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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2011., Cataloged from PDF version of thesis., Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-156)., Nanofluids, engineered colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles in fluid, have been shown to enhance pool and flow boiling CHF. The CHF enhancement was due to nanoparticle deposited on the heater surface, which was verified in pool boiling. However, no such work has been done for flow boiling. Using a cylindrical tube pre-coated with Alumina nanoparticles coated via boiling induced deposition, CHF of water was found to enhance up to 40% compared to that of the bare tube. This confirms that nanoparticles on the surface is responsible for CHF enhancement for flow boiling. However, existing theories failed to predict the CHF enhancement and the exact surface parameters attributed to the enhancement cannot be determined. Surface modifications to enhance critical heat flux (CHF) and Leidenfrost point (LFP) have been shown successful in previous studies. However, the enhancement mechanisms are not well understood, partly due to many surface parameters being altered at the same time, as in the case for nanofluids. Therefore, the remaining objective of this work is to evaluate separate surface effect on different boiling heat transfer phenomena. In the second part of this study, surface roughness, wettability and nanoporosity were altered one by one and respective effect on quenching LFP with water droplet was determined. Increase in surface roughness and wettability enhanced LFP; however, nanoporosity was most effective in raising LFP, almost up to 100°C. The combination of the micro posts and nanoporous coating layer proved optimal. The nanoporous layer destabilizes the vapor film via heterogeneous bubble nucleation, and the micro posts provides intermittent liquid-surface contacts; both mechanisms increase LFP. In the last part, separate effect of nanoporosity and surface roughness on pool boiling CHF of a well-wetting fluid, FC-72, was investigated. Nanoporosity or surface roughness alone had no effect on pool boiling CHF of FC-72. Data obtained in the literature mostly f, by Bao Hoai Truong., Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2011., Cataloged from PDF version of thesis., Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-156)., Nanofluids, engineered colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles in fluid, have been shown to enhance pool and flow boiling CHF. The CHF enhancement was due to nanoparticle deposited on the heater surface, which was verified in pool boiling. However, no such work has been done for flow boiling. Using a cylindrical tube pre-coated with Alumina nanoparticles coated via boiling induced deposition, CHF of water was found to enhance up to 40% compared to that of the bare tube. This confirms that nanoparticles on the surface is responsible for CHF enhancement for flow boiling. However, existing theories failed to predict the CHF enhancement and the exact surface parameters attributed to the enhancement cannot be determined. Surface modifications to enhance critical heat flux (CHF) and Leidenfrost point (LFP) have been shown successful in previous studies. However, the enhancement mechanisms are not well understood, partly due to many surface parameters being altered at the same time, as in the case for nanofluids. Therefore, the remaining objective of this work is to evaluate separate surface effect on different boiling heat transfer phenomena. In the second part of this study, surface roughness, wettability and nanoporosity were altered one by one and respective effect on quenching LFP with water droplet was determined. Increase in surface roughness and wettability enhanced LFP; however, nanoporosity was most effective in raising LFP, almost up to 100°C. The combination of the micro posts and nanoporous coating layer proved optimal. The nanoporous layer destabilizes the vapor film via heterogeneous bubble nucleation, and the micro posts provides intermittent liquid-surface contacts; both mechanisms increase LFP. In the last part, separate effect of nanoporosity and surface roughness on pool boiling CHF of a well-wetting fluid, FC-72, was investigated. Nanoporosity or surface roughness alone had no effect on pool boiling CHF of FC-72. Data obtained in the literature mostly f, by Bao Hoai Truong., Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2011., Cataloged from PDF version of thesis., Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-156)., Nanofluids, engineered colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles in fluid, have been shown to enhance pool and flow boiling CHF. The CHF enhancement was due to nanoparticle deposited on the heater surface, which was verified in pool boiling. However, no such work has been done for flow boiling. Using a cylindrical tube pre-coated with Alumina nanoparticles coated via boiling induced deposition, CHF of water was found to enhance up to 40% compared to that of the bare tube. This confirms that nanoparticles on the surface is responsible for CHF enhancement for flow boiling. However, existing theories failed to predict the CHF enhancement and the exact surface parameters attributed to the enhancement cannot be determined. Surface modifications to enhance critical heat flux (CHF) and Leidenfrost point (LFP) have been shown successful in previous studies. However, the enhancement mechanisms are not well understood, partly due to many surface parameters being altered at the same time, as in the case for nanofluids. Therefore, the remaining objective of this work is to evaluate separate surface effect on different boiling heat transfer phenomena. In the second part of this study, surface roughness, wettability and nanoporosity were altered one by one and respective effect on quenching LFP with water droplet was determined. Increase in surface roughness and wettability enhanced LFP; however, nanoporosity was most effective in raising LFP, almost up to 100°C. The combination of the micro posts and nanoporous coating layer proved optimal. The nanoporous layer destabilizes the vapor film via heterogeneous bubble nucleation, and the micro posts provides intermittent liquid-surface contacts; both mechanisms increase LFP. In the last part, separate effect of nanoporosity and surface roughness on pool boiling CHF of a well-wetting fluid, FC-72, was investigated. Nanoporosity or surface roughness alone had no effect on pool boiling CHF of FC-72. Data obtained in the literature mostly f, by Bao Hoai Truong., Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2008., Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-103)., Nanofluids are engineered colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles (1-100nm) in common fluids (water, refrigerants, or ethanol...). Materials used for nanoparticles include chemically stable metals (e.g., gold, silver, copper), metal oxides (e.g., alumina, zirconia, silica, titania) and carbon in various forms (e.g., diamond, graphite, carbon nanotubes). The attractive properties of nanofluids include higher thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficients (HTC) and boiling critical heat flux (CHF) than that of the respective base fluid. Nanofluids have been found to exhibit a very significant enhancement up to 200% of the boiling CHF at low nanoparticle concentrations. In this study, nanofluids were investigated as an agent to modify a heater surface to enhance Critical Heat Flux (CHF). First, the CHF