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The Hone sensors are packet-process correlation engines that log the relationships between applications and the communications they are responsible for. Hone sensors are available for a variety of platforms including Linux, Windows, and MacOSX
This multi-institutional project had as it main objectives to develop a fully integrated platform for the production of advanced biofuels, specifically butanol, from sustainably produced switchgrass and biomass sorghum and to develop economic models that could guide the establishment of a crop to fuel value chain. The project was organized into three work packages: (1) WP1 Feedstock Development and Supply. Activities in this WP resulted in the development of improved biomass sorghum cultivars and biomass hybrids that generate high yields of biomass with limited inputs of water, fertilizer and agri-chemicals and that display less recalcitrance to enzymatic saccharification at the biorefinery; the identification of physiological responses and genes associated with sorghum’s tolerance to water logging as the basis for the development of biomass sorghums that can be cultivated on land prone to flooding; the identification of water-logging tolerant switchgrass genotypes among existing germplasm; the identification of management practices that maximize switchgrass biomass yield (fertilizer applications, harvest regimens) on commercial farms on different types of soil in Missouri. (2) WP2 Biorefinery Technologies. This WP included the development of a recombinant E. coli strain able to convert fermentable sugars derived from biomass sorghum and switchgrass to butyrate as a precursor for the advanced biofuel butanol. Butanol is toxic to most microbes, so that yields tend to be low. In contrast, butyrate can be produced in high titer and high yield by several naturally occurring bacteria, but these species are strictly anaerobic, which complicates commercial production. Our strategy involved developing a recombinant strain of E. coli able to produce high yields and high titers of butyrate. The butyrate can then be reduced to butanol via chemical conversion. In addition, a techno-economic analysis of converting sorghum and switchgrass biomass to ethanol was conducted based on data obtained at a pilot biorefinery. These data combined with small-scale butanol production data were used as the basis for a techno-economic analysis of biomass-to-butanol conversion. Furthermore, the biorefinery stillage was evaluated as a source of fertilizer or soil amendment. In contrast to the use of biochar as a soil amendment, stillage resulted in enhanced microbial activity in the soil and release of CO2. Stillage was determined to be a suitable feedstock for biogas production in an anaerobic digester. Biorefinery lignin can be blended with polymers to create novel UV-resistant materials promising for application in outer space, and as a source of organic acids for use in plastics. These applications offer opportunities to create value from the biorefinery residues. (3) WP3. This WP focused on development of economic models that can help define the most successful strategy for implementing biofuel production from bioenergy crops. Southeastern Missouri was determined to be the best location for a bio-butanol facility that processes biomass crops, due to the abundance of feedstock within a small radius of the facility. The most effective transportation method is by rail car. Feedstock availability was considered a more important driver for commercial success than the availability of a butanol market. The average cost of producing switchgrass biomass was calculated to be $65/ton assuming a biomass yield of 8 tons per hectare (the upper end of the yield in the commercial trials in WP2). Lower yields drive up costs, but improved genotypes will conversely reduce costs. Based on farmer surveys, conducting university extension activities was determined to positively influence farmers’ willingness to consider switchgrass. Other factors included experience with pasture land and forest land, and the availability of policies that provide a safety net to the farmers in case of instability in the biofuels market. This instability can be mitigated in part by ensuring adequate biomass supplies through diversification. The project supported the training of 20 graduate students and resulted in 57 peer-reviewed journal articles (with eight additional in review or in progress), eight book chapters and five patents.
A study was made on the stress relaxation behavior at 25 C of poly(methyl methacrylate) in uniaxial tension as a function of physical aging at both room temperature and 60 C. Test specimens were compression molded at 165 C, then quenched to room temperature and allowed to age for up to 30 days prior to testing. Stress relaxation curves measured after different aging times could be superposed to a single master curve for each aging temperature. Superposition was achieved by applying vertical and horizontal shifts. Hence, the shape of the response curves was not changed by aging. This is in accordance with observations made by Struik for tensile creep curves. Volume changes as a function of physical aging were also determined. Simple exponential relationships were observed between volume and both horizontal and vertical shifts. The horizontal shift implies a shift in the effective time scale caused by a change in free volume. The vertical shifts could be correlated with changes in Young's modulus caused by a change in density. For the range of aging studied, the response time scale varied over nearly two decades of log-time. For the same conditions modulus varied by 30 percent.
