloor images collected in May, 2012 using sediment-profile and plan-view imaging (SPI/PV) survey techniques. This is the most comprehensive synoptic assessment of sediment distribution and benthic habitat composition available for the MHW, with 559 stations covering over 40 km2 of subtidal habitats. In the context of the MHW, an interpretative framework was developed that classified each station within a 'facies' that included information on the location within the waterway and inferred sedimentary and biological processes. The facies approach provides critical information on landscape-scale habitats including relative location and inferred sediment transport processes and can be used to direct future monitoring activities within the MHW and to predict areas of greatest potential risk from contaminant transport. Intertidal sediment 'facies' maps have been compiled in the past for MHW; this approach was expanded to map the subtidal portions of the waterway. Because sediment facies can be projected over larger areas than individual samples (due to assumptions based on physiography, or landforms) they represent an observational model of the distribution of sediments in an estuary. This model can be tested over time and space through comparison with additional past or future sample results. This approach provides a means to evaluate stability or change in the physical and biological conditions of the estuarine system. Initial comparison with past results for intertidal facies mapping and grain size analysis from grab samples showed remarkable stability over time for the MHW. The results of the SPI/PV mapping effort were cross-walked to the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) classification to provide a comparison of locally derived habitat mapping with European-standard habitat
Comparison of the Kriging and neural network methods for modeling foF2 maps over North China region
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jiang, Chunhua; Zhou, Chen; Liu, Jing; Lan, Ting; Yang, Guobin; Zhao, Zhengyu; Zhu, Peng; Sun, Hengqing; Cui, Xiao
The F2 layer critical frequency of the ionosphere (foF2) is one of the most significant parameters for studying the ionosphere. To investigate the large-scale characteristics of the ionosphere over particular regions, modeling foF2 is an effective method. In this paper, we use both the Kriging (KG) and neural network (NN) methods to reconstruct foF2 maps over North China. The neural network is trained by the genetic algorithm (GA) to avoid the 'local minimum' phenomenon in most NN applications. We then carry out a comparison between foF2 provided by both the KG and NN methods with vertical model operation of ionosonde data including Beijing, Qingdao, Suzhou, and Changchun. All of the foF2 data used in the comparison are obtained from the oblique and vertical mode operation of ionosonde from the China Ground-based Seismo-ionospheric Monitoring Network. To allow for a possible seasonal and diurnal variation, data obtained from summer, winter, and equinox months are applied in the present comparison. In addition, we make a comparison during a magnetic storm period. The results of our comparisons demonstrate that both the KG and NN methods are appropriate tools for modeling foF2 maps. However, when the data set is spare, the performance of the NN method is better than the KG method. On the other hand, the KG method is more robust than the NN method during a magnetic storm.
Comparisons of Four Approximation Algorithms for Large-Scale Linkage Map Construction
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Efficient construction of large-scale linkage maps is highly desired in current gene mapping projects. To evaluate the performance of available approaches in the literature, four published methods, the insertion, seriation (SER), neighbor mapping (NM), and unidirectional growth (UG) were compared on...
Comparison of peanut gentics and physical maps provided insights on collinearity, reversions and translocations
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Genetic and physical maps are the valuable resources for peanut research community in understanding genome organization and serving as the basis for map-based cloning and marker-assisted selection. Physical maps of two diploid wild peanut progenitor species, Arachis duranensis (A genome) and A. ipae...
Analysis and mapping of mountain permafrost data: a comparison between two machine learning algorithms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Deluigi, Nicola; Lambiel, Christophe; Kanevski, Mikhail
, producing results less optimistic than other simple topo-climatic model simulations (and more consistent with the field reality). The present research deals with the analysis and mapping of alpine permafrost patterns at the micro-scale for data gathered in the Western part of the Alps (Valais, Switzerland). An input dataset was constructed using local topographic variables derived from a digital elevation model, geology, climate data, etc. The permafrost data were taken from rock glacier inventories and completed by the geophysical and thermal data collected during the field campaigns. As poor permafrost evidences are available for rockwalls, we mainly focused the prediction in loose sediments. A comparison between RF and SVM algorithms will be presented as well as the classification results (distribution maps) along with corresponding model uncertainties.
Characteristics and use of the Illumina BovineLD BeadChip
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Genotypic information from the 6,909-SNP Illumina BovineLD (LD) Genotyping BeadChip, which replaced the Illumina GoldenGate Bovine3K (3K) Genotyping BeadChip, have been included in US genomic evaluations since November 2011. Of 73 LD single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) not used in genomic evaluati...
Inclusion of Intrinsic Processing Difficulties in LD Diagnostic Models: A Critical Review.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dean, Vincent J.; Burns, Matthew K.
The use of the processing component for learning disabilities (LD) definitions is discussed by examining its theoretical basis, large-scale implementation, and researched classroom effectiveness. Results indicate the processing definition of LD does not differentiate students with LD from low achievers, is inconsistently implemented, and does not…
Understanding School Dropout for Urban, Ethnic Minority Teenage Mothers with Learning Disabilities (LD). Disability Research Brief
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Taylor-Ritzler, Tina; Balcazar, Fabricio E.; McDonald, Katherine
Youth who experience either LD or teenage motherhood often drop out of school. Further, about 50% of young girls with LD become mothers by their early 20s compared to 28% of young women in the general population. There is therefore a high likelihood that teenage mothers with LD will drop out of school. Dropping out of school is of concern because…
Two phase choke flow in tubes with very large L/D
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hendricks, R. C.; Simoneau, R. J.
Data were obtained for two phase and gaseous choked flow nitrogen in a long constant area duct of 16200 L/D with a diverging diffuser attached to the exit. Flow rate data were taken along five isotherms (reduced temperature of 0.81, 0.96, 1.06, 1.12, and 2.34) for reduced pressures to 3. The flow rate data were mapped in the usual manner using stagnation conditions at the inlet mixing chamber upstream of the entrance length. The results are predictable by a two phase homogeneous equilibrium choking flow model which includes wall friction. A simplified theory which in essence decouples the long tube region from the high acceleration choking region also appears to predict the data resonably well, but about 15 percent low.
Two phase choke flow in tubes with very large L/D
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hendricks, R. C.; Simoneau, R. J.
Two phase and gaseous choked flow data for fluid nitrogen were obtained for a test section which was a long constant area duct of 16 200 L/D with a diverging diffuser attached to the exit. Flow rate data were taken along five isotherms (reduced temperature of 0.81, 0.96, 1.06, 1.12, and 2.34) for reduced pressures to 3. The flow rate data were mapped in the usual manner using stagnation conditions at the inlet mixing chamber upstream of the entrance length. The results are predictable by a two-phase homogeneous equilibrium choking flow model which includes wall fraction. A simplified theory which in essence decouples the long tube region from the high acceleration choking region also appears to predict the data reasonably well, but about 15 percent low.
A comparison of two conformal mapping techniques applied to an aerobrake body
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hommel, Mark J.
Conformal mapping is a classical technique which has been utilized for solving problems in aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. Conformal mapping has been successfully applied in the construction of grids around airfoils, engine inlets and other aircraft configurations. Conformal mapping techniques were applied to an aerobrake body having an axis of symmetry. Two different approaches were utilized: (1) Karman-Trefftz transformation; and (2) Point Wise Schwarz Christoffel transformation. In both cases, the aerobrake body was mapped onto a near circle, and a grid was generated in the mapped plane. The mapped body and grid were then mapped back into physical space and the properties of the associated grids were examined. Advantages and disadvantages of both approaches are discussed.
BodyMap-Xs: anatomical breakdown of 17 million animal ESTs for cross-species comparison of gene expression
Ogasawara, Osamu; Otsuji, Makiko; Watanabe, Kouji; Iizuka, Takayasu; Tamura, Takuro; Hishiki, Teruyoshi; Kawamoto, Shoko; Okubo, Kousaku
BodyMap-Xs () is a database for cross-species gene expression comparison. It was created by the anatomical breakdown of 17 million animal expressed sequence tag (EST) records in DDBJ using a sorting program tailored for this purpose. In BodyMap-Xs, users are allowed to compare the expression patterns of orthologous and paralogous genes in a coherent manner. This will provide valuable insights for the evolutionary study of gene expression and identification of a responsive motif for a particular expression pattern. In addition, starting from a concise overview of the taxonomical and anatomical breakdown of all animal ESTs, users can navigate to obtain gene expression ranking of a particular tissue in a particular animal. This method may lead to the understanding of the similarities and differences between the homologous tissues across animal species. BodyMap-Xs will be automatically updated in synchronization with the major update in DDBJ, which occurs periodically. PMID:16381946
Comparison of global ionospheric maps, high-orbital and low-orbital radio tomography.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kunitsyn, Viacheslav E.; Andreeva, Elena S.; Nesterov, Ivan A.; Kalashnikova, Svetlana A.; Padokhin, Artem M.
Observations on the GPS receivers networks which are being actively developed at present provide the input data for constructing global ionospheric maps (GIM) of the distributions of total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere. The methods applied in the GIM construction at several data processing centers are different although all based on the common idea of finding the appropriate model parameters to fit the selected model of the vertical distribution of electron density to the observed GPS data. At the same time, the existing global IGS network together with several regional GPS networks open the possibility for solving the problem of 4D (spatiotemporal) ionospheric radio tomography (RT) based on the data of high-orbiting navigational satellite systems (the high orbital radio tomography, HORT). The approaches used in HORT are similar to those applied and found highly efficient in 2D low-orbital radio tomography (LORT). The purpose of the present work is to compare TEC estimations based on GIMs, calculated by different centers, with HORT and LORT reconstructions observed at different geomagnetic activity. The results of such comparison along RT systems in Russia and Alaska during the periods of geomagnetic storms of 2003-2004 are reported and discussed. The reconstructions for quiet periods are basically similar, although higher GIM and HORT TEC compared to LORT TEC, which might be due to the plasmaspheric contribution, are still noteworthy. However, during the geomagnetic storms, GIM TEC significantly differs from either LORT and HORT TEC. The work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants nos. 10-05-01126, 08-05-00676). The authors acknowledge IGS for GNSS data. We are also grateful to our colleagues in PGI and NWRS for the shared raw RT data.
A Comparison of Five FMRI Protocols for Mapping Speech Comprehension Systems
Binder, Jeffrey R.; Swanson, Sara J.; Hammeke, Thomas A.; Sabsevitz, David S.
Aims Many fMRI protocols for localizing speech comprehension have been described, but there has been little quantitative comparison of these methods. We compared five such protocols in terms of areas activated, extent of activation, and lateralization. Methods FMRI BOLD signals were measured in 26 healthy adults during passive listening and active tasks using words and tones. Contrasts were designed to identify speech perception and semantic processing systems. Activation extent and lateralization were quantified by counting activated voxels in each hemisphere for each participant. Results Passive listening to words produced bilateral superior temporal activation. After controlling for pre-linguistic auditory processing, only a small area in the left superior temporal sulcus responded selectively to speech. Active tasks engaged an extensive, bilateral attention and executive processing network. Optimal results (consistent activation and strongly lateralized pattern) were obtained by contrasting an active semantic decision task with a tone decision task. There was striking similarity between the network of brain regions activated by the semantic task and the network of brain regions that showed task-induced deactivation, suggesting that semantic processing occurs during the resting state. Conclusions FMRI protocols for mapping speech comprehension systems differ dramatically in pattern, extent, and lateralization of activation. Brain regions involved in semantic processing were identified only when an active, non-linguistic task was used as a baseline, supporting the notion that semantic processing occurs whenever attentional resources are not controlled. Identification of these lexical-semantic regions is particularly important for predicting language outcome in patients undergoing temporal lobe surgery. PMID:18513352
Comparison of Kriging and coKriging for soil contamination mapping in abandoned mine sites
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lee, Hyeongyu; Choi, Yosoon
Soil contamination mapping around abandoned mines is an important task for the planning and design of mine reclamation. This study compared the ordinary Kriging and the co-Kriging methods for the soil contamination mapping in abandoned mine sites. Four approaches were conducted as follows: (1) soil contamination mapping using the ordinary Kriging and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) data only; (2) soil contamination mapping using the ordinary Kriging and Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (PXRF) data only; (3) soil contamination mapping using the ordinary Kriging and integrated data from ICP and PXRF; and (4) soil contamination mapping using the co-Kriging and integrated data from ICP and PXRF. Results indicate that the approach 3 provides substantial improvements over other three approaches including a more reasonable spatial pattern of soil contamination and reduction in the error of its estimates.
Social comparison processes, narrative mapping and their shaping of the cancer experience: a case study of an elite athlete.
Sparkes, Andrew C; Pérez-Samaniego, Víctor; Smith, Brett
Drawing on data generated by life history interviews and fieldwork observations we illuminate the ways in which a young elite athlete named David (a pseudonym) gave meaning to his experiences of cancer that eventually led to his death. Central to this process were the ways in which David utilized both social comparisons and a narrative map provided by the published autobiography of Lance Armstrong (2000). Our analysis reveals the selective manner in which social comparison processes operated around the following key dimensions: mental attitude to treatment; the sporting body; the ageing body; and physical appearance. The manner in which different comparison targets were chosen, the ways in which these were framed by Armstrong's autobiography, and the work that the restitution narrative as an actor did in this process are also examined. Some reflections are offered regarding the experiential consequences of the social comparison processes utilized by David when these are shaped by specific forms of embodiment and selective narrative maps of cancer survival. PMID:22199179
Comparison between one day and two days protocols for sentinel node mapping of breast cancer patients.
Ali, Jangijoo; Alireza, Rezapanah; Mostafa, Mehrabibahar; Naser, Forghani Mohammad; Bahram, Memar; Ramin, Sadeghi
Sentinel node biopsy can decrease the morbidity of breast cancer treatment significantly by sparing many patients of axillary lymph node dissection and resulting arm lymphedema. Despite widespread use of sentinel node mapping for breast cancer patients almost all aspects of this procedure are controversial; such as: type of the radiotracer, eligibility, time of injection, etc. One of these controversial issues is the efficacy of 2 days protocol (injection of the tracer on one day and sentinel node mapping and surgery on the following day). The main reason to perform 2 days protocol is the ease of operation room scheduling the patient does not need to complete injection and imaging in the nuclear medicine department. Despite widespread use of 2 days protocol for sentinel node mapping, very few studies have specifically evaluated this protocol in comparison to 1 day protocol and also the false negative rate which is the better index of sentinel node mapping success. Most of the above studies used tracers with large particle size such as (99m)Tc-sulfur colloid. Tracers with small particle size can theoretically be washed out from the real sentinel nodes and move to the second echelon nodes, so some recommended using large particle size radiotracers for the 2 days protocol. In this study, we compared the false negative rate of sentinel node mapping between 1 and 2 days protocols using intradermal injection of (99m)Tc-antimony sulfide colloid ((99m)Tc-SbSC) which has very small particle size. Eighty patients with early stage breast cancer (clinical stages of I and II) were evaluated. The diagnosis of the breast cancer was established by either excisional or core needle biopsy. The patients didn't take any chemotherapeutic drug before surgery and were divided into two groups: 1 day (Group I) and 2 days (Group II) protocols (45 in Group I and 35 in Group II). For Group I, periareolar intradermal injections of 0.5Bq/0.2mL (99m)Tc-SbSC were applied for patients without
A comparison of the radon potential map with reported radon data
DeVaynes, M.; Krueger, J.W.
Air Chek, Inc., maintains an extensive database of more than one million radon test results. These test results can be sorted, mapped and studied by zip code and, in most cases, by street address. A study was conducted comparing this radon testing data with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Radon Potential Map. The EPA Potential Map assigns each of the 3141 counties in the United States to one of three different priorities. The data in the Air Chek database was sorted by zip code, assigned to the appropriate county and then compared with the EPA Radon Potential Map.
Numerical ragweed pollen forecasts using different source maps: a comparison for France
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zink, Katrin; Kaufmann, Pirmin; Petitpierre, Blaise; Broennimann, Olivier; Guisan, Antoine; Gentilini, Eros; Rotach, Mathias W.
One of the key input parameters for numerical pollen forecasts is the distribution of pollen sources. Generally, three different methodologies exist to assemble such distribution maps: (1) plant inventories, (2) land use data in combination with annual pollen counts, and (3) ecological modeling. We have used six exemplary maps for all of these methodologies to study their applicability and usefulness in numerical pollen forecasts. The ragweed pollen season of 2012 in France has been simulated with the numerical weather prediction model COSMO-ART using each of the distribution maps in turn. The simulated pollen concentrations were statistically compared to measured values to derive a ranking of the maps with respect to their performance. Overall, approach (2) resulted in the best correspondence between observed and simulated pollen concentrations for the year 2012. It is shown that maps resulting from ecological modeling that does not include a sophisticated estimation of the plant density have a very low predictive skill. For inventory maps and the maps based on land use data and pollen counts, the results depend very much on the observational site. The use of pollen counts to calibrate the map enhances the performance of the model considerably.
Comparison of 1:1 and 1:m CSCL Environment for Collaborative Concept Mapping
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lin, C.-P.; Wong, L.-H.; Shao, Y.-J.
This paper reports an investigation into the effects of collaborative concept mapping in a digital learning environment, in terms of students' overall learning gains, knowledge retention, quality of student artefacts (the collaboratively created concept maps), interactive patterns, and learning perceptions. Sixty-four 12-year-old students from two…
Analysing Concept Maps as an Assessment Tool in Teaching Physics and Comparison with the Achievement Tests
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ingec, Sebnem Kandil
Concept mapping is a technique that paves the way to represent knowledge schematically. In this research, concept mapping was used as an assessment method on the impulse-momentum topic. The purpose of this study was to determine teacher candidates' knowledge about understanding of the concepts of impulse and momentum by comparing and contrasting…
Comparison of Ground-Based 3-Dimensional Lightning Mapping Observations with Satellite-Based LIS Observations in Oklahoma: Comparison of LMS and LIS Lightning Mapping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thomas, Ronald J.; Krehbiel, Paul R.; Rison, William; Hamlin, Timothy; Boccippio, Dennis J.; Goodman, Steven J.; Christian, Hugh J.
3-dimensional lightning mapping observations obtained during the MEaPRS program in central Oklahoma during June, 1998 have been compared with observations of the discharges from space, obtained by NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the TRMM satellite. Excellent spatial and temporal correlations were observed between the two sets of observations. Most of the detected optical events were associated with intracloud discharges that developed into the upper part of the storm. Cloud-to-ground discharges that were confined to mid- and lower-altitudes tended not to be detected by LIS. Extensive illumination tended to occur in impulsive bursts toward the end or part way through intracloud flashes and appeared to be produced by energetic K-changes that typically occur at these times.
Uncertainty in the spatial distribution of tropical forest biomass: a comparison of pan-tropical maps
Background Mapping the aboveground biomass of tropical forests is essential both for implementing conservation policy and reducing uncertainties in the global carbon cycle. Two medium resolution (500 m – 1000 m) pantropical maps of vegetation biomass have been recently published, and have been widely used by sub-national and national-level activities in relation to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). Both maps use similar input data layers, and are driven by the same spaceborne LiDAR dataset providing systematic forest height and canopy structure estimates, but use different ground datasets for calibration and different spatial modelling methodologies. Here, we compare these two maps to each other, to the FAO's Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) 2010 country-level data, and to a high resolution (100 m) biomass map generated for a portion of the Colombian Amazon. Results We find substantial differences between the two maps, in particular in central Amazonia, the Congo basin, the south of Papua New Guinea, the Miombo woodlands of Africa, and the dry forests and savannas of South America. There is little consistency in the direction of the difference. However, when the maps are aggregated to the country or biome scale there is greater agreement, with differences cancelling out to a certain extent. When comparing country level biomass stocks, the two maps agree with each other to a much greater extent than to the FRA 2010 estimates. In the Colombian Amazon, both pantropical maps estimate higher biomass than the independent high resolution map, but show a similar spatial distribution of this biomass. Conclusions Biomass mapping has progressed enormously over the past decade, to the stage where we can produce globally consistent maps of aboveground biomass. We show that there are still large uncertainties in these maps, in particular in areas with little field data. However, when used at a regional scale, different maps appear to
Vanadium removal from LD converter slag using bacteria and fungi.
Mirazimi, S M J; Abbasalipour, Z; Rashchi, F
Removal of vanadium from Linz-Donawits (LD) converter slag was investigated by means of three different species of microbial systems: Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (autotrophic bacteria), Pseudomonas putida (heterotrophic bacteria) and Aspergillus niger (fungi). The bioleaching process was carried out in both one-step and two-step process and the leaching efficiencies in both cases were compared. Formation of inorganic and organic acids during the leaching process caused mobilization of vanadium. In order to reduce toxic effects of the metal species on the above mentioned microorganisms, a prolonged adaptation process was performed. Both bacteria, A. thiooxidans and P. putida were able to remove more than 90% of vanadium at slag concentrations of 1-5 g L(-1) after 15 days. Also, the maximum achievable vanadium removal in the fungal system was approximately 92% at a slag concentration of 1 g L(-1) after 22 days. PMID:25697901
Comparison of manually produced and automated cross country movement maps using digital image processing techniques
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wynn, L. K.
The Image-Based Information System (IBIS) was used to automate the cross country movement (CCM) mapping model developed by the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA). Existing terrain factor overlays and a CCM map, produced by DMA for the Fort Lewis, Washington area, were digitized and reformatted into geometrically registered images. Terrain factor data from Slope, Soils, and Vegetation overlays were entered into IBIS, and were then combined utilizing IBIS-programmed equations to implement the DMA CCM model. The resulting IBIS-generated CCM map was then compared with the digitized manually produced map to test similarity. The numbers of pixels comprising each CCM region were compared between the two map images, and percent agreement between each two regional counts was computed. The mean percent agreement equalled 86.21%, with an areally weighted standard deviation of 11.11%. Calculation of Pearson's correlation coefficient yielded +9.997. In some cases, the IBIS-calculated map code differed from the DMA codes: analysis revealed that IBIS had calculated the codes correctly. These highly positive results demonstrate the power and accuracy of IBIS in automating models which synthesize a variety of thematic geographic data.
Comparison between historical yield and soybean crop EVI values using correlation map
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Figueiredo, G. K.; Rocha, J. V.; Lamparelli, R. A.; Brunsell, N. A.
Timely and accurate yield estimates using remote sensing represents an important advance towards objective crop forecasting in Brazil. Vegetation index values integrated over a period have been used to generate agronomic parameters such as crop yield. Several studies showed the strong relationship between accumulated vegetation index and historical yield, once it represents crop photosynthetic activity. The main goal of this study was to create correlation maps between Modis/TERRA EVI and historical yield during the soybean crop cycle in Paraná state, Brazil, from 2000 to 2010. The soybean cycle was separated in four variables corresponding to the crop stage: emergence to maturity, emergence to flowering, flowering to maturity, flowering to the grain filling. For each variable a correlation map was created between the accumulated EVI and soybean yield at pixel level. All variables showed a good correlation, but among all of them the best correlation was the period between flowering to maturity. This happened because of exclusion of months where EVI response was low, corresponding to period of crop emergence (October and November). A percentage map of soybean crop was confronted with the correlation map to check out whether the highest correlation was corresponding to soybean pixel. On the percentage map pixels showing above 70% of soybean were selected, then on the correlation map pixels with correlation coefficients above 0.7 were selected. Within the data set 43% of pixels from the correlation map had land cover greater than or equal to 70% of soybean crop.
Fractal mapping of digitized images - Application to the topography of Arizona and comparisons with synthetic images
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Huang, J.; Turcotte, D. L.
The concept of fractal mapping is introduced and applied to digitized topography of Arizona. It is shown that the fractal statistics satisfy the topography of the state to a good approximation. The fractal dimensions and roughness amplitudes from subregions are used to construct maps of these quantities. It is found that the fractal dimension of actual two-dimensional topography is not affected by the adding unity to the fractal dimension of one-dimensional topographic tracks. In addition, consideration is given to the production of fractal maps from synthetically derived topography.
Comparison of User-Directed and Automatic Mapping of the Planned Isocenter to Treatment Space for Prostate IGRT
Wang, Andrew; Kress, Andrea; Qin, An; Cullip, Timothy; Tracton, Gregg; Yan, Di; Chaney, Edward
Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), adaptive radiotherapy (ART), and online reoptimization rely on accurate mapping of the radiation beam isocenter(s) from planning to treatment space. This mapping involves rigid and/or nonrigid registration of planning (pCT) and intratreatment (tCT) CT images. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare a fully automatic approach, including a non-rigid step, against a user-directed rigid method implemented in a clinical IGRT protocol for prostate cancer. Isocenters resulting from automatic and clinical mappings were compared to reference isocenters carefully determined in each tCT. Comparison was based on displacements from the reference isocenters and prostate dose-volume histograms (DVHs). Ten patients with a total of 243 tCTs were investigated. Fully automatic registration was found to be as accurate as the clinical protocol but more precise for all patients. The average of the unsigned x, y, and z offsets and the standard deviations (σ) of the signed offsets computed over all images were (avg. ± σ (mm)): 1.1 ± 1.4, 1.8 ± 2.3, 2.5 ± 3.5 for the clinical protocol and 0.6 ± 0.8, 1.1 ± 1.5 and 1.1 ± 1.4 for the automatic method. No failures or outliers from automatic mapping were observed, while 8 outliers occurred for the clinical protocol. PMID:24348526
Comparison of Sub-pixel Classification Approaches for Crop-specific Mapping
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data has been increasingly used for crop mapping and other agricultural applications. Phenology-based classification approaches using the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) 16-day composite (250 m) data product...
Comparisons of four approximation algorithms for large-scale linkage map construction
Jenkins, Johnie N.; McCarty, Jack C.; Lou, Xiang-Yang
Efficient construction of large-scale linkage maps is highly desired in current gene mapping projects. To evaluate the performance of available approaches in the literature, four published methods, the insertion (IN), seriation (SER), neighbor mapping (NM), and unidirectional growth (UG) were compared on the basis of simulated F2 data with various population sizes, interferences, missing genotype rates, and mis-genotyping rates. Simulation results showed that the IN method outperformed, or at least was comparable to, the other three methods. These algorithms were also applied to a real data set and results showed that the linkage order obtained by the IN algorithm was superior to the other methods. Thus, this study suggests that the IN method should be used when constructing large-scale linkage maps. PMID:21611760
Identification of Ischemic Lesions Based on Difference Integral Maps, Comparison of Several ECG Intervals
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Švehlíková, J.; Kania, M.; Turzová, M.; Hebláková, E.; Tyšler, M.; Maniewski, R.
Ischemic changes in small areas of myocardium can be detected from difference integral maps computed from body surface potentials measured on the same subject in situations with and without manifestation of ischemia. The proposed method for their detection is the inverse solution with 2 dipoles. Surface potentials were recorded at rest and during stress on 10 patients and 3 healthy subjects. Difference integral maps were computed for 4 intervals of integration of electrocardiographic signal (QRST, QRSU, STT and STU) and their properties and applicability as input data for inverse identification of ischemic lesions were compared. The results showed that better (more reliable) inverse solutions can be obtained from difference integral maps computed either from QRST or from STT interval of integration. The average correlation between these maps was 97%. The use of the end of U wave instead of the end of T wave for interval of integration did not improve the results.
Face recognition using 3D facial shape and color map information: comparison and combination
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Godil, Afzal; Ressler, Sandy; Grother, Patrick
In this paper, we investigate the use of 3D surface geometry for face recognition and compare it to one based on color map information. The 3D surface and color map data are from the CAESAR anthropometric database. We find that the recognition performance is not very different between 3D surface and color map information using a principal component analysis algorithm. We also discuss the different techniques for the combination of the 3D surface and color map information for multi-modal recognition by using different fusion approaches and show that there is significant improvement in results. The effectiveness of various techniques is compared and evaluated on a dataset with 200 subjects in two different positions.
A comparison of two algorithms for electron-density map improvement by introduction of atomicity: skeletonization, and map sorting followed by refinement.
Vellieux, F M
A comparison has been made of two methods for electron-density map improvement by the introduction of atomicity, namely the iterative skeletonization procedure of the CCP4 program DM [Cowtan & Main (1993). Acta Cryst. D49, 148-157] and the pseudo-atom introduction followed by the refinement protocol in the program suite DEMON/ANGEL [Vellieux, Hunt, Roy & Read (1995). J. Appl. Cryst. 28, 347-351]. Tests carried out using the 3.0 A resolution electron density resulting from iterative 12-fold non-crystallographic symmetry averaging and solvent flattening for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa ornithine transcarbamoylase [Villeret, Tricot, Stalon & Dideberg (1995). Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 92, 10762-10766] indicate that pseudo-atom introduction followed by refinement performs much better than iterative skeletonization: with the former method, a phase improvement of 15.3 degrees is obtained with respect to the initial density modification phases. With iterative skeletonization a phase degradation of 0.4 degrees is obtained. Consequently, the electron-density maps obtained using pseudo-atom phases or pseudo-atom phases combined with density-modification phases are much easier to interpret. These tests also show that for ornithine transcarbamoylase, where 12-fold non-crystallographic symmetry is present in the P1 crystals, G-function coupling leads to the simultaneous decrease of the conventional R factor and of the free R factor, a phenomenon which is not observed when non-crystallographic symmetry is absent from the crystal. The method is far less effective in such a case, and the results obtained suggest that the map sorting followed by refinement stage should be by-passed to obtain interpretable electron-density distributions. PMID:9761819
Comparison of four Vulnerability Approaches to Mapping of Shallow Aquifers of Eastern Dahomey Basin of Nigeria
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oke, Saheed; Vermeulen, Danie
This study presents the outcome of mapping the shallow aquifers of the eastern Dahomey Basin of southwestern Nigeria vulnerability studies. The basin is a coastal transboundary aquifer extending from eastern Ghana to southwestern Nigeria. The study aimed to examine the most suitable method for mapping the basin shallow aquifers by comparing the results of four different vulnerability approaches. This is most important due to differences in vulnerability assessment parameters, approaches and results derived from most vulnerability methods on a particular aquifer. The methodology involves using vulnerability techniques that assess the intrinsic properties of the aquifer. Two methods from travel time approach (AVI and RTt) and index approach (DRASTIC and PI) were employed in the mapping of the basin. The results show the AVI has the least mapping parameters with 75% of the basin classified as very high vulnerability and 25% with high vulnerability. The DRASTIC mapping shows 18% as low vulnerability, 61% as moderate vulnerability and 21% reveal high vulnerability. Mapping with the PI method which has highest parameters shows 66% of the aquifer as low vulnerability and 34% reveal moderate vulnerability. The RTt method shows 18% as very high vulnerability, 8% as high vulnerability, 64% as moderate vulnerability and 10% reveal very low vulnerability. Further analysis involving correlation plots shows the highest correlation of 62% between the RTt and DRASTIC method than within any others methods. The analysis shows that the PI method is the mildest of all the vulnerability methods while the AVI method is the strictest of the methods considered in this vulnerability mapping. The significance of using four different approaches to the mapping of the shallow aquifers of the eastern Dahomey Basin will guide in the recommendation of the best vulnerability method for subsequent future assessment of this and other shallow aquifers. Keywords: Aquifer vulnerability, Dahomey Basin
Comparison of Mapping Tessera Terrain in the Phoebe Regio (V-41) and Tellus Tessera (V-10) Quadrangles
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Senske, D. A.
Tessera terrain was first described from data collected by the Venera 15/16 spacecraft. These high standing crustal plateaus are characterized by enhanced radar-scale roughness (i.e. at the 12-cm Magellan radar wavelength), low radar reflectivity and multiple episodes of deformation. Outcrops range from local exposures (100s of km across) to continent sized (e.g. Aphrodite Terra). To understand the tectonic history of these relatively old terrains, detailed geologic and stratigraphic relations have been assessed by a number of investigators. Tessera is typically mapped as a global-scale unit although significant variations in both geologic setting and character are observed. This leads to the suggestion that the rock material making up these terrains may vary across the planet. As such, we are carrying out geologic mapping of both the Phoebe Regio (V-41) and Tellus Tessera (V-10) quadrangles to ascertain their geologic history and make comparisons between these distinct upland plateaus.
Levodropropizine (LD) activity in allergic asthmatic patients, challenged with ultrasonically nebulized distilled water, metacholine and allergen-induced bronchospasm.
Bossi, R; Banfi, P; Filipazzi, V; Castelli, C; Braga, P C
The antitussive compound Levodropropizine (LD) is active in animal bronchoconstriction induced by histamine and capsaicin and in man protects from bronchoconstriction induced by capsaicin. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of action of LD given at 60 mg t.i.d. as oral drops, for 8 days by means of specific bronchial challenges (allergens) and of aspecific challenges acting via different receptors and fibers (i.e. metacholine via cholinergic receptors and ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (UNDW) via histamine and neuropeptide release). The study design is randomized, double-blind, cross-over versus placebo in 30 allergic asthmatic patients. Baseline bronchial tone and bronchoconstrictor response to metacholine (MCh) were not modified by active treatment nor by placebo. On the contrary, in airway responsiveness to UNDW, the active treatment showed an antagonist effect against induced bronchoconstriction of 59% [activity ratio (AR) as antilog = 0.41; 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.54; p < or = 0.05] in comparison to no effect for placebo. Similarly, in airway responsiveness to specific allergen, active treatment antagonized the bronchoconstrictor effect of grass pollen by 83% and of various allergens (dermatophagoides and grass pollen) by 72%, i.e. AR of 0.17 (95% confidence interval 0.045-0.65; p < 0.01) and of 0.28 (95% confidence interval 0.07-1.04; p < 0.05), respectively. No antagonist effect was evident with placebo at all times. Besides inhibiting cough, LD is also partially effective in inhibiting bronchial hyperreactive response against specific allergen and UNDW bronchoconstriction. Hence, LD might act by partly inhibiting histamine and neuropeptide release. PMID:10184318
Single-molecule approach to bacterial genomic comparisons via optical mapping.
Zhou, Shiguo; Kile, A.; Bechner, M.; Kvikstad, E.; Deng, W.; Wei, J.; Severin, J.; Runnheim, R.; Churas, C.; Forrest, D.; Dimalanta, E.; Lamers, C.; Burland, V.; Blattner, F. R.; Schwartz, David C.
Modern comparative genomics has been established, in part, by the sequencing and annotation of a broad range of microbial species. To gain further insights, new sequencing efforts are now dealing with the variety of strains or isolates that gives a species definition and range; however, this number vastly outstrips our ability to sequence them. Given the availability of a large number of microbial species, new whole genome approaches must be developed to fully leverage this information at the level of strain diversity that maximize discovery. Here, we describe how optical mapping, a single-molecule system, was used to identify and annotate chromosomal alterations between bacterial strains represented by several species. Since whole-genome optical maps are ordered restriction maps, sequenced strains of Shigella flexneri serotype 2a (2457T and 301), Yersinia pestis (CO 92 and KIM), and Escherichia coli were aligned as maps to identify regions of homology and to further characterize them as possible insertions, deletions, inversions, or translocations. Importantly, an unsequenced Shigella flexneri strain (serotype Y strain AMC[328Y]) was optically mapped and aligned with two sequenced ones to reveal one novel locus implicated in serotype conversion and several other loci containing insertion sequence elements or phage-related gene insertions. Our results suggest that genomic rearrangements and chromosomal breakpoints are readily identified and annotated against a prototypic sequenced strain by using the tools of optical mapping.
Mapping and monitoring carbon stocks with satellite observations: a comparison of methods
Goetz, Scott J; Baccini, Alessandro; Laporte, Nadine T; Johns, Tracy; Walker, Wayne; Kellndorfer, Josef; Houghton, Richard A; Sun, Mindy
Mapping and monitoring carbon stocks in forested regions of the world, particularly the tropics, has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years as deforestation and forest degradation account for up to 30% of anthropogenic carbon emissions, and are now included in climate change negotiations. We review the potential for satellites to measure carbon stocks, specifically aboveground biomass (AGB), and provide an overview of a range of approaches that have been developed and used to map AGB across a diverse set of conditions and geographic areas. We provide a summary of types of remote sensing measurements relevant to mapping AGB, and assess the relative merits and limitations of each. We then provide an overview of traditional techniques of mapping AGB based on ascribing field measurements to vegetation or land cover type classes, and describe the merits and limitations of those relative to recent data mining algorithms used in the context of an approach based on direct utilization of remote sensing measurements, whether optical or lidar reflectance, or radar backscatter. We conclude that while satellite remote sensing has often been discounted as inadequate for the task, attempts to map AGB without satellite imagery are insufficient. Moreover, the direct remote sensing approach provided more coherent maps of AGB relative to traditional approaches. We demonstrate this with a case study focused on continental Africa and discuss the work in the context of reducing uncertainty for carbon monitoring and markets. PMID:19320965
Molecular characterization and LD(50) identify virulent isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis from adult sepsis.
Herndona, B L; Bialkowska-Hobrzanska, H; Dall, L
Staphylococcus epidermidis plays an important role in infections of patients with implanted prosthetic devices. The exact clinical significance of recovered S. epidermidis from clinical specimens is difficult to assess, as they are inhabitants of the normal skin. In this study, 11 adults with clinical sepsis and blood cultures that grew only S. epidermidis were the host population. Bacterial virulence in vivo was determined by using the mouse LD(50) assay where the intravenous lethality was determined for each patient isolate. Bacterial dose (CFU x 10(9)) that produced lethality in 50% of the animals at 12 h was the value used for comparison. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of chromosomal DNA by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for identification of individual strains and their clonal organization. Confirmation of species assignment was done by RFLP analysis of 16S + 23S rRNA gene regions (ribotyping). Plasmid profile analysis was also conducted. Four of 11 blood isolates from adults with S. epidermidis sepsis had indistinguishable or closely related DNA patterns and were considered clone A. The same clone was previously seen to account for the majority of sepsis in a neonatal intensive care unit. There were significant differences in virulence characteristics of the S. epidermidis isolates. Clone A isolates produced lethality by LD(50) in mice at a dose averaging 2.35; clone B isolate at a dose of 2.54, and the remaining isolates, representing six distinct clones, were lethal to mice at significantly larger doses (3.51-5.17, average 4.16). These data suggest that individual clones of S. epidermidis isolated from septic adults have detectable differences in virulence as defined by an animal bioassay, and the more virulent clone is widespread. PMID:10705046
Comparison of Synoptic Maps of Solar Soft X-Ray Features, Photospheric Magnetic Fields, and Helium 1083 NM
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Harvey, J.; Slater, G.; Nitta, N.; Shibata, K.; Tsuneta, S.; Sakurai, T.; Hara, H.
We studied the wealth of structural features visible in Yohkoh/SXT and NSO/KP synoptic maps of the Sun that cover Carrington rotations 1847 through 1879. In order to do this comparison, various methods to reduce soft X-ray maps to simple structural elements were explored. In the end, the best way of comparing the various data sets turned out to be to filter the X-ray maps to emphasize high-spatial frequencies and then to either simply blink the various images or to make colorized composite maps that distinctively assign different colors to various quantities. Among the results are: 1. Active regions exhibit normal or "anemone" (fountain-like) X-ray loop structure tendency depending on whether the surrounding large-scale unipolarity of the magnetic field is small or large. 2. There is a systematic twist of the coronal loops around magnetic concentrations in the southern hemisphere and vice-versa in the north. The sense is the same as one would expect from the action of differential rotation. 3. Dark lanes in the X-ray images are centered over large-scale polarity patterns of one sign or the other. 4. The X-ray loops at the boundaries between large-scale opposite polarity patterns are frequently strongly sheared. The presence or absence of a filament in these locations may be related in a complicated way to the amount of shear. 5. At the resolution of the synoptic maps, the footpoints of X-ray loops are almost always rooted in locally strong magnetic concentrations and also in extra-dark 1083 nm elements.
Comparison of methods for integrating biological and physical data for marine habitat mapping and classification
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shumchenia, E. J.; King, J. W.
An important first step in marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based management efforts is the creation of benthic habitat maps that allow scientists and managers to understand the distribution of living and non-living resources on the seafloor. However, the location of boundaries between and composition of habitats is highly dependent on the approach taken to integrate abiotic and biotic information. The purpose of this study was to test "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches for integrating physical and biological data derived from commonly used sub-tidal benthic mapping tools to create a habitat map compatible with the US Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). We found that a top-down framework, where we tested for differences in macrofauna assemblages among side scan sonar facies, defined two broad-scale and general habitats. Using the bottom-up approach, where patterns in abiotic and biotic variables were examined with multivariate statistics (BEST, LINKTREE, ANOSIM, SIMPER), we generated seven biotopes based on the macrofauna abundance, percent sand, water depth, and backscatter standard deviation that corresponded well to, but provided more fine-scale detail than the top-down habitats. We were able to use the statistical relationship between abiotic variables and macrofauna assemblages in the LINKTREE to predict the spatial distribution of assemblages over ˜50% of the study area. We created a local catalogue of biotopes specific to our study area that contributes to the CMECS library. In addition, we were able to fully map CMECS Geoform, Surface Geology, and Biotic Cover Components. This mapping effort represented real progress toward reconciling the "data density mismatch" between physical and biological mapping methods, and it provided further evidence that using a bottom-up methodology preserves species-environment relationships.
Mapping of wheat mitochondrial mRNA termini and comparison with breakpoints in DNA homology among plants.
Choi, Boyoung; Acero, Maria M; Bonen, Linda
Mitochondrial DNA rearrangements occur very frequently in flowering plants and when close to genes there must be concomitant acquisition of new regulatory cis-elements. To explore whether there might be limits to such DNA shuffling, we have mapped the termini of mitochondrial mRNAs in wheat, a monocot, and compared them to the known positions for counterpart genes in the eudicot Arabidopsis. Nine genes share homologous 3' UTRs over their full-length and for six of them, the termini map very close to the site of wheat/Arabidopsis DNA rearrangements. Only one such case was seen for comparisons of 5' UTRs, and the 5' ends of mRNAs are typically more heterogeneous than 3' termini. Approximately half of the thirty-one wheat mitochondrial transcriptional units are preceded by CRTA promoter-like motifs, and of the potential stem-loop or tRNA-like structures identified as candidate RNA processing/stability signals near the 5' or 3' ends, several are shared with Arabidopsis. Comparison of the mitochondrial gene flanking sequences from normal fertile wheat (Triticum aestivum) with those of Aegilops kotschyi which is the source of mitochondria present in K-type cytoplasmic male sterile wheat, revealed six cases where mRNAs are precluded from sharing full-length homologous UTRs because of genomic reorganization events, and the presence of short repeats located at the sites of discontinuity points to a reciprocal recombination-mediated mode of rearrangement. PMID:22956245
Comparison of QuickBird and SPOT 5 Satellite Imagery for Mapping Giant Reed
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
QuickBird (2.4 m resolution) and SPOT 5 (10 m resolution) multi-spectral satellite imagery were compared for mapping the invasive grass, giant reed (Arundo donax L.), along the Rio Grande in southwest Texas. The imagery had three bands (green, red, and near-infrared). Three subsets from both the Q...
We evaluated the relative accuracy of four methods of producing maps of long-term runoff for part of the northeast United States: MAN, a manual procedure that incorporates expert opinion in contour placement; RPRIS, an automated procedure based on water balance considerations, Pn...
GIT1 Paxillin-binding Domain Is a Four-helix Bundle, and It Binds to Both Paxillin LD2 and LD4 Motifs*S⃞
Zhang, Ziwei M.; Simmerman, Joseph A.; Guibao, Cristina D.; Zheng, Jie J.
The G protein-coupled receptor kinase-interacting protein 1 (GIT1) is a multidomain protein that plays an important role in cell adhesion, motility, cytoskeletal remodeling, and membrane trafficking. GIT1 mediates the localization of the p21-activated kinase (PAK) and PAK-interactive exchange factor to focal adhesions, and its activation is regulated by the interaction between its C-terminal paxillin-binding domain (PBD) and the LD motifs of paxillin. In this study, we determined the solution structure of rat GIT1 PBD by NMR spectroscopy. The PBD folds into a four-helix bundle, which is structurally similar to the focal adhesion targeting and vinculin tail domains. Previous studies showed that GIT1 interacts with paxillin through the LD4 motif. Here, we demonstrated that in addition to the LD4 motif, the GIT1 PBD can also bind to the paxillin LD2 motif, and both LD2 and LD4 motifs competitively target the same site on the PBD surface. We also revealed that paxillin Ser272 phosphorylation does not influence GIT1 PBD binding in vitro. These results are in agreement with the notion that phosphorylation of paxillin Ser272 plays an essential role in regulating focal adhesion turnover. PMID:18448431
Disruption of the lipid-transporting LdMT-LdRos3 complex in Leishmania donovani affects membrane lipid asymmetry but not host cell invasion.
Weingärtner, Adrien; Drobot, Björn; Herrmann, Andreas; Sánchez-Cañete, María P; Gamarro, Francisco; Castanys, Santiago; Günther Pomorski, Thomas
Maintenance and regulation of the asymmetric lipid distribution across eukaryotic plasma membranes is governed by the concerted action of specific membrane proteins controlling lipid movement across the bilayer. Here, we show that the miltefosine transporter (LdMT), a member of the P4-ATPase subfamily in Leishmania donovani, and the Cdc50-like protein LdRos3 form a stable complex that plays an essential role in maintaining phospholipid asymmetry in the parasite plasma membrane. Loss of either LdMT or LdRos3 abolishes ATP-dependent transport of NBD-labelled phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine from the outer to the inner plasma membrane leaflet and results in an increased cell surface exposure of endogenous PE. We also find that promastigotes of L. donovani lack any detectable amount of phosphatidylserine (PS) but retain their infectivity in THP-1-derived macrophages. Likewise, infectivity was unchanged for parasites without LdMT-LdRos3 complexes. We conclude that exposure of PS and PE to the exoplasmic leaflet is not crucial for the infectivity of L. donovani promastigotes. PMID:20865154
Disruption of the Lipid-Transporting LdMT-LdRos3 Complex in Leishmania donovani Affects Membrane Lipid Asymmetry but Not Host Cell Invasion
Weingärtner, Adrien; Drobot, Björn; Herrmann, Andreas; Sánchez-Cañete, María P.; Gamarro, Francisco; Castanys, Santiago; Günther Pomorski, Thomas
Maintenance and regulation of the asymmetric lipid distribution across eukaryotic plasma membranes is governed by the concerted action of specific membrane proteins controlling lipid movement across the bilayer. Here, we show that the miltefosine transporter (LdMT), a member of the P4-ATPase subfamily in Leishmania donovani, and the Cdc50-like protein LdRos3 form a stable complex that plays an essential role in maintaining phospholipid asymmetry in the parasite plasma membrane. Loss of either LdMT or LdRos3 abolishes ATP-dependent transport of NBD-labelled phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine from the outer to the inner plasma membrane leaflet and results in an increased cell surface exposure of endogenous PE. We also find that promastigotes of L. donovani lack any detectable amount of phosphatidylserine (PS) but retain their infectivity in THP-1-derived macrophages. Likewise, infectivity was unchanged for parasites without LdMT-LdRos3 complexes. We conclude that exposure of PS and PE to the exoplasmic leaflet is not crucial for the infectivity of L. donovani promastigotes. PMID:20865154
Comparison of wet/dry mapping and electrical resistivity sensors to characterize patterns of intermittency
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Costigan, K. H.; Goss, C. W.; Jaeger, K. L.; Goebel, P. C.
Intermittent rivers are those that cease to flow at some point(s) in space and time along their course and are present in all climates and terrestrial biomes. The prevalence of drying is increasing, even in temperate biomes that we typically do not associate with river drying or dry climates. There have been several techniques employed to characterize patterns of intermittency but field mapping and use of electrical resistivity (ER) sensors are the most common. Field mapping has long been used to study intermittency, but this method is limited by its inability to capture the rapidly changing configuration of intermittent streams that often occur during wetting and drying events. ER sensors enable researchers to remotely record channel-water presence at fine spatiotemporal scales which will better capture seasonal dynamics in transient lotic systems. Here, we compare field mapping and ER sensor recordings of stream intermittency for 10 forested headwater streams in northeastern Ohio. Field mapping occurred approximately biweekly while the ER sensors recorded at 30-minute intervals from April through November 2014. Although ER sensors offer many advantages to stream mapping, our study revealed several limitations of ER sensors including requiring re-securing after flows moved sensors, burial in sediment that results them in recording subsurface water, and the small spatial scale the sensors are representative of. Nevertheless, ER sensors provide a low cost, high performance, and method that requires minimal data interpretation to monitor the presence and absence of water in channels at a specific location. The latest generation of ER sensors also record temperature, which can help in differentiate standing and flowing water. Aspects other than timing, duration, and frequency of flow such as the resumption (advancing) and recession (retreating) rates or magnitudes can be characterized with ER sensor arrays.
Whole-Genome Mapping as a Novel High-Resolution Typing Tool for Legionella pneumophila
Euser, Sjoerd M.; Landman, Fabian; Bruin, Jacob P.; IJzerman, Ed P.; den Boer, Jeroen W.; Schouls, Leo M.
Legionella is the causative agent for Legionnaires' disease (LD) and is responsible for several large outbreaks in the world. More than 90% of LD cases are caused by Legionella pneumophila, and studies on the origin and transmission routes of this pathogen rely on adequate molecular characterization of isolates. Current typing of L. pneumophila mainly depends on sequence-based typing (SBT). However, studies have shown that in some outbreak situations, SBT does not have sufficient discriminatory power to distinguish between related and nonrelated L. pneumophila isolates. In this study, we used a novel high-resolution typing technique, called whole-genome mapping (WGM), to differentiate between epidemiologically related and nonrelated L. pneumophila isolates. Assessment of the method by various validation experiments showed highly reproducible results, and WGM was able to confirm two well-documented Dutch L. pneumophila outbreaks. Comparison of whole-genome maps of the two outbreaks together with WGMs of epidemiologically nonrelated L. pneumophila isolates showed major differences between the maps, and WGM yielded a higher discriminatory power than SBT. In conclusion, WGM can be a valuable alternative to perform outbreak investigations of L. pneumophila in real time since the turnaround time from culture to comparison of the L. pneumophila maps is less than 24 h. PMID:26202110
Comparison of parametric and nonparametric methods to map oligogenes by linkage
Liò, P.; Morton, N. E.
A sample of 95 sib pairs affected with insulin-dependent diabetes and typed with their normal parents for 28 markers on chromosome 6 has been analyzed by several methods. When appropriate parameters are efficiently estimated, a parametric model is equivalent to the β model, which is superior to nonparametric alternatives both in single point tests (as found previously) and in multipoint tests. Theory is given for meta-analysis combined with allelic association, and problems that may be associated with errors of map location and/or marker typing are identified. Reducing by multipoint analysis the number of association tests in a dense map can give a 3-fold reduction in the critical lod, and therefore in the cost of positional cloning. PMID:9144239
Comparison of canine parvovirus with mink enteritis virus by restriction site mapping.
McMaster, G K; Tratschin, J D; Siegl, G
The genomes of canine parvovirus and mink enteritis virus were compared by restriction enzyme analysis of their replicative-form DNAs. Of 79 mapped sites, 68, or 86%, were found to be common for both types of DNA, indicating that canine parvovirus and mink enteritis virus are closely related viruses. Whether they evolved from a common precursor or whether canine parvovirus is derived from mink enteritis virus, however, cannot be deduced from our present data. Images PMID:6264109
Comparison of High Resolution Topographic Data Sources (SAR, IfSAR, and LiDAR) for Storm Surge Hazard Maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Suarez, J. K. B.; Santiago, J. T.; Muldong, T. M. M.; Lagmay, A. M. A.; Caro, C. V.; Ramos, M.
As an archipelagic country, the Philippines has experienced multiple storm surge threats. Moreover, the country's location, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, results in an average of eight to nine typhoons that make landfall in a year. Storm surge hazard maps require high resolution topographic data to illustrate water inflow in the event of storm surges in vulnerable coastal areas and for accurate boundaries and coastline. Furthermore, potential hazard areas tend to be generalized in lower resolution data. The objective of this research is to compare three sources where accurate and quality storm surge hazard maps will draw bases from. For this purpose, the researcher used and compared SAR, IfSAR and LiDAR. The study involved comparing maps from different topographic data sources in Tacloban, in the province of Leyte. This area was one of the most heavily stricken areas during typhoon Haiyan where more than 6,000 people died and P34.37 billion worth of property was destroyed. In the comparison of the three sources, the following had be taken into consideration: cost of acquiring data, processing time, purpose, and the results. The research learned the following: Synthetic Aperture Radar or SAR produces data with a 30 meter resolution, while Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) offers a resolution of 5 meters. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) has the highest resolution of the three with 1 meter. In addition, higher costs are paid for more detailed topographic data. Also, processing time takes longer for finer details due to the memory of the computer units used for modelling. The sources were also evaluated on the necessity of the scale at which the maps are needed for specific purposes such as practicality and direct disaster response. Results from the maps have been validated through interviews with the locals on the experience of actual storm surges. Through this study, the researcher concluded that although LiDAR can offer a more detailed and
Strengths-based Assessment Differences across Students with LD and EBD.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reid, Robert; Epstein, Michael H.; Pastor, Dena A.; Ryser, Gail R.
A study used the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) with 129 students (ages 7-18) with learning disabilities (LD), 145 with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), and 144 typical students. BERS discriminated among students with LD and EBD and controls and was able to classify students with EBD and controls. (Contains references.)…
Ten Years of Research: A Systematic Review of Three Refereed LD Journals
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McFarland, Laura; Williams, Jacob; Miciak, Jeremy
Content analyses of journals in the field of LD provide a means of surveying research and publication trends, the knowledge of which may inform policy and practice related to future research agendas. As the first decade of the current millennium was particularly contentious for the field of LD, we felt that a content review would be timely. In…
Can Social Stories Enhance the Interpersonal Conflict Resolution Skills of Children with LD?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kalyva, Efrosini; Agaliotis, Ioannis
Since many children with learning disabilities (LD) face interpersonal conflict resolution problems, this study examines the efficacy of social stories in helping them choose more appropriate interpersonal conflict resolution strategies. A social story was recorded and played to the 31 children with LD in the experimental group twice a week for a…
Computer Literate LD Students Shine at Lakewood Elementary School in Silicon Valley, CA.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Messinger, Mildred
In Sunnyvale, California (the computer industry's "Silicon Valley") two teachers of elementary learning disabled (LD) students took a course in microcomputers, acquired three microcomputers with a grant, and trained the students to use computer-assisted instruction, with such results as that in one year, 37 LD students tutored 100 primary…
Recognizing Non-Verbal Social Cues Promotes Social Performance in LD Adolescents
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Greenbank, Alicia; Sharon, Assia
The research examined whether an educational intervention could enhance the ability of learning disabled (LD) adolescents to recognize non-verbal emotional messages and thus their social functioning. Most LD children have problems recognizing non-verbal cues, particularly emotional ones, and have social difficulties. The study examined the…
Psychometric Approaches to the Identification of LD: IQ and Achievement Scores Are Not Sufficient
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Francis,David J; Fletcher,Jack M.; Stuebing,Karla K.; Lyon,G. Reid; Shaywitz,Bennett A; Shaywitz,Sally E.
