Efficient Transfer Method Research Articles

Health Internet of Things: Metrics and methods for efficient data transfer

The rapid development of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in recent years and their introduction into people’s daily lives worldwide, has led to new circumstances at all levels of the social environment. In health care in particular, sensors and data links offer potential for constant monitoring of patient’s symptoms and needs, in real time, enabling physicians to diagnose and monitor health problems wherever the patient is, either at home or outdoors. However, the use of Internet of Things concepts in the health domain does not come without extra data and therefore a data transfer cost overheads. To deal with these overheads, novel metrics, and methods are introduced in an attempt to maximize the capabilities and widen acceptance/usage provided by the Internet of Things. Without losing its generality, the method discussed is experimentally evaluated in the paradigm of the Health domain. The focus is on the need for an overview of available data formats and transmission methods and selection of the optimal combination, which can result to reduction/minimization of costs. An analytic methodology is presented backed with theoretical metrics and evaluated experimentally.

An efficient decal transfer method using a roll-press to fabricate membrane electrode assemblies for direct methanol fuel cells

Abstract This study has focused on the development of a roll-press based decal transfer method to fabricate membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). This method exhibits an outstanding transfer rate of catalyst layers from substrates to the membrane, despite hot-pressing at a considerably lower pressure and for a much shorter duration than the flat-press based conventional decal method. The MEA produced by a roll-press (R-MEA) delivers an excellent single-cell performance with power densities more than 30% higher than that fabricated using a flat-press (F-MEA). The new method considerably improves catalyst active sites in both electrodes and renders a high cathode porosity. The superior pore structure of the cathode makes the R-MEA more efficient in terms of performance and operation stability under lower air stoichiometries. Moreover, MEAs can be prepared in a continuous mode using this new method due to the unique design of the roll-press. All these advantages demonstrate the superiority of this method over the conventional flat-press decal method and make it suitable for use in the commercial manufacturing of MEAs for direct methanol fuel cells.

The Benefits of Using Rapid Indirect Heating on Grain and Flour Products

Sophisticated and precise indirect heat treatment technologies offer a variety of benefits for ingredient suppliers and manufacturers, including higher product quality, a wider range of products and new products, and reduced maintenance and energy costs associated with manufacturing. Convective, radiant, and conductive heat treatments are reviewed. Thin-film solids heat exchangers are highly versatile and effective processors, providing a valuable tool for the cereal processing industry and transforming the theory of heat treatment reactions into economical processing performance. These devices are especially valuable in light of the movement toward clean labels, improved natural raw material functionality, and use of all components of whole grains. With the continued rise in energy costs, this efficient heat transfer method provides additional value.

Research on bulk data transfer on OSS enterprise service bus

In telecomm operator's information technology (IT) architecture, data sharing plays a vital role in the operation support system (OSS) which is a multiple, data-intensive, large-scale system. This article analyzed and summarized the types of shared data transfer. An enterprise service bus (ESB)-based efficient bulk data transfer method was proposed for the non-real-time and large amount of data transfer scenarios. Through web service or message service, the method provided bulk data transfer capabilities. And related technologies were also tested and compared. The result confirmed the effectivity of the method. This method was deployed in a number of provincial telecom operators OSS systems and achieved good efficiency than before.

A Swarm Inspired Method for Efficient Data Transfer

A Swarm Inspired Method for Efficient Data Transfer

Efficient acoustic radiance transfer method with time‐dependent reflections.

Modern desktop computers are equipped with graphics cards that provide massive parallel computation power that was previously available only in supercomputers. On the other hand, there are several room acoustics modeling methods, but only some of them scale well to hundreds or thousands of parallel processors. The scalability of the acoustic radiance transfer method is examined. It is shown that it can almost fully utilize the available computing power. In simple cases, this technique achieves real‐time performance. While taking into account the limitations of the energy‐based acoustic modeling approach, the presented system can model arbitrary reflections. The reflections are presented as bi‐directional reflectance distribution functions, which depend on the incoming and outgoing directions of acoustic energy. It is also possible to add time‐dimension to such a reflection model. Some measurements are presented to show that spreading in time dimension occurs at reflections. Most of the previous room acoustics modeling techniques have ignored that phenomenon, but the acoustic radiance transfer technique can be easily modified to take this spreading effect into account.