The Hone sensors are packet-process correlation engines that log the relationships between applications and the communications they are responsible for. Hone sensors are available for a variety of platforms including Linux, Windows, and MacOSX. Hone sensors are designed to help analysts understand the meaning of communications on a deeper level by associating the origin or destination process to the communication. They do this by tracing communications on a per-packet basis, through the kernel of the operating system to determine their ultimate source/destination on the monitored machine.
Principal component analysis of spectral decomposition results combined with amplitude and frequency seismic attributes derived from 3D seismic data are used for the identification and characterization of gas hydrate deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico. In the central deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM), logging while drilling LWD data provided insight to the amplitude response of gas hydrate saturation in sands, which could be used to characterize complex gas hydrate deposits in other sandy deposits. In this study, a large 3D seismic data set from equivalent and distal Plio Pleistocene sandy channel deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico is screened for direct hydrocarbon indicators for gas hydrate saturated sands.
The presence of a gas hydrate petroleum system and seismic attributes derived from 3D seismic data are used for the identification and characterization of gas hydrate deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico. In the central deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM), logging while drilling (LWD) data provided insight to the amplitude response of gas hydrate saturation in sands, which could be used to characterize complex gas hydrate deposits in other sandy deposits. In this study, a large 3D seismic data set from equivalent and distal Plio-Pleistocene sandy channel deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico is screened for direct hydrocarbon indicators for gas hydrate saturated sands.
The effects of aligned porosity on the shock-compression response of additively manufactured (AM) composite structures with collinear and log-cabin geometries are investigated. The composites contain two inorganic and two organic particle populations and a UV-curable polymer binder. X-ray phase contrast imaging (X-PCI) is used as an in-material diagnostic in plate-impact experiments performed at the Dynamic Compression Sector of the Advanced Photon Source at the Argonne National Laboratory. Macroscale shock and particle velocities and microscale pore collapse velocities are measured from X-PCI images obtained from samples impacted in various orientations relative to the AM build directions. The linear shock and particle velocity relation for the structures with collinear build geometry shows directional differences, with the build direction exhibiting the highest slope and the filament print direction having the shallowest slope. Composites with log-cabin geometry, due to their slightly lower porosity and smaller sized pores, show higher shock velocities than the collinear structures at the same particle velocity. Microscale directionality effects are also observed, with the pore collapse velocity dependent on the pore configuration. Specifically, the pore collapse velocity is highest for pores elongated along the impact direction which is the case for the colinear structures impacted in the filament print direction, which is consistent with the directionality trend observed in the data for the shock and particle velocity equation of state. The pore collapse velocity approaches ∼80 % of the shock velocity and is several times the average bulk particle velocity, suggesting a highly hydrodynamic mechanism of pore collapse. Overall, both the macroscale response as measured by the shock and particle velocity relationship, and the microscale response as measured by the pore collapse velocity, are found to be anisotropic and dependent on the AM composite structure.
