Ada software productivity prototypes: A case study

A case study of the impact of Ada on a Command and Control project completed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is given. The data for this study was collected as part of a general survey of software costs and productivity at JPL and other NASA sites. The task analyzed is a successful example of the use of rapid prototyping as applied to command and control for the U.S. Air Force and provides the U.S. Air Force Military Airlift Command with the ability to track aircraft, air crews and payloads worldwide. The task consists of a replicated database at several globally distributed sites. The local databases at each site can be updated within seconds after changes are entered at any one site. The system must be able to handle up to 400,000 activities per day. There are currently seven sites, each with a local area network of computers and a variety of user displays; the local area networks are tied together into a single wide area network. Using data obtained for eight modules, totaling approximately 500,000 source lines of code, researchers analyze the differences in productivities between subtasks. Factors considered are percentage of Ada used in coding, years of programmer experience, and the use of Ada tools and modern programming practices. The principle findings are the following. Productivity is very sensitive to programmer experience. The use of Ada software tools and the use of modern programming practices are important; without such use Ada is just a large complex language which can cause productivity to decrease. The impact of Ada on development effort phases is consistent with earlier reports at the project level but not at the module level

Resource targets for advanced underground coal extraction systems

Resource targets appropriate for federal sponsorship of research and development of advanced underground coal mining systems are identified. A comprehensive examination of conventional and unconventional coals with particular attention to exceptionally thin and thick seams, steeply dipping beds, and multiple seam geometry was made. The results indicate that the resource of primary importance is flat lying bituminous coal of moderate thickness, under moderate cover, and located within the lower 48 states. Resources of secondary importance are the flat lying multiple seams and thin seams (especially those in Appalachia). Steeply dipping coals, abandoned pillars, and exceptionally thick western coals may be important in some regions of subregions, but the limited tonnage available places them in a position of tertiary importance

The effects of folate-conjugated gold nanorods in combination with plasmonic photothermal therapy on mouth epidermal carcinoma cells

The use of lasers has emerged to be highly promising for cancer therapy modalities, most commonly, the photothermal therapy method. Unfortunately, the most common disadvantage of laser therapy is its nonselectivity and requirement of high power density. The use of plasmonic nanoparticles as highly enhanced photoabsorbing agents has thus introduced a much more selective and efficient cancer therapy strategy. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the selective targeting and destruction of mouth epidermal carcinoma cells (KB cells) using the photothermal therapy of folate-conjugated gold nanorods (F-GNRs). Considering the beneficial characteristics of GNRs and overexpression of the folate receptor by KB cells, we selected F-GNRs as a targeted photothermal therapy agent. Cell viability was evaluated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry using an annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide apoptosis detection kit. No cell damage or cytotoxicity from the individual treatment of laser light or F-GNRs was observed. However, a 56 cell lethality was achieved for KB cells using combined plasmonic photothermal therapy of 20 μM F-GNRs with seven pulses of laser light and 6-h incubation periods. Cell lethality strongly depends on the concentration of F-GNRs and the incubation period that is mainly due to the induction of apoptosis. This targeted damage is due to the F-GNRs present in the cancer cells strongly absorbing near-infrared laser light and rapidly converting it to heat. This new therapeutic avenue for cancer therapy merits further investigation using in vivo models for application in humans. © 2013 Springer-Verlag

Determination of serum visfatin levels in patients with Behcet’s disease: a case–control study

Abstract Aim of the work: Behc¸et’s disease (BD) is an inflammatory, systemic and chronic disorder with unknown etiology affecting multiple systems. Visfatin is a new adipokine with insulinmimetic properties and pro-inflammatory function. The serum visfatin levels were evaluated in BD patients to investigate its role in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of the disease. Patients and methods: Forty BD patients were recruited from the Behc¸et’s disease clinic at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in southern Iran and 40 healthy control subjects of matching age, sex and body mass index (BMI) were also included. Serum visfatin level was measured using ELISA. Results: The 40 BD patients included 16 males and 24 females. Seventeen had active clinical manifestations; 16 with oral ulcer, 5 with genital ulcer, 6 with arthritis and 2 with uveitis. The mean age of the BD patients was 34.95 ± 9.6 years and mean BMI was 23.98 ± 4.44. There were no significant differences between cases (5.05 ± 3.05 ng/ml) and controls (4.72 ± 2.84 ng/ml) in the visfatin level (p = 0.61). The difference in the visfatin level between patients with active and inactive manifestations did not reach statistical significance (6.13 ± 3.20 and 4.25 ± 2.73, respectively; p = 0.07). There was no significant difference according to the gender of the patients or the presence of clinical manifestations