of diamond, Zinc Oxide and Alumina water-based nanofluids at low volume concentration (<1 vol%) were measured to determine if nanofluid enhances CHF as seen in literature. Subsequently, the heaters are coated with nanoparticles via nucleate boiling of nanofluids. The CHF of water was measured using these nanoparticle precoated heaters to determine the magnitude of the CHF enhancement. Characterization of the heaters after CHF experiments using SEM, confocal, and contact angle were conducted to explain possible mechanisms for the observed enhancement. The coating thickness of the nanoparticle deposition on a wire heater as a function of boiling time was also investigated. Finally, theoretical analyses of the maximum CHF and HTC enhancement in term of wettability were performed and compared with the experimental data. The CHF of nanofluids was as much as 85% higher than that of water, while the nanoparticle pre-coated surfaces yielded up to 35% CHF enhancement compared to bare heaters., (cont.) Surface characterization of the heaters after CHF experiments showed a change in morphology due to the nanoparticles deposition. The coating thickness of nanoparticle was found to deposit rather quickly on the wire surface. Within five minutes of boiling, the coating thickness of more than 1 pm was achieved. Existing CHF correlations overestimated the experimental data., by Bao H. Truong., S.M.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, June 2007., "May 2007.", Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53)., Nanofluids are engineered colloids composed of nano-size particles dispersed in common fluids such as water or refrigerants. Using an electrically controlled wire heater, pool boiling Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of Alumina and Silica water-based nanofluids of concentration less than or equal to 0.1 percent by volume were measured. Silica nanofluids showed CHF enhancement up to 68% and there seems to be a monotonic relationship between nanoparticle concentration and magnitude of enhancement. Alumina nanofluids had CHF enhancement up to 56% but the peak occurred at the intermediate concentration. The boiling curves in nanofluid were found to shift to the left of that of water and correspond to higher nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients in the two-phase flow regime. SEM images show a porous coating layer of nanoparticles on wires subjected to nanofluid CHF tests. These coating layers change the morphology of the heater's surface, and are responsible for the CHF enhancement. The thickness of the coating was estimated using SEM and was found ranging from 3.0 to 6.0 micrometers for Alumina, and 3.0 to 15.0 micrometers for Silica. Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses were also attempted to quantify the mass of the particle deposition but the results were inconsistent with the estimates from the SEM measurement., by Bao H. Truong., S.B.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, June 2007., "May 2007.", Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53)., Nanofluids are engineered colloids composed of nano-size particles dispersed in common fluids such as water or refrigerants. Using an electrically controlled wire heater, pool boiling Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of Alumina and Silica water-based nanofluids of concentration less than or equal to 0.1 percent by volume were measured. Silica nanofluids showed CHF enhancement up to 68% and there seems to be a monotonic relationship between nanoparticle concentration and magnitude of enhancement. Alumina nanofluids had CHF enhancement up to 56% but the peak occurred at the intermediate concentration. The boiling curves in nanofluid were found to shift to the left of that of water and correspond to higher nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients in the two-phase flow regime. SEM images show a porous coating layer of nanoparticles on wires subjected to nanofluid CHF tests. These coating layers change the morphology of the heater's surface, and are responsible for the CHF enhancement. The thickness of the coating was estimated using SEM and was found ranging from 3.0 to 6.0 micrometers for Alumina, and 3.0 to 15.0 micrometers for Silica. Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses were also attempted to quantify the mass of the particle deposition but the results were inconsistent with the estimates from the SEM measurement., by Bao H. Truong., S.B.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, June 2007., "May 2007.", Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53)., Nanofluids are engineered colloids composed of nano-size particles dispersed in common fluids such as water or refrigerants. Using an electrically controlled wire heater, pool boiling Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of Alumina and Silica water-based nanofluids of concentration less than or equal to 0.1 percent by volume were measured. Silica nanofluids showed CHF enhancement up to 68% and there seems to be a monotonic relationship between nanoparticle concentration and magnitude of enhancement. Alumina nanofluids had CHF enhancement up to 56% but the peak occurred at the intermediate concentration. The boiling curves in nanofluid were found to shift to the left of that of water and correspond to higher nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients in the two-phase flow regime. SEM images show a porous coating layer of nanoparticles on wires subjected to nanofluid CHF tests. These coating layers change the morphology of the heater's surface, and are responsible for the CHF enhancement. The thickness of the coating was estimated using SEM and was found ranging from 3.0 to 6.0 micrometers for Alumina, and 3.0 to 15.0 micrometers for Silica. Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses were also attempted to quantify the mass of the particle deposition but the results were inconsistent with the estimates from the SEM measurement., by Bao H. Truong., S.B.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, June 2007., "May 2007.", Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53)., Nanofluids are engineered colloids composed of nano-size particles dispersed in common fluids such as water or refrigerants. Using an electrically controlled wire heater, pool boiling Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of Alumina and Silica water-based nanofluids of concentration less than or equal to 0.1 percent by volume were measured. Silica nanofluids showed CHF enhancement up to 68% and there seems to be a monotonic relationship between nanoparticle concentration and magnitude of enhancement. Alumina nanofluids had CHF enhancement up to 56% but the peak occurred at the intermediate concentration. The boiling curves in nanofluid were found to shift to the left of that of water and correspond to higher nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients in the two-phase flow regime. SEM images show a porous coating layer of nanoparticles on wires subjected to nanofluid CHF tests. These coating layers change the morphology of the heater's surface, and are responsible for the CHF enhancement. The thickness of the coating was estimated using SEM and was found ranging from 3.0 to 6.0 micrometers for Alumina, and 3.0 to 15.0 micrometers for Silica. Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses were also attempted to quantify the mass of the particle deposition but the results were inconsistent with the estimates from the SEM measurement., by Bao H. Truong., S.B.