Enhanced Transfection Efficiency of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by the Incorporation of DNA Liposomes in Extracellular Matrix

Because human embryonic stem (hES) cells can differentiate into virtually any cell type in the human body, these cells hold promise for regenerative medicine. The genetic manipulation of hES cells will enhance our understanding of genes involved in early development and will accelerate their potential use and application for regenerative medicine. The objective of this study was to increase the transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA into hES cells by modifying a standard reverse transfection (RT) protocol of lipofection. We hypothesized that immobilization of plasmid DNA in extracellular matrix would be a more efficient method for plasmid transfer due to the affinity of hES cells for substrates such as Matrigel and to the prolonged exposure of cells to plasmid DNA. Our results demonstrate that this modification doubled the transfection efficiency of hES cells and the generation of clonal cell lines containing a piece of foreign DNA stably inserted in their genomes compared to results obtained with standard forward transfection. In addition, treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide further increased the transfection efficiency of hES cells. In conclusion, modifications to the RT protocol of lipofection result in a significant and robust increase in the transfection efficiency of hES cells.

Efficiency transfer between extended sources

An application of the efficiency transfer method of efficiency determination in gamma-ray spectrometry is described, with both the standard and the measured sample being extended sources. The approach was successfully tested against experimental data.

Efficient Electrotransformation of Bacteroides fragilis

This study describes refined electroporation parameters for efficient transformation of Bacteroides fragilis by plasmids prepared from laboratory strains of Escherichia coli. Development of the method used included determination of the optimal growth conditions for competent cell preparation, selectable antimicrobial resistance markers, electric field strength, and postpulse incubation time. Of the four E. coli-Bacteroides shuttle plasmids tested (pVAL-1, pVAL-2, pNLY1, and pLYL05), pLYL05 containing the cefoxitin resistance marker was found to be the most suitable for B. fragilis transformation, and it generated 2- to 900-fold more transformants (about 10(4) transformants per microg pLYL05 DNA) than the other plasmids. For the 72-h cultivation period tested, B. fragilis cells harvested at 48 h yielded the highest numbers of transformants. The transformation efficiency of pLYL05 increased linearly with the electric field strength over a range from 5.0 to 12.5 kV/cm. At least 3 h of postpulse incubation was required to maximize the transformation efficiency. For deletion of B. fragilis genes by homologous recombination, competent cells grown to early exponential phase and 12 h of postpulse incubation were required for efficient integration of the pLYL05-based suicide vector into the target site. The expected integration was obtained in B. fragilis strain NCTC9343 only when a homologously prepared (i.e., in vivo methylated) suicide vector was used. Spontaneous resolution of the diploid successfully deleted the expected genetic region. Our simple and efficient plasmid transfer method enabled disruption of a B. fragilis gene using in vivo-methylated targeted vectors. Our optimized electroporation parameters provide a useful tool for genetic manipulation of Bacteroides species.

A modular video streaming method for surgical assistance in operating room networks

Continuous video is used with increasing frequency in the operating room for minimally invasive laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. Video data communication in the OR requires device interoperability, efficient data transfer methods, and specialized IT infrastructure. A framework for digital video communication based on a two channel client-server architecture was developed and tested. One channel is used for stream handling and the second channel is used for data streaming. A video stream description (VSD) specification is defined to negotiate video stream characteristics and ensure semantic interoperability. Quality assessment of the streamed data employs an image-based structural quality measure called the Structural Similarity (SSIM) Index. By introducing the stream description and a quality metric, the stream parameters can be modified as needed. The video communication framework ensures interoperability by defining interfaces for each of the streaming architecture modules. To prove the framework's feasibility, two prototype applications were developed and performance tests were performed on a dedicated OR network. The results showed acceptable network performance for streaming video in the OR network under clinically realistic conditions. An OR video communications framework was developed that uses existing OR network infrastructure as an economical alternative to dedicated integrated OR solutions. This framework provides functional and semantic interoperability among imaging modalities for continuous video data communication.

