MicroVolt Variations of The Human Brain (Quantitative Electroencephalography) Display Differential Torque Effects During West-East versus North-South Orientation in the Geomagnetic Field

The human brain was assumed to be an elliptical electric dipole. Repeated quantitative electroencephalographic measurements over several weeks were completed for a single subject who sat in either a magnetic eastward or magnetic southward direction. The predicted potential difference equivalence for the torque while facing perpendicular (west-to-east) to the northward component of the geomagnetic field (relative to facing south) was 4 μV. The actual measurement was 10 μV. The oscillation frequency around the central equilibrium based upon the summed units of neuronal processes within the cerebral cortices for the moment of inertia was 1 to 2 ms which are the boundaries for the action potential of axons and the latencies for diffusion of neurotransmitters. The calculated additional energy available to each neuron within the human cerebrum during the torque condition was ~10-20 J which is the same order of magnitude as the energy associated with action potentials, resting membrane potentials, and ligand-receptor binding. It is also the basic energy at the level of the neuronal cell membrane that originates from gravitational forces upon a single cell and the local expression of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropic constant for ferritin which occurs in the brain. These results indicate that the more complex electrophysiological functions that are strongly correlated with cognitive and related human properties can be described by basic physics and may respond to specific geomagnetic spatial orientation

Computational Thinking in Italian Schools: Quantitative Data and Teachers' Sentiment Analysis after Two Years of "Programma il Futuro" Project

International audienceIn this paper the first two years of activities of "Programma il Futuro" project are described. Its goal is to disseminate among teachers in Italian primary and secondary schools a better awareness of informatics as the scientific basis of digital technologies. The project has adapted Code.org learning material and has introduced it to Italian schools with the support of a dedicated web site. Response has been enthusiastic in terms of participation: in two years more than one million students have been engaged and have completed a total of 10 million hours of informatics in schools. Almost all students found the material useful and were interested, teachers have reported. They have also declared to have experienced high satisfaction and a low level of difficulty. A detailed analysis of quantitative and qualitative data about the project is presented and areas for improvement are identified. One of the most interesting observations appears to corroborate the hypothesis that an exposure to informatics since the early age is important to attract students independently from their gender

Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes: A Step Toward America's Energy Sustainability

Part of the "Blueprint for American Prosperity"http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88629/1/2009_Brookings_Energy_Report.pd

The Development on a Undergraduate Minor Concentration in Nuclear Fission Power Engineering

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88231/1/2002_Nuclear_Power_Minor.pd

Ciencia de datos e ingeniería en ciencia de alimentos: una plataforma novedosa de big data para análisis de comportamiento de gelantes de bajo peso molecular

The objective of this article is to introduce a comprehensive end-to-end solution aimed at enabling the application of state-of-the-art Data Science and Analytic methodologies to a food science related problem. The problem refers to the automation of load, homogenization, complex processing and real-time accessibility to low molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) data to gain insights into their assembly behavior, i.e. whether a gel can be mixed with an appropriate solvent or not. Most of the work within the field of Colloidal and Food Science in relation to LMWGs have centered on identifying adequate solvents that can generate stable gels and evaluating how the LMWG characteristics can affect gelation. As a result, extensive databases have been methodically and manually registered, storing results from different laboratory experiments. The complexity of those databases, and the errors caused by manual data entry, can interfere with the analysis and visualization of relations and patterns, limiting the utility of the experimental work. Due to the above mentioned, we have proposed a scalable and flexible Big Data solution to enable the unification, homogenization and availability of the data through the application of tools and methodologies. This approach contributes to optimize data acquisition during LMWG research and reduce redundant data processing and analysis, while also enabling researchers to explore a wider range of testing conditions and push forward the frontier in Food Science research.Este trabajo tiene como finalidad presentar una solución integral destinada a permitir la aplicación de metodologías de analítica y ciencia de datos de última generación a un problema relacionado con la ciencia de los alimentos. Dicho problema se refiere a la automatización de la carga, la homogeneización, el procesamiento complejo y el acceso en tiempo real a los datos de los gelantes de bajo peso molecular (LMWG por sus siglas en inglés) para obtener información sobre su comportamiento de ensanblaje, es decir, si un gel se puede mezclar con un solvente apropiado o no. La mayor parte del trabajo en el campo de la ciencia coloidal y de alimentos en relación con los LMWG se ha centrado en identificar los solventes adecuados que pueden generar geles estables, y evaluar cómo las características del LMWG pueden afectar la gelificación. Como resultado, se han registrado de forma metódica y manual extensas bases de datos, que almacenan los resultados de diferentes experimentos de laboratorio. La complejidad de esas bases de datos, y los errores causados por la entrada manual de datos, pueden interferir con el análisis y visualización de relaciones y patrones, limitando la utilidad del trabajo experimental. Por los motivos antes mencionados, hemos propuesto una solución de Big Data escalable y flexible para permitir la unificación, homogeneización y disponibilidad de los datos mediante la aplicación de herramientas y metodologías de datos. Este enfoque contribuye a optimizar la adquisición de datos durante la investigación de LMWG y reduce el procesamiento y análisis de datos redundantes, al tiempo que permite a los investigadores explorar una gama más amplia de condiciones de prueba y avanzar la frontera en la investigación de la ciencia de los alimentos.Facultad de Informátic