Purpose: To investigate whether polymorphisms of genes related to inflammation are associated with pathologic response (primary endpoint) in patients with rectal cancer treated with primary chemoradiation therapy (PCRT). Methods and Materials: Genomic DNA of 159 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with PCRT was genotyped for polymorphisms rs28362491 (NFKB1), rs1213266/rs5789 (PTGS1), rs5275 (PTGS2), and rs16944/rs1143627 (IL1B) using TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays. The association between each genotype and pathologic response (poor response vs complete or partial response) was analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: The NFKB1 DEL/DEL genotype was associated with pathologic response (odds ratio [OR], 6.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-52.65; P=.03) after PCRT. No statistically significant associations between other polymorphisms and response to PCRT were observed. Patients with the NFKB1 DEL/DEL genotype showed a trend for longer disease-free survival (log-rank test, P=.096) and overall survival (P=.049), which was not significant in a multivariate analysis that included pathologic response. Analysis for 6 polymorphisms showed that patients carrying the haplotype rs28362491-DEL/rs1143627-A/rs1213266-G/rs5789-C/rs5275-A/rs16944-G (13.7% of cases) had a higher response rate to PCRT (OR, 8.86; 95% CI, 1.21-64.98; P=.034) than the reference group (rs28362491-INS/rs1143627-A/rs1213266-G/rs5789-C/rs5275-A/rs16944-G). Clinically significant (grade ≥2) acute organ toxicity was also more frequent in patients with that same haplotype (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.11-15.36; P=.037). Conclusions: Our results suggest that genetic variation in NFKB-related inflammatory pathways might influence sensitivity to primary chemoradiation for rectal cancer. If confirmed, an inflammation-related radiogenetic profile might be used to select patients with rectal cancer for preoperative combined-modality treatment.
In a standard quantum sensing (QS) task one aims at estimating an unknown parameter θ, encoded into an n-qubit probe state, via measurements of the system. The success of this task hinges on the ability to correlate changes in the parameter to changes in the system response $\mathscr{R}$(θ) (i.e., changes in the measurement outcomes). For simple cases the form of $\mathscr{R}$(θ) is known, but the same cannot be said for realistic scenarios, as no general closed-form expression exists. Here, in this Letter, we present an inference-based scheme for QS. We show that, for a general class of unitary families of encoding, $\mathscr{R}$(θ) can be fully characterized by only measuring the system response at 2n+1 parameters. This allows us to infer the value of an unknown parameter given the measured response, as well as to determine the sensitivity of the scheme, which characterizes its overall performance. We show that inference error is, with high probability, smaller than δ, if one measures the system response with a number of shots that scales only as Ω(log 3 (n)/δ 2 ). Furthermore, the framework presented can be broadly applied as it remains valid for arbitrary probe states and measurement schemes, and, even holds in the presence of quantum noise. We also discuss how to extend our results beyond unitary families. Finally, to showcase our method we implement it for a QS task on real quantum hardware, and in numerical simulations.
Compensatory tracking performance was shown to be substantially degraded by oscillation of the visual display at both 1.0 and 2.0 Hz. The severity of this decrement was altered significantly by changes in both the color and the intensity of the display illumination. Performance was significantly better with red light illuminating the display at 0.05 mL than with blue light at the equivalent luminance. This improvement in performance was similar in magnitude to that found for an increase in broad-band illumination of the display where luminance was increased from 1/2 log unit below to 1/2 log unit above 0.05 mL. Visual mechanisms that may have been responsible for these findings are suggested.
Promising approaches for achieving optically addressed spatial light modulators (O-SLMs) are investigated based on combining nipi and multiple quantum well structures. Theoretical aspects of photooptic effects achievable in such structures are treated. Test structures are grown by molecular beam epitaxy using two material systems. (In,Ga)As/GaAs and (Al,Ga)As/GaAs. Experiments show large optically controlled modulation of the absorption coefficient in the quantum well layers, a log power dependence on the control signal, millisecond and shorter time response, and generally predictable behavior. The results are encouraging for several different O-SLM device structures proposed.
A three-bay, space, cantilever truss is probabilistically evaluated using the computer code NESSUS (Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress) to identify and quantify the uncertainties and respective sensitivities associated with corresponding uncertainties in the primitive variables (structural, material, and loads parameters) that defines the truss. The distribution of each of these primitive variables is described in terms of one of several available distributions such as the Weibull, exponential, normal, log-normal, etc. The cumulative distribution function (CDF's) for the response functions considered and sensitivities associated with the primitive variables for given response are investigated. These sensitivities help in determining the dominating primitive variables for that response.