Simulated data were used to demonstrate that groups formed by imposing cut-points based on either discrepancy or low-achievement definitions of learning disabilities (LD) are unstable over time. Similar problems were demonstrated in longitudinal data from the Connecticut Longitudinal Study, where 39% of the children designated as having LD in…
Effects of Low-Dose Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR-ld) on Working Adults
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Klatt, Maryanna D.; Buckworth, Janet; Malarkey, William B.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has produced behavioral, psychological, and physiological benefits, but these programs typically require a substantial time commitment from the participants. This study assessed the effects of a shortened (low-dose [ld]) work-site MBSR intervention (MBSR-ld) on indicators of stress in healthy working…
Refining Diagnoses: Applying the DC-LD to an Irish Population with Intellectual Disability
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Felstrom, A.; Mulryan, N.; Reidy, J.; Staines, M.; Hillery, J.
Background: The diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders for use with adults with learning disabilities/mental retardation (DC-LD) is a diagnostic tool developed in 2001 to improve upon existing classification systems for adults with learning disability. The aim of this study was to apply the classification system described by the DC-LD to a…
Introducing Algebra through the Graphical Representation of Functions: A Study among LD Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sauriol, Jennifer
This longitudinal study evaluates the impact of a new Algebra 1 course at a High School for language-based learning-disabled (LD) students. The new course prioritized the teaching of relationship graphs and functions as an introduction to algebra. Across three studies, the dissertation documents and evaluates the progress made by LD high school…
Discriminative Effectiveness of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for LD Adolescents.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lewis, Richard D.; Lorion, Raymond P.
Evaluation of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery's utility in distinguishing between 30 male adolescents diagnosed as learning disabled (LD) and 30 matched non-LD students indicated that the battery correctly classified 90 percent of the sample with 6.7 percent false positives and 13.3 percent false negatives. (Author/DB)
The Relation of LD and Gender with Emotional Intelligence in College Students.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reiff, Henry B.; Hatzes, Nanette M.; Bramel, Michael H.; Gibbon, Thomas
This study examined the relation of learning disabilities (LD) and gender with emotional intelligence (as measured by the Emotional Quotient Inventory) in 128 college students. Analyses indicated significant differences between students with and without LD on stress management and adaptability, between men and women students on interpersonal…
Comparison of Image Restoration Methods for Lunar Epithermal Neutron Emission Mapping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
McClanahan, T. P.; Ivatury, V.; Milikh, G.; Nandikotkur, G.; Puetter, R. C.; Sagdeev, R. Z.; Usikov, D.; Mitrofanov, I. G.
Orbital measurements of neutrons by the Lunar Exploring Neutron Detector (LEND) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are being used to quantify the spatial distribution of near surface hydrogen (H). Inferred H concentration maps have low signal-to-noise (SN) and image restoration (IR) techniques are being studied to enhance results. A single-blind. two-phase study is described in which four teams of researchers independently developed image restoration techniques optimized for LEND data. Synthetic lunar epithermal neutron emission maps were derived from LEND simulations. These data were used as ground truth to determine the relative quantitative performance of the IR methods vs. a default denoising (smoothing) technique. We review and used factors influencing orbital remote sensing of neutrons emitted from the lunar surface to develop a database of synthetic "true" maps for performance evaluation. A prior independent training phase was implemented for each technique to assure methods were optimized before the blind trial. Method performance was determined using several regional root-mean-square error metrics specific to epithermal signals of interest. Results indicate unbiased IR methods realize only small signal gains in most of the tested metrics. This suggests other physically based modeling assumptions are required to produce appreciable signal gains in similar low SN IR applications.
Performance comparison of LUR and OK in PM2.5 concentration mapping: a multidimensional perspective
Zou, Bin; Luo, Yanqing; Wan, Neng; Zheng, Zhong; Sternberg, Troy; Liao, Yilan
Methods of Land Use Regression (LUR) modeling and Ordinary Kriging (OK) interpolation have been widely used to offset the shortcomings of PM2.5 data observed at sparse monitoring sites. However, traditional point-based performance evaluation strategy for these methods remains stagnant, which could cause unreasonable mapping results. To address this challenge, this study employs 'information entropy', an area-based statistic, along with traditional point-based statistics (e.g. error rate, RMSE) to evaluate the performance of LUR model and OK interpolation in mapping PM2.5 concentrations in Houston from a multidimensional perspective. The point-based validation reveals significant differences between LUR and OK at different test sites despite the similar end-result accuracy (e.g. error rate 6.13% vs. 7.01%). Meanwhile, the area-based validation demonstrates that the PM2.5 concentrations simulated by the LUR model exhibits more detailed variations than those interpolated by the OK method (i.e. information entropy, 7.79 vs. 3.63). Results suggest that LUR modeling could better refine the spatial distribution scenario of PM2.5 concentrations compared to OK interpolation. The significance of this study primarily lies in promoting the integration of point- and area-based statistics for model performance evaluation in air pollution mapping. PMID:25731103
Comparison results of forest cover mapping of Peninsular Malaysia using geospatial technology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hamid, Wan Abdul; Abd Rahman, Shukri B. Wan
Climate change and global warming transpire due to several factors. Among them is deforestation which occur mostly in developing countries including Malaysia where forested areas are converted to other land use for tangible economic returns and to a smaller extent, as subsistence for local communities. As a cause for concern, efforts have been taken by the World Resource Institute (WRI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to monitor forest loss using geospatial technology - interpreting time-based remote sensing imageries and producing statistics of forested areas lost since 2001. In Peninsular Malaysia, the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia(FDPM) has conducted forest cover mapping for the region using the same technology since 2011, producing GIS maps for 2009-2010,2011-2012,2013-2014 and 2015. This paper focuses on the comparative study of the results generated from WRI,WWF and FDPM interpretations between 2010 and 2015, the methodologies used, the similarities and differences, challenges and recommendations for future enhancement of forest cover mapping technique.
Analyzing Large-Scale Structural Change in Proteins: Comparison of Principal Component Projection and Sammon Mapping
Mesentean, Sidonia; Fischer, S.; Smith, Jeremy C
Effective analysis of large-scale conformational transitions in macromolecules requires transforming them into a lower dimensional representation that captures the dominant motions. Herein, we apply and compare two different dimensionality reduction techniques, namely, principal component analysis (PCA), a linear method, and Sammon mapping, which is nonlinear. The two methods are used to analyze four different protein transition pathways of varying complexity, obtained by using either the conjugate peak refinement method or constrained molecular dynamics. For the return-stroke in myosin, both Sammon mapping and PCA show that the conformational change is dominated by a simple rotation of a rigid body. Also, in the case of the T{yields}R transition in hemoglobin, both methods are able to identify the two main quaternary transition events. In contrast, in the cases of the unfolding transition of staphylococcal nuclease or the signaling switch of Ras p21, which are both more complex conformational transitions, only Sammon mapping is able to identify the distinct phases of motion.
Trace element mapping of pyrite from Archean gold deposits - A comparison between PIXE and EPMA
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Agangi, A.; Przybyłowicz, W.; Hofmann, A.
Chemical zoning of pyrites can record the evolution of mineralising fluids at widely varying P-T conditions ranging from diagenesis to medium-grade metamorphism. If preserved, zoning can reveal growth textures, brecciation and veining, resorption and recrystallisation events, thus shedding light on the processes that contributed to ore formation. Chemical zoning of sulfides is invisible in optical microscopy, but can be studied by chemical etching, high-contrast back-scattering electron images, and elemental imaging. In this study we compared micro-PIXE and WDS-EPMA elemental maps on the chemically zoned pyrites in mineralised vein-bearing samples from the Sheba and Fairview gold mines in the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. Elemental images show complex distribution of trace elements, suggesting multiple events of pyrite crystallisation and gold deposition. EPMA maps show fine-scale variations reflecting growth and recrystallisation textures marked, in particular, by variations of As, Ni, and Co. In PIXE maps, gold occurs both as finely-distributed and discrete inclusions, suggesting incorporation in the pyrite structure as solid solution, and deposition as electrum inclusions, respectively. Micro-PIXE and EPMA provide complementary information, forming together a powerful tool to obtain information on chemical zoning of pyrites in ore deposits.
Performance comparison of LUR and OK in PM2.5 concentration mapping: a multidimensional perspective
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zou, Bin; Luo, Yanqing; Wan, Neng; Zheng, Zhong; Sternberg, Troy; Liao, Yilan
Methods of Land Use Regression (LUR) modeling and Ordinary Kriging (OK) interpolation have been widely used to offset the shortcomings of PM2.5 data observed at sparse monitoring sites. However, traditional point-based performance evaluation strategy for these methods remains stagnant, which could cause unreasonable mapping results. To address this challenge, this study employs `information entropy', an area-based statistic, along with traditional point-based statistics (e.g. error rate, RMSE) to evaluate the performance of LUR model and OK interpolation in mapping PM2.5 concentrations in Houston from a multidimensional perspective. The point-based validation reveals significant differences between LUR and OK at different test sites despite the similar end-result accuracy (e.g. error rate 6.13% vs. 7.01%). Meanwhile, the area-based validation demonstrates that the PM2.5 concentrations simulated by the LUR model exhibits more detailed variations than those interpolated by the OK method (i.e. information entropy, 7.79 vs. 3.63). Results suggest that LUR modeling could better refine the spatial distribution scenario of PM2.5 concentrations compared to OK interpolation. The significance of this study primarily lies in promoting the integration of point- and area-based statistics for model performance evaluation in air pollution mapping.
Investigation of watercourses by comparison of successive historical map surveys of Western Hungary
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kovács, Gábor
The Second (Timár et al., 2006) and Third Military Survey (Biszak et al., 2007) of the Habsburg Empire, completed in the 19th century (1806-69 and 1869-87), can be very useful in different scientific investigations because of their accuracy and data content. The mapmakers used geodetic projections and survey technologies provided high accuracy. Therefore, scientists can use these maps and the represented objects in retrospective studies. The streams were drawn with very thin lines that also ascertain the high accuracy of their location. Previous study used the Second Military Survey to examine the neotectonic evaluation of the western part of the Pannonian Basin, bordered by Pinka, Rába and Répce Rivers (Kovács, 2010). The watercourses, especially alluvial ones, react very sensitively to tectonic forcing (Schumm & Khan, 1972; Ouchi, 1985). However, the present-day course of the creeks and rivers are mostly regulated, therefore they are unsuitable for such studies. The watercourses have reconstructed from maps surveyed prior to the main water control measures. The Second Military Survey was a perfect source for such studies. The investigated streams were free meandering ones. They could flood their banks, and only natural levees were present. After georeferencing the maps of the area, the streams were digitized, and their sinuosity values were computed. Where significant sinuosity changes have been detected along the streams, it can be considered as indicators of differential uplift or subsidence of the bedrock/alluvium. The goal of this study is to decide the character of several stream sections: were they free meandering ones or not? Some of the sections are antecedent ones, especially at the Vas Mountain at the present Austrian-Hungarian border. If the shapes of the watercourses on the different surveys are almost the same, the sinuosity refers to a prior, forced state of the stream. After digitizing the watercourses on the Third Military Survey sheets, some
Comparison of point counts and territory mapping for detecting effects of forest management on songbirds
Newell, Felicity L.; Sheehan, James; Wood, Petra Bohall; Rodewald, Amanda D.; Buehler, David A.; Keyser, Patrick D.; Larkin, Jeffrey L.; Beachy, Tiffany A.; Bakermans, Marja H.; Boves, Than J.; Evans, Andrea; George, Gregory A.; McDermott, Molly E.; Perkins, Kelly A.; White, Matthew; Wigley, T. Bently
Point counts are commonly used to assess changes in bird abundance, including analytical approaches such as distance sampling that estimate density. Point-count methods have come under increasing scrutiny because effects of detection probability and field error are difficult to quantify. For seven forest songbirds, we compared fixed-radii counts (50 m and 100 m) and density estimates obtained from distance sampling to known numbers of birds determined by territory mapping. We applied point-count analytic approaches to a typical forest management question and compared results to those obtained by territory mapping. We used a before–after control impact (BACI) analysis with a data set collected across seven study areas in the central Appalachians from 2006 to 2010. Using a 50-m fixed radius, variance in error was at least 1.5 times that of the other methods, whereas a 100-m fixed radius underestimated actual density by >3 territories per 10 ha for the most abundant species. Distance sampling improved accuracy and precision compared to fixed-radius counts, although estimates were affected by birds counted outside 10-ha units. In the BACI analysis, territory mapping detected an overall treatment effect for five of the seven species, and effects were generally consistent each year. In contrast, all point-count methods failed to detect two treatment effects due to variance and error in annual estimates. Overall, our results highlight the need for adequate sample sizes to reduce variance, and skilled observers to reduce the level of error in point-count data. Ultimately, the advantages and disadvantages of different survey methods should be considered in the context of overall study design and objectives, allowing for trade-offs among effort, accuracy, and power to detect treatment effects.
Resolving grounding line ambiguities around Antarctica from inter-comparison and driving stress mapping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Depoorter, M.; Bamber, J. L.
Delineating the Grounding Line (GL) in Antarctica is a challenging issue. The accurate positioning of the GL is crucial to ice sheet and GL migration modelling, to mass budget calculation of ice sheets, as well as to the planning of an Ice Penetrating Radar (IPR) or an ice coring campaign. Efforts into defining and mapping the GL have been made using a range of methodologies. Here, we analyse different GL data sets based on optical imagery, satellite altimetry, and SAR interferometry. We use driving stress mapping derived from a 1km DEM to investigate and resolve discrepancies in GL positioning around Antarctica from different methods. Typical driving stresses are calculated at GL for different ice dynamics and regions of Antarctica. The benefit of our approach to slope based technique is that we identify patterns and not only sharp linear transitions. Driving stress mapping allows us to discriminate between grounded and floating ice in a quantitative manner, as opposed to subjective interpretation. We also detect ice plains that have been reported and suggest the existence of new ones along the Siple Coast. While the various data sets agree on slow moving ice within a few kilometres, we find that the only reliable technique to delineate GL on fast flowing ice is Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR). DInSAR GL data, however, are not available everywhere as they require at least two SAR image pairs. ICESat repeat tracks of the grounding zone can help in certain places but coverage is discreet and scarce for fast moving ice. We find that the Antarctic Surface Accumulation and Ice Discharge (ASAID) GL usually does a better job than MOA GL on fast flowing features.
Mapping extracellular pH in rat brain gliomas in vivo by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging: comparison with maps of metabolites.
García-Martín, M L; Hérigault, G; Rémy, C; Farion, R; Ballesteros, P; Coles, J A; Cerdán, S; Ziegler, A
The value of extracellular pH (pH(e)) in tumors is an important factor in prognosisand choice of therapy. We demonstrate here that pH(e) can be mappedin vivo in a rat brain glioma by (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (SI) of the pH buffer (+/-)2-imidazole-1-yl-3-ethoxycarbonylpropionic acid (IEPA). (1)H SI also allowed us to map metabolites, and, to better understand the determinants of pH(e), we compared maps of pH(e), metabolites, and the distribution of the contrast agent gadolinium1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N",N"'-tetraaceticacid (Gd-DOTA). C6 cells injected in caudate nuclei of four Wistar rats gave rise to gliomas of approximately 10 mm in diameter. Three mmols of IEPA were injected in the right jugular vein from t = 0 to t = 60 min. From t = 50 min to t = 90 min, spin-echo (1)H SI was performed with an echo time of 40 ms in a 2.5-mm slice including the glioma (nominal voxel size, 2.2 microl). IEPA resonances were detected only within the glioma and were intense enough for pH(e) to be calculated from the chemical shift of the H2 resonance in almost all voxels of the glioma. (1)H spectroscopic images with an echo time of 136 ms were then acquired to map metabolites: lactate, choline-containing compounds (tCho), phosphocreatine/creatine, and N-acetylaspartate. Finally, T(1)-weighted imaging after injection of a bolus of Gd-DOTA gave a map indicative of extravasation. On average, the gradient of pH(e) (measured where sufficient IEPA was present) from the center to the periphery was not statistically significant. Mean pH(e) was calculated for each of the four gliomas, and the average was 7.084 +/- 0.017 (+/- SE; n = 4 rats), which is acid with respect to pH(e) of normal tissue. After normalization of spectra to their water peak, voxel-by-voxel comparisons of peak areas showed that N-acetylaspartate, a marker of neurons, correlated negatively with IEPA (P < 0.0001) and lactate (P < 0.05), as expected of a glioma surrounded by normal tissue. t
Comparison of interferometric and stereo-radargrammetric 3D metrics in mapping of forest resources
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Karila, K.; Karjalainen, M.; Yu, X.; Vastaranta, M.; Holopainen, M.; Hyyppa, J.
Accurate forest resources maps are needed in diverse applications ranging from the local forest management to the global climate change research. In particular, it is important to have tools to map changes in forest resources, which helps us to understand the significance of the forest biomass changes in the global carbon cycle. In the task of mapping changes in forest resources for wide areas, Earth Observing satellites could play the key role. In 2013, an EU/FP7-Space funded project "Advanced_SAR" was started with the main objective to develop novel forest resources mapping methods based on the fusion of satellite based 3D measurements and in-situ field measurements of forests. During the summer 2014, an extensive field surveying campaign was carried out in the Evo test site, Southern Finland. Forest inventory attributes of mean tree height, basal area, mean stem diameter, stem volume, and biomass, were determined for 91 test plots having the size of 32 by 32 meters (1024 m2). Simultaneously, a comprehensive set of satellite and airborne data was collected. Satellite data also included a set of TanDEM-X (TDX) and TerraSAR-X (TSX) X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, suitable for interferometric and stereo-radargrammetric processing to extract 3D elevation data representing the forest canopy. In the present study, we compared the accuracy of TDX InSAR and TSX stereo-radargrammetric derived 3D metrics in forest inventory attribute prediction. First, 3D data were extracted from TDX and TSX images. Then, 3D data were processed as elevations above the ground surface (forest canopy height values) using an accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM) based on airborne laser scanning survey. Finally, 3D metrics were calculated from the canopy height values for each test plot and the 3D metrics were compared with the field reference data. The Random Forest method was used in the forest inventory attributes prediction. Based on the results InSAR showed slightly better
D Digitization and Mapping of Heritage Monuments and Comparison with Historical Drawings
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fiorillo, F.; Remondino, F.; Barba, S.; Santoriello, A.; De Vita, C. B.; Casellato, A.
The paper presents the integration of different 3D recording techniques and instruments to survey the archaeological area of Paestum (Italy). Paestum was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1998, and still preserves the ruins of Greek and Roman times. Photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) acquisitions were integrated in order to exploit the advantages of the 3D surveying techniques and produce digital models, orthoimages, maps and other geometric representations useful for archaeological, architectural and cultural touristic purposes. The obtained 3D results are then compared to historical representations to show the high quality of such ancient manual drawings.
Learning Strategies: Secondary LD Students in the Mainstream.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
D'Antoni, Alice; And Others
The paper presents four learning strategy techniques--the SQ3R method of study, the Multipass Strategy, the Advanced Study Guide Technique, and Cognitive Mapping--for use with secondary level learning disabled students. The SQ3R method involves the five steps of survey, question, read, recite, and review. An adaption of the SQ3R method, the…
Comparison of the Experimental Performance of Ferroelectric CPW Circuits with Method of Moment Simulations and Conformal Mapping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
VanKeuls, Fred W.; Chevalier, Chris T.; Miranda, Felix A.; Carlson, C. M.; Rivkin, T. V.; Parilla, P. A.; Perkins, J. D.; Ginley, D. S.
Experimental measurements of coplanar waveguide (CPW) circuits atop thin films of ferroelectric Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3 (BST) were made as a function bias from 0 to 200 V and frequency from 0.045 to 20 GHz. The resulting phase shifts are compared with method of moments electromagnetic simulations and a conformal mapping analysis to determine the dielectric constant of the BST films. Based on the correlation between the experimental and the modeled data, an analysis of the extent to which the electromagnetic simulators provide reliable values for the dielectric constant of the ferroelectric in these structures has been performed. In addition, to determine how well the modeled data compare with experimental data, the dielectric constant values were also compared to low frequency measurements of interdigitated capacitor circuits on the same films. Results of these comparisons will be presented.
A comparison of infrared, radar, and geologic mapping of lunar craters
Thompson, T.W.; Masursky, H.; Shorthill, R.W.; Tyler, G.L.; Zisk, S.H.
Between 1000 and 2000 infrared (eclipse) and radar anomalies have been mapped on the nearside hemisphere of the Moon. A study of 52 of these anomalies indicates that most are related to impact craters and that the nature of the infrared and radar responses is compatible with a previously developed geologic model of crater aging processes. The youngest craters are pronounced thermal and radar anomalies; that is, they have enhanced eclipse temperatures and are strong radar scatterers. With increasing crater age, the associated thermal and radar responses become progressively less noticeable until they assume values for the average lunar surface. The last type of anomaly to disappear is radar enhancement at longer wavelengths. A few craters, however, have infrared and radar behaviors not predicted by the aging model. One previously unknown feature - a field strewn with centimeter-sized rock fragments - has been identified by this technique of comparing maps at the infrared, radar, and visual wavelengths. ?? 1974 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht-Holland.
A comparison of modeling schemes for mapping daily evapotranspiration at high resolution using remote sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ring, T.; Cuenca, R. H.; Anderson, M. C.; Hain, C.; Semmens, K. A.; Kustas, W. P.; Alfieri, J. G.
Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of the hydrologic cycle that transfers large quantities of water vapor away from Earth's surface into the atmosphere. In addition to having water management applications in agriculture, including monitoring water rights compliance and irrigation scheduling, it is also important to be able to accurately measure water used by other landscapes for soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer (SVAT) models. This can only be done with large scale estimations which are most efficiently achieved with remote sensing. This research compares daily ET retrieved from two remote sensing modeling schemes: a) Reconstructed METRIC: Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration; and b) ALEXI/DisALEXI: Atmosphere-Land EXchange Inverse /Disaggregated ALEXI, over two predominately forested landscapes. ET flux estimates are retrieved from ALEXI/DisALEXI using GOES (daily, 4km), MODIS (daily, 1km) and Landsat 8 (16 days, 30m) and from Reconstructed METRIC using Landsat 8. We develop daily Landsat scale ET maps for the summer months of 2013. The flux-tower footprint is calculated at each site to match the remotely sensed retrieval with that of the flux tower such that modeled output can be evaluated against ground based observations, taken from the AmeriFlux network. In addition, surface and evaporative fluxes retrieved from the two models are inter-compared over the different land cover types in the scenes. Differences in input and data processing requirements for each of the two methods will be also described
Landslide susceptibility mapping in Mawat area, Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq: a comparison of different statistical models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Othman, A. A.; Gloaguen, R.; Andreani, L.; Rahnama, M.
During the last decades, expansion of settlements into areas prone to landslides in Iraq has increased the importance of accurate hazard assessment. Susceptibility mapping provides information about hazardous locations and thus helps to potentially prevent infrastructure damage due to mass wasting. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare frequency ratio (FR), weight of evidence (WOE), logistic regression (LR) and probit regression (PR) approaches in combination with new geomorphological indices to determine the landslide susceptibility index (LSI). We tested these four methods in Mawat area, Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq, where landslides occur frequently. For this purpose, we evaluated 16 geomorphological, geological and environmental predicting factors mainly derived from the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) satellite. The available reference inventory includes 351 landslides representing a cumulative surface of 3.127 km2. This reference inventory was mapped from QuickBird data by manual delineation and partly verified by field survey. The areas under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and relative landslide density (R index) show that all models perform similarly and that focus should be put on the careful selection of proxies. The results indicate that the lithology and the slope aspects play major roles for landslide occurrences. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates that using hypsometric integral as a prediction factor instead of slope curvature gives better results and increases the accuracy of the LSI.
Functional Lung MRI in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Comparison of T1 Mapping, Oxygen-Enhanced T1 Mapping and Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Perfusion
Jobst, Bertram J.; Triphan, Simon M. F.; Sedlaczek, Oliver; Anjorin, Angela; Kauczor, Hans Ulrich; Biederer, Jürgen; Ley-Zaporozhan, Julia; Ley, Sebastian; Wielpütz, Mark O.
Purpose Monitoring of regional lung function in interventional COPD trials requires alternative endpoints beyond global parameters such as FEV1. T1 relaxation times of the lung might allow to draw conclusions on tissue composition, blood volume and oxygen fraction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential value of lung Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with native and oxygen-enhanced T1 mapping for the assessment of COPD patients in comparison with contrast enhanced perfusion MRI. Materials and Methods 20 COPD patients (GOLD I-IV) underwent a coronal 2-dimensional inversion recovery snapshot flash sequence (8 slices/lung) at room air and during inhalation of pure oxygen, as well as dynamic contrast-enhanced first-pass perfusion imaging. Regional distribution of T1 at room air (T1), oxygen-induced T1 shortening (ΔT1) and peak enhancement were rated by 2 chest radiologists in consensus using a semi-quantitative 3-point scale in a zone-based approach. Results Abnormal T1 and ΔT1 were highly prevalent in the patient cohort. T1 and ΔT1 correlated positively with perfusion abnormalities (r = 0.81 and r = 0.80; p&0.001), and with each other (r = 0.80; p<0.001). In GOLD stages I and II ΔT1 was normal in 16/29 lung zones with mildly abnormal perfusion (15/16 with abnormal T1). The extent of T1 (r = 0.45; p<0.05), ΔT1 (r = 0.52; p<0.05) and perfusion abnormalities (r = 0.52; p<0.05) showed a moderate correlation with GOLD stage. Conclusion Native and oxygen-enhanced T1 mapping correlated with lung perfusion deficits and severity of COPD. Under the assumption that T1 at room air correlates with the regional pulmonary blood pool and that oxygen-enhanced T1 reflects lung ventilation, both techniques in combination are principally suitable to characterize ventilation-perfusion imbalance. This appears valuable for the assessment of regional lung characteristics in COPD trials without administration of i.v. contrast. PMID:25822195
Land Cover of Northern Eurasia: Comparison and Assessment of Coarse Resolution Maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krankina, O. N.; Pflugmacher, D.; Cohen, W.; Kennedy, R.; Nelson, P.; Loboda, T.
Consistent measurements of land cover are critical for addressing a range of important science questions, from quantifying the effects of vegetation on the carbon, energy, and water cycles, to understanding the social and economic causes and consequences of land-use and land-cover change. While multiple moderate and coarse- resolution land-cover products have been developed, they disagree significantly. Resolving discrepancies among maps is particularly challenging for boreal and temperate Northern Eurasia, where validation sites are sparse and processes of ecosystem disturbance and land-cover change are widespread. To identify specific needs and possibilities for improved mapping of land cover across boreal and temperate Northern Eurasia, we compared the performance of three recent land-cover products based on different sensors: MODIS (Global Land Cover Collection 4), AVHRR (DISCover v. 2.0), and SPOT VEGETATION (GLC2000 for Northern Eurasia v. 4.0). First, we examined the level of agreement among these data sets across the entire region. On a qualitative level, the assessment of general patterns indicates the highest degree of disagreement in transitional zones at the northern and southern fringes of boreal forest, in mountainous regions, and in areas of extensive wetlands, agricultural development, and urban land use. The quantitative analysis measured the level of disagreement between land-cover classes aggregated according to dominant type of vegetation (trees, shrubs, herbaceous, bare land, permanent snow/ice). Secondly, validation of these products was performed at two test sites where Landsat-based classifications were developed based on FAO Land Cover Classification System. Fractional land cover was calculated for each 1x1 km pixel and used to construct fractional error matrices. Most errors were associated with "mixed" coarse-resolution pixels (i.e. those having nearly equal percentage of multiple class types), while errors in "pure" (single class) pixels
Comparison of fire fuel maps produced using MSS and AVHRR data
Miller, Wayne A.; Johnston, David C.
The fuel information, in support of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) national fire program, has been obtained through the manila interpretation of Landsat multi-spectral scanner images and digital image analysis of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The BLM, in cooperation with the Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center, determined that the accuracy (approximately 90 percent overall) was similar for deriving fire fuel information for Malheur County in eastern Oregon using either approach, and for an area the size of Malheur County (6.4 million acres), the costs were about the same (0.19 cents per acre). But the cost per acre was substantially lower (0.04 cents) where digital analysis of AVHRR data were used to derive fire fuel information for a 42-million-acre area in eastern Oregon. Based on these results, the BLM is using digital analysis of AVHRR data to support its operational fire fuel mapping program.
Computational approach towards promoter sequence comparison via TF mapping using a new distance measure.
Meera, A; Rangarajan, Lalitha; Bhat, Savithri
We propose a method for identifying transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) in the given promoter sequence and mapping the transcription factors (TFs). The proposed algorithm searches the +1 transcription start site (TSS) for eukaryotic and prokaryotic sequences individually. The algorithm was tested with sequences from both eukaryotes and prokaryotes for at least 9 experimentally verified and validated functional TFs in promoter sequences. The order and type of TF binding to the promoter of genes encoding central metabolic pathway (CMP) enzyme was tabulated. A new similarity measure was devised for scoring the similarity between a pair of promoter sequences based on the number and order of motifs. Further, these were grouped in clusters considering the scores between them. The distance between each of the clusters in individual pathway was calculated and a phylogenetic tree was developed. This method is further applied to other pathways such as lipid and amino acid biosynthesis to retrieve and compare experimentally verified and conserved TFBS. PMID:21369887
Comparison of the Biological Impacts of the Fluoride Compounds by Graphical Risk Visualization Map Technique.
Usuda, Kan; Kono, Rei; Ueno, Takaaki; Ito, Yuichi; Dote, Tomotaro; Yokoyama, Hirotaka; Kono, Koichi; Tamaki, Junko
Various fluoride compounds are widely used in industry. The present risk assessment study was conducted using a series of inorganic binary fluorides of the type XFn, where X(n) = Na(+), K(+), Li(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Al(3+), Nd(3+), La(3+), Ce(3+), Sm(3+), Gd(3+), Y(3+), Yb(2+), and Zn(2+). The aqueous solutions of these salts were orally administrated to 16 experimental groups (one for each of the salts tested). The levels of fluoride, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase in cumulative 24-h urine samples and creatinine clearance were measured to assess possible acute renal damages. The levels of fluoride, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were also determined in serum samples to assess possible acute hepatic damages. The results reveal that sodium fluoride (NaF), potassium fluoride (KF), and zinc fluoride tetrahydrate (ZnF2 (.)4H2O) can carry the fluoride ion into the bloodstream and that it is excreted via urine more readily than the other compounds tested. These fluorides were assigned the highest risk impact factor. Most of the rare earth fluorides are insoluble in water while those groups 2 and 13 of the periodic table are slightly soluble, so that they do not have a significant negative risk. These findings suggest that the biological impact of fluoride depends on the accompanying counter ion and its solubility. The risk map obtained in the present study shows that the graphical visualization map technique employed is a valuable new tool to assess the toxicological risk of chemical compounds. PMID:25749926
Comprehending speaker intent in rebuttal analogy use: the role of irony mapping, absurdity comparison and argumentative convention.
Colston, H L
Rebuttal analogies (e.g., "Politicians arguing over the renaming of an airport is like watering your petunias when your house is on fire") are commonly used as responses in verbal conflicts. The following study investigated the role that irony mapping, absurdity comparison, and argumentative convention play in interpreters' derivations of speaker's intentions in using rebuttal analogies. In general, these intentions are to demonstrate the unsoundness of the opposed proposition ("argument") and its advocate ("social attack"), (Whaley & Holloway, 1996). Three rebuttal analogy types were rated on argumentativeness and social attack in verbal conflict and nonverbal conflict scenarios. The results of six experiments on 120 participants found that analogies with ironic bases (e.g., "Doubling the defense budget in order to intimidate North Korea is like using a chainsaw to file your nails") were perceived as more of a social attack and as more argumentative than analogies with absurd (e.g., "... using ketchup to wax your car") and nonironic (e.g., "... using a nailfile to file your nails") bases. No difference was found between the two scenario types. Norming data confirmed equivalence of absurdity of ironic and absurd bases, and greater irony of ironic over absurd bases. The results thus implicate hearers' use of the ironic structure between bases and targets in the interpretation of rebuttal analogies rather than mere absurdity comparison or argumentative convention. PMID:11419221
The LD50 associated with exposure to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Fujita, S; Kato, H; Schull, W J
Numerous attempts have been made to estimate the distance at which 50% of the individuals exposed to the A-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki died, ostensibly from their exposure to ionizing radiation. It is difficult to convert most of these distance estimates to a dose-related LD50, since radiation shielding was ignored. The recent reassessment of the atomic bomb radiation dosimetry has provided an opportunity for the estimation of the bone marrow LD50. There is a surprising concordance in the various estimates that have been made given the different groups of survivors involved and the methods used to estimate the LD50/60. PMID:1762100
Comparison of Digital Surface Models for Snow Depth Mapping with Uav and Aerial Cameras
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boesch, R.; Bühler, Y.; Marty, M.; Ginzler, C.
Photogrammetric workflows for aerial images have improved over the last years in a typically black-box fashion. Most parameters for building dense point cloud are either excessive or not explained and often the progress between software releases is poorly documented. On the other hand, development of better camera sensors and positional accuracy of image acquisition is significant by comparing product specifications. This study shows, that hardware evolutions over the last years have a much stronger impact on height measurements than photogrammetric software releases. Snow height measurements with airborne sensors like the ADS100 and UAV-based DSLR cameras can achieve accuracies close to GSD * 2 in comparison with ground-based GNSS reference measurements. Using a custom notch filter on the UAV camera sensor during image acquisition does not yield better height accuracies. UAV based digital surface models are very robust. Different workflow parameter variations for ADS100 and UAV camera workflows seem to have only random effects.
Individual and combined effects of LD and ADHD on computerized neurocognitive concussion test performance: evidence for separate norms.
Elbin, R J; Kontos, Anthony P; Kegel, Nate; Johnson, Eric; Burkhart, Scott; Schatz, Philip
Decreased neurocognitive performance in individuals with self-reported attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disability (LD) is well documented in the neuropsychological research literature. Previous studies employing paper-and-pencil neurocognitive assessments report lower performance in individuals with ADHD and LD. The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of a self-reported diagnosis of LD, ADHD, and combined LD/ADHD on baseline computerized neurocognitive testing (CNT) used for the concussion assessment. Results revealed athletes with a self-reported diagnosis of LD, ADHD, and/or combined LD/ADHD demonstrated lower performance on baseline CNT and reported larger numbers of symptoms than did control athletes without these diagnoses. These findings provide evidence for the development of separate normative data for athletes with LD, ADHD, and LD/ADHD diagnoses on CNT batteries commonly used for concussion management. PMID:23608188
Effect of water/fuel emulsions and a cerium-based combustion improver additive on HD and LD diesel exhaust emissions.
Farfaletti, Arianna; Astorga, Covadonga; Martini, Giorgio; Manfredi, Urbano; Mueller, Anne; Rey, Maria; De Santi, Giovanni; Krasenbrink, Alois; Larsen, Bo R
One of the major technological challenges for the transport sector is to cut emissions of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) simultaneously from diesel vehicles to meet future emission standards and to reduce their contribution to the pollution of ambient air. Installation of particle filters in all existing diesel vehicles (for new vehicles, the feasibility is proven) is an efficient but expensive and complicated solution; thus other short-term alternatives have been proposed. It is well known that water/diesel (W/ D) emulsions with up to 20% water can reduce PM and NOx emissions in heavy-duty (HD) engines. The amount of water that can be used in emulsions for the technically more susceptible light-duty (LD) vehicles is much lower, due to risks of impairing engine performance and durability. The present study investigates the potential emission reductions of an experimental 6% W/D emulsion with EURO-3 LD diesel vehicles in comparison to a commercial 12% W/D emulsion with a EURO-3 HD engine and to a Cerium-based combustion improver additive. For PM, the emulsions reduced the emissions with -32% for LD vehicles (mass/km) and -59% for the HD engine (mass/ kWh). However, NOx emissions remained unchanged, and emissions of other pollutants were actually increased forthe LD vehicles with +26% for hydrocarbons (HC), +18% for CO, and +25% for PM-associated benzo[a]pyrene toxicity equivalents (TEQ). In contrast, CO (-32%), TEQ (-14%), and NOx (-6%) were reduced by the emulsion for the HD engine, and only hydrocarbons were slightly increased (+16%). Whereas the Cerium-based additive was inefficient in the HD engine for all emissions except for TEQ (-39%), it markedly reduced all emissions for the LD vehicles (PM -13%, CO -18%, HC -26%, TEQ -25%) except for NOx, which remained unchanged. The presented data indicate a strong potential for reductions in PM emissions from current diesel engines by optimizing the fuel composition. PMID:16190241
Mapping species distributions: a comparison of skilled naturalist and lay citizen science recording.
van der Wal, René; Anderson, Helen; Robinson, Annie; Sharma, Nirwan; Mellish, Chris; Roberts, Stuart; Darvill, Ben; Siddharthan, Advaith
To assess the ability of traditional biological recording schemes and lay citizen science approaches to gather data on species distributions and changes therein, we examined bumblebee records from the UK's national repository (National Biodiversity Network) and from BeeWatch. The two recording approaches revealed similar relative abundances of bumblebee species but different geographical distributions. For the widespread common carder (Bombus pascuorum), traditional recording scheme data were patchy, both spatially and temporally, reflecting active record centre rather than species distribution. Lay citizen science records displayed more extensive geographic coverage, reflecting human population density, thus offering better opportunities to account for recording effort. For the rapidly spreading tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), both recording approaches revealed similar distributions due to a dedicated mapping project which overcame the patchy nature of naturalist records. We recommend, where possible, complementing skilled naturalist recording with lay citizen science programmes to obtain a nation-wide capability, and stress the need for timely uploading of data to the national repository. PMID:26508346
A comparison of automated anatomical–behavioural mapping methods in a rodent model of stroke☆
Crum, William R.; Giampietro, Vincent P.; Smith, Edward J.; Gorenkova, Natalia; Stroemer, R. Paul; Modo, Michel
Neurological damage, due to conditions such as stroke, results in a complex pattern of structural changes and significant behavioural dysfunctions; the automated analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and discovery of structural–behavioural correlates associated with these disorders remains challenging. Voxel lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) has been used to associate behaviour with lesion location in MRI, but this analysis requires the definition of lesion masks on each subject and does not exploit the rich structural information in the images. Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) has been used to perform voxel-wise structural analyses over the entire brain; however, a combination of lesion hyper-intensities and subtle structural remodelling away from the lesion might confound the interpretation of TBM. In this study, we compared and contrasted these techniques in a rodent model of stroke (n = 58) to assess the efficacy of these techniques in a challenging pre-clinical application. The results from the automated techniques were compared using manually derived region-of-interest measures of the lesion, cortex, striatum, ventricle and hippocampus, and considered against model power calculations. The automated TBM techniques successfully detect both lesion and non-lesion effects, consistent with manual measurements. These techniques do not require manual segmentation to the same extent as VLSM and should be considered part of the toolkit for the unbiased analysis of pre-clinical imaging-based studies. PMID:23727124
Comparison between simulated annealing algorithms and rapid chain delineation in the construction of genetic maps.
Nascimento, Moysés; Cruz, Cosme Damião; Peternelli, Luiz Alexandre; Campana, Ana Carolina Mota
The efficiency of simulated annealing algorithms and rapid chain delineation in establishing the best linkage order, when constructing genetic maps, was evaluated. Linkage refers to the phenomenon by which two or more genes, or even more molecular markers, can be present in the same chromosome or linkage group. In order to evaluate the capacity of algorithms, four F(2) co-dominant populations, 50, 100, 200 and 1000 in size, were simulated. For each population, a genome with four linkage groups (100 cM) was generated. The linkage groups possessed 51, 21, 11 and 6 marks, respectively, and a corresponding distance of 2, 5, 10 and 20 cM between adjacent marks, thereby causing various degrees of saturation. For very saturated groups, with an adjacent distance between marks of 2 cM and in greater number, i.e., 51, the method based upon stochastic simulation by simulated annealing presented orders with distances equivalent to or lower than rapid chain delineation. Otherwise, the two methods were commensurate through presenting the same SARF distance. PMID:21637501
Comparison between simulated annealing algorithms and rapid chain delineation in the construction of genetic maps
The efficiency of simulated annealing algorithms and rapid chain delineation in establishing the best linkage order, when constructing genetic maps, was evaluated. Linkage refers to the phenomenon by which two or more genes, or even more molecular markers, can be present in the same chromosome or linkage group. In order to evaluate the capacity of algorithms, four F2 co-dominant populations, 50, 100, 200 and 1000 in size, were simulated. For each population, a genome with four linkage groups (100 cM) was generated. The linkage groups possessed 51, 21, 11 and 6 marks, respectively, and a corresponding distance of 2, 5, 10 and 20 cM between adjacent marks, thereby causing various degrees of saturation. For very saturated groups, with an adjacent distance between marks of 2 cM and in greater number, i.e., 51, the method based upon stochastic simulation by simulated annealing presented orders with distances equivalent to or lower than rapid chain delineation. Otherwise, the two methods were commensurate through presenting the same SARF distance. PMID:21637501
Analysis of ligand-protein exchange by Clustering of Ligand Diffusion Coefficient Pairs (CoLD-CoP)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Snyder, David A.; Chantova, Mihaela; Chaudhry, Saadia
NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool in describing protein structures and protein activity for pharmaceutical and biochemical development. This study describes a method to determine weak binding ligands in biological systems by using hierarchic diffusion coefficient clustering of multidimensional data obtained with a 400 MHz Bruker NMR. Comparison of DOSY spectrums of ligands of the chemical library in the presence and absence of target proteins show translational diffusion rates for small molecules upon interaction with macromolecules. For weak binders such as compounds found in fragment libraries, changes in diffusion rates upon macromolecular binding are on the order of the precision of DOSY diffusion measurements, and identifying such subtle shifts in diffusion requires careful statistical analysis. The "CoLD-CoP" (Clustering of Ligand Diffusion Coefficient Pairs) method presented here uses SAHN clustering to identify protein-binders in a chemical library or even a not fully characterized metabolite mixture. We will show how DOSY NMR and the "CoLD-CoP" method complement each other in identifying the most suitable candidates for lysozyme and wheat germ acid phosphatase.
LdFlabarin, a New BAR Domain Membrane Protein of Leishmania Flagellum
Thonnus, Magali; Salin, Bénédicte; Boissier, Fanny; Blancard, Corinne; Sauvanet, Cécile; Metzler, Christelle; Espiau, Benoît; Sahin, Annelise; Merlin, Gilles
During the Leishmania life cycle, the flagellum undergoes successive assembly and disassembly of hundreds of proteins. Understanding these processes necessitates the study of individual components. Here, we investigated LdFlabarin, an uncharacterized L. donovani flagellar protein. The gene is conserved within the Leishmania genus and orthologous genes only exist in the Trypanosoma genus. LdFlabarin associates with the flagellar plasma membrane, extending from the base to the tip of the flagellum as a helicoidal structure. Site-directed mutagenesis, deletions and chimera constructs showed that LdFlabarin flagellar addressing necessitates three determinants: an N-terminal potential acylation site and a central BAR domain for membrane targeting and the C-terminal domain for flagellar specificity. In vitro, the protein spontaneously associates with liposomes, triggering tubule formation, which suggests a structural/morphogenetic function. LdFlabarin is the first characterized Leishmania BAR domain protein, and the first flagellum-specific BAR domain protein. PMID:24086735
PLC Software Program for Leak Detector Station A1 SALW-LD-ST-A1
This document describes the software program for the programmable logic controller for the leak detector station ''SALW-LD-ST-A1''. The appendices contains a copy of the printout of the software program.
A comparison of two-dimensional techniques for converting magnetocardiogram maps into effective current source distributions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ogata, K.; Kandori, A.; Miyashita, T.; Sekihara, K.; Tsukada, K.
The aim of this study was to develop a method for converting the pseudo two-dimensional current given by a current-arrow map (CAM) into the physical current. The physical current distribution is obtained by the optimal solution in a least mean square sense with Tikhonov regularization (LMSTR). In the current dipole simulation, the current pattern differences (ΔJ) between the results of the CAM and the LMSTR with several regularization parameters (α = 10-1-10-15) are calculated. In magnetocardiographic (MCG) analysis, the depth (zd) of a reconstruction plane is chosen by using the coordinates of the sinus node, which is estimated from MCG signals at the early p-wave. The ΔJs at p-wave peaks, QRS-complex peaks, and T-wave peaks of MCG signals for healthy subjects are calculated. Furthermore, correlation coefficients and regression lines are also calculated from the current values of the CAM and the LMSTR during p-waves, QRS-complex, and T-waves of MCG signals. In the simulation, the ΔJs (α ≈ 10-10) had a minimal value. The ΔJs (α = 10-10) at p-wave peaks, QRS-complex peaks, and T-wave peaks of MCG signals for healthy subjects also had minimal value. The correlation coefficients of the current values given by the CAM and the LMSTR (α = 10-10) were greater than 0.9. Furthermore, slopes (y) of the regression lines are correlated with the depth (zd) (r = -0.93). Consequently, the CAM value can be transformed into the LMSTR current value by multiplying it by the slope (y) obtained from the depth (zd). In conclusion, the result given by the CAM can be converted into an effective physical current distribution by using the depth (zd).
Mapping stream habitats with a global positioning system: Accuracy, precision, and comparison with traditional methods
Dauwalter, D.C.; Fisher, W.L.; Belt, K.C.
We tested the precision and accuracy of the Trimble GeoXT??? global positioning system (GPS) handheld receiver on point and area features and compared estimates of stream habitat dimensions (e.g., lengths and areas of riffles and pools) that were made in three different Oklahoma streams using the GPS receiver and a tape measure. The precision of differentially corrected GPS (DGPS) points was not affected by the number of GPS position fixes (i.e., geographic location estimates) averaged per DGPS point. Horizontal error of points ranged from 0.03 to 2.77 m and did not differ with the number of position fixes per point. The error of area measurements ranged from 0.1% to 110.1% but decreased as the area increased. Again, error was independent of the number of position fixes averaged per polygon corner. The estimates of habitat lengths, widths, and areas did not differ when measured using two methods of data collection (GPS and a tape measure), nor did the differences among methods change at three stream sites with contrasting morphologies. Measuring features with a GPS receiver was up to 3.3 times faster on average than using a tape measure, although signal interference from high streambanks or overhanging vegetation occasionally limited satellite signal availability and prolonged measurements with a GPS receiver. There were also no differences in precision of habitat dimensions when mapped using a continuous versus a position fix average GPS data collection method. Despite there being some disadvantages to using the GPS in stream habitat studies, measuring stream habitats with a GPS resulted in spatially referenced data that allowed the assessment of relative habitat position and changes in habitats over time, and was often faster than using a tape measure. For most spatial scales of interest, the precision and accuracy of DGPS data are adequate and have logistical advantages when compared to traditional methods of measurement. ?? 2006 Springer Science+Business Media
Geologic Interpretation of Data Sets Collected by Planetary Analog Geology Traverses and by Standard Geologic Field Mapping. Part 1; A Comparison Study
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Eppler, Dean B.; Bleacher, Jacob F.; Evans, Cynthia A.; Feng, Wanda; Gruener, John; Hurwitz, Debra M.; Skinner, J. A., Jr.; Whitson, Peggy; Janoiko, Barbara
Geologic maps integrate the distributions, contacts, and compositions of rock and sediment bodies as a means to interpret local to regional formative histories. Applying terrestrial mapping techniques to other planets is challenging because data is collected primarily by orbiting instruments, with infrequent, spatiallylimited in situ human and robotic exploration. Although geologic maps developed using remote data sets and limited "Apollo-style" field access likely contain inaccuracies, the magnitude, type, and occurrence of these are only marginally understood. This project evaluates the interpretative and cartographic accuracy of both field- and remote-based mapping approaches by comparing two 1:24,000 scale geologic maps of the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF), north-central Arizona. The first map is based on traditional field mapping techniques, while the second is based on remote data sets, augmented with limited field observations collected during NASA Desert Research & Technology Studies (RATS) 2010 exercises. The RATS mission used Apollo-style methods not only for pre-mission traverse planning but also to conduct geologic sampling as part of science operation tests. Cross-comparison demonstrates that the Apollo-style map identifies many of the same rock units and determines a similar broad history as the field-based map. However, field mapping techniques allow markedly improved discrimination of map units, particularly unconsolidated surficial deposits, and recognize a more complex eruptive history than was possible using Apollo-style data. Further, the distribution of unconsolidated surface units was more obvious in the remote sensing data to the field team after conducting the fieldwork. The study raises questions about the most effective approach to balancing mission costs with the rate of knowledge capture, suggesting that there is an inflection point in the "knowledge capture curve" beyond which additional resource investment yields progressively
A Comparison of Forest Cover Maps in China in 2010 from Multi-source: Landsat, PALSAR, MCD12Q1, FAO FRA, and National Forestry Inventory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Qin, Y.; Xiao, X.; Dong, J.; Zhang, G.
Forests and their changes are quite important to global carbon cycle, biodiversity and ecological services. Some uncertainties about forest cover maps still exist in China, so an accurate and updated forest cover distribution map is necessary as a baseline for carbon cycle estimation, especially at a fine spatial resolution. In this study, we developed a decision tree classification algorithm to identify forest and non-forest land cover, based on the signature analysis of 50 m ALOS PLASAR backscatter data in 2010 for a few land cover types. We used MODIS-based NDVI dataset in 2010 (MOD13Q1) to generate a map of annual maximum NDVI and used it to mask out built-up lands, barren lands, and sparsely vegetated lands. We applied the PALSAR-based algorithm and produced a forest cover map in China in 2010. Several comparisons in forest area and spatial distribution between the resultant forest map with other forest maps were carried out. The results show that the total forest area in China from the PALSAR-based forest map in 2010 is close to those of JAXA, FAO FRA, and National Forestry Inventory, and there are good linear relationships between the PALSAR-based forest map with the JAXA, MCD12Q1, and NLCD-China forest areas at province and county scales. All the forest maps have similar forest/non-forest distribution, but our PALSAR-based forest map recognizes well the agro-forests. The results of this study provide a baseline map of forest cover in China in 2010, which can be used for the studies of forest disturbance, carbon cycle, and ecological restoration projects in China.
Potential of the insect growth regulator, fluazuron, in the control of Rhipicephalus sanguineus nymphs (Latreille, 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae): determination of the LD95 and LD50.
de Oliveira, Patrícia Rosa; Calligaris, Izabela Braggião; Roma, Gislaine Cristina; Bechara, Gervásio Henrique; Pizano, Marcos Aparecido; Camargo Mathias, Maria Izabel
Conventional pesticides have suffered two main drawbacks: (a) broad spectrum of action and (b) selection of target species resistant to the different active ingredients. Thus compounds that are less harmful to the environment and to human health, more specific and that do not induce resistance need to be developed. One alternative are insect growth regulators, such as fluazuron. The present study examined the efficacy of fluazuron (active ingredient of the acaricide Acatak®) and the sensitivity of Rhipicephalus sanguineus nymphs exposed to different doses of this chemical, and determined the lethal doses of fluazuron: 95% - LD(95) and 50% - LD(50). Different doses of fluazuron were applied in duplicates on the dorsal region of hosts ("pour on"). Distilled water was used in the control group. On the first day after the treatment with fluazuron, hosts were artificially infested with R. sanguineus nymphs. After engorgement, nymphs were removed, placed on Petri dishes, identified, and maintained in BOD incubator for 15days. Dead R. sanguineus nymphs after the treatment with 13 different doses of fluazuron were quantified and the LD(95) was estimated to be 100mg/kg and LD(50), 19.544mg/kg (12.478-22.636), with a confidence interval of 95%. Nymphs of R. sanguineus were sensitive to fluazuron at various levels, indicating that this insect growth regulator (IGR) may be used to control this parasite in this stage of its biological cycle, reducing the significant damage it causes. PMID:22465612
Evaluation of the User Strategy on 2d and 3d City Maps Based on Novel Scanpath Comparison Method and Graph Visualization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dolezalova, J.; Popelka, S.
The paper is dealing with scanpath comparison of eye-tracking data recorded during case study focused on the evaluation of 2D and 3D city maps. The experiment contained screenshots from three map portals. Two types of maps were used - standard map and 3D visualization. Respondents' task was to find particular point symbol on the map as fast as possible. Scanpath comparison is one group of the eye-tracking data analyses methods used for revealing the strategy of the respondents. In cartographic studies, the most commonly used application for scanpath comparison is eyePatterns that output is hierarchical clustering and a tree graph representing the relationships between analysed sequences. During an analysis of the algorithm generating a tree graph, it was found that the outputs do not correspond to the reality. We proceeded to the creation of a new tool called ScanGraph. This tool uses visualization of cliques in simple graphs and is freely available at www.eyetracking.upol.cz/scangraph. Results of the study proved the functionality of the tool and its suitability for analyses of different strategies of map readers. Based on the results of the tool, similar scanpaths were selected, and groups of respondents with similar strategies were identified. With this knowledge, it is possible to analyse the relationship between belonging to the group with similar strategy and data gathered from the questionnaire (age, sex, cartographic knowledge, etc.) or type of stimuli (2D, 3D map).