[Resumen]: Los informantes, además de ser participantes clave que condicionan la calidad de las muestras de habla, proporcionan el índice de representatividad en el caso de la elaboración de una herramienta lingüística con visos de ser de utilización pública. En los corpus de lenguas visogestuales, la recogida de las muestras de habla es visual y esta particularidad obliga a una revisión de los planteamientos de los lingüistas para salvaguardar la confidencialidad de los contenidos y la privacidad de los informantes. Nuestro estudio se centra en la adaptación a las necesidades lingüísticas y a la realidad de los informantes del corpus de lengua de signos CORALSE teniendo presente las premisas de respeto a las lenguas y los informantes establecidas por Nikolaus Himmelmann (2005) y la portabilidad de las lenguas de Bird y Simons (2003) en la descripción y difusión de los resultados, [Abstract]: The informants, in addition to being key participants that determine the quality of language samples, provide the representativeness index in the elaboration of a linguistic tool with the intention of being of public use. In the visualgestural language corpora, the language sample collection is visual and this particularity requires a revision of the linguists' approaches to safeguard the confidentiality of the contents and the privacy of the informants. Our study focuses on the adaptation of the linguistic needs to the reality of the informants of the CORALSE sign language corpus, taking into account the premises of respect for languages and informants established by Nikolaus Himmelmann (2005) and the portability of the languages of Bird and Simons (2003) in the description and dissemination of the results.

