Approach to rapid mission design and planning

Methods and techniques are described for implementation in automated computer systems to assess parametric data, capabilities, requirements and constraints for planning earth orbit missions. Mission planning and design procedures are defined using two types of typical missions as examples. These missions were the high energy Astronomical Observatory Satellite missions, and Small Applications Technology Satellite missions

Lunar targeting study: Lunar and planetary Ephemeris tapes

The Univac 1108 computer tape data formats are documented for the ephermeris tape generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the ephemeris tape used by the Quick Response Targeting Program (QRTP). Ephermeris tapes are used as the data source for the position and velocity components of those celestial bodies being considered in an integrated trajectory simulation program. The QRTP ephemeris tape has data only for lunar mission simulations. The JPL ephemeris tape has data for the moon and the nine planets. The ephemeris tapes, the data formats, the coordinate systems, and units are defined. The transformation from the mean-of-1950 coordinate system to the nearest mean Besselian year is given

Boost-HiC: computational enhancement of long-range contacts in chromosomal contact maps

International audienceGenome-wide chromosomal contact maps are widely used to uncover the 3D organisation of genomes. They rely on the collection of millions of contacting pairs of genomic loci. Contact frequencies at short range are usually well measured in experiments, while there is a lot of missing information about long-range contacts. We propose to use the sparse information contained in raw contact maps to determine high-confidence contact frequency between all pairs of loci. Our algorithmic procedure, Boost-HiC, enables the detection of Hi-C patterns such as chromosomal compartments at a resolution that would be otherwise only attainable by sequencing a hundred times deeper the experimental Hi-C library

Pitfalls in using Weibull tailed distributions

By assuming that the underlying distribution belongs to the domain of attraction of an extreme value distribution, one can extrapolate the data to a far tail region so that a rare event can be predicted. However, when the distribution is in the domain of attraction of a Gumbel distribution, the extrapolation is quite limited generally in comparison with a heavy tailed distribution. In view of this drawback, a Weibull tailed distribution has been studied recently. Some methods for choosing the sample fraction in estimating the Weibull tail coefficient and some bias reduction estimators have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we show that the theoretical optimal sample fraction does not exist and a bias reduction estimator does not always produce a smaller mean squared error than a biased estimator. These are different from using a heavy tailed distribution. Further we propose a refined class of Weibull tailed distributions which are more useful in estimating high quantiles and extreme tail probabilities

Reduced-bias estimator of the Conditional Tail Expectation of heavy-tailed distributions

International audienceSeveral risk measures have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we focus on the estimation of the Conditional Tail Expectation (CTE). Its asymptotic normality has been first established in the literature under the classical assumption that the second moment of the loss variable is finite, this condition being very restrictive in practical applications. Such a result has been extended by Necir {\it et al.} (2010) in the case of infinite second moment. In this framework, we propose a reduced-bias estimator of the CTE. We illustrate the efficiency of our approach on a small simulation study and a real data analysis

Improving selection of markers in nutrition research: evaluation of the criteria proposed by the ILSI Europe Marker Validation Initiative

The conduct of high-quality nutrition research requires the selection of appropriate markers as outcomes, for example as indicators of food or nutrient intake, nutritional status, health status or disease risk. Such selection requires detailed knowledge of the markers, and consideration of the factors that may influence their measurement, other than the effects of nutritional change. A framework to guide selection of markers within nutrition research studies would be a valuable tool for researchers. A multidisciplinary Expert Group set out to test criteria designed to aid the evaluation of candidate markers for their usefulness in nutrition research and subsequently to develop a scoring system for markers. The proposed criteria were tested using thirteen markers selected from a broad range of nutrition research fields. The result of this testing was a modified list of criteria and a template for evaluating a potential marker against the criteria. Subsequently, a semi-quantitative system for scoring a marker and an associated template were developed. This system will enable the evaluation and comparison of different candidate markers within the same field of nutrition research in order to identify their relative usefulness. The ranking criteria of proven, strong, medium or low are likely to vary according to research setting, research field and the type of tool used to assess the marker and therefore the considerations for scoring need to be determined in a setting-, field- and tool-specific manner. A database of such markers, their interpretation and range of possible values would be valuable to nutrition researchers

Revisiting susceptibility testing in MDR-TB by a standardized quantitative phenotypic assessment in a European multicentre study

Objectives Treatment outcome of MDR-TB is critically dependent on the proper use of second-line drugs as per the result of in vitro drug susceptibility testing (DST). We aimed to establish a standardized DST procedure based on quantitative determination of drug resistance and compared the results with those of genotypes associated with drug resistance. Methods The protocol, based on MGIT 960 and the TB eXiST software, was evaluated in nine European reference laboratories. Resistance detection at a screening drug concentration was followed by determination of resistance levels and estimation of the resistance proportion. Mutations in 14 gene regions were investigated using established techniques. Results A total of 139 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with MDR-TB and resistance beyond MDR-TB were tested for 13 antituberculous drugs: isoniazid, rifampicin, rifabutin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, streptomycin, para-aminosalicylic acid, ethionamide, amikacin, capreomycin, ofloxacin, moxifloxacin and linezolid. Concordance between phenotypic and genotypic resistance was >80%, except for ethambutol. Time to results was short (median 10 days). High-level resistance, which precludes the therapeutic use of an antituberculous drug, was observed in 49% of the isolates. The finding of a low or intermediate resistance level in 16% and 35% of the isolates, respectively, may help in designing an efficient personalized regimen for the treatment of MDR-TB patients. Conclusions The automated DST procedure permits accurate and rapid quantitative resistance profiling of first- and second-line antituberculous drugs. Prospective validation is warranted to determine the impact on patient car

Round robin testing initiative for fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement

An international Round Robin Testing (RRT) programme on FRP reinforcement was conducted within the framework of the Marie Curie Research Training Network, ENCORE, and with the support of Task Group 9.3 of the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib). Eleven laboratories and six manufacturers and suppliers participated in this exercise. As part of this extensive experimental endeavour, one or more of the following tests were performed by the participating laboratories: 1) tensile tests on FRP bars and strips; 2) tensile tests on FRP laminates; 3) double bond shear tests on FRP laminates (Externally Bonded Reinforcement, EBR) and FRP bars/strip (Near Surface Mounted reinforcement, NSM). This paper will discusses the results of the RRT initiative, among which the experimental results of bond tests on concrete specimens strengthened with EBR and NSM FRP

Any l-state improved quasi-exact analytical solutions of the spatially dependent mass Klein-Gordon equation for the scalar and vector Hulthen potentials

We present a new approximation scheme for the centrifugal term to obtain a quasi-exact analytical bound state solutions within the framework of the position-dependent effective mass radial Klein-Gordon equation with the scalar and vector Hulth\'{e}n potentials in any arbitrary $D$ dimension and orbital angular momentum quantum numbers $l.$ The Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method is used in the calculations. The relativistic real energy levels and corresponding eigenfunctions for the bound states with different screening parameters have been given in a closed form. It is found that the solutions in the case of constant mass and in the case of s-wave ($l=0$) are identical with the ones obtained in literature.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figur