The Effectiveness of Concept Maps in Teaching Physics Concepts Applied to Engineering Education: Experimental Comparison of the Amount of Learning Achieved with and without Concept Maps
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martinez, Guadalupe; Perez, Angel Luis; Suero, Maria Isabel; Pardo, Pedro J.
A study was conducted to quantify the effectiveness of concept maps in learning physics in engineering degrees. The following research question was posed: What was the difference in learning results from the use of concept maps to study a particular topic in an engineering course? The study design was quasi-experimental and used a post-test as a…
Comparison of regression and kriging techniques for mapping the average annual precipitation of Turkey
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bostan, P. A.; Heuvelink, G. B. M.; Akyurek, S. Z.
Accurate mapping of the spatial distribution of annual precipitation is important for many applications in hydrology, climatology, agronomy, ecology and other environmental sciences. In this study, we compared five different statistical methods to predict spatially the average annual precipitation of Turkey using point observations of annual precipitation at meteorological stations and spatially exhaustive covariate data (i.e. elevation, aspect, surface roughness, distance to coast, land use and eco-region). The methods compared were multiple linear regression (MLR), ordinary kriging (OK), regression kriging (RK), universal kriging (UK), and geographically weighted regression (GWR). Average annual precipitation of Turkey from 1970 to 2006 was measured at 225 meteorological stations that are fairly uniformly distributed across the country, with a somewhat higher spatial density along the coastline. The observed annual precipitation varied between 255 mm and 2209 mm with an average of 628 mm. The annual precipitation was highest along the southern and northern coasts and low in the centre of the country, except for the area near the Van Lake, Keban and Ataturk Dams. To compare the performance of the interpolation techniques the total dataset was first randomly split in ten equally sized test datasets. Next, for each test data set the remaining 90% of the data comprised the training dataset. Each training dataset was then used to calibrate and apply the spatial prediction model. Predictions at the test dataset locations were compared with the observed test data. Validation was done by calculating the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), R-square and Standardized MSE (SMSE) values. According to these criteria, universal kriging is the most accurate with an RMSE of 178 mm, an R-square of 0.61 and an SMSE of 1.06, whilst multiple linear regression performed worst (RMSE of 222 mm, R-square of 0.39, and SMSE of 1.44). Ordinary kriging, UK using only elevation and geographically
Inter-comparison of radar rainfall rate using Constant Altitude Plan Position Indicator and hybrid surface rainfall maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kwon, Soohyun; Jung, Sung-Hwa; Lee, GyuWon
Ground clutter and beam blockage caused by complex terrain deteriorates the accuracy of radar quantitative precipitation estimations (QPE). To improve radar QPE, we have developed a technique for radar rainfall estimation, the Kyungpook National University Hybrid Surface Rainfall (KHSR), based on a two-dimensional hybrid surface consisting of the lowest radar bins that are immune to ground clutter, beam blockage, and non-meteorological echoes. The KHSR map is a composite of a ground echo mask, a beam blockage mask, and a rain echo mask, and it was applied to an operational S-band dual-polarimetric radar that scans six PPIs at a low elevation angle every 2.5 min. By using three rainfall estimators, R(ZH), R(ZH, ZDR), and R(ZH, ξDR), this technique was compared with an operational Constant Altitude Plan Position Indicator (CAPPI) QPE of the Korea Meteorological Administration during a summer season from June-August 2012. In comparison with CAPPI, KHSR shows improved rainfall estimates for three algorithms, and it was more effective with dual-polarimetric rainfall algorithms than with single polarimetric rainfall algorithms. Error increased with increasing range from radar, but this increase was more rapid using CAPPI than using KHSR. KHSR using the R(ZH, ZDR) algorithm was the most accurate long range (>100 km from the radar) estimator.
A comparison of methods used in mapping of Pleistocene-bedrock unconformity: Conventional manual versus surface modeling
Weibel, C.P.; Abert, C.C.; Kempton, J.P. )
Surface modeling software packages allow geologists to model and map topographic and stratigraphic horizons. These map products, however, often differ from maps prepared without computerized mapping. The authors mapping of the Pleistocene-bedrock unconformity in east-central Illinois (1:100,000-scale), which includes the Mahomet paleovalley, illustrates this situation and demonstrates how both mapping methods, manual and computer, contribute to a better understanding of the paleovalley. A conventional hand-drawn map was constructed over a number of years by manually plotting and contouring bedrock elevations, primarily from water well logs, onto various county and local topographic bases. A computer-generated map of the same area was completed as part of a recent project to map the bedrock geology. It was prepared by carefully selecting data, which included geographic coordinates, unique well identification numbers, and bedrock elevations. Primary data sources were hydrocarbon exploration and storage wells. Digitizing the hand-drawn map allowed the two maps to be overlaid and compared. Several significant geomorphic features appeared on one map and not the other because of the use of different databases and inconsistent selection of data used for the hand-drawn map. The hand-drawn map appears more realistic, i.e., like a modern surface, because the mappers used their knowledge of geomorphic concepts in drawing the contours. Most of the data selection for the computer-generated map was completed prior to plotting of the map and therefore is less susceptible to bias interpretations. The computer-generated map, however, is less topographically realistic in areas where data are sparse because the extrapolation methods used to define the surface do not recognize geologic processes or bedrock lithology.
Individualized Education Programs: A Comparison of Students with BD, LD, and MMR.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nickles, James L.; And Others
This study examined the categories of objectives in the Individualized Education Programs of children with behavior disorders, learning disabilities, or mild mental retardation in five states. The study found differences among disability groups in objective categories (academic, career/vocational, behavior, and basic living skills) but less…
Chemical and mineralogical characterizations of LD converter steel slags: A multi-analytical techniques approach
Waligora, J.; Bulteel, D.; Degrugilliers, P.; Damidot, D.; Potdevin, J.L.; Measson, M.
The use of LD converter steel slags (coming from Linz-Donawitz steelmaking process) as aggregates in road construction can in certain cases lead to dimensional damage due to a macroscopic swelling that is the consequence of chemical reactions. The aim of this study was to couple several analytical techniques in order to carefully undertake chemical and mineralogical characterizations of LD steel slags and identify the phases that are expected to be responsible for their instability. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalyses revealed that LD steel slags mainly contain calcium silicates, dicalcium ferrites, iron oxides and lime. However, as a calcium silicate phase is heterogeneous, Raman microspectrometry and transmitted electron microscopy had to be used to characterize it more precisely. Results showed that lime is present under two forms in slag grains: some nodules observed in the matrix whose size ranges from 20 to 100 {mu}m and some micro-inclusions, enclosed in the heterogeneous calcium silicate phase whose size ranges from 1 to 3 {mu}m. It was also established that without the presence of magnesia, lime is expected to be the only phase responsible for LD steel slags instability. Nevertheless, the distribution of lime between nodules and micro-inclusions may play a major role and could explain that similar amounts of lime can induce different instabilities. Thus, it appears that lime content of LD steel slags is not the only parameter to explain their instability.
Mapping soil water content under sparse vegetation and changeable sky conditions: comparison of two thermal inertia approaches
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Maltese, Antonino; Capodici, Fulvio; Ciraolo, Giuseppe; La Loggia, Goffredo
A critical analysis of a thermal inertia approach to map surface soil water content on bare and sparsely vegetated soils by means of remotely sensed data is reported. The study area is an experimental field located in Barrax, Spain. In situ data were acquired within the Barrax 2011 research project. An advanced hyperspectral scanner airborne imager provides images in the visible/near-infrared and thermal infrared bands. Images were acquired both in day and night times by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial between 12th and 13th of June 2011. The scene covers a corn irrigation pivot surrounded by bare soil, where a set of in situ data have been collected both previously and simultaneously to overpasses. To validate remotely sensed estimations, an ad hoc dataset has been produced by measuring spectra, radiometric temperatures, surface soil water content, and soil thermal properties. These data were collected on two transects covering bare and sparsely vegetated soils. This ground dataset was used (1) to verify if a thermal inertia method can be applied to map the water content on soil covered by sparse vegetation and (2) to quantify a correction factor accounting for solar radiation reduction due to sky cloudiness. The experiment intended to test a spatially constant and a spatially distributed approach to estimate the phase difference. Both methods were then applied to the airborne images collected during the following days to obtain the spatial distribution of surface soil water content. Results confirm that the thermal inertia method can be applied to sparsely vegetated soil characterized by low fractional cover if the solar radiation reaching the ground is accurately estimated. A spatially constant value of the phase difference allows a good assessment of thermal inertia, whereas the comparison with the three-temperature approach did not give conclusive responses. Results also show that clear sky, only at the time of the acquisition, does not provide
Dengue Virus Capsid Protein Binding to Hepatic Lipid Droplets (LD) Is Potassium Ion Dependent and Is Mediated by LD Surface Proteins
Carvalho, Filomena A.; Carneiro, Fabiana A.; Martins, Ivo C.; Assunção-Miranda, Iranaia; Faustino, André F.; Pereira, Renata M.; Bozza, Patricia T.; Castanho, Miguel A. R. B.; Mohana-Borges, Ronaldo; Da Poian, Andrea T.
Dengue virus (DENV) affects millions of people, causing more than 20,000 deaths annually. No effective treatment for the disease caused by DENV infection is currently available, partially due to the lack of knowledge on the basic aspects of the viral life cycle, including the molecular basis of the interaction between viral components and cellular compartments. Here, we characterized the properties of the interaction between the DENV capsid (C) protein and hepatic lipid droplets (LDs), which was recently shown to be essential for the virus replication cycle. Zeta potential analysis revealed a negative surface charge of LDs, with an average surface charge of −19 mV. The titration of LDs with C protein led to an increase of the surface charge, which reached a plateau at +13.7 mV, suggesting that the viral protein-LD interaction exposes the protein cationic surface to the aqueous environment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based force spectroscopy measurements were performed by using C protein-functionalized AFM tips. The C protein-LD interaction was found to be strong, with a single (un)binding force of 33.6 pN. This binding was dependent on high intracellular concentrations of potassium ions but not sodium. The inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase in DENV-infected cells resulted in the dissociation of C protein from LDs and a 50-fold inhibition of infectious virus production but not of RNA replication, indicating a biological relevance for the potassium-dependent interaction. Limited proteolysis of the LD surface impaired the C protein-LD interaction, and force measurements in the presence of specific antibodies indicated that perilipin 3 (TIP47) is the major DENV C protein ligand on the surface of LDs. PMID:22130547
Lymantria dispar iflavirus 1 (LdIV1), a new model to study iflaviral persistence in lepidopterans.
Carrillo-Tripp, Jimena; Krueger, Elizabeth N; Harrison, Robert L; Toth, Amy L; Miller, W Allen; Bonning, Bryony C
The cell line IPLB-LD-652Y, derived from the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.), is routinely used to study interactions between viruses and insect hosts. Here we report the full genome sequence and biological characteristics of a small RNA virus, designated Lymantria dispar iflavirus 1 (LdIV1), that was discovered to persistently infect IPLB-LD-652Y. LdIV1 belongs to the genus Iflavirus. LdIV1 formed icosahedral particles of approx. 30 nm in diameter and contained a 10, 044 nt polyadenylated, positive-sense RNA genome encoding a predicted polyprotein of 2980 aa. LdIV1 was induced by a viral suppressor of RNA silencing, suggesting that acute infection is restricted by RNA interference (RNAi). We detected LdIV1 in all tested tissues of gypsy-moth larvae and adults, but the virus was absent from other L. dispar-derived cell lines. We confirmed LdIV1 infectivity in two of these cell lines (IPLB-LD-652 and IPLB-LdFB). Our results provide a novel system to explore persistent infections in lepidopterans and a new model for the study of iflaviruses, a rapidly expanding group of viruses, many of which covertly infect their hosts. PMID:24986084
Knockdown of a nutrient amino acid transporter gene LdNAT1 reduces free neutral amino acid contents and impairs Leptinotarsa decemlineata pupation
Fu, Kai-Yun; Guo, Wen-Chao; Ahmat, Tursun; Li, Guo-Qing
A Leptinotarsa decemlineata SLC6 NAT gene (LdNAT1) was cloned. LdNAT1 was highly expressed in the larval alimentary canal especially midgut. LdNAT1 mRNA levels were high right after the molt and low just before the molt. JH and a JH analog pyriproxyfen activated LdNAT1 expression. RNAi of an allatostatin gene LdAS-C increased JH and upregulated LdNAT1 transcription. Conversely, silencing of a JH biosynthesis gene LdJHAMT decreased JH and reduced LdNAT1 expression. Moreover, 20E and an ecdysteroid agonist halofenozide repressed LdNAT1 expression, whereas a decrease in 20E by RNAi of an ecdysteroidogenesis gene LdSHD and disruption of 20E signaling by knockdown of LdE75 and LdFTZ-F1 activated LdNAT1 expression. Thus, LdNAT1 responded to both 20E and JH. Moreover, knockdown of LdNAT1 reduced the contents of cysteine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine and serine in the larval bodies and increased the contents of these amino acids in the larval feces. Furthermore, RNAi of LdNAT1 inhibited insulin/target of rapamycin pathway, lowered 20E and JH titers, reduced 20E and JH signaling, retarded larval growth and impaired pupation. These data showed that LdNAT1 was involved in the absorption of several neutral amino acids critical for larval growth and metamorphosis. PMID:26657797
Comparison of ASTER- and AVIRIS-Derived Mineraland Vegetation Maps of the White Horse Replacement Alunite Deposit and Surrounding Area, Marysvale Volcanic Field, Utah
Rockwell, Barnaby W.
This report presents and compares mineral and vegetation maps of parts of the Marysvale volcanic field in west-central Utah that were published in a recent paper describing the White Horse replacement alunite deposit. Detailed, field-verified maps of the deposit were produced from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data acquired from a low-altitude Twin Otter turboprop airborne platform. Reconnaissance-level maps of surrounding areas including the central and northern Tushar Mountains, Pahvant Range, and portions of the Sevier Plateau to the east were produced from visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor carried aboard the Terra satellite platform. These maps are also compared to a previously published mineral map of the same area generated from AVIRIS data acquired from the high-altitude NASA ER-2 jet platform. All of the maps were generated by similar analysis methods, enabling the direct comparison of the spatial scale and mineral composition of surface geologic features that can be identified using the three types of remote sensing data. The high spatial (2-17 meter) and spectral (224 bands) resolution AVIRIS data can be used to generate detailed mineral and vegetation maps suitable for geologic and geoenvironmental studies of individual deposits, mines, and smelters. The lower spatial (15-30 meter) and spectral (9 bands) resolution ASTER data are better suited to less detailed mineralogical studies of lithology and alteration across entire hydrothermal systems and mining districts, including regional mineral resource and geoenvironmental assessments. The results presented here demonstrate that minerals and mineral mixtures can be directly identified using AVIRIS and ASTER data to elucidate spatial patterns of mineralogic zonation; AVIRIS data can enable the generation of maps with significantly greater detail and accuracy. The
LD Score regression distinguishes confounding from polygenicity in genome-wide association studies.
Bulik-Sullivan, Brendan K; Loh, Po-Ru; Finucane, Hilary K; Ripke, Stephan; Yang, Jian; Patterson, Nick; Daly, Mark J; Price, Alkes L; Neale, Benjamin M
Both polygenicity (many small genetic effects) and confounding biases, such as cryptic relatedness and population stratification, can yield an inflated distribution of test statistics in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, current methods cannot distinguish between inflation from a true polygenic signal and bias. We have developed an approach, LD Score regression, that quantifies the contribution of each by examining the relationship between test statistics and linkage disequilibrium (LD). The LD Score regression intercept can be used to estimate a more powerful and accurate correction factor than genomic control. We find strong evidence that polygenicity accounts for the majority of the inflation in test statistics in many GWAS of large sample size. PMID:25642630
The impact of the Flynn effect on LD diagnoses in special education.
Kanaya, Tomoe; Ceci, Stephen
Because of the Flynn effect, IQ scores rise as a test norm ages but drop on the introduction of a newly revised test norm. The purpose of the current study was to determine the impact of the Flynn effect on learning disability (LD) diagnoses, the most prevalent special education diagnosis in the United States. Using a longitudinal sample of 875 school children who were initially diagnosed with LD on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), children experienced a significant decline in IQ when retested on the third edition of the WISC (WISC-III) compared to peers who were tested on the WISC-R twice. Furthermore, results from logistic regression analyses revealed that the probability of a rediagnosis of LD on reevaluation significantly decreased, in part, because of this decline on the WISC-III. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for both basic research and educational policy. PMID:21193595
Comorbidity of LD and ADHD: implications of DSM-5 for assessment and treatment.
DuPaul, George J; Gormley, Matthew J; Laracy, Seth D
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disability (LD) can co-occur for a significant minority of children with each disorder. A total of 17 studies (2001-2011) examining ADHD-LD comorbidity were reviewed, revealing a higher mean comorbidity rate (45.1%) than has been obtained previously. Higher comorbidity may be the result of including students with writing disorders, not just reading and/or math disabilities. Proposed DSM-5 criteria for both disorders will likely affect comorbidity rates; however, it is unclear whether such rates will increase or decrease. Regardless of the specific impact of DSM revisions, academic skill and/or performance deficits should be assessed for students with ADHD as part of screening, comprehensive evaluation, and treatment monitoring. Comprehensive intervention services for students with comorbid ADHD and LD will require empirically supported treatment strategies that address both disorders and that are implemented across school and home settings. PMID:23144063
Thinking Maps Enhance Metaphoric Competence in Children with Autism and Learning Disabilities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mashal, Nira; Kasirer, Anat
The primary goal of the current study was to examine the ability of children with autism (ASD) and children with learning disabilities (LD) to improve their metaphoric competence by an intervention program using "thinking maps". Twenty ASD children, 20 LD, and 20 typically developed (TD) children were tested on metaphors and idioms comprehension…
A Comparison of Satellite-Derived Snow Maps with a Focus on Ephemeral Snow in North Carolina
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hall, Dorothy K.; Fuhrmann, Christopher M.; Perry, L. Baker; Riggs, George A.; Robinson, David A.; Foster, James L.
In this paper, we focus on the attributes and limitations of four commonly-used daily snowcover products with respect to their ability to map ephemeral snow in central and eastern North Carolina. We show that the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fractional snow-cover maps can delineate the snow-covered area very well through the use of a fully-automated algorithm, but suffer from the limitation that cloud cover precludes mapping some ephemeral snow. The semi-automated Interactive Multi-sensor Snow and ice mapping system (IMS) and Rutgers Global Snow Lab (GSL) snow maps are often able to capture ephemeral snow cover because ground-station data are employed to develop the snow maps, The Rutgers GSL maps are based on the IMS maps. Finally, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) provides some good detail of snow-water equivalent especially in deeper snow, but may miss ephemeral snow cover because it is often very thin or wet; the AMSR-E maps also suffer from coarse spatial resolution. We conclude that the southeastern United States represents a good test region for validating the ability of satellite snow-cover maps to capture ephemeral snow cover,
Cost, accuracy, and consistency comparisons of land use maps made from high-altitutde aircraft photography and ERTS imagery
Fitzpatrick, Katherine A.
Accuracy analyses for the land use maps of the Central Atlantic Regional Ecological Test Site were performed for a 1-percent sample of the area. Researchers compared Level II land use maps produced at three scales, 1:24,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000 from high-altitude photography, with each other and with point data obtained in the field. They employed the same procedures to determine the accuracy of the Level I land use maps produced at 1:250,000 from high-altitude photography and color composite ERTS imagery. The accuracy of the Level II maps was 84.9 percent at 1:24,000, 77.4 percent at 1:100,000, and 73.0 percent at 1:250,000. The accuracy of the Level I 1:250,000 maps produced from high-altitude aircraft photography was 76.5 percent and for those produced from ERTS imagery was 69.5 percent The cost of Level II land use mapping at 1:24,000 was found to be high ($11.93 per km2 ). The cost of mapping at 1:100,000 ($1.75) was about 2 times as expensive as mapping at 1:250,000 ($.88), and the accuracy increased by only 4.4 percent. Level I land use maps, when mapped from highaltitude photography, were about 4 times as expensive as the maps produced from ERTS imagery, although the accuracy is 7.0 percent greater. The Level I land use category that is least accurately mapped from ERTS imagery is urban and built-up land in the non-urban areas; in the urbanized areas, built-up land is more reliably mapped.
High resolution radiation hybrid maps of bovine chromosomes 19 and 29: comparison with the bovine genome sequence assembly
Prasad, Aparna; Schiex, Thomas; McKay, Stephanie; Murdoch, Brenda; Wang, Zhiquan; Womack, James E; Stothard, Paul; Moore, Stephen S
Background High resolution radiation hybrid (RH) maps can facilitate genome sequence assembly by correctly ordering genes and genetic markers along chromosomes. The objective of the present study was to generate high resolution RH maps of bovine chromosomes 19 (BTA19) and 29 (BTA29), and compare them with the current 7.1X bovine genome sequence assembly (bovine build 3.1). We have chosen BTA19 and 29 as candidate chromosomes for mapping, since many Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for the traits of carcass merit and residual feed intake have been identified on these chromosomes. Results We have constructed high resolution maps of BTA19 and BTA29 consisting of 555 and 253 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers respectively using a 12,000 rad whole genome RH panel. With these markers, the RH map of BTA19 and BTA29 extended to 4591.4 cR and 2884.1 cR in length respectively. When aligned with the current bovine build 3.1, the order of markers on the RH map for BTA19 and 29 showed inconsistencies with respect to the genome assembly. Maps of both the chromosomes show that there is a significant internal rearrangement of the markers involving displacement, inversion and flips within the scaffolds with some scaffolds being misplaced in the genome assembly. We also constructed cattle-human comparative maps of these chromosomes which showed an overall agreement with the comparative maps published previously. However, minor discrepancies in the orientation of few homologous synteny blocks were observed. Conclusion The high resolution maps of BTA19 (average 1 locus/139 kb) and BTA29 (average 1 locus/208 kb) presented in this study suggest that by the incorporation of RH mapping information, the current bovine genome sequence assembly can be significantly improved. Furthermore, these maps can serve as a potential resource for fine mapping QTL and identification of causative mutations underlying QTL for economically important traits. PMID:17784962
Comparison of Northern Ireland radon maps based on indoor radon measurements and geology with maps derived by predictive modelling of airborne radiometric and ground permeability data.
Appleton, J D; Miles, J C H; Young, M
Publicly available information about radon potential in Northern Ireland is currently based on indoor radon results averaged over 1-km grid squares, an approach that does not take into account the geological origin of the radon. This study describes a spatially more accurate estimate of the radon potential of Northern Ireland using an integrated radon potential mapping method based on indoor radon measurements and geology that was originally developed for mapping radon potential in England and Wales. A refinement of this method was also investigated using linear regression analysis of a selection of relevant airborne and soil geochemical parameters from the Tellus Project. The most significant independent variables were found to be eU, a parameter derived from airborne gamma spectrometry measurements of radon decay products in the top layer of soil and exposed bedrock, and the permeability of the ground. The radon potential map generated from the Tellus data agrees in many respects with the map based on indoor radon data and geology but there are several areas where radon potential predicted from the airborne radiometric and permeability data is substantially lower. This under-prediction could be caused by the radon concentration being lower in the top 30 cm of the soil than at greater depth, because of the loss of radon from the surface rocks and soils to air. PMID:21310464
The Effectiveness of Concept Maps in Teaching Physics Concepts Applied to Engineering Education: Experimental Comparison of the Amount of Learning Achieved With and Without Concept Maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martínez, Guadalupe; Pérez, Ángel Luis; Suero, María Isabel; Pardo, Pedro J.
A study was conducted to quantify the effectiveness of concept maps in learning physics in engineering degrees. The following research question was posed: What was the difference in learning results from the use of concept maps to study a particular topic in an engineering course? The study design was quasi-experimental and used a post-test as a measuring instrument. The sample included 114 university students from the School of Industrial Engineering who were divided into two equivalent homogeneous groups of 57 students each. The amount of learning attained by the students in each group was compared, with the independent variable being the teaching method; the experimental group (E.G.) used concept maps, while the control group (C.G.) did not. We performed a crossover study with the two groups of students, with one group acting as the E.G. for the topic of optical fibers and as the C.G. for the topic of the fundamental particles of matter and vice versa for the other group. For each of the two topics studied, the evaluation instrument was a test of 100 dichotomous items. The resulting data were subjected to a comparative statistical analysis, which revealed a significant difference in the amount of learning attained by the E.G. students as compared with the C.G. students. The results allow us to state that for the use of concept maps, the average increment in the E.G. students' learning was greater than 19 percentage points.
A comparison of urban heat islands mapped using skin temperature, air temperature, and apparent temperature (Humidex), for the greater Vancouver area.
Ho, Hung Chak; Knudby, Anders; Xu, Yongming; Hodul, Matus; Aminipouri, Mehdi
Apparent temperature is more closely related to mortality during extreme heat events than other temperature variables, yet spatial epidemiology studies typically use skin temperature (also known as land surface temperature) to quantify heat exposure because it is relatively easy to map from satellite data. An empirical approach to map apparent temperature at the neighborhood scale, which relies on publicly available weather station observations and spatial data layers combined in a random forest regression model, was demonstrated for greater Vancouver, Canada. Model errors were acceptable (cross-validated RMSE=2.04 °C) and the resulting map of apparent temperature, calibrated for a typical hot summer day, corresponded well with past temperature research in the area. A comparison with field measurements as well as similar maps of skin temperature and air temperature revealed that skin temperature was poorly correlated with both air temperature (R(2)=0.38) and apparent temperature (R(2)=0.39). While the latter two were more similar (R(2)=0.87), apparent temperature was predicted to exceed air temperature by more than 5 °C in several urban areas as well as around the confluence of the Pitt and Fraser rivers. We conclude that skin temperature is not a suitable proxy for human heat exposure, and that spatial epidemiology studies could benefit from mapping apparent temperature, using an approach similar to the one reported here, to better quantify differences in heat exposure that exist across an urban landscape. PMID:26706765
Inviting Argument by Analogy: Analogical-Mapping-Based Comparison Activities as a Scaffold for Small-Group Argumentation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Emig, Brandon R.; McDonald, Scott; Zembal-Saul, Carla; Strauss, Susan G.
This study invited small groups to make several arguments by analogy about simple machines. Groups were first provided training on analogical (structure) mapping and were then invited to use analogical mapping as a scaffold to make arguments. In making these arguments, groups were asked to consider three simple machines: two machines that they had…
A sequence-based genetic map of Medicago truncatula and comparison of marker colinearity with M. sativa.
Choi, Hong-Kyu; Kim, Dongjin; Uhm, Taesik; Limpens, Eric; Lim, Hyunju; Mun, Jeong-Hwan; Kalo, Peter; Penmetsa, R Varma; Seres, Andrea; Kulikova, Olga; Roe, Bruce A; Bisseling, Ton; Kiss, Gyorgy B; Cook, Douglas R
A core genetic map of the legume Medicago truncatula has been established by analyzing the segregation of 288 sequence-characterized genetic markers in an F(2) population composed of 93 individuals. These molecular markers correspond to 141 ESTs, 80 BAC end sequence tags, and 67 resistance gene analogs, covering 513 cM. In the case of EST-based markers we used an intron-targeted marker strategy with primers designed to anneal in conserved exon regions and to amplify across intron regions. Polymorphisms were significantly more frequent in intron vs. exon regions, thus providing an efficient mechanism to map transcribed genes. Genetic and cytogenetic analysis produced eight well-resolved linkage groups, which have been previously correlated with eight chromosomes by means of FISH with mapped BAC clones. We anticipated that mapping of conserved coding regions would have utility for comparative mapping among legumes; thus 60 of the EST-based primer pairs were designed to amplify orthologous sequences across a range of legume species. As an initial test of this strategy, we used primers designed against M. truncatula exon sequences to rapidly map genes in M. sativa. The resulting comparative map, which includes 68 bridging markers, indicates that the two Medicago genomes are highly similar and establishes the basis for a Medicago composite map. PMID:15082563
Critical slowing down and critical exponents in LD/PIN optically-bistable semiconductor lasers
Zhong Lichen; Guo Yili
Critical slowing down for LD/PIN bistable optical semiconductor lasers and the critical exponents ..gamma.. for this system have been experimentally investigated. The experimental value ..gamma..approx.0.53 is basically in agreement with the theoretically predicted value of 0.5.
Pluralizing Methodologies in the Field of LD: From "What Works" to What Matters
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ferri, Beth A.; Gallagher, Deborah; Connor, David J.
The field of learning disabilities (LD) has a complex and complicated history. Tensions over definitions, eligibility criteria, service delivery models, and best practices, as well as epistemological debates, have been a part of that history from its inception. Given our collective struggles, as well as the current realities facing the field,…
Mathematics Interventions for Students with Learning Disabilities (LD) in Secondary School: A Review of the Literature
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Myers, Jonté A.; Wang, Jun; Brownell, Mary T.; Gagnon, Joseph Calvin
The purpose of our literature review was to extend and update Maccini, Mulcahy, and Wilson's (2007) review of the literature on mathematics interventions for secondary students with learning disabilities (LD). An extensive search of the research literature netted 15 research studies that focused on mathematics interventions for secondary students…
The Emotional Exhaustion Aspect of Burnout and Stressors in Resource LD Teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shea, Catherine A.
This study sought to develop a clearer understanding of the correlates of the emotional exhaustion aspect of burnout among learning disabilities (LD) teachers in resource programs. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between the emotional aspect of burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and: (1) background…
The acute lethal dose 50 (LD50) of caffeine in albino rats.
Adamson, Richard H
An acute LD50 is a statistically derived amount of a substance that can be expected to cause death in 50% of the animals when given by a specified route as a single dose and the animals observed for a specified time period. Although conducting routine acute toxicity testing in rodents has been criticized, it can serve useful functions and also have practical implications. Material safety data sheets (MSDS) will reflect the acute toxicity of a substance and may require workers to wear protective gear, if appropriate, based on the LD50. There is no information in the scientific published literature which calculates a mean LD50 and standard deviation for caffeine administered orally to rats, using studies performed under good laboratory practice (GLP) or equivalent. This report does that and should be useful to manufacturers, packagers, transporters and regulators of this material. Using data from studies that are reproducible and reliable, the most accurate estimate of the acute LD50 of caffeine administered orally in male albino rats is hereby reported to be 367/mg/kg. PMID:27461039
Orthographic Processing and Reading Comprehension among Arabic Speaking Mainstream and LD Children
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Elbeheri, Gad; Everatt, John; Mahfoudhi, Abdessatar; Al-Diyar, Mosaad Abu; Taibah, Nadia
Two cohorts of mainstream children (grades 2-5) and one cohort of children with learning disabilities (LD; grades 3-5), all Arabic speaking children in Kuwait, were given measures of reading comprehension fluency and orthographic discrimination to assess the relationship between the two. Additional measures of phonological processing (decoding and…
Mothers of Children with LD and ADHD: Empowerment through Online Communication
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Margalit, Malka; Raskind, Marshall H.
Mothers of children with learning disabilities (LD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were notified of the possibility that their online community was going to be closed. They immediately responded with messages about the significance of the community to their lives and distress that the site would not continue to be available.…
Comorbid LD and ADHD in Childhood: Socioemotional and Behavioural Adjustment and Parents' Positive and Negative Affect
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al-Yagon, Michal
The present study examined how vulnerability and protective factors at the individual level (child's disabilities; patterns of attachment), and at the family level (fathers'/mothers' affect), help explain differences in socioemotional and behavioural adjustment among children aged 8-12 years with comorbid learning disability (LD) and attention…
Perceptions of Adolescent Girls with LD Regarding Self-Determination and Postsecondary Transition Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Trainor, Audrey A.
Existing research has documented disparate outcomes between young women and men with disabilities in many transition domains, including employment, postsecondary education, and parenting. Similarly, students with learning disabilities (LD) have unique postsecondary transition needs. Promoting self-determination and active participation in…
The Impact of the Flynn Effect on LD Diagnoses in Special Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kanaya, Tomoe; Ceci, Stephen
Because of the Flynn effect, IQ scores rise as a test norm ages but drop on the introduction of a newly revised test norm. The purpose of the current study was to determine the impact of the Flynn effect on learning disability (LD) diagnoses, the most prevalent special education diagnosis in the United States. Using a longitudinal sample of 875…
Linear-dichroic infrared spectral (IR-LD) analysis of codeine and its derivatives
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Koleva, Bojidarka; Kolev, Tsonko; Bakalska, Rumyana
By means of IR-LD spectroscopy of oriented as suspension in nematic liquid crystal solids, a detailed IR-bands assignment and a stereo-structural prediction of codeine, codeinone and N-norcodeine have been carried out. The data are compared with known crystallographic ones of codeine and codeinone obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction.
The Content-based Reading Approaches (COBRA) Model in the ELL and LD Classroom
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lee, Pei-Yi
The Content-based Reading Approaches (COBRA) framework, constructed by Heerman (2002), was made up of the instructional goals designed for reading-learning integrations in subject matter classrooms. ELL and LD students often fail to have sufficient reading skills to succeed within their different academic subjects, consequently it is important for…
Profiles of Elementary-Age English Language Learners with Reading-Related Learning Disabilities (LD) Identified as Speech and Language Impaired Prior to, at, or after Identification as LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McGhee, Belinda Maria Despujols
This study examined the characteristics of 14 English Language Learners classified as having learning disabilities (LD) who were also identified as having speech and language impairments (SI) prior to, at, or after initial identification as LD. Data were collected under the auspices of a longitudinal study, Bilingual Exceptional Students:…
A Stellar Dynamical Black Hole Mass for Broad-Lined Seyfert Galaxy NGC 6814 and Comparison to Results from Reverberation Mapping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Manne-Nicholas, Emily; Batiste, Merida; Valluri, Monica; Bentz, Misty C.; Onken, Christopher A.; Ferrarese, Laura
We present a stellar dynamical mass for the supermassive black hole in the nearby (z=0.005) broad-lined Seyfert galaxy NGC 6814 and compare it to the published reverberation-based mass. NGC 6814 is only the third galaxy for which the comparison of these two techniques has been accomplished in the same galaxy. Though stellar dynamical modeling is currently thought to be the most direct way of measuring a SMBH mass, it is quite limited because it can only be performed on nearby galaxies that have a spatially resolvable (or nearly so) black hole gravitational sphere of influence. In contrast, reverberation mapping, which relies on time resolution and not spatial resolution, can be used to constrain black hole masses in even the most distant quasars. Reverberation masses, however, carry with them an uncertainty based on the unknown geometry of the photoionized broad line region. This uncertainty affects our ability to accurately measure masses of AGN not just for reverberation masses, but also for the thousands of masses that rely on the reverberation sample for their calibration. This comparison of the mass of the central supermassive black hole in NGC 6814 using both stellar dynamical and reverberation mapping techniques is part of a larger effort to directly compare these techniques in several galaxies. The more galaxies for which this comparison can be performed, the better we will be able to understand the scatter and potential biases in black hole masses and therefore supermassive black hole evolution across cosmic time.
An automated land-use mapping comparison of the Bayesian maximum likelihood and linear discriminant analysis algorithms
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Tom, C. H.; Miller, L. D.
The Bayesian maximum likelihood parametric classifier has been tested against the data-based formulation designated 'linear discrimination analysis', using the 'GLIKE' decision and "CLASSIFY' classification algorithms in the Landsat Mapping System. Identical supervised training sets, USGS land use/land cover classes, and various combinations of Landsat image and ancilliary geodata variables, were used to compare the algorithms' thematic mapping accuracy on a single-date summer subscene, with a cellularized USGS land use map of the same time frame furnishing the ground truth reference. CLASSIFY, which accepts a priori class probabilities, is found to be more accurate than GLIKE, which assumes equal class occurrences, for all three mapping variable sets and both levels of detail. These results may be generalized to direct accuracy, time, cost, and flexibility advantages of linear discriminant analysis over Bayesian methods.
Geological Mapping of the North Polar Region of Venus (V-1 Snegurochka Planitia): Significant Problems and Comparisons to the Earth's Archean
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Head, James W.; Hurwitz, D. M.; Ivanov, M. A.; Basilevsky, A. T.; Kumar, P. Senthil
The geological features, structures, thermal conditions, interpreted processes, and outstanding questions related to both the Earth's Archean and Venus share many similarities and we are using a problem-oriented approach to Venus mapping, guided by perspectives from the Archean record of the Earth, to gain new insight into both. The Earth's preserved and well-documented Archean record provides important insight into high heat-flux tectonic and magmatic environments and structures and Venus reveals the current configuration and recent geological record of analogous high-temperature environments unmodified by subsequent several billion years of segmentation and overprinting, as on Earth. We have problems on which progress might be made through comparison. Here we present the major goals of the geological mapping of the V-1 Snegurochka Planitia Quadrangle, and themes that could provide important insights into both planets:
A comparison of top-down and bottom-up approaches to benthic habitat mapping to inform offshore wind energy development
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
LaFrance, Monique; King, John W.; Oakley, Bryan A.; Pratt, Sheldon
Recent interest in offshore renewable energy within the United States has amplified the need for marine spatial planning to direct management strategies and address competing user demands. To assist this effort in Rhode Island, benthic habitat classification maps were developed for two sites in offshore waters being considered for wind turbine installation. Maps characterizing and representing the distribution and extent of benthic habitats are valuable tools for improving understanding of ecosystem patterns and processes, and promoting scientifically-sound management decisions. This project presented the opportunity to conduct a comparison of the methodologies and resulting map outputs of two classification approaches, "top-down" and "bottom-up" in the two study areas. This comparison was undertaken to improve understanding of mapping methodologies and their applicability, including the bottom-up approach in offshore environments where data density tends to be lower, as well as to provide case studies for scientists and managers to consider for their own areas of interest. Such case studies can offer guidance for future work for assessing methodologies and translating them to other areas. The traditional top-down mapping approach identifies biological community patterns based on communities occurring within geologically defined habitat map units, under the concept that geologic environments contain distinct biological assemblages. Alternatively, the bottom-up approach aims to establish habitat map units centered on biological similarity and then uses statistics to identify relationships with associated environmental parameters and determine habitat boundaries. When applied to the two study areas, both mapping approaches produced habitat classes with distinct macrofaunal assemblages and each established statistically strong and significant biotic-abiotic relationships with geologic features, sediment characteristics, water depth, and/or habitat
Lymantria dispar iflavirus 1 (LdIV1), a new model to study iflaviral persistence in lepidopterans
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The cell line IPLB-LD-652Y derived from the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar, Linn.) is routinely used to study insect virus-host interactions. Here we report the full genome sequence and biological characteristics of a small RNA virus, designated Lymantria dispar iflavirus 1 (LdIV1), that was discovere...
Impact of the Personal Strengths Program on Self-Determination Levels of College Students with LD and/or ADHD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Farmer, Jennie L.; Allsopp, David H.; Ferron, John M.
This study investigates the impact of The Personal Strengths Program (PSP) on seven college students with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (LD/ADHD) using a multiple baseline design. Students with LD/ADHD experience increased challenges in school settings and decreased post-secondary outcomes when compared with…
Using Prompt Fading to Teach Self-Questioning to Fifth Graders with LD: Effects on Reading Comprehension
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rouse, Christina A.; Alber-Morgan, Sheila R.; Cullen, Jennifer M.; Sawyer, Mary
Students with LD who struggle with reading comprehension can benefit from instruction on how to read strategically. One strategy that has been demonstrated to increase reading comprehension is self-questioning. In this study, two fifth graders with LD were taught to self-generate questions using a prompt fading procedure. The participants were…
A Synthesis on the Research of the Comorbidity of ADHD and LD in Korea: Perspective and Trend
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, Dongil; Koh, Eunyoung; Jeong, Sora; Lee, Kijyung; Kim, Boongnyun; Kim, Ienai
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD) are the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders, and they frequently co-occur with each other. It has been found that students with comorbidity of ADHD and LD experience more difficulties in school. Even though the research interests in the comorbidity of ADHD and…
A Multi-Trait, Multi-Method Analysis of the Bayesian Screening Instrument and Test Battery for LD Adolescents.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Alley, Gordon R.; And Others
The reliability and validity of the Modified Component Disability Checklist were examined with five secondary learning disabled (LD) teachers, 21 low achieving students, and 21 LD students in grades 7, 8, and 9. During Phase I, teachers matched the component disability to the target behavior; and in Phase II teachers were told to judge each target…
Association Mapping for Enhancing Maize Genetic Improvement
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Association mapping through linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis is a powerful tool for the dissection of complex agronomic traits and for the identification of alleles that can contribute to the enhancement of a target trait. With the developments of high throughput genotyping techniques and advanc...
SU-E-T-80: Comparison of Fluence-Based RapidArc QAs Using EPID and MapCHECK 2
Jin, H; Jesseph, F; Ahmad, S
Purpose: To compare the Varian aS-1000 EPID imager to the isocentrically mounted MapCHECK 2 diode array for RapidArc QAs as a function of photon beam energy. Methods: A Varian TrueBeam STx with an aS-1000 digital imaging panel was used to acquire RapidArc QA images for 13 patient plans; each plan QA was performed at 6, 8, 10 and 15MV energies. The Portal Dose Image Prediction algorithm in the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system (TPS) was used to create the comparison image for the EPID acquisition. A Sun Nuclear MapCHECK 2 diode array on an isocentric mounting fixture with 5 cm water-equivalent buildup was also used for the RapidArc QAs. A composite dose plane was taken from the Eclipse TPS for comparison to the MapCHECK 2 measurements. A gamma test was implemented in the Sun Nuclear Patient software with 10% threshold and absolute comparison for both QA methods. The two-tailed paired t-test was employed to analyze the statistical significance between two methods at the 95% confidence level. Results: The average gamma passing rates were greater than 95% at 3%/3mm using both methods for all four energies. The average passing rates were within 2.5% and 1.1% of each other when analyzed at 2%/2mm and 3%/3mm conditions, respectively. The EPID passing rates were somewhat better than the MapCHECK 2 when analyzed at 1%/1mm condition; this difference decreased with increasing energy (9.1% at 6MV to 2.7% at 15MV). The differences were not statistically significant for all criteria and energies (p-value ã 0.05). Conclusion: EPID-based RapidArc QA results are comparable to MapCHECK 2 when using 3%/3mm criteria at all four energies. EPID-based QA shows potential for being the superior device under strict gamma criteria.
Comparison of two methods for landslide susceptibility mapping in the Champagne region (France) where viticultural activity is threatened by slope failure
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
van den Eeckhaut, M.; Marre, A.; Poesen, J.
The vineyards of the Champagne region are planted on steep south-oriented cuesta fronts receiving a maximum of sun radiation. However, due to the location of the vineyards on steep hillslopes, the viticultural activity is threatened by slope failures. In this study we attempt to better understand the spatial variability of landslides by comparing two techniques for landslide susceptibility assessment in a 1120 km² study area in the Champagne Ardenne. The first landslide susceptibility map was derived from an heuristic model adopted from the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, geomorphologists of Reims University and the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne. In this qualitative model expert knowledge of the Champagne region was used to assign weights to all slope classes and lithologies located in the area. The second landslide susceptibility map was developed in this study by the application of a statistical model, logistic regression, to a calibration dataset of 'old' (Holocene) landslides. This map was successfully evaluated using ROC curves and κ values. Both models indicate that present and future landslides are mainly controlled by slope gradient and lithology. However, the comparison of the two landslide susceptibility maps through (1) evaluation with the location of mapped 'old' (Holocene) landslides and through (2) temporal validation with spatial data of 'recent' (between forty and ten years old) and 'very recent' (less than ten years old) landslides showed that the statistical model produced in this study allowed better prediction of sites already affected by landslides. In total the statistically-derived susceptibility map succeeded in correctly classifying 83.2% of the 'old' and 84.0% of the 'recent' and 'very recent' landslides. The heuristic model on the other hand classified only 50.6% of the 'old' and 58.5% of the 'recent' and 'very recent' landslides correctly as unstable. Taking into account the
A comparison of genetic map distance and linkage disequilibrium between 15 polymorphic dinucleotide repeat loci in two populations
Urbanek, M.; Goldman, D.; Long, J.C.
Linkage disequilibrium has recently been used to map the diastrophic dysplasia gene in a Finnish sample. One advantage of this method is that the large pedigrees required by some other methods are unnecessary. Another advantage is that linkage disequilibrium mapping capitalizes on the cumulative history of recombination events, rather than those occurring within the sampled individuals. A potential limitation of linkage disequilibrium mapping is that linkage equilibrium is likely to prevail in all but the most isolated populations, e.g., those which have recently experienced founder effects or severe population bottlenecks. In order to test the method`s generality, we examined patterns of linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci within a known genetic map. Two populations were analyzed. The first population, Navajo Indians (N=45), is an isolate that experienced a severe bottleneck in the 1860`s. The second population, Maryland Caucasians (N=45), is cosmopolitan. We expected the Navajo sample to display more linkage disequilibrium than the Caucasian sample, and possibly that the Navajo disequilibrium pattern would reflect the genetic map. Linkage disequilibrium coefficients were estimated between pairs of alleles at different loci using maximum likelihood. The genetic isolate structure of Navajo Indians is confirmed by the DNA typings. Heterozygosity is lower than in the Caucasians, and fewer different alleles are observed. However, a relationship between genetic map distance and linkage disequilibrium could be discerned in neither the Navajo nor the Maryland samples. Slightly more linkage disequilibrium was observed in the Navajos, but both data sets were characterized by very low disequilibrium levels. We tentatively conclude that linkage disequilibrium mapping with dinucleotide repeats will only be useful with close linkage between markers and diseases, even in very isolated populations.
Knockdown of a putative insulin-like peptide gene LdILP2 in Leptinotarsa decemlineata by RNA interference impairs pupation and adult emergence.
Fu, Kai-Yun; Zhu, Tao-Tao; Guo, Wen-Chao; Ahmat, Tursun; Li, Guo-Qing
Five insulin-like peptide LdILP genes were identified in Leptinotarsa decemlineata. All of them contained three exons and two introns, with three genes tandemly arrayed and well separated from the other two. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the three LdILPs from three tandemly-arrayed genes grouped with TcILP1, whereas the other two resembled with TcILP2 and TcILP4 from Tribolium castaneum. Thus, the five LdILP genes were provisionally named LdILP1a, LdILP1b, LdILP1c, LdILP2 and LdILP4. LdILP2 was widely expressed in several tissues such as the brain-corpora cardiaca-corpora allata (BR-CC-CA) complex, gut and fat body. In contrast, LdILP1a and LdILP1b were only transcribed in BR-CC-CA, LdILP4 was in ovaries, and LdILP1c was in both BR-CC-CA and ovaries. Ingestion of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeting LdILP2 (dsLdILP2-1 and dsLdILP2-2) specifically knocked down LdILP2 and upregulated the transcription of both LdInR and Ld4EBP, indicating insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway (IIS) was inhibited. Approximately 50% of the LdILP2 RNAi larvae did not normally pupate and about 50% of the LdILP2 RNAi pupae did not emerge. Moreover, silencing LdILP2 reduced the expression of a juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis gene, lowered JH titer and disturbed JH signaling. Finally, knocking down LdILP2 inhibited an ecdysteroidogenesis gene, decreased 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) titer, and repressed the expression of two 20E-response genes LdHR3 and LdFTZ-F1. Thus, the IIS pathway is involved in larval-pupal metamorphosis by modification of both JH and 20E signaling in L. decemlineata. PMID:26812356
Association mapping of fiber quality traits in Gossypium arboreum accessions.
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Application of association mapping to germplasm resources has a potential to revolutionize plant genetics. Information about the genome distribution of linkage disequilibrium (LD) is of fundamental importance for association mapping. In addition, genetic diversity is desirable for long-term crop imp...
An LD50 model for predicting psychotropic drug toxicity using biopartitioning micellar chromatography.
Quiñones-Torrelo, C; Sagrado-Vives, S; Villanueva-Camañas, R M; Medina-Hernández, M J
The LD50 determination is the main way to measure the acute toxicity of all types of substances. At the present time, however, there is increasing opposition to the use of living animals in research and testing activities from animal rights groups as well as some scientists. Nevertheless, the need to have a tool for estimating the potential toxicity of new compounds for human consumption has encouraged the development of alternative methods. Under adequate conditions, the partitioning in micellar liquid chromatography can describe the drug biopartitioning. We have named this chromatographic system biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC). In this paper, an LD50 QRAR model developed for psychotropic drugs from their retention data in BMC, is described. The model's ability to predict new psychotropic drug toxicity is statistically proved. PMID:11180298
Comparison of theoretical and observed 3.55 cm wavelength brightness temperature maps of the full moon
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Keihm, S. J.; Gary, B. L.
In the present paper, a map of the moon's 3.33-cm thermal emission, constructed from observation data, is compared with a map calculated from a detailed model for regolith properties. In an 'observed minus predicted' difference map, two distinct anomalies, each approximately 2 K warmer than their surroundings, are detected. The anomalies are smaller in areal extent than the maria in which they are located (Tranquillitatis and Imbrium). A preliminary analysis, based on calculations of the effects of model parameters on observed brightness temperature, indicates that the two 'hotspots' can be explained by postulating that they are regions possessing a 30 to 40 percent higher than moon-average opacity and that their profile of physical temperature with depth is not necessarily anomalous. On a global scale, a pattern of 'maria warmer than highlands' is presented which exhibits a brightness temperature contrast of approximately 5 K.
Comparison of Ground-Based 3-Dimensional Lightning Mapping Observation with Satellite-Based LIS Observations in Oklahoma
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thomas, Ronald J.; Krehbiel, Paul R.; Rison, William; Hamlin, Timothy; Boccippio, Dennis J.; Goodman, Steven J.; Christian, Hugh J.
3-dimensional lightning mapping observations were obtained in central Oklahoma during June 1998, using New Mexico Tech's Lightning Mapping Array (LMA). The results have been compared with observations of the discharges from space obtained by NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft. Excellent spatial and temporal correlations were obtained between the two sets of observations. All discharges seen by LIS were mapped by the LMA. Most of the detected optical events were associated with lightning channels that extended into the upper part of the storm. Cloud-to-ground discharges that were confined to mid- and lower-altitudes tended to be detected by LIS at the time of late-stage return strokes. Extensive illumination tended to occur in impulsive bursts toward the end or part way through intracloud discharges and appeared to be produced by energetic K-changes that typically occur at these times.
Treatment of LD100 Escherichia coli septic shock with netilmicin and methylprednisolone in baboons.
Flournoy, D J; Archer, L T; Beller, B K; Passey, R; Hinshaw, L B
Treatment efficacy with netilmicin sulphate/methylprednisolone sodium succinate in a severe septic shock baboon model, using an LD100 of live Escherichia coli, was evaluated. All the animals treated with both netilmicin and methylprednisolone were permanent (greater than or equal to 7 days) survivors, whereas none of the untreated baboons lived more than 24 hours. These results indicate that, in a baboon model, netilmicin is an effective alternative to gentamicin (with methylprednisolone) in the treatment of severe septic shock. PMID:3526104
A novel technique to achieve strong colliding-pulse effect in CPM QW LD
Sun Hongbo; Li Yudong; Hu Lizhong; Wang Yiding; Yu Guanghui; Chen Songyan; Zhang Yuxian; Liu Shiyong
The authors introduce in this paper a novel structure to achieve ultrashort optical pulse in colliding-pulse mode-locking (CPM) quantum well laser diodes. Two modulation segments have been introduced symmetrically around the center saturable absorber and the 5-segment CPM-LD is thus fabricated. By changing the injected current on the modulation segments separately, the FWHM of optical has been shortened from 1.6 ps, narrowest pulse width without modulation segments, to 0.96 ps.
Complete genome sequence of Enterococcus faecalis LD33, a bacteriocin-producing strain.
Yuehua, Jiao; Lanwei, Zhang; Fei, Liu; Huaxi, Yi; Xue, Han
Enterococcus faecalis LD33 strain was originally isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in Inner Mongolia of China. Its complete genome sequence was carried out using the Illumina Hiseq and the PacBio RSII platform. The genome only has a circular chromosome and a GC content of 37.58%. Other core information shown in the genome sequencing results further insight on this bacterium's genetic elements for bacteriocin production and the genes related to respiratory chain. PMID:27090021
A comparison of forest cover maps in Mainland Southeast Asia from multiple sources: PALSAR, MERIS, MODIS and FRA
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dong, J.; Xiao, X.; Sheldon, S. L.; Biradar, C. M.; Duong, N. D.; Hazarika, M.
The uncertainty in tracking tropical forest extent and changes substantially affects our assessment of the consequences of forest change on the global carbon cycle, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Recently cloud-free imagery useful for tropical forest mapping from the Phased Array Type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) has become available. We used PALSAR 50-m Orthorectified mosaic imagery in 2009 and a decision tree method to conduct land cover classification and generate a 2009 forest map, which was evaluated using 2106 field photos from the Global Geo-referenced Field Photo Library (http://www.eomf.ou.edu/photos). The resulting land cover classification had a high overall accuracy of 93.3 % and a Kappa Coefficient of 0.9. The PALSAR-based forest map was then compared with three existing forest cover products at three scales (regional, national, and continental): the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Forest Resources Assessments (FRA) 2010, Global Land Cover Map with MERIS (GlobCover) 2009, and the MODIS Terra + Aqua Land Cover Type product (MCD12Q1) 2009. The intercomparison results show that these four forest datasets differ. The PALSAR-based forest area estimate is within the range (6.1 ~ 9.0 ×105 km2) of the other three products and closest to the FAO FRA 2010 estimate. The spatial disagreements of the PALSAR-based forest, MCD12Q1 forest and GlobCover forest are evident; however, the PALSAR-based forest map provides more detail (50-m spatial resolution) and high accuracy (the Producer's and the User's Accuracies were 88 % and 95 %, respectively) and PALSAR can be used to evaluate MCD12Q1 2009 and GlobCover 2009 forest maps. Given the higher spatial resolution, PALSAR-based forest products could further improve the modeling accuracy of carbon cycle in tropical forests.