Objective Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an exceptionally high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Yet, little is known about genetic determinants for T2D in this population. We examined the association of a genetic risk score (GRS) with risk of T2D in two independent populations of women with a history of GDM and how this association might be modified by non-genetic determinants for T2D. Research design and methods This cohort study included 2434 white women with a history of GDM from the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII, n=1884) and the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC, n=550). A GRS for T2D was calculated using 59 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms for T2D identified from genome-wide association studies in European populations. An alternate healthy eating index (AHEI) score was derived to reflect dietary quality after the pregnancy affected by GDM. Results Women on average were followed for 21 years in NHSII and 13 years in DNBC, during which 446 (23.7%) and 155 (28.2%) developed T2D, respectively. The GRS was generally positively associated with T2D risk in both cohorts. In the pooled analysis, the relative risks (RRs) for increasing quartiles of GRS were 1.00, 0.97, 1.25 and 1.19 (p trend=0.02). In both cohorts, the association appeared to be stronger among women with poorer (AHEI

Objective Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an exceptionally high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Yet, little is known about genetic determinants for T2D in this population. We examined the association of a genetic risk score (GRS) with risk of T2D in two independent populations of women with a history of GDM and how this association might be modified by non-genetic determinants for T2D. Research design and methods This cohort study included 2434 white women with a history of GDM from the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII, n=1884) and the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC, n=550). A GRS for T2D was calculated using 59 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms for T2D identified from genome-wide association studies in European populations. An alternate healthy eating index (AHEI) score was derived to reflect dietary quality after the pregnancy affected by GDM. Results Women on average were followed for 21 years in NHSII and 13 years in DNBC, during which 446 (23.7%) and 155 (28.2%) developed T2D, respectively. The GRS was generally positively associated with T2D risk in both cohorts. In the pooled analysis, the relative risks (RRs) for increasing quartiles of GRS were 1.00, 0.97, 1.25 and 1.19 (p trend=0.02). In both cohorts, the association appeared to be stronger among women with poorer (AHEI

OBJECTIVE: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an exceptionally high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Yet, little is known about genetic determinants for T2D in this population. We examined the association of a genetic risk score (GRS) with risk of T2D in two independent populations of women with a history of GDM and how this association might be modified by non-genetic determinants for T2D. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cohort study included 2434 white women with a history of GDM from the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII, n=1884) and the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC, n=550). A GRS for T2D was calculated using 59 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms for T2D identified from genome-wide association studies in European populations. An alternate healthy eating index (AHEI) score was derived to reflect dietary quality after the pregnancy affected by GDM. RESULTS: Women on average were followed for 21 years in NHSII and 13 years in DNBC, during which 446 (23.7%) and 155 (28.2%) developed T2D, respectively. The GRS was generally positively associated with T2D risk in both cohorts. In the pooled analysis, the relative risks (RRs) for increasing quartiles of GRS were 1.00, 0.97, 1.25 and 1.19 (p trend=0.02). In both cohorts, the association appeared to be stronger among women with poorer (AHEI

Simultaneous MIMO-free transmission of 12 orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes over a 1.2 km air-core fiber is demonstrated. WDM compatibility of the system is shown by using 60, 25 GHz spaced WDM channels with 10 GBaud QPSK signals. System performance is evaluated by measuring bit error rates, which are found to be below the soft FEC limit, and limited by inter-modal crosstalk. The crosstalk in the system is analyzed, and it is concluded that it can be significantly reduced with an improved multiplexer and de-multiplexer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Established risk factors do not fully identify patients at risk for recurrent stroke. The SPARCL trial (Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels) evaluated the effect of atorvastatin on stroke risk in patients with a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack and no known coronary heart disease. This analysis explored the relationships between 13 plasma biomarkers assessed at trial enrollment and the occurrence of outcome strokes.METHODS: We conducted a case-cohort study of 2176 participants; 562 had outcome strokes and 1614 were selected randomly from those without outcome strokes. Time to stroke was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models.RESULTS: There was no association between time to stroke and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, resistin, matrix metalloproteinase-9, N-terminal fragment of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, or soluble CD40 ligand. In adjusted analyses, osteopontin (hazard ratio per SD change, 1.362; P<0.0001), neopterin (hazard ratio, 1.137; P=0.0107), myeloperoxidase (hazard ratio, 1.177; P=0.0022), and adiponectin (hazard ratio, 1.207; P=0.0013) were independently associated with outcome strokes. After adjustment for the Stroke Prognostic Instrument-II and treatment, osteopontin, neopterin, and myeloperoxidase remained independently associated with outcome strokes. The addition of these 3 biomarkers to Stroke Prognostic Instrument-II increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve by 0.023 (P=0.015) and yielded a continuous net reclassification improvement (29.1%; P<0.0001) and an integrated discrimination improvement (42.3%; P<0.0001).CONCLUSIONS: Osteopontin, neopterin, and myeloperoxidase were independently associated with the risk of recurrent stroke and improved risk classification when added to a clinical risk