Association genetics reveal candidate gene SNPs affecting wood properties in Pinus radiata

Summary Association or linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping is an emerging approach for identifying molecular markers linked to phenotypic variation. Forest trees are ideally suited to association mapping due to their low genomic LD which permits highresolution mapping of marker associations. Using this approach several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) potentially influencing economically important wood traits (density, cellulose microfibril angle and modulus of elasticity) were identified in a Pinus radiata provenance trial. One hundred and forty-nine SNP markers from 44 cell wall candidate genes were examined. After accounting for population structure and multiple testing, 15 SNPs demonstrated significant associations at P < 0.05. We have demonstrated that linkage disequilibrium in the native populations of P. radiata decays within the length of a gene. Therefore, the identified associations may result from the SNP under examination, or at least a linked SNP within the same gene. Without accounting for multi-colinearity between markers, the proportion of trait variance attributed to individual SNPs ranged from 1.5% to 6.5%. SNP associations are presently undergoing validation in a second-generation Southern Tree Breeding Association progeny trial. The small proportion of total quantitative variation contributed by individual SNPs indicates molecular breeding strategies would achieve greatest gains using combinations of SNPs for marker-assisted selection. Establishing methods for efficient transfer of validated SNPs into breeding selection models is essential for the uptake of the marker technology identified here, and is the focus of ongoing research.

Virtual point detector: Application to coincidence-summing correction in gamma-ray spectrometry

The use of an efficiency transfer method based on the virtual point detector approximation to evaluate coincidence-summing correction values for point and volume sources was examined. The method was validated by means of a comparison with experimental efficiency determinations.

Crystal rounding and the efficiency transfer method in gamma-ray spectrometry

The effect of failing to properly model the rounding of the crystal edges in the application of the efficiency transfer method to the measurement of environmental samples is investigated for coaxial and thick planar (BeGe) HPGe detectors. It is found that for lower energies proper modelling of the crystal rounding is necessary to achieve the accuracy of the computed efficiency usually required in this type of measurements.

Strain Engineering by Genome Mass Transfer: Efficient Chromosomal Trait Transfer Method Utilizing Donor Genomic DNA and Recipient Recombineering Hosts

Strain engineering, like cloning, is a fundamental technology used to confer new traits onto existing strains. While effective methods for trait development through gene modification within strains have been developed, methods for trait transfer between Escherichia coli strains to create complex strains are needed. We report herein the development of genome mass transfer (GMT), a broadly applicable new strain engineering methodology enabling rapid trait transfer from a donor strain into a recombineering gene-expressing recipient strain. GMT utilizes electroporation of donor chromosomal DNA into a recombineering recipient cell for precise trait transfer. GMT transfer of traits between E. coli strains can be used to rapidly assemble new strains incorporating combinations of marked gene knockouts, for example, utilizing the existing E. coli K-12 Keio gene knockout collection as source target genes. Optional use of random primed isothermal amplified DNA eliminates the need for initial DNA purification, affording high throughput application. This allows unprecedented simplicity and speed for rational design engineering of complex phenotypes in industrial strains.

Energy efficient method for two-photon population transfer with near-resonant chirped pulses

We investigate a method for complete population inversion in three level systems through pi-pulse bichromatic two-photon coherent excitation and study the dependence on the chirp of the laser pulses. We observe that the population inversion does not monotonously decrease with increasing the time-bandwidth product, and that the excitation depends on the sign of the chirp of the individual pulses. Our results evidence a strategy for coherent population transfer which is energetically superior to adiabatic methods and opens the door for real-world applications, since it alleviates the need for challenging generation of transform-limited pulses at arbitrary wavelengths.

ASAS Centennial Paper: Impact of animal science research on United States goat production and predictions for the future

Goat research in the United States has increased but at a rate less than that in production. Research on goat meat includes nutritional quality, packaging, color, sensory characteristics, and preslaughter management. Goat skins have value for leather, but quality of goat leather has not been extensively studied. Research in the production, quality, antibiotic residues, and sensory characteristics of goat milk and its products has aided development of the US dairy goat industry. Limited progress has been made in genetic improvement of milk or meat production. There is need to explore applications of genomics and proteomics and improve consistency in texture and functionality of goat cheeses. New goat meat and milk products are needed to increase demand and meet the diverse tastes of the American public. Despite research progress in control of mohair and cashmere growth, erratic prices and sale of raw materials have contributed to further declines in US production. Innovative and cooperative ventures are needed for profit sharing up to the consumer level. Internal parasites pose the greatest challenge to goat production in humid areas largely because of anthelmintic resistance. Study of alternative controls is required, including immunity enhancement via nutrition, vaccination, pasture management such as co-grazing with cattle, and genetic resistance. Similarly, the importance of health management is increasing related in part to a lack of effective vaccines for many diseases. Nutrition research should address requirements for vitamins and minerals, efficiencies of protein utilization, adjusting energy requirements for nutritional plane, acclimatization, and grazing conditions, feed intake prediction, and management practices for rapid-growth production systems. Moreover, efficient technology transfer methods are needed to disseminate current knowledge and that gained in future research.

