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We report a sensitive, generic method for quantitative profiling of bile acids and other endogenous metabolites in small quantities of various biological fluids and tissues. The method is based on a straightforward sample preparation, separation by reversed-phase high performance liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and electrospray ionisation in the negative ionisation mode (ESI-). Detection is performed in full scan using the linear ion trap Fourier transform mass spectrometer (LTQ-FTMS) generating data for many (endogenous) metabolites, not only bile acids. A validation of the method in urine, plasma and liver was performed for 17 bile acids including their taurine, sulfate and glycine conjugates. The method is linear in the 0.01-1 μM range. The accuracy in human plasma ranges from 74 to 113%, in human urine 77 to 104% and in mouse liver 79 to 140%. The precision ranges from 2 to 20% for pooled samples even in studies with large number of samples (n > 250). The method was successfully applied to a multi-compartmental APOE*3-Leiden mouse study, the main goal of which was to analyze the effect of increasing dietary cholesterol concentrations on hepatic cholesterol homeostasis and bile acid synthesis. Serum and liver samples from different treatment groups were profiled with the new method. Statistically significant differences between the diet groups were observed regarding total as well as individual bile acid concentrations. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a hybrid numerical simulation approach for the calculation of potential and electric field distribution considering charge and dielectric constant.Design/methodology/approachEach numerical method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The idea is to overcome the disadvantages of the corresponding numerical method by coupling with other numerical methods. An augmented finite element method (FEM), linear FEM and boundary element method are used with an efficient coupling.FindingsThe simulation model of microstructured devices is not so simple. During the simulation various types of problems will occur. It is found that by using several numerical methods these problems can be overcome and the calculation can be performed efficiently.Research limitations/implicationsThe present approach can be applied in 2D cases. But, in 3D cases the calculation of augmented FEM in a spherical coordinate becomes quite elaborate.Practical implicationsThe proposed hybrid numerical simulation approach can be applied for the simulation of the electrostatic force microscope (EFM) which is a very high‐resolution measuring tool in nanotechnology. This approach can be applied also to other micro‐electro‐mechanical systems.Originality/valueSince the scanning process of the EFM is dynamic, it requires the updating of the FEM mesh in each calculation time step. In the present paper, the mesh updating is achieved by an arbitrary Lagrangian‐Eulerian (ALE) method. The proposed numerical approach can be applied for the simulation of the EFM including this remeshing algorithm ALE.

In a family of drums used in the Indian subcontinent, the circular drum head is made of material of nonuniform density. Remarkably, and in contrast to a circular membrane of uniform density, the low eigenmodes of the nonuniform membrane are harmonic. In this work the drum head is modeled as a nonuniform membrane whose density varies smoothly between two prescribed values. The eigenmodes and eigenvalues of the drum head are obtained using a high-resolution numerical method. The mathematical model and the numerical method are able to handle both concentric and eccentric nonuniformities, which correspond, respectively, to the dayan and the bayan drums. For a suitable choice of parameters, which are found by optimizing the harmonicity of the drum, the eigenspectra obtained from the model are in excellent agreement with experiment. The model and the numerical method should find application in numerical sound synthesis. � 2009 Acoustical Society of America.

Single-cell cytoplasm sap (1-10 pL) was extracted by using a pressure probe glass microcapillary tip from tulip leaf and bulb and analyzed by UV-MALDI-TOF MS for free underivatized carbohydrate content. Three matrices including 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in positive ion mode were selected for analysis because of acceptable carbohydrate-related signal reproducibility. Disaccharide and oligosaccharide (up to 15 Hex when THAP was used, 11 Hex with DHB, and 7 Hex with CNTs) were detected in tulip bulb cell cytoplasm sample. When DHB was used as matrix, neutral carbohydrates were more abundantly detected as sodiated cations; the sugar-related signals, however, appeared as dominant potassiated cations when THAP and CNTs were used. Small amount of monosaccharide was also detected in bulb cell cytoplasm with CNTs as matrix. UV-MALDI-TOF MS of leaf cell extract resulted in high-resolution detection of hexose and disaccharide with DHB, THAP, and CNTs. © 2008 American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Fil:Erra-Balsells, R. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Accurately interpreting three dimensional (3D) vector quantities output as solutions to high-resolution computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can be an arduous, time-consuming task. Scientific visualization of these fields can be a powerful aid in their understanding. However, numerous pitfalls present themselves ranging from computational performance to the challenge of generating insightful visual representations of the data. In this paper, we briefly survey current practices for visualizing 3D vector fields, placing particular emphasis on those data arising from CFD simulations of turbulence. We describe the capabilities of a vector field visualization system that we have implemented as part of an open source visual data analysis environment. We also describe a novel algorithm we have developed for illustrating the advection of one vector field by a second flow field. We demonstrate these techniques in the exploration of two sets of runs. The first comprises an ideal and a resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation. This set is used to test the validity of the advection scheme. The second corresponds to a simulation of MHD turbulence. We show the formation of structures in the flows, the evolution of magnetic field lines, and how field line advection can be used effectively to track structures therein. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Fil: Mininni, Pablo Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. National Center for Atmospheric Research; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Lee, Ed. National Center for Atmospheric Research; Estados Unidos Fil: Norton, Alan. National Center for Atmospheric Research; Estados Unidos Fil: Clyne, John. National Center for Atmospheric Research; Estados Unidos