Simultaneous MIMO-free transmission of a record number (12) of orbital angular momentum modes over 1.2 km is demonstrated. WDM compatibility of the system is shown by using 60 WDM channels with 25 GHz spacing and 10 GBaud QPSK.

Chinese traditional opera is a valuable and fascinating heritage assert in the world as one of the most representative folk art in Chinese history. Its characteristic of ‘suppositionality’ in stage scenery provides a possibility of preservation of cultural heritage by digitization means, e.g., 3D Animation and Virtual Reality-based art show. In this novel digitization art form, the construction of virtual scenes is an important pillar--variety of created models should be accommodated to provide a vivid performance stage, including stage props and background. However, the generation of scenes based on traditional manual 3D virtual props modelling method is a tedious and strenuous task. In this paper, a novel shadow puppetry virtual stage scenes construction approach based on semantic and prior probability is proposed for the generation of compositional virtual scenes. First, primitive models based on semantics text segmentation and retrieval is provided for scene composition; and then, scene placement algorithm based on prior probability is conducive to assign these 3D models within virtual scene. This method is tested by generating the virtual performance stage for our shadow puppetry prototype system, within which various traditional art-specific 3D models are assembled. Its ease of use can assist artists to create visually plausible virtual stage without professional scene modelling skill. The user study indicates our approach’s effectiveness and its efficiency.

Recent research has shown that children's strategic ability can be improved with game. To improve strategic ability, motor coordination ability and the understanding of historical knowledge, we design an ability training game - to borrow arrows with thatched boats. In order to improve children's learning efficiency, we use deep motion perception technology as a human-computer interaction tool. Our system can allow children to control the movement of boats and interact with virtual objects in the virtual environment through hand-gesture. We can provide some strategic options, such as weather, equipment, etc. Under this new mode of educational game, children's strategic and motor coordination abilities are improved, and their understanding of historical knowledge can be also enhanced.

Although many updatable learned indexes have been proposed in recent years, whether they can outperform traditional approaches on disk remains unknown. In this study, we revisit and implement four state-of-the-art updatable learned indexes on disk, and compare them against the B+-tree under a wide range of settings. Through our evaluation, we make some key observations: 1) Overall, the B+-tree performs well across a range of workload types and datasets. 2) A learned index could outperform B+-tree or other learned indexes on disk for a specific workload. For example, PGM achieves the best performance in write-only workloads while LIPP significantly outperforms others in lookup-only workloads. We further conduct a detailed performance analysis to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of these learned indexes on disk. Moreover, we summarize the observed common shortcomings in five categories and propose four design principles to guide future design of on-disk, updatable learned indexes: (1) reducing the index's tree height, (2) better data structures to lower operation overheads, (3) improving the efficiency of scan operations, and (4) more efficient storage layout.