Purpose: To report our experience with rotational total skin electron irradiation (RTSEI) in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), and to examine response by disease stage and race. Methods and Materials: We reviewed our outcomes for 68 CTCL patients who received RTSEI (≥30 Gy) from 2000 to 2013. Primary outcomes were complete clinical response (CCR), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). Using log–rank tests and Cox proportional hazards, OS and RFS were compared across tumor stages at time of RTSEI with further racial subgroup analysis. Results: Median age at diagnosis and at time of radiation was 52 and 56 years, respectively. Median follow-up was 5.1 years, 49% were African American, and 49% were female. At time of treatment, 18, 37, and 13 patients were T stage 2, 3, and 4, respectively. At 6 weeks after RTSEI, overall CCR was 82% (88%, 83%, and 69% for T2, T3, and T4, respectively). Median RFS was 11 months for all patients and 14, 10, and 12 months for stage T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Tumor stage was not associated with RFS or CCR. Maintenance therapy after RTSEI was associated with improved RFS in both crude and multivariable analysis, controlling for T stage. Median OS was 76 months (91 and 59 months for T3 and T4, respectively). With the exception of improved OS in African Americans compared with whites at stage T2, race was not associated with CCR, RFS, or OS. Conclusions: These results represent the largest RTSEI clinical outcomes study in the modern era using a dual-field rotational technique. Our observed response rates match or improve upon the standard set by previous outcome studies using conventional TSEI techniques, despite a large percentage of advanced CTCL lesions in our cohort. We found that clinical response after RTSEI did not seem to be affected by T stage or race.
Influenza virus infection remains a public health problem worldwide. The mechanisms underlying viral control during an uncomplicated influenza virus infection are not fully understood. Here, we developed a mathematical model including both innate and adaptive immune responses to study the within-host dynamics of equine influenza virus infection in horses. By comparing modeling predictions with both interferon and viral kinetic data, we examined the relative roles of target cell availability, and innate and adaptive immune responses in controlling the virus. Our results show that the rapid and substantial viral decline (about 2 to 4 logs within 1 day) after the peak can be explained by the killing of infected cells mediated by interferon activated cells, such as natural killer cells, during the innate immune response. After the viral load declines to a lower level, the loss of interferon-induced antiviral effect and an increased availability of target cells due to loss of the antiviral state can explain the observed short phase of viral plateau in which the viral level remains unchanged or even experiences a minor second peak in some animals. An adaptive immune response is needed in our model to explain the eventual viral clearance. This study provides a quantitative understanding of the biological factors that can explain the viral and interferon kinetics during a typical influenza virus infection.
Loss of foundation tree species rapidly alters ecological processes in forested ecosystems. Tsuga canadensis, an hypothesized foundation species of eastern North American forests, is declining throughout much of its range due to infestation by the nonnative insect Adelges tsugae and by removal through pre-emptive salvage logging. In replicate 0.81-ha plots, T. canadensis was cut and removed, or killed in place by girdling to simulate adelgid damage. Control plots included undisturbed hemlock and mid-successional hardwood stands that represent expected forest composition in 50–100 years. Vegetation richness, understory vegetation cover, soil carbon flux, and nitrogen cycling were measured for two years prior to, and five years following, application of experimental treatments. Litterfall and coarse woody debris (CWD), including snags, stumps, and fallen logs and branches, have been measured since treatments were applied. Overstory basal area was reduced 60%–70% in girdled and logged plots. Mean cover and richness did not change in hardwood or hemlock control plots but increased rapidly in girdled and logged plots. Following logging, litterfall immediately decreased then slowly increased, whereas in girdled plots, there was a short pulse of hemlock litterfall as trees died. CWD volume remained relatively constant throughout but was 3–4× higher in logged plots. Logging and girdling resulted in small, short-term changes in ecosystem dynamics due to rapid regrowth of vegetation but in general, interannual variability exceeded differences among treatments. Soil carbon flux in girdled plots showed the strongest response: 35% lower than controls after three years and slowly increasing thereafter. Ammonium availability increased immediately after logging and two years after girdling, due to increased light and soil temperatures and nutrient pulses from leaf-fall and reduced uptake following tree death. The results from this study illuminate ecological processes underlying patterns observed consistently in region-wide studies of adelgid-infested hemlock stands. Mechanisms of T. canadensis loss determine rates, magnitudes, and trajectories of ecological changes in hemlock forests. Logging causes abrupt, large changes in vegetation structure whereas girdling (and by inference, A. tsugae) causes sustained, smaller changes. Ecosystem processes depend more on vegetation cover per se than on species composition. We conclude that the loss of this late-successional foundation species will have long-lasting impacts on forest structure but subtle impacts on ecosystem function.