Cooperative intelligent vehicle systems constitute a promising way to improving traffic throughput, safety and comfort. The state-of-the-art intelligent-vehicle applications usually can be described as a collection of interacting, highly autonomous, complex dynamical systems (the individual vehicles). The vehicles implement onboard a wide spectrum of (possibly cooperative) functionalities (applications). In order for an application ldquoto do the right thingrdquo it should have a formal representation and understanding of the relevant surrounding world to implement the proper (e.g. efficient, safe) behavior. In the proposed approach, developed for the SAFESPOT Integrated Project, the Local Dynamic Map (LDM) forms a key element of the onboard system responsible for representing and maintaining a real-time world model. From the applicationspsila point of view, the LDM is the model of the world as known by the vehicle: it contains objects characterized by attributes, uncertainties and relevant relationships between objects. The world model in the LDM is created based on high resolution digital maps, sensory inputs and communication. The LDM implements an abstraction layer between the data interpretation and the higher level behavioral functions. The paper describes the motivation behind the LDM based system decomposition approach, introduces the basic concepts of the world modeling dedicated to cooperative vehicle systems and summarizes the main features of a prototype implementation. The consequences of the LDM based system architecture on application development and testing are also presented.

We report a sensitive, generic method for quantitative profiling of bile acids and other endogenous metabolites in small quantities of various biological fluids and tissues. The method is based on a straightforward sample preparation, separation by reversed-phase high performance liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and electrospray ionisation in the negative ionisation mode (ESI-). Detection is performed in full scan using the linear ion trap Fourier transform mass spectrometer (LTQ-FTMS) generating data for many (endogenous) metabolites, not only bile acids. A validation of the method in urine, plasma and liver was performed for 17 bile acids including their taurine, sulfate and glycine conjugates. The method is linear in the 0.01-1 μM range. The accuracy in human plasma ranges from 74 to 113%, in human urine 77 to 104% and in mouse liver 79 to 140%. The precision ranges from 2 to 20% for pooled samples even in studies with large number of samples (n > 250). The method was successfully applied to a multi-compartmental APOE*3-Leiden mouse study, the main goal of which was to analyze the effect of increasing dietary cholesterol concentrations on hepatic cholesterol homeostasis and bile acid synthesis. Serum and liver samples from different treatment groups were profiled with the new method. Statistically significant differences between the diet groups were observed regarding total as well as individual bile acid concentrations. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cooperative intelligent vehicle systems constitute a promising way to improving traffic throughput, safety and comfort. The state-of-the-art intelligent-vehicle applications usually can be described as a collection of interacting, highly autonomous, complex dynamical systems (the individual vehicles). The vehicles implement onboard a wide spectrum of (possibly cooperative) functionalities (applications). In order for an application "to do the right thing" it should have a formal representation and understanding of the relevant surrounding world to implement the proper (e.g. efficient, safe) behavior. In the proposed approach, developed for the SAFESPOT Integrated Project, the Local Dynamic Map (LDM) forms a key element of the onboard system responsible for representing and maintaining a real-time world model. From the applications' point of view, the LDM is the model of the world as known by the vehicle: it contains objects characterized by attributes, uncertainties and relevant relationships between objects. The world model in the LDM is created based on high resolution digital maps, sensory inputs and communication. The LDM implements an abstraction layer between the data interpretation and the higher level behavioral functions. The paper describes the motivation behind the LDM based system decomposition approach, introduces the basic concepts of the world modeling dedicated to cooperative vehicle systems and summarizes the main features of a prototype implementation. The consequences of the LDM based system architecture on application development and testing are also presented.