Thrombolytic effects of Douchi Fibrinolytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis LD-8547 in vitro and in vivo
Background Today, thrombosis is one of the most widely occurring diseases in modern life. Drugs with thrombolytic functions are the most effective methods in the treatment of thrombosis. Among them, Douchi fibrinolytic enzyme (DFE) is a promising agent. DFE was isolated from Douchi, a typical and popular soybean-fermented food in China, and it can dissolve fibrin directly and efficiently. A strain, Bacillus subtilis LD-8547 produced DFE with high fibrinolytic activity has been isolated in our lab previously. Results In the study, thrombolytic effect of DFE from Bacillus subtilis LD-8547 was studied in vitro and in vivo systematically. The results showed that DFE played a significant role in thrombolysis and anticoagulation in vitro. And the thrombolytic effects correlated with DFE in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, the acute toxicity assay showed that DFE had no obvious acute toxicity to mice. Test of carrageenan-induced thrombosis in mice indicated that the DFE significantly prevented tail thrombosis, and arterial thrombosis model test indicated that Douchi fibrinolytic enzyme DFE had thrombolytic effect on carotid thrombosis of rabbits in vivo. Other results in vivo indicated that DFE could increase bleeding and clotting time obviously. Conclusions The DFE isolated from Bacillus subtilis LD-8547 has obvious thrombolytic effects in vitro and in vivo. This function demonstrates that this enzyme can be a useful tool for preventing and treating clinical thrombus. PMID:22748219
Self-efficacy from the perspective of adolescents with LD and their specialist teachers.
Klassen, Robert M; Lynch, Shane L
This study used qualitative methodology to investigate the self-efficacy beliefs of early adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). We conducted a series of focus group interviews with 28 Grade 8 and 9 students with LD and individual interviews with 7 specialist LD teachers. Content analyses of the student and teacher data resulted in 2 a priori and 3 inductive themes: self-efficacy, calibration and levels of self-efficacy, students' self-awareness, attributions for failure, and problems and solutions. The students viewed themselves as low in self-efficacy and generally accurate in the calibration of their efficacy and performance, whereas the teachers viewed the students as overconfident about academic tasks. In contrast to the teachers, the students viewed verbal persuasion as a valued source of self-efficacy. Students attributed their failures to lack of effort, whereas their teachers attributed student failure to uncontrollable deficits. Problems and solutions related to student motivation were discussed from student and teacher perspectives. PMID:18064976
Epoxy matrix composites filled with micro-sized LD sludge: wear characterization and analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Purohit, Abhilash; Satapathy, Alok
Owing to the very high cost of conventional filler materials in polymer composites, exploring the possibility of using low cost minerals and industrial wastes for this purpose has become the need of the hour. In view of this, the present work includes the development and the wear performance evaluation of a new class of composites consisting of epoxy and microsized LD sludge. LD sludge or the Linz-Donawitz Sludge (LDS) are the fine solid particles recovered after wet cleaning of the gas emerging from LD convertors during steel making. Epoxy composites filled with different proportions (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt %) of LDS are fabricated by conventional hand lay-up technique. Dry sliding wear trials are performed on the composite specimens under different test conditions as per ASTM G 99 following a design of experiment approach based on Taguchi's orthogonal arrays. The Taguchi approach leads to the recognition of most powerful variables that predominantly control the wear rate. This parametric analysis reveals that LDS content and sliding velocity affects the specific wear rate more significantly than normal load and sliding distance. Furthermore with increase in LDS content specific wear rate of the composite decreases for a constant sliding velocity. The sliding wear behavior of these composites under an extended range of test conditions is predicted by a model based on the artificial neural network (ANN).
LD50 and repellent effects of essential oils from Argentinian wild plant species on Varroa destructor.
Ruffinengo, Sergio; Eguaras, Martin; Floris, Ignazio; Faverin, Claudia; Bailac, Pedro; Ponzi, Marta
The repellent and acaricidal effects of some essential oils from the most typical wild plant species of northern Patagonia, Argentina, on Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman were evaluated using a complete exposure test. Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., and mites (five specimens of each per dish) were introduced in petri dishes having different oil concentrations (from 0.1 to 25 micro per cage). Survival of bees and mites was registered after 24, 48, and 72 h. An attraction/repellence test was performed using a wax tube impregnated with essential oil and another tube containing wax only. The lowest LD50 values for mites were registered for Acantholippia seriphioides (A. Gray) Mold. (1.27 microl per cage) and Schinus molle L. (2.65 microl per cage) after 24 h, and for Wedelia glauca (Ortega) O. Hoffm. ex Hicken (0.59 microl per cage) and A. seriphioides (1.09 microl per cage) after 72 h of treatment. The oil with the highest selectivity ratio (A. mellifera LD50/V. destructor LD50) was the one extracted from S. molle (>16). Oils of Lippia junelliana (Mold.) Troncoso, Minthostachys mollis (HBK) Grieseb., and Lippia turbinata Grieseb. mixed with wax had repellent properties. None of the oils tested had attractive effects on Varroa mites. PMID:16022288
An electrodynamics-Langevin dynamics (ED-LD) approach to simulate metal nanoparticle interactions and motion.
Sule, N; Rice, S A; Gray, S K; Scherer, N F
Understanding the formation of electrodynamically interacting assemblies of metal nanoparticles requires accurate computational methods for determining the forces and propagating trajectories. However, since computation of electromagnetic forces occurs on attosecond to femtosecond timescales, simulating the motion of colloidal nanoparticles on milliseconds to seconds timescales is a challenging multi-scale computational problem. Here, we present a computational technique for performing accurate simulations of laser-illuminated metal nanoparticles. In the simulation, we self-consistently combine the finite-difference time-domain method for electrodynamics (ED) with Langevin dynamics (LD) for the particle motions. We demonstrate the ED-LD method by calculating the 3D trajectories of a single 100-nm-diameter Ag nanoparticle and optical trapping and optical binding of two and three 150-nm-diameter Ag nanoparticles in simulated optical tweezers. We show that surface charge on the colloidal metal nanoparticles plays an important role in their optically driven self-organization. In fact, these simulations provide a more complete understanding of the assembly of different structures of two and three Ag nanoparticles that have been observed experimentally, demonstrating that the ED-LD method will be a very useful tool for understanding the self-organization of optical matter. PMID:26698479
Genetic epidemiology, genetic maps and positional cloning.
Morton, Newton E
Genetic epidemiology developed in the middle of the last century, focused on inherited causes of disease but with methods and results applicable to other traits and even forensics. Early success with linkage led to the localization of genes contributing to disease, and ultimately to the Human Genome Project. The discovery of millions of DNA markers has encouraged more efficient positional cloning by linkage disequilibrium (LD), using LD maps and haplotypes in ways that are rapidly evolving. This has led to large international programmes, some promising and others alarming, with laws about DNA patenting and ethical guidelines for responsible research still struggling to be born. PMID:14561327
An automated method for producing synoptic regional maps of river gradient variation: Procedure, accuracy tests, and comparison with other knickpoint mapping methods
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gonga-Saholiariliva, Nahossio; Gunnell, Yanni; Harbor, David; Mering, Catherine
The study of abrupt changes in longitudinal river profiles, or knickpoints, is currently approached through an empirical power law: the slope-area relationship. Results based on digital elevation model (DEM) analyses and stream extractions are generally intended to determine crustal uplift rates and identify transient landscape conditions. In this article, we present an alternative geomorphometric method for locating knickpoints and knickzones based on local slope gradient and curvature attributes. Intended as a rapid, regional scale, automated knickpoint detection technique, the accuracy of this slope-curvature method is tested on two digital elevation grids, NASA's SRTM (ground resolution of 90 m, resampled here to 75 m) and the ASTER DEM (15 m) in the Sierra Nacimiento (New Mexico, USA), a basement-cored mountain range recently exhumed by waves of headward drainage integration in response to remote tectonic deformation in the adjacent Rio Grande rift. Out of every 10 gradient anomalies detected by the SRTM-derived numeric routine, up to 8 are certifiable knickpoints recognized among a population of georeferenced occurrences surveyed in the field. An independent comparison with the slope-area method provided a further accuracy test, which was particularly useful at sites that could not be validated in the field for practical reasons. Given the low tectonic activity of the study area, the majority of knickpoints was also found to coincide with lithologic boundaries, making it difficult without further geomorphological data to single out dynamic knickpoints directly caused by the upstream propagation of channel instabilities relating to base level change.
Comparison between WorldView-2 and SPOT-5 images in mapping the bracken fern using the random forest algorithm
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Odindi, John; Adam, Elhadi; Ngubane, Zinhle; Mutanga, Onisimo; Slotow, Rob
Plant species invasion is known to be a major threat to socioeconomic and ecological systems. Due to high cost and limited extents of urban green spaces, high mapping accuracy is necessary to optimize the management of such spaces. We compare the performance of the new-generation WorldView-2 (WV-2) and SPOT-5 images in mapping the bracken fern [Pteridium aquilinum (L) kuhn] in a conserved urban landscape. Using the random forest algorithm, grid-search approaches based on out-of-bag estimate error were used to determine the optimal ntree and mtry combinations. The variable importance and backward feature elimination techniques were further used to determine the influence of the image bands on mapping accuracy. Additionally, the value of the commonly used vegetation indices in enhancing the classification accuracy was tested on the better performing image data. Results show that the performance of the new WV-2 bands was better than that of the traditional bands. Overall classification accuracies of 84.72 and 72.22% were achieved for the WV-2 and SPOT images, respectively. Use of selected indices from the WV-2 bands increased the overall classification accuracy to 91.67%. The findings in this study show the suitability of the new generation in mapping the bracken fern within the often vulnerable urban natural vegetation cover types.
Mapping QTL for agronomic traits on wheat chromosome 3A and a comparison of recombinant inbred chromosome line populations
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Variation for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and its component traits was documented in a 'Cheyenne' x Cheyenne ('Wichita' 3A) recombinant inbred chromosome line population. In the present study, a population of 223 Cheyenne (Wichita 3A) recombinant inbred chromosome lines was used to map ...
Commissioning and Implementation of an EPID Based IMRT QA System "Dosimetry Check" for 3D Absolute Dose Measurements and Quantitative Comparisons to MapCheck
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Patel, Jalpa A.
The software package "Dosimetry Check" by MathResolutions, LLC, provides an absolute 3D volumetric dose measurement for IMRT QA using the existing Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) mounted on most linear accelerators. This package provides a feedback loop using the patient's treatment planning CT data as the phantom for dose reconstruction. The aim of this work is to study the difference between point, planar and volumetric doses with MapCheck and Dosimetry Check via the use of the EPID and the diode array respectively. Evaluating tools such as point doses at isocenter, 1-D profiles, gamma volume histograms, and dose volume histograms are used for IMRT dose comparison in three types of cases: head and neck, prostate, and lung. Dosimetry Check can be a valuable tool for IMRT QA as it uses patient specific attenuation corrections and the superiority of the EPID as compared to the MapCheck diode array. This helps reduce the uncertainty in dose for less variability in delivery and a more realistic measured vs computed dose verification system as compared to MapCheck.
A comparison of bivariate statistical model and deterministic model-based landslide susceptibility mapping methods: An example from North Turkey
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akgun, Aykut; Erkan, Oguzhan
In Turkey, landslide is one of the most important natural hazards. Due to landslide occurrence, several landforms and man made structures are adversely affected, and may cause many injuries and loss of life. In this context, landslide susceptibility assessment is important task to determine susceptible areas to landslide occurrence. Especially, several dam reservoir areas in Turkey are threated by landslide phenomena. For this reason, in this study, a dam reservoir area located in North Turkey was selected, and investigated in point of landslide susceptibility assessment. A landslide susceptibility assessment for the Kurtun dam reservoir area (Gumushane, North Turkey) was carried out by geographical information systems (GIS)-based statistical and deterministic models. For this purpose, frequency ratio (FR) and stability index mapping (SINMAP) methodologies were applied. In this context, eight conditioning parameters such as altitude, lithology, slope gradient, slope aspect, distance to drainage, distance to lineament, stream power index (SPI) and topographical wetness index (TWI) were considered. After assessment of these parameters by FR and SINMAP methods in a GIS environment, two landslide susceptibility maps were obtained. Then, the maps obtained were analyzed for verification purpose. For this purpose, area under curvature (AUC) approach was used. At the end of this process, the AUC values of 0.73 and 0.70 were found for FR and SINMAP methods, respectively. Additionally, the SINMAP statistical results showed that the 93.8% of the observed landslides in the area falls into the lower and upper threshold showing the stability index classes. These values indicate that the accuracies of landslide susceptibility maps are acceptable, and the maps are feasible for further natural hazard management affairs in the area.
Sensitivity of species to chemicals: dose-response characteristics for various test types (LC(50), LR(50) and LD(50)) and modes of action.
Hendriks, A Jan; Awkerman, Jill A; de Zwart, Dick; Huijbregts, Mark A J
While variable sensitivity of model species to common toxicants has been addressed in previous studies, a systematic analysis of inter-species variability for different test types, modes of action and species is as of yet lacking. Hence, the aim of the present study was to identify similarities and differences in contaminant levels affecting cold-blooded and warm-blooded species administered via different routes. To that end, data on lethal water concentrations LC50, tissue residues LR50 and oral doses LD50 were collected from databases, each representing the largest of its kind. LC50 data were multiplied by a bioconcentration factor (BCF) to convert them to internal concentrations that allow for comparison among species. For each endpoint data set, we calculated the mean and standard deviation of species' lethal level per compound. Next, the means and standard deviations were averaged by mode of action. Both the means and standard deviations calculated depended on the number of species tested, which is at odds with quality standard setting procedures. Means calculated from (BCF) LC50, LR50 and LD50 were largely similar, suggesting that different administration routes roughly yield similar internal levels. Levels for compounds interfering biochemically with elementary life processes were about one order of magnitude below that of narcotics disturbing membranes, and neurotoxic pesticides and dioxins induced death in even lower amounts. Standard deviations for LD50 data were similar across modes of action, while variability of LC50 values was lower for narcotics than for substances with a specific mode of action. The study indicates several directions to go for efficient use of available data in risk assessment and reduction of species testing. PMID:23932508
Comparison of Object-Based Image Analysis Approaches to Mapping New Buildings in Accra, Ghana Using Multi-Temporal QuickBird Satellite Imagery
Tsai, Yu Hsin; Stow, Douglas; Weeks, John
The goal of this study was to map and quantify the number of newly constructed buildings in Accra, Ghana between 2002 and 2010 based on high spatial resolution satellite image data. Two semi-automated feature detection approaches for detecting and mapping newly constructed buildings based on QuickBird very high spatial resolution satellite imagery were analyzed: (1) post-classification comparison; and (2) bi-temporal layerstack classification. Feature Analyst software based on a spatial contextual classifier and ENVI Feature Extraction that uses a true object-based image analysis approach of image segmentation and segment classification were evaluated. Final map products representing new building objects were compared and assessed for accuracy using two object-based accuracy measures, completeness and correctness. The bi-temporal layerstack method generated more accurate results compared to the post-classification comparison method due to less confusion with background objects. The spectral/spatial contextual approach (Feature Analyst) outperformed the true object-based feature delineation approach (ENVI Feature Extraction) due to its ability to more reliably delineate individual buildings of various sizes. Semi-automated, object-based detection followed by manual editing appears to be a reliable and efficient approach for detecting and enumerating new building objects. A bivariate regression analysis was performed using neighborhood-level estimates of new building density regressed on a census-derived measure of socio-economic status, yielding an inverse relationship with R2 = 0.31 (n = 27; p = 0.00). The primary utility of the new building delineation results is to support spatial analyses of land cover and land use and demographic change. PMID:24415810
Constructing Linkage Disequilibrium Map with Iterative Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ao, S. I.
With recent advance of the genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in mass scale of high density in a candidate region of the human genome, the linkage disequilibrium analysis can offer a much higher resolution of the biological samples than the traditional linkage maps. We have formulated this LD mapping problem as a constrained unidimensional scaling problem. Our method, which is directly based on the measurement of LD among SNPs, is non-parametric. Therefore it is different from LD maps derived from the given Malecot model. We have formulated with the quadratic programming approach for solving this constrained unidimensional scaling problem. Different from the classical metric unidimensional scaling problem, the constrained problem is not an NP-hard combinatorial problem. The optimal solution is determined by using the quadratic programming solver. Nevertheless, because of the large requirement for memory during the running time that may cause the out of memory problems, and the high computational time of the quadratic programming algorithm, the iterative algorithm has been developed for solving this LD constrained unidimensional scaling problem.
Preliminary comparisons of VHF radar maps of F-region irregularities with scintillations in the equatorial region
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Basu, S.; Aarons, J.; Mcclure, J. P.; Lahoz, C.; Bushby, A.; Woodman, R. F.
Multiantenna 50 MHz radar backscatter maps of echo power from night-time F-region equatiorial irregularities obtained at Jicamarca, Peru were compared with simultaneous VHF scintillation observations from Huancayo at 137 and 254 MHz during the period 20 November to 12 December 1975. Saturation of VHF scintillations in excess of 20 dB was observed at both these frequencies during times when radar maps showed large intense plume structures rising into the topside ionosphere. On nights when only thin layers of bottomside irregularities were observed, moderate to weak scintillations were recorded at VHF. Preliminary values of east-west horizontal irregularity drift velocities were obtained and compared with scintillation rate observations. Using the 1.5-deg and 4.5-deg longitudinal separation between the Jicamarca radar and ionospheric observation points of the two satellites from Huancayo, information was derived regarding large-scale east-west structure during the development phase of the irregularities.
A comparison of top-down and bottom-up approaches to benthic habitat mapping to inform offshore wind energy development
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
LaFrance, Monique; King, John W.; Oakley, Bryan A.; Pratt, Sheldon
Recent interest in offshore renewable energy within the United States has amplified the need for marine spatial planning to direct management strategies and address competing user demands. To assist this effort in Rhode Island, benthic habitat classification maps were developed for two sites in offshore waters being considered for wind turbine installation. Maps characterizing and representing the distribution and extent of benthic habitats are valuable tools for improving understanding of ecosystem patterns and processes, and promoting scientifically-sound management decisions. This project presented the opportunity to conduct a comparison of the methodologies and resulting map outputs of two classification approaches, "top-down" and "bottom-up" in the two study areas. This comparison was undertaken to improve understanding of mapping methodologies and their applicability, including the bottom-up approach in offshore environments where data density tends to be lower, as well as to provide case studies for scientists and managers to consider for their own areas of interest. Such case studies can offer guidance for future work for assessing methodologies and translating them to other areas. The traditional top-down mapping approach identifies biological community patterns based on communities occurring within geologically defined habitat map units, under the concept that geologic environments contain distinct biological assemblages. Alternatively, the bottom-up approach aims to establish habitat map units centered on biological similarity and then uses statistics to identify relationships with associated environmental parameters and determine habitat boundaries. When applied to the two study areas, both mapping approaches produced habitat classes with distinct macrofaunal assemblages and each established statistically strong and significant biotic-abiotic relationships with geologic features, sediment characteristics, water depth, and/or habitat
Comparison of VTEC from ground-based space geodetic techniques based on ray-traced mapping factors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Heinkelmann, Robert; Alizadeh, M. Mahdi; Schuh, Harald; Deng, Zhiguo; Zus, Florian; Etemadfard, M. Hossein
For the derivation of vertical total electron content (VTEC) from slant total electron content (STEC), usually a standard approach is used based on mapping functions that assume a single-layer model of the ionosphere (e.g. IERS Conventions 2010). In our study we test the standard approach against a recently developed alternative which is based on station specific ray-traced mapping factors. For the evaluation of this new mapping concept, we compute VTEC at selected Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) stations using the dispersive delays and the corresponding formal errors obtained by observing extra-galactic radio sources at two radio frequencies in S- and X-bands by the permanent geodetic/astrometric program organized by the IVS (International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry). Additionally, by applying synchronous sampling and a consistent analysis configuration, we determine VTEC at Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antennas using GPS (Global Positioning System) and/or GLONASS (Globalnaja nawigazionnaja sputnikowaja Sistema) observations provided by the IGS (International GNSS Service) that are operated in the vicinity of the VLBI antennas. We compare the VTEC time series obtained by the individual techniques over a period of about twenty years and describe their characteristics qualitatively and statistically. The length of the time series allows us to assess the long-term climatology of ionospheric VTEC during the last twenty years.
Surface and thickness variations of Brenva Glacier tongue (Mont Blanc, Italian Alps) in the second half of the 20th century by historical maps and aerial photogrammetry comparisons
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
D Agata, C.; Zanutta, A.; Muzzu Martis, D.; Mancini, F.; Smiraglia, C.
a digital surface model with a degree of accuracy varing among the glacier and the surrounding area. Comparison with available cartography may be performed if digital ortophoto is being generated from the photogrammetric processing in a well defined reference system. Accuracy in volumetric changes estimations is nevertheless of fundamental importance being derived from the comparison of different metodologies with related single accuracies. By using GIS sofware the maps and ortophotos were managed after digitalisation; Digital Elevation Models were produced and their comparison allowed: 1) to quantify surface and volume variations 2) to elaborate thematic maps about ice thickness and debris areal distribution variations 4) to elaborate topographic longitudinal and transverse profiles to underline glacier changes The preliminary results about volumetric and thickness variations obtained from maps are the following: a) 1959-1971: the glacier tongue increased in volume of about 15 millions mc of ice that correspond to an increase in thickness of about 20 m of ice with maximum values of about 40-50 m. b)1971-1983: the glacier tongue increased in volume of about 18 millions mc of ice that is to say a mean increase in thickness of a little more than 20 m of ice. In the same time the glacier advanced of about 200 m (Italian Glaciological Committee data), probably this advancing phase was related to the ablation reduction caused by the emispheric climate cooling occurred during the second half of the 20th century. It influenced the mass balance trend of a large number of glaciers in the North Emisphere between the 70s and the 80s of the 20 th century c)1983-1991: for this period a negative volumetric variation of about 8 millions mc of ice was calculated equal to a thickness decreasing of about 10 m of ice. The managing of orthopotos by GIS software to obtain DEMs is in progress and its results will confirm or add arguments to discuss them. The final results will allow to
High Density LD-Based Structural Variations Analysis in Cattle Genome
Salomon-Torres, Ricardo; Matukumalli, Lakshmi K.; Van Tassell, Curtis P.; Villa-Angulo, Carlos; Gonzalez-Vizcarra, Víctor M.; Villa-Angulo, Rafael
Genomic structural variations represent an important source of genetic variation in mammal genomes, thus, they are commonly related to phenotypic expressions. In this work, ∼770,000 single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes from 506 animals from 19 cattle breeds were analyzed. A simple LD-based structural variation was defined, and a genome-wide analysis was performed. After applying some quality control filters, for each breed and each chromosome we calculated the linkage disequilibrium (r2) of short range (≤100 Kb). We sorted SNP pairs by distance and obtained a set of LD means (called the expected means) using bins of 5 Kb. We identified 15,246 segments of at least 1 Kb, among the 19 breeds, consisting of sets of at least 3 adjacent SNPs so that, for each SNP, r2 within its neighbors in a 100 Kb range, to the right side of that SNP, were all bigger than, or all smaller than, the corresponding expected mean, and their P-value were significant after a Benjamini-Hochberg multiple testing correction. In addition, to account just for homogeneously distributed regions we considered only SNPs having at least 15 SNP neighbors within 100 Kb. We defined such segments as structural variations. By grouping all variations across all animals in the sample we defined 9,146 regions, involving a total of 53,137 SNPs; representing the 6.40% (160.98 Mb) from the bovine genome. The identified structural variations covered 3,109 genes. Clustering analysis showed the relatedness of breeds given the geographic region in which they are evolving. In summary, we present an analysis of structural variations based on the deviation of the expected short range LD between SNPs in the bovine genome. With an intuitive and simple definition based only on SNPs data it was possible to discern closeness of breeds due to grouping by geographic region in which they are evolving. PMID:25050984
Temperature distribution of laser crystal in LD end-pumped Nd:YAG/LBO blue laser
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Lei; Zheng, Yibo; Li, Simian; Jia, Liping; Kang, Junjian
In this study, LD end-pumped Nd:YAG/LBO solid state blue laser is realized by even hollow cavity. A thermal distribution model of Nd:YAG crystal is established. Based on the calculation, the temperature distribution of laser crystal is obtained. The results show that the temperature decreases from the pump end to the launch end exponentially. When the pumping power is 10 W and the radius of pumping beams is 240μm, a biggest output power 1.06 W of blue light is achieved, giving an optical conversion efficiency of 10.6%.
Estimation of ED50 or LD50 using a programmable pocket calculator.
Mehta, S C; Jain, D K; Gupta, C K
A program is developed for estimation of median effective dose (ED50 or LD50), using the hand-held programmable pocket calculator HP41CV. The well-known Finney's algorithm of probit analysis is used. Input of data is simple, but is restricted to a maximum of 15 groups. The program structure makes use of the technique of indirect addressing for storage, and statistical register manipulation for weighted regression. The ability of the calculator to give sufficiently precise results can be exploited in other similar situations. PMID:1914446
Lateral directional requirements for a low L/D aeromaneuvering orbital transfer vehicle
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gamble, J. D.; Spratlin, K. M.; Skalecki, L. M.
The lateral-directional aerodynamics and control requirements for a low L/D (0.3) aeromaneuvering orbital transfer vehicle are evaluated. A lateral directional RCS control concept that permits a linearized analysis is utilized to evaluate the effect of Dutch Roll frequency and damping on the atmospheric guidance and control performance. The bank rate and acceleration requirements for acceptable performance are defined and the sensitivity to a parameter similar to the lateral control departure parameter but involving the RCS jets is evaluated.
Comparison of Methods to Map and Measure River Terraces using High-Resolution Airborne LiDAR Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hopkins, A. J.; Snyder, N. P.
Fluvial terraces are important recorders of land-use, climate, and tectonic history that form in both erosional and depositional landscapes and consist of a flat surface bounded by valley walls and a steep-sloping scarp adjacent to the river channel. Combining these defining characteristics with high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys, several methods have been developed to identify and map terraces. The goals of this research are to compare some of these existing techniques and develop an objective approach to map terraces over entire watersheds using lidar DEMs. Additionally, we aim to quantify the thickness and volume of fill terrace deposits. Our preliminary application is to the Sheepscot River watershed, Maine, where strath and fill terraces are present and record Pleistocene deglaciation, Holocene eustatic forcing, and Anthropocene land-use change. We identify terraces along the longitudinal profile using an algorithm developed by Finnegan and Balco (2013), that computes the elevation frequency distribution at regularly spaced cross-sections normal to the channel. Next, we delineate terrace spatial extent using three separate methodologies: (1) image processing using Matlab, (2) feature classification algorithms developed by Wood (1996), and (3) image interpretation using manually placed points on known terraces to construct interpolated surfaces (Walter and Merritts, 2008). Lastly, we determine the thickness and volume of fill terrace sediments by subtracting an interpolated, adjacent water surface elevation from the defined terrace points. We compare our LiDAR-based results with field mapping, stratigraphic columns of terrace landforms, and ground penetrating radar over terrace surfaces. These findings suggest powerful new ways to rapidly analyze landscape history over large regions using high-resolution lidar DEMs, with less reliance on detailed and costly field data collection.
Multishot versus Single-Shot Pulse Sequences in Very High Field fMRI: A Comparison Using Retinotopic Mapping
Gatenby, J. Christopher; Gore, John C.; Tong, Frank
High-resolution functional MRI is a leading application for very high field (7 Tesla) human MR imaging. Though higher field strengths promise improvements in signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and BOLD contrast relative to fMRI at 3 Tesla, these benefits may be partially offset by accompanying increases in geometric distortion and other off-resonance effects. Such effects may be especially pronounced with the single-shot EPI pulse sequences typically used for fMRI at standard field strengths. As an alternative, one might consider multishot pulse sequences, which may lead to somewhat lower temporal SNR than standard EPI, but which are also often substantially less susceptible to off-resonance effects. Here we consider retinotopic mapping of human visual cortex as a practical test case by which to compare examples of these sequence types for high-resolution fMRI at 7 Tesla. We performed polar angle retinotopic mapping at each of 3 isotropic resolutions (2.0, 1.7, and 1.1 mm) using both accelerated single-shot 2D EPI and accelerated multishot 3D gradient-echo pulse sequences. We found that single-shot EPI indeed led to greater temporal SNR and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) than the multishot sequences. However, additional distortion correction in postprocessing was required in order to fully realize these advantages, particularly at higher resolutions. The retinotopic maps produced by both sequence types were qualitatively comparable, and showed equivalent test/retest reliability. Thus, when surface-based analyses are planned, or in other circumstances where geometric distortion is of particular concern, multishot pulse sequences could provide a viable alternative to single-shot EPI. PMID:22514646
Spatial Distributed Seismicity Model of Seismic Hazard Mapping in the North-China Region: A Comparison with the GSHAP
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhong, Q.; Shi, B.; Meng, L.
The North China is one of the most seismically active regions in the mainland China. The moderate to large earthquakes have occurred here throughout history, resulting in huge losses of human life and properties. With the probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) approach, we investigate the influence of different seismic environments, incorporating both near surface soil properties and distributed historical and modern seismicity. A simplified seismic source model, derived with the consideration of regional active fault distributions, is presented for the North China region. The spatial distributed seismicity model of PSHA is used to calculate the level of ground motion likely to be exceeded in a given time period. Following Frankel (1995) approach of circular Gaussian smoothing procedure, in the PSHA's calculation, we proposed the fault-rupture-oriented elliptical Gaussian smoothing with the assumptions that earthquakes occur on faults or fault zones of past earthquakes to delineate the potential seismic zones (Lapajine et al., 2003). This is combined with regional active fault strike directions and the seismicity distribution patterns. Next Generation Attenuation model ((NGA), Boore et al., 2007) is used in generating hazard map for PGA with 2%, 5%, and 10 % probability of being exceeded in 50 years, and the resultant hazard map is compared with the result given by Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Project (GSHAP). There is general agreement for PGA distribution patterns between the results of this study and the GSHAP map that used the same seismic source zones. However, peak ground accelerations predicted in this study are typically 10-20% less than those of the GSHAP, and the seismic source models, such as fault distributions and regional seismicity used in the GSHAP seem to be oversimplified. We believe this study represents an improvement on prior seismic hazard evaluations for the region. In addition to the updated input data, we believe that, by
Mapping southern Californian crust with high and low frequency seismics: A comparison between tomography, receiver functions, and reflection imageries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhou, H.
While it is not surprising that the Earth may yield different geophysical imageries at different frequency scales, how much similarity or difference is there between crustal and mantle heterogeneities of different spatial scales? What are the geologic and geodynamic implications? Of course, we have to weed out insufficiencies in data S/N ratio, data coverage, and processing methods. This study intends to provide a careful comparison between seismic imaging methods of different spatial scales in southern California where data is of the state-or-the-art quality due to the dense distribution of earthquakes and seismologic stations, as well as the use of both passive earthquake data and active Los Angeles Regional Seismic Experiment (LARSE) data. The methods include traveltime tomography of long-wavelength velocity variations, receiver functions of long-wavelength seismic discontinuities, and reflection imaging of seismic impedance contrasts or scatters using envelop stacking in comparison with prestack depth migration. The comparison indicates a broad level of similarity between seismic imageries of different wavelengths, while well-known and somewhat less-known artifacts are still a key factor to reckon with. Compared to previously published analyses of LARSE data, the prestack depth migration method can better treat lateral velocity variations in the shallow crust. Prestack depth migration also improves the resolution of reflection events in comparison with the receiver functions. Prestack depth imaging is superior than simple CMP stack techniques to process 2D seismic data in the presence of high noise level, strong lateral velocity heterogeneity and crooked survey geometry. The long-wavelength undulation of velocity contours as provided by a new deformable-layer tomography is very helpful to interpreting the reflection images. The innovative seismic imaging techniques from this study are directly applicable to EarthScope/USArray and other projects studying the
A comparison of six analytical disease mapping techniques as applied to West Nile Virus in the coterminous United States
Griffith, Daniel A
West Nile Virus has quickly become a serious problem in the United States (US). Its extremely rapid diffusion throughout the country argues for a better understanding of its geographic dimensions. Both 2003 and 2004 percentages of deaths by numbers of reported human cases, for the 48 coterminous US states, are analyzed with a range of spatial statistical models, seeking to furnish a fuller appreciation of the variety of models available to researchers interested in analytical disease mapping. Comparative results indicate that no single spatial statistical model specification furnishes a preferred description of these data, although normal approximations appear to furnish some questionable implications. Findings also suggest several possible future research topics. PMID:16076391
Comparison of different landform classification methods for digital landform and soil mapping of the Iranian loess plateau
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoffmeister, Dirk; Kramm, Tanja; Curdt, Constanze; Maleki, Sedigheh; Khormali, Farhad; Kehl, Martin
The Iranian loess plateau is covered by loess deposits, up to 70 m thick. Tectonic uplift triggered deep erosion and valley incision into the loess and underlying marine deposits. Soil development strongly relates to the aspect of these incised slopes, because on northern slopes vegetation protects the soil surface against erosion and facilitates formation and preservation of a Cambisol, whereas on south-facing slopes soils were probably eroded and weakly developed Entisols formed. While the whole area is intensively stocked with sheep and goat, rain-fed cropping of winter wheat is practiced on the valley floors. Most time of the year, the soil surface is unprotected against rainfall, which is one of the factors promoting soil erosion and serious flooding. However, little information is available on soil distribution, plant cover and the geomorphological evolution of the plateau, as well as on potentials and problems in land use. Thus, digital landform and soil mapping is needed. As a requirement of digital landform and soil mapping, four different landform classification methods were compared and evaluated. These geomorphometric classifications were run on two different scales. On the whole area an ASTER GDEM and SRTM dataset (30 m pixel resolution) was used. Likewise, two high-resolution digital elevation models were derived from Pléiades satellite stereo-imagery (< 1m pixel resolution, 10 by 10 km). The high-resolution information of this dataset was aggregated to datasets of 5 and 10 m scale. The applied classification methods are the Geomorphons approach, an object-based image approach, the topographical position index and a mainly slope based approach. The accuracy of the classification was checked with a location related image dataset obtained in a field survey (n ~ 150) in September 2015. The accuracy of the DEMs was compared to measured DGPS trenches and map-based elevation data. The overall derived accuracy of the landform classification based on the
Stream Morphologic Measurements from Airborne Laser Swath Mapping: Comparisons with Field Surveys, Traditional DEMs, and Aerial Photographs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Snyder, N. P.; Schultz, L. L.
Precise measurement of stream morphology over entire watersheds is one of the great research opportunities provided by airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM). ALSM surveys allow for rapid quantification of factors, such as channel width and gradient, that control stream hydraulic and ecologic properties. We compare measurements from digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from ALSM data collected by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) to field surveys, traditional DEMs (rasterized from topographic maps), and aerial photographs. The field site is in the northern Black Mountains in arid Death Valley National Park (California). The area is unvegetated, and therefore is excellent for testing DEM analysis methods because the ALSM data required minimal filtering, and the resulting DEM contains relatively few unphysical sinks. Algorithms contained in geographic information systems (GIS) software used to extract stream networks from DEMs yield best results where streams are steep enough for resolvable pixel-to-pixel elevation change, and channel width is on the order of pixel resolution. This presents a new challenge with ALSM-derived DEMs because the pixel size (1 m) is often an order of magnitude or more smaller than channel width. We find the longitudinal profile of Gower Gulch in the northern Black Mountains (~4 km total length) extracted using the ALSM DEM and a flow accumulation algorithm is 14% longer than a traditional 10-m DEM, and 13% longer than a field survey. These differences in length (and therefore gradient) are due to the computed channel path following small-scale topographic variations within the channel bottom that are not relevant during high flows. However, visual analysis of shaded-relief images created from high-resolution ALSM data is an excellent method for digitizing channel banks and thalweg paths. We used these lines to measure distance, elevation, and width. In Gower Gulch, the algorithm-derived profile is 10% longer than that
General comparison of ozone vertical profiles obtained by various techniques during the 1983 MAP/GLOBUS campaign
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Matthews, W. A.; Aimedieu, P.; Megie, G.; Pelon, J.; Attmannspacher, W.; Komhyr, W.; Marche, P.; De La Noe, J.; Rigaud, P.; Robbins, D. E.
As part of the 1983 MAP/GLOBUS campaign, atmospheric ozone profile measurements were made using a large variety of different techniques both from balloon platforms and the ground. It is shown that, for most techniques, the measured height distributions agree to within + or - 5 percent with the exception of the remote visible absorption method. This + or - 5 percent uncertainty is of the order of the individual intersystem accuracy. It is suggested that since the differences with the visible absorption method are in magnitude rather than in form, the absorption cross-section data could be the possible cause for the discrepancy.
A comparison of digital multi-spectral imagery versus conventional photography for mapping seagrass in Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Virnstein, R.; Tepera, M.; Beazley, L.
A pilot study is very briefly summarized in the article. The study tested the potential of multi-spectral digital imagery for discrimination of seagrass densities and species, algae, and bottom types. Imagery was obtained with the Compact Airborne Spectral Imager (casi) and two flight lines flown with hyper-spectral mode. The photogrammetric method used allowed interpretation of the highest quality product, eliminating limitations caused by outdated or poor quality base maps and the errors associated with transfer of polygons. Initial image analysis indicates that the multi-spectral imagery has several advantages, including sophisticated spectral signature recognition and classification, ease of geo-referencing, and rapid mosaicking.
Comparison of Stem Map Developed from Crown Geometry Allometry Linked Census Data to Airborne and Terrestrial Lidar at Harvard Forest, MA
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sullivan, F.; Palace, M. W.; Ducey, M. J.; David, O.; Cook, B. D.; Lepine, L. C.
, high quality field-based stem maps with species and crown geometry information will allow for better comparisons and interpretations of individual tree spectra from the G-LiHT hyperspectral sensor as estimated by automated crown delineation of the G-LiHT lidar canopy height model.
Comparison of Tropical Ozone from SHADOZ with Remote Sensing Retrievals from Suomi-npp Ozone Mapping Profile Suite (OMPS)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Thompson, Anne M.; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Wargan, Krzysztof
The Ozone Mapping Profile Suite (OMPS) was launched October 28, 2011 on-board the Suomi NPP satellite (http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov). OMPS is the next generation total column ozone mapping instrument for monitoring the global distribution of stratospheric ozone. OMPS includes a limb profiler to measure the vertical structure of stratosphere ozone down to the mid-troposphere. This study uses tropical ozonesonde profile measurements from the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ, http://croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/shadoz) archive to evaluate total column ozone retrievals from OMPS and concurrent measurements from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the predecessor of OMPS with a data record going back to 2004. We include ten SHADOZ stations that contain data overlapping the OMPS time period (2012-2013). This study capitalizes on the ozone profile measurements from SHADOZ to evaluate OMPS limb profile retrievals. Finally, we use SHADOZ sondes and OMPS retrievals to examine the agreement with the GEOS-5 Ozone Assimilation System (GOAS). The GOAS uses data from the OMI and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) to constrain the total column and stratospheric profiles of ozone. The most recent version of the assimilation system is well constrained to the total column compared with SHADOZ ozonesonde data.
A comparison of rock and soil samples for geochemical mapping of two porphyry-metal systems in Colorado
Neuerburg, George J.; Barton, H.N.; Watterson, J.R.; Welsch, E.P.
Paired rock and soil samples were collected at widely spaced locations in large segments of the porphyry-metal systems of the Montezuma district in central Colorado and of a northwestward extension of the Summitville district into Crater Creek in southern Colorado. The paired samples do not covary closely enough for one sample medium to proxy for the other. However, the areal distributions of elements in both rocks and soils in these two districts conform to alteration zoning as defined by mineralogy. Differing geochemical patterns of rocks and soils reflect species-dependent responses to weathering. Soils appear to be statistically enriched in ore elements and depleted in rock elements as compared to the matching rocks. These differences are largely artificial s owing to different methods of sample preparation and chemical analysis for rocks and for soils. The distributions of metals in soils delineate the occurrence of ore-metal minerals mostly from vein deposits whereas the distributions of metals in rocks conform to zones of pervasive hydrothermal alteration and to the distribution of varied mineral deposits among these zones. Rock and soil samples are equally useful s of comparable map resolution and complement one another as a basis for geochemically mapping these porphyry-metal systems.
Comparison of elevation derived from insar data with dem from topography map in Son Dong, Bac Giang, Viet Nam
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nguyen, Duy
Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are used in many applications in the context of earth sciences such as in topographic mapping, environmental modeling, rainfall-runoff studies, landslide hazard zonation, seismic source modeling, etc. During the last years multitude of scientific applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) techniques have evolved. It has been shown that InSAR is an established technique of generating high quality DEMs from space borne and airborne data, and that it has advantages over other methods for the generation of large area DEM. However, the processing of InSAR data is still a challenging task. This paper describes InSAR operational steps and processing chain for DEM generation from Single Look Complex (SLC) SAR data and compare a satellite SAR estimate of surface elevation with a digital elevation model (DEM) from Topography map. The operational steps are performed in three major stages: Data Search, Data Processing, and product Validation. The Data processing stage is further divided into five steps of Data Pre-Processing, Co-registration, Interferogram generation, Phase unwrapping, and Geocoding. The Data processing steps have been tested with ERS 1/2 data using Delft Object-oriented Interferometric (DORIS) InSAR processing software. Results of the outcome of the application of the described processing steps to real data set are presented.
Characterization and comparison of polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum in China using saccharide mapping based on PACE and HPTLC.
Wu, Ding-Tao; Cheong, Kit-Leong; Deng, Yong; Lin, Peng-Cheng; Wei, Feng; Lv, Xiao-Jie; Long, Ze-Rong; Zhao, Jing; Ma, Shuang-Cheng; Li, Shao-Ping
Water-soluble polysaccharides from 51 batches of fruits of L. barbarum (wolfberry) in China were investigated and compared using saccharide mapping, partial acid hydrolysis, single and composite enzymatic digestion, followed by polysaccharide analysis by using carbohydrate gel electrophoresis (PACE) analysis and high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis, respectively. Results showed that multiple PACE and HPTLC fingerprints of partial acid and enzymatic hydrolysates of polysaccharides from L. barbarum in China were similar, respectively. In addition, results indicated that β-1,3-glucosidic, α-1,4-galactosiduronic and α-1,5-arabinosidic linkages existed in polysaccharides from L. barbarum collected in China, and the similarity of polysaccharides in L. barbarum collected from different regions of China was pretty high, which are helpful for the improvement of the performance of polysaccharides from L. barbarum in functional/health foods area. Furthermore, polysaccharides from Panax notoginseng, Angelica sinensis, and Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus were successfully distinguished from those of L. barbarum based on their PACE fingerprints. These results were beneficial to improve the quality control of polysaccharides from L. barabrum and their products, which suggested that saccharide mapping based on PACE and HPTLC analysis could be a routine approach for quality control of polysaccharides. PMID:26428094
A Sensory 3D Map of the Odor Description Space Derived from a Comparison of Numeric Odor Profile Databases.
Zarzo, Manuel
Many authors have proposed different schemes of odor classification, which are useful to aid the complex task of describing smells. However, reaching a consensus on a particular classification seems difficult because our psychophysical space of odor description is a continuum and is not clustered into well-defined categories. An alternative approach is to describe the perceptual space of odors as a low-dimensional coordinate system. This idea was first proposed by Crocker and Henderson in 1927, who suggested using numeric profiles based on 4 dimensions: "fragrant," "acid," "burnt," and "caprylic." In the present work, the odor profiles of 144 aroma chemicals were compared by means of statistical regression with comparable numeric odor profiles obtained from 2 databases, enabling a plausible interpretation of the 4 dimensions. Based on the results and taking into account comparable 2D sensory maps of odor descriptors from the literature, a 3D sensory map (odor cube) has been drawn up to improve understanding of the similarities and dissimilarities of the odor descriptors most frequently used in fragrance chemistry. PMID:25847969
A comparison of mapped and measured total ionospheric electron content using global positioning system and beacon satellite observations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lanyi, Gabor E.; Roth, Titus
Total ionospheric electron contents (TEC) were measured by global positioning system (GPS) dual-frequency receivers developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The measurements included P-code (precise ranging code) and carrier phase data for six GPS satellites during multiple five-hour observing sessions. A set of these GPS TEC measurements were mapped from the GPS lines of sight to the line of sight of a Faraday beacon satellite by statistically fitting the TEC data to a simple model of the ionosphere. The mapped GPS TEC values were compared with the Faraday rotation measurements. Because GPS transmitter offsets are different for each satellite and because some GPS receiver offsets were uncalibrated, the sums of the satellite and receiver offsets were estimated simultaneously with the TEC in a least squares procedure. The accuracy of this estimation procedure is evaluated indicating that the error of the GPS-determined line of sight TEC can be at or below 1 x 10 to the 16th el/sq cm. Consequently, the current level of accuracy is comparable to the Faraday rotation technique; however, GPS provides superior sky coverage.
Atomic far-IR fine-structure line mapping of L1630, M17, and W3: Comparison of (O I) and (C II) distributions
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Howe, J. E.; Jaffe, Dan T.; Zhou, Shudong
We mapped the distribution of atomic far-IR line emission from (O I) and (C II) over parsec scales in the Galactic star-forming regions L1630, M17, and W3 using the MPE Far-Infrared Fabry-Perot Imaging spectrometer (FIFI) on board the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The lines mapped include (O I) 63 microns, (O I) 146 microns, and (C II) 158 microns. Comparison of the intensities and ratios of these lines with models of photodissociation regions (e.g., Tielens & Hollenbach 1985, ApJ, 344, 770) allows us to derive temperatures and densities of the primarily neutral atomic gas layers lying on the surfaces of UV-illuminated molecular gas. In general, the (C II) line arises ubiquitously throughout the molecular clouds while the (O I) lines are mainly confined to warm, dense gas (T is greater than 100 K, n is greater than 10(exp 4)/cu cm) near the sites of O and B stars. The distribution of (C II) in the star-forming clouds implies that the (C II) emission arises on the surfaces of molecular clumps throughout the clouds, rather than only at the boundary layer between molecular gas and H II regions.
Comparison of Discrete-return ranging and Full-waveform digitization for Bathymetric Lidar Mapping of a Shallow Water Bay
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Starek, M. J.; Fernandez-diaz, J.; Pan, Z.; Glennie, C. L.; Shrestha, R. L.; Gibeaut, J. C.; Singhania, A.
Researchers with the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) at the University of Houston (UH) and the Coastal and Marine Geospatial Sciences Lab (CMGL) of the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi conducted a coordinated airborne and field-based survey of the Redfish Bay State Scientific Area to investigate the capabilities of shallow water bathymetric lidar for benthic mapping. Redfish Bay, located along the middle Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico, is a state scientific area designated for the purposes of protecting and studying the native seagrasses. The mapped region is very shallow (< 1 m in most locations) and consists of a variety of benthic cover including sandy bottom, oyster reef, subaqueous vegetation, and submerged structures. For this survey, UH acquired high resolution (2.5 shots per square meter) bathymetry data using their new Optech Aquarius 532 nm green lidar. The field survey conducted by CMGL used an airboat to collect in-situ radiometer measurements, GPS position, depth, and ground-truth data of benthic type at over 80 locations within the bay. The return signal of an Aquarius lidar pulse is analyzed in real time by a hardware-based constant fraction discriminator (CFD) to detect returns from the surface and determine ranges (x,y,z points). This approach is commonly called discrete-return ranging, and Aquarius can record up to 4 returns per an emitted laser pulse. In contrast, full-waveform digitization records the incoming energy of an emitted pulse by sampling it at very high-frequency. Post-processing algorithms can then be applied to detect returns (ranges) from the digitized waveform. For this survey, a waveform digitizer was simultaneously operated to record the return waveforms at a rate of 1GHz with 12 bit dynamic range. High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) of the topo-bathymetry were derived from the discrete-return and full-waveform data to evaluate the relative and absolute accuracy
Effectiveness of steroid/antibiotic treatment in primates administered LD100 Escherichia coli.
Hinshaw, L B; Beller-Todd, B K; Archer, L T; Benjamin, B; Flournoy, D J; Passey, R; Wilson, M F
Early aggressive therapy with maintenance infusions of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and gentamicin sulfate significantly increases the probability for survival of baboons given LD100 Escherichia coli. The present study was designed to determine if baboons would recover when initiation of treatment was delayed until they had sustained E. coli-induced systemic hypotension for a period of approximately three hours. Sixteen adult baboons were each administered a two-hour infusion of LD100 E. coli. All eight untreated animals died within 42 hours. Five of the eight baboons treated after approximately three hours of hypotension with methylprednisolone sodium succinate and gentamicin sulfate survived. Treated animals had significantly higher blood glucose and insulin levels and lower blood urea nitrogen concentrations than baboons receiving E. coli alone. E. coli blood concentrations were lower in the treated than in the untreated baboon group by the sixth hour (less than 0.02). Heart rates increased in all animals but were not as high in the treated baboons. Both groups experienced similar decreases in mean systemic arterial pressure, PCO2, base excess, leukocyte, lymphocyte, and platelet concentrations, and increases in creatinine and lactate concentrations. Data from the present study indicate that the probability of recovery from shock is significantly increased even when initiation of steroid/antibiotic therapy is postponed until baboons have experienced sustained systemic hypotension. PMID:7018430
Why are students with LD depressed? A goal orientation model of depression vulnerability.
Sideridis, Georgios D
The thesis of the present study was that failure in achievement tasks may constitute a stress factor that can trigger a depression episode, particularly for students with learning disabilities (LD), and that a particular motivational pattern may constitute a cognitive diathesis for depression. Participants were 104 students referred for LD who were drawn from a pool of approximately 900 students from Grades 5 and 6. Students were challenged with a series of difficult math exercises, and their achievement behaviors were examined as a function of achievement goal orientations. Results from structural equation modeling provided empirical support of the contention that performance-avoidance goals may account for a series of negative cognitions and affect. Direct positive paths linked performance-avoidance goals to anxiety, depression, and negative affect; negative paths were revealed with regard to self-esteem and positive affect. Thus, performance-avoidance goals may possess elements of the diathesis mechanism described by Dykman, constituting a vulnerability factor that triggers the mechanism of depression when negative events are in place. PMID:18064978
Discovery of novel anti-leishmanial agents targeting LdLip3 lipase.
Parameswaran, Saravanan; Saudagar, Prakash; Dubey, Vikash Kumar; Patra, Sanjukta
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease, caused by several species of Leishmania. Being an opportunistic lipid-scavenging pathogen, Leishmania relies extensively on lipid metabolism especially for host-pathogen interaction, utilizing host lipids for energy and virulence. The rational approach is to target lipid metabolism of the pathogen focusing lipid-catabolizing lipases. The LdLip3 lipase is considered as drug target as it is constitutively expressed in both promastigote and amastigote forms. Since the LdLip3 structure is not known, we modeled its three-dimensional structure to implement structure-based drug discovery approach. Similarity-based virtual screening was carried out to identify potential inhibitors utilizing NCI diversity set on ZINC database including natural products. Implementing computational and experimental approaches, four anti-leishmanial agents were discovered. The screened molecules ZINC01821375, ZINC04008765, ZINC06117316 and ZINC12653571 had anti-leishmanial activity with IC50 (% viable promastigotes vs. concentration) of 5.2±1.8μM, 13.1±2.6μM, 9.4±2.6μM and 17.3±3.1μM, respectively. The molecules showed negligible toxicity toward mouse macrophages. Based on the contact footprinting analysis, new molecules were designed with better predicted free energy of binding than discovered anti-leishmanial agents. Further validation for the therapeutic utility of discovered molecules can be carried out by the research community to combat leishmaniasis. PMID:24530543
Landsat 8 vs. Landsat 5: A comparison based on urban and peri-urban land cover mapping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Poursanidis, Dimitris; Chrysoulakis, Nektarios; Mitraka, Zina
An image dataset from the Landsat OLI spaceborne sensor is compared with the Landsat TM in order to evaluate the excellence of the new imagery in urban landcover classification. Widely known pixel-based and object-based image analysis methods have been implemented in this work like Maximum Likelihood, Support Vector Machine, k-Nearest Neighbor, Feature Analyst and Sub-pixel. Classification results from Landsat OLI provide more accurate results comparing to the Landsat TM. Object-based classifications produced a more uniform result, but suffer from the absorption of small rare classes into large homogenous areas, as a consequence of the segmentation, merging and the spatial parameters in the spatial resolution (30 m) of Landsat images. Based exclusively on the overall accuracy reports, the SVM pixel-based classification from Landsat 8 proved to be the most accurate for the purpose of mapping urban land cover, using medium spatial resolution imagery.
A comparison of real-time blade-element and rotor-map helicopter simulations using parallel processing
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Corliss, Lloyd; Du Val, Ronald W.; Gillman, Herbert, III; Huynh, Loc C.
In recent efforts by NASA, the Army, and Advanced Rotorcraft Technology, Inc. (ART), the application of parallel processing techniques to real-time simulation have been studied. Traditionally, real-time helicopter simulations have omitted the modeling of high-frequency phenomena in order to achieve real-time operation on affordable computers. Parallel processing technology can now provide the means for significantly improving the fidelity of real-time simulation, and one specific area for improvement is the modeling of rotor dynamics. This paper focuses on the results of a piloted simulation in which a traditional rotor-map mathematical model was compared with a more sophisticated blade-element mathematical model that had been implemented using parallel processing hardware and software technology.
Comparison of web-based biosecurity intelligence systems: BioCaster, EpiSPIDER and HealthMap.
Lyon, A; Nunn, M; Grossel, G; Burgman, M
Three web-based biosecurity intelligence systems - BioCaster, EpiSPIDER and HealthMap--are compared with respect to their ability to gather and analyse information relevant to public health. Reports from each system for the period 2-30 August 2010 were studied. The systems were compared to the volume of information that they acquired, their overlaps in this information, their timeliness, their sources, their focus on different languages and their focus on different geographical regions. Main results were as follows: EpiSPIDER obtains the most information and does so mainly through Twitter; no significant difference in systems' timeliness was found; there is a relatively small overlap between the systems (10-20%); the systems have significant differences in their ability to acquire information relevant to different countries, which may be due to the sources they use and the languages they focus on. PMID:22182229
Techniques of low technology sampling of air pollution by metals: a comparison of concentrations and map patterns.
