International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Due to the rotating mechanism in mechanical disks, they cannot provide the top-level reliability required for operation in harsh military environments. This paper describes three COTS alternatives to mechanical disks: ruggedized mechanical disks, solid-state flash disks and stacked PC Cards. It discusses their cost-effectiveness and aspects such as environmental specifications, endurance and data reliability. It highlights several methods used by flash disks to enhance endurance and reliability, as well as flash pricing and density trends. It presents data security requirements in actual emergency situations, and how flash disks can meet these requirements. It concludes with a feature-by-feature comparison of ruggedized disks, flash disks and stacked PC Cards.

ITC/USA 2005 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2005 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / This paper discusses data storage requirements for data acquisition systems, and evaluates the ability of three of the most popular COTS data storage solutions - mechanical disk, ruggedized mechanical disk and solid-state flash disk - to meet these requirements today and in the future. It addresses issues of capacity, data reliability, endurance, form factor, cost and security. It concludes with a discussion of trends to implement high-speed serial interfaces in data acquisition systems, and the challenges that these trends pose for COTS storage solutions.

ITC/USA 2005 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2005 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Instrumentation recorders have evolved continuously over the years. Their growth has primarily been driven by technology advancements. The latest recording equipment generally utilizes hard disk, disk array, or solid-state storage technology, which results in greater capacity and performance. Most recorders integrate storage media with multiplexer electronics resulting in a highly efficient yet inflexible and physically large recording system. This paper describes an instrumentation multiplexer/recorder system using an open architecture between the multiplexer and the storage media that allows insertion of conventional recording technologies. This approach provides a generalized solution with enough flexibility and scalability to address the majority of instrumentation recording needs. This system is based on the latest IRIG-106 chapter 10 standard, thus supporting interoperability throughout the flight test community.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Orthopaedics and Traumatology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Biochemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

We present new models for two low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB), 4U 1822-371 and V1408 Aql (= 4U 1957+115). The eclipsing LMXB 4U 1822-371 is the prototypical accretion disk corona (ADC) system. We have obtained new time-resolved UV spectroscopy of 4U 1822-371 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel on the Hubble Space Telescope and new V- and J- band photometry with the 1.3-m SMARTS telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. We use the new data to construct the UV/optical spectral energy distribution of 4U 1822-371 and its orbital light curve in the UV, V , and J bands. We derive an improved ephemeris for the optical eclipses and confirm that the orbital period is changing rapidly, indicating extremely high rates of mass flow in the system; and we show that the accretion disk in the system has a strong wind with projected radial velocities up to 4400 km s⁻¹. We show that the disk has a vertically extended, optically thick component at optical wavelengths. This component extends almost to the edge of the disk and has a height equal to ~0.5 of the disk radius. As it has a low brightness temperature, we identify it as the optically thick base of the disk wind, not as the optical counterpart of the ADC. Like previous models of 4U 1822-371, ours needs a tall obscuring wall near the edge of the accretion disk, but we interpret the wall as a layer of cooler material at the base of the disk wind, not as a tall, luminous disk rim. V1408 Aql is a black hole candidate. We have obtained new optical photometry of this system in 2008 and 2009 with the Argos photometer on the 2.1-m Otto Struve telescope and optical spectra with the low resolution spectrometer on the Hobby Eberly telescope. From the data we derive an improved optical orbital ephemeris and a new geometric model for the system. The model uses only a simple thin disk without the need for a warped disk or a large disk rim. The orbital variation is produced by the changing aspect of the irradiated secondary star with orbital phase. The new model leaves the orbital inclination unconstrained and allows for inclinations as low as 20 degrees. The spectra is largely featureless continuum with He II and occasionally H[alpha] emission lines, and an absorption line from Na D. The lines are highly variable in strength and wavelength, but the variations do not correlate with orbital phase. / text