©2015 American Physical Society. Many of the ideas in this paper originated at the Workshop on Mathematical Methods of Quantum Tomography at Fields Institute (Toronto). Z.H., J.R., and Y.S.T. are grateful for the support of the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic [Project No. CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0004 (POST-UP)], the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Grant No. 15-031945), the IGA Project of the Palacky University (Grant No. IGA PrF 2015-002), and the sustainability of postdoc positions at Palacky University. L.L. S.S. acknowledges the support from UCM-Banco Santander Program (Grant No. GR3/14) and helpful discussions with M. Grassl. H.K.N.'s, J.H.C.'s, and B.-G.E.'s work was funded by the Singapore Ministry of Education (partly through the Academic Research Fund Tier 3 MOE2012-T3-1-009) and the National Research Foundation of Singapore. H.K.N. was also funded by a Yale-NUS College start-up grant., Measuring incomplete sets of mutually unbiased bases constitutes a sensible approach to the tomography of high-dimensional quantum systems. The unbiased nature of these bases optimizes the uncertainty hypervolume. However, imposing unbiasedness on the probabilities for the unmeasured bases does not generally yield the estimator with the largest von Neumann entropy, a popular figure of merit in this context. Furthermore, this imposition typically leads to mock density matrices that are not even positive definite. This provides a strong argument against perfunctory applications of linear estimation strategies. We propose to use instead the physical state estimators that maximize the Shannon entropy of the unmeasured outcomes, which quantifies our lack of knowledge fittingly and gives physically meaningful statistical predictions., State Budget of the Czech Republic (República Checa), Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (República Checa), IGA Project of the Palacky University, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Ministerio de Educación (República de Singapur), National Research Foundation (República de Singapur), Banco Santander Central Hispano (BSCH), Depto. de Óptica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub

BACKGROUND: Chloroplasts are important semi-autonomous organelles in plants and algae. Unlike higher plants, the chloroplast genomes of green algal linage have distinct features both in organization and expression. Despite the architecture of chloroplast genome having been extensively studied in higher plants and several model species of algae, little is known about the transcriptional features of green algal chloroplast-encoded genes. RESULTS: Based on full-length cDNA (Iso-Seq) sequencing, we identified widely co-transcribed polycistronic transcriptional units (PTUs) in the green alga Caulerpa lentillifera. In addition to clusters of genes from the same pathway, we identified a series of PTUs of up to nine genes whose function in the plastid is not understood. The RNA data further allowed us to confirm widespread expression of fragmented genes and conserved open reading frames, which are both important features in green algal chloroplast genomes. In addition, a newly fragmented gene specific to C. lentillifera was discovered, which may represent a recent gene fragmentation event in the chloroplast genome. With the newly annotated exon-intron boundary information, gene structural annotation was greatly improved across the siphonous green algae lineages. Our data also revealed a type of non-canonical Group II introns, with a deviant secondary structure and intronic ORFs lacking known splicing or mobility domains. These widespread introns have conserved positions in their genes and are excised precisely despite lacking clear consensus intron boundaries. CONCLUSION: Our study fills important knowledge gaps in chloroplast genome organization and transcription in green algae, and provides new insights into expression of polycistronic transcripts, freestanding ORFs and fragmented genes in algal chloroplast genomes. Moreover, we revealed an unusual type of Group II intron with distinct features and conserved positions in Bryopsidales. Our data represents interesting addit

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions.

Many driving simulator studies have shown that cell phone use while driving greatly degraded driving performance. In terms of safety analysis, many factors including drivers, vehicles, and driving situations need to be considered. Controlled or simulated studies cannot always account for the full effects of these factors, especially situational factors such as road condition, traffic density, and weather and lighting conditions. Naturalistic driving by its nature provides a natural and realistic way to examine drivers' behaviors and associated factors for cell phone use while driving. Method In this study, driving speed while using a cell phone (conversation or visual/manual tasks) was compared to two baselines (baseline 1: normal driving condition, which only excludes driving while using a cell phone, baseline 2: driving-only condition, which excludes all types of secondary tasks) when traversing an intersection. Results The outcomes showed that drivers drove slower when using a cell for both conversation and visual/manual (VM) tasks compared to baseline conditions. With regard to cell phone conversations, drivers were more likely to drive faster during the day time compared to night time driving and drive slower under moderate traffic compared to under sparse traffic situations. With regard to VM tasks, there was a significant interaction between traffic and cell phone use conditions. The maximum speed with VM tasks was significantly lower than that with baseline conditions under sparse traffic conditions. In contrast, the maximum speed with VM tasks was slightly higher than that with baseline driving under dense traffic situations. Practical applications This suggests that drivers might self-regulate their behavior based on the driving situations and demand for secondary tasks, which could provide insights on driver distraction guidelines. With the rapid development of in-vehicle technology, the findings in this research could lead the improvement of human-machin