Lloyd, O L; Gailey, F A
During a 17 month survey of air pollution in the town of Armadale, central Scotland, the concentrations of some metals (iron, manganese, zinc, lead, copper, chrome, nickel, cadmium, and cobalt) were measured in seven types of low technology sampler--four indigenous and three transplanted--at 47 sites. The geographical patterns of the concentrations in the samplers were compared on two types of map. For most metals, sites with high concentrations were present close to the foundry and also in the north of the town. The differences between the patterns of pollution shown by the various types of sampler probably reflected differing mechanisms for collection and different affinities for various sizes and types of metal particle. Images PMID:3620375
Mapping membrane protein backbone dynamics: a comparison of site-directed spin labeling with NMR 15N-relaxation measurements.
Lo, Ryan H; Kroncke, Brett M; Solomon, Tsega L; Columbus, Linda
The ability to detect nanosecond backbone dynamics with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) in soluble proteins has been well established. However, for membrane proteins, the nitroxide appears to have more interactions with the protein surface, potentially hindering the sensitivity to backbone motions. To determine whether membrane protein backbone dynamics could be mapped with SDSL, a nitroxide was introduced at 55 independent sites in a model polytopic membrane protein, TM0026. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectral parameters were compared with NMR (15)N-relaxation data. Sequential scans revealed backbone dynamics with the same trends observed for the R1 relaxation rate, suggesting that nitroxide dynamics remain coupled to the backbone on membrane proteins. PMID:25296323
Mapping trees outside forests using high-resolution aerial imagery: a comparison of pixel- and object-based classification approaches.
Meneguzzo, Dacia M; Liknes, Greg C; Nelson, Mark D
Discrete trees and small groups of trees in nonforest settings are considered an essential resource around the world and are collectively referred to as trees outside forests (ToF). ToF provide important functions across the landscape, such as protecting soil and water resources, providing wildlife habitat, and improving farmstead energy efficiency and aesthetics. Despite the significance of ToF, forest and other natural resource inventory programs and geospatial land cover datasets that are available at a national scale do not include comprehensive information regarding ToF in the United States. Additional ground-based data collection and acquisition of specialized imagery to inventory these resources are expensive alternatives. As a potential solution, we identified two remote sensing-based approaches that use free high-resolution aerial imagery from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) to map all tree cover in an agriculturally dominant landscape. We compared the results obtained using an unsupervised per-pixel classifier (independent component analysis-[ICA]) and an object-based image analysis (OBIA) procedure in Steele County, Minnesota, USA. Three types of accuracy assessments were used to evaluate how each method performed in terms of: (1) producing a county-level estimate of total tree-covered area, (2) correctly locating tree cover on the ground, and (3) how tree cover patch metrics computed from the classified outputs compared to those delineated by a human photo interpreter. Both approaches were found to be viable for mapping tree cover over a broad spatial extent and could serve to supplement ground-based inventory data. The ICA approach produced an estimate of total tree cover more similar to the photo-interpreted result, but the output from the OBIA method was more realistic in terms of describing the actual observed spatial pattern of tree cover. PMID:23255169
Quantitative comparison of dose distribution in radiotherapy plans using 2D gamma maps and X-ray computed tomography
Balosso, Jacques
Background The advanced dose calculation algorithms implemented in treatment planning system (TPS) have remarkably improved the accuracy of dose calculation especially the modeling of electrons transport in the low density medium. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of 2D gamma (γ) index to quantify and evaluate the impact of the calculation of electrons transport on dose distribution for lung radiotherapy. Methods X-ray computed tomography images were used to calculate the dose for twelve radiotherapy treatment plans. The doses were originally calculated with Modified Batho (MB) 1D density correction method, and recalculated with anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA), using the same prescribed dose. Dose parameters derived from dose volume histograms (DVH) and target coverage indices were compared. To compare dose distribution, 2D γ-index was applied, ranging from 1%/1 mm to 6%/6 mm. The results were displayed using γ-maps in 2D. Correlation between DVH metrics and γ passing rates was tested using Spearman's rank test and Wilcoxon paired test to calculate P values. Results the plans generated with AAA predicted more heterogeneous dose distribution inside the target, with P<0.05. However, MB overestimated the dose predicting more coverage of the target by the prescribed dose. The γ analysis showed that the difference between MB and AAA could reach up to ±10%. The 2D γ-maps illustrated that AAA predicted more dose to organs at risks, as well as lower dose to the target compared to MB. Conclusions Taking into account of the electrons transport on radiotherapy plans showed a significant impact on delivered dose and dose distribution. When considering the AAA represent the true cumulative dose, a readjusting of the prescribed dose and an optimization to protect the organs at risks should be taken in consideration in order to obtain the better clinical outcome. PMID:27429908
Cross-Product Comparison of Multiple Resolution Microwave Remote Sensing Data Sets Supporting Global Mapping of Inundated Wetlands
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Podest, E.; Schroeder, R.; McDonald, K. C.; Pinto, N.; Willacy, K.; Whitcomb, J.; Moghaddam, M.; Hess, L. L.; Zimmermann, R.
Inundated vegetation and open water bodies are common features across the landscape and exert major impacts on hydrologic processes and surface-atmosphere carbon exchange. Their carbon dioxide and methane emissions can have a large impact on global climate. It is therefore of great importance to assess their spatial extent and temporal variations in order to improve upon carbon balance estimates. Despite their importance in the global cycling of carbon and water and climate forecasting, they remain poorly characterized and modeled, primarily because of the scarcity of suitable regional-to-global remote sensing data for characterizing wetlands distribution and dynamics. Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offers an effective tool for characterizing these ecosystems since it is particularly sensitive to surface water and to vegetation structure, and it allows monitoring large inaccessible areas on a temporal basis regardless of atmospheric conditions or solar illumination. We are assembling a multi-year Earth System Data Record (ESDR) of global inundated wetlands to facilitate investigations on their role in climate, biogeochemistry, hydrology, and biodiversity. The ESDR is comprised of (1) fine-resolution (100m) maps of wetland extent, vegetation type, and seasonal inundation extent, derived from L-band SAR data from the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-Band SAR (PALSAR) and the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS) SAR, for continental-scale areas covering crucial wetland regions, and (2) global multi-temporal mappings of inundation extent at 25 km resolution derived from data sets from combined passive and active microwave remote sensing instruments (AMSR-E, QuikSCAT). We present a comparative analysis of the high-resolution SAR-based data sets and the coarse resolution inundation data sets for wetland ecosystems in the Amazonian tropics and the northern high latitudes of Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia. We compare information content
Mapping Urban Forest Leaf Area Index Using Lidar: A Comparison of Gap Fraction Inversion and Allometric Methods
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alonzo, M.; Bookhagen, B.; McFadden, J. P.; Sun, A.; Roberts, D. A.
In urban areas leaf area index (LAI) is a key ecosystem structural attribute with implications for energy and water balance, gas exchange, and anthropogenic energy use. Typically, citywide LAI estimates are extrapolated from those made on forest inventory sample plots through intensive crown measurement and allometric scaling. This is a time- and labor-intensive process yielding coarse spatial resolution results. In this study we generate spatially explicit estimates of LAI using high-point density airborne lidar throughout our study area in downtown Santa Barbara, CA. We implement two theoretically distinct modeling approaches. First, based on hemispherical photography at our 71 field plots, we estimate effective LAI using scan-angle corrected lidar laser penetration metrics (LPM). For our second approach, we adapt existing allometric equations for use with a suite of crown structural metrics (e.g., tree height, crown base height) measured with lidar. This approach allows for estimates of LAI to be made at the individual tree crown scale (ITC). This is important for evaluating fine-scale interactions between canopy and urban surfaces. The LPM method resulted in good agreement with field estimates (r2 = 0.80) and a slope of near unity (β = 0.998) using a model that assumed a spherical leaf angle distribution. Within ITC segments that were automatically delineated using watershed segmentation, lidar estimates of crown structure closely paralleled field measurements (r2=0.87 for crown length). LAI estimates based on the lidar structural variables corresponded well with estimates from field measurements (r2 = 0.84). Agreement between the LPM and allometric lidar methods was also strong across the 71 validation plots (r2 = 0.88) and among 450 sample points (r2 = 0.72) randomly distributed throughout the citywide maps. This is notably higher than the agreement between the hemiphoto and allometric ground-based estimates (r2 = 0.56). The allometric approach generally
A Comparison of HALOE V19 with SAGE II V6.00 Ozone Observations using Trajectory Mapping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Morris, Gary A.; Gleason, James F.; Russell, James R., III; Schoeberl, Mark R.; McCormick, M. Patrick; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)
We apply trajectory mapping to an eight-year intercomparison of ozone observations from HALOE (V19) and SAGE II (V6.00) for the months March, May, June, September, October, and December from the period December 1991 - October 1999. Our results, which represent the most extensive such intercomparison of these two data sets to date, suggest a root-mean -square difference between the two data sets of greater than 15% below 22 km and of 4 - 12% throughout most of the rest of the stratosphere. In addition, we find a bias with HALOE ozone low relative to SAGE II by 5 - 20% below 22 km between 40degS and 40degN. Biases throughout most of the rest of the stratosphere are nearly nonexistent. Finally, our analysis suggests almost no drift in the bias between the data sets is observed over the period of study. In the course of our study, we also determine that the employment of the Wang-Cunnold criteria is still recommended with the V6.00 SAGE II ozone data. Results with the new versions of the data sets show significant improvement over previous versions, particularly in the elimination of mid-stratospheric biases and the elimination of the previously observed drifts in the biases between the data sets in the lower stratosphere. Since HALOE V19 and V18 ozone are very similar, these changes can likely be attributed to improvements in the SAGE II retrieval.
Comparison of Transperineal Mapping Biopsy Results with Whole-Mount Radical Prostatectomy Pathology in Patients with Localized Prostate Cancer
Katz, Darren J.; Richards, Kyle A.; Godoy, Guilherme; Udo, Kazuma; Nogueira, Lucas; Cronin, Angel M.; Fine, Samson W.; Scardino, Peter T.; Coleman, Jonathon A.
Objective. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of transperineal mapping biopsy (TMB) by comparing it to the pathology specimen of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) for localized prostate cancer. Methods. From March 2007 to September 2009, 78 men at a single center underwent TMB; 17 of 78 subsequently underwent RP. TMB cores were grouped into four quadrants and matched to data from RP whole-mount slides. Gleason score, tumor location and volume, cross-sectional area, and maximal diameter were measured; sensitivity and specificity were assessed. Results. For the 17 patients who underwent RP, TMB revealed 12 (71%) had biopsy Gleason grades ≥ 3 + 4 and 13 (76%) had bilateral disease. RP specimens showed 14 (82%) had Gleason scores ≥ 3 + 4 and 13 (76%) had bilateral disease. Sensitivity and specificity of TMB for prostate cancer detection were 86% (95% confidence interval [CI] 72%–94%) and 83% (95% CI 62%–95%), respectively. Four quadrants negative for cancer on TMB were positive on prostatectomy, and six positive on TMB were negative on prostatectomy. Conclusion. TMB is a highly invasive procedure that can accurately detect and localize prostate cancer. These findings help establish baseline performance characteristics for TMB and its utility for organ-sparing strategies. PMID:24900923
Strain mapping of LED devices by dark-field inline electron holography: comparison between deterministic and iterative phase retrieval approaches.
Song, Kyung; Shin, Ga-Young; Kim, Jong Kyu; Oh, Sang Ho; Koch, Christoph T
Dark-field inline electron holography has recently been established as a convenient method to map strain in semiconductor devices, combining high precision, low noise, sub-nm spatial resolution and fields-of-view larger than 1 μm. Here we compare two approaches to reconstruct the geometric phase from a transmission electron microscopy dark-field focal series and their effects on the strain measurement: the transport-of-intensity-equation (TIE) and a flux-preserving iterative approach. For this task, we used a GaN-based light emitting diode with a highly complex heterostructure as a model system. While the TIE relies on 3 images only but requires the optimization of two free parameters (defocus step and low-limit cut-off frequency), the iterative reconstruction algorithm involves no adjustable parameters and uses images recorded at 9 different planes of focus with quadratically increasing defocus values. Optimum parameters for the TIE-reconstruction could be identified. However, the iterative phase retrieval approach yields the strain values that agree best with the expected strain levels and provides also higher spatial resolution. PMID:22910615
Comparison of the Hazard Mapping System (HMS) fire product to ground-based fire records in Georgia, USA
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hu, Xuefei; Yu, Chao; Tian, Di; Ruminski, Mark; Robertson, Kevin; Waller, Lance A.; Liu, Yang
Biomass burning has a significant and adverse impact on air quality, climate change, and various ecosystems. The Hazard Mapping System (HMS) detects fires using data from multiple satellite sensors in order to maximize its fire detection rate. However, to date, the detection rate of the HMS fire product for small fires has not been well studied, especially using ground-based fire records. This paper utilizes the 2011 fire information compiled from ground observations and burn authorizations in Georgia to assess the comprehensiveness of the HMS active fire product. The results show that detection rates of the hybrid HMS increase substantially by integrating multiple satellite instruments. The detection rate increases dramatically from 3% to 80% with an increase in fire size from less than 0.02 km2 to larger than 2 km2, resulting in detection of approximately 12% of all recorded fires which represent approximately 57% of the total area burned. The spatial pattern of detection rates reveals that grid cells with high detection rates are generally located in areas where large fires occur frequently. The seasonal analysis shows that overall detection rates in winter and spring (12% and 13%, respectively) are higher than those in summer and fall (3% and 6%, respectively), mainly because of higher percentages of large fires (>0.19 km2) that occurred in winter and spring. The land cover analysis shows that detection rates are 2-7 percentage points higher in land cover types that are prone to large fires such as forestland and shrub land.
The issue of multiple univariate comparisons in the context of neuroelectric brain mapping: an application in a neuromarketing experiment.
Vecchiato, G; De Vico Fallani, F; Astolfi, L; Toppi, J; Cincotti, F; Mattia, D; Salinari, S; Babiloni, F
This paper presents some considerations about the use of adequate statistical techniques in the framework of the neuroelectromagnetic brain mapping. With the use of advanced EEG/MEG recording setup involving hundred of sensors, the issue of the protection against the type I errors that could occur during the execution of hundred of univariate statistical tests, has gained interest. In the present experiment, we investigated the EEG signals from a mannequin acting as an experimental subject. Data have been collected while performing a neuromarketing experiment and analyzed with state of the art computational tools adopted in specialized literature. Results showed that electric data from the mannequin's head presents statistical significant differences in power spectra during the visualization of a commercial advertising when compared to the power spectra gathered during a documentary, when no adjustments were made on the alpha level of the multiple univariate tests performed. The use of the Bonferroni or Bonferroni-Holm adjustments returned correctly no differences between the signals gathered from the mannequin in the two experimental conditions. An partial sample of recently published literature on different neuroscience journals suggested that at least the 30% of the papers do not use statistical protection for the type I errors. While the occurrence of type I errors could be easily managed with appropriate statistical techniques, the use of such techniques is still not so largely adopted in the literature. PMID:20637802
Temporal Comparison Between NIRS and EEG Signals During a Mental Arithmetic Task Evaluated with Self-Organizing Maps.
Oyama, Katsunori; Sakatani, Kaoru
Simultaneous monitoring of brain activity with near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography allows spatiotemporal reconstruction of the hemodynamic response regarding the concentration changes in oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin that are associated with recorded brain activity such as cognitive functions. However, the accuracy of state estimation during mental arithmetic tasks is often different depending on the length of the segment for sampling of NIRS and EEG signals. This study compared the results of a self-organizing map and ANOVA, which were both used to assess the accuracy of state estimation. We conducted an experiment with a mental arithmetic task performed by 10 participants. The lengths of the segment in each time frame for observation of NIRS and EEG signals were compared with the 30-s, 1-min, and 2-min segment lengths. The optimal segment lengths were different for NIRS and EEG signals in the case of classification of feature vectors into the states of performing a mental arithmetic task and being at rest. PMID:27526147
A comparison of ship and Coastal Zone Color Scanner mapped distribution of phytoplankton in the southeastern Bering Sea
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mcclain, C. R.; Sambrotto, R. N.; Ray, G. C.; Muller-Karger, F. E.
Twenty-one Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) images of the southeastern Bering Sea are examined in order to map the near-surface distribution of phytoplankton during 1979 and 1980. The information is compared with the mesoscale (100-1000 km) distribution of phytoplankton inferred from pooled ship sampling obtained during the Processes and Resources of the Bering Shelf (PROBES) intensive field study during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The imagery indicates that open-water phytoplankton blooms occur first in late April in coastal waters, peak in early May over the middle shelf, and decay rapidly afterwards, reaching concentration minima in June in both regions. These patterns show that the earlier ship observations are valid for most of the eastern Bering shelf. A very tight correlation is found between the PROBES surface chlorophyll a concentrations and mean mixed-layer chlorophyll concentrations. The significant discrepancies between CZCS and ship-based chlorophyll estimates may be due to aliasing in time by the CZCS. It is concluded that neither satellite nor ship alone can do an adequate job of characterizing the physics or biological dynamics of the ocean.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Blanchard, D. C.
Software Comparison Package (SCP) compares similar files. Normally, these are 90-character files produced by CDC UPDATE utility from program libraries that contain FORTRAN source code plus identifier. SCP also used to compare load maps, cross-reference outputs, and UPDATE corrections sets. Helps wherever line-by-line comparison of similarly structured files required.
Synthesis of a novel cytokine and its gene (LD78) expressions in hematopoietic fresh tumor cells and cell lines.
Yamamura, Y; Hattori, T; Obaru, K; Sakai, K; Asou, N; Takatsuki, K; Ohmoto, Y; Nomiyama, H; Shimada, K
The gene coding for the protein LD78 was isolated from stimulated human tonsillar lymphocytes by differential hybridization. The gene product consisted of 92 amino acids with characteristics of cytokines. LD78 gene transcripts were detected in eight of eight fresh samples of cells from patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) by Northern blot analysis. ANLL cells with monocytic features gave the strongest bands. RNA transcripts were found in two of three samples of cells from patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL), eight of nine samples from patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) of B cell lineage, and one of the three samples from patients with T cell ALL. KG-1, HL-60, HUT 102, MT-2, and MJ cell lines expressed the LD78 gene constitutively. The LD78 protein was detected in culture supernatants and cell lysates of HUT 102, MT-2, MJ, and fresh ATL cells by Western blot analysis. This protein was not found in culture supernatants or cell lysates of monocytic leukemia cells and HL-60 cells, although LD78 transcripts were found in those cells. The discrepancy between gene and protein expression might be explained by the stability of the mRNA. Thus, the protein may be involved in the neoplastic transformation of hematopoietic cells. Images PMID:2687328
Comparison of relative cerebral blood flow maps using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling and single photon emission computed tomography.
Liu, Peiying; Uh, Jinsoo; Devous, Michael D; Adinoff, Bryon; Lu, Hanzhang
Pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) MRI is a relatively new arterial spin labeling technique and has the potential to extend the cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurement to all tissue types, including white matter. However, the arterial transit time (δ(a)) for white matter is not well established and a limited number of reports using multi-delay methods have yielded inconsistent findings. In this study, we used a different approach and measured white matter δ(a) (mean ± standard deviation, 1541 ± 173 ms) by determining the arrival times of exogenous contrast agent in a bolus tracking experiment. The data also confirmed δ(a) of gray matter to be 912 ± 209 ms. In the second part of this study, we used these parameters in PCASL kinetic models and compared relative CBF (rCBF, with respect to the whole brain) maps with those measured using a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) technique. It was found that the use of tissue-specific δ(a) in the PCASL model was helpful in improving the correspondence between the two modalities. On a regional level, the gray/white matter CBF ratios were 2.47 ± 0.39 and 2.44 ± 0.18 for PCASL and SPECT, respectively. On a single-voxel level, the variance between the modalities was still considerable, with an average rCBF difference of 0.27. PMID:22139764
Mapping B1-induced eddy current effects near metallic structures in MR images: A comparison of simulation and experiment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vashaee, S.; Goora, F.; Britton, M. M.; Newling, B.; Balcom, B. J.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the presence of metallic structures is very common in medical and non-medical fields. Metallic structures cause MRI image distortions by three mechanisms: (1) static field distortion through magnetic susceptibility mismatch, (2) eddy currents induced by switched magnetic field gradients and (3) radio frequency (RF) induced eddy currents. Single point ramped imaging with T1 enhancement (SPRITE) MRI measurements are largely immune to susceptibility and gradient induced eddy current artifacts. As a result, one can isolate the effects of metal objects on the RF field. The RF field affects both the excitation and detection of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal. This is challenging with conventional MRI methods, which cannot readily separate the three effects. RF induced MRI artifacts were investigated experimentally at 2.4 T by analyzing image distortions surrounding two geometrically identical metallic strips of aluminum and lead. The strips were immersed in agar gel doped with contrast agent and imaged employing the conical SPRITE sequence. B1 mapping with pure phase encode SPRITE was employed to measure the B1 field around the strips of metal. The strip geometry was chosen to mimic metal electrodes employed in electrochemistry studies. Simulations are employed to investigate the RF field induced eddy currents in the two metallic strips. The RF simulation results are in good agreement with experimental results. Experimental and simulation results show that the metal has a pronounced effect on the B1 distribution and B1 amplitude in the surrounding space. The electrical conductivity of the metal has a minimal effect.
Comparison of three thermotherapy modalities for the ablation of mamma carcinoma in situ using thermal imaging and mapping
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Klaessens, John H. G. M.; Verdaasdonk, Rudolf; van Esser, Stijn; Shmatukha, Andriy; de Boorder, Tjeerd; van Hillegersberg, Richard
A larger percentage of small tumors in the breast are being detected due to effective screening programs and improved radiological diagnostic methods. For treatment, less invasive methods are preferred which are still radical but also provide a better aesthetic result. Recently, several ablation techniques have become available to locally ablate tumors in situ. In this study, the effectiveness of three ablation techniques was compared by imaging the thermal distribution and temperature mapping in vitro. The first system (KLS Martin, Trumpf, Germany) uses Nd:YAG laser light delivered through a single diffusing fiber tip which is positioned direct into the tissue or in a water-cooled needle. The second system (Olympus-Celon, Germany) uses bipolar Radio Frequency currents between electrodes in a water-cooled needle. The RF system has a temperature feedback based on tissue impedance to prevent tissue charring. The third system is a focused ultrasound system developed in the Hospital. For all three the techniques, the dynamics of temperature gradients around the probe or focus point are visualized using color Schlieren techniques in a transparent tissue model and recorded using thermocouples. The effective lesion size and tissue temperatures were determined in in vitro bovine mamma tissue. All systems were capable to heat tissue volumes up to 3 cm in diameter. The lesion growth dependent on the power input, temperature gradient around the initial power source and treatment time. Although the three systems are capable to ablate small mamma carcinoma in situ, they differ in precision, MR compatibility, invasiveness, practical use and treatment time. The real clinical effectiveness has to be proven in large patient studies with long term follow up.
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder/learning disabilities (ADHD/LD): parental characterization and perception.
Brook, Uzi; Boaz, Mona
Sixty-six parents of adolescents (mean age, 14.8 years), who attended special education classes and who were diagnosed as having attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder/learning disabilities (ADHD/LD), were interviewed. The comorbidity of the ADHD group included emotional lability and/or depression, 70%; oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), 67%; obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 44%; addiction to buying, 44%; and aggressiveness, 62%. Twenty-one percent were either involved in the past or presently using drugs. Nine percent had attempted suicide. According to their parents, the main characteristic of these adolescents was low self-image. Parents enumerated five negative characteristics: impulsiveness; nervousness; angered easily ('short fused'); aggressiveness with cursing and outbursts; and impaired sociability with impoliteness. PMID:15797157
LD-cladding-pumped 50 pm linewidth Tm 3+ -doped silica fiber laser.
Yunjun, Zhang; Baoquan, Yao; Youlun, Ju; Hui, Zhou; Yuezhu, Wang
We report on a Tm(3+)-doped fiber laser source operating at 1936.4 nm with a very narrow linewidth (50 pm) laser output. Up to 2.4 W cw laser power was obtained from an 82 cm long Tm(3+)-doped multimode-core fiber cladding pumped by a 792 nm laser diode (LD). The fiber laser cavity included a high-reflective dichroic and a low-reflective FBG output coupler. The multimode fiber Bragg grating (FBG) transmission spectrum and output laser spectrum were measured. By adjusting the distance between the dichroic and the Tm(3+)-doped fiber end, the multipeak laser spectrum changed to a single-peak laser spectrum. PMID:18545481
Polymorphs of Aspirin Solid-state IR-LD spectroscopic and quantitative determination in solid mixtures
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Koleva, Bojidarka B.
Solid-state linear-dichroic infrared (IR-LD) spectroscopy, using an orientation technique as a suspension in nematic liquid crystal, has been carried out of Aspirin polymorphs (forms I and II). Reducing-difference procedure for polarized IR-spectra interpretation has been applied for structural analysis of both modifications and the data have been compared with known crystallographic ones. A vibration assignment of forms I and II has been included and on this basis, a quantitative determination by FT-IR spectra for form I in mixtures with second one has been presented, using intensity ratio of 1606 cm -1 peak (characteristic for both forms) to 599 cm -1 one (attributed to form I). The obtained reliability is 99.78%.
Investigations on the heating effect of PE-LD induced by high-intensity focused ultrasound.
Oehm, Lukas; Bach, Sascha; Majschak, Jens-Peter
High-intensity focused ultrasound is widely applied in tissue treatment as well as for heating of solid polymer materials. Previous studies investigating the heating effect in polymer materials utilized sound transmission through water or other fluids at low HIFU power. In this study, the ultrasonic transducer possesses a solid sound conductor made of aluminum and a high HIFU power of above 100W was applied to heat solid PE-LD samples. Temperature measurements were performed by calibrated non-invasive infrared thermal imaging. A strong heating effect with heating above melting temperature and evaporation temperature within less than 1s of irradiation was observed. Furthermore, the acoustic coupling defined by the force applied by the ultrasonic applicator to the polymer material was found to be fundamental to induce the heating effect. This investigation reveals HIFU for new applications in the field of polymer processing. PMID:27208613
Use of linkage disequilibrium approaches to map genes for bipolar disorder in the Costa Rican population
Escamilla, M.A.; Reus, V.I.; Smith, L.B.; Freimer, N.B.
Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis provides a powerful means for screening the genome to map the location of disease genes, such as those for bipolar disorder (BP). As described in this paper, the population of the Central Valley of Costa Rica, which is descended from a small number of founders, should be suitable for LD mapping; this assertion is supported by reconstruction of extended haplotypes shared by distantly related individuals in this population suffering low-frequency hearing loss (LFHL1), which has previously been mapped by linkage analysis. A sampling strategy is described for applying LD methods to map genes for BP, and clinical and demographic characteristics of an initially collected sample are discussed. This sample will provide a complement to a previously collected set of Costa Rican BP families which is under investigation using standard linkage analysis. 42 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.
Screening for specific learning difficulties (SpLD): the impact upon the progression of pre-registration nursing students.
Wray, Jane; Aspland, Jo; Taghzouit, Jayne; Pace, Kerry; Harrison, Paula
The study aimed to explore the impact of screening pre-registration nursing students for an SpLD at entry to an education programme, and the provision of specialist support for those identified as 'at risk'. Progression was monitored using a multiple method approach. 242 (98%) students completed and returned the Adult Dyslexia Check List (ADCL). 69 scored 7 or above (28.5% of responses) and 36 (52%) went on for further assessment. 48% of students who scored 7+ did not go on to contact Disability Services at all. 11% of the cohort was formally identified as having a SpLD at the end of the year compared to 3.9% of students with a declared disability entering pre-registration nurse education in 2007. 54% of the students who scored 7+ successfully progressed into year two, compared with 41% of students with SpLD from a previous cohort. PMID:21353730
A Comparison of WAIS-R Profiles of Nondisabled College Freshmen and College Students with Learning Disabilities.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Salvia, John; And Others
Among findings of a comparison of 74 learning disabled college freshmen and non-handicapped peers on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Revised, were no significant differences between verbal and performance scale discrepancies, more variable subtest performances by LD students, and lower mean scores by LD students. (Author/DB)
An optical pulse width modulation generator based on the injection-locking property of single mode FP-LD
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tran, Quoc Hoai; Nakarmi, Bikash; Won, Yong Hyub
A novel simple optical pulse width modulation generator (OPWMG) based on injection-locking property of a single mode FP-LD (SMFP-LD) has been proposed and experimentally verified. The OPWMG consists of a SMFP-LD (which acts as comparator), an optical sinusoidal wave source (analog input), and a continuous optical beam (control signal). The power required for fully injection-locking the SMFP-LD acts as the referent power whereas the combination power of continuous optical beam and analog optical sinusoidal signals work as control signals for changing the duty cycle of the proposed OPWMG. The presence of only continuous optical beam is not sufficient to suppress the dominant mode of SMFP-LD with high ON/OFF contrast ratio; however, the application of additional sinusoidal wave of constant amplitude and frequency, the dominant mode of SMFP-LD can be suppressed for the certain time window. Since, injection-locking power is dependent with the combined power of input injected continuous beam and sinusoidal optical wave, the time window of injection-locking can be varied by changing input beam power which provides different duty cycle of 13% to 68% at the output. Current available schemes for generating PWM signals are in electrical domain, hence, they need to convert electrical signals into optical domain by using expensive O/E converters for application in optical control and signal processing. The proposed OPWMG scheme has several advantages, such as low cost, low power consumption (~0.5 mW) which can be used for various applications where the effect of EMI/EMR is considered as an important factor such as control circuit for high voltage converters in power plant and electrical vehicles.
Lactate dehydrogenase (LD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) isoenzymatic patterns in Iraqi children with visceral leishmaniasis before and after treatment with stibogluconate.
Taher, Jasim Hameed; Al-Mulla Hummadi, Yassir Mustafa Kamal; Al-Bashir, Nada Muhammed Taha; Al-Araji, Ali Shaalan
The mean levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase enzymes exhibited a significant elevation in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients compared to the control. There was no significant change in relation to the sex and age. ALP isoenzymes revealed three banding patterns which differ from the three zymodems which were obtained from control group. These differences may be due to isoenzymes activity of patients with VL before and after therapy. Lactate dehydrogenase (LD) isoenzymes revealed five banding patterns differ from the five normal zymodems. These differences mainly occurred due to LD isoenzymes activity in patients with VL before and after therapy. PMID:27413293
A synthesis of spelling and reading interventions and their effects on the spelling outcomes of students with LD.
Wanzek, Jeanne; Vaughn, Sharon; Wexler, Jade; Swanson, Elizabeth A; Edmonds, Meghan; Kim, Ae-Hwa
Previous research studies examining the effects of spelling and reading interventions on the spelling outcomes of students with learning disabilities (LD) are synthesized. An extensive search of the professional literature between 1995 and 2003 yielded a total of 19 intervention studies that provided spelling and reading interventions to students with LD and measured spelling outcomes. Findings revealed that spelling outcomes were consistently improved following spelling interventions that included explicit instruction with multiple practice opportunities and immediate corrective feedback after the word was misspelled. Furthermore, evidence from spelling interventions that employed assistive technology aimed at spelling in written compositions indicated positive effects on spelling outcomes. PMID:17165620
Uav-Based Photogrammetric Point Clouds - Tree STEM Mapping in Open Stands in Comparison to Terrestrial Laser Scanner Point Clouds
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fritz, A.; Kattenborn, T.; Koch, B.
in the TLS-point cloud. Only few stems were considered to be fully reconstructed. From the comparison of reconstruction achievement with respect to height above ground, we can state that reconstruction accuracy decreased in the crown layer of the stand. In addition we were cutting 50 [cm] slices in z-direction and applied a robust cylinder fit to the stem slices. Radii of the TLS-cloud and the SFM-cloud surprisingly correlated well with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of r = 0.696. This first study showed promising results for UAV-based forest structure modelling. Yet, there is a demand for additional research with regard to vegetation stages, flight pattern, processing setup and the utilisation of spectral information.
H3N2 Mismatch of 2014–15 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Vaccines and Head-to-head Comparison between Human and Ferret Antisera derived Antigenic Maps
Xie, Hang; Wan, Xiu-Feng; Ye, Zhiping; Plant, Ewan P.; Zhao, Yangqing; Xu, Yifei; Li, Xing; Finch, Courtney; Zhao, Nan; Kawano, Toshiaki; Zoueva, Olga; Chiang, Meng-Jung; Jing, Xianghong; Lin, Zhengshi; Zhang, Anding; Zhu, Yanhong
The poor performance of 2014–15 Northern Hemisphere (NH) influenza vaccines was attributed to mismatched H3N2 component with circulating epidemic strains. Using human serum samples collected from 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2014–15 NH influenza vaccine trials, we assessed their cross-reactive hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody responses against recent H3 epidemic isolates. All three populations (children, adults, and older adults) vaccinated with the 2014–15 NH egg- or cell-based vaccine, showed >50% reduction in HAI post-vaccination geometric mean titers against epidemic H3 isolates from those against egg-grown H3 vaccine strain A/Texas/50/2012 (TX/12e). The 2014–15 NH vaccines, regardless of production type, failed to further extend HAI cross-reactivity against H3 epidemic strains from previous seasonal vaccines. Head-to-head comparison between ferret and human antisera derived antigenic maps revealed different antigenic patterns among representative egg- and cell-grown H3 viruses characterized. Molecular modeling indicated that the mutations of epidemic H3 strains were mainly located in antibody-binding sites A and B as compared with TX/12e. To improve vaccine strain selection, human serologic testing on vaccination-induced cross-reactivity need be emphasized along with virus antigenic characterization by ferret model. PMID:26472175
H3N2 Mismatch of 2014-15 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Vaccines and Head-to-head Comparison between Human and Ferret Antisera derived Antigenic Maps
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xie, Hang; Wan, Xiu-Feng; Ye, Zhiping; Plant, Ewan P.; Zhao, Yangqing; Xu, Yifei; Li, Xing; Finch, Courtney; Zhao, Nan; Kawano, Toshiaki; Zoueva, Olga; Chiang, Meng-Jung; Jing, Xianghong; Lin, Zhengshi; Zhang, Anding; Zhu, Yanhong
The poor performance of 2014-15 Northern Hemisphere (NH) influenza vaccines was attributed to mismatched H3N2 component with circulating epidemic strains. Using human serum samples collected from 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2014-15 NH influenza vaccine trials, we assessed their cross-reactive hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody responses against recent H3 epidemic isolates. All three populations (children, adults, and older adults) vaccinated with the 2014-15 NH egg- or cell-based vaccine, showed >50% reduction in HAI post-vaccination geometric mean titers against epidemic H3 isolates from those against egg-grown H3 vaccine strain A/Texas/50/2012 (TX/12e). The 2014-15 NH vaccines, regardless of production type, failed to further extend HAI cross-reactivity against H3 epidemic strains from previous seasonal vaccines. Head-to-head comparison between ferret and human antisera derived antigenic maps revealed different antigenic patterns among representative egg- and cell-grown H3 viruses characterized. Molecular modeling indicated that the mutations of epidemic H3 strains were mainly located in antibody-binding sites A and B as compared with TX/12e. To improve vaccine strain selection, human serologic testing on vaccination-induced cross-reactivity need be emphasized along with virus antigenic characterization by ferret model.
Comparison of cardiac stroke volume measurement determined using stereological analysis of breath-hold cine MRI and phase contrast velocity mapping.
Graves, M J; Dommett, D M
Cine MRI of the heart using segmented k-space pulse sequences permits multiphase images to be acquired in a single breath-hold. Whilst image quality is improved compared with conventional (non-segmented) cine imaging, subsequent analysis can be relatively time consuming. In this study, multiple slice breath-hold cine imaging of the heart was performed in 11 normal volunteers. Left and right ventricular stroke volume (SV) was estimated from the images by application of the Cavalieri method of modern design stereology in combination with point counting. The measured SVs were compared with those obtained by cine phase contrast velocity mapping in the ascending aorta and main pulmonary artery. Excellent agreement was found between the SVs determined by the two techniques, with mean differences (+/- one SD) of 0.41 +/- 3.00 ml and 0.41 +/- 4.78 ml for left and right ventricles, respectively. Comparison of left and right ventricular SV using stereology yielded a mean difference of 0.84 +/- 5.70 ml. Breath-hold data acquisition together with stereological analysis is demonstrated to be an accurate and unbiased technique for the rapid assessment of cardiac function. PMID:11026856
H3N2 Mismatch of 2014-15 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Vaccines and Head-to-head Comparison between Human and Ferret Antisera derived Antigenic Maps.
Xie, Hang; Wan, Xiu-Feng; Ye, Zhiping; Plant, Ewan P; Zhao, Yangqing; Xu, Yifei; Li, Xing; Finch, Courtney; Zhao, Nan; Kawano, Toshiaki; Zoueva, Olga; Chiang, Meng-Jung; Jing, Xianghong; Lin, Zhengshi; Zhang, Anding; Zhu, Yanhong
The poor performance of 2014-15 Northern Hemisphere (NH) influenza vaccines was attributed to mismatched H3N2 component with circulating epidemic strains. Using human serum samples collected from 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2014-15 NH influenza vaccine trials, we assessed their cross-reactive hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody responses against recent H3 epidemic isolates. All three populations (children, adults, and older adults) vaccinated with the 2014-15 NH egg- or cell-based vaccine, showed >50% reduction in HAI post-vaccination geometric mean titers against epidemic H3 isolates from those against egg-grown H3 vaccine strain A/Texas/50/2012 (TX/12e). The 2014-15 NH vaccines, regardless of production type, failed to further extend HAI cross-reactivity against H3 epidemic strains from previous seasonal vaccines. Head-to-head comparison between ferret and human antisera derived antigenic maps revealed different antigenic patterns among representative egg- and cell-grown H3 viruses characterized. Molecular modeling indicated that the mutations of epidemic H3 strains were mainly located in antibody-binding sites A and B as compared with TX/12e. To improve vaccine strain selection, human serologic testing on vaccination-induced cross-reactivity need be emphasized along with virus antigenic characterization by ferret model. PMID:26472175
Differentiating Literacy Growth of ELL Students with LD from Other High-Risk Subgroups and General Education Peers: Evidence from Grades 3-10
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Solari, Emily J.; Petscher, Yaacov; Folsom, Jessica Sidler
The authors used a large data set (N = 1,011,549) to examine literacy growth over a single school year comparing general education (GenEd) students to three high-risk subgroups: English language learners (ELL), those with a specific learning disability (LD), and those identified as both LD and ELL (LD-ELL) in students in Grades 3-10. The authors…
Comparing Potential with Achievement: Rationale and Procedures for Objectively Analyzing Achievement-Aptitude Discrepancies in LD Classification.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hanna, Gerald S.; And Others
A critical review of the literature dealing with quantification of achievement-aptitude differences for identifying learning disabled (LD) readers revealed that methods developed to date suffer from grave inadequacies. Among the methods considered were those of the following individuals: G. Bond and M. Tinker, M. Monroe, A. Harris and E. Sipay, H.…
Processing Patterns of ADHD, ADHD-I, and ADHD/LD Children on the LET-II.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Webster, Raymond E.
This paper discusses the findings from a study that investigated the information processing characteristics of 93 children (ages 8-16) who have been diagnosed as having either attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) only, ADHD-Predominately Inattentive Type, and combined ADHD and learning disabilities (LD). Thirty-nine average students,…
Virtual Connections, Personal Resources, Loneliness, and Academic Self-Efficacy among College Students with and without LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sharabi, Adi; Sade, Sarit; Margalit, Malka
The goals of the study were first to compare the social and academic well-being (loneliness and academic self-efficacy (ASE) among college students with and without learning disabilities (LD), as well as three personal strengths (hope, optimism and sense of coherence (SOC). The second goal was to identify the predicting factors to their loneliness…
A Synthesis of Spelling and Reading Interventions and Their Effects on the Spelling Outcomes of Students with LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wanzek, Jeanne; Vaughn, Sharon; Wexler, Jade; Swanson, Elizabeth A.; Edmonds, Meghan; Kim, Ae-Hwa
Previous research studies examining the effects of spelling and reading interventions on the spelling outcomes of students with learning disabilities (LD) are synthesized. An extensive search of the professional literature between 1995 and 2003 yielded a total of 19 intervention studies that provided spelling and reading interventions to students…
Probiotic Potential of Lactobacillus plantarum LD1 Isolated from Batter of Dosa, a South Indian Fermented Food.
Gupta, Aabha; Tiwari, Santosh Kumar
Lactobacillus plantarum LD1 was isolated from dosa batter and identified by biochemical, physiological and genetic methods. Species level identification was done by 16S rDNA amplification and sequencing. The probiotic potential of strain LD1 was assessed by different standard parameters. Cell surface hydrophobicity was recorded to be 62% with SAT value <0.007 M. Seventy-eight percent of viable count was found after treatment with simulated gastric juice containing pepsin (pH 2.0). Bile salt tolerance and bile salt hydrolase activity were also demonstrated by strain LD1. The culture supernatant was able to inhibit food-borne as well as clinical pathogenic microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, urogenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio sp. Strain LD1 was found to be sensitive to most of the antibiotics used in the study. Since strain has been isolated from food source that is most typical of Southern India, it would be safe for further consumption in probiotic products. PMID:24676724
Teaching Business Law to Non-Law Students, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse ("CaLD") Students, and Large Classes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kariyawasam, Kanchana; Low, Hang Yen
This paper is largely based on the experience of teaching law to students with non-legal background in business schools, with a focus on internationalisation and the large class lecture format. Business schools often consist of large classes which include a significant proportion of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) students. Teaching a…
Graphic Organizers and Their Effects on the Reading Comprehension of Students with LD: A Synthesis of Research
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, A-H.; Vaughn, S.; Wanzek, J.; Wei, S.
Previous research studies examining the effects of graphic organizers on reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities (LD) are reviewed. An extensive search of the professional literature between 1963 and June 2001 yielded a total of 21 group design intervention studies that met the criteria for inclusion in the synthesis. Using…
Molecular dissection and expression of the LdK39 kinesin in the human pathogen, Leishmania donovani.
Gerald, Noel J; Coppens, Isabelle; Dwyer, Dennis M
In this study we show for the first time the intracellular distribution of a K39 kinesin homologue in Leishmania donovani, a medically important parasite of humans. Further, we demonstrated that this motor protein is expressed in both the insect and mammalian developmental forms (i.e. promastigote and amastigotes) of this organism. Moreover, in both of these parasite developmental stages, immunofluorescence indicated that the LdK39 kinesin accumulated at anterior and posterior cell poles and that it displayed a peripheral localization consistent with the cortical cytoskeleton. Using a molecular approach, we identified, cloned and characterized the first complete open reading frame for the gene (LdK39) encoding this large (> 358 kDa) motor protein in L. donovani. Based on these observations, we subsequently used a homologous episomal expression system to dissect and express the functional domains that constitute the native molecule. Cell fractionation experiments demonstrated that LdK39 was soluble and that it bound to detergent-extracted cytoskeletons of these parasites in an ATP-dependent manner. The cumulative results of these experiments are consistent with LdK39 functioning as an ATP-dependent kinesin which binds to and travels along the cortical cytoskeleton of this important human pathogen. PMID:17257310
Helping Students with Disabilities Transition to College: 21 Tips for Students with LD and/or ADD/ADHD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Connor, David J.
Making the transition from high school to college poses challenges for most students. Moving from a secure, regulated world of secondary education into an unfamiliar environment requiring greater independence can be a destabilizing experience. For students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), managing this…
Some aspects of a free jet phenomena to 105 L/D in a constant area duct
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hendricks, R. C.
Under certain conditions, inlets with a Borda type geometry were shown to exhibit sufficiently strong separation effects to permit the working fluid to flow through the duct as if it were a free jet. Mass limiting flow data and associated pressure profiles for tubes of 14, 53, 64, 73, and 105 L/D with a Borda type inlet were taken to determine bounds of the free jet phenomena. For a given tube roughness, the limits appear to be one dimensional and dependent only on inlet stagnation conditions. For smooth tubes the upper L/D boundary is related by P sub R roughly equal to CT to the 17th power and sub R, C roughly equal to 00017 (L/D) to the 2.5 power where F sub R = P/P sub c is reduced pressure and T sub R = T/T sub c is reduced temperature. The lower bound appears to be saturation conditions at the inlet. Similar free jet effects were found for fluid hydrogen indicating that fluid jetting may be common to all fluids. While limited data on surface roughness show a decrease in the upper L/D limit, nevertheless fluid jetting still occurred.
The Baseplate of Lactobacillus delbrueckii Bacteriophage Ld17 Harbors a Glycerophosphodiesterase.
Cornelissen, Anneleen; Sadovskaya, Irina; Vinogradov, Evgeny; Blangy, Stéphanie; Spinelli, Silvia; Casey, Eoghan; Mahony, Jennifer; Noben, Jean-Paul; Dal Bello, Fabio; Cambillau, Christian; van Sinderen, Douwe
Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases (GDPDs; EC 126.96.36.199) typically hydrolyze glycerophosphodiesters to sn-glycerol 3-phosphate (Gro3P) and their corresponding alcohol during patho/physiological processes in bacteria and eukaryotes. GDPD(-like) domains were identified in the structural particle of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) specifically infecting Gram-positive bacteria. The GDPD of phage 17 (Ld17; GDPDLd17), representative of the group b Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Ldb)-infecting bacteriophages, was shown to hydrolyze, besides the simple glycerophosphodiester, two complex surface-associated carbohydrates of the Ldb17 cell envelope: the Gro3P decoration of the major surface polysaccharide d-galactan and the oligo(glycerol phosphate) backbone of the partially glycosylated cell wall teichoic acid, a minor Ldb17 cell envelope component. Degradation of cell wall teichoic acid occurs according to an exolytic mechanism, and Gro3P substitution is presumed to be inhibitory for GDPDLd17 activity. The presence of the GDPDLd17 homotrimer in the viral baseplate structure involved in phage-host interaction together with the dependence of native GDPD activity, adsorption, and efficiency of plating of Ca(2+) ions supports a role for GDPDLd17 activity during phage adsorption and/or phage genome injection. In contrast to GDPDLd17, we could not identify any enzymatic activity for the GDPD-like domain in the neck passage structure of phage 340, a 936-type Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis bacteriophage. PMID:27268053
Structure and Function of a Novel ld-Carboxypeptidase A Involved in Peptidoglycan Recycling
Das, Debanu; Hervé, Mireille; Elsliger, Marc-André; Kadam, Rameshwar U.; Grant, Joanna C.; Chiu, Hsiu-Ju; Knuth, Mark W.; Klock, Heath E.; Miller, Mitchell D.; Godzik, Adam; Lesley, Scott A.; Deacon, Ashley M.
Approximately 50% of cell wall peptidoglycan in Gram-negative bacteria is recycled with each generation. The primary substrates used for peptidoglycan biosynthesis and recycling in the cytoplasm are GlcNAc-MurNAc(anhydro)-tetrapeptide and its degradation product, the free tetrapeptide. This complex process involves ∼15 proteins, among which the cytoplasmic enzyme ld-carboxypeptidase A (LdcA) catabolizes the bond between the last two l- and d-amino acid residues in the tetrapeptide to form the tripeptide, which is then utilized as a substrate by murein peptide ligase (Mpl). LdcA has been proposed as an antibacterial target. The crystal structure of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans DSM 12444 LdcA (NaLdcA) was determined at 1.89-Å resolution. The enzyme was biochemically characterized and its interactions with the substrate modeled, identifying residues potentially involved in substrate binding. Unaccounted electron density at the dimer interface in the crystal suggested a potential site for disrupting protein-protein interactions should a dimer be required to perform its function in bacteria. Our analysis extends the identification of functional residues to several other homologs, which include enzymes from bacteria that are involved in hydrocarbon degradation and destruction of coral reefs. The NaLdcA crystal structure provides an alternate system for investigating the structure-function relationships of LdcA and increases the structural coverage of the protagonists in bacterial cell wall recycling. PMID:24123814
Measurements in film cooling flows: Hole L/D and turbulence intensity effects
Burd, S.W.; Kaszeta, R.W.; Simon, T.W.
Hot-wire anemometry of simulated film cooling was used to study the influence of freestream turbulence intensity and film cooling hole length-to-diameter ratio on mean velocity and turbulence intensity. Measurements were made in the zone where the coolant and freestream flows mix. Flow from one row of film cooling holes with a streamwise injection of 35{degree} and no lateral injection and with a coolant- to-freestream flow velocity ratio of 1.0 was investigated under freestream turbulence levels of 0.5 and 12%. Coolant-to-freestream density ratio was unity. Two length-to-diameter ratios for the film cooling holes, 2.3 and 7.0, are tested. Results show that under low freestream turbulence conditions, pronounced differences exist in the flowfield between L/D=7.0 and 2.3; the differences are less prominent at high freestream turbulence intensities. Generally, short-L/D injection results in ``jetting`` of the coolant further into the freestream flow and enhanced mixing. Other changes in the flowfield attributable to a rise in freestream turbulence intensity to engine- representative conditions are documented. 15 figs, 2 tabs, refs.
Key inventions in the history of nitride-based blue LED and LD
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akasaki, Isamu
It was quite difficult to grow high quality single crystals of nitrides and impossible to control their electric conduction. These problems prevented the development of nitride-based devices for many years. In 1986, a dramatic improvement in the crystalline quality of GaN was achieved by use of low-temperature-deposited (LT) buffer layer technology in metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. In 1989, the high quality GaN enabled us to produce p-type conduction in nitrides and to control the conductivity of n-type nitrides. These achievements led to the invention of the world's first GaN p-n junction blue/UV LED in 1989. Room temperature UV stimulated emission, which is indispensable for laser operation, was also achieved in 1990 by use of high quality GaN films grown with the LT-buffer layers. These breakthroughs inspired nitride researchers around the world to greater efforts, and eventually led to the commercialization of high-performance blue LEDs and long-life violet LDs as well as the development of nitride-based devices such as high-speed transistors. Furthermore, unique properties such as a large piezoelectric effect were also clarified due to the marked improvements in crystal quality of nitrides. In this paper, key inventions during the development of nitride-based blue LED and LD are reviewed and a recent advance in UV devices is also described.
Welding Induced Alignment Distortion in Dual-in-Line LD Packages
Liu, Wenning N.; Sun, Xin; Khaleel, Mohammad A.; Shi, Frank G.
The tolerance for the movement of a single mode fiber relative to the laser is extremely tight, a submicron movement can often lead to a significant misalignment and thus the reduction in the power coupled into the fiber. Among various fiber pigtailing assembly technologies, pulsed laser welding is the method with submicron accuracy and is most conducive to automation. However, the melting-solidification process during laser welding can often distort the pre-achieved fiber-optic alignment. This Welding-Induced-Alignment-Distortion (WIAD) is a serious concern and significantly affects the yield for single mode fiber pigtailing to a semiconductor laser. In this paper, effect of laser welding sequence on WIAD in a dual-in-line packager is numerically investigated by means of Finite Element Method (FEM). Optimal welding sequence may minimize WIAD in dual-in-line package. Additionally, unsymmetrical space between fiber and U-channel induced by laser welding of U-channel–to-plate in DIP LD packages is found to have obvious effect on WIAD.
A low timing jitter picosecond microchip laser pumped by pulsed LD
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Sha; Wang, Yan-biao; Feng, Guoying; Zhou, Shou-huan
SESAM passively Q-switched microchip laser is a very promising instrument to replace mode locked lasers to obtain picosecond pulses. The biggest drawback of a passively Q-switched microchip laser is its un-avoided large timing jitter, especially when the pump intensity is low, i.e. at low laser repetition rate range. In order to obtain a low timing jitter passively Q-switched picosecond microchip laser in the whole laser repetition rate range, a 1000 kHz pulsed narrow bandwidth Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) stablized laser diode was used as the pump source. By tuning the pump intensity, we could control the output laser frequency. In this way, we achieved a very low timing jitter passively Q-switched picosecond laser at 2.13 mW, 111.1 kHz. The relative timing jitter was only 0.0315%, which was around 100 times smaller compared with a cw LD pumped microchip working at hundred kilohertz repetition rate frequency range.
Reproducibility of area at risk assessment in acute myocardial infarction by T1- and T2-mapping sequences in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in comparison to Tc99m-sestamibi SPECT.
Langhans, Birgit; Nadjiri, Jonathan; Jähnichen, Christin; Kastrati, Adnan; Martinoff, Stefan; Hadamitzky, Martin
Area at risk (AAR) is an important parameter for the assessment of the salvage area after revascularization in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). By combining AAR assessment by T2-weighted imaging and scar quantification by late gadolinium enhancement imaging cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) offers a promising alternative to the "classical" modality of Tc99m-sestamibi single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Current T2 weighted sequences for edema imaging in CMR are limited by low contrast to noise ratios and motion artifacts. During the last years novel CMR imaging techniques for quantification of acute myocardial injury, particularly the T1-mapping and T2-mapping, have attracted rising attention. But no direct comparison between the different sequences in the setting of AMI or a validation against SPECT has been reported so far. We analyzed 14 patients undergoing primary coronary revascularization in AMI in whom both a pre-intervention Tc99m-sestamibi-SPECT and CMR imaging at a median of 3.4 (interquartile range 3.3-3.6) days after the acute event were performed. Size of AAR was measured by three different non-contrast CMR techniques on corresponding short axis slices: T2-weighted, fat-suppressed turbospin echo sequence (TSE), T2-mapping from T2-prepared balanced steady state free precession sequences (T2-MAP) and T1-mapping from modified look locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) sequences. For each CMR sequence, the AAR was quantified by appropriate methods (absolute values for mapping sequences, comparison with remote myocardium for other sequences) and correlated with Tc99m-sestamibi-SPECT. All measurements were performed on a 1.5 Tesla scanner. The size of the AAR assessed by CMR was 28.7 ± 20.9 % of left ventricular myocardial volume (%LV) for TSE, 45.8 ± 16.6 %LV for T2-MAP, and 40.1 ± 14.4 %LV for MOLLI. AAR assessed by SPECT measured 41.6 ± 20.7 %LV. Correlation analysis revealed best correlation with SPECT for T2-MAP at a T2-threshold of 60 ms
Phospholipid translocation and miltefosine potency require both L. donovani miltefosine transporter and the new protein LdRos3 in Leishmania parasites.