An efficient PCA-based color transfer method

Color information of natural images can be considered as a highly correlated vector space. Many different color spaces have been proposed in the literature with different motivations toward modeling and analysis of this stochastic field. Recently, color transfer among different images has been under investigation. Color transferring consists of two major categories: colorizing grayscale images and recoloring colored images. The literature contains a few color transfer methods that rely on some standard color spaces. In this paper, taking advantages of the principal component analysis (PCA), we propose a unifying framework for both mentioned problems. The experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed method. The performance comparison of the proposed method is also given.

Gene Transfer to Rabbit Retina with Electron Avalanche Transfection

Nonviral gene therapy represents a promising treatment for retinal diseases, given clinically acceptable methods for efficient gene transfer. Electroporation is widely used for transfection, but causes significant collateral damage and a high rate of cell death, especially in applications in situ. This study was conducted in the interest of developing efficient and less toxic forms of gene transfer for the eye. A novel method for nonviral DNA transfer, called electron avalanche transfection, was used that involves microsecond electric plasma-mediated discharges applied via microelectrode array. This transfection method, which produces synchronized pulses of mechanical stress and high electric field, was first applied to chorioallantoic membrane as a model system and then to rabbit RPE in vivo. Gene transfer was measured by using luciferase bioluminescence and in vivo fluorescent fundus photography. Safety was evaluated by performing electroretinograms and histology. In chorioallantoic membrane, electron avalanche transfection was approximately 10,000-fold more efficient and produced less tissue damage than conventional electroporation. Also demonstrated was efficient plasmid DNA transfer to the rabbit retina after subretinal DNA injection and transscleral electron avalanche transfection. Electroretinograms and histology showed no evidence of damage from the procedure. Electron avalanche transfection is a powerful new technology for safe DNA delivery that has great promise as a nonviral system of gene transfer.

Monte Carlo efficiency transfer method for full energy peak efficiency calibration of three type HPGe detectors: A coaxial N-type, a coaxial P-type and four BEGe detectors

Monte Carlo efficiency transfer method was used to determine full energy peak efficiency of three type high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors: a coaxial N-type, a coaxial P-type and four broad energy germanium detectors (BEGe). The comparisons between calculations and point source experiments showed that the relative deviations were mostly within ±5% for BEGe detectors in the energy range 13.9–1332 keV, within ±3% for the coaxial N-type detector in the energy range 17.5–662 keV, and within ±3% for the coaxial P-type detector in the energy range 59.5–1332 keV, respectively. An evaluation of Monte Carlo efficiency transfer method at different source-to-detector geometry configurations indicates that peak efficiency may be underestimated when point sources are placed nearer than the reference position to detector on the detector axis, and may be overestimated when point sources are placed far from the detector axis, especially for low-energy photons. Some discussions about direct Monte Carlo calculation method and Monte Carlo efficiency transfer method for full-energy peak efficiency calculation are also presented in this paper.

Fibroblasts Show More Potential as Target Cells than Keratinocytes in COL7A1 Gene Therapy of Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is an inherited blistering skin disorder caused by mutations in the type VII collagen gene (COL7A1). Therapeutic introduction of COL7A1 into skin cells holds significant promise for the treatment of DEB. The purpose of this study was to establish an efficient retroviral transfer method for COL7A1 into DEB epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, and to determine which gene-transferred cells can most efficiently express collagen VII in the skin. We demonstrated that gene transfer using a combination of G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus-pseudotyped retroviral vector and retronectin introduced COL7A1 into keratinocytes and fibroblasts from a DEB patient with the lack of COL7A1 expression. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of the normal human skin demonstrated that the quantity of COL7A1 expression in the epidermis was significantly higher than that in the dermis. Subsequently, we have produced skin grafts with the gene-transferred or untreated DEB keratinocytes and fibroblasts, and have transplanted them into nude rats. Interestingly, the series of skin graft experiments showed that the gene-transferred fibroblasts supplied higher amount of collagen VII to the new dermal-epidermal junction than the gene-transferred keratinocytes. An ultrastructural study revealed that collagen VII from gene-transferred cells formed proper anchoring fibrils. These results suggest that fibroblasts may be a better gene therapy target of DEB treatment than keratinocytes.