Purpose: To evaluate the absolute dose accuracy of the PTW Octavius 729 XDR 2D ion chamber array at a high dose rate pencil beam scanning proton therapy facility. Methods: A set of 18 plans were created in our treatment planning system, each of which comprising a unique combination of field sizes (FS), length of spread out of Bragg peaks (SOBP) and depths. The parameters used were: FS of 5×5cm{sup 2}, 10×10cm{sup 2} and 15×15cm{sup 2}; flat SOBP of 5cm and 10cm; and isocenter depths of 10cm, 15cm and 20cm, which coincides with the center of the SOBP. The 2D array detector was positioned at the machine isocenter and the appropriate amount of solid water was used to match the planned depths of 10, 15 and 20 cm water equivalent depth. Subsequently, we measured the absolute dose at isocenter using a CC04 ion chamber in a 1D water tank. Both 2D array and CC04 were previously cross calibrated. We also collected the MU rates used by our proton machine from the log files. Results: The relative differences between the CC04 and the 2D array can be summarized into two groups, one with 5 cm SOBP and another with 10 cm SOBP. Plotting these datasets against FS shows that the 2D array response for high dose rate fields (FS of 5×5cm{sup 2} and 5cm SOBP) can be up to 2% lower. Similarly, plotting them against isocenter depths reveals the detector's response can be up to 2% lower for higher energy beams (about 200MeV nominal). The MU rate found in the machine log files for 5cm SOBP's were as high as twice the MU rate for the 10cm SOBP. Conclusion: The 2D array dose response showed a dose rate effect in scanning pencil beam delivery, which needs to be corrected to achieve a better dose accuracy.
The automated acquisition of knowledge by machine has not lived up to expectations, and knowledge engineering remains a human intensive task. Part of the reason for the lack of success is the difference in the cognitive focus of the expert. The expert must shift his or her focus from the subject domain to that of the representation environment. In doing so this cognitive shift introduces opportunity for errors and omissions. Presented here is work that observes the expert interact with a simulation of the domain. The system logs changes in the simulation objects and the expert's actions in response to those changes. This is followed by the application of inductive reasoning to move the domain specific rules observed to general domain rules.
We report on the analysis of the Chandra-ACIS data of O, B, and WR stars in the young association Cyg OB2. X-ray spectra of 49 O-stars, 54 B-stars, and 3 WR-stars are analyzed and for the brighter sources, the epoch dependence of the X-ray fluxes is investigated. The O-stars in Cyg OB2 follow a well-defined scaling relation between their X-ray and bolometric luminosities: log ((L{sub X})/(L{sub bol}))=−7.2±0.2. This relation is in excellent agreement with the one previously derived for the Carina OB1 association. Except for the brightest O-star binaries, there is no general X-ray overluminosity due to colliding winds in O-star binaries. Roughly half of the known B-stars in the surveyed field are detected, but they fail to display a clear relationship between L{sub X} and L{sub bol}. Out of the three WR stars in Cyg OB2, probably only WR 144 is itself responsible for the observed level of X-ray emission, at a very low log ((L{sub X})/(L{sub bol}))=−8.8±0.2. The X-ray emission of the other two WR-stars (WR 145 and 146) is most probably due to their O-type companion along with a moderate contribution from a wind–wind interaction zone.