Pérez-Victoria, F Javier; Sánchez-Cañete, María P; Castanys, Santiago; Gamarro, Francisco
The antitumor drug miltefosine has been recently approved as the first oral drug active against visceral leishmaniasis. We have previously identified the L. donovani miltefosine transporter (LdMT) as a P-type ATPase involved in phospholipid translocation at the plasma membrane of Leishmania parasites. Here we show that this protein is essential but not sufficient for the phospholipid translocation activity and, thus, for the potency of the drug. Based on recent findings in yeast, we have identified the putative beta subunit of LdMT, named LdRos3, as another protein factor required for the translocation activity. LdRos3 belongs to the CDC50/Lem3 family, proposed as likely beta subunits for P4-ATPases. The phenotype of LdRos3-defective parasites was identical to that of the LdMT-/-, including a defect in the uptake of 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl-amino)-phosphatidylserine, generally considered as not affected in Lem3p-deficient yeast. Both LdMT and LdRos3 normally localized to the plasma membrane but were retained inside the endoplasmic reticulum in the absence of the other protein or when inactivating point mutations were introduced in LdMT. Modulating the expression levels of either protein independently, we show that any one of them could behave as the protein limiting the level of flippase activity. Thus, LdMT and LdRos3 seem to form part of the same translocation machinery that determines flippase activity and miltefosine sensitivity in Leishmania, further supporting the consideration of CDC50/Lem3 proteins as beta subunits required for the normal functioning of P4-ATPases. PMID:16785229
Linkage Disequilibrium and Genome-Wide Association Mapping in Tetraploid Wheat (Triticum turgidum L.)
Laidò, Giovanni; Marone, Daniela; Russo, Maria A.; Colecchia, Salvatore A.; Mastrangelo, Anna M.; De Vita, Pasquale; Papa, Roberto
Association mapping is a powerful tool for the identification of quantitative trait loci through the exploitation of the differential decay of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between marker loci and genes of interest in natural and domesticated populations. Using a sample of 230 tetraploid wheat lines (Triticum turgidum ssp), which included naked and hulled accessions, we analysed the pattern of LD considering 26 simple sequence repeats and 970 mostly mapped diversity array technology loci. In addition, to validate the potential for association mapping in durum wheat, we evaluated the same genotypes for plant height, heading date, protein content, and thousand-kernel weight. Molecular and phenotypic data were used to: (i) investigate the genetic and phenotypic diversity; (ii) study the dynamics of LD across the durum wheat genome, by investigating the patterns of LD decay; and (iii) test the potential of our panel to identify marker–trait associations through the analysis of four quantitative traits of major agronomic importance. Moreover, we compared and validated the association mapping results with outlier detection analysis based on population divergence. Overall, in tetraploid wheat, the pattern of LD is extremely population dependent and is related to the domestication and breeding history of durum wheat. Comparing our data with several other studies in wheat, we confirm the position of many major genes and quantitative trait loci for the traits considered. Finally, the analysis of the selection signature represents a very useful complement to validate marker–trait associations. PMID:24759998
Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) 1998-2000 tropical ozone climatology 1. Comparison with Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and ground-based measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thompson, Anne M.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; McPeters, Richard D.; Oltmans, Samuel J.; Schmidlin, Francis J.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Fujiwara, Masatomo; Kirchhoff, Volker W. J. H.; Posny, FrançOise; Coetzee, Gert J. R.; Hoegger, Bruno; Kawakami, Shuji; Ogawa, Toshihiro; Johnson, Bryan J.; VöMel, Holger; Labow, Gordon
A network of 10 southern hemisphere tropical and subtropical stations, designated the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) project and established from operational sites, provided over 1000 ozone profiles during the period 1998-2000. Balloon-borne electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes, combined with standard radiosondes for pressure, temperature, and relative humidity measurements, collected profiles in the troposphere and lower to midstratosphere at: Ascension Island; Nairobi, Kenya; Irene, South Africa; Réunion Island; Watukosek, Java; Fiji; Tahiti; American Samoa; San Cristóbal, Galapagos; and Natal, Brazil. The archived data are available at:
Constructing a linkage–linkage disequilibrium map using dominant-segregating markers
Zhu, Xuli; Dong, Leiming; Jiang, Libo; Li, Huan; Sun, Lidan; Zhang, Hui; Yu, Weiwu; Liu, Haokai; Dai, Wensheng; Zeng, Yanru; Wu, Rongling
The relationship between linkage disequilibrium (LD) and recombination fraction can be used to infer the pattern of genetic variation and evolutionary process in humans and other systems. We described a computational framework to construct a linkage–LD map from commonly used biallelic, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for outcrossing plants by which the decline of LD is visualized with genetic distance. The framework was derived from an open-pollinated (OP) design composed of plants randomly sampled from a natural population and seeds from each sampled plant, enabling simultaneous estimation of the LD in the natural population and recombination fraction due to allelic co-segregation during meiosis. We modified the framework to infer evolutionary pasts of natural populations using those marker types that are segregating in a dominant manner, given their role in creating and maintaining population genetic diversity. A sophisticated two-level EM algorithm was implemented to estimate and retrieve the missing information of segregation characterized by dominant-segregating markers such as single methylation polymorphisms. The model was applied to study the relationship between linkage and LD for a non-model outcrossing species, a gymnosperm species, Torreya grandis, naturally distributed in mountains of the southeastern China. The linkage–LD map constructed from various types of molecular markers opens a powerful gateway for studying the history of plant evolution. PMID:26622063
Constructing a linkage-linkage disequilibrium map using dominant-segregating markers.
Zhu, Xuli; Dong, Leiming; Jiang, Libo; Li, Huan; Sun, Lidan; Zhang, Hui; Yu, Weiwu; Liu, Haokai; Dai, Wensheng; Zeng, Yanru; Wu, Rongling
The relationship between linkage disequilibrium (LD) and recombination fraction can be used to infer the pattern of genetic variation and evolutionary process in humans and other systems. We described a computational framework to construct a linkage-LD map from commonly used biallelic, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for outcrossing plants by which the decline of LD is visualized with genetic distance. The framework was derived from an open-pollinated (OP) design composed of plants randomly sampled from a natural population and seeds from each sampled plant, enabling simultaneous estimation of the LD in the natural population and recombination fraction due to allelic co-segregation during meiosis. We modified the framework to infer evolutionary pasts of natural populations using those marker types that are segregating in a dominant manner, given their role in creating and maintaining population genetic diversity. A sophisticated two-level EM algorithm was implemented to estimate and retrieve the missing information of segregation characterized by dominant-segregating markers such as single methylation polymorphisms. The model was applied to study the relationship between linkage and LD for a non-model outcrossing species, a gymnosperm species, Torreya grandis, naturally distributed in mountains of the southeastern China. The linkage-LD map constructed from various types of molecular markers opens a powerful gateway for studying the history of plant evolution. PMID:26622063
Helping Students with LD to Succeed: The Role of Teachers' Hope, Sense of Coherence and Specific Self-Efficacy
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Levi, Uzi; Einav, Michal; Raskind, Ilana; Ziv, Orit; Margalit, Malka
Teachers play a critical role in facilitating the academic achievements of students with learning disabilities (LD). The personal resources of teachers, such as sense of coherence (SOC) and hopeful thinking, may predict self-perception of the competency and efficacy they possess to help students with LD acquire needed learning skills. Several…
Diagnosis and Treatment of Reading Disabilities Based on the Component Model of Reading: An Alternative to the Discrepancy Model of LD
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aaron, P. G.; Joshi, R. Malatesha; Gooden, Regina; Bentum, Kwesi E.
Currently, learning disabilities (LD) are diagnosed on the basis of the discrepancy between students' IQ and reading achievement scores. Students diagnosed with LD often receive remedial instruction in resource rooms. The available evidence suggests that the educational policy based on this discrepancy model has not yielded satisfactory results.…
The Effects of a Growth Mindset Intervention on the Beliefs about Intelligence, Effort Beliefs, Achievement Goal Orientations, and Academic Self-Efficacy of LD Students with Reading Difficulties
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baldridge, Mary Caufield
The overall purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a "growth mindset" intervention on the beliefs about intelligence, effort beliefs, achievement goals, and academic self-efficacy of learning disabled (LD) students with reading difficulties. The treatment group consisted of 12 high school LD students with reading difficulties. This…
Effects of a Computerized Working Memory Training Program on Working Memory, Attention, and Academics in Adolescents with Severe LD and Comorbid ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gray, S. A.; Chaban, P.; Martinussen, R.; Goldberg, R.; Gotlieb, H.; Kronitz, R.; Hockenberry, M.; Tannock, R.
Background: Youths with coexisting learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for poor academic and social outcomes. The underlying cognitive deficits, such as poor working memory (WM), are not well targeted by current treatments for either LD or ADHD. Emerging evidence suggests that WM might be…
Links among Social Status, Service Delivery Mode, and Service Delivery Preference in LD, Low-Achieving, and Normally Achieving Elementary-Aged Children.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Le Mare, Lucy; de la Ronde, Marie
Relations among social status, current service delivery, and service delivery preferences were examined in 42 students with learning disabilities (LD), 40 low-achieving, and 42 average/high-achieving students in grades 2-4 and 6-7. Most students preferred pullout service to in-class service. Only among LD students were self- and peer-rated social…
Technical note: Characteristics and use of the Illumina BovineLD and GeneSeek Genomic Profiler low-density bead chips for genomic evaluation
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP) BeadChip, which became available commercially in February 2012, is based on the Illumina BovineLD Genotyping BeadChip with 1,745 additional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for genomic evaluation and SNPs for proprietary single-gene tests. The BovineLD chip ...
Characterization and localization of ORFF gene from the LD1 locus of Leishmania donovani.
Jain, Manju; Madhubala, Rentala
The Leishmania genome project has identified new genes at a rapid rate. The 32.8-megabase haploid genome of Leishmania major (Friedlin strain) is published and the comparative analysis of genome sequences of two other species, Leishmania infantum and Leishmanai braziliensis has been done. The haploid genome of Leishmania major (Friedlin strain) has around 8272 protein-coding genes, of which only 36% can be ascribed a putative function. Out of these open reading frames around 910 Leishmania major genes have no orthologs in the other two Tritryp genomes. These "Leishmania -restricted" genes hold a potential as novel drug targets and potential vaccine candidates. Open reading frame, ORFF, is a single copy gene located on the chromosome 35 as a part of the multigene LD1 locus. Indirect immunofluorescence study and creation of ORFF-GFP fusion showed that ORFF is localized in the DNA containing compartments of Leishmania donovani, the nucleus and the kinetoplast. In order to characterize ORFF gene of L. donovani, we have created ORFF over-expressors and single allele deletion mutants by homologous replacement strategy. ORFF is likely to be an important gene for the parasite growth since results from over-expression studies and characterization of ORFF heterozygous knockout mutants reveal marked alterations in the cell cycle phenotype compared to the wild-type parasites. Flowcytometry based cell cycle analysis showed selective increase in the DNA synthetic phase of the ORFF over-expressors and a subversion of the same in heterozygous knockouts of ORFF suggesting its potential role in cell cycle progression. PMID:18423903
Internal Flow Analysis of Large L/D Solid Rocket Motors
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Laubacher, Brian A.
Traditionally, Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) internal ballistic performance has been analyzed and predicted with either zero-dimensional (volume filling) codes or one-dimensional ballistics codes. One dimensional simulation of SRM performance is only necessary for ignition modeling, or for motors that have large length to port diameter ratios which exhibit an axial "pressure drop" during the early burn times. This type of prediction works quite well for many types of motors, however, when motor aspect ratios get large, and port to throat ratios get closer to one, two dimensional effects can become significant. The initial propellant grain configuration for the Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) was analyzed with 2-D, steady, axi-symmetric computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results of the CFD analysis show that the steady-state performance prediction at the initial burn geometry, in general, agrees well with 1-D transient prediction results at an early time, however, significant features of the 2-D flow are captured with the CFD results that would otherwise go unnoticed. Capturing these subtle differences gives a greater confidence to modeling accuracy, and additional insight with which to model secondary internal flow effects like erosive burning. Detailed analysis of the 2-D flowfield has led to the discovery of its hidden 1-D isentropic behavior, and provided the means for a thorough and simplified understanding of internal solid rocket motor flow. Performance parameters such as nozzle stagnation pressure, static pressure drop, characteristic velocity, thrust and specific impulse are discussed in detail and compared for different modeling and prediction methods. The predicted performance using both the 1-D codes and the CFD results are compared with measured data obtained from static tests of the RSRM. The differences and limitations of predictions using ID and 2-D flow fields are discussed and some suggestions for the design of large L/D motors and
Natural selection mapping of the warfarin-resistance gene
Kohn, Michael H.; Pelz, Hans-Joachim; Wayne, Robert K.
In theory, genes under natural selection can be revealed by unique patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and polymorphism at physically linked loci. However, given the effects of recombination and mutation, the physical extent and persistence of LD patterns in natural populations is uncertain. To assess the LD signature of selection, we survey variation in 26 microsatellite loci spanning an ≈32-cM region that includes the warfarin-resistance gene (Rw) in five wild rat populations having resistance levels between 0 and 95%. We find a high frequency of heterozygote deficiency at microsatellite loci in resistant populations, and a negative association between gene diversity (H) and resistance. Contrary to previous studies, these data suggest that directional rather than overdominant selection may predominate during periods of intense anticoagulant treatment. In highly resistant populations, extensive LD was observed over a chromosome segment spanning ≈14% of rat chromosome 1. In contrast, LD in a moderately resistant population was more localized and, in conjunction with likelihood ratios, allowed assignment of Rw to a 2.2-cM interval. Within this genomic window, a diagnostic marker, D1Rat219, assigned 91% of rats to the correct resistance category. These results further demonstrate that "natural selection mapping" in field populations can detect and map major fitness-related genes, and question overdominance as the predominant mode of selection in anticoagulant-resistant rat populations. PMID:10884423
An empiric comparison of linkage disequilibrium parameters in disease gene localizations; the myotonic dystrophy experience
Podolsky, L.; Baird, S.; Korneluk, R.G.
Analyses of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers of known location and disease phenotypes often provide valuable information in efforts to clone the causative genes. However, there exist a number of factors which may attenuate a consistent inverse relationship between physical distance and LD for a given pairing of a genetic marker and a human disease gene. Chief among these is the effect of the general population frequency of an allele which demonstrates LD with a disease gene. Possibly as a result of this, a number of methods of calculating LD has been proposed. We have calculated seven such LD parameters for twelve physically mapped RFLP`s from a 1.3 Mb DM gene containing region of 19q13.3 using 107 DM and 213 non-DM chromosomes. Correlation of the DM-marker physical distance with LD for the 12 loci reveals the Yule coefficient and Dij{prime} parameter to give the most consistent relationship. The D{prime} parameter shown to have a relative allele frequency independence gave only a weak correlation. A similar analysis is being carried out on published cystic fibrosis genetic and physical mapping data. The parameters identified in this study may be the most appropriate for future LD based localizations of disease genes.
Design of LD in-band direct-pumping side surface polished micro-rod Nd:YVO4 laser
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wen-Qi, Zhang; Fei, Wang; Qiang, Liu; Ma-Li, Gong
To diminish the thermal load, two ways, that is, in-band direct pumping and micro-rod crystal, could be adopted at the same time. The efficiency of LD in-band direct-pumping side surface polished micro-rod Nd:YVO4 laser is numerically analyzed. By optimizing parameters such as crystal length, laser mode radius, pump beam radius, doping concentration and crystal cross-section size, the overall efficiency can reach over 50%. It is found that with micro-rod crystal implemented in the laser oscillator, high overall efficiency LD in-band direct-pumping Nd:YVO4 laser could be realized. High efficiency combined with low thermal load makes this laser an outstanding scheme for building high-power Nd:YVO4 lasers.
Albrecht Unsöld: a Pioneer in the Interpretation of the Origin of the Cosmic Radio Emission
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wielebinski, Richard
Albrecht Unsöld was born 20th April 1905 in Bohlheim (Württenberg) and died in 1995 in Kiel. He was appointed in 1932 at the age of only 26 to the Chair of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics at the University of Kiel. This appointment initiated a very successful development of the studies of stellar atmospheres in Kiel under his life-long direction. Unsöld developed an active cooperation with astronomers in the USA. During a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship he used the Mount Wilson 100'' telescope for spectral work. A major book published by him (Unsöld, 1938) ``Physik der Sternatmosphären (mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Sonne)'' dealt with stellar atmospheres and became a classic in this research area. Prof. Unsöld kept the good contacts to colleagues in the USA having a visiting professor appointment in Chicago in 1939. At the Yerkes Observatory, working with Otto Struve (1888--1956), he became familiar with the observations of Karl Jansky (1905--1950) and Grote Reber (1911--2002). He immediately realised the close connection between the observed radio waves and the stellar atmospheres research. The origin of the radio emission observed by Jansky and Reber at first eluded interpretation. The major conclusion in the early days was that `the black-body radiation theory failed to account for Jansky's observations by a factor of 104 in the most favourable case'. Unsöld started his investigations based on the data available to him in 1940, at first trying to bring the free-free emission to explain the radio observations. Unsöld from that time on began to use the Effective Temperature definition as obtained from the Rayleigh--Jeans approximation. This was a great step forward, going away from the intensity definitions (mVolts/m) used by radio engineers up to that time. A paper submitted in 1944 to the German journal `Die Naturwissenschaften' was published only in 1946. In this paper the conclusion is drawn that only electron temperatures of some 100,000 K
A comparison of multicopter and fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) applied to mapping debris flows in small alpine catchments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sotier, Bernadette; Lechner, Veronika
The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for documenting natural hazard events (e.g. debris flows) is becoming increasingly popular, as UAS allow on-demand, flexible and cost-efficient data acquisition. In this paper, we present the results of a comparison of multicopter and fixed-wing UAS. They were employed in the summer of 2015 to map two small alpine catchments located in Western Austria, where debris flows had occurred recently: The first event took place in the Seigesbach (Tyrol), the second occurred in the Plojergraben (Salzburg). For the Seigesbach mission, a fixed-wing UAS (Multiplex Mentor), equipped with a Sony NEX5 (50 mm prime lens, 14 MP sensor resolution) was employed to acquire approximately 4,000 images. In the Plojergraben an AustroDrones X18 octocopter was used, carrying a Sony ILCE-7R (35 mm prime lens, 36 MP sensor resolution) to record 1,700 images. Both sites had a size of approximately 2km². 20 ground control points (GCP) were distributed within both catchments, and their location was measured (Trimble GeoXT, expected accuracy 0.15 m). Using standard structure-from-motion photogrammetry software (AgiSoft PhotoScan Pro, v. 1.1.6), orthophotos (5 cm ground sampling distance - GSD) and digital surface models (DSM) (20 cm GSD) were calculated. Volume differences caused by the debris flow (i.e. deposition heights and erosion depths) computed by subtracting post-event from pre-event DSMs. Even though the terrain conditions in the two catchments were comparable, the challenges during the field campaign and the evaluation of the aerial images were very different. The main difference between the two campaigns was the number of flights required to cover the catchment: only four were needed by the fixed-wing UAS, while the multicopter required eleven in the Plojergraben. The fixed-wing UAS is specially designed for missions in hardly accessible regions, requiring only two people to carry the whole equipment, while in this case a car was needed for the
A comparison of candidate gene-based and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approaches to trait mapping in Gossypium barbadense L
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The genomes of cultivated cottons are large, complex, and incompletely characterized. The applications of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for genetic analyses (e.g. QTL mapping, association mapping, etc.) are made problematic by the presence of multiple orthologs, homeologs, and paralogs. W...
Effective L/D: A Theoretical Approach to the Measurement of Aero-Structural Efficiency in Aircraft Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Guynn, Mark D.
There are many trade-offs in aircraft design that ultimately impact the overall performance and characteristics of the final design. One well recognized and well understood trade-off is that of wing weight and aerodynamic efficiency. Higher aerodynamic efficiency can be obtained by increasing wing span, usually at the expense of higher wing weight. The proper balance of these two competing factors depends on the objectives of the design. For example, aerodynamic efficiency is preeminent for sailplanes and long slender wings result. Although the wing weight-drag trade is universally recognized, aerodynamic efficiency and structural efficiency are not usually considered in combination. This paper discusses the concept of "aero-structural efficiency," which combines weight and drag characteristics. A metric to quantify aero-structural efficiency, termed effective L/D, is then derived and tested with various scenarios. Effective L/D is found to be a practical and robust means to simultaneously characterize aerodynamic and structural efficiency in the context of aircraft design. The primary value of the effective L/D metric is as a means to better communicate the combined system level impacts of drag and structural weight.
A comparison of Landsat 8 (OLI) and Landsat 7 (ETM+) in mapping geology and visualising lineaments: A case study of central region Kenya
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mwaniki, M. W.; Moeller, M. S.; Schellmann, G.
Availability of multispectral remote sensing data cheaply and its higher spectral resolution compared to remote sensing data with higher spatial resolution has proved valuable for geological mapping exploitation and mineral mapping. This has benefited applications such as landslide quantification, fault pattern mapping, rock and lineament mapping especially with advanced remote sensing techniques and the use of short wave infrared bands. While Landsat and Aster data have been used to map geology in arid areas and band ratios suiting the application established, mapping in geology in highland regions has been challenging due to vegetation land cover. The aim of this study was to map geology and investigate bands suited for geological applications in a study area containing semi arid and highland characteristics. Therefore, Landsat 7 (ETM+, 2000) and Landsat 8 (OLI, 2014) were compared in determining suitable bands suited for geological mapping in the study area. The methodology consist performing principal component and factor loading analysis, IHS transformation and decorrelation stretch of the FCC with the highest contrast, band rationing and examining FCC with highest contrast, and then performing knowledge base classification. PCA factor loading analysis with emphasis on geological information showed band combination (5, 7, 3) for Landsat 7 and (6, 7, 4) for Landsat 8 had the highest contrast and more contrast was enhanced by performing decorrelation stretch. Band ratio combination (3/2, 5/1, 7/3) for Landsat 7 and (4/3, 6/2, 7/4) for Landsat 8 had more contrast on geologic information and formed the input data in knowledge base classification. Lineament visualisazion was achieved by performing IHS transformation of FCC with highest contrast and its saturation band combined as follows: Landsat 7 (IC1, PC2, saturation band), Landsat 8 (IC1, PC4, saturation band). The results were compared against existing geology maps and were superior and could be used to update
Association mapping for kernel phytosterol content in almond
Font i Forcada, Carolina; Velasco, Leonardo; Socias i Company, Rafel; Fernández i Martí, Ángel
Almond kernels are a rich source of phytosterols, which are important compounds for human nutrition. The genetic control of phytosterol content has not yet been documented in almond. Association mapping (AM), also known as linkage disequilibrium (LD), was applied to an almond germplasm collection in order to provide new insight into the genetic control of total and individual sterol contents in kernels. Population structure analysis grouped the accessions into two principal groups, the Mediterranean and the non-Mediterranean. There was a strong subpopulation structure with LD decaying with increasing genetic distance, resulting in lower levels of LD between more distant markers. A significant impact of population structure on LD in the almond cultivar groups was observed. The mean r2-value for all intra-chromosomal loci pairs was 0.040, whereas, the r2 for the inter-chromosomal loci pairs was 0.036. For analysis of association between the markers and phenotypic traits five models were tested. The mixed linear model (MLM) approach using co-ancestry values from population structure and kinship estimates (K model) as covariates identified a maximum of 13 significant associations. Most of the associations found appeared to map within the interval where many candidate genes involved in the sterol biosynthesis pathway are predicted in the peach genome. These findings provide a valuable foundation for quality gene identification and molecular marker assisted breeding in almond. PMID:26217374
Image Analysis for Facility Siting: a Comparison of Lowand High-altitude Image Interpretability for Land Use/land Cover Mapping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Borella, H. M.; Estes, J. E.; Ezra, C. E.; Scepan, J.; Tinney, L. R.
For two test sites in Pennsylvania the interpretability of commercially acquired low-altitude and existing high-altitude aerial photography are documented in terms of time, costs, and accuracy for Anderson Level II land use/land cover mapping. Information extracted from the imagery is to be used in the evaluation process for siting energy facilities. Land use/land cover maps were drawn at 1:24,000 scale using commercially flown color infrared photography obtained from the United States Geological Surveys' EROS Data Center. Detailed accuracy assessment of the maps generated by manual image analysis was accomplished employing a stratified unaligned adequate class representation. Both 'area-weighted' and 'by-class' accuracies were documented and field-verified. A discrepancy map was also drawn to illustrate differences in classifications between the two map scales. Results show that the 1:24,000 scale map set was more accurate (99% to 94% area-weighted) than the 1:62,500 scale set, especially when sampled by class (96% to 66%). The 1:24,000 scale maps were also more time-consuming and costly to produce, due mainly to higher image acquisition costs.
CARETS: A prototype regional environmental information system. Volume 6: Cost, accuracy and consistency comparisons of land use maps made from high-altitude aircraft photography and ERTS imagery
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Alexander, R. H. (Principal Investigator); Fitzpatrick, K. A.
The author has identified the following significant results. Level 2 land use maps produced at three scales (1:24,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000) from high altitude photography were compared with each other and with point data obtained in the field. The same procedures were employed to determine the accuracy of the Level 1 land use maps produced at 1:250,000 from high altitude photography and color composite ERTS imagery. Accuracy of the Level 2 maps was 84.9 percent at 1:24,000, 77.4 percent at 1:100,000 and 73.0 percent at 1:250,000. Accuracy of the Level 1 1:250,000 maps was 76.5 percent for aerial photographs and 69.5 percent for ERTS imagery. The cost of Level 2 land use mapping at 1:24,000 was found to be high ($11.93 per sq km). The cost of mapping at 1:100,000 ($1.75) was about two times as expensive as mapping at 1:250,000 ($.88), and the accuracy increased by only 4.4 percent.
Construction of black (Rubus occidentalis) and red (R. idaeus) raspberry linkage maps and their comparison to the genomes of strawberry, apple, and peach.
Bushakra, J M; Stephens, M J; Atmadjaja, A N; Lewers, K S; Symonds, V V; Udall, J A; Chagné, D; Buck, E J; Gardiner, S E
The genus Rubus belongs to the Rosaceae and is comprised of 600-800 species distributed world-wide. To date, genetic maps of the genus consist largely of non-transferable markers such as amplified fragment length polymorphisms. An F(1) population developed from a cross between an advanced breeding selection of Rubus occidentalis (96395S1) and R. idaeus 'Latham' was used to construct a new genetic map consisting of DNA sequence-based markers. The genetic linkage maps presented here are constructed of 131 markers on at least one of the two parental maps. The majority of the markers are orthologous, including 14 Rosaceae conserved orthologous set markers, and 60 new gene-based markers developed for raspberry. Thirty-four published raspberry simple sequence repeat markers were used to align the new maps to published raspberry maps. The 96395S1 genetic map consists of six linkage groups (LG) and covers 309 cM with an average of 10 cM between markers; the 'Latham' genetic map consists of seven LG and covers 561 cM with an average of 5 cM between markers. We used BLAST analysis to align the orthologous sequences used to design primer pairs for Rubus genetic mapping with the genome sequences of Fragaria vesca 'Hawaii 4', Malus × domestica 'Golden Delicious', and Prunus 'Lovell'. The alignment of the orthologous markers designed here suggests that the genomes of Rubus and Fragaria have a high degree of synteny and that synteny decreases with phylogenetic distance. Our results give unprecedented insights into the genome evolution of raspberry from the putative ancestral genome of the single ancestor common to Rosaceae. PMID:22398438
Albrecht Unsöld: his role in the interpretation of the origin of cosmic radio emission and in the beginning of radio astronomy in Germany
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wielebinski, Richard
Albrecht Unsöld's career spanned over 50 years at the beginning of the 20th century. In this period atomic physics made great advances and Unsöld applied this to astrophysical questions. He came in contact with the early radio astronomy observations and devoted part of his career to the interpretation of the origin of cosmic radio waves. Although hampered by the post-war situation, Unsöld's contributions to the interpretation of cosmic radio waves were important.
Iconicity as structure mapping
Emmorey, Karen
Linguistic and psycholinguistic evidence is presented to support the use of structure-mapping theory as a framework for understanding effects of iconicity on sign language grammar and processing. The existence of structured mappings between phonological form and semantic mental representations has been shown to explain the nature of metaphor and pronominal anaphora in sign languages. With respect to processing, it is argued that psycholinguistic effects of iconicity may only be observed when the task specifically taps into such structured mappings. In addition, language acquisition effects may only be observed when the relevant cognitive abilities are in place (e.g. the ability to make structural comparisons) and when the relevant conceptual knowledge has been acquired (i.e. information key to processing the iconic mapping). Finally, it is suggested that iconicity is better understood as a structured mapping between two mental representations than as a link between linguistic form and human experience. PMID:25092669
Iconicity as structure mapping.
Emmorey, Karen
Linguistic and psycholinguistic evidence is presented to support the use of structure-mapping theory as a framework for understanding effects of iconicity on sign language grammar and processing. The existence of structured mappings between phonological form and semantic mental representations has been shown to explain the nature of metaphor and pronominal anaphora in sign languages. With respect to processing, it is argued that psycholinguistic effects of iconicity may only be observed when the task specifically taps into such structured mappings. In addition, language acquisition effects may only be observed when the relevant cognitive abilities are in place (e.g. the ability to make structural comparisons) and when the relevant conceptual knowledge has been acquired (i.e. information key to processing the iconic mapping). Finally, it is suggested that iconicity is better understood as a structured mapping between two mental representations than as a link between linguistic form and human experience. PMID:25092669
Improving learning with science and social studies text using computer-based concept maps for students with disabilities.
Ciullo, Stephen; Falcomata, Terry S; Pfannenstiel, Kathleen; Billingsley, Glenna
Concept maps have been used to help students with learning disabilities (LD) improve literacy skills and content learning, predominantly in secondary school. However, despite increased access to classroom technology, no previous studies have examined the efficacy of computer-based concept maps to improve learning from informational text for students with LD in elementary school. In this study, we used a concurrent delayed multiple probe design to evaluate the interactive use of computer-based concept maps on content acquisition with science and social studies texts for Hispanic students with LD in Grades 4 and 5. Findings from this study suggest that students improved content knowledge during intervention relative to a traditional instruction baseline condition. Learning outcomes and social validity information are considered to inform recommendations for future research and the feasibility of classroom implementation. PMID:25301848
A Scale-Corrected Comparison of Linkage Disequilibrium Levels between Genic and Non-Genic Regions
Berger, Swetlana; Schlather, Martin; de los Campos, Gustavo; Weigend, Steffen; Preisinger, Rudolf; Erbe, Malena; Simianer, Henner
The understanding of non-random association between loci, termed linkage disequilibrium (LD), plays a central role in genomic research. Since causal mutations are generally not included in genomic marker data, LD between those and available markers is essential for capturing the effects of causal loci on localizing genes responsible for traits. Thus, the interpretation of association studies requires a detailed knowledge of LD patterns. It is well known that most LD measures depend on minor allele frequencies (MAF) of the considered loci and the magnitude of LD is influenced by the physical distances between loci. In the present study, a procedure to compare the LD structure between genomic regions comprising several markers each is suggested. The approach accounts for different scaling factors, namely the distribution of MAF, the distribution of pair-wise differences in MAF, and the physical extent of compared regions, reflected by the distribution of pair-wise physical distances. In the first step, genomic regions are matched based on similarity in these scaling factors. In the second step, chromosome- and genome-wide significance tests for differences in medians of LD measures in each pair are performed. The proposed framework was applied to test the hypothesis that the average LD is different in genic and non-genic regions. This was tested with a genome-wide approach with data sets for humans (Homo sapiens), a highly selected chicken line (Gallus gallus domesticus) and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In all three data sets we found a significantly higher level of LD in genic regions compared to non-genic regions. About 31% more LD was detected genome-wide in genic compared to non-genic regions in Arabidopsis thaliana, followed by 13.6% in human and 6% chicken. Chromosome-wide comparison discovered significant differences on all 5 chromosomes in Arabidopsis thaliana and on one third of the human and of the chicken chromosomes. PMID:26517830
Mapping cell populations in flow cytometry data for cross-sample comparison using the Friedman-Rafsky test statistic as a distance measure.
Hsiao, Chiaowen; Liu, Mengya; Stanton, Rick; McGee, Monnie; Qian, Yu; Scheuermann, Richard H
Flow cytometry (FCM) is a fluorescence-based single-cell experimental technology that is routinely applied in biomedical research for identifying cellular biomarkers of normal physiological responses and abnormal disease states. While many computational methods have been developed that focus on identifying cell populations in individual FCM samples, very few have addressed how the identified cell populations can be matched across samples for comparative analysis. This article presents FlowMap-FR, a novel method for cell population mapping across FCM samples. FlowMap-FR is based on the Friedman-Rafsky nonparametric test statistic (FR statistic), which quantifies the equivalence of multivariate distributions. As applied to FCM data by FlowMap-FR, the FR statistic objectively quantifies the similarity between cell populations based on the shapes, sizes, and positions of fluorescence data distributions in the multidimensional feature space. To test and evaluate the performance of FlowMap-FR, we simulated the kinds of biological and technical sample variations that are commonly observed in FCM data. The results show that FlowMap-FR is able to effectively identify equivalent cell populations between samples under scenarios of proportion differences and modest position shifts. As a statistical test, FlowMap-FR can be used to determine whether the expression of a cellular marker is statistically different between two cell populations, suggesting candidates for new cellular phenotypes by providing an objective statistical measure. In addition, FlowMap-FR can indicate situations in which inappropriate splitting or merging of cell populations has occurred during gating procedures. We compared the FR statistic with the symmetric version of Kullback-Leibler divergence measure used in a previous population matching method with both simulated and real data. The FR statistic outperforms the symmetric version of KL-distance in distinguishing equivalent from nonequivalent cell
GIS-based groundwater spring potential mapping in the Sultan Mountains (Konya, Turkey) using frequency ratio, weights of evidence and logistic regression methods and their comparison
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ozdemir, Adnan
SummaryIn this study, groundwater spring potential maps produced by three different methods, frequency ratio, weights of evidence, and logistic regression, were evaluated using validation data sets and compared to each other. Groundwater spring occurrence potential maps in the Sultan Mountains (Konya, Turkey) were constructed using the relationship between groundwater spring locations and their causative factors. Groundwater spring locations were identified in the study area from a topographic map. Different thematic maps of the study area, such as geology, topography, geomorphology, hydrology, and land use/cover, have been used to identify groundwater potential zones. Seventeen spring-related parameter layers of the entire study area were used to generate groundwater spring potential maps. These are geology (lithology), fault density, distance to fault, relative permeability of lithologies, elevation, slope aspect, slope steepness, curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, topographic wetness index, stream power index, sediment transport capacity index, drainage density, distance to drainage, land use/cover, and precipitation. The predictive capability of each model was determined by the area under the relative operating characteristic curve. The areas under the curve for frequency ratio, weights of evidence and logistic regression methods were calculated as 0.903, 0.880, and 0.840, respectively. These results indicate that frequency ratio and weights of evidence models are relatively good estimators, whereas logistic regression is a relatively poor estimator of groundwater spring potential mapping in the study area. The frequency ratio model is simple; the process of input, calculation and output can be readily understood. The produced groundwater spring potential maps can serve planners and engineers in groundwater development plans and land-use planning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Day, Dennis
Explains a social studies lesson for third graders that uses KidPix, a computer software graphics program to help students make maps and map keys. Advantages to using the computer versus hand drawing maps are discussed, and an example of map requirements for the lesson is included. (LRW)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Callison, Daniel
Explains concept mapping as a heuristic device that is helpful in visualizing the relationships between and among ideas. Highlights include how to begin a map; brainstorming; map applications, including document or information summaries and writing composition; and mind mapping to strengthen note-taking. (LRW)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
In the early 1990s, the Ohio State University Center for Mapping, a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), developed a system for mobile mapping called the GPSVan. While driving, the users can map an area from the sophisticated mapping van equipped with satellite signal receivers, video cameras and computer systems for collecting and storing mapping data. George J. Igel and Company and the Ohio State University Center for Mapping advanced the technology for use in determining the contours of a construction site. The new system reduces the time required for mapping and staking, and can monitor the amount of soil moved.
Relationship of serum gentamicin levels and methylprednisolone sodium succinate treatment in baboons challenged with Escherichia coli LD100.
Flournoy, D J; Beller, B K; Archer, L T; Hinshaw, L B
Serum gentamicin bioassay determinations were performed on 15 adult baboons that had been challenged with an infusion of live Escherichia coli sufficient to kill all of the individuals (LD100) and then treated with either methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) (administered early in some animals and late in others) and gentamicin sulfate (GS) or with GS only. Initial peak gentamicin levels in all three groups were similar; however, subsequent valley levels revealed that when MPSS treatment was delayed or omitted, gentamicin concentrations remained elevated. PMID:6347383
FUNDAMENTAL AREAS OF PHENOMENOLOGY (INCLUDING APPLICATIONS): Ld-Clad-Pumped All-Fiber Tm3+-Doped Silica Fiber Laser
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Yun-Jun; Song, Shi-Fei; Tian, Yi; Wang, Yue-Zhu
The CW 39.4 W all-fiber LD-clad-pumped Tm3+-doped fiber laser output is reported with a slope efficiency of 34% in respect to the pump power. The all-fiber laser is made up by progressively splicing the pigtail fiber, matched FBG fiber and Tm-doped fiber. The reflective FBG and Tm-doped fiber end fresnel reflection build up the laser resonance cavity. Due to the multi-mode FBG as the reflective mirror, the output laser spectrum is multi-peaks at high power output, whereas the total spectrum width is less than 2nm at nearly 1.94 μm.
Academic procrastination, emotional intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and GPA: a comparison between students with and without learning disabilities.
Hen, Meirav; Goroshit, Marina
Academic procrastination has been seen as an impediment to students' academic success. Research findings suggest that it is related to lower levels of self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy and associated with higher levels of anxiety, stress, and illness. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to assess, regulate, and utilize emotions and has been found to be associated with academic self-efficacy and a variety of better outcomes, including academic performance. Students with learning disabilities (LD) are well acquainted with academic difficulty and maladaptive academic behavior. In comparison to students without LD, they exhibit high levels of learned helplessness, including diminished persistence, lower academic expectations, and negative affect. This study examined the relationships among academic procrastination, EI, and academic performance as mediated by academic self-efficacy in 287 LD and non-LD students. Results indicated that the indirect effect of EI on academic procrastination and GPA was stronger in LD students than in non-LD students. In addition, results indicated that LD students scored lower than non-LD students on both EI and academic self-efficacy and higher on academic procrastination. No difference was found in GPA. PMID:22442254
Evaluation of NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light Data for Mapping Global Fossil Fuel Combustion CO2 Emissions: A Comparison with DMSP-OLS Nighttime Light Data.
Ou, Jinpei; Liu, Xiaoping; Li, Xia; Li, Meifang; Li, Wenkai
Recently, the stable light products and radiance calibrated products from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) have been useful for mapping global fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at fine spatial resolution. However, few studies on this subject were conducted with the new-generation nighttime light data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Satellite, which has a higher spatial resolution and a wider radiometric detection range than the traditional DMSP-OLS nighttime light data. Therefore, this study performed the first evaluation of the potential of NPP-VIIRS data in estimating the spatial distributions of global CO2 emissions (excluding power plant emissions). Through a disaggregating model, three global emission maps were then derived from population counts and three different types of nighttime lights data (NPP-VIIRS, the stable light data and radiance calibrated data of DMSP-OLS) for a comparative analysis. The results compared with the reference data of land cover in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou show that the emission areas of map from NPP-VIIRS data have higher spatial consistency of the artificial surfaces and exhibit a more reasonable distribution of CO2 emission than those of other two maps from DMSP-OLS data. Besides, in contrast to two maps from DMSP-OLS data, the emission map from NPP-VIIRS data is closer to the Vulcan inventory and exhibits a better agreement with the actual statistical data of CO2 emissions at the level of sub-administrative units of the United States. This study demonstrates that the NPP-VIIRS data can be a powerful tool for studying the spatial distributions of CO2 emissions, as well as the socioeconomic indicators at multiple scales. PMID:26390037
Evaluation of NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light Data for Mapping Global Fossil Fuel Combustion CO2 Emissions: A Comparison with DMSP-OLS Nighttime Light Data
Ou, Jinpei; Liu, Xiaoping; Li, Xia; Li, Meifang; Li, Wenkai
Recently, the stable light products and radiance calibrated products from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) have been useful for mapping global fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at fine spatial resolution. However, few studies on this subject were conducted with the new-generation nighttime light data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Satellite, which has a higher spatial resolution and a wider radiometric detection range than the traditional DMSP-OLS nighttime light data. Therefore, this study performed the first evaluation of the potential of NPP-VIIRS data in estimating the spatial distributions of global CO2 emissions (excluding power plant emissions). Through a disaggregating model, three global emission maps were then derived from population counts and three different types of nighttime lights data (NPP-VIIRS, the stable light data and radiance calibrated data of DMSP-OLS) for a comparative analysis. The results compared with the reference data of land cover in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou show that the emission areas of map from NPP-VIIRS data have higher spatial consistency of the artificial surfaces and exhibit a more reasonable distribution of CO2 emission than those of other two maps from DMSP-OLS data. Besides, in contrast to two maps from DMSP-OLS data, the emission map from NPP-VIIRS data is closer to the Vulcan inventory and exhibits a better agreement with the actual statistical data of CO2 emissions at the level of sub-administrative units of the United States. This study demonstrates that the NPP-VIIRS data can be a powerful tool for studying the spatial distributions of CO2 emissions, as well as the socioeconomic indicators at multiple scales. PMID:26390037
A technique for the determination of Louisiana marsh salinity zone from vegetation mapped by multispectral scanner data: A comparison of satellite and aircraft data
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Butera, M. K.
Vegetation in selected study areas on the Louisiana coast was mapped using low altitude aircraft and satellite (LANDSAT) multispectral scanner data. Fresh, brackish, and saline marshes were then determined from the remotely sensed presence of dominant indicator plant associations. Such vegetational classifications were achieved from data processed through a standard pattern recognition computer program. The marsh salinity zone maps from the aircraft and satellite data compared favorably within the broad salinity regimes. The salinity zone boundaries determined by remote sensing compared favorably with those interpolated from line-transect field observations from an earlier year.
Linkage disequilibrium based association mapping of fiber quality traits in G. hirsutum L. variety germplasm
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Cotton is the world's leading cash crop, but it lags behind other major crops for marker-assisted breeding due to limited polymorphisms and a genetic bottleneck through historic domestication. Linkage disequilibrium (LD)-mapping using nonrandom associations of loci in haplotypes is a powerful high-r...
Comparison of multi-temporal NOAA-AVHRR and SPOT-XS satellite data for mapping land-cover dynamics in the West African Sahel
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Marsh, S. E.; Walsh, J. L.; Lee, C. T.; Beck, L. R.; Hutchinson, C. F.
Multi-resolution and multi-temporal remote sensing data (SPOT-XS and AVHRR) were evaluated for mapping local land-cover dynamics in the Sahel of West Africa. The aim of this research was to evaluate the agricultural information that could be derived from both high and low spatial resolution data in areas where there is very often limited ground information. A combination of raster-based image processing and vector-based geographical information system mapping was found to be effective for understanding both spatial and spectral land-cover dynamics. The SPOT data proved useful for mapping local land-cover classes in a dominantly recessive agricultural region. The AVHRR-LAC data could be used to map the dynamics of riparian vegetation, but not the changes associated with recession agriculture. In areas where there was a complex mixture of recession and irrigated agriculture, as well as riparian vegetation, the AVHRR data did not provide an accurate temporal assessment of vegetation dynamics.
Construction of black (Rubus occidentalis) and red (R. idaeus) raspberry linkage maps and their comparison to the genomes of strawberry, apple, and peach
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The genus Rubus belongs to the Rosaceae and is comprised of 600-800 species distributed worldwide. To date, genetic maps of the genus consist largely of non-transferable markers such as amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP). An F1 population developed from a cross between an advanced breedi...
A Comparison of Electromagnetic Induction Mapping to Measurements of Maximum Effluent Flow Depth for Assessing Flow Paths in Vegetative Treatment Areas
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Vegetative treatment systems (VTSs) are one type of control structure that has shown potential to control runoff from open feedlots. To achieve maximum performance, sheet-flow over the width of the vegetative treatment area (VTA) is required. Tools, such as maps of flow paths through the VTA, are ne...
Landslide susceptibility mapping at Golestan Province, Iran: A comparison between frequency ratio, Dempster-Shafer, and weights-of-evidence models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mohammady, Majid; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza; Pradhan, Biswajeet
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the landslide susceptibility mapping using three statistical models such as frequency ratio, Dempster-Shafer, and weights-of-evidence at southern part of Golestan province. At first, landslide locations were identified from the interpretation of aerial photographs, and field surveys. A total of 392 landslides were mapped in GIS out of which 275 (70%) locations were chosen for the modeling purpose and the remaining 118 (30%) cases were used for the model validation. Then layers of the landslide conditioning factors were prepared. The relationship between the conditioning factors and the landslides were calculated using three models. For verification, the results were compared with landslides which were not used during the training of the models. Subsequently, the ROC (Receiver operating characteristic) curves and area under the curves (AUC) for three landslide susceptibility maps were constructed and the areas under curves were assessed for validation purpose. The validation results showed that the area under the curve for frequency ratio, Dempster-Shafer, and weights-of-evidence models are 0.8013 (80.13%), 0.7832 (78.32%), and 0.7460 (74.60%) with prediction accuracy 0.7516 (75%), 0.7396 (73%), and 0.6998 (69%) respectively. The results revealed that frequency ratio model has higher AUC than the other models. In general, all the three models produced reasonable accuracy. The resultant maps would be useful for general land use planning.
Non-Traditional Learners in Higher Education: Comparison of a Traditional MCQ Examination with Concept Mapping to Assess Learning in a Dental Radiological Science Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hay, David B.; Tan, Po Li; Whaites, Eric
The aim of this study is to argue for alternative assessment methods (i.e. concept map) considering the changes in demography in higher education. In the case of school of dentistry, for example, there is an urgent call for a catalyst for new assessment methods in dental education in view of the drive to comprehensively assess professional…
Hydrogeological features and environmental impacts of geothermal waters in the Yıldız River Basin (Sivas, Turkey).
Keskin, Tülay Ekemen; Kaçaroğlu, Fikret
The study area, located in the Yıldız River Basin (Sivas), has eight geothermal waters, which are used for balneotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the natural and/or anthropogenic water pollution in terms of drinking and irrigation water in the Sıcak Çermik, Uyuz Çermiği, and Hamzaşeyh Çermiği geothermal areas. Na+, Cl-, SO4(-2), B, Mn, Fe, As, and Se concentrations of the geothermal waters generally exceed the upper limits stated in the Turkish Standards for Water Intended for Human Consumption and World Health Organization regulations. Based on the irrigation water classification by the U.S. Salinity Laboratory Diagram, it is concluded that these waters may have hazardous levels of salinity and sodium when used as irrigation water. Wastewater from these health and tourism centers is discharged into the Yıldız River and to agricultural land. This procedure causes increase in the concentrations of major and minor elements and negatively affects the river water quality. PMID:25790518
Automation and Control of an Imaging Internal Laser Desorption Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometer (I2LD-FTMS)
McJunkin, Timothy R; Tranter, Troy Joseph; Scott, Jill Rennee
This paper describes the automation of an imaging internal source laser desorption Fourier transform mass spectrometer (I2LD-FTMS). The I2LD-FTMS consists of a laser-scanning device [Scott and Tremblay, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 2002, 73, 1108–1116] that has been integrated with a laboratory-built FTMS using a commercial data acquisition system (ThermoFinnigan FT/MS, Bremen, Germany). A new user interface has been developed in National Instrument's (Austin, Texas) graphical programming language LabVIEW to control the motors of the laser positioning system and the commercial FTMS data acquisition system. A feature of the FTMS software that allows the user to write macros in a scripting language is used creatively to our advantage in creating a mechanism to control the FTMS from outside its graphical user interface. The new user interface also allows the user to configure target locations. Automation of the data analysis along with data display using commercial graphing software is also described.
Mars Aerocapture Analysis For MESUR/Mars-Pathfinder Aeroshells Using Un-modulated Control in Low L/D Configurations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wercinski, Paul F.; Edwards, Thomas A. (Technical Monitor)
Aerocapture scenarios are examined to determine the feasibility of using MESUR/Mars Pathfinder aeroshell designs to capture spacecraft aerodynamically into Mars orbit. Using lift over drag (L/D) ratios up to 0.3, entry trajectories were simulated over a range of entry vehicle masses and entry velocities. Entry corridor widths were calculated for undershoot and overshoot trajectories yielding Mars parking orbits having periods from 2 to 20 hours. For entries with L/D = 0.3, entry corridor widths of about 1.2 degrees are possible over entry velocities from 5.5 to 9.0 km/sec. The design constraints for an aeroshell used for orbital aerocapture are less severe than a ballistic entry for a surface lander mission such as Mars Pathfinder, because the aerothermodynamic heating and deceleration loads are smaller. The mass savings from aerocapture orbit insertion versus propulsive insertion into Mars orbit could result in significantly reducing program costs and increasing mission capabilities.
What Characteristics Confer Proteins the Ability to Induce Allergic Responses? IgE Epitope Mapping and Comparison of the Structure of Soybean 2S Albumins and Ara h 2.
Han, Youngshin; Lin, Jing; Bardina, Ludmilla; Grishina, Galina A; Lee, Chaeyoon; Seo, Won Hee; Sampson, Hugh A
Ara h 2, a peanut 2S albumin, is associated with severe allergic reactions, but a homologous protein, soybean 2S albumin, is not recognized as an important allergen. Structural difference between these proteins might explain this clinical discrepancy. Therefore, we mapped sequential epitopes and compared the structure of Ara h 2, Soy Al 1, and Soy Al 3 (Gly m 8) to confirm whether structural differences account for the discrepancy in clinical responses to these two proteins. Commercially synthesized peptides covering the full length of Ara h 2 and two soybean 2S albumins were analyzed by peptide microarray. Sera from 10 patients with peanut and soybean allergies and seven non-atopic controls were examined. The majority of epitopes in Ara h 2 identified by microarray are consistent with those identified previously. Several regions in the 2S albumins are weakly recognized by individual sera from different patients. A comparison of allergenic epitopes on peanut and soybean proteins suggests that loop-helix type secondary structures and some amino acids with a large side chain including lone electron pair, such as arginine, glutamine, and tyrosine, makes the peptides highly recognizable by the immune system. By utilizing the peptide microarray assay, we mapped IgE epitopes of Ara h 2 and two soybean 2S albumins. The use of peptide microarray mapping and analysis of the epitope characteristics may provide critical information to access the allergenicity of food proteins. PMID:27187334
Peptidoglycan ld-Carboxypeptidase Pgp2 Influences Campylobacter jejuni Helical Cell Shape and Pathogenic Properties and Provides the Substrate for the dl-Carboxypeptidase Pgp1*
Frirdich, Emilisa; Vermeulen, Jenny; Biboy, Jacob; Soares, Fraser; Taveirne, Michael E.; Johnson, Jeremiah G.; DiRita, Victor J.; Girardin, Stephen E.; Vollmer, Waldemar; Gaynor, Erin C.
Despite the importance of Campylobacter jejuni as a pathogen, little is known about the fundamental aspects of its peptidoglycan (PG) structure and factors modulating its helical morphology. A PG dl-carboxypeptidase Pgp1 essential for maintenance of C. jejuni helical shape was recently identified. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the CJJ81176_0915 gene product as co-occurring with Pgp1 in several organisms. Deletion of cjj81176_0915 (renamed pgp2) resulted in straight morphology, representing the second C. jejuni gene affecting cell shape. The PG structure of a Δpgp2 mutant showed an increase in tetrapeptide-containing muropeptides and a complete absence of tripeptides, consistent with ld-carboxypeptidase activity, which was confirmed biochemically. PG analysis of a Δpgp1Δpgp2 double mutant demonstrated that Pgp2 activity is required to generate the tripeptide substrate for Pgp1. Loss of pgp2 affected several pathogenic properties; the deletion strain was defective for motility in semisolid agar, biofilm formation, and fluorescence on calcofluor white. Δpgp2 PG also caused decreased stimulation of the human nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 1 (Nod1) proinflammatory mediator in comparison with wild type, as expected from the reduction in muropeptide tripeptides (the primary Nod1 agonist) in the mutant; however, these changes did not alter the ability of the Δpgp2 mutant strain to survive within human epithelial cells or to elicit secretion of IL-8 from epithelial cells after infection. The pgp2 mutant also showed significantly reduced fitness in a chick colonization model. Collectively, these analyses enhance our understanding of C. jejuni PG maturation and help to clarify how PG structure and cell shape impact pathogenic attributes. PMID:24394413
Michael Goodchild recently gave eight reasons why traditional maps are limited as communication devices, and how interactive internet mapping can overcome these limitations. In the past, many authorities in cartography, from Jenks to Bertin, have emphasized the importance of sim...
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
A wall-sized geological map of Kentucky, the product of 18 years of work, has just been released. Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) at the University of Kentucky, the map is unique, according to state geologist Donald Haney, because it is the first and only state map ever produced in detailed form from geologic quadrangle maps already available from the KGS.At a scale of 1:250,000, the map shows the surface distribution of various types of rock throughout the state, as well as geologic structure, faults, and surface coal beds. Numerous geologic sections, stratigraphic diagrams, correlation charts, and structure sections accompany the map. Compiled by R. C. McDowell and S. L. Moore of the USGS and by G. J . Grabowski of the KGS, the map was made by photoreducing and generalizing the detailed geologic quadrangle maps.