On the essence of parallel independence for the double-pushout and sesqui-pushout approaches

Parallel independence between transformation steps is a basic notion in the algebraic approaches to graph transformation, which is at the core of some static analysis techniques like Critical Pair Analysis. We propose a new categorical condition of parallel independence and show its equivalence with two other conditions proposed in the literature, for both left-linear and non-left-linear rules. Next we present some preliminary experimental results aimed at comparing the three conditions with respect to computational efficiency. To this aim, we implemented the three conditions, for left-linear rules only, in the Verigraph system, and used them to check parallel independence of pairs of overlapping redexes generated from some sample graph transformation systems over categories of typed graphs

Heat Transfer Phenomena in Supercritical Water Nuclear Reactors

A supercritical water heat transfer facility has been built at the University of Wisconsin to study heat transfer in ancircular and square annular flow channel. A series of integral heat transfer measurements has been carried out over a wide range of heat flux, mas velocity and bulk water temperatures at a pressure of 25 MPa. The circular annular test section geometry is a 1.07 cm diameter heater rod within a 4.29 diameter flow channel

Outcomes of haploidentical stem cell transplantation for chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a retrospective study on behalf of the chronic malignancies working party of the EBMT

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) may result in long-term disease control in high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Recently, haploidentical HCT is gaining interest because of better outcomes with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCY). We analyzed patients with CLL who received an allogeneic HCT with a haploidentical donor and whose data were available in the EBMT registry. In total 117 patients (74% males) were included; 38% received PTCY as GVHD prophylaxis. For the whole study cohort OS at 2 and 5 yrs was 48 and 38%, respectively. PFS at 2 and 5 yrs was 38 and 31%, respectively. Cumulative incidence (CI) of NRM in the whole group at 2 and 5 years were 40 and 44%, respectively. CI of relapse at 2 and 5 yrs were 22 and 26%, respectively. All outcomes were not statistically different in patients who received PTCY compared to other types of GVHD prophylaxis. In conclusion, results of haploidentical HCT in CLL seem almost identical to those with HLA-matched donors. Thereby, haploidentical HCT is an appropriate alternative in high risk CLL patients with a transplant indication but no available HLA-matched donor. Despite the use of PTCY, the CI of relapse seems not higher than observed after HLA-matched HCT

ExacTrac Dynamic workflow evaluation: Combined surface optical/thermal imaging and X‐ray positioning

In modern radiotherapy (RT), especially for stereotactic radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery treatments, image guidance is essential. Recently, the ExacTrac Dynamic (EXTD) system, a new combined surface-guided RT and image-guided RT (IGRT) system for patient positioning, monitoring, and tumor targeting, was introduced in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to provide more information about the geometric accuracy of EXTD and its workflow in a clinical environment. The surface optical/thermal- and the stereoscopic X-ray imaging positioning systems of EXTD was evaluated and compared to cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Additionally, the congruence with the radiation isocenter was tested. A Winston Lutz test was executed several times over 1 year, and repeated end-to-end positioning tests were performed. The magnitude of the displacements between all systems, CBCT, stereoscopic X-ray, optical-surface imaging, and MV portal imaging was within the submillimeter range, suggesting that the image guidance provided by EXTD is accurate at any couch angle. Additionally, results from the evaluation of 14 patients with intracranial tumors treated with open-face masks are reported, and limited differences with a maximum of 0.02 mm between optical/thermal- and stereoscopic X-ray imaging were found. As the optical/thermal positioning system showed a comparable accuracy to other IGRT systems, and due to its constant monitoring capability, it can be an efficient tool for detecting intra-fractional motion and for real-time tracking of the surface position during RT