Šio tyrimo tikslas palyginti diskų difuzijos ir automatizuotą metodus, nustatančius Enterobacteriaceae šeimos bakterijų plataus veikimo β-laktamazių (PVBLazių) fenotipą ir įvertinti PVBLazių paplitimą Vilniaus universiteto ligoninės Santariškių klinikose 2008-2010 metais. Tyrimų analizei buvo pasirinkta 58 Enterobacteriaceae šeimos bakterijos, išskirtos 2009-2011 metais ligoniams, besigydžiusiems Vilniaus Universiteto ligoninės Santariškių klinikose. Bakterijos ištirtos naudojant fenotipinius PVBL nustatymo metodus: automatizuotą Phoenix sistemą (Becton Dickenson, Sparks, MD, JAV), kombinuotą diskų difuzijos metodą ir dvigubos difuzijos metodą. Automatizuota Phoenix sistema tyrime laikyta kaip patvirtinantis metodas identifikuojant bakterijas ir nustatant PVBLazių gamybos fenotipą. Tiriamąją grupę sudarė šios bakterijų rūšys: K. pneumoniae, E.coli, Enterobacter spp., Proteus spp., Serratia spp., Morganella spp. ir Providencia spp.. Ištyrus 58 bakterijas patvirtinačiu metodu nustatyta, kad 31 iš jų gamina plataus veikimo beta-laktamazes. Atliktas palyginamasis diskų difuzijos metodų įvertinimas ir nustatytas jautrumas, specifiškumas, teigiama prognostinė vertė (PPV) ir neigiama prognostinė vertė (NPV). Įvertinus atliktų tyrimų duomenis nustatyta, kad kombinuoto diskų difuzijos metodo jautrumas - 100%, specifiškumas - 100%, PPV - 100%, NPV - 100%. Dvigubos difuzijos metodo jautrumas - 100%, specifiškumas – 88,9%, PPV – 91,2%, NPV - 100%. Gauti tyrimų rezultatai rodo, jog... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of this study is to compare disk diffusion and automated methods for determining the Enterobacteriaceae extended spectrum-β-lactamases (ESBL) phenotype and to assess the prevalence of (ESBL) at University Hospital Clinics in 2008-2010. For the study were chosen 58 bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family that were isolated in 2009-2011 in patients that were treated at Vilnius University Hospital Clinic. The bacteria studied using phenotypic methods ESBL: Phoenix automated system (Becton Dickenson, Sparks, MD, USA) combined disc diffusion method and the double-diffusion method. Automated system of Phoenix for the study was considered as a method of confirming the identification of bacteria and determination of (ESBL) production phenotype. The studied group consisted of the following bacterial species: K. pneumoniae, E. coli, Enterobacter spp., Proteus spp., Serratia spp., Morganella spp. and Providencia spp . The examination with the validated method of 58 bacteria showed that 31 of them produce an extended spectrum beta lactamases. A performed comparative disc diffusion method was made and the evaluation of the sensitivity, specificity, positive prognostic value (PPV) and negative prognostic value (NPV) was identified. The evaluation of the data from studies showed that the combined disc diffusion method for sensitivity - 100% and specificity - 100%, PPV - 100%, NPV - 100%. Double-diffusion method for sensitivity - 100% and specificity - 88.9%, PPV - 91.2%... [to full text]