Map Adventures, with seven accompanying lessons, is appropriate for grades K-3. Students will learn basic concepts for visualizing objects from different perspectives and how to understand /and use maps.
The comparative study of Yaz and Ovocept-ld on patients with simple ovarian cysts referring to Iran-Isfahan Shariati Hospital
Riahinejad, Soheyla; Pour, Azam Foroughi; Dehghani, Leila; Hajizadeh, Saadat
Background: Functional ovarian cysts include follicular, corpus luteum, and theca lutein cysts are the most common adnexal masses (about 50%) in women of reproductive age. Treatment with the combined monophasic oral contraceptives reduces functional ovarian cysts. Yaz (drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol) is a low-dose combined oral contraceptive pill containing 20 μg ethinyl estradiol and 3 mg drospirenone. In addition to contraceptive effects, Yaz has anti-mineralocorticoid and anti-adrenergic effects. Ovocept- low-dose LD is also a low-dose combined oral contraceptive drug containing 30 μg ethinyl estradiol and 3 mg norgestrol. Ovocept-LD has some side-effects such as weight gain, spotting, breast tenderness, nausea, and headache. Materials and Methods: Being a clinical study, the present research was carried out on 42 patients with the simple ovarian cysts from 2010 to 2012. 84 Patients were assigned to A and B groups. Group A received Yaz once a day for a period of 28 days and group B received Ovocept-LD once a day for a period of 21 days. After treating by Yaz and Ovocept-LD, Cysts were evaluated by ultrasound. Results were analyzed by the SPSS software. A P < 0.05 was considered the significance threshold. Results: Obtained results indicated that both Yaz and Ovocept-LD had an effect on the simple ovarian cysts. Statistical tests, however, has shown that the effect of Yaz has been significantly more than that of Ovocept-LD. Conclusion: Given the faster and better recovery effect, and the lesser side effects of Yaz as compared to Ovocept-LD, it is recommended to use Yaz for the simple ovarian cysts. PMID:25337535
Segregative clustering of Lo and Ld membrane microdomains induced by local pH gradients in GM1-containing giant vesicles: a lipid model for cellular polarization.
Staneva, Galya; Puff, Nicolas; Seigneuret, Michel; Conjeaud, Hélène; Angelova, Miglena I
Several cell polarization processes are coupled to local pH gradients at the membrane surface. We have investigated the involvement of a lipid-mediated effect in such coupling. The influence of lateral pH gradients along the membrane surface on lipid microdomain dynamics in giant unilamellar vesicles containing phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, cholesterol, and the ganglioside GM1 was studied. Lo/Ld phase separation was generated by photosensitization. A lateral pH gradient was established along the external membrane surface by acid local microinjection. The gradient promotes the segregation of microdomains: Lo domains within an Ld phase move toward the higher pH side, whereas Ld domains within an Lo phase move toward the lower pH side. This results in a polarization of the vesicle membrane into Lo and Ld phases poles in the axis of the proton source. A secondary effect is inward tubulation in the Ld phase. None of these processes occurs without GM1 or with the analog asialo-GM1. These are therefore related to the acidic character of the GM1 headgroup. LAURDAN fluorescence experiments on large unilamellar vesicles indicated that, with GM1, an increase in lipid packing occurs with decreasing pH, attributed to the lowering of repulsion between GM1 molecules. Packing increase is much higher for Ld phase vesicles than for Lo phase vesicles. It is proposed that the driving forces for domain vectorial segregative clustering and vesicle polarization are related to such differences in packing variations with pH decrease between the Lo and Ld phases. Such pH-driven domain clustering might play a role in cellular membrane polarization processes in which local lateral pH gradients are known to be important, such as migrating cells and epithelial cells. PMID:23121205
Seasonal bloom dynamics and ecophysiology of the freshwater sister clade of SAR11 bacteria 'that rule the waves' (LD12)
Salcher, Michaela M; Pernthaler, Jakob; Posch, Thomas
Alphaproteobacteria are common members of marine bacterioplankton assemblages, but are believed to be rare in lacustrine systems. However, uncultured Alphaproteobacteria of the freshwater LD12 lineage form a tight monophyletic sister group with the numerically dominant bacteria in marine epipelagic waters, the SAR11 clade or genus Pelagibacter. Comparative rRNA sequence analysis reveals a global occurrence of LD12 bacteria in freshwater systems. The association of genotypic subclades with single-study systems moreover suggests a regional diversification. LD12 bacteria exhibit distinct and annually recurring spatio-temporal distribution patterns in prealpine lakes, as assessed by seasonally resolved vertical profiling and high-throughput cell counting. During the summer months, these ultramicrobacteria can form cell densities in the surface (epilimnetic) water layers that are comparable to those of their marine counterparts (>5 × 108 cells per l). LD12 bacteria had a pronounced preference for glutamine and glutamate over 7 other amino acids in situ, and they exhibited substantially higher uptake of these two substrates (and glycine) than the microbial assemblage in general. In addition, members of LD12 were also able to exploit other monomeric sources of organic carbon such as glucose, fructose or acetate. LD12 seemed to follow an oligotrophic lifestyle with slow but efficient uptake already at low substrate concentrations. Thus, LD12 bacteria do not only share phenotypic and metabolic traits with Pelagibacter, but also seem to thrive in the analogous spatiotemporal niche in freshwaters. The two groups together form one of the rare monophyletic lineages of ultramicrobacteria that have successfully traversed the barrier between marine and freshwater habitats. PMID:21412347
A comparison of heritability maps of cortical surface area and thickness and the influence of adjustment for whole brain measures: a magnetic resonance imaging twin study.
Eyler, Lisa T; Chen, Chi-Hua; Panizzon, Matthew S; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Neale, Michael C; Jak, Amy; Jernigan, Terry L; Fischl, Bruce; Franz, Carol E; Lyons, Michael J; Grant, Michael; Prom-Wormley, Elizabeth; Seidman, Larry J; Tsuang, Ming T; Fiecas, Mark Joseph A; Dale, Anders M; Kremen, William S
Understanding the genetic and environmental contributions to measures of brain structure such as surface area and cortical thickness is important for a better understanding of the nature of brain-behavior relationships and changes due to development or disease. Continuous spatial maps of genetic influences on these structural features can contribute to our understanding of regional patterns of heritability, since it remains to be seen whether genetic contributions to brain structure respect the boundaries of any traditional parcellation approaches. Using data from magnetic resonance imaging scans collected on a large sample of monozygotic and dizygotic twins in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging, we created maps of the heritability of areal expansion (a vertex-based area measure) and cortical thickness and examined the degree to which these maps were affected by adjustment for total surface area and mean cortical thickness. We also compared the approach of estimating regional heritability based on the average heritability of vertices within the region to the more traditional region-of-interest (ROI)-based approach. The results suggested high heritability across the cortex for areal expansion and, to a slightly lesser degree, for cortical thickness. There was a great deal of genetic overlap between global and regional measures for surface area, so maps of region-specific genetic influences on surface area revealed more modest heritabilities. There was greater inter-regional variability in heritabilities when calculated using the traditional ROI-based approach compared to summarizing vertex-by-vertex heritabilities within regions. Discrepancies between the approaches were greatest in small regions and tended to be larger for surface area than for cortical thickness measures. Implications regarding brain phenotypes for future genetic association studies are discussed. PMID:22856366
Comparison of T1ρ and T2* Relaxation Mapping in Patients with Different Grades of Disc Degeneration at 3T MR
Zhang, Xinjuan; Yang, Li; Gao, Fei; Yuan, Zhenguo; Lin, Xiangtao; Yao, Bin; Chen, Weibo; Chan, Queenie; Wang, Guangbin
Background T1ρ and T2* relaxation times are capable of providing information about early biochemical changes in intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD). The purpose of this study was to assess and compare T1ρ and T2* mapping in IVDD with reference to Pfirrmann grade. Material/Methods Lumbar sagittal T2-weighted, T1ρ and T2* relaxation MRI were performed at 3.0T in 42 subjects covering discs L1–L2 to L5–S1. All the discs were morphologically assessed according to the Pfirrmann grade. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn over the T1ρ and T2*mappings, including nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosus (AF). Wilcoxon signed rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman rank correlation were performed. Results The difference in T1ρ and T2* values between NP and AF were highly significant (P<0.001). The trends of decreasing T1ρ and T2* values of both NP and AF with increasing Pfirrmann grades was significant (P<0.01), particularly between Pfirrmann grade II and III (P<0.001), whereas T2* mapping was additionally able to detect changes in the AF between Pfirrmann grade I and II (P<0.05). Pfirrmann grades were inversely significantly correlated with both T1ρ and T2* values in the NP (r=–0.69, P<0.001; r=−0.56, P<0.001) and AF (r=−0.45, P<0.001; r=−0.26, P<0.001). Conclusions The process of IVDD can be detected by T1ρ and T2* mapping, particularly at early stage, and both methodologies displayed roughly comparable performance. PMID:26141783
Creating a system for the geological exploitation of satellite images: Automatic mapping and geophysical data comparison. [in the Pyrenees and Alps
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Braconne, S.; Cavalier, M.; Dubesset, M.; Guillemot, J.; Guy, M.
A method is presented for integrating satellite images into a geophysical data interpretation system. Aspects of the method include: an attempt to automatically interpret images by structural, mainly topological, methods for the mapping of geological contours; an analysis of the position relation of the contours gives a skeleton stratigraphy (order of succession); and a system combining some of the extracted elements with geographic data to make an objective search for an interpretation hypothesis. Some examples are presented.
Comparison of Clinical Trajectories before Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy between Diabetic Nephropathy and Nephrosclerosis on the KDIGO Guidelines Heat Map.
Abe, Masanori; Okada, Kazuyoshi; Maruyama, Noriaki; Takashima, Hiroyuki; Oikawa, Osamu; Soma, Masayoshi
This study investigated differences between the clinical trajectories of diabetic nephropathy and nephrosclerosis using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) heat map and the clinical characteristics between the two diseases at RRT initiation. This single-center, retrospective study enrolled 100 patients whose estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was ≥45 mL/min/1.73 m(2) at their first visit and who were initiated on RRT. Fifty consecutive patients were assigned to each of the diabetic nephropathy and nephrosclerosis groups. All data for simultaneously measured eGFR and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) were collected from first visit to RRT initiation and were plotted on the KDIGO heat map. Diabetic nephropathy was characterized by higher blood pressure and UACR and lower age, eGFR, and serum albumin levels compared with nephrosclerosis at RRT initiation. The vast majority of patients with diabetic nephropathy and eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) had concomitant macroalbuminuria, whereas for patients with nephrosclerosis, even when eGFR was <45 mL/min/1.73 m(2), many still had normoalbuminuria or microalbuminuria. The rate of decline of eGFR was significantly faster in the diabetic nephropathy group than that in the nephrosclerosis group. The clinical trajectories of diabetic nephropathy and nephrosclerosis differed markedly on the KDIGO heat map. PMID:26839894
Shades of gray: A comparison of linkage disequilibrium between Hutterites and Europeans
Thompson, Emma E; Sun, Ying; Nicolae, Dan; Ober, Carole
Founder or isolated populations have advantages for genetic studies due to decreased genetic and environmental heterogeneity. However, whereas longer range linkage disequilibrium (LD) in these populations is expected to facilitate gene localization, extensive LD may actually limit the ability for gene discovery. The North American Hutterite population is one of the best characterized young founder populations and members of this isolate have been the subjects of our studies of complex traits, including fertility, asthma and cardiovascular disease, for >20 years. Here, we directly assess the patterns and extent of global LD using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes with minor allele frequencies (MAFs) ≥5% from the Affymetrix GeneChip® Mapping 500K array in 60 relatively unrelated Hutterites and 60 unrelated Europeans (HapMap CEU). Although LD among some marker pairs extends further in the Hutterites than in Europeans, the pattern of LD and minor allele frequencies are surprisingly similar. These results indicate that 1) identifying disease genes should be no more difficult in the Hutterites than in outbred European populations, 2) the same common susceptibility alleles for complex diseases should be present in the Hutterites and outbred European populations, and 3) imputation algorithms based on HapMap CEU should be applicable to the Hutterites. PMID:19697328
Influences of pump beam distribution on thermal lensing spherical aberration in an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Song, Xiao-lu; Li, Bing-bin; Guo, Zhen; Wang, Shi-yu; Cai, De-fang; Wen, Jian-guo
A numerical investigation is made on the thermal lensing and spherical aberration effect in an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser. Based on the finite element method (FEM), the laser rod temperature distribution is calculated and the focal length of the thermal lens is deduced, the influences of pump beam on the thermal lensing spherical aberration are mainly studied. The results show the thermal lens which focal length varied with the radial coordinate r is not an ideal lens. Given the heat dissipation boundary conditions, the radial dependent focal length will be shortened when the pump power raised or the waist radius of the pump beam reduced, meanwhile the radial differences of the focal length will decrease when the pump power increased. For a Super-Gaussian profile pump beam, the higher the exponent number, the more similar to flat top the pump beam is, and the less the radial differences of the focal length are.
Aerobraking of a low L/D manned vehicle from Geo return to rendezvous with the Space Shuttle
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gamble, J. D.; Cerimele, C. J.; Spratlin, K.
The results of a study of the airbraking portion of the flight of an Apollo class vehicle designed for a sortie from the Orbiter to Geo and return to Leo for Orbiter retrieval are presented. An ablative heat shield would be used on the vehicle to shed velocity to speeds commensurate with Orbiter rendezvous. A reference design was selected for a spacecraft configuration with an L/D ratio of 0.3 and a weight to lift surface ratio of 236 lb/sq ft. Atmospheric guidance would consist of using the bank angle for altitude and inclination angle control and an equilibrium bank angle was defined. The vehicle would have a maximum temperature, considering a reference sphere, of 4800 F and a peak load of about 2 g. Atmospheric exit parameters were also determined, together with minimum delta-V for rendezvous.
Large-scale dynamics of the stratosphere and mesosphere during the MAP/WINE campaign winter 1983 to 1984 in comparison with other winters
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Petzoldt, K.
For the MAP/WINE winter temperature and wind measurements of rockets were combined with SSU radiances (Stratospheric Sounder Unit onboard the NOAA satellites) and stratopause heights from the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) to get a retrieved data set including all available information. By means of this data set a hemispheric geopotential height, temperature and geostrophic wind fields eddy transports for wave mean flow interaction and potential vorticity for the interpretation of nonlinear wave breaking could be computed. Wave reflection at critical lines was investigated with respect of stratospheric warmings. The meridional gradient of the potential vorticity and focusing of wave activity is compared with derived data from satellite observations during other winters.
Cloning and physical mapping of RNA polymerase genes from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and comparison of homologies and gene orders with those of RNA polymerase genes from other methanogenic archaebacteria
Schallenberg, J.; Moes, M.; Truss, M.; Reiser, W.; Thomm, M.; Stetter, K.O.; Klein, A.
The structural genes encoding the four largest subunits of RNA polymerase, A, B', B'', and C, were physically mapped in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Winter. The genes formed a cluster in the order B'', B', A, C and had a common orientation. DNA hybridization experiments yielded different degrees of homology between RNA polymerase gene sequences of different species of Methanobacterium and Methanococcus voltae. No homology was detectable between Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and Methanosarcina barkeri. From Southern hybridization experiments in which probes of the four genes from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Winter and restriction digests of the genomic DNAs of the different methanogens were used, a common gene order of the RNA polymerase genes could be deduced.
Comparison of the chromosome maps around a resistance hot spot on chromosome 5 of potato and tomato using BAC-FISH painting.
Achenbach, Ute C; Tang, Xiaomin; Ballvora, Agim; de Jong, Hans; Gebhardt, Christiane
Potato chromosome 5 harbours numerous genes for important qualitative and quantitative traits, such as resistance to the root cyst nematode Globodera pallida and the late blight fungus, Phytophthora infestans. The genes make up part of a "hot spot" for resistances to various pathogens covering a genetic map length of 3 cM between markers GP21 and GP179. We established the physical size and position of this region on chromosome 5 in potato and tomato using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on pachytene chromosomes. Five potato bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones with the genetically anchored markers GP21, R1-contig (proximal end), CosA, GP179, and StPto were selected, labeled with different fluorophores, and hybridized in a five-colour FISH experiment. Our results showed the location of the BAC clones in the middle of the long arm of chromosome 5 in both potato and tomato. Based on chromosome measurements, we estimate the physical size of the GP21-GP179 interval at 0.85 Mb and 1.2 Mb in potato and tomato, respectively. The GP21-GP179 interval is part of a genome segment known to have inverted map positions between potato and tomato. PMID:20140028
Comparison of Skylab and LANDSAT images for geologic mapping in Northern Arizona. [Shivwits Plateau, Verde Valley, Coconino Plateau, and Red Lake in Arizona
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Goetz, A. F. H. (Principal Investigator); Abrams, M. J.; Gillespie, A. R.; Siegal, B. S.; Elston, D. P.; Lucchitta, I.; Wu, S. S. C.; Sanchez, A.; Dipaola, W. D.; Schafer, F. J.
The author has identified the following significant results. It was found that based on resolution, the Skylab S190A products were superior to LANDSAT images. Based on measurements of shoreline features in Lake Mead S190A images had 1.5 - 3 times greater resolution than LANDSAT. In general, the higher resolution of the Skylab data yielded better discrimination among rock units, but in the case of structural features, lower sun angle LANDSAT images (50 deg) were superior to higher sun angle Skylab images (77 deg). The most valuable advantage of the Skylab over the LANDSAT image products is the capability of producing stereo images. Field spectral reflectance measurements on the Coconino Plateau were made in an effort to determine the best spectral band for discrimination of the six geologic units in question, and these bands were 1.3, 1.2, 1.0, and 0.5 microns. The EREP multispectral scanner yielded data with a low signal to noise ratio which limited its usefulness for image enhancement work. Sites that were studied in Arizona were Shivwits Plateau, Verde Valley, Coconino Plateau, and Red Lake. Thematic maps produced by the three classification algorithms analyzed were not as accurate as the maps produced by photointerpretation of composites of enhanced images.
Mapping grassland leaf area index with airborne hyperspectral imagery: A comparison study of statistical approaches and inversion of radiative transfer models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Darvishzadeh, Roshanak; Atzberger, Clement; Skidmore, Andrew; Schlerf, Martin
Statistical and physical models have seldom been compared in studying grasslands. In this paper, both modeling approaches are investigated for mapping leaf area index (LAI) in a Mediterranean grassland (Majella National Park, Italy) using HyMap airborne hyperspectral images. We compared inversion of the PROSAIL radiative transfer model with narrow band vegetation indices (NDVI-like and SAVI2-like) and partial least squares regression (PLS). To assess the performance of the investigated models, the normalized RMSE (nRMSE) and R2 between in situ measurements of leaf area index and estimated parameter values are reported. The results of the study demonstrate that LAI can be estimated through PROSAIL inversion with accuracies comparable to those of statistical approaches ( R2 = 0.89, nRMSE = 0.22). The accuracy of the radiative transfer model inversion was further increased by using only a spectral subset of the data ( R2 = 0.91, nRMSE = 0.18). For the feature selection wavebands not well simulated by PROSAIL were sequentially discarded until all bands fulfilled the imposed accuracy requirements.
Effects of Non-Local Diffusion on Structural MRI Preprocessing and Default Network Mapping: Statistical Comparisons with Isotropic/Anisotropic Diffusion
Zuo, Xi-Nian; Xing, Xiu-Xia
Neuroimaging community usually employs spatial smoothing to denoise magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, e.g., Gaussian smoothing kernels. Such an isotropic diffusion (ISD) based smoothing is widely adopted for denoising purpose due to its easy implementation and efficient computation. Beyond these advantages, Gaussian smoothing kernels tend to blur the edges, curvature and texture of images. Researchers have proposed anisotropic diffusion (ASD) and non-local diffusion (NLD) kernels. We recently demonstrated the effect of these new filtering paradigms on preprocessing real degraded MRI images from three individual subjects. Here, to further systematically investigate the effects at a group level, we collected both structural and functional MRI data from 23 participants. We first evaluated the three smoothing strategies' impact on brain extraction, segmentation and registration. Finally, we investigated how they affect subsequent mapping of default network based on resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) data. Our findings suggest that NLD-based spatial smoothing maybe more effective and reliable at improving the quality of both MRI data preprocessing and default network mapping. We thus recommend NLD may become a promising method of smoothing structural MRI images of R-fMRI pipeline. PMID:22066005
A Comparison of Spectral Angle Mapper and Artificial Neural Network Classifiers Combined with Landsat TM Imagery Analysis for Obtaining Burnt Area Mapping
Petropoulos, George P.; Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad; Xanthopoulos, Gavriil; Karantounias, George; Scholze, Marko
Satellite remote sensing, with its unique synoptic coverage capabilities, can provide accurate and immediately valuable information on fire analysis and post-fire assessment, including estimation of burnt areas. In this study the potential for burnt area mapping of the combined use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classifiers with Landsat TM satellite imagery was evaluated in a Mediterranean setting. As a case study one of the most catastrophic forest fires, which occurred near the capital of Greece during the summer of 2007, was used. The accuracy of the two algorithms in delineating the burnt area from the Landsat TM imagery, acquired shortly after the fire suppression, was determined by the classification accuracy results of the produced thematic maps. In addition, the derived burnt area estimates from the two classifiers were compared with independent estimates available for the study region, obtained from the analysis of higher spatial resolution satellite data. In terms of the overall classification accuracy, ANN outperformed (overall accuracy 90.29%, Kappa coefficient 0.878) the SAM classifier (overall accuracy 83.82%, Kappa coefficient 0.795). Total burnt area estimates from the two classifiers were found also to be in close agreement with the other available estimates for the study region, with a mean absolute percentage difference of ∼1% for ANN and ∼6.5% for SAM. The study demonstrates the potential of the examined here algorithms in detecting burnt areas in a typical Mediterranean setting. PMID:22294909
Comparison of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Lithological Mapping Using Remote Sensing Data and Morphological Features: A Case Study in Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Othman, Arsalan; Gloaguen, Richard
Topographic effects and complex vegetation cover hinder lithology classification in mountain regions based not only in field, but also in reflectance remote sensing data. The area of interest "Bardi-Zard" is located in the NE of Iraq. It is part of the Zagros orogenic belt, where seven lithological units outcrop and is known for its chromite deposit. The aim of this study is to compare three machine learning algorithms (MLAs): Maximum Likelihood (ML), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Random Forest (RF) in the context of a supervised lithology classification task using Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection radiometer (ASTER) satellite, its derived, spatial information (spatial coordinates) and geomorphic data. We emphasize the enhancement in remote sensing lithological mapping accuracy that arises from the integration of geomorphic features and spatial information (spatial coordinates) in classifications. This study identifies that RF is better than ML and SVM algorithms in almost the sixteen combination datasets, which were tested. The overall accuracy of the best dataset combination with the RF map for the all seven classes reach ~80% and the producer and user's accuracies are ~73.91% and 76.09% respectively while the kappa coefficient is ~0.76. TPI is more effective with SVM algorithm than an RF algorithm. This paper demonstrates that adding geomorphic indices such as TPI and spatial information in the dataset increases the lithological classification accuracy.
Probing neuronal activation by functional quantitative susceptibility mapping under a visual paradigm: A group level comparison with BOLD fMRI and PET.
Özbay, Pinar Senay; Warnock, Geoffrey; Rossi, Cristina; Kuhn, Felix; Akin, Burak; Pruessmann, Klaas Paul; Nanz, Daniel
Dynamic changes of brain-tissue magnetic susceptibility provide the basis for functional MR imaging (fMRI) via T2*-weighted signal-intensity modulations. Promising initial work on a detection of neuronal activity via quantitative susceptibility mapping (fQSM) has been published but consistently reported on ill-understood positive and negative activation patterns (Balla et al., 2014; Chen and Calhoun, 2015a). We set out to (i) demonstrate that fQSM can exploit established fMRI data acquisition and processing methods and to (ii) better describe aspects of the apparent activation patterns using fMRI and PET as standards of reference. Under a standardized visual-stimulation paradigm PET and 3-T gradient-echo EPI-based fQSM, fMRI data from 9 healthy volunteers were acquired and analyzed by means of Independent Component Analysis (ICA) at subject level and, for the first time, at group level. Numbers of activated (z-score>2.0) voxels were counted and their mean z-scores calculated in volumes of interest (occipital lobe (Nocc_lobe), segmented occipital gray-matter (NGM_occ_lobe), large veins (Nveins)), and in occipital-lobe voxels commonly activated in fQSM and fMRI component maps. Common but not entirely congruent regions of apparent activation were found in the occipital lobe in z-score maps from all modalities, fQSM, fMRI and PET, with distinct BOLD-negatively correlated regions in fQSM data. At subject-level, Nocc_lobe, NGM_occ_lobe and their mean z-scores were significantly smaller in fQSM than in fMRI, but their ratio, NGM_occ_lobe/Nocc_lobe, was comparable. Nveins did not statistically differ and the ratio Nveins/NGM_occ_lobe as well as the mean z-scores were higher for fQSM than for fMRI. In veins and immediate vicinity, z-score maps derived from both phase and fQSM-data showed positive and negative lobes resembling dipole shapes in simulated field and phase maps with no correlate in fMRI or PET data. Our results show that standard fMRI tools can directly be used
Abortive infection of Lutzomyia longipalpis insect vectors by aflagellated LdARL-3A-Q70L overexpressing Leishmania amazonensis parasites.
Cuvillier, Armelle; Miranda, Jose Carlos; Ambit, Audrey; Barral, Aldina; Merlin, Gilles
Leishmania donovani ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 3A (LdARL-3A) is a small G protein isolated from the protozoan parasite L. donovani with no defined physiological function. Previously [Cuvillier, A., Redon, F., Antoine, J.-C., Chardin, P., DeVos, T., and Merlin, G. (2000) J Cell Sci 113: 2065-2074] we have shown that overexpression in L. amazonensis promastigotes of the mutated protein LdARL-3A-Q70L, which remains constitutively associated with GTP, leads to the disappearance of the flagellum but does not impair cell viability or growth. Here we report that parasites overexpressing LdARL-3A-Q70L can invade in vitro cultivated macrophages to the same extent as control cells, demonstrating that the flagellum is not necessary for attachment to or engulfment into macrophages. These infections are productive because amastigotes differentiate and multiply. However, aflagellated LdARL-3A-Q70L-overexpressing Leishmania promastigotes could not survive in experimentally infected Lutzomyia longipalpis insect vectors, in contrast to untransfected or native LdARL-3A-overexpressing cells. Overexpression of the native and mutated proteins did not modify in vitro procyclic to metacyclic lipophosphoglycan maturation or differentiation from procyclic to metacyclic promastigotes, nevertheless there is a block in transmission of Leishmania. Better understanding of LdARL-3A pathways, notably those regarding flagellum biogenesis, may lead to the future development of Leishmania-specific drugs, which may stop parasite transmission in nature without affecting other species. PMID:12969377
A comparison of key aspects of gene regulation in Streptomyces coelicolor and Escherichia coli using nucleotide-resolution transcription maps produced in parallel by global and differential RNA sequencing
Romero, David A; Hasan, Ayad H; Lin, Yu-fei; Kime, Louise; Ruiz-Larrabeiti, Olatz; Urem, Mia; Bucca, Giselda; Mamanova, Lira; Laing, Emma E; van Wezel, Gilles P; Smith, Colin P; Kaberdin, Vladimir R; McDowall, Kenneth J
Streptomyces coelicolor is a model for studying bacteria renowned as the foremost source of natural products used clinically. Post-genomic studies have revealed complex patterns of gene expression and links to growth, morphological development and individual genes. However, the underlying regulation remains largely obscure, but undoubtedly involves steps after transcription initiation. Here we identify sites involved in RNA processing and degradation as well as transcription within a nucleotide-resolution map of the transcriptional landscape. This was achieved by combining RNA-sequencing approaches suited to the analysis of GC-rich organisms. Escherichia coli was analysed in parallel to validate the methodology and allow comparison. Previously, sites of RNA processing and degradation had not been mapped on a transcriptome-wide scale for E. coli. Through examples, we show the value of our approach and data sets. This includes the identification of new layers of transcriptional complexity associated with several key regulators of secondary metabolism and morphological development in S. coelicolor and the identification of host-encoded leaderless mRNA and rRNA processing associated with the generation of specialized ribosomes in E. coli. New regulatory small RNAs were identified for both organisms. Overall the results illustrate the diversity in mechanisms used by different bacterial groups to facilitate and regulate gene expression. PMID:25266672
Historical Relevance: NCLB in Relation to Exclusion of Prince George's County ADHD and LD Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Watt, Lawrence
The implications of No Child Left Behind made comparisons of all students in the American education system with students in other countries. NCLB also made historical comparisons with students from previous generations. The purpose of this study was to point out the impropriety of making these comparisons. Students who attended school prior to the…
Using the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) for remotely mapping surface roughness on alluvial fans: A comparison of Death Valley, CA to Mojave Crater on Mars
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Doyle, S. L.; Wilkinson, M. J.; Scuderi, L. A.; Weissmann, G. S.; Scuderi, L. J.
The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) describes how incoming light from a given direction is reflected from specific surfaces in response to different incoming solar radiation angles. The amount and directionality of reflected light is a function of surface roughness and orientation. The goal of this study is to assess whether a BRDF based approach may be applicable for creating surface roughness maps for Martian alluvial fans. Landsat 7 satellite imagery is used to make classifications of surfaces with different roughness and spectral properties for alluvial fan surfaces in Death Valley, California. The resulting classes have been interpreted to represent surfaces of different ages and also different deposit types. In Death Valley, older surfaces are classified based on the amount of shadowing due to gully formation, differences in the amount of surface smoothness from desert pavement formation, and desert varnish color variations. In contrast, the most recently formed surfaces have an assemblage of classes that represent surface deposits of different grain size and sorting, as well as different landform types - incised channels and elevated bars. Many Death Valley fans have a telescoping morphology where progressively younger surfaces reach basin-ward. This is more evident on some fans using a BRDF classification. A similar map was made for depositional landforms within Mojave Crater on Mars, identified as sub-kilometer alluvial fans by Williams and Malin (2008). These alluvial fans are the youngest found on Mars (Amazonian age) and have topographic similarities to fans in the southwestern US. Any geomorphic similarities between Death Valley fans and those within Mojave Crater can be assessed using surface roughness. Imagery from both the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) and Context Camera (CTX) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) were used to compare differences in spatial resolution on BRDF classifications. The
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
A NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) - developed system for satellite mapping has been commercialized for the first time. Global Visions, Inc. maps an area while driving along a road in a sophisticated mapping van equipped with satellite signal receivers, video cameras and computer systems for collecting and storing mapping data. Data is fed into a computerized geographic information system (GIS). The resulting amps can be used for tax assessment purposes, emergency dispatch vehicles and fleet delivery companies as well as other applications.
A comparison of multi-spectral, multi-angular, and multi-temporal remote sensing datasets for fractional shrub canopy mapping in Arctic Alaska
Selkowitz, D.J.
Shrub cover appears to be increasing across many areas of the Arctic tundra biome, and increasing shrub cover in the Arctic has the potential to significantly impact global carbon budgets and the global climate system. For most of the Arctic, however, there is no existing baseline inventory of shrub canopy cover, as existing maps of Arctic vegetation provide little information about the density of shrub cover at a moderate spatial resolution across the region. Remotely-sensed fractional shrub canopy maps can provide this necessary baseline inventory of shrub cover. In this study, we compare the accuracy of fractional shrub canopy (> 0.5 m tall) maps derived from multi-spectral, multi-angular, and multi-temporal datasets from Landsat imagery at 30 m spatial resolution, Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) imagery at 250 m and 500 m spatial resolution, and MultiAngle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) imagery at 275 m spatial resolution for a 1067 km2 study area in Arctic Alaska. The study area is centered at 69 ??N, ranges in elevation from 130 to 770 m, is composed primarily of rolling topography with gentle slopes less than 10??, and is free of glaciers and perennial snow cover. Shrubs > 0.5 m in height cover 2.9% of the study area and are primarily confined to patches associated with specific landscape features. Reference fractional shrub canopy is determined from in situ shrub canopy measurements and a high spatial resolution IKONOS image swath. Regression tree models are constructed to estimate fractional canopy cover at 250 m using different combinations of input data from Landsat, MODIS, and MISR. Results indicate that multi-spectral data provide substantially more accurate estimates of fractional shrub canopy cover than multi-angular or multi-temporal data. Higher spatial resolution datasets also provide more accurate estimates of fractional shrub canopy cover (aggregated to moderate spatial resolutions) than lower spatial resolution datasets
Comparison of Synchrotron X-Ray Fluorescence Mapping and Micro-XANES to Bulk X-Ray Absorption Spectra in Metal-Contaminated Sediments
O'Day, P; Carroll, S A; Bajt, S
Synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is one of the few techniques that can supply molecular-scale information for a variety of elements at concentrations relevant to natural systems in non-vacuum conditions. Bulk XAS analysis supplies the dominant chemical bonding mode(s) for a specific element. In complex materials such as natural soils and sediments, however, the dominant mode may not necessarily be the most reactive because changes in speciation at surfaces may results in changes in reactivity. Our previous work at Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda (CA) focused on in situ metal chemistry in surface and deep sediments, and the impact of metal mobility by sediment oxidation. Estuary sediments at the Alameda Naval Station Air in California have elevated metal concentrations that increase with increasing depth. The metal concentrations in these sediments are: Cd (10-350 ppm), Cr (200-1000 ppm), Cu (100-230 ppm), Pb (200-1200 ppm) and Zn (250-600 ppm). We have extensively characterized these sediments using bulk XAS and other non-synchrotron supporting methods [ 1]. In this experiment, we collected fluorescence element maps using synchrotron X-ray microprobe of unreacted and seawater-oxidized sediment samples from Alameda NAS to determine the spatial distribution and correlation of lead, zinc, and iron. We then compared micro-XANES spectra for lead and zinc collected with the X-ray microprobe to previously collected bulk XANES spectra. The results from our bulk XAS characterization of the sediments showed both oxide and sulfide components for the trace metals. However, the bulk XAS data were not able to identify the composition of the oxide component (i.e. carbonate or hydroxide), nor could absorbed species or solid solutions be definitively identified. Our objective in using micro-XANES and fluorescence element maps was to attempt a more precise identification of metal speciation in or on individual particles.
Association mapping of yield candidate gene homologs in a diverse collection of pea (Pisum sativum L.) lines
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Association mapping, based on linkage disequilibrium (LD), is used increasingly to describe associations between allelic variation and phenotype. Yield is a key economic trait for most field crops, including pea (Pisum sativum L.). Recent reports in plant systems have identified candidate genes fo...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
DiSpezio, Michael A.
Presented is a cooperative learning activity in which students assume different roles in an effort to produce a relief map of the ocean floor. Materials, procedures, definitions, student roles, and questions are discussed. A reproducible map for the activity is provided. (CW)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Martin, Josh
After accepting the principal position at Farmersville (TX) Junior High, the author decided to increase instructional rigor through question mapping because of the success he saw using this instructional practice at his prior campus. Teachers are the number one influence on student achievement (Marzano, 2003), so question mapping provides a…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Geological Survey (Dept. of Interior), Reston, VA.
This curriculum packet about maps, with seven accompanying lessons, is appropriate for students in grades K-3. Students learn basic concepts for visualizing objects from different perspectives and how to understand and use maps. Lessons in the packet center on a story about a little girl, Nikki, who rides in a hot-air balloon that gives her, and…
Repeated electromagnetic induction measurements for mapping soil moisture at the field scale: comparison with data from a wireless soil moisture monitoring network
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martini, Edoardo; Werban, Ulrike; Zacharias, Steffen; Pohle, Marco; Dietrich, Peter; Wollschläger, Ute
Electromagnetic induction (EMI) methods are widely used for soil mapping, as they allow fast and relatively low-cost surveys of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) at various scales. Soil ECa is well known to be influenced by both the volumetric content and the electrical conductivity (EC) of soil water, as well as by soil temperature and by the volume of the solid particles and their EC. Among other applications, EMI has become widely used to determine soil water content or to study hydrological processes within the field of hydrogeophysics. Although the use of non-invasive EMI for imaging soil spatial properties is very attractive, the dependence of ECa on several properties and states challenges any interpretation with respect to individual soil properties or states such as θ. The major aim of this study was to further investigate the potential of repeated EMI measurements to map soil moisture at the hillslope scale, with particular focus on the temporal variability of the spatial patterns of ECa and soil moisture, respectively, and on the stability of the ECa-soil moisture relationship over time. To this end, we compared time series of EMI measurements with high-resolution soil moisture data for a non-intensively managed hillslope area in the Schäfertal catchment (Central Germany) for which the spatial distribution of soil properties and soil water dynamics were known in detail. Soil water and temperature dynamics were observed in 40 soil profiles at hourly resolution during 14 months using a wireless monitoring network. During this period of time, ECa was mapped on seven occasions using an EM38-DD device. For the investigated site, ECa showed small temporal variations (ranging between 0 and 24 mS/m) whereas the temporal range of soil moisture was very large (from very dry to soil saturation). Furthermore, temporal changes of the spatial pattern of ECa differed from temporal changes of the spatial pattern of soil moisture. The ECa-soil moisture
Emerging toxicity of 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI): Pharmacokinetics, behaviour, thermoregulation and LD50 in rats.
Páleníček, Tomáš; Lhotková, Eva; Žídková, Monika; Balíková, Marie; Kuchař, Martin; Himl, Michal; Mikšátková, Petra; Čegan, Martin; Valeš, Karel; Tylš, Filip; Horsley, Rachel R
MDAI (5,6-Methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane) has a reputation as a non-neurotoxic ecstasy replacement amongst recreational users, however the drug has been implicated in some severe and lethal intoxications. Due to this, and the fact that the drug is almost unexplored scientifically we investigated a broad range of effects of acute MDAI administration: pharmacokinetics (in sera, brain, liver and lung); behaviour (open field; prepulse inhibition, PPI); acute effects on thermoregulation (in group-/individually-housed rats); and systemic toxicity (median lethal dose, LD50) in Wistar rats. Pharmacokinetics of MDAI was rapid, maximum median concentration in serum and brain was attained 30min and almost returned to zero 6h after subcutaneous (sc.) administration of 10mg/kg MDAI; brain/serum ratio was ~4. MDAI particularly accumulated in lung tissue. In the open field, MDAI (5, 10, 20 and 40mg/kg sc.) increased exploratory activity, induced signs of behavioural serotonin syndrome and reduced locomotor habituation, although by 60min some effects had diminished. All doses of MDAI significantly disrupted PPI and the effect was present during the onset of its action as well as 60min after treatment. Unexpectedly, 40mg/kg MDAI killed 90% of animals in the first behavioural test, hence LD50 tests were conducted which yielded 28.33mg/kg sc. and 35mg/kg intravenous but was not established up to 40mg/kg after gastric administration. Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) with brain oedema was concluded as a direct cause of death in sc. treated animals. Finally, MDAI (10, 20mg/kg sc.) caused hyperthermia and perspiration in group-housed rats. In conclusion, the drug had fast pharmacokinetics and accumulated in lipohilic tissues. Behavioural findings were consistent with mild, transient stimulation with anxiolysis and disruption of sensorimotor processing. Together with hyperthermia, the drug had a similar profile to related entactogens, especially 3
New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Index for Renal Fibrosis Assessment: A Comparison between Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and T1 Mapping with Histological Validation
Friedli, I.; Crowe, L. A.; Berchtold, L.; Moll, S.; Hadaya, K.; de Perrot, T.; Vesin, C.; Martin, P.-Y.; de Seigneux, S.; Vallée, J.-P.
A need exists to noninvasively assess renal interstitial fibrosis, a common process to all kidney diseases and predictive of renal prognosis. In this translational study, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) T1 mapping and a new segmented Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI) technique, for Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC), were first compared to renal fibrosis in two well-controlled animal models to assess detection limits. Validation against biopsy was then performed in 33 kidney allograft recipients (KARs). Predictive MRI indices, ΔT1 and ΔADC (defined as the cortico-medullary differences), were compared to histology. In rats, both T1 and ADC correlated well with fibrosis and inflammation showing a difference between normal and diseased kidneys. In KARs, MRI indices were not sensitive to interstitial inflammation. By contrast, ΔADC outperformed ΔT1 with a stronger negative correlation to fibrosis (R2 = 0.64 against R2 = 0.29 p < 0.001). ΔADC tends to negative values in KARs harboring cortical fibrosis of more than 40%. Using a discriminant analysis method, the ΔADC, as a marker to detect such level of fibrosis or higher, led to a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 71%, respectively. This new index has potential for noninvasive assessment of fibrosis in the clinical setting. PMID:27439482
Temporal variability of vertical nontidal circulation pattern in a partially mixed estuary: Comparison of self-organizing map and empirical orthogonal functions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cheng, Peng; Wilson, Robert E.
On the basis of a 233-day moored acoustic Doppler current profiler data set in an estuarine strait, temporal variability of vertical estuarine circulation is examined using self-organizing map (SOM) and empirical orthogonal functions (EOF). The SOM identifies a continuum of patterns of which eight have been selected. The best matching unit (BMU) time series shows distinct seasonal variation which separates the data set into three seasonal segments. Also, monthly variation can be discerned by BMU sequences, and the data set is further separated into seven monthly segments. The EOF analysis of the whole record identifies only four patterns which are contained in the SOM patterns. However, EOF analysis of the seven monthly segments shows distinct monthly variation of the first two EOF modes. Moreover, those EOF modes are compatible with the SOM patterns showing consistency between the two techniques. The synoptic variability is described by four selected events which correspond to particular BMU sequences and represent filling and draining processes. The pattern-forcing relationships are explored with EOF principle components. Long-term variations of circulation patterns are dominated by river discharge and winds. Short-term variations explored within seasonal and monthly segments indicate that the flow patterns are results of combined effect of forcing. Officer's (1976) analytical solutions of estuarine circulation are applied, and the results support the flow patterns and pattern-forcing relationship revealed by SOM and EOF analysis.
Comparison of Nickel XANES Spectra and Elemental Maps from a Ureilite, a LL3.8 Ordinary Chondrite, Two Carbonaceous Chondrites and Two Large Cluster IDPs
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wirick, S.; Flynn, G. J.; Sutton, S.; Zolensky, M. E.
Nickel in the extraterrestrial world is commonly found in both Fe-Ni sulfide and Fe-Ni met-al forms [1] and in the pure metal state in the interior of iron meteorites where it is not easily oxidized. Ni is also found in olivine, pyroxene and glasses and in some melts the partitioning of Ni between the olivines and glass is controlled by the amount of S in the melt [2]. Its most common valence state is Ni(2+) but Ni also occurs as Ni(0), Ni(+), and Ni(3+) and rarely as Ni(2-), Ni(1-) and Ni(4+) [3]. It's valence state in olivines is Ni(2+) in octa-hedral coordination on the M1 site and rarely on the M2 site.[4]. The chemical sensitivity of X-ray absorp-tion near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy is well established and can be used to determine not only va-lence states but also coordination sites [5]. We report here Ni XANES spectroscopy and elemental maps collected from 2 carbonaceous chondrites, 2 large clus-ter IDPs, 1 ureilite and 1 LL3 orginary chondrite.Using XANES it may be possible to find a common trait in the large cluster IDPs that will also be found in mete-orite samples.
Functional brain mapping by blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast magnetic resonance imaging. A comparison of signal characteristics with a biophysical model.
Ogawa, S; Menon, R S; Tank, D W; Kim, S G; Merkle, H; Ellermann, J M; Ugurbil, K
It recently has been demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging can be used to map changes in brain hemodynamics produced by human mental operations. One method under development relies on blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast: a change in the signal strength of brain water protons produced by the paramagnetic effects of venous blood deoxyhemoglobin. Here we discuss the basic quantitative features of the observed BOLD-based signal changes, including the signal amplitude and its magnetic field dependence and dynamic effects such as a pronounced oscillatory pattern that is induced in the signal from primary visual cortex during photic stimulation experiments. The observed features are compared with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of water proton intravoxel phase dispersion produced by local field gradients generated by paramagnetic deoxyhemoglobin in nearby venous blood vessels. The simulations suggest that the effect of water molecule diffusion is strong for the case of blood capillaries, but, for larger venous blood vessels, water diffusion is not an important determinant of deoxyhemoglobin-induced signal dephasing. We provide an expression for the apparent in-plane relaxation rate constant (R2*) in terms of the main magnetic field strength, the degree of the oxygenation of the venous blood, the venous blood volume fraction in the tissue, and the size of the blood vessel. Images FIGURE 1 PMID:8386018
High-resolution CT by diffraction-enhanced x-ray imaging: mapping of breast tissue samples and comparison with their histo-pathology.
Bravin, Alberto; Keyriläinen, Jani; Fernández, Manuel; Fiedler, Stefan; Nemoz, Christian; Karjalainen-Lindsberg, Marja-Liisa; Tenhunen, Mikko; Virkkunen, Pekka; Leidenius, Marjut; von Smitten, Karl; Sipilä, Petri; Suortti, Pekka
The aim of this study was to introduce high-resolution computed tomography (CT) of breast tumours using the diffraction-enhanced x-ray imaging (DEI) technique and to compare results with radiological and histo-pathological examinations. X-ray CT images of tumour-bearing breast tissue samples were acquired by monochromatic synchrotron radiation (SR). Due to the narrow beam and a large sample-to-detector distance scattering is rejected in the absorption contrast images (SR-CT). Large contrast enhancement is achieved by the use of the DEI-CT method, where the effects of refraction and scatter rejection are analysed by crystal optics. Clinical mammograms and CT images were recorded as reference material for a radiological examination. Three malignant and benign samples were studied in detail. Their radiographs were compared with optical images of stained histological sections. The DEI-CT images map accurately the morphology of the samples, including collagen strands and micro-calcifications of dimensions less than 0.1 mm. Histo-pathological examination and reading of the radiographs were done independently, and the conclusions were in general agreement. High-resolution DEI-CT images show strong contrast and permit visualization of details invisible in clinical radiographs. The radiation dose may be reduced by an order of magnitude without compromising image quality, which would make possible clinical in vivo DEI-CT with future compact SR sources. PMID:17404464
Land cover and land use mapping of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa: comparison of oblique and orthogonal random forest algorithms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bassa, Zaakirah; Bob, Urmilla; Szantoi, Zoltan; Ismail, Riyad
In recent years, the popularity of tree-based ensemble methods for land cover classification has increased significantly. Using WorldView-2 image data, we evaluate the potential of the oblique random forest algorithm (oRF) to classify a highly heterogeneous protected area. In contrast to the random forest (RF) algorithm, the oRF algorithm builds multivariate trees by learning the optimal split using a supervised model. The oRF binary algorithm is adapted to a multiclass land cover and land use application using both the "one-against-one" and "one-against-all" combination approaches. Results show that the oRF algorithms are capable of achieving high classification accuracies (>80%). However, there was no statistical difference in classification accuracies obtained by the oRF algorithms and the more popular RF algorithm. For all the algorithms, user accuracies (UAs) and producer accuracies (PAs) >80% were recorded for most of the classes. Both the RF and oRF algorithms poorly classified the indigenous forest class as indicated by the low UAs and PAs. Finally, the results from this study advocate and support the utility of the oRF algorithm for land cover and land use mapping of protected areas using WorldView-2 image data.
New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Index for Renal Fibrosis Assessment: A Comparison between Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and T1 Mapping with Histological Validation.
Friedli, I; Crowe, L A; Berchtold, L; Moll, S; Hadaya, K; de Perrot, T; Vesin, C; Martin, P-Y; de Seigneux, S; Vallée, J-P
A need exists to noninvasively assess renal interstitial fibrosis, a common process to all kidney diseases and predictive of renal prognosis. In this translational study, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) T1 mapping and a new segmented Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI) technique, for Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC), were first compared to renal fibrosis in two well-controlled animal models to assess detection limits. Validation against biopsy was then performed in 33 kidney allograft recipients (KARs). Predictive MRI indices, ΔT1 and ΔADC (defined as the cortico-medullary differences), were compared to histology. In rats, both T1 and ADC correlated well with fibrosis and inflammation showing a difference between normal and diseased kidneys. In KARs, MRI indices were not sensitive to interstitial inflammation. By contrast, ΔADC outperformed ΔT1 with a stronger negative correlation to fibrosis (R(2) = 0.64 against R(2) = 0.29 p < 0.001). ΔADC tends to negative values in KARs harboring cortical fibrosis of more than 40%. Using a discriminant analysis method, the ΔADC, as a marker to detect such level of fibrosis or higher, led to a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 71%, respectively. This new index has potential for noninvasive assessment of fibrosis in the clinical setting. PMID:27439482
Differentiating literacy growth of ELL students with LD from other high-risk subgroups and general education peers: evidence from grades 3-10.
Solari, Emily J; Petscher, Yaacov; Folsom, Jessica Sidler
The authors used a large data set (N = 1,011,549) to examine literacy growth over a single school year comparing general education (GenEd) students to three high-risk subgroups: English language learners (ELL), those with a specific learning disability (LD), and those identified as both LD and ELL (LD-ELL) in students in Grades 3-10. The authors were particularly interested in whether variability existed between initial status and the growth trajectories of the three high-risk groups on measures of spelling, fluency, and reading comprehension across the school year and whether this variability was differentiated because of socioeconomic status (SES) as defined by free and reduced lunch (FRL) status. Results indicate that all high-risk groups began the year at substantially lower levels than their GenEd peers, with the largest differences seen between the LD-ELL students and the other subgroups. Further results suggest that students who are in the high-risk subgroups and also qualify for FRL perform significantly worse than their peers in similar risk status groups who do not qualify for FRL, demonstrating the significant impact of SES on academic outcomes for all groups. PMID:23124380
Understanding the importance of conservative hypothetical protein LdBPK_070020 in Leishmania donovani and its role in subsistence of the parasite.
Bhardwaj, Ruchika; Kumar, Ritesh; Singh, Sanjeev Kumar; Selvaraj, Chandrabose; Dubey, Vikash Kumar
The genome of Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, codes for approximately 65% of both conserved and non-conserved hypothetical proteins. Studies on 'conserved hypothetical' proteins are expected to reveal not only new and crucial aspects of Leishmania biochemistry, but it could also lead to discovery of novel drug candidates. Conserved hypothetical protein, LdBPK_070020, is a 31.14 kDa protein, encoded by an 810 bp gene. BLAST analysis of LdBPK_070020, performed against NCBI non-redundant database, showed 80-99% similarity with conserved hypothetical proteins of Leishmania belonging to other species. Using homologues recombination method, we have performed gene knockout of LdBPK_070020 and effects of the same were investigated on the parasite. The gene knocked out strain shows significant retardation in growth with respect to wild type. Detailed biochemical studies indicated towards important role of LdBPK_070020 in the parasite survival and growth. PMID:26926257
Mediating factors of a school-based multi-component smoking prevention intervention: the LdP cluster randomized controlled trial.
Carreras, G; Bosi, S; Angelini, P; Gorini, G
The aim of this study was to investigate factors mediating the effects of Luoghi di Prevenzione (LdP) smoking prevention intervention based on social competence and social influence approaches, and characterized by peer-led school-based interventions, out-of-school workshops, school lessons, and by enforcing the school anti-smoking policy. Students aged 14-15 years in 13 secondary schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy (989 students) were randomly assigned to the LdP intervention or a control condition. The baseline and follow-up surveys were carried out before and 18 months after the intervention, respectively.The outcomes were cigarette daily and frequent smoking and smoking at school. Multilevel multiple mediation analyses were carried out in order to study effect mediation. The mediators were normative perception, positive and negative beliefs, refusal skills for smoking, social acceptability perception, risk perception, smoking knowledge and awareness about dangers of second-hand smoking.The intervention effects were explained by the social influence component through the mediator refusal skills for smoking. The programme also showed to significantly increase risk perception and smoking knowledge, even though these mediators had no effect on smoking. Moreover, LdP intervention directly reduced smoking in school areas. Future interventions should maintain and strengthen the LdP social influence component and the part regarding the school anti-smoking policy. PMID:27288347
Prevention or amelioration of morphologic lesions in LD100 E coli-shocked baboons with steroid/antibiotic therapy.
Archer, L T; Kosanke, S D; Beller, B K; Passey, R B; Hinshaw, L B
We have documented the effectiveness of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) and gentamicin sulfate (GS) therapy for LD100 E coli-induced shock in the baboon. We sequentially delayed initiation of MPSS infusion from 30 to 120 min and then to 240 min after onset of a 2-h E coli infusion. Treatment resulted in 100%, 85%, and 65% survival respectively. In this study we evaluated tissue taken at autopsy in the three MPSS/GS treatment studies including untreated baboons and those treated with GS only. When animals died (3-49 h) or were sacrificed (7-71 days), tissues were removed, coded, and prepared for histopathologic evaluation by light microscopy. On the basis of morphologic changes animals split into two groups: baboons with little or no tissue alterations (survivors), and those with multiple organ damage (nonsurvivors). Combinations of mild to massive congestion, edema, hemorrhage, fibrin thrombi, increased numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), and necrosis of the adrenal glands, liver, kidneys, lungs, and spleen of nonsurvivors were prevented or ameliorated in the MPSS/GS-treated surviving baboons. Data demonstrate the MPSS/GS therapy prevents or reverses the multiple organ damage and increases survival in lethal septic shock. PMID:6349298
Kilohertz high power extracavity KGW yellow raman lasers based on pulse LD side-pumped ceramic Nd: YAG
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bai, Y.; Chen, X. M.; Guo, J. X.; Zhang, H. L.; Bai, J. T.; Ren, Z. Y.
We report an efficient operation of a kilohertz nanosecond extracavity KGd(WO4)2 (KGW) crystal Raman yellow laser, which is pumped by a 532 nm lasers based on pulse laser diode (LD) side-pumped ceramic Nd: YAG, BBO electro-optical Q-switched and LBO crystal extracavity frequency doubling. With the 5 W, 10 ns and 1 kHz output power pumped at 532 nm, we obtained 2.58 W, 7.4 ns, 1 kHz second Stokes Raman laser output at 579.54 nm for 768 cm-1 Raman shift of KGW crystal, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 51.4%. By changing the KGW crystal orientation, we further obtained 3.18 W, 7.8 ns, 1 kHz Raman pulses at 588.33 nm for 901 cm-1 Raman shift, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 63.3%. The beam quality factors M2 of 579.54 and 588.33 nm were ( M {/x-579.54 2} = 5.829, M {/y-579.54 2} = 6.336) and ( M {/x-588.33 2} = 6.405, M {/y-588.33 2} = 6.895), respectively.