Nanocomposite Cr–B–N coatings were deposited from CrB0.2 compound targets by reactive arc evaporation using an Ar/N2 discharge at 500 °C and −20 V substrate bias. Elastic recoil detection (ERDA), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) were used to study the effect of the N2 partial pressure on composition and microstructure of the coatings. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the coating morphology changes from a glassy to a columnar structure with increasing N2 partial pressure, which coincides with the transition from an amorphous to a crystalline growth mode. The saturation of N content in the coating confirms the formation of a thermodynamically stable CrN–BN dual-phase structure at higher N2 fractions, exhibiting a maximum in hardness of approximately 29 GPa.

Traditional shape-from-focus (SFF) uses focus as the singular cue to derive the shape profile of a 3D object from a sequence of images. However, the stack of low-resolution (LR) observations is space-variantly blurred because of the finite depth of field of the camera. The authors propose to exploit the defocus information in the stack of LR images to obtain a super-resolved image as well as a high-resolution (HR) depth map of the underlying 3D object. Appropriate observation models are used to describe the image formation process in SFF. Local spatial dependencies of the intensities of pixels and their depth values are accounted for by modelling the HR image and the HR structure as independent Markov random fields. Taking as input the LR images from the stack and the LR depth map, the authors first obtain the super-resolved image of the 3D specimen and use it subsequently to reconstruct a HR depth profile of the object. � 2008 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

This research is funded by NIH-NHLBI (Grant No: 1 R01 HL08281101) and Boston Scientific Corp. Support of Isik University through the internal grant BAP-05B301 is also acknowledged.; One of the authors, Jaime Zahorian, is grateful to the National Science Foundation for their support of this project through the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Although side looking intravascular ultrasound (SL-IVUS) imaging systems using single element piezoelectric transducers set the resolution standard in the assessment of the extent of coronary artery disease, improvements in transducer performance are needed to perform harmonic imaging and high resolution imaging of vulnerable plaque. With their small channel count; annular arrays exploiting the inherent broad bandwidth of CMUTs and electronic focusing capability of integrated electronics provide a path for desired SL-IVUS imaging catheters. In this paper, we first describe the design, low temperature fabrication of an 8401 mu m diameter, 8 element CMUT annular array. Testing of the individual elements in oil shows a uniform device behavior with 100% fractional bandwidth around 20MHz without including the effects of attenuation and diffraction. We also present linear scan imaging results obtained on wire targets in oil, tissue and tissue mimicking phantoms using both unfocused and dynamically focused transducers. The results for axial and lateral resolution are in agreement predicted by the simulations and show the feasibility of this approach for high resolution SL-IVUS imaging. United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) Boston Scientific Isik University National Science Foundation (NSF) Publisher's Version WOS:000254281800019

Automatic extraction of buildings and modeling of their spatial arrangements provide essential information for urban applications. This paper describes our work on modeling urbanization using spatial building patterns. Building detection is done using Bayesian classification of multi-spectral information. The individual buildings are used as textural primitives, and co-occurrence based spatial domain features and Fourier spectrum-based frequency domain features are used to model their repetitiveness and periodicity at particular orientations. These features are used to classify image neighborhoods as organized (regular) and unorganized (irregular). Experiments with high-resolution Ikonos imagery show that the proposed technique can be used for automatic segmentation of urban scenes and extraction of valuable information about urban growth.

Date of Conference: 11-13 June 2007 Conference Name: 15th Signal Processing and Communications Applications, IEEE 2007 Ionosphere which is an important atmospheric layer for HF and satellite communications, can be investigated through Total Electron Content (TEC). Global Positioning System provides cost-effective means for TEC estimation. Regularized TEC estimation method (D-TEI) is developed to estimate high resolution, robust TEC values. The method combines measurements of GPS satellites above 10° elevation limit and estimates can be obtained with 30 s time resolution. In this paper, parameters that are used in D-TEI method such as ionospheric height, weighting function, and satellite receiver biases are studied. It is found that TEC estimation results of D-TEI method is almost independent of ionospheric height. Different weighting functions are tried and the weighting function that minimizes non-ionospheric effects is selected. By using satellite and receiver biases in the correct form consistent TEC estimation results are obtained with IGS analysis centers. In this paper, the method is improved to include phase measurements. Taking either pseudorange or phase measurements as input, high resolution, robust TEC estimates are obtained using D-TEI method.