Continuous monitoring during tissue culture is important for the success of engineered tissue development. It is also challenging due to lack of suitable established monitoring techniques. In this study, microdialysis, a sampling technique for measuring the unbound solute concentrations in the tissues and organs of the living body, was adopted to monitor functional tissue growth in a bioreactor with explanted bovine caudal intervertebral discs (IVD) as the test tissue. Apart from cell metabolic activities, cell and tissue biological functions were investigated for the development of microdialysis for monitoring purposes. Methodologies of microdialysis with large pore size membrane probes for sampling macromolecular bio-functional markers were established. The effects of pumping methods, including 'push', 'pull' or 'push-and-pull', and the effect of the resulting transmembrane pressure on the fluid balance, and the relative recovery of small molecules and of macromolecules (proteins) were experimentally studied. The validity of the internal reference in-situ calibration was examined in detail. It was concluded that a push-and-pull system was the only effective method to eliminate fluid loss or gain. The relative recovery of small solutes was hardly affected by the applied pumping methods; however the relative recovery of macromolecules was significantly influenced by them. The in situ calibration technique using Phenol Red can provide reliable results for small molecules including glucose and lactic acid. Using lOkDa and 70kDa fluorescent dextrans as the internal standard for in situ calibration of large molecules of similar size, it was found that the pull pump system did not work well but that the push-and-pull pumping method did work well. A novel bioreactor system for in vitro IVD culture with static load and microdialysis monitoring was developed. Explanted IVDs were cultured under three different loads for up to 7 days. A single microdialysis probe with 3000 kDa membrane was inserted into each of the IVDs at a defined location. The in situ calibration technique was proved valid in the experiments and membrane fouling was not significant. The tissue metabolism and extracellular matrix turnover during 7 day culture were continuously monitored to investigate the effect of different loads. Microdialysis proved to be a feasible and efficient method for multi-parameter monitoring of tissue culture. Substantial effort was directed towards the identification of functional macromolecular markers in conjunction with microdialysis sampling. Amongst several proteins sampled, chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), a major soluble protein secreted by cultured IVD cells in alginate beads and by cultured IVD explants was identified following its successful isolation. Then it was established as a suitable functional marker. The effect of physico-chemical and mechanical stimuli (e.g. osmolarity, pH, oxygen tension and mechanical load) on secretion of CHI3L1 by cultured IVD cells and chondrocytes in alginate beads and by cultured IVD explant were investigated. CHI3L1 release was sensitive to physico-chemical stimulation. The production of CHI3L1 was directly correlated with the cell metabolism and this could be readily monitored with microdialysis.

We present new optical and radio spectroscopic observations of the remarkable galaxy Malin 1. This galaxy has unique features that include an extremely low surface brightness disk with an enormous mass of neutral hydrogen, and a low luminosity Seyfert nucleus. Malin 1 is exceptional in its values of MHO, LB, and MHI /Ln, and modest in its surface mass density of gas and stars. Spirals with large Min /LB tend to have low mean column densities of HI, and are close to the threshold for star formation due to instabilities in a rotating gas disk. In these terms, Malin 1 has a disk with extremely inefficient star formation. The bulge spectrum is dominated by the absorption features of an old, metal rich stellar population, although there is some evidence for hot (young) stars. The emission line excitations and widths in the nucleus are typical of a Seyfert galaxy; but Malin 1 is in the lowest 5% of the luminosity function of Seyferts, despite a copious fuel supply. Malin 1 is in a low density region of the universe. We propose it as an unevolving disk galaxy, where the surface mass density is so low that the chemical composition and mass fraction in gas change very slowly over a Hubble time. Its properties are similar to those of the damped Lyman -a absorption systems seen in the spectra of high redshift quasars. We emphasize that there are strong observational selection effects against finding gas -rich galaxies that are both massive and diffuse. Finally, we suggest that large and massive HI disks may have formed as early as z - 2, and remained quiescent to the present day. Subject headings : individual (Malin 1) - galaxies : photometry - galaxies : Seyfert - galaxies : stellar content - radio sources : 21 cm radiation - stars : formation

A study of the Galactic Center stellar population is continuing with a sensitive 2μm CCD camera. Using a 64 x 64 detector array, background limited images are recorded with modest amounts of observing time (tob, 20 sec to reach K =13). Magnitudes have been extracted using DAOPHOT from repeated imaging of the central 5' x 5' to search among approximately 1500 stars for long period variables (LPV's, P > 200d), particularily Miras. Miras have a well defined period - luminosity relationship as well as one in period -mass. This program investigates the nature of highly luminous stars at the Galactic Center. Presently 12 variables have been found and have several characteristics consistant with Miras. They have a maximum bolometric luminosity of -4.4 mag which supports the case that high luminosity stars in the central 6 pc are young supergiants.