LD-end-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic laser with single wall carbon nanotube saturable absorber
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, C. Y.; Bo, Y.; Zong, N.; Wang, Y. G.; Jiang, B. X.; Pan, Y. B.; Niu, G.; Fan, Z. W.; Peng, Q. J.; Cui, D. F.; Xu, Z. Y.
We report on a LD-end-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic laser by using a novel single wall carbon nanotube saturable absorber (SWCNT-SA). The SWCNT wafer was fabricated by electric Arc discharge method on quartz substrate with absorption wavelength of 1064 nm. We firstly investigated the continuous wave (CW) laser performance and scattering properties of Nd:YAG ceramic sample. For the case of passively Q-switched operation, a maximum output power of 376 mW was obtained at an incident pump power of 8.68 W at 808 nm, corresponding to an optical-optical conversion efficiency of 4.3%. The repetition rate as the increase of pump power varied from 14 to 95 kHz. The minimum pulse duration of 1.2 μs and maximum pulse energy of 4.5 μJ was generated at a repetition rate of 31.8 kHz.
LdARL-3A, a Leishmania promastigote-specific ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein, is essential for flagellum integrity.
Cuvillier, A; Redon, F; Antoine, J C; Chardin, P; DeVos, T; Merlin, G
The small G protein-encoding LdARL-3A gene, a homologue of the human ARL-3 gene, was isolated from Leishmania donovani, and its protein product characterised. It is unique in the Leishmania genome and expressed only in the extracellular promastigote insect form, but not in the intracellular amastigote mammalian form, as shown by northern blots and western blots developed with a specific anti-C terminus immune serum. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed distinct labelled spots regularly distributed on the plasma membrane, including the part lining the flagellum and the flagellar pocket. By transfection experiments, it was found that wild-type LdARL-3A-overexpressing promastigotes reached higher densities in culture, but released significantly less secreted acid phosphatase in the extracellular medium than the parental strain. When LdARL-3A blocked under the GDP-bound 'inactive' form or with an inactivated potential myristoylation site was overexpressed, the cells displayed an apparent wild-type phenotype, but died earlier in the stationary phase; in contrast to parental cells, they showed a diffuse pattern of fluorescence labelling in the cytoplasm and on the cell membrane. Strikingly, when a constitutively 'active' form of LdARL-3A (blocked under the GTP-bound form) was overexpressed, the promastigotes were immobile with a very short flagellum, a slow growth rate and a low level of acid phosphatase secretion; the length of the flagellum was inversely proportional to mutant protein expression. We concluded that LdARL-3A could be an essential gene involved in flagellum biogenesis; it may provide new approaches for control of the parasite at the insect stage. PMID:10806117
LD-Aminopterin in the Canine Homologue of Human Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial Reveals Dosing Factors Affecting Optimal Therapy
Zebala, John A.; Mundell, Alan; Messinger, Linda; Griffin, Craig E.; Schuler, Aaron D.; Kahn, Stuart J.
Background Options are limited for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) who do not respond to topical treatments. Antifolate therapy with systemic methotrexate improves the disease, but is associated with adverse effects. The investigational antifolate LD-aminopterin may offer improved safety. It is not known how antifolate dose and dosing frequency affect efficacy in AD, but a primary mechanism is thought to involve the antifolate-mediated accumulation of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR). However, recent in vitro studies indicate that AICAR increases then decreases as a function of antifolate concentration. To address this issue and understand how dosing affects antifolate efficacy in AD, we examined the efficacy and safety of different oral doses and schedules of LD-aminopterin in the canine model of AD. Methods and Findings This was a multi-center, double-blind trial involving 75 subjects with canine AD randomized to receive up to 12 weeks of placebo, once-weekly (0.007, 0.014, 0.021 mg/kg) or twice-weekly (0.007 mg/kg) LD-aminopterin. The primary efficacy outcome was the Global Score (GS), a composite of validated measures of disease severity and itch. GS improved in all once-weekly cohorts, with 0.014 mg/kg being optimal and significant (43%, P<0.01). The majority of improvement was seen by 8 weeks. In contrast, GS in the twice-weekly cohort was similar to placebo and worse than all once-weekly cohorts. Adverse events were similar across all treated cohorts and placebo. Conclusions Once-weekly LD-aminopterin was safe and efficacious in canine AD. Twice-weekly dosing negated efficacy despite having the same daily and weekly dose as effective once-weekly regimens. Optimal dosing in this homologue of human AD correlated with the concentration-selective accumulation of AICAR in vitro, consistent with AICAR mediating LD-aminopterin efficacy in AD. PMID:25255447
A comparison of multiple indicator kriging and area-to-point Poisson kriging for mapping patterns of herbivore species abundance in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kerry, Ruth; Goovaerts, Pierre; Smit, Izak P.J.; Ingram, Ben R.
Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, provides protected habitats for the unique animals of the African savannah. For the past 40 years, annual aerial surveys of herbivores have been conducted to aid management decisions based on (1) the spatial distribution of species throughout the park and (2) total species populations in a year. The surveys are extremely time consuming and costly. For many years, the whole park was surveyed, but in 1998 a transect survey approach was adopted. This is cheaper and less time consuming but leaves gaps in the data spatially. Also the distance method currently employed by the park only gives estimates of total species populations but not their spatial distribution. We compare the ability of multiple indicator kriging and area-to-point Poisson kriging to accurately map species distribution in the park. A leave-one-out cross-validation approach indicates that multiple indicator kriging makes poor estimates of the number of animals, particularly the few large counts, as the indicator variograms for such high thresholds are pure nugget. Poisson kriging was applied to the prediction of two types of abundance data: spatial density and proportion of a given species. Both Poisson approaches had standardized mean absolute errors (St. MAEs) of animal counts at least an order of magnitude lower than multiple indicator kriging. The spatial density, Poisson approach (1), gave the lowest St. MAEs for the most abundant species and the proportion, Poisson approach (2), did for the least abundant species. Incorporating environmental data into Poisson approach (2) further reduced St. MAEs. PMID:25729318
Identification of 2D-gel proteins : a comparison of MALDI/TOF peptide mass mapping to {mu} LC-ESI tandem mass spectrometry.
Lim, H.; Hays, L. G.; Eng, J.; Tollaksen, S. L.; Giometti, C. S.; Holden, J. F.; Adams, M. W. W.; Reich, C. I.; Olsen, G. J.; Yates, J. R.; Biosciences Division; The Scripps Research Inst.; Univ. of Georgia; Univ. of Illinois
A comparative analysis of protein identification for a total of 162 protein spots separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis from two fully sequenced archaea, Methanococcus jannaschii and Pyrococcus furiosus, using MALDI-TOF peptide mass mapping (PMM) and mu LC-MS/MS is presented. 100% of the gel spots analyzed were successfully matched to the predicted proteins in the two corresponding open reading frame databases by mu LC-MS/MS while 97% of them were identified by MALDI-TOF PMM. The high success rate from the PMM resulted from sample desalting/concentrating with ZipTip(C18) and optimization of several PMM search parameters including a 25 ppm average mass tolerance and the application of two different protein molecular weight search windows. By using this strategy, low-molecular weight (<23 kDa) proteins could be identified unambiguously with less than 5 peptide matches. Nine percent of spots were identified as containing multiple proteins. By using mu LC-MS/MS, 50% of the spots analyzed were identified as containing multiple proteins. mu LC-MS/MS demonstrated better protein sequence coverage than MALDI-TOF PMM over the entire mass range of proteins identified. MALDI-TOF and PMM produced unique peptide molecular weight matches that were not identified by mu LC-MS/MS. By incorporating amino acid sequence modifications into database searches, combined sequence coverage obtained from these two complimentary ionization methods exceeded 50% for approximately 70% of the 162 spots analyzed. This improved sequence coverage in combination with enzymatic digestions of different specificity is proposed as a method for analysis of post-translational modification from 2D-gel separated proteins.
Comparison of kinematic analysis by mapping tibiofemoral contact with movement of the femoral condylar centres in healthy and anterior cruciate ligament injured knees.
Scarvell, Jennifer M; Smith, Paul N; Refshauge, Kathryn M; Galloway, Howard R; Woods, Kevin R
Two methods of analysis of knee kinematics from magnetic resonance images (MRI) in vivo have been developed independently: mapping the tibiofemoral contact, and tracking the femoral condylar centre. These two methods are compared for the assessment of kinematics in the healthy and the anterior cruciate ligament injured knee. Sagittal images of both knees of 20 subjects with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injury were analysed. The subjects had performed a supine leg press against a 150 N load. Images were generated at 15 degrees intervals from 0 degrees to 90 degrees knee flexion. The tibiofemoral contact, and the centre of the femoral condyle (defined by the flexion facet centre (FFC)), were measured from the posterior tibial cortex. The pattern of contact in the healthy knee showed the femoral roll back from 0 degrees to 30 degrees, then from 30 degrees to 90 degrees the medial condyle rolled back little, while the lateral condyle continued to roll back on the tibial plateau. The contact pattern was more posterior in the injured knee (p=0.012), particularly in the lateral compartment. The medial FFC moved back very little during knee flexion, while the lateral FFC moved back throughout the flexion arc. The FFC was not significantly different in the injured knee (p=0.17). The contact and movement of the FFC both demonstrated kinematic events at the knee, such as longitudinal rotation. Both methods are relevant to design of total knee arthroplasty: movement of the FFC for consideration of axis alignment, and contact pattern for issues of interface wear and arthritic change in ligament injury. PMID:15304265
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Dale D.; And Others
Describes semantic mapping, an effective strategy for vocabulary instruction that involves the categorical structuring of information in graphic form and requires students to relate new words to their own experience and prior knowledge. (HOD)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC.
This document features a lesson plan that examines how maps help scientists protect biodiversity and how plants and animals are adapted to specific ecoregions by comparing biome, ecoregion, and habitat. Samples of instruction and assessment are included. (KHR)
CHRISTINE Code for High ResolutIon Satellite mapping of optical ThIckness and ÅNgstrom Exponent. Part II: First application to the urban area of Athens, Greece and comparison to results from previous contrast-reduction codes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sifakis, Nicolas I.; Iossifidis, Christos; Kontoes, Charis
There is an increasing demand for exploiting satellite data in urban air quality assessment. High spatial resolution satellite data can be used to retrieve the aerosol optical thickness (AOT), as an air quality indicator, over urban areas. One of the methods to achieve this applies the contrast-reduction principle to a set of two satellite images, one of which has minimum aerosol content and is used as a reference. Previous satellite image processing codes that followed this approach were subject to surface changes which may have occurred in the time interval between the processed images acquisition. In order to eliminate this potential source of AOT miscalculation the CHRISTINE Code for High Resolution Satellite Mapping of Optical Thickness and Ångstrom Exponent was developed. This new code takes into consideration contrast reduction in more than one spectral band, and applies the Ångstrom's law to isolate atmospheric and surface components. The code underwent its first testing using Landsat satellite data acquired before 2001 (when air pollution was at its peak) over the study area of Athens (Greece). Results showed that CHRISTINE can effectively separate contrast modifications attributed to atmospheric changes from those due to surface changes. Comparison against the previous SMA Satellite Mapping of Aerosols code showed an average improvement of 21% in terms of area over which AOT could be retrieved with high confidence. CHRISTINE also approximates the aerosol size distribution over the studied area. These preliminary findings show that the new code can be used to counteract for spatial deficiencies in urban monitoring networks. In the case of Athens the application to archived satellite data also allowed hindcasts for the period prior to ground based aerosol measurements.
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps are printed using up to six colors (black, blue, green, red, brown, and purple). To prepare your own maps or artwork based on maps, you can order separate black-and-white film positives or negatives for any color printed on a USGS topographic map, or for one or more of the groups of related features printed in the same color on the map (such as drainage and drainage names from the blue plate.) In this document, examples are shown with appropriate ink color to illustrate the various separates. When purchased, separates are black-and-white film negatives or positives. After you receive a film separate or composite from the USGS, you can crop, enlarge or reduce, and edit to add or remove details to suit your special needs. For example, you can adapt the separates for making regional and local planning maps or for doing many kinds of studies or promotions by using the features you select and then printing them in colors of your choice.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Batson, R. M.; Morgan, H. F.; Sucharski, Robert
Semicontrolled image mosaics of Venus, based on Magellan data, are being compiled at 1:50,000,000, 1:10,000,000, 1:5,000,000, and 1:1,000,000 scales to support the Magellan Radar Investigator (RADIG) team. The mosaics are semicontrolled in the sense that data gaps were not filled and significant cosmetic inconsistencies exist. Contours are based on preliminary radar altimetry data that is subjected to revision and improvement. Final maps to support geologic mapping and other scientific investigations, to be compiled as the dataset becomes complete, will be sponsored by the Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program and/or the Venus Data Analysis Program. All maps, both semicontrolled and final, will be published as I-maps by the United States Geological Survey. All of the mapping is based on existing knowledge of the spacecraft orbit; photogrammetric triangulation, a traditional basis for geodetic control on planets where framing cameras were used, is not feasible with the radar images of Venus, although an eventual shift of coordinate system to a revised spin-axis location is anticipated. This is expected to be small enough that it will affect only large-scale maps.
Linkage disequilibrium fine mapping of quantitative trait loci: A simulation study
Abdallah, Jihad M; Goffinet, Bruno; Cierco-Ayrolles, Christine; Pérez-Enciso, Miguel
Recently, the use of linkage disequilibrium (LD) to locate genes which affect quantitative traits (QTL) has received an increasing interest, but the plausibility of fine mapping using linkage disequilibrium techniques for QTL has not been well studied. The main objectives of this work were to (1) measure the extent and pattern of LD between a putative QTL and nearby markers in finite populations and (2) investigate the usefulness of LD in fine mapping QTL in simulated populations using a dense map of multiallelic or biallelic marker loci. The test of association between a marker and QTL and the power of the test were calculated based on single-marker regression analysis. The results show the presence of substantial linkage disequilibrium with closely linked marker loci after 100 to 200 generations of random mating. Although the power to test the association with a frequent QTL of large effect was satisfactory, the power was low for the QTL with a small effect and/or low frequency. More powerful, multi-locus methods may be required to map low frequent QTL with small genetic effects, as well as combining both linkage and linkage disequilibrium information. The results also showed that multiallelic markers are more useful than biallelic markers to detect linkage disequilibrium and association at an equal distance. PMID:12939203
Assessment of intrinsic vulnerability of an alluvial aquifer under anthropogenic pressure: cross comparison of 4 index-based groundwater vulnerability mapping models within the Biguglia lagoon watershed (Corsica, France).
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jaunat, Jessy; Huneau, Frédéric; Garel, Emilie; Devos, Alain; Lejeune, Olivier
KEYWORDS: Alluvial aquifer, Vulnerability mapping, Index-based methods, DRASTIC, SINTACS, SI, GOD The geographical position of the Biguglia lagoon watershed south of the Bastia city (80 000 inhabitants), lead to a highly vulnerable hydrosystem setting. This littoral plain is the unique territory available for the urbanisation and for the agriculture activities (cattle breeding). All the activities developed are likely to have a qualitative impact on water infiltration and therefore on groundwater, which is in hydraulic connection with the lagoon system. Beyond this ecological issue, groundwater of this watershed is intensively used as drinking water supply. It appears essential to control the long-term groundwater quality of the Biguglia plain which is the major economic zone of Corsica. Achievement of this issue requires the identification of the areas where the alluvial aquifer is mostly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. The results given by 4 of the most popular index-based vulnerability mapping methods (DRASTIC, SI, SINTACS and GOD) are compared. The water table, net recharge, aquifer and soils properties, topography, vadose zone and land uses have been precisely mapped and numerically translated in GIS with a 25m precision. 4 final maps were finally compiled according to the weighting factors of each methods. Hydrochemical investigations were also carried out on 30 sampling points (major ions and anthropogenic tracers) to evaluate the effect of anthropogenic activities on groundwater quality and also to validate the results of the vulnerability mapping. A comparison between the parametric models shows a significant agreement between the DRASTIC, SINTACS and SI results (2% to 5% of the total area in very low vulnerability class, 10% to 13% in low vulnerability, 16% to 23% in medium vulnerability, 31% to 53% in high vulnerability and 14% to 23% in very high vulnerability). The two first methods are quite similar, which explains the proximity of the
LD pumped high-repetition-rate high-power 532nm Nd:YAG/LBO solid state laser
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Pingxue; Liu, Dongyu; Chi, Junjie; Yang, Chun; Zhao, Ziqiang; Hu, Haowei; Zhang, Guangju; Yao, Yifei
Diode pumped solid state 532 nm green laser is widely required for many industrial, medical and scientific applications. Among most of these applications, high power quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) green laser output is demanded. This can be efficiently achieved through a diode-side-pumped acoustic-optic Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with an intracavity second harmonic generation (SHG). In our experiment, LBO crystal is used for the second harmonic generation of high-average-power lasers of near infrared (NIR) range, though its effective NLO coefficient deff is relatively small. It is because of its high damage threshold (greater than 2.5 GW/cm2), large acceptance angle, small walk-off angle, and the nonhygroscopic characteristic. In this paper, we reported a high-repetition-rate high-power diode-side-pumped AO Q-switched Nd:YAG 532 nm laser. A plane-plane cavity with two rods, two AO Q-switches and the type II critical phase-matched LBO at room temperature were employed. Under the LD pump power of 480 W, 95.86 W at 1064 nm wavelength was achieved when the repetition rate was 15 kHz, and the 532 nm average output power of 44.77 W was obtained, with a pulse width of 111.7 ns, corresponding to an optical to optical conversion efficiency of 46.7% from 1064 nm to 532 nm. The 532 nm average output power was 40.10 W at a repetition rate of 10 kHz with a pulse width of 78.65 ns. The output characteristics of the SHG varying with the pumping current and the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of the laser were also investigated. Further improvement of the SHG is under study.
The use of map functions in multipoint mapping.
Pascoe, L; Morton, N E
The analysis of multipoint data in humans involves detection of linkage, inferences about order, and estimation of map lengths. In order to calculate likelihoods, it is necessary to have predictive formulas for multiple recombination frequencies. In the present study the Markovian assumption of Morton and MacLean is generalized to give predictive formulas for multiple-region recombination using realistic map functions. The best-fitting map functions have been determined by fitting the nine-locus data of Morgan et al. and the seven-locus data of Weinstein on the Drosophila X chromosome. Two map functions fit the data better than other published functions: that of Rao et al. with a map parameter of P = .33 and a new function suggested in the present paper. The close agreement of the estimate of the mapping parameter with a previous estimate inferred from human male meiosis suggests that the map function is robust. A further improvement in the fit to the data can be obtained by the addition of a second parameter to reduce the expected number of multiple recombinants. By comparison with the map functions recommended in the present paper, the assumption of no interference gives a poor fit to the data. PMID:3565379
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Freeman, A.; Nilsen, E.
Since their initial discovery in 1992, to date only a relatively small number of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO's) have been discovered. Current detection techniques rely on frame-to-frame comparisons of images collected by optical telescopes such as Hubble, to detect KBO's as they move against the background stellar field. Another technique involving studies of KBO's through occultation of known stars has been proposed. Such techniques are serendipitous, not systematic, and may lead to an inadequate understanding of the size, range, and distribution of KBO's. In this paper, a future Kuiper Belt Mapping Radar is proposed as a solution to the problem of mapping the size distribution, extent, and range of KBO's. This approach can also be used to recover radar albedo and object rotation rates. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Branch, Allan C.
Parametric mapping (PM) lies midway between older and proven artificial landmark based guidance systems and yet to be realized vision based guidance systems. It is a simple yet effective natural landmark recognition system offering freedom from the need for enhancements to the environment. Development of PM systems can be inexpensive and rapid and they are starting to appear in commercial and industrial applications. Together with a description of the structural framework developed to generically describe robot mobility, this paper illustrates clearly the parts of any mobile robot navigation and guidance system and their interrelationships. Among other things, the importance of the richness of the reference map, and not necessarily the sensor map, is introduced, the benefits of dynamic path planners to alleviate the need for separate object avoidance, and the independence of the PM system to the type of sensor input is shown.
Affinity-matured recombinant immunotoxin targeting gangliosides 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6'-isoLD1 on malignant gliomas
Piao, Hailan; Kuan, Chien-Tsun; Chandramohan, Vidya; Keir, Stephen T; Pegram, Charles N; Bao, Xuhui; Månsson, Jan-Eric; Pastan, Ira H; Bigner, Darell D
About 60 percent of glioblastomas highly express the gangliosides 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1 on the cell surface, providing ideal targets for brain tumor immunotherapy. A novel recombinant immunotoxin, DmAb14m-(scFv)-PE38KDEL (DmAb14m-IT), specific for the gangliosides 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1, was constructed with improved affinity and increased cytotoxicity for immunotherapeutic targeting of glioblastoma. We isolated an scFv parental clone from a previously established murine hybridoma, DmAb14, that is specific to both 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1. We then performed in vitro affinity maturation by CDR hotspot random mutagenesis. The binding affinity and specificity of affinity-matured DmAb14m-IT were measured by surface-plasmon resonance, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemical analysis. In vitro cytotoxicity of DmAb14m-IT was measured by protein synthesis inhibition and cell death assays in human cell lines expressing gangliosides 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1 (D54MG and D336MG) and xenograft-derived cells (D2224MG). As a result, the KD of DmAb14m-IT for gangliosides 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1 was 2.6 × 10−9M. Also, DmAb14m-IT showed a significantly higher internalization rate in cells expressing 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1. The DmAb14m-IT IC50 was 80 ng/mL (1194 pM) on the D54MG cell line, 5 ng/ml (75 pM) on the D336MG cell line, and 0.5 ng/ml (7.5 pM) on the D2224MG xenograft-derived cells. There was no cytotoxicity on ganglioside-negative HEK293 cells. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the specific apparent affinity of DmAb14m-IT with 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1. In conclusion, DmAb14m-IT showed specific binding affinity, a significantly high internalization rate, and selective cytotoxicity on glioma cell lines and xenograft-derived cells expressing 3′-isoLM1 and 3′,6′-isoLD1, thereby displaying robust therapeutic potential for testing the antitumor efficacy of DmAb14m-IT at the preclinical level and
The paper describes a recently developed for multivariate data analysis template called conditioned choropleth maps (CCmaps). This template is a two-way layout of maps designed to facilitate comparisons. The template can show the association between a dependent variable, as repre...
Cysteine Cross-linking Defines the Extracellular Gate for the Leishmania donovani Nucleoside Transporter 1.1 (LdNT1.1)*
Valdés, Raquel; Shinde, Ujwal; Landfear, Scott M.
Equilibrative nucleoside transporters are a unique family of proteins that enable uptake of nucleosides/nucleobases into a wide range of eukaryotes and internalize a myriad of drugs used in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, AIDs, and parasitic infections. In previous work we generated a structural model for such a transporter, the LdNT1.1 nucleoside permease from the parasitic protozoan Leishmania donovani, using ab initio computation. The model suggested that aromatic residues present in transmembrane helices 1, 2, and 7 interact to form an extracellular gate that closes the permeation pathway in the inward-open conformation. Mutation of residues Phe-48TM1 and Trp-75TM2 abrogated transport activity, consistent with such prediction. In this study cysteine mutagenesis and oxidative cross-linking were combined to analyze proximity relationships of helices 1, 2, and 7 in LdNT1.1. Disulfide bond formation between introduced paired cysteines at the interface of such helices (A61CTM1/F74CTM2, A61CTM1/G350CTM7, and F74CTM2/G350CTM7) was analyzed by transport measurement and gel mobility shifts upon oxidation with Cu (II)-(1,10-phenanthroline)3. In all cases cross-linking inhibited transport. However, if LdNT1.1 ligands were included during cross-linking, inhibition of transport was reduced, suggesting that ligands moved the three gating helices apart. Moreover, all paired cysteine mutants exhibited a mobility shift upon oxidation, corroborating the formation of a disulfide bond. These data support the notion that helices 1, 2, and 7 constitute the extracellular gate of LdNT1.1, thus further validating the computational model and the previously demonstrated importance of F48TM1 and Trp-75TM2 in tethering together helices that are part of the gate. PMID:23150661
The Effects of a Story-Mapping Procedure to Improve the Comprehension Skills of Expository Text Passages for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stagliano, Christina; Boon, Richard T.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using a story-mapping procedure to improve and enhance the reading comprehension skills using expository text passages for 3 fourth-grade students with learning disabilities (LD). The study was conducted in the resource classroom in which the participants regularly received reading…
A High-Resolution Linkage-Disequilibrium Map of the Human Major Histocompatibility Complex and First Generation of Tag Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms
Miretti, Marcos M.; Walsh, Emily C.; Ke, Xiayi; Delgado, Marcos; Griffiths, Mark; Hunt, Sarah; Morrison, Jonathan; Whittaker, Pamela; Lander, Eric S.; Cardon, Lon R.; Bentley, David R.; Rioux, John D.; Beck, Stephan; Deloukas, Panos
Autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases present a major burden to human health and are frequently associated with loci in the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Here, we report a high-resolution (1.9 kb) linkage-disequilibrium (LD) map of a 4.46-Mb fragment containing the MHC in U.S. pedigrees with northern and western European ancestry collected by the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) and the first generation of haplotype tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) that provide up to a fivefold increase in genotyping efficiency for all future MHC-linked disease-association studies. The data confirm previously identified recombination hotspots in the class II region and allow the prediction of numerous novel hotspots in the class I and class III regions. The region of longest LD maps outside the classic MHC to the extended class I region spanning the MHC-linked olfactory-receptor gene cluster. The extended haplotype homozygosity analysis for recent positive selection shows that all 14 outlying haplotype variants map to a single extended haplotype, which most commonly bears HLA-DRB1*1501. The SNP data, haplotype blocks, and tagSNPs analysis reported here have been entered into a multidimensional Web-based database (GLOVAR), where they can be accessed and viewed in the context of relevant genome annotation. This LD map allowed us to give coordinates for the extremely variable LD structure underlying the MHC. PMID:15747258
Planetary Geologic Mapping Handbook - 2009
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Tanaka, K. L.; Skinner, J. A.; Hare, T. M.
. Terrestrial geologic maps published by the USGS now are primarily digital products using geographic information system (GIS) software and file formats. GIS mapping tools permit easy spatial comparison, generation, importation, manipulation, and analysis of multiple raster image, gridded, and vector data sets. GIS software has also permitted the development of project-specific tools and the sharing of geospatial products among researchers. GIS approaches are now being used in planetary geologic mapping as well (e.g., Hare and others, 2009). Guidelines or handbooks on techniques in planetary geologic mapping have been developed periodically (e.g., Wilhelms, 1972, 1990; Tanaka and others, 1994). As records of the heritage of mapping methods and data, these remain extremely useful guides. However, many of the fundamental aspects of earlier mapping handbooks have evolved significantly, and a comprehensive review of currently accepted mapping methodologies is now warranted. As documented in this handbook, such a review incorporates additional guidelines developed in recent years for planetary geologic mapping by the NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics (PGG) Program s Planetary Cartography and Geologic Mapping Working Group s (PCGMWG) Geologic Mapping Subcommittee (GEMS) on the selection and use of map bases as well as map preparation, review, publication, and distribution. In light of the current boom in planetary exploration and the ongoing rapid evolution of available data for planetary mapping, this handbook is especially timely.
Crystal Structure of Barley Limit Dextrinase-Limit Dextrinase Inhibitor (LD-LDI) Complex Reveals Insights into Mechanism and Diversity of Cereal Type Inhibitors*
Møller, Marie S.; Vester-Christensen, Malene B.; Jensen, Johanne M.; Hachem, Maher Abou; Henriksen, Anette; Svensson, Birte
Molecular details underlying regulation of starch mobilization in cereal seed endosperm remain unknown despite the paramount role of this process in plant growth. The structure of the complex between the starch debranching enzyme barley limit dextrinase (LD), hydrolyzing α-1,6-glucosidic linkages, and its endogenous inhibitor (LDI) was solved at 2.7 Å. The structure reveals an entirely new and unexpected binding mode of LDI as compared with previously solved complex structures of related cereal type family inhibitors (CTIs) bound to glycoside hydrolases but is structurally analogous to binding of dual specificity CTIs to proteases. Site-directed mutagenesis establishes that a hydrophobic cluster flanked by ionic interactions in the protein-protein interface is vital for the picomolar affinity of LDI to LD as assessed by analysis of binding by using surface plasmon resonance and also supported by LDI inhibition of the enzyme activity. A phylogenetic analysis identified four LDI-like proteins in cereals among the 45 sequences from monocot databases that could be classified as unique CTI sequences. The unprecedented binding mechanism shown here for LDI has likely evolved in cereals from a need for effective inhibition of debranching enzymes having characteristic open active site architecture. The findings give a mechanistic rationale for the potency of LD activity regulation and provide a molecular understanding of the debranching events associated with optimal starch mobilization and utilization during germination. This study unveils a hitherto not recognized structural basis for the features endowing diversity to CTIs. PMID:25792743
Crystal structure of barley limit dextrinase-limit dextrinase inhibitor (LD-LDI) complex reveals insights into mechanism and diversity of cereal type inhibitors.
Møller, Marie S; Vester-Christensen, Malene B; Jensen, Johanne M; Hachem, Maher Abou; Henriksen, Anette; Svensson, Birte
Molecular details underlying regulation of starch mobilization in cereal seed endosperm remain unknown despite the paramount role of this process in plant growth. The structure of the complex between the starch debranching enzyme barley limit dextrinase (LD), hydrolyzing α-1,6-glucosidic linkages, and its endogenous inhibitor (LDI) was solved at 2.7 Å. The structure reveals an entirely new and unexpected binding mode of LDI as compared with previously solved complex structures of related cereal type family inhibitors (CTIs) bound to glycoside hydrolases but is structurally analogous to binding of dual specificity CTIs to proteases. Site-directed mutagenesis establishes that a hydrophobic cluster flanked by ionic interactions in the protein-protein interface is vital for the picomolar affinity of LDI to LD as assessed by analysis of binding by using surface plasmon resonance and also supported by LDI inhibition of the enzyme activity. A phylogenetic analysis identified four LDI-like proteins in cereals among the 45 sequences from monocot databases that could be classified as unique CTI sequences. The unprecedented binding mechanism shown here for LDI has likely evolved in cereals from a need for effective inhibition of debranching enzymes having characteristic open active site architecture. The findings give a mechanistic rationale for the potency of LD activity regulation and provide a molecular understanding of the debranching events associated with optimal starch mobilization and utilization during germination. This study unveils a hitherto not recognized structural basis for the features endowing diversity to CTIs. PMID:25792743
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hyland, Stanley; Cox, David; Martin, Cindy
The Memphis Maps program, a collaborative effort of Memphis (Tennessee) educational institutions, public agencies, a bank, and community programs, trains local students in Geographic Information Systems technology and provides the community with valuable demographic and assessment information. The program is described, and factors contributing to…
Genetic characterization of a core collection of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) suitable for association mapping studies and evidence of divergent selection between fiber and linseed types
Background Flax is valued for its fiber, seed oil and nutraceuticals. Recently, the fiber industry has invested in the development of products made from linseed stems, making it a dual purpose crop. Simultaneous targeting of genomic regions controlling stem fiber and seed quality traits could enable the development of dual purpose cultivars. However, the genetic diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns necessary for association mapping (AM) have not yet been assessed in flax because genomic resources have only recently been developed. We characterized 407 globally distributed flax accessions using 448 microsatellite markers. The data was analyzed to assess the suitability of this core collection for AM. Genomic scans to identify candidate genes selected during the divergent breeding process of fiber flax and linseed were conducted using the whole genome shotgun sequence of flax. Results Combined genetic structure analysis assigned all accessions to two major groups with six sub-groups. Population differentiation was weak between the major groups (FST = 0.094) and for most of the pairwise comparisons among sub-groups. The molecular coancestry analysis indicated weak relatedness (mean = 0.287) for most individual pairs. Abundant genetic diversity was observed in the total panel (5.32 alleles per locus), and some sub-groups showed a high proportion of private alleles. The average genome-wide LD (r2) was 0.036, with a relatively fast decay of 1.5 cM. Genomic scans between fiber flax and linseed identified candidate genes involved in cell-wall biogenesis/modification, xylem identity and fatty acid biosynthesis congruent with genes previously identified in flax and other plant species. Conclusions Based on the abundant genetic diversity, weak population structure and relatedness and relatively fast LD decay, we concluded that this core collection is suitable for AM studies targeting multiple agronomic and quality traits aiming at
Molecular diversity and association mapping of fiber quality traits in exotic G. hirsutum L. germplasm.
Abdurakhmonov, I Y; Kohel, R J; Yu, J Z; Pepper, A E; Abdullaev, A A; Kushanov, F N; Salakhutdinov, I B; Buriev, Z T; Saha, S; Scheffler, B E; Jenkins, J N; Abdukarimov, A
The narrow genetic base of cultivated cotton germplasm is hindering the cotton productivity worldwide. Although potential genetic diversity exists in Gossypium genus, it is largely 'underutilized' due to photoperiodism and the lack of innovative tools to overcome such challenges. The application of linkage disequilibrium (LD)-based association mapping is an alternative powerful molecular tool to dissect and exploit the natural genetic diversity conserved within cotton germplasm collections, greatly accelerating still 'lagging' cotton marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs. However, the extent of genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) has not been determined in cotton. We report the extent of genome-wide LD and association mapping of fiber quality traits by using a 95 core set of microsatellite markers in a total of 285 exotic Gossypium hirsutum accessions, comprising of 208 landrace stocks and 77 photoperiodic variety accessions. We demonstrated the existence of useful genetic diversity within exotic cotton germplasm. In this germplasm set, 11-12% of SSR loci pairs revealed a significant LD. At the significance threshold (r(2)>/=0.1), a genome-wide average of LD declines within the genetic distance at <10 cM in the landrace stocks germplasm and >30 cM in variety germplasm. Genome wide LD at r(2)>/=0.2 was reduced on average to approximately 1-2 cM in the landrace stock germplasm and 6-8 cM in variety germplasm, providing evidence of the potential for association mapping of agronomically important traits in cotton. We observed significant population structure and relatedness in assayed germplasm. Consequently, the application of the mixed liner model (MLM), considering both kinship (K) and population structure (Q) detected between 6% and 13% of SSR markers associated with the main fiber quality traits in cotton. Our results highlight for the first time the feasibility and potential of association mapping, with consideration of the population structure and
Ticagrelor vs clopidogrel followed by ticagrelor re-loading in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: A randomized, pharmacodynamic comparison.
Alexopoulos, Dimitrios; Kontoprias, Kosmas; Gkizas, Vasileios; Karanikas, Stavros; Ziakas, Antonios; Barampoutis, Nikolaos; Tsigkas, Grigorios; Koutsogiannis, Nikolaos; Davlouros, Periklis; Patsilinakos, Sotirios; Karvounis, Haralambos; Hahalis, George; Xanthopoulou, Ioanna
Among patients allocated to ticagrelor in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) cohort of Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial, 40.7% had received pre-randomization 600 mg of clopidogrel. This scenario is frequently employed in real-world practice. In a prospective, three-center, single-blind, parallel design study, 74 P2Y12 inhibitor-naive patients undergoing primary PCI were randomized (Hour 0) to ticagrelor 180 mg loading dose (LD) vs clopidogrel 600 mg LD followed after 2 h by ticagrelor 180 mg re-LD. Platelet reactivity (VerifyNow, in PRU) was assessed at Hour 0, 2, 4, 6, and 24. The primary comparison was non-inferiority of ticagrelor to clopidogrel followed by ticagrelor re-LD regarding platelet reactivity at 24 h using a prespecified margin of <35 PRU for the upper bound of the one-sided 97.5% confidence interval (CI). Ticagrelor was proven non-inferior to clopidogrel followed by ticagrelor re-LD with a difference between arms of 13.5 PRU (28.8 upper 97.5% CI), p = 0.001. At Hour 2, platelet reactivity was lower in ticagrelor only vs clopidogrel followed by ticagrelor re-LD groups with least square estimate mean difference (95% CI) -105.7 (-140.6 to -70.8), p < 0.001, without significant difference thereafter. In conclusion, in patients undergoing primary PCI, a strategy of ticagrelor LD only was proven non-inferior to clopidogrel LD followed by ticagrelor re-LD, in terms of antiplatelet efficacy at 24 h post-randomization and provided an earlier onset of platelet inhibition. PMID:26763727
Link maps and map meetings: Scaffolding student learning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lindstrøm, Christine; Sharma, Manjula D.
With student numbers decreasing and traditional teaching methods having been found inefficient, it is widely accepted that alternative teaching methods need to be explored in tertiary physics education. In 2006 a different teaching environment was offered to 244 first year students with little or no prior formal instruction in physics. Students were invited to attend additional enrichment classes 1 h a week called map meetings. The focus of these classes was a different type of visual presentation of physics material called link maps. Link maps explicitly show the key concepts covered in lectures and how these interrelate to help novices establish their physics schemata. In each map meeting the link map for the different topic was interactively discussed by the researcher before the students worked on problems in groups using the link map. The class ended with the researcher going through one problem, talking aloud about how to logically attack it. The results were promising. Each week about 20% of the class voluntarily attended map meetings whereas 22% reported that they did not attend due to timetable clashes. Two questionnaires revealed that students thought the classes were helpful for gaining an overview of physics and for developing their problem solving abilities. In the final examination the 32 students who had attended at least eight out of ten map meetings achieved, on average, 9 points out of 90 better in the examination (p=0.004) than a comparison group (N=40) with similar academic background which had not attended map meetings. The results of this study suggest that map meetings are a valuable learning environment for physics novices. Further investigations are currently being undertaken.
Genome-Wide Identification of QTL for Seed Yield and Yield-Related Traits and Construction of a High-Density Consensus Map for QTL Comparison in Brassica napus
Zhao, Weiguo; Wang, Xiaodong; Wang, Hao; Tian, Jianhua; Li, Baojun; Chen, Li; Chao, Hongbo; Long, Yan; Xiang, Jun; Gan, Jianping; Liang, Wusheng; Li, Maoteng
Seed yield (SY) is the most important trait in rapeseed, is determined by multiple seed yield-related traits (SYRTs) and is also easily subject to environmental influence. Many quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for SY and SYRTs have been reported in Brassica napus; however, no studies have focused on seven agronomic traits simultaneously affecting SY. Genome-wide QTL analysis for SY and seven SYRTs in eight environments was conducted in a doubled haploid population containing 348 lines. Totally, 18 and 208 QTLs for SY and SYRTs were observed, respectively, and then these QTLs were integrated into 144 consensus QTLs using a meta-analysis. Three major QTLs for SY were observed, including cqSY-C6-2 and cqSY-C6-3 that were expressed stably in winter cultivation area for 3 years and cqSY-A2-2 only expressed in spring rapeseed area. Trait-by-trait meta-analysis revealed that the 144 consensus QTLs were integrated into 72 pleiotropic unique QTLs. Among them, all the unique QTLs affected SY, except for uq.A6-1, including uq.A2-3, uq.C1-2, uq.C1-3, uq.C6-1, uq.C6-5, and uq.C6-6 could also affect more than two SYRTs. According to the constructed high-density consensus map and QTL comparison from literatures, 36 QTLs from five populations were co-localized with QTLs identified in this study. In addition, 13 orthologous genes were observed, including five each gene for SY and thousand seed weight, and one gene each for biomass yield, branch height, and plant height. The genomic information of these QTLs will be valuable in hybrid cultivar breeding and in analyzing QTL expression in different environments. PMID:26858737
User Preferences in Image Map Using
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vondráková, A.; Vozenilek, V.
In the process of map making, the attention is given to the resulting image map (to be accurate, readable, and suit the primary purpose) and its user aspects. Current cartography understands the user issues as all matters relating to user perception, map use and also user preferences. Most commercial cartographic production is strongly connected to economic circumstances. Companies are discovering user's interests and market demands. However, is it sufficient to focus just on the user's preferences? Recent research on user aspects at Palacký University Olomouc addresses a much wider scope of user aspects. The user's preferences are very often distorting - the users think that the particular image map is kind, beautiful, and useful and they wants to buy it (or use it - it depends on the form of the map production). But when the same user gets the task to use practically this particular map (such as finding the shortest way), so the user concludes that initially preferred map is useless, and uses a map, that was worse evaluated according to his preferences. It is, therefore, necessary to evaluate not only the correctness of image maps and their aesthetics but also to assess the user perception and other user issues. For the accomplishment of such testing, eye-tracking technology is a useful tool. The research analysed how users read image maps, or if they prefer image maps over traditional maps. The eye tracking experiment on the comparison of the conventional and image map reading was conducted. The map readers were asked to solve few simple tasks with either conventional or image map. The readers' choice of the map to solve the task was one of investigated aspect of user preferences. Results demonstrate that the user preferences and user needs are often quite different issues. The research outcomes show that it is crucial to implement map user testing into the cartographic production process.
A Consensus Genetic Map for Pinus taeda and Pinus elliottii and Extent of Linkage Disequilibrium in Two Genotype-Phenotype Discovery Populations of Pinus taeda.
Westbrook, Jared W; Chhatre, Vikram E; Wu, Le-Shin; Chamala, Srikar; Neves, Leandro Gomide; Muñoz, Patricio; Martínez-García, Pedro J; Neale, David B; Kirst, Matias; Mockaitis, Keithanne; Nelson, C Dana; Peter, Gary F; Davis, John M; Echt, Craig S
A consensus genetic map for Pinus taeda (loblolly pine) and Pinus elliottii (slash pine) was constructed by merging three previously published P. taeda maps with a map from a pseudo-backcross between P. elliottii and P. taeda. The consensus map positioned 3856 markers via genotyping of 1251 individuals from four pedigrees. It is the densest linkage map for a conifer to date. Average marker spacing was 0.6 cM and total map length was 2305 cM. Functional predictions of mapped genes were improved by aligning expressed sequence tags used for marker discovery to full-length P. taeda transcripts. Alignments to the P. taeda genome mapped 3305 scaffold sequences onto 12 linkage groups. The consensus genetic map was used to compare the genome-wide linkage disequilibrium in a population of distantly related P. taeda individuals (ADEPT2) used for association genetic studies and a multiple-family pedigree used for genomic selection (CCLONES). The prevalence and extent of LD was greater in CCLONES as compared to ADEPT2; however, extended LD with LGs or between LGs was rare in both populations. The average squared correlations, r(2), between SNP alleles less than 1 cM apart were less than 0.05 in both populations and r(2) did not decay substantially with genetic distance. The consensus map and analysis of linkage disequilibrium establish a foundation for comparative association mapping and genomic selection in P. taeda and P. elliottii. PMID:26068575
A Consensus Genetic Map for Pinus taeda and Pinus elliottii and Extent of Linkage Disequilibrium in Two Genotype-Phenotype Discovery Populations of Pinus taeda
Westbrook, Jared W.; Chhatre, Vikram E.; Wu, Le-Shin; Chamala, Srikar; Neves, Leandro Gomide; Muñoz, Patricio; Martínez-García, Pedro J.; Neale, David B.; Kirst, Matias; Mockaitis, Keithanne; Nelson, C. Dana; Peter, Gary F.; Echt, Craig S.
A consensus genetic map for Pinus taeda (loblolly pine) and Pinus elliottii (slash pine) was constructed by merging three previously published P. taeda maps with a map from a pseudo-backcross between P. elliottii and P. taeda. The consensus map positioned 3856 markers via genotyping of 1251 individuals from four pedigrees. It is the densest linkage map for a conifer to date. Average marker spacing was 0.6 cM and total map length was 2305 cM. Functional predictions of mapped genes were improved by aligning expressed sequence tags used for marker discovery to full-length P. taeda transcripts. Alignments to the P. taeda genome mapped 3305 scaffold sequences onto 12 linkage groups. The consensus genetic map was used to compare the genome-wide linkage disequilibrium in a population of distantly related P. taeda individuals (ADEPT2) used for association genetic studies and a multiple-family pedigree used for genomic selection (CCLONES). The prevalence and extent of LD was greater in CCLONES as compared to ADEPT2; however, extended LD with LGs or between LGs was rare in both populations. The average squared correlations, r2, between SNP alleles less than 1 cM apart were less than 0.05 in both populations and r2 did not decay substantially with genetic distance. The consensus map and analysis of linkage disequilibrium establish a foundation for comparative association mapping and genomic selection in P. taeda and P. elliottii. PMID:26068575
Mapping asthma-associated variants in admixed populations
Mersha, Tesfaye B.
Admixed populations arise when two or more previously isolated populations interbreed. Mapping asthma susceptibility loci in an admixed population using admixture mapping (AM) involves screening the genome of individuals of mixed ancestry for chromosomal regions that have a higher frequency of alleles from a parental population with higher asthma risk as compared with parental population with lower asthma risk. AM takes advantage of the admixture created in populations of mixed ancestry to identify genomic regions where an association exists between genetic ancestry and asthma (in contrast to between the genotype of the marker and asthma). The theory behind AM is that chromosomal segments of affected individuals contain a significantly higher-than-average proportion of alleles from the high-risk parental population and thus are more likely to harbor disease–associated loci. Criteria to evaluate the applicability of AM as a gene mapping approach include: (1) the prevalence of the disease differences in ancestral populations from which the admixed population was formed; (2) a measurable difference in disease-causing alleles between the parental populations; (3) reduced linkage disequilibrium (LD) between unlinked loci across chromosomes and strong LD between neighboring loci; (4) a set of markers with noticeable allele-frequency differences between parental populations that contributes to the admixed population (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the markers of choice because they are abundant, stable, relatively cheap to genotype, and informative with regard to the LD structure of chromosomal segments); and (5) there is an understanding of the extent of segmental chromosomal admixtures and their interactions with environmental factors. Although genome-wide association studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of the genetic components of asthma, the large and increasing degree of admixture in populations across the world create many challenges
Fine mapping and association analysis of a quantitative trait locus for milk production traits on Bos taurus autosome 4.
Rincón, G; Islas-Trejo, A; Casellas, J; Ronin, Y; Soller, M; Lipkin, E; Medrano, J F
To fine map a quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting milk production traits previously associated with microsatellite RM188, we implemented an interval mapping analysis by using microsatellite markers in a large Israeli Holstein half-sib sire family, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping in a large set of US Holstein bulls. Interval mapping located the target QTL to the near vicinity of RM188. For the LD mapping, we identified 42 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 15 genes in a 12-Mb region on bovine chromosome 4. A total of 24 tag SNP were genotyped in 882 bulls belonging to the University of California Davis archival collection of Holstein bull DNA samples with predicted transmitted ability phenotypes. Marker-to-marker LD analysis revealed 2 LD blocks, with intrablock r(2) values of 0.10 and 0.46, respectively; outside the blocks, r(2) values ranged from 0.002 to 0.23. A standard additive/dominance model using the generalized linear model procedure of SAS and the regression module of HelixTree software were used to test marker-trait associations. Single nucleotide polymorphism 9 on ARL4A, SNP10 on XR_027435.1, SNP12 on ETV1, SNP21 on SNX13, and SNP24 were significantly associated with milk production traits. We propose the interval encompassing ARL4A and SNX13 genes as a candidate region in bovine chromosome 4 for a concordant QTL related to milk protein traits in dairy cattle. Functional studies are needed to confirm this result. PMID:19164688
Linkage disequilibrium based association mapping of fiber quality traits in G. hirsutum L. variety germplasm.
Abdurakhmonov, Ibrokhim Y; Saha, Sukumar; Jenkins, Jonnie N; Buriev, Zabardast T; Shermatov, Shukhrat E; Scheffler, Brain E; Pepper, Alan E; Yu, John Z; Kohel, Russell J; Abdukarimov, Abdusattor
Cotton is the world's leading cash crop, but it lags behind other major crops for marker-assisted breeding due to limited polymorphisms and a genetic bottleneck through historic domestication. This underlies a need for characterization, tagging, and utilization of existing natural polymorphisms in cotton germplasm collections. Here we report genetic diversity, population characteristics, the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD), and association mapping of fiber quality traits using 202 microsatellite marker primer pairs in 335 G. hirsutum germplasm grown in two diverse environments, Uzbekistan and Mexico. At the significance threshold (r (2) >or= 0.1), a genome-wide average of LD extended up to genetic distance of 25 cM in assayed cotton variety accessions. Genome wide LD at r (2) >or= 0.2 was reduced to approximately 5-6 cM, providing evidence of the potential for association mapping of agronomically important traits in cotton. Results suggest linkage, selection, inbreeding, population stratification, and genetic drift as the potential LD-generating factors in cotton. In two environments, an average of ~20 SSR markers was associated with each main fiber quality traits using a unified mixed liner model (MLM) incorporating population structure and kinship. These MLM-derived significant associations were confirmed in general linear model and structured association test, accounting for population structure and permutation-based multiple testing. Several common markers, showing the significant associations in both Uzbekistan and Mexican environments, were determined. Between 7 and 43% of the MLM-derived significant associations were supported by a minimum Bayes factor at 'moderate to strong' and 'strong to very strong' evidence levels, suggesting their usefulness for marker-assisted breeding programs and overall effectiveness of association mapping using cotton germplasm resources. PMID:19067183
YouGenMap: a web platform for dynamic multi-comparative mapping and visualization of genetic maps.
Batesole, Keith; Wimalanathan, Kokulapalan; Liu, Lin; Zhang, Fan; Echt, Craig S; Liang, Chun
Comparative genetic maps are used in examination of genome organization, detection of conserved gene order, and exploration of marker order variations. YouGenMap is an open-source web tool that offers dynamic comparative mapping capability of users' own genetic mapping between 2 or more map sets. Users' genetic map data and optional gene annotations are uploaded, either publically or privately, as long as they follow our template which is available in several standard file formats. Data is parsed and loaded into MySQL relational database to be displayed and compared against users' genetic maps or other public data available on YouGenMap. With the highly interactive GUIs, all public data on YouGenMap are maps available for visualization, comparison, search, filtration and download. YouGenMap web tool is available on the website (http://conifergdb.miamioh.edu/yougenmap) with the source-code repository at (http://sourceforge.net/projects/yougenmap/?source=directory). PMID:25009553
A Holocene Lake Record from Laguna Del Maule (LdM) in the Chilean Andes: Climatic and Volcanic Controls on Lake Depositional Dynamics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Valero-Garces, B. L.; Frugone Alvarez, M.; Barreiro-Lostres, F.; Carrevedo, M. L.; Latorre Hidalgo, C.; Giralt, S.; Maldonado, A.; Bernárdez, P.; Prego, R.; Moreno-Caballud, A.
Central Chile is a tectonically active, drought-prone region sensitive to latitudinal variations in large-scale cold fronts associated with fluctuations of the Pacific subtropical high. Holocene high-resolution records of climate and volcanic events could help inform more on the frequency of extensive droughts as well as volcanic and seismic hazards. LdM is a high altitude, volcanic lake located in the Transition Southern Volcanic Zone (~36°S, 2200 m.a.s.l). The LdM volcanic field is a very seismically and volcanically active zone in the Andes, with several caldera-forming eruptions over the last 1.5 Ma, and intense postglacial activity. In 2013, we recovered over 40 m of sediment cores at four sites of LdM and collected > 20 km of seismic lines. The cores were imaged, their physical and geochemical properties analysed with a Geotek MSCL and XRF scanner respectively, and sampled for TOC, TIC, TS, TN, BioSi, and bulk mineralogy. The chronology was constructed with a Bayesian age-depth model including 210Pb-137Cs, the Quizapú volcanic ash (1932 AD) and 17 AMS 14C dates. The 4.8 m long composite sequence spans the Late glacial and Holocene.Sediments are massive to banded, quartz and plagioclase-rich silts with variable diatom (BioSi, 15- 30 %) and organic matter content (TOC, 1-5 %). Four main units have been defined based on sedimentological and geochemical composition. The transition from Unit 4 to 3 is ascribed to the onset of the Holocene; Unit 2 spans the mid Holocene, and Unit 1 the last 4 ka. Higher (lower) TOC, Br/Ti and Fe/Mn ratios in units 1 and 3 (2 and 4) suggest higher (lower) organic productivity in the lake and dominant oxic (anoxic) conditions at the bottom of the lake. Up to 17 ash and lapilli layers mark volcanic events, mostly grouped in units 1 and 3. Periods of higher lake productivity (units 1 and 3) are synchronous to higher frequency of volcanic events. Some climate transitions (LIA, 4ka, 8ka and 11ka) are evident in the LdM sequence
Association Mapping and the Genomic Consequences of Selection in Sunflower
Mandel, Jennifer R.; Nambeesan, Savithri; Bowers, John E.; Marek, Laura F.; Ebert, Daniel; Rieseberg, Loren H.; Knapp, Steven J.; Burke, John M.
The combination of large-scale population genomic analyses and trait-based mapping approaches has the potential to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history and genome organization of crop plants. Here, we describe the detailed genotypic and phenotypic analysis of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) association mapping population that captures nearly 90% of the allelic diversity present within the cultivated sunflower germplasm collection. We used these data to characterize overall patterns of genomic diversity and to perform association analyses on plant architecture (i.e., branching) and flowering time, successfully identifying numerous associations underlying these agronomically and evolutionarily important traits. Overall, we found variable levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD) across the genome. In general, islands of elevated LD correspond to genomic regions underlying traits that are known to have been targeted by selection during the evolution of cultivated sunflower. In many cases, these regions also showed significantly elevated levels of differentiation between the two major sunflower breeding groups, consistent with the occurrence of divergence due to strong selection. One of these regions, which harbors a major branching locus, spans a surprisingly long genetic interval (ca. 25 cM), indicating the occurrence of an extended selective sweep in an otherwise recombinogenic interval. PMID:23555290